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Call HR with Fay
A Guide to Scaling from 0 to 20 Employees
Scaling Your Business Safely 🚀
The most dangerous phase of your business isn't when things go wrong, it's when everything's going right. You've hit your biggest year, your team's grown to 10, 15, maybe 20 people… and somewhere along the way you hired a few mates on a handshake. That's exactly where employment law can catch you out.
In this episode of Call HR with Fay, I share the story of a client (let's call him Dave) whose handshake hire ended up at Fair Work. Then I walk you through how to get it right: how to tell a contractor from an employee, how to check the award so you're not underpaying, and how to onboard someone properly so they actually stick around.
What We Cover 📋
Contractor or employee? Why it's about the nature of the relationship, not what suits you
How to check the right award so you're not paying under the minimum
The Fair Work documents you need before someone starts
A simple onboarding process you can set up in a spreadsheet: no fancy HR system needed
What probation really involves in Australia (3, 6 or 12 months)
How to build a feedback loop that keeps your good people
Chapters 🕒
00:00 The most dangerous phase of scaling
01:22 Dave's story: the handshake hire that went wrong
03:38 Before you hire: contractor or employee?
04:30 Getting the award right
05:06 The Fair Work Statement
05:23 Onboarding: why first impressions matter
06:12 The onboarding mistake most owners make
06:50 Stage 1: Prepare before day one
08:05 Stage 2: Day one done right
08:49 Stage 3: The 30-day feedback check-in
10:00 Probation: what you need to know
11:12 Passing probation (celebrate it)
12:06 Keeping the employee lifecycle going
13:02 What happened to Dave
13:41 Free resources + how to reach us
If you're hitting that growth phase, come say hi. There are free resources on the website you can download, and if you can't find what you're after, email us at info@hrseekers.com — happy to help.
🌐 Website: https://www.hrseekers.com
💼 Connect with Fay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faytheiss/
📌 HR Seekers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hrseekers
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hr_seekers/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hrseekers
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Call HR with Fay | HR Seekers
Real HR. No corporate fluff.
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