Stop putting out HR fires and deal with the coals

Stop putting out HR fires—and start dealing with the coals

We get this call more than we care to count:

“Hey, we’ve got a situation…”

An employee storms out mid-shift.
Two team members have a screaming match in the lunchroom.
A top performer resigns out of nowhere—and leadership is blindsided.

Cue the panic. The HR fire drill begins.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most of these HR fires didn’t start out of nowhere.
They were coals—quietly smouldering for weeks, sometimes months.

You know the ones:

• Tension swept under the rug.
• Eye rolls in meetings.
• Leaders who avoid tough conversations like the plague.
• Feedback only given when someone’s on their way out the door.
• Managers promoted for performance, but never trained to lead people.

The resignation that “came out of nowhere”

We recently worked with a client who lost a brilliant employee.

They thought it was sudden. But when we peeled back the layers, it was anything but.

There were no regular 1:1s.
Feedback was inconsistent and vague.
Team issues were left to “work themselves out.”
And there was long-standing tension between this employee and a senior colleague—one no one wanted to deal with.

By the time the exit interview rolled around, the damage was done.
They weren’t just dealing with a resignation. They were staring down a culture issue that had been bubbling away for months.

Here’s what we did instead:

• Rolled out a simple quarterly check-in process (no spreadsheets, no drama)
• Coached leaders on how to give clear, kind feedback early—before things hit boiling point
• Linked development goals to real business outcomes
• Reset the culture so speaking up wasn’t scary—it was expected

Because here’s the thing:
No policy in the world fixes a culture of avoidance. But conversations do.
So does clarity.
So does giving leaders tools they’ll actually use.

Then there was the business buried in stress claims

Now let’s talk about another client. A bigger one.
When they came to us, they were overwhelmed:

• People were resigning in droves
• Stress claims were piling up
• They’d just copped their third WorkCover investigation in 12 months

They wanted us to help “put out the fire.”
But they didn’t want to hear that one of their longest-standing leaders was the match.

This leader was dominant. Bullish.
Had been there for years, brought in big dollars, and had the ear of the owner.
But under their leadership, morale was rock-bottom. Turnover was through the roof. And their team were scared, burnt out, and done.

We flagged it early. But the business didn’t want to deal with it.

Too risky. Too uncomfortable.
“He makes us money,” they said.
So they did nothing.

Fast forward a few months and it cost them a shit ton—in payouts, legal fees, insurance premiums, and reputational damage.

All because they ignored the coals.
All because they refused to deal with the real issue.

Are you managing—or firefighting?

Here’s how to tell:

If you’re only talking about performance once a year…
If you’re waiting for someone to resign before asking what’s really going on…
If you’re telling yourself “we don’t have time” to check in with your team…

You’re not managing.
You’re firefighting.

And it’s exhausting. For everyone.

Here’s the fix:

✅ Build a check-in rhythm that works for your business. (Quarterly is a great start.)
✅ Teach your managers how to lead—not just do.
✅ Have real conversations early, not just when it’s awkward.
✅ Live your values. Don’t just laminate them.

At HR Gurus, we help businesses like yours move from reactive to proactive HR every day.

Because the truth is, HR fires aren’t just stressful—they’re expensive.
They cost you time, trust, talent, and money.

So if you’re ready to stop scrambling for the hose and start dealing with the coals before they burn the place down, we’re here.

No fluff. No jargon. Just straight-talking HR that actually works.