Employee Relations
"Human Resources isn’t a thing we do. It’s the thing that runs our business" (Steve Wynn)
At Bitforge we understand the importance of managing people and having the right workplace solutions. We understand the challenges and the opportunities that the Australian employee relations environment presents, particularly with increasing regulatory obligations brought about by the Fair Work Act, Modern Awards, National Employment Standards (NES) and an increasingly unionised workforce. Our consultants are experienced directors and senior executives. They are also experienced in human resources management so you can be assured that you are getting the right advice from experts in the field who can show our clients how to put that advice into practice. Our employee relations services include:
HR Consulting
"An expert is someone who knows the worst mistakes that can be made and knows how to avoid them.” (Werner Heisenberg)
Having professional HR services in house is expensive and not always required on a day to day basis, especially in not for profit organisations with limited budgets. This is why many organisations choose to outsource their HR needs so that they only pay for services when they need them. At Bitforge we provide HR consulting services that meet our client’s needs. This keeps the HR costs down and ensures that our client’s get affordable expert advice when they need it. These services can be one off, fixed term or project based depending on what our client needs. We offer the following services:
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HR Strategy
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HR Audits
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Employee Issue Management
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Interim HR Manager
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General HR Advice
Executive Coaching
"Effective executive coaches need to know about business as well as people." (Michael Hammer)
We understand that leadership coaching is one of the best ways to develop executives to become effective leaders. We also understand that to be effective, executive coaches must have core competencies which include not just coaching skills and expertise, but business acumen and knowledge as well as having organisational and political savvy. What differentiates Bitforge from other executive coaching providers is that our coaches are experienced coaches with the core competencies to offer tailored executive coaching programs for leaders at all levels of organisation. At Bitforge we use an adult learning framework to support executives to identify and remove those interferences that hinder their professional development and effectiveness. We offer the following services:
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Executive Coaching
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Leadership Coaching
Restructuring
“If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” (Maslow)
Sometimes an organisation needs to restructure existing systems, processes and teams. At Bitforge we believe the tell-tale signs that an organisation needs to consider a restructure are slowed or no growth; high staff or client turnover; low moral; processes and systems that used to work don’t anymore; people are overworked or underutilised and management are constantly making mistakes. At Bitforge we are often approached by organisations who wish to outsource the restructuring of their organisation. This is to ensure that they are compliant with their obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Clth) as well as any relevant Modern awards and to proactively manage change. At Bitforge we understand that the fallout from a badly managed restructure process can outweigh the benefits’. We work with our clients to help them manage a restructure professionally and with minimal disruption to business as usual. We offer the following services:
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Organisational Reviews
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Restructure Strategy
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Process Re-engineering
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Redundancy Advice
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Change Management
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Industrial Relations Advice
Reportable Conduct Investigations
“Get the facts, be sure of the principles, and weigh the consequences – then decide” (Ezra Taft Benson)
There are now a number of reportable incident schemes in place in NSW that make reportable conduct investigations common place in the education and disability sectors. With recent changes to the Ombudsman Act 1974 (NSW) the NSW Ombudsman is now required to scrutinise the systems that some agencies in NSW have for preventing reportable conduct and for handling reportable allegations and convictions involving employees. This means that the NSW Ombudsman oversees an organisations handling of reportable allegations of a child protection nature as well as disability reportable incidents. At Bitforge we are experienced in reportable conduct investigations in the education and disability sector. We have a thorough understanding of the legislative obligations on employers under the Ombudsman Act 1974 (NSW) and can provide organisations with advice about what to do if they become aware of an allegation, the process that they should follow, investigate the matter and provide the organisation with an investigation report that meets the high standards of the NSW Ombudsman. We can also provide our clients with advice about how they can ensure that they are compliant with the Child Protection (Working with Children Act) Act 2012 (NSW), Children and Young People (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW) and reporting requirements in supported group accommodation under the Ombudsman Act 1974 (NSW). We offer the following services:
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Reportable Incident Investigation Services
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Reportable Incident Advice
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Reportable Allegation Advice
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Reportable Incidents Training
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Working with Children (WWCC) Audits
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WWCC Act Compliance Training
Workplace Investigations
“The only exercise some people get is from jumping to conclusions” (Stan Slap)
We provide services that range from providing advice on managing informal complaints to undertaking formal investigations on behalf of our clients, including the investigation of senior executive and company directors. We specialise in the investigation of bullying, unlawful discrimination and harassment claims - particularly those associated with the performance management of employees and workers compensation claims. At Bitforge we work with the employer to not only uncover the underlying cause but to provide sound advice on how to manage the issue as well prevention strategies. Our investigators are qualified investigators. In consultation with our clients we design an investigation strategy that is appropriate to the nature, seriousness and complexity of the matter. This can range from advice on how to informally manage a complaint to a rigorous formal investigation process. We offer the following services:
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Complaint Handling Advice
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Investigation Services
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Audio Recorded Interviews
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Transcription Services
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Issue Management
Workplace Policies
"If you don't invest in risk management, it doesn't matter what business you're in, it's a risky business" (Gary Cohn)
“What policies should I have in my workplace?’ is one of the most common questions we get asked. The answer depends on the type of work and the organisation, however there are quite a few policies that every workplace should have. These include a Code of Conduct and disciplinary policy as well as policies that cover workplace discrimination, bullying and harassment. At Bitforge we understand that having workplace policies and procedures in place only works if you ensure that they are properly implemented. At Bitforge we can advise leaders on which policies they should have in place and even provide them with individual policies or complete HR manuals that are appropriate to the context of their particular organisation. We understand that complex overly prescriptive policies are not necessarily effective. This is because they can be difficult to understand and expensive to administer. At Bitforge we provide workplace policies and procedures that are written by experts who understand our client’s organisational context and the complex regulatory environment in which the organisation operates. We write workplace policies based on best practice employment practices that are easy to understand and administer, simple to read, comply with legislation and help organisations to better manage its’ most valuable resource – its’ people. We offer the following services:
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HR Manuals
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Individual HR Policies
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HR Policy Reviews
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HR Policy Training
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HR Policy Implementation Plans
