Kinex Health

Head workplace wellbeing specialist at Kinex Health.

In charge of: 
- Designing and implementing wellbeing programs and strategies.
- Providing effective wellbeing initiatives.  
- Creating healthier workforces.
- Making work fun and rewarding for our team.

Workplace Wellbeing Specialist - Managing Director 

Armour It Pty Ltd

Managing director of an exciting long-term germ protection company servicing the commercial and residential market in the greater Sydney area. 
My role is to oversee operations and provide the best outcomes for our clients.

Managing Director

HBP Group

Lead onsite health consultant in charge of designing and implementing complex health programs for a range of clients and managing a multidisciplinary team to do it:

- Peabody coal - underground coal mine in North Goonyella, QLD;
- MMG Tasmania - underground polymetallic base metal mine in Rosebery, TAS;
- Jacobs Engineering - engineering firm based in Sydney and Brisbane; 
- Aurizon Rail - freight rail transport company based in NSW and QLD. 
- Newcrest Mining Limited - open cut gold mine on Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea

Occupational Physiologist

Alere, Inc.

•	Conducting corporate health assessments including blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, body composition, spirometry, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance and lifestyle factors.
•	Conducting workstation ergonomic assessments.
•	Conveying information and results to patients in a concise, effective and understandable manner.
•	Providing information and advice on diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle practices.
•	Identifying psychosocial barriers and utilizing various health coaching and motivational techniques to help facilitate change.
•	Identifying high risk patients and referring to G.P.’s.
•	Conducting health assessments on extended trips to rural N.S.W. and interstate.

Exercise Physiologist

Ex Phys

•	Planning and implementing rehabilitation programs for individuals in the Workers Compensation Scheme.
•	Utilizing cognitive behavioural techniques to overcome barriers and challenge patients thinking.
•	Prescribing treatment in hydrotherapy-based and land-based settings.
•	Liaising with various stakeholders including doctors, surgeons, physiotherapists, insurance case managers, rehabilitation providers and employers.
•	Conveying patient progress to stakeholders through various reports.
•	Attending medical case conferences.
•	Conducting initial, progress and final health assessments.
•	Conducting functional capacity assessments.
•	Instructing patients on correct manual handling technique.
•	Planning and updating ongoing independent rehabilitation.
•	Marketing and business promotion within the industry.
•	Teaching and supervising manual handling technique.

New Image Personal Conditioning

•	Program writing and exercise prescription 
•	Exercise and health testing 
•	Conducting individual training sessions 
•	Conducting group training sessions 
•	Liaising with health care professionals including physiotherapists, doctors, physiologists, cardiologists and various sporting team personnel. 
•	Constructing long term rehabilitation plans for individuals with various acute and chronic illness and injury, including but not limited to: heart attack, stroke, diabetes type 2, soft and hard tissue injuries and muscular dystrophy 
•	Conducting individual and group sessions outdoors

Waves Fitness & Aquatic

•	Gym supervision 
•	Exercise and health testing 
•	Program writing and exercise prescription 
•	Conducting individual training sessions 
•	Conducting group training sessions 
•	Involved with planning and running sporting events 
•	Conducting exercise classes for children aged 8-15

Certified Personal Trainer

I'm a workplace wellbeing specialist - cool, but what does that mean?

It means I work with HR to deliver wellbeing outcomes.

I've been doing this since 2011 - it's what I love to do with my time and what I'm best at.

I've designed wellbeing programs and strategies for dozens of companies and tens of thousands of people across a range of industries. 

My mission is to help organisations create healthier, happier, and more productive workforces by providing effective and evidence-based wellbeing initiatives, whatever that may look like (no two programs are ever exactly the same). 

If you want to work with me, here's all the ways you can:

1. Book a Team Wellbeing Dynamics Workshop: For teams who want to become high functioning units.

2. Hire me as a consultant: To help you figure out where to start, what to do and how to do it when it comes to workplace wellbeing.

3. Have me run a psychosocial safety hazard and psychological safety assessment: We all want and need them but it’s tough to know where to start with these.

4. Get your very own Workplace Wellbeing Specialist: To upskill your people in health and wellbeing (through regular individual consultations) and work with you to optimise your work environment to make it easier for your people to be healthy and well.

5. Book me as a speaker: Conferences, off-sites, webinars, retreats, lunch and learns, I've done 'em all and I'll do 'em again. I can and will talk to your people about all aspects of health and wellbeing including wellbeing dynamics, health fundamentals, mental resilience, habit change and heaps more.

6. Get some wellbeing initiatives: Want to book a massage therapist? Skin checks? Health checks? Meditation sessions? Group yoga? Group training? Healthy cooking demonstrations? Mental Health First Aid training? Regular First Aid training? Easy. We do it all so just ask.

If any of these look like something you could use, send me a DM.

Phil Wolffe

Last Thursday marked a pretty special day for Kinex health.

We delivered our Wellbeing Enrichment Program to our first (of many) regional early learning centres. 

Regional and remote communities often get forgotten about in the conversation of wellbeing and professional development - but we're changing all that.

It begins with Griffith East Preschool, and soon we'll be all over the country, visiting areas that don't normally get visited, but that are just as important as the big cities. 

There's some pretty exciting stuff in the works on this front (involving a caravan and a 20-year long dream) so watch this space!


P.S. if you want to hear more about it before we announce what’s coming, just DM me. 
It’s not an actual secret. 

#earlylearning
#wellbeing

Workplace Wellbeing Specialist | Building Sustainable High Performance in Teams | Replacing EAP with a Better Way

No alternative text description for this image

Saturday was a proper and unexpected energy fill up for me. 

I recharge a little differently than most. 

Of course I like massages and yoga and saunas and all that jazz, but Saturday had none of that. 

It was coffee with my parents in the morning, putting up our Christmas tree at lunch, then a day spent on the couch with my partner and a few beers while we watched the cricket together. 

We then went to a pub packed with 20-somethings and finished watching the single best day of test match cricket I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a few). 

Being part of the energy of that entire experience was like being plugged directly into the wall - especially for someone who usually gets their energy from being alone. 

Now I feel ready to get stuck in to a big 4 weeks to end the year - which is fortunate, because it’s going to be a very big 4 weeks. 

It makes me curious - what’s an unorthodox source you get your energy from?

Getting Michelle to create resources for us is kind of like getting Max Verstappen to do school dropoff for you.

They're super over-qualified but somehow they agreed to do it because they feel it's worth it!

Michelle Li is a provisional Psychologist, and she's also a yoga and breathwork teacher, and mindfulness facilitator.

That gives her not only the clinical grounding to know what works and why, but the skills to apply it in the real world. 

Before agreeing to work with us at Kinex Health, Michelle worked in management consulting at Deloitte, focusing on people, performance, and change.

Michelle creates the breathwork resources for our Wellbeing Hub (available to all of our Wellbeing Enrichment Program clients), and they're second to none. 

Thanks for bringing so much care and wisdom to our community, Michelle. 

We’re lucky to have you!

If you see this guy 👇 at the Forbes Business Summit tomorrow, come say hi.

Can confirm he:

- Doesn't know if he knows anyone who's going.

- Enjoys a free wine with lunch on a Thursday.

- Will be wearing this shirt (like he does everywhere he goes). 

- Likes to talk about interesting things with interesting people.

- Doesn't bite (anymore).

- Can be a delight.*



*Delightfulness is subject to many factors and cannot be guaranteed ahead of time.

It's always nice to see the word 'expert' next to your name - especially when you didn't have to put it there yourself. 

I was asked for my opinion on the state of workplace welbeing for the Great Place to Work report.

Now the report's out, you can read that opinion and judge me privately or publicly (the choice is yours).

Check it out (link in comments). 

#HR

When it comes to LinkedIn, it’s important to know how to separate the signal from the noise (and there’s more noise than ever).

Here’s how I’ve done it:

I have a clear purpose for being here
The reason I’m on here is to connect with and learn from interesting people, to teach usable wellbeing skills, and to find and connect with potential clients and vendors. 

I curate who I follow
Don’t follow people just because you know them. Follow people who teach you, challenge you and inspire you. 

I unfollow people regularly.
If I don’t find value in your posts, I’ll unfollow you. Simple as that. 

I reach out to people.
If someone is doing something I find interesting, I’ll reach out to them and let them know.

I turn on/off notifications
As people/posts pop up in my notifications, I curate them carefully and turn off the ones I don’t care about and keep the ones I do. 

I engage with interesting posts/people
Every time I see a post that genuinely interests me I’ll like and/or comment on it so more people see it (and I see more like it). 

I take breaks
Sometimes I get absolutely jack of the platform so I take a break and stay away until I feel like I can handle a bit more. 

It’s no secret that on this platform it’s getting harder and harder to separate the signal from the noise, but there’s still a lot of value here - you just have to look for it.

It's that time of year again...

time to tell the story of Gary and Barry.

View newsletter: Workplace Wellbeing Specialist

Let me tell you a story about Gary and Barry. Both men work at Garish Gizmos, the manufacturer of the loudest and most lurid gizmos in all of the Sout

Open article: The ‘Right’ Way to Holiday by Phil Wolffe • 3 min read

Burnout prevention ≠ performance maximisation.

They’re different games:

1. Minimum standard (equilibrium).

What do you need daily/weekly/monthly to stay level?

Sleep. Exercise. Nutrition. Alone time. Workload you can carry indefinitely.

Think bank account: energy in ≥ energy out.

If more goes out than comes in, you go broke.

Equilibrium = not gaining, not losing. Know this line.

2. Ideal standard (peak performance).

What does it take for you to excel?

Higher-quality sleep. Cleaner nutrition. Meaningful connection.

Optimised daily movement. Focused work blocks. Zero distractions.

Cognitive, emotional, and physical recovery.

This is the athlete mindset: if nothing else got in the way, how would you operate?

The gap between those two lines is your sustainable performance zone.

Design your days to live inside that range.

Life happens. You’ll dip below the minimum, like an unexpected bill draining your bank account..

Your job is to avoid living there - and keep climbing back toward the top of the zone.

Level up as a team by learning each person’s zone.

Spot when someone’s below their minimum.

Have the skills and habits to help each other operate inside the zone.

Set your minimum. Define your ideal.

Build systems that keep you between them.

Simple


#burnout
#performance

(Must be read in a 1950s advertising voiceover.)

Are you experiencing progressive fatigue right now?

As in, a compounding tiredness that builds over weeks and months?

The continual breakdown of the inputs that give you energy, and a steady build-up of the outputs that take your energy away?

Losing the ability to maintain focus earlier and earlier each day and week?

Then you might need… some Rest.

Yes sir, yes ma'am REST!

The revolutionary, brand new solution that’s been around since the dawn of time.

Rest has been shown to reduce the number of things you’re doing to almost nothing.

 Why, with just two to three applications of Rest per day, users report:
 - Fewer meetings they don’t remember attending.
 - A dramatic drop in replying “Sounds good!” to things that do not sound good.
 - And a remarkable increase in feeling like life has meaning again.

Now, you may be asking, "But won't everything fall apart if I take some Rest?"
And the answer is... no!

But wait, there's more!

Side effects of Rest may include:
- Spontaneous smiling
- Improved patience for stories with no conceivable point
- Enjoying activities of many types
- And getting things done in a fraction of the time they took you before.

So if you're feeling the crunch, the drag, or the fact that there's still 4 very busy weeks to go until Christmas fills you with dread, try some Rest.

Available everywhere that work isn't.

If you're struggling to get people back into the office, I have an invention that will help.

It's an AI-powered microwave that chooses whether or not to cook your food based on the smell it will produce.

All you do is put your prospective meal in it - it analyses it using highly advanced thingies, and then chooses one of three options:

1. It decides your food is acceptable and heats it up for you to enjoy (eg. lasagne, Pho, tomato or cream-based pastas etc.).

2. It decides your food is ok but shouldn't be heated all the way - just enough to 'take the cold off it' (eg. vegetable dishes, chicken, most soups).

3. It decides your food is completely unacceptable and disposes of it via a chute in the bottom (eg. anything with seafood in it). 

I call it the Waitaminutewhatareyoucooking and it's set to revolutionise the office space. 

Now accepting investors for an early 2026 launch.

The simple reality of wellbeing in teams:

Healthy teams are built by 2 (intentional) things:

1. Building health skills:

- Communication.
- Conflict management.
- Energy management.
- Stress identification and management.
- Foundational health: sleep, movement, nutrition, recovery.

2. Designing an environment where those skills are easy to use

- Sane workloads (not 100% capacity).
- Real flexibility (not performative).
- Time to move.
- Leaders who role-model self-care.
- Useful support.
- Equipment that works.
- Clear, open communication.
- Effective meeting guidelines.

That's how you systemise wellbeing.

Having a healthy team isnt luck, it's a skillset applied daily, which anyone can learn.

When you pair skilled people with a supportive system, you get a self-sustaining loop:

Better habits - better energy - better work - better culture - and around and around.

So, to get the best our of your people, invest in both: skills + systems.

That's how you build a healthy workforce.


#leadership

Having worked with the team at Menulog for the past 5 years, I can wholeheartedly endorse them. 

If you’re looking for great people, a bunch of them are ready to be snapped up.

Managing Director at Menulog | Advisory Board Member

This has been one of the hardest weeks of my career — and one of the hardest in Menulog’s nearly twenty-year story. 

Menulog isn’t just a business. It’s millions of customers, tens of thousands of partners and couriers, and a brand that has been part of everyday life in Australia for two decades. The decision by Just Eat Takeaway Group to close Menulog is not a reflection of our people. It does not diminish the extraordinary effort, heart, and belief that this team has poured into the business. It is simply a strategic decision to focus on other core markets within the Group.

This post isn’t about the business, though. It’s about the people.

From day one, Menulog has been built by exceptional humans. People who turned up with passion, dedication, and a fighting spirit. People who cared deeply: about our customers, our partners, our couriers, our communities, and each other. People who pushed through challenges, setbacks, intense competition, and moments when the odds felt impossibly stacked against us. And yet… they kept going. With heart. With grit. With belief. Their resilience and character will stay with me long after this chapter closes.

That is what I’ll remember most. The people.

My number one priority now is to stand beside them. To support every Menulogger as they take their next step, wherever that may be. I will stay until the very end, and I will do everything in my power to help each person land somewhere they can thrive. If you’re hiring — or know someone who is — please reach out. This team is filled with extraordinary talent, and they will make any organisation better the moment they walk through the door.

To all Menuloggers past and present: thank you! For your loyalty, your trust, your humour, your heart, and your unwavering spirit. Leading this team has been one of the greatest privileges of my career. I am deeply proud of everything we achieved — and of every single one of you.

If you're struggling to get your tream back in the office, I have an invention that will make it much easier.

It’s an AI powered microwave that detects the food to be cooked and can choose to either heat it, reject it, or automatically dispose of it in an airtight canister based on the projected smell level of said food. 

I call it the 'Microwaitaminutewhatareyoucooking' and it’s set to revolutionise the break room and put an end to a squabble as old as time. 

Not sure if your food is annoying other people? 

Put it into our patented contraption and let AI decide for you. 

Now accepting investors for launch in early 2026.

humaneer

We’re pioneering a new era of HR - where professionals have the time, tools, and support to lead. 

Mak by Humaneer is your AI-powered productivity partner, purpose-built to reduce admin and unlock strategic impact. Built by HR, for HR, we combine intelligent automation with the power of a global community so no one has to go it alone. This is how we deliver on our promise: less admin, more impact.

CEO/Co-Founder

Quantum Brilliance

We build room temperature quantum computers, powered by diamond, which will provide ubiquitous quantum computing.

Founded in 2019, Quantum Brilliance is a venture-backed Australian-German quantum computing hardware company, providing diamond quantum accelerators supported by a full stack of software and application tools. Quantum Brilliance’s vision to enable mass deployment of quantum accelerators will propel industries to harness edge computing applications and next generation supercomputers. Quantum Brilliance’s international partnerships extend into North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific, working with governments, supercomputing centres, research organisations and industry leaders.

Global Head People Culture and Talent

Instaclustr

Instaclustr is the open source as-a-service company, delivering reliability at scale. We operate an automated, proven and trusted management environment, providing database, analytics, search and messaging. We enable companies to focus on building cutting edge applications, eliminating the need for costly operations teams and technology.

Our core technologies include Apache Cassandra, Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, Elasticsearch, Kibana and Zeppelin. We deliver mission-critical, high performance and always-on data solutions for our customers - supported 24/7 by our Technical Operations team.

Instaclustr’s consulting expertize leverages the experience we have gained from almost 30+ million node-hours of managing Apache Cassandra and related technologies. Our staff includes experienced consultants with deep expertize in the technologies we support as well as extensive consulting experience.

Vice President - People

People Rock

People Rock is a Dynamic HR consultancy which focuses on results.

We help Start ups and SMEs get their HR sorted FAST! 

We specialise in putting your HR framework in place using the best technology in the market, while helping you build out an AWESOME employee experience. Our goal is to get your HR up and running quick smart, with a robust employee journey and superb employee experience. While saving you time and money from the outset!

As the creators of the “7 Points of Engagement Model” our unique approach allows for assessment, development and measurement throughout the process of developing a strong positive work culture. 

We believe that a highly engaged team equates to an AWESOME work culture, and we can help you do that! 

We are advocates for wellness in the workplace, work/life balance and using positive psychology principles to increase overall well being, productivity and resilience. 

We believe in equity and equality, strengths based development and increasing organisational culture and engagement through a shared value system. 

Most importantly… we get results!

Fractional HR/Senior People and Culture consultant

Sitback Solutions

Best Place to Work (Top 25) 2015
Best Place to Work (Top 20) 2016
Best Place to Work (Top 20) 2017
Employer of choice 2016 - City of Sydney Business Awards
Excellence in business 2016-City of Sydney Business Awards
Overall business of the year - City of Sydney Business Awards
NSW Employer Of Choice 2016 - Business Chamber Awards 

Sitback Solutions is a Human Centered Design and Development agency providing customised solutions, psychology-based Experience design, off and on-line, best practice web development and specialised UX training. 

Our Experience design team are registered psychologists and HCI Specialists who apply a depth of research to our work. Our Development team are highly experienced software developers specialising in PHP .NET and Front end development. 

We have been fortunate to work with a broad range of top brands across all sectors including: Finance, Retail, Charity, Entertainment, Government, Education and Corporate.

Working directly with our CEO and SMT team, I manage all things People and Culture within the business.

Head of People and Culture 

cre8 recruitment

... cre8ting opportunities
cre8 recruitment is a boutique Australian owned recruitment company that specialises in the recruitment of professionals within Digital, Creative and Media . We practice what we preach, embracing new technologies and taking recruitment to the next level. 
visit our website - www.cre8recruitment.com.au
We strike a balance between a unique and personalised service while working with some of the biggest players within the industry, both client and candidate side. With soft skilled and technical expertise, cre8 recruitment is "cre8ting opportunities" across the sector. 

We pride ourselves on our unique approach and welcome you to get in touch to find out more.

Founding Director

JMC Academy

JMC Academy is Australia’s leading private education and training provider for the Music, Film and Television and Digital Media fields. 

As a guest lecturer I am lucky to get to share my passion for the recruitment industry and help educate those who have never been active in the job market work effectively to secure their first role in industry. 

My lectures cover the following topics 
- Resume writing - (how to stand out from the crowd)
- Personal online branding through social media (the effects and benefits of online profiles)
- Utilizing different mediums throughout your job search (and how to track these)
- interview preparation and techniques (including those killer questions, competency based interviewing etc.)
- following up after interviews- the next step

Guest Lecturer

TPP Recruitment

Working within the Not for Profit Sector specializing in providing Recruitment and HR Solutions for N-F-P clients and Government Organizations. I was responsible for setting up the new PR and Communications division. Areas of specialism were PR, Communications, Sales and Marketing. Responsible for growing the division for the organization.

Senior Recruitment Consultant

Head of Commercial temps – JPA Graduate (London)
Was relocated to the London office to build the graduate commercial temps division. Focusing on starting up this new area for the organization. Concentrated on Business development and setting up systems for the temporary market. 

Manager – JPA Scotland 
Leading the Scottish team based in the Edinburgh Office. Attending monthly Manager meetings in London do discuss progress and strategy within the organization, Was responsible for the attraction, retention and development of new employees within the office. Also conducting one-2-ones and setting KPIs and Targets. 

Consultant – JPA Scotland 
Managing the careers of recruitment professionals within Scotland. Developing strong client relationships while helping with workforce planning and recruitment for growing areas within their business. Specializing in Headhunting and networking within professional service recruitment.

Manager - Graduate (Temporary Appointments)

I see a bright future for HR. As Co-Founder and CEO of Humaneer, our team are leading the charge in transforming HR through AI, making HR faster, smarter, and more human.

With over 20 years of experience in the people space including building and leading global HR teams, I know first hand the challenges HR teams face - buried in admin, navigating complex compliance, and constantly firefighting. That’s why we have built Humaneer.

Humaneer is on a mission to give HR teams back time to focus on people, not paperwork, so they can be more strategic, more proactive, and more human. Built alongside a thriving global HR community, Humaneer's AI powered platform, Mak, is not just software; it’s a movement toward a smarter, more strategic HR function.

I also sit on the UNSW HR Advisory Board, helping shape the future of HR education.

Careen Redman-Matthews

This week I hit 10K followers and I thought this is a great time to reintroduce myself. Its Friday, I'm in a great mood and so coming in with 10 quick facts. 

1 - I'm proud, super proud of what we have built over at humaneer where I work as both Co founder and CEO. Tech start ups run through my viens and building  with Kimberly Burns and Annie Johnson is the role of a lifetime. Its not often you get the opportunity to reshape the industry you love from the inside out, and it is not a role I take lightly. The same way I felt responsibility to the organisations and people while leading HR teams, I feel that same responsibility now, to our industry. 

2- My son is the beat of my heart. Smart, inquisitive, stubborn and so very very kind. I give thanks every day that we have our little miracle boy and being his mum is the greatest privilege.  

3- I have some really questionable tattoos.... I got my first one at 16 (used my friends licence as ID 😜) Pop culture and life events informed my choices... for better or worse 😂

4- Studying positive psychology in 2016 literally changed my life and how I worked in HR. If you ever get the opportunity to study it, do it! It led me to becoming a certified strengths coach with the Centre for Applied positive psychology, changed the way I thought, worked and look after my brain and body. It also brought me to setting up the "Advent kindness challenge" on instagram - check it out if you fancy swapping chocolate for kindness in the run up to Christmas. 

5- I LOVE being out at my veggie patch, it is a source of such joy in our household. Planting, growing and eating your own food is someone quite special and I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to do that with my hubby and son. 

6- Cooking keeps me sane. Entertaining keeps my cup full. Whether it is a BBQ, dinner, lunch, brunch or anything in between, sharing food, conversation and laughs with friends and our community lights me up from within. 

7- I've just started a substack account (and literally have no idea what Im doing)if anyone has any tips, please let me know. Its called "don't forget the humans" and is a place for  curiosity-driven exploration of how work, technology, and life are changing, and what it means for us humans at the centre of it all. 

8- I wake up at 5.30am every morning, even weekends. Not to be part of some club, but to get that first morning cup of tea in beautiful silence. (Not so silent recently with the neighbours rooster, but thats another story 🐔) 

9 - I feel such gratitude for the people who have connected with me here - there is something quite special about finding people that you can learn from, share ideas, support each other and cheer on from across the world. (Thank you 🙌)

10- I love to learn, curiosity is how I spend my down time. It is my ultimate way to relax. Power Plate coach, Zumbini instructor, The newest AI tools and models, if Im learning Im happy. 

Thanks for reading, have an AWESOME day 😀

Careen Matthews

Your AI HR Assistant | Built by HR | Powered by AI | Trusted by Professionals

This one’s for my HR friends in start-up land.
(I see you. Truly.)

I started my morning in a live demo of Mak, the AI-powered HR Assistant that sits in the real, messy HR work that happens inside fast-growing companies.

Here’s what we worked on live:

She needed support building a leadership program for the Co-Founding and Exec team, something most HR people know is critical, but rarely gets the oxygen it deserves when you’re juggling hiring, onboarding, culture, and the daily surprises that come with founders moving at speed.

What I loved about this session was how quickly we went from “this is important and overwhelming” to “okay, I've got this.”

Mak didn’t replace her thinking.
It removed the friction.

It gave us structure, clarity, and momentum. The kind you usually only get once you’ve carved out a full day (that you don’t have) to sit, think and build.

And in minutes, here’s what Mak produced:

✅ Step by step process to build out a leadership program. 
✅ Leadership development framework, complete with 
a structured document to outline specific leadership competencies, development activities, and timelines tailored to the needs of the co-founders. 
✅ A framework for establishing and managing mentorship pairings to support the co-founders in developing essential leadership skills and business acumen.
✅ A high-level document that outlines the learning and development goals for the co-founders, including methods for acquiring commercial skills and key performance indicators to track progress.
✅ A tool to assess the skill gaps in leadership, strategic thinking, financial literacy, and decision-making among the co-founders, aligning learning initiatives with their development needs.
✅ A structured approach to set specific development goals for each co-founder, outlining required skills, training plans, and progress tracking to ensure effective learning.
✅ A tool to help the co-founders create clear, measurable, and realistic goals for their leadership development journey, ensuring they stay focused on key objectives.
✅  A guideline for implementing change management strategies within the startup, helping the co-founders navigate the complexities they are encountering.

This is the kind of work that can support how founders lead, how teams communicate, and how a company grows. And when you’re the first or only HR person, tools that give you back time without diluting the quality of your work are rare.

If you’re in the thick of scaling with founders who are learning leadership as they build, something like Mak might actually make your week a little easier.
Give Kimberly Burns Annie Johnson or myself a shout if you want to see how Mak can help move you from Admin to Impact - Today! We are jumping on calls with HR and P&C removing the friction in their roles in real time. 
humaneer

Working in HR looks very different today that it did this time last year. 

I used to spend so much time in the admin, checking legislation. ensuring process was followed. My nights spent writing up notes, emails, policies, frameworks because my days were spent in back to back meetings. 

Being reactive because there was not enough hours in the day to coach, enable and advise while keeping up with all the documentation and follow up. Strategic time, that was a dream some days due to the volume of work. 

And that is what drives Kimberly Burns Annie Johnson and I.  Our vision was to change the way HR was done in companies. Fast, efficient and more human. To move from reactive to proactive. 

To build a platform where we can 

✅ Get answers fast - with step by step process instructions, underpinned by legislation and highlighting risk at every step. 
✅ Negate the need for note taking, as soon as the meeting is done, the compliant notes are there for you. 
✅ Predictive documentation, based on your query or meeting - done in seconds. 

A place to "DO" HR. 

We called the platform Mak (short for Machine Accelerated Knowledge). And Mak is helping HR teams and Small businesses across ANZ completely rewrite how HR is done. 

I got this message from one of our awesome customers yesterday, a seasoned HR professional who has been using Mak this week to update their policies. (Freeing up time to focus on the change management and roll out required for the updates). This is not the future of HR, this is the Now. 

If you want to see how Mak is changing how we work, for the better. Reach out, I'd love to show you. 

humaneer

A HR Guide to Supporting Employees Through AI Adoption 
I read a really interesting article by Built In this morning (link in comments) and these are the stats that got my attention.... 

- 64% of American adults plan to avoid using AI for as long as possible
- 31% of employees (and 41% of Gen Z) are actively working against their company’s AI initiatives
- 45% of CEOs say their teams are resistant or openly hostile

According to the article, There is fear around being replaced, of inaccuracies, of skill erosion, of environmental impact, and of leaders pushing tech without clarity or purpose.

And I believe it gives us as HR key pointers in how to structure our change management approach.

Here’s my quick thinking on how to build trust during AI adoption:

✅ Lead with the “why”. We need to clearly articulate:

-What AI is solving
-How it supports business goals
- How it supports them

✅ Don’t force AI where it doesn’t fit. A lot of pushback comes from employees being told to use AI for tasks AI isn’t good at. When usage becomes a checkbox exercise, resistance increases.

Be honest about:
- Where AI adds value
- Where it doesn’t
- Where it slows work down (because sometimes… it does)

✅ Build a culture of experimentation. You don’t need a culture of “AI adoption.”
It's a culture of testing, learning and continuous improvement.

People adopt AI faster when:
- They’re allowed to try things
- Fail safely
- Share learnings
- Influence how workflows evolve

✅ Validate their concerns 
Employees are raising legitimate issues: Inaccuracy, bias, deskilling, environmental impact, dependency on tools they don’t fully trust. If we shut these conversations down, we shut down adoption.

Our job is to:
- Listen
- Break down the problem
- Explore whether AI is the right tool
- Acknowledge what we can’t control

Validation builds trust,  and trust fuels adoption.

✅ Be crystal clear about guardrails. People resist what feels unsafe or unpredictable.

HR can reduce that dramatically by clarifying:
- What AI will do
- What AI won’t do
- Which decisions remain human
- How data is handled
- How accuracy is monitored

✅ Protect the human skills that matter, concern that AI will erode their critical thinking skills, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Use AI to elevate skills, not replace them:
- Less admin work
- More strategy
- More decision-making
- More creativity

So here's where I have landed personally...
AI resistance isn’t a people problem. It’s a change management and communication problem.

I truly believe that we, in HR are uniquely positioned to close that gap by leading with:
- Transparency
- Clear goals
- Experimentation
- Psychological safety
- Human-first design
- Realistic use cases

What’s your thoughts on this? I’d love to know…. 

(If you enjoy thinking this stuff through with fellow HR folks, come join the humaneer community - I'd love to welcome you).

What if I told you your HR team could increase capacity by 24% next week…
without hiring a single extra person?

Bold, I know. We already know that the stress we feel in HR is not a capability issue. It’s a capacity issue.

We already have the expertise, the judgement, the EQ, the deep organisational knowledge.
What we don’t have?
The hours.

Between compliance, documentation, file notes, policy updates, investigations, recruitment, onboarding, and the never-ending “quick questions” (that are never quick) 😜

HR isn’t short on talent.
HR is short on time.
That’s exactly why we built Mak by Humaneer.
Not as another dashboard.
Not as another system to manage.
But as an AI-powered productivity partner, purpose built by HR, for doing HR. That eliminates the repetitive admin blocking our best work.

Here’s what happens when you get time back...
✅ More strategic decision-making
✅ Faster compliance responses
✅ Better employee experience
✅ Less burnout
✅ More space for culture, leadership, coaching and impact

THIS is what “less admin, more impact” really means.
And no, you don’t have to wait months.

That’s the part I’m the most excited about.
Small shifts in admin automation compound fast.
You feel it within days. Your team feels it. The business feels it.

If you're curious what 24% more capacity could actually look like for your HR team reach out. 
And come join our humaneer community and see how HR professionals globally are already transforming the way we work.

What would you do with 24% more capacity next week? I'd love to know ...

This time next week I will be Sydney side with our ambassadors Jason Portelli and John-Paul Costales Kathryn Palmer for our end of year humaneer meet up, and I CAN'T wait to see everyone for a fun afternoon of connection, conversation, and maybe even a cheeky toast (or two) 🥂

📍 Bungalow 8, King St Wharf, Sydney
🗓️ Thursday, 11th December 2025
⏰ 2 PM – 4 PM

No agenda, no pressure... just good people, great chats, and some festive spirit 🎅💬

Its been a massive year for the community and for HR in general, this is the perfect way to round off the year. A safe place to connect, share and have some fun. 

Looking forward to seeing our humaneer friends and some new faces (who will leave as friends I'm sure). 

If you havent joined us before, come along and meet your people. humaneer is more than community. Its a movement, its a home for HR and its a place to be yourself surrounded by people who "get it". 

👉 Link to RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gbVC2iAH

... or just login to humaneer.app and put your name on the event invite. Come celebrate with us! 🎉

Jolene Leong Richard Winters Kate Dodd Mark Lewis Natasha Meah Jasmine Alderton Sorcha Joyce Dee Rice Kerry Shields Jackie Greenwood Jacquie Williamson Sharon Banfield Mallory Conboy Olga Papageorgiou Kimberly Burns Annie Johnson 😀😀

I’ve been sitting with something for a while now… this feeling that the world, especially the world of work is shifting faster than any of us can reasonably process.

Every week there’s a new technology, a new expectation, a new economic twist, a new conversation about what work should look like. 

And somewhere in the middle of it all are real humans, trying to make sense of it in real time.
I don’t have the answers (honestly, who does?) but I do have curiosity, bucketloads of it and a deep belief that work should always centre people, not the other way around.

So… I’ve started a Substack. YAY - It’s called “Don’t Forget the Humans.”
 And it’s my little corner of the internet to explore:
 ✨ how work is evolving
 ✨ how technology is reshaping us
 ✨ how society and economics show up in our work lives
 ✨ and what all of this actually feels like for the humans at the centre

No hype. No doom.
Just curiosity, questions, reflections, and the occasional “is anyone else feeling this too?” moment.
If that sounds like your kind of thing or if you’re simply trying to make sense of the rapid changes happening around us, I’d love to have you join me.

Here’s the link:
 👉 https://lnkd.in/gEU9kC7z

And a massive thank you to everyone who encourages me, challenges me, and shares this wild, wonderful journey of learning. You’re the reason I feel brave enough to try new things like this.

Have an amazing weekend when it comes for you - and don’t forget the humans ❤️

Open article: Don't forget the humans | Careen Matthews | Substack by dontforgetthehumans.substack.com

Don't forget the humans | Careen Matthews | Substack

I've had some really interesting conversations recently with some of the humaneer community about how they got into HR/People space. 

Some chose HR, others HR chose them... There are so many interesting stories of how we all got to where we are. 

For me, I was travelling in Thailand in my very early twenties, I met the most inspiring girl, she worked for a big recruitment company in London.... her passion for people, growth and support was infectious, and I was hooked. On returning to Scotland I made it my goal to get a role in recruitment, and that is how my people career started... a beach in Thailand meeting one of the most inspiring women 🙌🏼

So I thought this would be a little bit of fun... how did you get into HR? 

Feel free to share your story in the comments. I love learning about how others got into HR 😄

If systems hold knowledge and humans hold culture. What happens if one starts replacing the other?

We’ve moved so much of what we know into platforms, workflows, and tools.
And honestly… there’s a lot of good in that. I've seen first hand how thoughtful platforms like Mak by humaneer can transform the role of HR in extremley positive ways like,
  
Knowledge becoming accessible.
Processes becoming clearer.
People not left guessing.

But is there another side too?
When systems hold the “how,” do humans stop sharing the “why.” When everything is automated, do we start to forget that culture lives in stories, relationships, rituals… in the things systems can’t capture.

And that made me think:
Are our systems strengthening culture… or slowly thinning it out? Is this something we should be thinking about? 

In this week’s edition of Don’t Forget the Humans, I explore it...

If you’re thinking about how technology is reshaping the way we work, lead, and connect, I’d love you to read it (and give me your feedback, its my first article 🙌).

Here's the link 👉 https://lnkd.in/gRj-NjAG

As always, I don’t have all the answers.
Just a lot of curiosity and a deep belief that culture is worth protecting.

Would love to hear what you’re noticing in your world.

Have an awesome day 😀

Open article: If systems hold knowledge and humans hold culture. What happens if one starts replacing the other? by open.substack.com

If systems hold knowledge and humans hold culture. What happens if one starts replacing the other?

Hey HR friends 👋🏼 A quick question if you have 2 seconds... 

I'm building out a library of workflows showing where AI integrats into them for HR teams. 

Is this a resource you or your team would find useful? 

let me know below, and feel free to comment which workflow would make the biggest impact today 👇🏼

keep an eye out for the first share 😊

humaneer 🚀

Would a resource that shows HR workflows and how AI integrated into them be useful to you? 

taplio

The Battle

Phil Wolffe

Careen Redman-Matthews

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScorePhil Wolffe's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreCareen Redman-Matthews's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Phil Wolffe

Careen Redman-Matthews

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Phil Wolffe's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreCareen Redman-Matthews's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScorePhil Wolffe's LinkedIn Performance