Business SA host hundreds of functions and training courses throughout the year - welcoming thousands of people through our doors and at events hosted offsite, including the monthly Chamber networking nights and our popular Regional Voice series.

Quite often, and especially at events held at our offices, people ask if they can meet our Business Advice Hotline operators Lisa Casella and Rob Pearce. It would come as no surprise to many Business SA Members that our

Business Advice Hotline is not only very popular, but also invaluable to businesses across the state.

For many people in business, Lisa and Rob are highly important team members at Business SA as they are always available to help Business SA Members solve their workplace issues, and to fix them quickly. Rob’s voice is highly recognisable to our members as he has been providing workplace advice for more than 23 years. Lisa, who is a lawyer, started with Business SA more than 18 months ago and is equally committed to helping businesses solve their workplace issues. Backed by a team of senior consultants, Lisa and Rob are waiting to talk to members on everything from workplace and industrial relations issues, occupational health and safety and workers compensation matters.

Our team understands how overwhelming it can be for businesses to keep on top of legislation and more than 150 Awards covering dozens of industries. Awards and legal jargon can be daunting to understand, especially when most people would rather get on with looking after their customers than leafing through complex legislation. Business SA helps businesses with any questions that they may have in relation to the interpretation of Awards, including the classification of their employees and appropriate rates of pay. We recognise that businesses experience both good and bad times, so it’s reassuring to know you have a trusted adviser on the end of the phone who can help you out when you need it most.

If you have a burning question about a workplace issue, a problem that needs solving or some reassurance that you’re heading down the right track with a decision you are about to make – our Business Advice Hotline is the first point of call for many businesses.

Everyone in the Business SA team plays an important role in supporting trade and commerce across South Australia and helping our members and clients to grow and prosper. While we don’t often publicly make a fuss of individual staff members at Business SA, we appreciate the efforts of our Business Advice Hotline team as they are great problem solvers. We are confident our members echo those sentiments and every now and then it’s good to give a shout-out to team members who quietly and consistently go above and beyond to help others address their business issues and achieve their goals.   

This article was originally published in the South Australian Business Journal on Tuesday, 10 December 2019.

Martin Haese is chief executive of Business SA.

Photo of Lisa Casella on the Business Advice Hotline taken by Business SA member Kelly Barnes.