Testimonials
"I always believed dismissing staff to be a complicated process but after reading Employed but not Engaged it simplified things greatly. I really liked the comparison between personal and employment relationships which help make the material more palatable and entertaining. It was written in a very clear and concise style with a great use of comedy and a very lighthearted approach throughout the book which was in typical Approachable Lawyer fashion. The structure and layout helped the books readability and I would definitely recommend it to employers as an excellent resource to enable them to quickly and easily grasp the fundamental rules and obligations of the employment relationship." Eden Phillips - Director Salutaris Legal
www.salutaris.co.nz "Dealing with a parting of the ways in both personal and business arenas can be very involved and legal help may be required at any stage. But, should this happen, the advice on how to proceed in “Employed but not Engaged” is there to ensure that correct procedures are followed to enable this to happen as smoothly as possible. The book is laid out in a novel way to track employment issues from advertising a position through to ending it, while protecting your reputation and pocket. It assists the reader in understanding or becoming familiar with the complex and changing aspects of employment law by linking these to life relationships – something we are all familiar with. In 10 chapters it lays out in detail what an employer can do in advance to reduce problems when the employment honeymoon is over and the relationship has to be ended. The explanations will certainly help with understanding the issues when talking with your lawyer." Linda Donald Regular book reviewer NZBusiness magazine
"Before reading Employed but not Engaged I had a reasonable knowledge of employment. Law. However the book gave me a much better appreciation of those processes and I found the style in which it was written to be clear and easy to understand with great examples. I would definitely recommend it to other employers as it gives them a good understanding of employment law in layman’s terms." Mike Byrne Swimming New Zealand
"My perception of the legalities of recruiting, managing and dismissing staff was of an intense minefield, to be entered at your own peril and with an expectation of being blown to smithereens. Michael has taken away the mystery and fear out of employment arrangements and filled the gap with knowledge and confidence in a book that is rather interesting, enjoyable and readily understood by every business person. It opens the window on employer/employee relationships and gives cogent explanations for the do’s and don’ts of employee management. I recommend this book because of its clarity of approach and breadth of information." Peter Mackenzie, Principal of Mackenzie Law
"Small to medium sized business often have a very informal process for recruiting, managing and dismissing staff and many cut corners without realising the urgent need of formalising their HR processes. This book details how critical those processes are in a well laid out, easy to read and easy to apply format. I particularly liked the analogy with marriage which made the processes very easy to understand." Ray Harding Managing Director
Office Products Online
"Running a specialist bookkeeping company in Tauranga, I work with a lot of small to medium sized businesses and understand the problems which they face. I think the most difficult part of running a business is managing staff so when I picked up Employed but not Engaged I found it very easy to read because it had a simple and commonsense style to it. I particularly liked the analogies throughout the book which made it very easy to relate to. The book has certainly given me the comfort to advise my clients that having staff and the problems that can arise are not necessarily a time bomb, both emotionally and financially. I would certainly recommend it to other small to medium sized business owners and am anxiously awaiting more books from Approachable Lawyer." Rose Richards Office Doctor
"Do you know the employee that's not suited to your company—but you're afraid to fire? Well, we had this scenario out of hell, that was both horrible for the employee as well as us as employers. And it was Michael's sane advice that prevented us from going totally crazy (I can assure you the break-up with an employee is pretty close to hell)." That same advice is precisely documented in this book—at a fraction of Michael's fees.
Believe me, if you've got employees, turn off the TV and read this book.
It's way better than being in employee-hell.
Sean D'Souza www.psychotactics.com
