Brisbane · Thu 23 & Fri 24 July 2026 · 18 seats only
Two-day workshop · For owners & managers

Why hand thousands a year to an HR firm that barely knows your name?

Nobody knows your team like you do. Get the skills to handle HR yourself in two days — plus six months of backup for when it actually counts.

23 & 24 July 2026 9am–4pm daily Brisbane CBD
Apply For A Seat →

Takes 2 minutes · No payment until your seat is confirmed

Watch: what these two days — and the 6 months after — do for you · 2 min

A quick word from Matt on who this is for and exactly what you walk away with.

Sound familiar?

You're paying to feel less in control of your own team.

The default when something goes wrong is to reach for an expensive outsider. But you end up paying a premium for advice on people you already understand better than they ever will.

!

$400 an hour to read your own award. You hand over a fortune for answers you suspect you could find yourself — if someone had just shown you how.

!

A retainer quietly draining thousands a year. Paying every month for "just in case" advice, from a firm that barely remembers your business between calls.

!

Held hostage by a contract you don't understand. You inherited templates off the internet and can't tell if they protect you or expose you — so you stay dependent on someone who can.

!

Decisions about your people, made by someone who's never met them. Nobody knows your team like you do — yet the rules keep you second-guessing every move.

Weigh it up

Your other options aren't great.

When an HR problem lands, most businesses do one of two things — figure it out alone, or pay a fortune. Here's how that stacks up against the workshop.

Going it alone or a big HR firm
The Workshop + 6 months
Google answers you can't trust, or $400+/hr for a lawyer
Plain-English answers from someone who's done it at scale
Generic templates off the internet that may not hold up
Take-home templates built to protect you
One-off advice, then you're on your own again
Six months of ongoing support after the room
Learn the hard way — after the costly mistake
Get ahead of the risk before it bites
A retainer that quietly costs thousands a year
One fee, capped at 18 seats for real attention
Why it actually works

Three things, not one.

Most HR training just hands you information — then leaves you on your own. This works because it makes you genuinely capable: the knowledge to act, the backup when you want it, and real answers on your business — not a dependence on someone else.

01 · The knowledge

Two days that build real capability

Contracts, awards, performance, terminations, culture and the numbers — taught plainly, with templates you take home and use straight away.

02 · The backup

6 months of an ER advisor on call

Live advice calls three times a week plus open Q&A sessions, so when a real situation lands you're never guessing alone.

03 · The answers

Specific, current, tailored to you

Not generic articles that don't fit your business — real answers on your actual contracts, staff and situations, when you need them.

The part that makes the difference

You stay in control — with backup for when it counts.

You make the calls — you know your people best. But for six months after the workshop, an Employee Relations advisor is one message away whenever you want a second opinion. Backup, not a takeover.

Live ER advice calls, 3x a week

Jump on whenever you're stuck. Get a real answer from an ER advisor on the exact situation in front of you.

6 months of access
Plus regular open Q&A calls

Bring any question and keep moving forward — no question too small, no being left to figure it out alone.

The advice you can't get from Google

Specific, current, and tailored to your business — not generic articles that don't fit your situation.

The kind of thing you can ask
How do I terminate this person without it becoming an unfair dismissal claim?
Am I paying this person enough — and is their classification right?
This performance issue isn't improving. What's my next step?
The two days, mapped out

What we cover

Day one gets your foundations and compliance bulletproof. Day two is about building a workplace people want to stay in — culture, performance, reward, and the numbers that let you see what's coming. Templates and trackers go home with you.

DAY 1

Get the foundations right

Compliant, protected, and clear
01

Contracts that hold up

Modern award vs. award-free, the clauses that protect you, and the ones quietly working against you.

02

Awards, rates & classifications

Read an award without losing a day, get classifications right, avoid the underpayment trap.

03

Hiring & onboarding done right

Offers, probation, record-keeping and the paperwork that keeps you covered from day one.

04

Managing performance & conduct

Warnings, documentation, and difficult conversations done properly — so you can act with confidence.

05

Ending employment safely

Termination, redundancy and deeds of release — what makes a dismissal "fair," and the numbers that matter.

06

2026 changes that affect you

Payday Super, the right to disconnect, portable long service leave and award movements — in plain terms.

DAY 2

Build a workplace that performs

The practical side of great HR
07

Building a culture people stay for

What actually drives culture (beyond the posters) — values that mean something, the leadership habits that set the tone, and how to shift a culture that's drifted.

08

Performance that actually works

Goal-setting, useful feedback, and review rhythms that lift performance instead of ticking a box — for a team of 5 or 50.

09

Reward & recognition done right

What good looks like beyond pay: structuring reward, recognition that motivates, and keeping your best people without blowing the budget.

10

HR metrics that predict, not just report

The handful of people stats worth tracking — turnover, cost-per-hire, time-to-fill, engagement — how to capture them simply, and how to read them so you can forecast growth and spot problems early.

11

Workforce planning & growth

Use your numbers to plan ahead: when to hire, what it'll cost, and how to build a team that scales with the business instead of lagging behind it.

12

Your questions, your business

Open clinic. Bring the real situation you're stuck on and work it through in the room.

Who's running it

Led by someone who's done it at scale.

400+
franchisees supported
900+
stores covered
15+
years in HR
Matt Baldwin

Matt Baldwin

Founder, People Department

Matt has spent his career untangling employment relations for businesses that can't afford to get it wrong — including as Head of HR across 400+ franchisees and 900+ stores at Domino's Australia & New Zealand. He built People Department on a simple belief: you shouldn't have to hand your people decisions to a stranger. His job isn't to take over — it's to teach you to handle this yourself, and to be there when you want backup.

He runs these days the way he wishes someone had taught him: direct, practical, and built to make you self-sufficient — not dependent.

Ex–Head of HR, Domino's ANZ Franchise & hospitality Fair Work & awards
What people say

Businesses that stopped guessing

★★★★★

"When you're caught in the weeds of building and running a business, it can be easy to let the little things slide. But those little things, especially when it comes to people management, can become towering forces that need to be taken seriously. Matt's experience, knowledge and heart for people was our super power when taking on these people challenges! Keen to work with Matt again soon."

ZS
Zachary StainesGoogle review
★★★★★

"Highly recommend. Matthew's help in structuring our business and getting the foundations right from a leadership & HR perspective has been powerful. We saw great results immediately — both in the culture of our team and in results, having consecutive record months after we finished the program within our sales team. I wish I'd engaged his services sooner!"

HG
Harry GaleGoogle review
Your seat

Everything you get

Two-day workshop + 6-month support

More than a course — a system you keep using.

Here's what's included with your seat.

Both facilitated days (9–4 each)
Printed workbook & take-home template pack
Lunch, coffee & refreshments both days
6 months of ER advice calls (3x a week)
6 months of open Q&A support calls
Apply For A Seat →

Thu 23 & Fri 24 July · Brisbane CBD · 18 seats

Come to day one risk-free

Sit through the morning of day one. If it's not worth your time, tell us at lunch and we'll refund you in full — no awkwardness, no questions.

What happens next

It's an application, not a checkout.

Seats are capped at 18 so the room stays useful and the support after stays real. Here's exactly how it works from here — no payment until your seat's confirmed.

1

Apply in two minutes

A few quick questions about your business and what you're wrestling with. No long forms — just enough for us to understand you.

2

Book your chat on the spot

The moment you apply, you'll see a calendar to lock in a quick call — so we can confirm it's the right fit for you.

3

We confirm together

A short, no-pressure conversation. If it's a fit on both sides, we'll confirm your seat and send everything you need.

Apply For A Seat →
Before you apply

Questions, answered

What exactly is the 6-month support? +
After the workshop you get six months of access to an Employee Relations advisor through live advice calls running three times a week, plus regular open Q&A calls. Jump on whenever a real situation comes up — terminations, pay and classification questions, performance issues, whatever you're facing — and get a clear answer tailored to your business. It's all included in your seat.
Is this right for me if I'm not an HR person? +
Exactly who it's built for. It's written for owners, operations managers and franchisees who carry people responsibilities without an HR background. No jargon, no assumed knowledge.
Why is there an application instead of just buying? +
Seats are capped at 18 so everyone gets real attention, including in the room and on the support calls after. The few questions help us make sure it's a fit and tailor the day to who's attending. There's no payment until your seat is confirmed.
Will this replace getting legal advice? +
No — and it's not meant to. It gives you the practical literacy to manage day-to-day people matters well, plus an advisor to talk things through, and the judgement to know when something needs formal legal advice. That clarity alone saves most businesses real money.
What if I can’t make these dates? +
Apply anyway and note it — we run intakes regularly and will let you know the next date. Seats in each intake are capped at 18.
What's your refund policy? +
Sit through the morning of day one. If it's not for you, tell us at lunch and we'll refund you in full. Cancel 7+ days out for a full refund, or send a colleague in your place anytime.

One bad HR decision costs more than this ever will.

An unfair dismissal claim, an underpayment back-pay bill, a contract that doesn't hold — any one dwarfs the price of a seat. And you'll have an expert on call for six months after.

Apply For A Seat →

18 seats · Thu 23 & Fri 24 July · Brisbane CBD

23 & 24 JULY · 18 SEATS ONLY
Apply For A Seat →