Guyetts Funerals – Case Study
“Guyetts Funerals leaping forward – guided by Key Business Advisors with a clear HR strategy.”
Background
Established in 1905, Guyetts Funerals is a highly respected business in South West Victoria, trusted by thousands of families to care for their loved ones. A family-owned and operated company, it boasts a dedicated team delivering exceptional outcomes for clients. Employing full-time, part-time, and casual staff across funeral operations, administration, and catering, the team operates under various awards, all with unique needs to be addressed. While the business had evolved to meet client expectations, its HR management and record-keeping had not kept pace, making it an area for improvement.
Desired Results
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Define a workplace structure and reduce payroll liability.
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Ensure compliance and improve record-keeping.
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Clarify expectations and responsibilities for both staff and management.
Key Results/ Solutions by Key Business Advisors
The attention of Brian Guyett (business co-owner) was caught by Colin Wilson from Key Business Advisors (KBA) who was a keynote speaker at an Australian Funeral Directors Association conference in Hepburn Springs in 2023. After asking around and attaining nothing but positive feedback from industry colleagues who had been supported by Colin and his team, Brian and his sister and co-owner Alice Guyett-Wood decided to reach out and see what KBA could offer Guyetts Funerals.
Initial discussions centred around KBAโs commitment to the Funeral industry. With consultants dedicated to understanding and meeting the challenges experienced and supporting the change Guyetts Funerals wanted to see, a partnership was formed.
HR consultant Chris Tankard was introduced to the Guyetts Funerals team and work started to review processes and provide pathways for improvement. Within weeks, Chris and the team from KBA set about supporting, updating and enhancement of employment contracts, auditing and defining payroll practices, reviewing and updating policies and procedures to ensure compliance and relevance. EnableHR was introduced, โthe people-management platform with payroll, businesses use to boost performance, take care of compliance and create cultureโ. A pivotal change for Guyetts Funerals.
Key Guyetts Funerals staff were encouraged to take advantage of KBA webinars for learning and professional development, and were afforded the opportunity to attend the Colin Wilson facilitated โEffective People Management Workshopโ.ย This session provided insight into managing teams and highlighted other areas Guyetts Funerals could change.
A message from the Co-owner
โSmall business like ours require support from time to time to ensure we keep up to date and comply with changes in legislation and responsibilities. Chris Tankard from KBA is on board with us to provide advice and guidance when we need it to keep us ahead of the game, safeguard ourselves and allow our people to get on with doing what they do well, with peace of mind.โ
Alice Guyett-Wood
Co-owner – Guyetts Funerals
Key Results and Expanded Benefits
With initial goals being achieved, the desire to keep improving was fortified.
Guyetts Funerals have also worked with KBA to:
- Develop a Vision, Mission, Values statement – all staff were involved in a session to provide input into the statement to ensure it reflects what this business is all about.
- DiSC profile session โ again involving all staff this session and associated report provides staff and management with the tools to understand self and others better which inspires improved relationships and in turn, a better workplace.
- Obtain support and advice on HR matters as required โ with rapid replies and excellent guidance.
Our teams are also currently working with Chris and the KBA team to:
- Prepare better recruiting and onboarding documents for future staff appointments.
- Develop a performance review process to support and develop the growth of our current staff.
- Further develop Policy and Procedure documentation to set clear expectation of the acceptable standard of behaviour within the business of staff and management.
Key Business Advisors is proud to be a National Corporate Partner of AFDA
