I have 2 sons who work in the mining industry as HD Fitters, their closest friends are also Fitters, and I can tell you this; nobody knows the market movements of pay rates better than my boys and their peers. 😂 They are up to speed and making strategic moves to increase their earnings a good 6 – 8 months before their employers seem to cotton on there’s been some market shifts in pay that they need to address.
I’ve collated salary data over the past 4 years from leading salary guides to demonstrate the impact of skills shortages, closed borders & new perspectives on living on HD Fitter (mining industry) market pays
There’s been a 21% increase at the bottom end of the range just in this financial year alone, the upper range has increased by more than 50% in the past 3 years. If you are in this cohort, and aren’t taking a strategic approach to setting salaries, then there is a very good chance your rates of pay are longer competitive.
While other occupations within the mining industry haven’t seen the jumps like HD Fitters, there have been some significant movements. Dump Truck Operators have only seen a 1% increase over 3 years at the lower end of the pay range, however, there has been a notable 23% increase at the upper end of the range.
Outside of the mining industry, Financial Accountants in general have seen a 15% increase in salaries since 2019/20, yet administration based positions have seen very little movement.
The Approach
How an organisation pays and rewards its people has a big impact on its ability to attract the best talent, ensure that they are challenged and motivated and whether or not they will stay with your organisation. When we partner with our clients we are looking to support the overall organisation strategy, the HR strategy and the desired organisational culture. To be effective, the strategy needs to consider the internal relativities between roles; the organisational needs & values and the external market.
In taking a strategic approach to looking at remuneration and benchmarking total packages we can determine if you should take a temporary or permanent approach to address pay issues. We can consider your employee demographic, industry trends, employee engagement and the future of work in making recommendations to suit your organisation. We can look at non-financial drivers of attraction & retention.
Organisations are only as successful as their approach to hiring the right people, setting clear expectations, engaging employees, managing performance and recognising and rewarding employees for a job well done. If you would like a strategic approach tailored to your specific business needs contact us to arrange an obligation free chat about how we can help.
Through impactful HR we create a positive employee experience every time.
We aim to create future-focused, people centred HR solutions to accelerate organisational and employee wellbeing, engagement and performance by making HR easy.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE SUPPORTS HR TEAMS AND ORGANISATIONS AUSTRALIA-WIDE TO TAKE A FRESH APPROACH TOWARDS THEIR PEOPLE AND CULTURE FUNCTION.
Believe it or not we don’t sit in our offices all day dreaming up ways to give you more work or ruin your life.
HR is one of those business functions that people just “don’t get”. They either have this really narrow view of what HR is to business, or they think we are evil b*tches.
The latter is usually because they’ve had some dodgy manager that has allowed them to believe that some decision has been made because of HR.
“I don’t want to do this but HR is making me”
Then, there’s nothing like a manager who doesn’t want to have the tough conversations and puts it back on HR, setting them up as the bad guy.
So, are we all evil b*tches? Well, misconceptions come from somewhere, and absolutely there are some HR people out there doing our sector dirty. Sometime the function itself is outdated and there is no desire to move forward into the new era (or decade) of work, it can have too much red tape and it can all just be a bit too stuffy.
This isn’t how HR should look and feel. And it’s not how we operate.
Let’s unpack some common misconceptions about HR
HR is about protecting the company – HR has a responsibility to minimise risk, sometimes protecting employees is the best way to minimise risk and sometimes it’s protecting the interests of the company. HR’s job is to be a neutral voice of reason, we are there to help leaders and employees navigate doing the right thing.
Yep, a lot of HR people are anti-employee, but this isn’t what HR is, or should be. Sometimes this sentiment is driven by the leaders – if the company you are working for is anti-employee you should probably go find another job
All HR does is hire & fire – Unless you are a dedicated recruiter this is about 10% of what HR is. HR is involved in the hiring and firing process to ensure it is a good process (and a legal process), but we don’t initiate it and it is nowhere near how we spend our days.
HR is easy and anyone can do it – Ok, so we don’t just organise Christmas parties and answer employees questions. A large part of HR is strategising things that may or may not happen in the future, we look at organisational design and ensure you will have the right people to take the organisation forward. We develop initiatives to drive the right culture and build the capacity of your people We manage ego & politics and we need to be able to manage our own emotions when we need to flip from ending someones employment to celebrating someone else’s promotion. HR is full of “big feelings” and you need to be a skilled enough operator to juggle all of that in amongst the day to day & technical aspects of the work.
They are always on our back – If you’re a manager and you aren’t completing a component of your job such as effectively leading your team, then yeah, we are going to be on your back. You know the stakes, if something is part of your job you need to do it. You can’t blame HR for the repercussions of you not doing your job.
Want to learn more about what quality HR is? Click HERE
The People & Culture Office supports HR teams and SMEs Australia-wide to take a fresh approach towards their people and culture function.
With 20-plus years in the HR game behind them, Tiahanna & Simone build capacity and culture in the workplace to drive the achievement of your operational goals and give you an edge in a talent-led economy.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of us having coffee at our regular haunts and / or our dogs & cats disrupting our work day.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
When it boils down to it recruitment is ALL about psychology, right from the moment a job vacancy arises through to the candidate starting and being retained, psychology impacts every step of the way
Before you commence the journey towards recruitment success you need to be able to answer the following 2 questions. What is the primary motivator for jobseekers and exactly WHO are you looking for?
Who are you looking for?
You can’t recruit effectively if you don’t understand the brief. What are the ideal skills and capabilities? What behaviours will best suit your ideal culture? (remember you are recruiting for the culture you want, not the culture you have). Are the skills required scarce?
Think about: Soft Skills – What soft skills does a candidate need to thrive in this role?; Culture and values – From a culture perspective, what are the necessary soft skills/values needed for this role?; Top performer – Who at our company is a high achiever in the same role?; Technical knowledge – What technical knowledge and/or qualifications are needed for the role?
A framework such as our Key Behavioural Capability Framework identifies the capabilities required to achieve organisation and team objectives. It guides the recruitment of suitably qualified staff. Through the use of the Framework your recruitment practices can be adapted to ask behavioural questions that will quickly identify candidates who possess the skills, behaviours and values to drive achievement of your operational outcomes.
Whats the motivator?
According to the Australian HR Institute 2019 Turnover and Retention Report, the top 5 reasons for leaving a job are: lack of career progression opportunities; better pay elsewhere; poor workplace culture; lack of training & development and poor work life balance.
It makes sense then when composing our advertising we touch on these motivators to appeal to those who place a high priority on them.
For the purpose of writing the remainder of this blog a quick Google search has pulled up some Core Values of a random organisation, and I’m going to pretend I’m looking for an Administration Coordinator.
Our Key Behaviours & Capabilities for the position – Welcome new challenges and persist in raising and working through novel and difficult issues; Promote a culture of integrity and professionalism within the organisation; Liaise with stakeholders on key issues and provide expert and influential advice; Build a culture of respect and understanding across the organisation; Drive a culture of achievement and acknowledge input of others; Exercise due diligence to ensure work health and safety risks are addressed; Comprehend the wider contexts in developing long term goals and determine strategies and actions required to achieve such goals; Encourage others to challenge “the way we’ve always done things” to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
The psychology behind the job ad
Your job ad needs to consist of more than a list of duties followed by a list of skills. Remember you are attempting to make a connection with the jobseeker, you want to use language that creates the ability for the jobseeker to imagine what it is like to work for you. Bullet points don’t convey the same amount of impact as taking the candidate on a journey with you.
Employ tactics that excite and engage
“The People & Culture Office is seeking an experienced Administration Coordinator to join our dynamic team.
A key role in our organisation, the Administration Coordinator drives the achievement of our strategic goals through leading a team of administration and finance professionals.
To succeed in this role you will require demonstrated experience in a similar role, including the ability to effectively lead and mentor high performance teams; you will require excellent time management and communication skills coupled with the ability to build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
But what is really important to us is you, we recognise that our people build our organisations success and our values guide everything we do, including who we recruit. We value employees who embrace a culture of respect, integrity and achievement. Who have a safety focus and who exercise due diligence in all that they do; who strive to achieve because we know when you do well, we do well.
In return we will offer excellent compensation and benefits, personal development opportunities and a great place to work”
The psychology in the interview process
Asking behavioural questions is a good way to spot candidates who’ll excel. Behavioural based interviewing is the understanding that past behaviours determine future behaviours, by asking scenario based questions you can analyse candidate responses to measure their suitability for the role in question.
For example adaptability is essential for thriving in a rapidly changing work environment. Given that 54% of employees may require significant Employees who are adaptable are more likely to achieve better outcomes as priorities shift or setbacks occur, since they’re already comfortable making strategic adjustments. or upskilling over the next few years to keep pace with new technology and evolving business needs, adaptability is essential. You may want to ask questions such as:
Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before. How did you react? What did you learn? Listen for: Excitement about tackling new challenges and willingness to leave their comfort zone, knowing they’ll learn something valuable from the experience.
Describe a situation in which you embraced a new system, process, technology, or idea at work that was a major departure from the old way of doing things. Listen for: Eagerness to explore new ways of working and improve based on what they learn; if they discovered a better way; whether they embraced the change.
Interview for culture fit. Companies with inclusive talent practices generate up to 30% higher revenue per employee. Employees should be fundamentally aligned with your company’s mission and core values. But finding the right person for the job doesn’t mean finding someone who’s exactly like everyone else. Ideally look for someone who not only “fits” your ideal culture but can also enhance it. Weed the top performers out by asking:
What are the three things that are most important to you in a job? Listen for: Alignment between what’s most important to them and what the role and company have to offer.
Tell me about a time in the last week when you’ve been satisfied, energised, and productive at work. What were you doing? Listen for: An indication that the work environment and day-to-day responsibilities are right for them.
65% of candidates say a bad interview experience makes them lose interest in the job
Its all about them, not you
The whole point to the interview process is to get to know the candidate so you are able to get an accurate insight into how they will fit within your team. All candidates feel nerves but an overly formal, stuffy recruitment process does little to put those nerves at ease. The goal is put the candidate at ease so they relax enough so their personality shines through.
Build rapport by centering the conversation around them. The goal is to solidify trust and uncover their wants, needs, and strengths. Stay genuinely curious. Be authentic. Don’t fool yourself into thinking tricky questions, formal / big panel style interview processes makes you appear professional.
To jobseekers, the recruitment team’s style offers a glance into life after hire. And for your organisation, it’s an opportunity to differentiate yourself from competitors chasing the same talent. Hiring is an intimate process. Make candidates feel welcome, and they’ll be far more likely to see it through to the very end – the start of their journey with your business.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
You can find us on our socials, give us a like on Facebook and follow us on Instagram
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
There’s nothing quite like seeing your business or department thrive because of the hard work & skill of employees that you have nurtured and developed.
There’s nothing quite like a leader who recognises if you want dedicated, engaged, on brand specialist or senior employees you need to start that process in house.
About a decade ago I worked on a new mine start-up for an up and coming miner. It was at the tail end of the GFC, mines had closed, contractors were hit hard and Kalgoorlie was definitely in a downturn of sorts.
Wider, iron ore was still paying good money and some of the more savvy operations were picking up Grads whether they needed them or not because they knew in less than 12 months, when nit all turned around, they would.
Evidently as a HR department we found ourselves in an interesting position, senior level engineers and geologists we easy to source, junior level not so much. Locally based operators and maintenance positions were easy to fill initially but as the operations grew it was a hard task.
Plans were quickly put into place early in the piece to train and develop our own operators, apprentices were signed up, as were WASM vacation students and new supervisors were put through leadership training.
In the recent 10 year celebration photos the company posted to Instagram I counted a handful of senior management that were those vacation students, graduates and green supervisors.
If you’re complaining about the skills shortage or lack of quality employees my question to you is;
“How many apprentices have you taken on in the past decade?”
“Can’t find skilled operators? What internal training pipelines do you have in place?”
“How are you engaging with WASM, CRTafe and the local high schools to create some brand awareness around you and the career paths you can offer”
In short, you don’t get to complain about the problem if you aren’t actively involved in the solution.
In 2019 I wrote this post about why apprentices and trainees should be a part of your workforce planning.
Let’s just hit the pause button on the skills shortage element of this conversation and focus on why it’s just good business practice to develop your own talent.
Businesses and leaders who see development of their employees as a priority routinely see more engaged, innovative employees with a solid connection to the company.
If your first thought when I talk about investing in employee development is “What so I can invest all that time time and energy for them to just take all that knowledge elsewhere” then you need to reconsider your assumptions.
If an employee is fulfilled by their work they are less likely to leave. According to the 2018 Linkedin Workforce Learning Report a (not so surprising) 93% of employees stated they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career.
That being said the “job for life” concept belongs in another time, so it’s inevitable that at some point in their career they will bid you farewell. So I guess what I’m saying is if you put effort into developing your employees at least you will get value, loyalty and connectedness from them during their tenure over those employees who are afforded very little training and concentrated career development.
So how can this look in the average business? Varied and diverse based on the business and industry but here are some common elements.
A structured onboarding program into the business that steps out the general “this is us, this is who were are and how we operate” introduction through to on the job training. From where documents are saved, to the document management and naming conventions for files, to branding and language to the business right through to the nitty gritty of learning what’s required to absolutely succeed at a role.
Allowing autonomy and ownership over their role and projects. Don’t micromanage, pull them up if you can see a disaster looming but quite often there more than one way to achieve the end goal and their perception of problem / solution might just create some innovation and efficiency for the company.
Create a safe space for learning and development. Start giving your team exposure to the inner machinations of the business by bringing them along to operational meetings or have them involved in creating the strategy for your department. I have had some amazing Managers and CEO’s that really taught me the “back end” of the business that ultimately allowed me the confidence to move into management positions and then to specialise in people and culture strategies. There was no withholding of knowledge and information to protect their role. They took me along for the ride and I’m the first to acknowledge I would not be here today without them. If past and present employees were asked to comment on your input in their careers what do you think they will say?
Employment Law & people management is a complex beast, if you need assistance navigating your way around we are on hand to provide support & add value to your business
I‘d love to meet with you to discuss how I can create a HR Strategy that adds value to your business, Contact Me for an obligation free chat.
This post is part in a series of how quality HR solutions can add value to your business. HR is so much more than a set of policies and procedures. Strategic HR Management is about developing value adding strategies surrounding compensation & benefits, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and career development. The policies and procedures aspect of HR is about compliance and risk management; they work within the wider business environment but their core purpose is to provide a risk management framework to manage the industrial relations and employee relations aspect of the business.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
You’ve developed your mission, you’ve workshopped your values, but how do get from here to a workforce who’s values, behaviours and capabilities fit with your vision of your business and its operational requirements?
A people capability framework that integrates with your job descriptions is a transparent approach to underpin people management strategies and enhance workplace culture.
I’ve used this approach with businesses with just 2 employees through to 100 employees, while the Key Duties component of your job description details the nuts and bolts of the job, the Key Behavioural and Capability component defines the person profile.
How many times have you worked within a team where an employee is perfect on paper but interacting with colleagues and clients has seen them be disruptive to the team culture, productivity, created conflict and upset clients.
Commonly this is created by too heavy a focus on skills and not enough on behaviours & values.
“Behavioural & values based recruitment is the understanding that past behaviours predict future behaviours”
A HR strategy that has at its core a people capability framework is able to develop initiatives and strategies that describe the expected behaviours and capabilities of all employees. The framework is relatively new thinking geared towards building a strong workforce who is able to attract, retain and engage a skilled, capable and motivated workforce. It serves to meet future needs, aligning employee performance with organisational strategy, identifying workforce development priorities and more.
When integrated with job descriptions each capability group is accompanied by a set of statements illustrating the type of behaviour expected at each level. Each statement is aligned to the values of the business, by combining both the Key Duties and Key Behavioural & Capability Indicators it provides greater opportunity to manage performance and behaviours towards achieving the strategic goals.
You can download a handy guide on how to apply the Capability Framework here
Employment Law & people management is a complex beast, if you need assistance navigating your way around we are on hand to provide support & add value to your business
I‘d love to meet with you to discuss how I can create a HR Strategy that adds value to your business, Contact Me for an obligation free chat.
This post is the first in a series of how quality HR solutions can add value to your business. HR is so much more than a set of policies and procedures. Strategic HR Management is about developing value adding strategies surrounding compensation & benefits, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and career development. The policies and procedures aspect of HR is about compliance and risk management; they work within the wider business environment but their core purpose is to provide a risk management framework to manage the industrial relations and employee relations aspect of the business.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
If you follow me on social media you would have seen these posts popping up over the past week
When I look at Seek advertising, local business websites and speak to jobseekers & business leaders based outside of Kalgoorlie-Boulder one thing becomes glaringly clear.
We just don’t do a very good job of selling ourselves
One thing I think we can all agree on is it is a lot more sustainable for our businesses & community if people who work here; live here, and, we need to bring residents back to the town. We need to grow the population to ensure essential services, a healthy retail environment and the type robust economic & community environment that encourages continued population growth.
Where to start?
If you don’t already have a recruitment strategy in place seriously consider it. It forces you to look at your current practices and external forces which may prevent you from attracting quality employees.
Know who your demographic is & tailor your advertising to suit. Millennials are those born 1981 – 1996, so at the top end someone aged 38 and at the low end someone aged 23. This generation makes up 50% of the workforce and are our emerging leaders.
We know that millennials consume digital content the most; they stream music over listening to the radio and stream TV over sitting down and watching live free to air tv.
Print, radio & tv advertising is largely wasted money when trying to grab this generations attention.
If you have digital content thats hard to consume ie: overly formal, unnecessary text or information, poor image quality, no emotional connection, then they will scroll straight past. Opportunity lost.
When writing your seek or social media employment advertising view it from the view point of the person reading it. Am I telling them What, am I telling them Who, am I telling them Why?
Have you considered embedding some video footage into the base of the ad?
This one is FREE from the KBCCI on You Tube
Or if you frequently recruit & are going through a period of growth why not create your own content?
Want to read more? I wrote this post 12 months ago about selling Kalgoorlie when you recruit.
When it comes to selling Kalgoorlie as a great place to live we all play a part. But if theres one message I want to reinforce, it’s that no-one is expecting you to do this all on your own. Don’t be shy about outsourcing components of your business if they are areas that aren’t your strength, I mean you outsource your finances & taxation to an Accountant don’t you? Why not outsource your HR too?
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
IT’S TIME FOR HR TO MOVE BEYOND POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCESSES. THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH PEOPLE & CULTURE INITIATIVES CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC GOALS.
In 2013 when this most recent downturn hit I was made redundant from my job (the joys of working in a support service – you aren’t seen as an income generator so off you go).
I am passionate about youth employment and an opportunity arose for me to work in the apprenticeships & traineeships space.
What I become to learn (and alarmingly so) was that because of the down turn apprentice numbers took a sharp turn south. Companies that had in the previous years taken on a dozen or so new apprentices were only taking on 1 or 2 – or none.
These were for trades that once we come out the other side of the downturn (as past history would show we always do), would be in high demand. These were trades that up until the down turn businesses were recruiting from the eastern states and paying for existing employees to undertake trade upgrades.
Had companies maintained their apprenticeship program, by 2017 they would have had a bunch of tradies finishing their time and ready to work within their businesses, and most importantly, with a skill set tailored specifically to that business.
Apprentices & trainees should be seen by business as a way to bring fresh new talent into the business, to support their succession planning and growth aspirations and to minimise any negative impacts from current or future skills shortages.
And what a better way to have have a workforce trained to your specific business requirements than to grow your own talent. Apprenticeships and traineeships offer you the opportunity to train your up & coming employees in the areas that your business needs the most, providing your business with the skills it needs the most.
You want to know what else is great about employing youth into these roles? They bring a fresh approach & energy into a business which can have a knock on effect to other employees. A company that is willing to invest in people by supporting apprenticeships is showing a positive approach to corporate social responsibility, which is good for attracting both customers and future quality staff. It builds a positive employer brand which in turn will increase your profile as an employer that people want to work for.
And now to address the elephant in the room, I often hear business owners and older employees lament about the younger generation in the workplace; they are lazy, you have to hold their hand every step of the way, they are always on their phones.
Hands up who left school and started their first job and knew EXACTLY what to do? ……… anyone ……… anyone? Nobody can start a new job without some sort of training – ranging from “this is my first job ever and I don’t know how to conduct myself” through to “where do these documents get saved”. If you want your employees to not just exceed, but to excel, you need to spend time with them.
So if I hear “they are lazy” my response is did you asked them why they are sitting around not working; if you are telling me you have to hold their hand every step of the way I would suggest you try alternative ways to communicate, because your current method may not suit their learning style, and if I hear they are always on their phones I’m more interested in understanding why you haven’t told them to get off of it.
Depending on the industry & qualifications employers of apprentices and trainees can attract some great financial incentives with commencement, midpoint & completion payments available as well as well as additional incentives for priority areas and subsidised payroll tax for the bigger employers.
With the new financial year WA businesses can take advantage of the Jobs and Skills WA Employer Incentive. The great thing about this incentive is it is also available for school based trainees, which means you can gain a financial incentive to select and nurture your future employees from upper high school right through to the completion of their apprenticeship or traineeship. There’s a potential $8,500 in incentives on offer for a 4 year trade and $4,250 for a 2 year traineeship – woah!
Nicole Goldsworthy from Apprenticeship Support Australia is a valuable resource for employers within the Goldfields region and can answer your queries, sign your apprentices and trainees up and assist with sourcing reputable registered training organisations. You can email Nicole here.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
IT’S TIME FOR HR TO MOVE BEYOND POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCESSES. THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH PEOPLE & CULTURE INITIATIVES CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC GOALS.
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