Well, it was certainly hard work getting out of bed this morning to go to work after a 10 day break for the Christmas/New Year period, but what a great time I've had.
The kids (being 10 and 4) had an absolute ball on Christmas day. It started at 6.15am with Tom coming in telling us about the Santa sack at the end of the bed, but Al was still sound asleep. He was gagging to open it all up and with no sign of his sister emerging we let him get into it. Eventually Al surfaced about 7am and she had a great time opening it all as well.
Then it was downstairs to see what Santa had left under the tree. But Santa had made a hash of it again and managed to tip over the coffee table, knock over the lamp and left presents stuck up the chimney!!
The looks on their faces were priceless and makes the whole Christmas stress worth it.
Then it was off to Larissa's parents in Whangaparoa for the rest of the day - and what a fabulous day weather-wise it was.
The next week or so was a bit backwards and forwards to Tindalls Bay (Whangaparoa).
New Years Eve we decided to do something different and had friends around for a lunchtime BBQ which is much better with little kids. Now, if you've never tried the BBQ with the chicken and the beer can trick it is absolutely fantastic!! The best chicken I've had in a long time. If you need any instructions, leave a comment and I'll post them.
New Years Day was off to Martins Bay to spend time with my parents. Great weather and a fun time on the beach, but the drive home was terrible - a trip that would normally take 75 mins took nearly two and a half hours!! Can't wait for the Orewa bypass to open.
The final day of holidays yesterday was spent at Tindalls Bay with our best friends and their kids. It was absolutely fantastic and I did get a little burnt. The most upsetting part was that the jet-ski battery had died so no jet-skiing :-(
So this morning it was back to putting shoes and socks on and sitting at a desk - it's taking a bit of getting used to again but I do have another week to look forward to in 2 weeks time (I'm praying for fine weather).
Happy New Year everyone!!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Probationary Employment Periods
I'm struggling to come to grips with the angst that many are portraying in relation to the Government's introduction of a 90 day probationary for employees in businesses with less than 20 staff.
Surely, if you're any good at your job (and have any degree of judgement over prospective employers), there isn't going to be an issue.
In 99.9% of cases the probationary period will come and go and everyone will carry on, the world will not come to a grinding halt, and everyone will live in harmony.
To put the shoe on the other foot, an employee can, at any time and for no reason whatsoever, resign their employment - why shouldn't an employer be given the same courtesy for only 90 days?
In my many years in business I've made the wrong call in relation to hiring an employee. If they are incompetent you can work through performance management and eventually get rid of them (if they don't sink your business first), but the hardest one is where you have someone who can do the job OK but doesn't fit well with you and/or the team. They can sit there doing their job to a reasonable standard while everyone else around them festers and then leaves. Much better for both sides to nip it in the bud early I say.
Surely, if you're any good at your job (and have any degree of judgement over prospective employers), there isn't going to be an issue.
In 99.9% of cases the probationary period will come and go and everyone will carry on, the world will not come to a grinding halt, and everyone will live in harmony.
To put the shoe on the other foot, an employee can, at any time and for no reason whatsoever, resign their employment - why shouldn't an employer be given the same courtesy for only 90 days?
In my many years in business I've made the wrong call in relation to hiring an employee. If they are incompetent you can work through performance management and eventually get rid of them (if they don't sink your business first), but the hardest one is where you have someone who can do the job OK but doesn't fit well with you and/or the team. They can sit there doing their job to a reasonable standard while everyone else around them festers and then leaves. Much better for both sides to nip it in the bud early I say.
Welcome!
Well, hi there and welcome to my first ever attempt at writing my own blog.
I've been an avid reader of blogs over the past couple of years but haven't attempted my own....until now.
I'm an accountant by trade (but please don't switch off - I'm not your typical accountant) and have worked in many large and highly respected New Zealand companies in senior finance roles. In May 2008, I decided I'd had enough of helping big business make money and that I could take my skills to the small/medium business sector. And so, RockSalt was born.
I'm asked plenty of times "why RockSalt?". when I originally set the company up in 2007, I wanted to incorporate Salt being the first letters of the first names of my family (Steve, Larissa, Tom & Alessandra). Salt Limited was already taken but RockSalt gives a good impression of what I love doing - building solid bases for business.
My tag line is "The Sensible Business Development People". That's what I'm in business to do - provide sensible, practical advice to business owners and managers so they can take their businesses exactly where they want to.
I guess you could say I'm right leaning (I've never voted anything but National), but I'm certainly not extreme (I'll blog my thoughts on the first month or so of the National government soon).
So, basically, that's me. I hope that I'll find some people out there that will enjoy reading my view on the world. Any questions you might have, please just ask. I'd love to hear any feedback you might have and we can all learn as I get a handle on "blogging for dummies".
Cheers,
Steve
I've been an avid reader of blogs over the past couple of years but haven't attempted my own....until now.
I'm an accountant by trade (but please don't switch off - I'm not your typical accountant) and have worked in many large and highly respected New Zealand companies in senior finance roles. In May 2008, I decided I'd had enough of helping big business make money and that I could take my skills to the small/medium business sector. And so, RockSalt was born.
I'm asked plenty of times "why RockSalt?". when I originally set the company up in 2007, I wanted to incorporate Salt being the first letters of the first names of my family (Steve, Larissa, Tom & Alessandra). Salt Limited was already taken but RockSalt gives a good impression of what I love doing - building solid bases for business.
My tag line is "The Sensible Business Development People". That's what I'm in business to do - provide sensible, practical advice to business owners and managers so they can take their businesses exactly where they want to.
I guess you could say I'm right leaning (I've never voted anything but National), but I'm certainly not extreme (I'll blog my thoughts on the first month or so of the National government soon).
So, basically, that's me. I hope that I'll find some people out there that will enjoy reading my view on the world. Any questions you might have, please just ask. I'd love to hear any feedback you might have and we can all learn as I get a handle on "blogging for dummies".
Cheers,
Steve
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