Act earlier.
Address conduct, performance, conflict, and grievances before positions become fixed and disruption grows.
All services
Industrial relations support that resolves issues early.
Give managers practical support to handle employee matters fairly, consistently, and with the records the process requires.
Get industrial relations supportGood process protects people and the business.
Employee issues become harder when expectations are unclear, managers react too late, or decisions are not supported by a fair and consistent process.
Stay consistent.
Help managers apply policy and process fairly across people, teams, sites, and similar circumstances.
Keep the record clear.
Document the concern, communication, decisions, responsibilities, and next steps as the matter develops.
Support when the conversation gets difficult.
The right response depends on the facts, the employment context, applicable requirements, and the outcome the business needs to achieve.
- Conduct and discipline
- Preparation and process support when misconduct, investigations, warnings, or formal action need to be handled.
- Performance and capacity
- Clear expectations, evidence, improvement steps, and fair follow-through when performance or capability is in question.
- Grievances and conflict
- Structured support to understand concerns, reduce escalation, and move the matter toward a workable resolution.
- Policy and procedure
- Review and practical guidance so managers understand the process they are expected to follow.
- Workplace change
- Process support where restructuring, operational change, or role changes affect employees and working relationships.
Fair process. Clear decisions. Fewer surprises.
Support is grounded in the facts of the matter and the practical realities facing the manager, employee, and business.
Understand
Clarify what happened, what has already been communicated, and which records, policies, or obligations apply.
Prepare
Define the process, participants, evidence, communication, and responsibilities before formal steps begin.
Proceed
Support managers through the conversation or process with consistency, fairness, and clear documentation.
Follow through
Confirm decisions, next steps, monitoring, and any action needed to restore stable working arrangements.
Bring in support before the pressure peaks.
Use SMG for one difficult matter or for ongoing guidance that helps managers respond with more confidence and consistency.
Talk through the situationCase guidance
Focused support for a specific disciplinary, grievance, performance, conflict, or employee-relations concern.
Manager preparation
Practical briefing before meetings, difficult conversations, investigations, or formal process steps.
Document review
Review policies, notices, records, correspondence, and process documents for clarity and consistency.
Ongoing IR support
Responsive guidance for businesses that need industrial relations capability without a full internal specialist function.
Before you take the next step.
Early context matters. Share what has happened so far before committing the business to a formal course of action.
When should we involve an IR specialist?
As early as possible when a matter may lead to formal action, operational disruption, employee conflict, or uncertainty about the correct process.
Can SMG support our managers directly?
Yes. Support can include preparation, process guidance, document review, meeting support, and clear next-step planning.
Do you only assist with disciplinary matters?
No. Support can cover grievances, performance, incapacity, conflict, policy application, workplace change, and ongoing employee-relations guidance.
Can this be provided as ongoing support?
Yes. The service can be scoped around a single matter or structured as responsive ongoing support for managers and HR teams.
What needs to be handled carefully?
Tell us what has happened and where the process stands. We’ll help you identify a fair, practical next step.
Discuss the matter