TWO HEADS HR

Creating a workplace where people feel valued, motivated and connected is no small feat. Yet, it’s one of the most rewarding investments a business can make. When your team thrives, your business thrives. I’m here to share some practical insights and tips on building a thriving company culture that truly enhances the workplace.

When many small business managers hear the words “competency framework” , the reaction is often… sigh. More forms to fill, ratings to give, boxes to tick. For businesses where everyone wears multiple hats, it can feel like a tool only big corporations with full HR teams need. However, here’s the truth: competency frameworks aren’t just HR paperwork. When designed and used correctly, they can be one of the most practical tools for engagement, development, and productivity in s

Policies are just guidelines… right? Treating them as optional may feel faster, but inconsistency kills momentum, risks legal exposure and frustrates high performers. Clear, consistently applied policies create certainty, empower managers, and ensure your teams can focus on achieving objectives, hitting sales targets and driving profit. Policies aren’t bureaucracy, they’re a tool for performance and business success.

When you think about what makes a business thrive, you might name great products, smart marketing, or strong leadership. Yet behind all of that lies something less visible but more powerful; workplace culture. Culture is the invisible thread that shapes how people feel, behave and perform at work. It influences every decision, interaction, and outcome. Get it right, and it becomes your competitive edge..... ignore it, and even the best strategy can stall.

HR doesn’t have to be the “fun police.” In fact, People & Culture teams should be the champions of fun. When work is enjoyable, people are more engaged, creative, and likely to stay. Fun isn’t gimmicks or beanbags it’s about connection, authenticity, and building a culture that reflects your business. Done well, fun isn’t fluff; it’s a strategy that makes your workplace somewhere people actually want to be.

What if small business HR worked like a marketing team? In startups and lean teams, “HR” is often just one person—if anyone at all. But by applying a marketer’s mindset to the employee journey, even the smallest business can design intentional, engaging experiences that attract, retain, and inspire. You don’t need a big team—just a clear view of your people as your most important audience.

We throw around the term best practice like it’s a guaranteed stamp of success. But let’s be honest — what’s “best” for one organisation might be completely useless, or even harmful, for another. Best practice isn’t the same as doing the right thing. It’s not the same as being legally compliant. And more often than not, it adds little real value to employees or the business. If a practice doesn’t serve your unique context or move the needle — why are you doing it?

Rising operational costs are hitting small businesses hard, with 79% of Aussie SMBs feeling the pressure. But there’s a smarter way to respond than cutting corners. This post explores how smart, outsourced HR support can help you reduce turnover, streamline operations, and stay compliant — all while protecting your people and your bottom line.

Not sure if it’s time to bring in HR? If you're spending more time solving people problems than growing your business, it might be. This post offers practical questions to help you figure it out — plus why outsourced HR, like what we offer at Two Heads HR, can be a smart, scalable solution for small and mid-sized businesses. HR doesn’t have to mean hiring a full-time team — sometimes, a second head is all you need.

In a world full of noise and uncertainty, a calm approach to HR can be a game-changer. Outsourced HR gives small to mid-size businesses the clarity, confidence, and support they need to navigate people challenges without the overwhelm. At Two Heads HR, we help you stay focused, steady, and human-centred — even when things get messy.

Clear company policies do more than ensure compliance—they build trust, clarity, and engagement. Using David Rock’s SCARF model, good policies support employees’ needs for status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness. As HR expert Josh Bersin says, clarity drives engagement more than perks. Two Heads HR helps small businesses create practical, human-centred policies that truly support their people and culture.

Culture isn’t what’s written in your handbook — it’s what people feel, see, and live every day. If your culture could speak, what would it say? At Two Heads HR, we help leaders listen to their workplace culture, decode what’s really being said, and shape environments where people thrive. Because culture always speaks — the key is being ready to hear it.

When you run a small to mid-sized business, you wear many hats. Strategy, operations, marketing—and yes, HR. But as you grow, the most...

Welcome to The Second Thought — the thinking space of Two Heads HR. We’re here to make HR less overwhelming and more human. In this first post, we explain what outsourced HR actually is, who it’s for, and why it might be just what your business needs. Whether you’re after a second head to bounce ideas off or ongoing support to keep your people practices on track, Two Heads HR is here to help. No fluff, no jargon — just expert advice you can use.