Back in 2023, Kyle Skipworth was flying. His electrical contracting business, Power Solutions Tasmania, was booming. Financially, he was doing great but he had a serious issue. “Culture was terrible,” says Kyle. “I had so many staff problems I was about ready to shut it down. I’d basically built this business on stilts with poor foundations and anytime the wind blew, things would get pretty shaky.”
Instead of closing his business, Kyle sought expert help, employing his now head of HR, Taryn Brown. He quickly started reaping the rewards. “The changes we made freed me up to be a much better leader.” Here are five lessons Kyle learnt in the process of rebuilding his business.
1. Bring in professional support
According to Kyle, the best decision he ever made for his business was getting professional HR support. “I was on the tools, doing admin at night and clocking about 100 hours a week. The wheels had fallen off and I was ignoring niggling staff problems,” he says. “Small problems just weren’t on my radar so I wasn’t dealing with them before they became big problems. Then Taryn came in and basically cleaned up my business.”
From the outset, Taryn knew there were HR strategies she could implement that would have an immediate positive impact. “There were lots of easy fixes and cost-saving opportunities,” she says. “There was also an opportunity to implement and streamline processes, which I knew would help turn things around.”
2. Avoid relying on a “good bloke” hiring policy
The business grew quickly but Kyle concedes there was no strategy behind hiring. “If someone wanted a job, we’d meet in the pub and have a beer,” he says. “I based hiring on who was a good bloke but I guess everyone’s metric for being a ‘good bloke’ is different.” This approach quickly led to issues with staff being square pegs in round holes.
Accompanying Kyle’s casual hiring style was a light approach to paperwork, too. “When I started, there were no employment contracts,” says Taryn. “Everyone was being paid correctly with superannuation but they were all questioning what they were getting and wanting more. I clarified the award rate with all staff and gave them employee contracts that stated hours of work, overtime rates and annual leave.”
The changes Taryn made stabilised the business. “Out of that original crew there are two left,” says Kyle. “The rest moved on. Now we have fresh faces and a new breed of employee here.”
3. Start putting everything in writing
Brown documented company policies to minimise ambiguity and stop the flood of questions being asked every day. “Nothing was written down when I came in,” says Taryn. “I did a company policy that listed out everything from the drug and alcohol policy to time sheets and vehicle usage.”
With staff knowing where to find answers to all their questions, Kyle quickly became more productive. “My phone used to go off all the time,” he says. “It still does to a degree but I’m much more inclined to answer it these days.”