The simple simple story of a complex and vague foundation of employment.

It’s more complex than- swear words are bad words.

There is an old rule of thumb in recruitment; ‘employ for attitude, train for skill’.  Let’s break it down to understand the logic, the reasoning, and the limitations.

Or alternatively cutting the deadwood.  To put it more politely, you’re downsizing.  To be more polite, you’re rightsizing.

Businesses generally succeed by choosing one of three strategies: being the cheapest (cost leadership), being the best or most distinctive (differentiation), or focusing on a specific niche (focus).

Less than ideal management: quietly tolerating their behaviour until your patience runs out, then you snap. 

Many workplace problems stem from mismatched assumptions about priorities, expectations, and what’s acceptable, because staff and managers naturally see things differently.

Teaching workplace skills is different from teaching knowledge, because understanding alone doesn’t make someone able to perform.

Contractors often adopt a “not my circus, not my monkeys” mindset, doing only what they’re paid to do and avoiding pushback—but while this approach keeps things smooth, it can also stifle valuable insight, problem-solving, and early warnings.

This article explains the difference between knowledge, skills, and abilities, and why the distinctions matter for both hiring and employee development.

. Good mentors listen actively, adapt to different styles, give honest and constructive feedback, and build trust so learners feel safe to think aloud, make mistakes, and develop their own approach rather than simply copying the mentor’s.

Exit interviews aim to gather honest feedback from departing employees about why they’re leaving and what their experience was like, but they’re only useful if leaders genuinely listen and are willing to change.

Merit increases are small pay rises given to strong performers on top of cost-of-living adjustments, which most organisations use except in tough financial periods

The 70/20/10 rule highlights that most workplace learning comes from experience (70%), followed by guidance from others (20%), and only a small portion from formal courses (10%).

New employees often receive higher starting salaries than existing staff due to bargaining power, market pressures, and status quo bias.

Hiring is inherently a gamble, and sometimes employees who seemed like the right fit turn out not to be.

Long-term employee absences can arise from illness, injury, or other personal issues, and managing them requires balancing compassion with practicality.