Blog Archives

6 quick facts to bring you up-to-date on the Australian labour market and contract talent.

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Anita Ziemer — No Comments ↓

For your interest, we’ve collated a snapshot of current headline employment data.  It may help us to all make better sense of some unusual pressures you may be seeing regarding attraction and retention of high performers and why supplementary contract specialists are the new norm.

  1. Yes, high performing talent is getting harder to find. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows that full-time employment increased 11,800 to 8,697,600 and part-time employment increased 11,200 to 4,014,000. Contractor and temporary talent can fall into both these categories.
     
  2. More people are working: monthly hours worked in all jobs increased 1.3 million hours to 1758.9 million hours.
     
  3. ABS data collection shows that there are approximately 1,000,000 independent contractors – nearly 10% of the Australian workforce. (Depending on their portfolio of assignments in any one year, contractors and temporary staff can choose to be employed through the Interchange Bench directly, or through their own company.)
     
  4. Casual employees – that is employees who work without regular or systematic hours, or an expectation of continuing work – account for over 20% of the Australian workforce. (The Interchange Bench works closely with employers who have a large casual workforce to ensure that they comply with tightening restrictions on the definition of ‘casual’. Call us if you have any queries.)
     
  5. Trending: contract and temporary employees continue to offer employers great flexibility in resourcing, enabling organisations to hire right for skill, special projects, fixed-term or budgetary and headcount provisions.

  6. Business as usual in most organisations now includes temporary and contract specialists working alongside permanent staff.
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6 savvy Employee Retention strategies

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Luke Clarke — No Comments ↓

The world of construction and engineering in Melbourne is booming, which means skilled professionals are in high demand. And in turn, they’re always being tapped on the shoulder by people like me telling them there’s a better opportunity elsewhere. The truth is, there usually is. 

With companies desperate to employ good people, they often over pay and price out the person’s current employer. Other factors play into why people move, but if you were offered a 25%+ pay increase, I’m sure you would find it hard (as I would) not to take it.

I think people entering the workforce now look at employment as a lifestyle rather than a job. It’s not enough to be financially rewarded for their work, they want to learn new skills, make new friends, have fun and experience fulfillment whilst being environmentally sustainable! So that’s what employers have to give them, if they want the person to stay at the company for many years.

So how can employers retain talent?

  1. Obviously remunerating the employee in line with the current market, which usually means a pay increase. Ask yourself what you’d be prepared to pay to replace your best employees and then give that amount to them before they look elsewhere. 
  2. Develop a years of service/rewards program that motivates your workforce to stay on with the company. 
  3. Provide your employees with challenges and make sure they experience different opportunities at work to prevent them seeing their work as ‘just a job’. 
  4. Offer flexible working arrangements. Numerous studies have shown employees are more productive and engaged when able to balance work with other aspects of their lives.
  5. The best thing you could do for the person and your company is to train them. Give them access to different learning courses. Reward them for achieving a new certificate or qualification. Not only will it benefit them personally, but your business will gain from the added knowledge. 
  6. Talk to your employees. Ask them what they want to do, what they want to achieve. Ask them if they’re happy in their current role. And if they’re not, discuss the possibility of a change in role and see if your business can provide a new career pathway.

Your people are your biggest asset (not your clients or your projects), they’ll spend more time working for you than doing anything else.

What’s working for you in your world @work?

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Five simple steps to make 2019 your year!

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Amanda Robar — No Comments ↓

We are one month down in 2019, and I (like most) am striving to achieve my new year’s resolutions. Sounds simple in theory, however lately I’ve found myself experiencing a lack of oomph. Whatever the cause may be, I want to nip it in the bud and reclaim my enthusiasm!

Below I have reflected on five surefire ways to turn up the dial on your motivation:

  1. What are your goals and why?  Understand what you are trying to achieve and why. Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, set little reminders to keep you on track – this could be a symbol, a quote, a photo etc. 
  2. Breakdown your goals. Do you ever feel overwhelmed looking at the mountain of tasks sitting in front of you? Break down the goal into smaller manageable steps! This may free your mind to focus on the task at hand.
  3. Preserve a positive outlook. This can have an immense impact on your motivation levels. You can’t always control external events, however you do have some control/responsibility of your head space. So try your best to reframe any negative thoughts into positive ones.
  4. Surround yourself with motivated people and look to them for inspiration – not competition!
  5. Get started! Sometimes it is just a matter of taking the first step to activate the flow.

What’s are some of your tips to stay motivated this year in your world @work?

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Putting your trust in strangers

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Kylie Rutherfoord — No Comments ↓

Trust (noun) firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something; (verb) to believe that someone is good and honest and will not harm you, or that something is safe and reliable.

Does it ever cross your mind when you are ordering lunch that it may not be made with the freshest ingredients, or that the strictest hygiene may not be observed behind the kitchen doors? I suppose it depends where you buy your lunch, but generally you don’t question these things unless you see a warning sign… is that a cockroach scurrying around to its next hiding place?!

We put trust in people in both our personal and work lives – sometimes without realising that we are doing it.

It may come as no surprise that the following professions were the most trusted in a 2017 Roy Morgan survey: Nurses, Doctors, Pharmacists, Dentists, School Teachers and Engineers. We put trust in these professions because our health, education and city’s infrastructure depend upon them, and all are very important to us.

Individually we may rate them well, but collectively and of concern, the least trusted professionals work in Car Sales, Advertising, Real Estate, Insurance and Politics.

Why should we be concerned? Well, think about what these professions represent – some of the biggest purchases you make – a house, car, insurance, home/personal loans, and our democracy and general amenity. It’s unfortunate that the reputations of some professionals have been tainted by others in their industries, and typically it’s been tough for those who are reputable to change public perception. The big banks and aged care operators will have some tough PR challenges to overcome well after the Royal Commissions are done.  

And where do recruiters sit on the continuum of most to least trusted?

Recruitment is an industry which has no technical barriers to entry. After 12 years in recruitment, working across New Zealand, Japan and Australia, I’ve seen a broad array of styles, commitment to service, due diligence and adherence to process within our industry.

As employees or employers, career moves and hiring new team members are big decisions. You’ll need information about the job market, someone to help you design a robust recruitment process, guide you through the legal requirements, make an independent assessment of your shortlisted candidates, or job offers, and assist with final negotiations and onboarding once you have made, or have been made an offer. HR Business Partners and Recruitment Consultants (whether internal or external) are those trusted advisors.

It’s in our nature to trust each other, but you usually only get one shot at it. At Slade Group we are experienced consultants who have either been working in recruitment for a number of years or we have gained consulting experience from the industries we recruit in, often both. Every day we ask clients and candidates to trust us, and we don’t take that trust lightly. No matter what it is in life, don’t let one person ruin your experience or the reputation of that profession, brand or service.

Who do you most trust?

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Not In My Workplace!

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Anita Ziemer — No Comments ↓

With responsibility for three major zoos, 5000 animals, 2.5 million visitors annually and 600 permanent and casual employees, you might think that Jenny Gray, the CEO of Zoos Victoria and the current President of WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums), has enough on her plate.

Instead, as a leader with a PhD in ethics, she’s unstitched the silver lining of the Harvey Weinstein disaster and galvanised a group leading Australian CEOs to turn a negative into a positive. Whilst most of us have been appalled and many have shared personal stories of workplace harassment, Jenny Gray is one of the CEOs, Senior Executives, Chairs and Board Directors from across private, not-for-profit and public sectors making a stand to bring about change. The result? notinmyworkplace.org

You can join Not In My Workplace and you can also be part of the conversation and action plan at the first major summit taking place next February.

The Not In My Workplace SUMMIT. What’s it all about?

The plan for this high impact, highly affordable summit on February 21st, 2019 is to move from awareness to action. In one afternoon from 12:00 noon – 5:30pm at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre influential leaders and dynamic thinkers will talk about the extent and impact of sexual harassment in the workplace.

The aim is to have 1000 people together at a point in time, all who want to make a difference. And it’s clear from the stated outcomes for the summit, that the plans for the Summit are real and achievable:

  • A focus on creating actions to generate behaviours that will mobilise change as a business and as employees
  • Producing toolkits that will provide pathways for businesses and victims to seek help in a constructive manner
  • Creating a culture of empowerment
  • Developing behaviours in a business where sexual harassment prevention and support is part of the culture of a business
  • Providing real life examples of change where action plans and walk-away tools are offered

Individual booking

Please share the invitation below with your network. NIMW is very grateful to their early sponsors the Victorian Government and Public Transport Victoria.

Group booking

You can also book for a group. What a great way to start the discussions about sexual harassment in your own organisation! At only $100 per delegate, this is probably the best value Professional Development you will be able to offer your leadership team. (Not in My Workplace is incorporated under the Incorporated Associations Act in September 2018 and you are invited to join and take part in the networking, workshops and events.)

At Slade Group and the Interchange Bench we have zero tolerance for sexual harassment and continually build on our respectful culture for all employees, candidates and clients. But we can do more. By sharing this blog more people can be part of the action oriented major summit taking place next February.

What have you done in your world @work to stamp out sexual harassment?

 

Invitation: Not In My Workplace

 

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Experience – your gift to give.

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Kelly Stubbs — No Comments ↓

A couple of times lately, younger professional women have come to seek my advice on some situations they’ve found themselves in in their work life… Anything from discussing appropriate work wear, or how to handle a tough conversation with a client or colleague, correct ways to entertain clients and how to be confident. And believe it or not, just plain feeling comfortable ‘being themselves’ in a business setting rather than ‘being an exemplar businesswoman’.

It got me thinking about the times when I went to my more experienced peers seeking advice (and I still do), and the positive impact of those conversations on me and how they shaped my career decisions.

The truth is, I feel really honoured to be a person that other women trust. Whether it’s to discuss a situation and seek my advice (somewhere along the track I may have experienced something similar or I am familiar with the circumstances) or to see how I would handle a situation. I help them make up their own mind about how to tackle it, and in most instances they just need a sounding board.

Experience in business, and the confidence that you gain as you encounter different situations, comes with time. Dealing with those difficult meetings, standing your ground on a decision, knowing when to negotiate and even knowing when to walk away from a deal, all come with time.

As a recruiter, I see many candidates who are starting out in their career and have aspirations of taking over the world – their enthusiasm for their work is palpable!  It’s something I find quite inspiring and probably something that makes me enjoy working with people daily.

I think those of us with experiences over time have a responsibility to guide and mentor others who are starting their professional life or making a change in their career. When the going gets tough and someone less experienced doesn’t know how to handle a situation, it’s up to us to listen. We should take time out to talk with them about how to handle that situation, so that once resolved, they can add it to their collection of experiences, to one day pass on with their experience gained with time.

Are you part of a mentoring program or have you benefited from being mentored at any stage of your career? What advice would you give to other professionals who are just starting out or are new to the industry in your world @work?

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Money can’t buy you happiness, but flexible working can.

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Luke Clarke — No Comments ↓

Flexibility now ranks top amongst what’s important to employees (even more than pay), but what does it mean in practice?

Flexible working arrangements can come in many forms. For some people being flexible will mean compressing a five day week into four days; for others it will just be having a long lunch break to fit in a gym session. For many it is just being trusted to get the job done in the timeframe required, no matter where or when you do so. Trust people to do their job and more often than not, they will repay by putting in greater effort whilst working.

For employers, the tangible benefits of workplace flexibility include: reduction in absenteeism, increase in employee morale, higher engagement, greater commitment and improved retention. In fact over 55% of millennials are expected to stay more than five years when given more flexibility at work [Deloitte Millennials Survey]. However there are downsides to promoting some aspects of flexibility, such as working from home. When people are not present in the office it can impact the social aspect of working face-to-face in a team. Despite our connected business world, working remotely online can lead to disconnection or even loneliness. Roles that require regular open and collaborative communication can also be frustrated by flexible working.  A lot of managers report finding it hard to adapt to managing people who they can’t see, which means we still need to work on addressing those concerns.

On the upside, allowing employees to work flexibly can have a massive impact on people’s health. Stress is well-known to be one of the biggest causes of illness, leading to a number of other physical health related problems. For those of us who never seem to have personal time, flexible working hours reduce the stress caused by other pressures in life, allowing us to adapt our schedules to accommodate commitments such as family, sports activities, other hobbies and interests or just get a few chores done. It further relieves pressure on transport infrastructure, saving commuting time, which has environmental and health benefits for those travelling as well.

A major downside to flexible working is that it doesn’t suit everyone, nor every job. Flexible working doesn’t work for people who can’t motivate themselves; some people need supervision to get on with the job. With flexibility comes responsibility, so while there’s no harm in putting on a load of washing while you work, other distractions (your phone, social media, online shopping, what’s going on outside…) are still present. Some managers are still beholden to presenteeism, so if you’re not seen, you may be overlooked to contribute on interesting projects or miss out on career development opportunities.

I understand that flexible working isn’t for everyone and some jobs just aren’t that flexible. But I do think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and more people should be given flexible working opportunities. Would anyone begrudge that spending a few more hours each week with their families and friends, enjoying hobbies, reading, exercising and travelling wouldn’t have a positive impact on their professional life? To varying degrees it’s already happening in some industries. It’s up to us to make it work.

 

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Three words that you might just want to hear: The power of positive language.

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Clare Kellett — No Comments ↓

What three words best describe you?

Summing yourself up succinctly is no easy feat. Trying to identify yourself with your own words can be difficult at first, but being able to master this challenge can also be a really useful tool in life.

Our lives are never stagnant. Our taste in clothes, food and entertainment evolve continually, and so too can our personality.  As someone who has experienced significant changes over recent years, I believe the ability to re-assess myself has been imperative to my development.

With that in mind, try this simple exercise to see what three positive words could do for you.

Word #1 – A word to describe you as a person

Write down the word that comes into your head first, but don’t be afraid to write a list. This is not a word about how you’re currently feeling, the idea is about coming up with words that best describe you – quirky, energetic, trustworthy, loyal… Which one resonates the most?

Word #2 – A word to describe you at work

Are you introverted, engaging, hardworking, analytical, technical, creative, authentic, entrepreneurial? Which of these qualities are you most proud of? How would your leaders describe you?

Word #3 – A word to describe why people like to be around you

If you asked your family and friends to describe you, what would they say? (Disclaimer: it’s not necessary to ask them for the purpose of this exercise; you may need a thick skin if you do!) Think about times when someone has expressed gratitude or offered you a compliment – that’s the word.

Now that you have your three words, you have the ability to sell yourself. They’re the basis of your personal branding, your motto or your mantra. Reflect on them when you’re standing in line, waiting for a train, or even heading to an interview. While the concept of an ‘elevator pitch’ can sound clichéd, it’s great to have a few good words to say about yourself whenever the opportunity presents itself.

As you put this into practice, you will discover the power of positive language. It may evolve into an internal dialogue that leads to coaching yourself with positive self-talk. It may even be a conscious effort to replace any negativity you encounter with the words you have chosen; the more you focus on those positive words, the less you will worry about what other people think.

This simple exercise has more power than you will likely give it credit for. I challenge you to believe in your words and I’d love to hear about the positive impact they make on your attitude to life, to yourself and others.

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