Building your employer brand and Employer of Choice Initiatives Skill Shortages in Tasmania 2010 People shortages and Blue Collar labour Does your organisation have a Contact officer?
Donington – Helping People through
transition
Filling the demand will rely on a mix of-
1.
up-skilling local employed people,
2.
engaging unemployed people in work,
3.
encouraging non working people to take up employment,
4.
attracting new people to
5.
reducing the exit rate of people leaving the workforce.
All of these should be happening together, but time scales for each translating
into more work hours are variable.
A job applicant from interstate can be here working in a month while a training
program can take years to produce the needed skill.
We look at staff skilling in articles below.
Increased demand for staff will potentially lead to an increase in turnover as
more attractive options appear in the market.
As reported below, a number of surveys over recent months and at the end
of 2009 reveal people are unsettled coming out of the Global Financial Crisis.
This raises as a priority the need for employers to focus on
staff retention.
Some tips are provided below.
Contact Officers, who are they and what do they do?
The Tasmanian Office of the Anti Discrimination Commissioner provides an
outline below. An effective and
early intervention to any staff disharmony is part of a retention strategy.
We feature a short story on the Cadbury
factory at
And finally, to borrow a phrase, Employers need to be “Clever, Kind and
Connected” to their staff. An
article below on Employer branding and
the ‘EVP’ highlights the importance of providing the right environment and
conditions to attract and retain people.
Regards Stephen Porter |
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| Aust | Tas | |
|
Workforce Number |
10,971,600 (up 26,700 on Jan) |
232,200 |
| Unemployment Number |
614,700 (fell 8300 from Jan) |
13,300 |
| Participation Rate | 65.2% | 60.2% |
|
Unemployment Rate |
5.3% |
5.4% |
Of the Tasmanian Workforce number; 154,400 (66.5%) were employed full-time.
Males
represented 66.0% of full-time workers.
Source: ABS
|
Rowena Shadbolt, Senior Consultant |
As reported by
Tony Heywood of
Heywood Innovation in
25
percent of high potential employees plan to quit their jobs when the
upturn happens (The
Corporate Leadership Council).
The
|
Another survey by global recruitment consultancy Robert Half has found 77
percent of professional workers expect a pay increase once the market
recovers.
What does this mean for you as an employer?
-
The potential for skyrocketing recruitment and training costs.
-
A need to acquire deep insight to what employees are thinking and planning right now in order to find ways to re-engage them.
-
Now is the time to consider new employer brand building activities to reinvigorate positive perceptions of the employment experience and potential.
Conduct an online employee survey
-
discover what’s going on in employees’ minds with an online employee survey, the sooner the better
Improve internal communication
-
communicate more effectively with employees to keep them informed of where the organisation is heading and its future prospects
Create a cut-through awareness and recruitment campaign
-
now is the time to be ‘out there’ on candidates’ radar before the rush for talent begins and the market becomes once more highly competitive
Introduce a competent careers section on your website
-
careers sections on websites will be under increasing scrutiny and must create a positive impression in the minds of candidates and graduates
So what do new candidates and existing employees want? – increasingly,
financial return is not the leading priority. You need to offer much more
than this.
“I want advancement, mentoring and inspirational leadership”.
“I want interesting work, flexibility and a respectful and relaxed
atmosphere”.
“I prefer to work in a results-driven environment”.
“I need to work in an organisation whose morals and ethics match mine”.
“I want variety and challenges”.
“I need to know that my efforts are valued and stand for something”.
“Where will I be in 1, 3, 5 years … will I stay that long?”
Staff and Candidates insist on the truth.
An employer’s eloquent and persuasive description of their company
and employment opportunity must match the experience of the candidate when
they start work and for the duration of their employment.
An employment experience is viewed as a transaction – productivity
and knowledge traded for a promise.
If the position does not live up to their expectations from day one, if
promises are not kept, should anticipated objectives not be achieved, then
the deal is off. There is little remorse or loyalty, because other options
are coming available. Employers are in danger of wasting a lot of time and
money in the process of recruiting, hiring and training good people, only to
see them walk out the door because the employment promise has not been
fulfilled.
Based on an article by Tony, to read full article go to:
http://employment-branding.blogspot.com/
Building your employer brand and Employer of Choice
Initiatives
|
Marcus Simpson General Manager - North
|
Put simply, the Employment Value Proposition (EVP) is the reason people choose to join your organisation and more importantly the reason why they stay. A compelling EVP is a priority for any organisation looking to attract, engage and retain the cream of talent in their market. Employers known for having an industry beating EVP will become the destination of choice for high performers as we enter the recovering markets in 2010. |
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Employer of Choice initiatives (EOC) are aimed to address the EVP and, in
1.
Workforce planning
2.
Attract, Recruit and Select
3.
Induct, Train and Develop
4.
Motivate, Manage and Reward
5.
Retain and Support
6.
Lead and Communicate
Recent winners of an annual state EOC award have highlighted the range of
tangible/ functional things they do, and the effort required to build a culture
to obtain the emotional buy-in from staff.
It is not a quick fix but, with ownership from the top ranks, sufficient
resources, buy-in from staff with honest feedback and ideas, and an ongoing
timeframe, tangible success can be won.
Some ideas from the EOC winnners:
|
·
First class training
and development will
attract high quality job
seekers as well as high
profile projects
• Foster a healthy, happy
and safe workplace
• ‘Grow your own’ by
promoting internally –
the trainees of today
will be the leaders of
tomorrow
• Find ways to tap into
schools and colleges
|
• Provide quality tools
and challenging work
tasks to keep your
highly motivated
employees engaged
·
Look at how you can modify roles to
enthuse and retain
key staff.
• Personalise your ads
to appeal to diverse
groups (for example
university graduates,
mature-aged women). |
• Encourage employees
to refer potential
new staff by offering a
recruitment bonus.
• Make work fun!
Partner with TAFE
or other training
organisations to
arrange on the job
training which suits
your workplace
• Look at what skills
your staff already have
and see if they could |
|
Input from Tony Heywood of
Heywood Innovation and DEDTA acknowledged |
Skill Shortages in Tasmania 2010
|
Rob Howes, Recruitment Manager
|
In 2008,
tasmanianjobs.com and Lisa Taylor Consulting undertook an Occupational Skills
Shortage Analysis for Skills Tasmania. The analysis defined skill shortages and
the causes of the shortages in
1)
In
appropriate ratio of trades people to apprentices and trainees; 2) University education does not provide commercially or workplace ready and able graduates.
Two to three years of additional on the job experience is required until
graduates are considered viable;
3)
For many of the occupations in short supply, education and training is not
provided in 4) Education and training courses have not, and are not, keeping pace with innovation and technological
change in the workplace. |
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Additionally, the population age structure of
Impacts
The
consequences of skill shortages can be long lasting and serious and have the
potential to impact on the competitive and comparative advantages of an
organisation being located in
It is important
to recognise that the causes and implications of skill and labour shortages have
not changed since 2008, in fact, they will continue to increase without
intervention.
In 2010, skill
shortages will continue to place a significant level of stress on industry,
government and education and training providers, as the primary causes of skill
shortages in
Determinants of skill shortages
·
Cyclical factors
·
Participation rates
·
Underemployment
·
Demographic factors
·
Generational replacement of labour
·
Locational mismatch between the demand and supply of labour
·
Education, training and skill development
·
Changing skill needs within occupation
·
The level of remuneration
·
Organisational culture and employment conditions
·
Industry image
Potential Solution
Lisa says “I
believe that increasing the training capacity of Tasmanian industries and
employers is the predominant solution to many of the issues arising from the
current skill and labour shortages.
By increasing
the training capacity of Tasmanian industries and employers, the following will
result:
·
Increase in
labour market participation
·
Increase in
population
·
Increase in
productivity
·
Reduction in
youth unemployment rate
·
Decrease in
premature structural population ageing
·
Higher quality
education and training
·
Reduction in
level of non-completion of apprenticeship and traineeships
· Increase in percentage of Tasmanians with year 12 education qualifications and/or with a Certificate III education qualification
or greater
·
Decrease
attrition and turnover
·
Reduction in
workplace safety risk
·
Reduction in
long term unemployment
·
Increased tax
revenues
·
Shorter
hospital waiting lists
·
Greater access
to aged and community care services
·
Greater support
for international migrants
·
Greater ability
to attract investment
Each of the
issues listed are directly dependent on the ability to adequately train and
educate the available supply of labour to address the existing skill and labour
shortages we have.
Increasing the
training capacity of Tasmanian industries and employers can only be achieved by
attracting qualified and experienced interstate migrants.
International skilled migration will not assist achieve an increase in
training capacity in the short or medium term.
While there are
a number of existing Tasmanian government initiatives and programs to address
the issues outlined above, these are often considered in isolation of each
other. I believe the potential of these programs and initiatives will not be
successfully achieved if not considered in conjunction with increasing the
training capacity of Tasmanian industries and employers.”
Further information can be obtained through Searson Buck and the author, Lisa Taylor.
People Shortages and Blue Collar Labour
|
Diane Rumley, Manager Workforce
|
As the accompanying
article “skills shortages in Tasmania 2010” explains, we are in a skills
shortage, simply defined as:
“when
the demand for workers for a particular occupation is greater than the
supply of workers who are qualified, available and willing to work under
existing market conditions”
The
shortage has been somewhat relieved by the Global Financial Crisis
however the Federal Government stimulus packages for schools and first
home buyers and the improving economy has reignited this challenging
problem for Tasmanian business in many sectors.
While training is a core solution, other answers
are also required to fill immediate vacancies.
As an example, anecdotal evidence suggests that the
current draw on building industry human resources has used much of the
available capacity in the State and that we are now seeking to draw
skilled and semi skilled labour from interstate and overseas (visa
requirements for overseas workers and time to get people on the job need
to be considered carefully). |
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|
Local and Interstate labour presents a number of impacts on recruitment and associated costs. There are issues related to attraction of appropriate talent and the screening and selection of successful candidates from amongst these people. Not only do you need to locate suitably qualified candidates but your pay and conditions have to be pitched to secure good ones. This often means going beyond existing awards or agreements which can have an inflationary effect on in-house wages that needs to be managed.
Costs associated with hiring staff can also be impacted if you have to fly people in from interstate for interviews, etc. Further administration and other costs associated with relocation and accommodation for interstate employees can stretch the internal resources of organisations for whom this is not core business.
In the Blue Collar area, one solution is to outsource this function to a third party who will handle the whole recruitment process and provide staff at an agreed hourly/daily rate. In areas where the demand for staff is short-term, or exact numbers and timing unsure, labour hire has found a ready market. |
 A Searson Buck Workforce Work Crew |
Searson Buck Workforce divisions across
the state have seen an upturn in demand as business activity picks-up.
Building and retaining a pool of suitable workers
remains a challenge, even for experienced Account Managers with a combined total
of in excess of 30 years experience in the recruitment industry.
Does your organisation have a
Contact officer?
|
Maurice Hine, General Manager |
The office of the Anti Discrimination Commissioner advises-
Contact
Officers are an
important first point of contact for people who believe they have a
grievance in the workplace. Grievances may relate to
discrimination, harassment, bullying or other workplace issues.
Contact
Officers are staff who
are trained to provide other staff with confidential information and
support to address discrimination, harassment and/or bullying in the
workplace.
Contact
Officers have access to
information about complaint resolution options within and outside the
organisation and provide support to persons in making informed decisions
about how best to address the grievance. |
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Contact
Officers duties
may involve:
·
Listening to the individual and acting as a support person
·
Explaining and providing information about what
constitutes discrimination, harassment and bullying
·
Providing information about the options available to deal
with the individuals concerns and the likely results of these
·
Informing the individual of rights under Tasmanian and
Federal equal opportunity law
·
Discussing possible strategies the individual can use to
deal directly with the other person
·
Referring the individual to counseling and other support
services if necessary
·
Referring individuals who decide to make a formal
complaint to the appropriate person for investigation
· Providing general information and copies of organisational equal opportunity policies and complaint procedures to any
member of staff
·
Promoting the role of the Contact Officer throughout the
organisation
The OADC offers
Contact Officer and Re-fresher Contact Officer training as well as Contact
Officer networking meetings. Training is designed to suit individuals and
organisations, delivered in-house or on-site at your place of work.
For more
information please call training consultant Roz Smart, telephone: (03) 6233 7832
or email:
roz.smart@justice.tas.gov.au
Donington – Helping People Through Transition
|
Simone Ashby, Senior HR Consultant |
On the 10th and 17th of February 2010, Donington Tasmania held an Employment Expo on site at Cadbury Claremont for those workers affected by the company restructure. Over the two days more than 150 employees attended and there were some very positive training and employment outcomes.
Donington
|
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The Employment Expo
was the culmination of the project to date and was supported by a number of
businesses across the state that we would sincerely like to thank. These
businesses include:
|
·
Able |
·
Work Skills |
·
|
·
IPAC |
|
·
Centrelink |
·
|
·
DEDTA |
·
One Care |
|
· Tasmanian Skills
Institute |
·
Discovery Early Learning |
· Glenorchy Child Care
Connections |
·
Skilled Group |
|
·
Hi |
·
BLH Engineering |
·
|
·
Tassal |
|
·
Ta Ann Mill |
·
|
·
Business Point |
·
O’ Group |
|
There were some exciting job outcomes on each of the Expo days as
well as people taking the plunge and investing in training
opportunities they hadn’t considered. Donington in partnership with
Cadbury were successful in obtaining 230 Structural Productivity
Places to assist the employees who were taking voluntary
redundancy. These fully funded training places have enabled
employees to take up Certificate 3 level and above training places
at no cost. Donington were also able to facilitate many workshops
and seminars where approved RTO providers and JSA’a were on-site to
explain the various training courses available and the value these
would add to their current work experience and also their chances of
securing employment once they left Cadbury. It was an extremely
positive and productive process that worked successfully.
Donington has a very proud relationship with Cadbury and we are able to provide invaluable support to them through a very difficult time. It was important to Cadbury that they treated their employees with respect and support throughout the transition in line with their corporate values. It was Donington’s responsibility to provide both emotional and practical support throughout a very difficult and stressful time but the outcomes achieved were highly successful and appreciated by both Cadbury and the participants. |
Cadbury Employment Expo |
“The
use of Donington as a Career Management and Outplacement service has been a huge
success for us as a business at Cadbury. There has been a close working
relationship developed between Cadbury and the Donington consultants. This
relationship has been established through the highly professional approach
displayed by the consultants which in turn has developed a positive outcome for
those people moving through change.” Ros
Smith HR Advisor Cadbury Claremont, March 2010.
Should you have any questions about this project or how
Donington might benefit your business when moving through change please call
Simone Ashby in our