Jan 10, 2024
Growing up, Dave wanted to be a geologist, but now he finds joy in simple things like tending to his raspberries and taking care of chickens and enjoying a gin.
Dave has been in the region for about nine or ten years and has a strong connection to the community. He loves the mountains and feels a bit out of place without them. He used to live near the coast, but now he appreciates beach holidays.
According to Dave, the best coffee is the one he roasts at home using a makeshift setup. He has been doing it for years and doesn’t see himself stopping anytime soon. He also thinks the best food in the region is at his house; Linda is an amazing cook, and Dave is a willing taste tester.
One of Dave’s memorable experiences was a U2 concert in Stuttgart in 1993. He and Linda were in Italy and saw someone wearing a U2 concert t-shirt with the tour dates on the back. They saw there was an upcoming concert in Stuttgart and decided then and there that they would go. They managed to get there and find some last-minute tickets and saw an incredible show. After the concert, they camped under an overhang at a caravan park due to a lack of a tent and the pouring rain. All in all, they called it a success.
Outside of work, Dave has various hobbies, including golfing and fishing. His reluctant answer to his go-to karaoke anthem is “Bow River” by Cold Chisel.
Dave’s travel plans include Japan next year, and he dreams of seeing the Earth from space. If he could instantly become an expert in something, he’d choose to be an astronaut. He’d like to be able to know that the flat earthers are wrong, for his own peace of mind.
If Dave had to spend a day in someone else’s shoes, it would be his wife’s, just to see what she deals with daily and understand her perspective better. His philosophy in life is straightforward: “I’m along for the ride.”
In our team, his unique background and perspective contribute to our collective success, making him an integral part of our professional family. We also enjoy all the fruits of Dave and Linda’s garden – and he makes a good gin too!
Guides to help you uncover human resource insights, and make the right changes to improve team delight.
Dec 12, 2023
For us at Total HRM, our year in review is about celebrating and reflecting on client and team milestones, additional ways we’ve supported our clients and broader business community and legal wins for our clients.
Here’s our 2023 year in review.
There have been a few changes to the Total HRM team this year. We’ve welcomed Sarah and Rebecca to the team, each bringing a wealth of industry, HR and customer service experience. Kim celebrated five years with us, and we welcomed our youngest recruit, Amelia, to the Total HRM team, with doting dad Ash becoming a first-time parent.
As exciting as it is to welcome new faces to the team, we were just as excited to see our team members spread their wings. Tom, Felicity, and Caitlin have accepted new opportunities to further their careers. For us, it’s all about living our vision, enabling every person in every workplace to improve themselves, their team and their results.
The Training Space was designed to be a place for learning, connecting and sharing. It’s fully equipped with a projector, webcam and AV connectivity, so it has everything you need for a collaborative session. This year, we’ve hosted large 20 to 30-person training sessions, after-hours product launches, breakfasts, and events with in-person and virtual attendees.
We’re excited to continue Leading Others in 2024. The feedback and response from this year’s session have been invaluable and overwhelmingly positive. The 10-week course helps participants develop the strong foundations to be influential leaders. Whether you’re new to a leadership role or looking to upskill, we share practical tips and best practice methods for getting the most out of your teams.
Some of the most valuable topics for participants include adding new tools to their leadership toolbox and learning to adapt their communication style based on the DiSC framework.
In 2023, we’ve worked with around 40 new clients, from government agencies to small businesses. We’ve worked across a wide range of projects with new and existing clients, including board reviews, investigations, recruitment, process reviews, and legislation compliance. One of the largest projects we worked on involved an organisational restructuring, including executive and administrator consultation, employee structure creation, and union consultation.
Our clients trust us to find high-performing team members to fill their vacant roles. It’s no secret that 2023 was a challenging year for finding suitable candidates and achieving results like these is truly one of the best parts of what we do.
A significant team milestone in 2023 was Ash’s first Fair Work case win. Ash worked on behalf of the client, guiding them throughout the entire process, including interviews, mediation and conversations with the other party.
“Because the client took our advice from the start, we were able to settle the matter with only an agreement of a statement of service to be provided by the employer. It meant that from the start, the client had a sound and defensible position in order to better defend their case and resulted in no monetary compensation being provided,” Ash said.
We’re looking forward to working with our current clients and welcoming new businesses that need support across all HR functions, from strategic planning and recruitment to investigations and exit strategies.
Leading Others will continue in 2024, with the next 10-week course beginning on Thursday, 8 February. We’re running our Wraw – Workplace Resilience and Wellbeing workshops, helping you understand what resilience is, why it’s important and how to maximise your own.
Learn more about Leading Others and Wraw
Before we jump into the new year, remember to take some time to slow down so you can return to work refreshed and ready to help your team excel.
If you need help with recruitment or strategic planning in 2024, contact our team on 1800 868 254 or set up a meeting.
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Guides to help you uncover human resource insights, and make the right changes to improve team delight.
Aug 22, 2023
Beck’s HR journey started in a bit of a different way – as many of our careers tend to do. She worked as a People & Culture leader, managing people and making sure things ran smoothly, and as time went on, she found herself gravitating towards HR tasks more and more. She became an HR Business Partner at Albury City Council and was involved in the nitty-gritty of how HR works. She’s done everything from hiring the right people to keeping everything moving.
Beyond the office, Beck’s passion for sports is hard to miss. You’ll find her on the netball court every weekend and watching more sports afterwards. Beck loves staying active and competitive – part of what makes her tick. Growing up, she would’ve loved to have played netball for Australia, but she is happy playing in Yackandandah.
Beck has been in the Albury/Wodonga region since she was a kid, with a short stint moving away to the city before returning in 2008. Beck loves everything about our region, especially as she raises her family here. Her favourite thing to do on the weekend is watching her kids play sports. She reasons that now that they’re older, watching and seeing them improve is what she loves. They’re not just a swarm of bees chasing a ball anymore!
You can usually find Beck around the weir with her family, at the local sports grounds, or at the pub watching the afternoon games with everyone. Did we mention she likes sport? Beck would love to get to Canada and explore the mountain regions, especially in the spring when you can hike and see the amazing views. She will also catch a couple of NBA and NHL games while she’s there.
Her willingness to tackle challenges head-on and make difficult decisions aligns with her philosophy of doing what’s right, not just what’s easy. It’s a philosophy that guides her, whether making tough decisions or facing hurdles head-on – which seamlessly fits in with our Total HRM approach.
Beck is a real asset to the team. Her diverse background, operational skills, and dedication to growth make her a standout in HR. We love having Beck’s energy in the office and her ability to keep us in line and move forward with a big smile.
You will see Beck around the office and at our events, so please introduce yourself if you bump into her. Beck is likely to be one of your first points of contact with Total HRM, so there’s no doubt all of you will speak to her soon!
Guides to help you uncover human resource insights, and make the right changes to improve team delight.
Jul 26, 2023
Sarah grew up on a property outside of Yackandandah and moved to Melbourne in 2016 to pursue her career in flying. Sarah’s journey to becoming a key player in our team began as a flight attendant in Melbourne, delivering exceptional customer service with a smile. Sarah was fascinated with leader crew development and her desire to work with people was ignited.
Sarah is already working in the recruitment space and is eager to learn more about our approach to HR and hopes to dive into Training & Facilitation in the future. With her positive outlook and can do attitude, she’s a natural fit for working with others on their professional journeys.
If it weren’t for the constant early mornings, Sarah would’ve loved to have become a famous swimmer and win a few gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. She still loves swimming but at a more reasonable hour of the day. Sarah loves taking her border collie Toby out and about the weir. She also enjoys spending time in our nearby towns of Bright and Harrietville, especially if she has her bike.
When Sarah is out walking or travelling the Hume, she enjoys listening to The Imperfects, The Fitness & Lifestyle Podcast with Danny Kennedy, and occasionally The KIC Pod (Keep It Cleaner).
Sarah Sharwood is a bundle of energy and passion, driving positive change within Total HRM and making every day brighter for her colleagues and clients. Sarah is always happy to help out and take on new challenges, and if she’s a bit hesitant, you can always bribe her with a Caramello Koala!
We’re excited for you all to meet Sarah and work with her, she is a joy to be around. If you see Sarah at any of our events or around town, please say hi and introduce yourself!
Guides to help you uncover human resource insights, and make the right changes to improve team delight.
May 25, 2022
This week for Meet the team, we’d like to introduce you to Kim! Earlier in 2023, Kim celebrated her five-year work anniversary at Total HRM! Kim is one of our business partners and has an extensive HR background. She currently lives in North-East Victoria.
After studying at University and spending a brief amount of time in the humanities field, Kim worked in music retail in the music insurance division. She saw a man come in and started having meetings with staff members. Kim thought to herself, “that seems like a great job, being able to speak to people all day” – and so she went and studied HR at night and moved to an HR Consulting organisation.
Kim lived and worked in Melbourne for 15 years running two successful HR Consulting businesses. Then, Kim and her family moved to Bright for a tree change and to escape the hustle of Melbourne’s lifestyle. Kim had started doing HR Consulting on her own in Bright, but realised she wanted to be a part of a team and work with others. Then, Kim joined Total HRM. Kim’s ambition at Total HRM is to help the business grow its people, products and profit. She was a long way off from wanting to be a vet when she was a child.
Kim’s favourite thing to do in the region is walking and being amongst nature. When she’s not enjoying the mountain air and working hard putting together proposals for clients, Kim is taxiing her children around to their various after school commitments and weekend activities. When she gets some time to herself, Kim can be found having lunch and a couple of wines with her girlfriends as they solve the world’s problems. One thing Kim won’t be doing unless she has to is cooking! Ideally, if she’s out for dinner, she enjoys visiting Don Mungos in Bright for pizza. Her favourite coffee place is Sixpence Coffee in Bright.
Recently, Kim went to a comedy night at the Wangaratta Arts Centre, a great night out with a mix of comedic value but fun nonetheless. Kim’s favourite concert is P!NK about 3-4 years ago; she loves her acrobatics, singing, and incredible interaction with the crowd.
Kim’s philosophy for life in her early 20’s was “Act as if”. Now, in her mid 40’s and somewhat matured, it has evolved into “Act with authenticity”. Kim leads by example and is authentic with all her interactions. We love having Kim’s sunny disposition and extensive HR knowledge in the team.
Guides to help you uncover human resource insights, and make the right changes to improve team delight.
Mar 29, 2022
A couple of years ago, Ashly decided to go back to university and complete a Business management degree specialising in HR and hasn’t looked back. He spent some time at a manufacturing plant in Howlong as an HR Business Partner & Employee Engagement Coordinator and was quickly promoted to Senior Business Partner.
They are absolute foodies who enjoy finding new eateries on the weekends and some old favourites like Dal Zotto’s winery. He is committed to his coffee roastery, Zo’i, and loves the food at Level One – Food and Dining.
Coming from a customer-focused background, Ashly has a remarkable ability to connect with people and believes that every core function of a business is customer service. His ambitions for working at Total HRM are to help Linda scale the business and keep learning as much as he can from her and our other expert team members. Although he has spent most of his adulthood in customer service positions, Ashly wanted to be a marine biologist as a kid. He has no clue why this was his chosen passion. He grew up on a dairy farm in Barham and is now absolutely terrified of the “Devil’s Water”… or, as it’s commonly referred to, the ocean.
Ashly is an avid golfer and can often be found on the greens every weekend. He can help you with all your staffing issues and questions, but don’t ask him for golf advice; he claims to be terrible at it but persists every weekend anyway. When he isn’t teeing off, Ashly enjoys reading sports biographies and the Fair Work Commission updates. Yes, really. He claims he likes to know about and compare situations that arise in the Fair Work world – but each to their own. He has just finished reading ‘The Happiest Man on Earth’ by Eddie Jaku and thought it was incredible. The best concert he has been to is Pearl Jam at Docklands Stadium many, many, many years ago.
His ideal concert line-up would be Pearl Jam, ideally with support from John Butler, who Ashly first saw in concert at a uni bar in Canberra. That night, John Butler was supported by little known artist Jack Johnson, who Ashly could’ve had some beers with but wanted to get John’s autograph. Ultimately, he left with no autographs and no cool story about beers with Jack Johnson. He would also make sure Adele would also be a feature at this imaginary concert.
Although he doesn’t subscribe to a philosophy or mantra, he frequently uses the phrase “success is the sum of small things added up” to remind himself and others that if you’re going to win, you must keep stepping forward.
We are very excited to have Ashly join the team in Albury & look forward to his expertise and passion for helping clients.
To learn more about the faces/names/voices at TotalHRM visit “Our Team” page.
Guides to help you uncover human resource insights, and make the right changes to improve team delight.
Amelie is our Marketing Lead and currently studying for a B.A. in Business and Visual Arts. She brings her visual arts skills and eye for colour and detail to our graphics and design for the business.
Amelie uses her skills as a digital native in our Marketing team and works across our social media channels. Amelie provides administrative support and assists the recruitment team in finding great candidates.
Sarah joins the team at Total HRM following her time in a regional real estate company, most recently in HR. She brings a solid understanding of the unique dynamics and challenges within small and medium-sized businesses.
Prior to real estate, Sarah worked in the airline industry, providing her with excellent skills in customer service and how to remain calm in a crisis.
Known for her positive energy, Sarah approaches her role with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to support and uplift those she works with. With her experience in HR and recruitment, Sarah is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity, professional growth, and employee well-being. Her ability to connect with people and create a positive work atmosphere contributes to the overall success of teams and the business as a whole.
Ashly is one of our most experienced HR Business Partners with over 20 years of experience in manufacturing and hospitality, both local and overseas, ranging from large multinational companies to small family-owned operations. Throughout his career, Ashly regularly led teams with over 30 employees while continually growing the business and aligning business strategies with employee capabilities.
Ashly has qualifications in Applied Management and Human Resources and a strong leadership and people management background. Ashly combines his experience with his qualifications to develop great workplace cultures while delivering practical support.
As our Business Services Manager, David keeps everything that is Total HRM ticking along – from overseeing administration and finance functions, liaising with clients and suppliers, to IT troubleshooting and keeping everyone on track to deliver effective customer service to all our clients.
In a business landscape of ‘information overload’, Kim’s pragmatic approach simplifies the ever-changing HR trends and legislation to obtain meaningful and maximum benefits for her clients.
Kim is well known for her ability to understand the ‘real’ issues within businesses and to provide solutions for sustained business growth.
Kim has over 20 years of experience in human resources and 15 years of business consulting experience, and she holds post-graduate Business and Human Resource qualifications.
She has vast and varied experience in senior consulting roles across varying disciplines and HR management positions within retail, manufacturing and professional service sectors.
Linda is the Managing Director of Total HRM and has worked for over twenty five years in business and consulting, including executive and senior management roles. She has worked here and overseas in numerous industries, including mining, energy and government. Her experience in areas such as production, strategic planning, finance, OHS/WHS, and lecturing in Human Resources Management at La Trobe University provides her with a unique blend of business and HR capability.
Linda has led comprehensive organisational restructures and implemented programs to improve the effectiveness of businesses with clear alignment between individuals’ contributions and organisational outcomes. She works with various local boards and executive teams in the region. She is a Certified Professional Member of the Australian Human Resources Institute.