Human Resources
Media
2009 was a year of ups and downs at RugbyWA from an HR perspective. On the one hand our voluntary turnover was the lowest that it has been for a number of years which allowed us to gain some real stability in the organisation. On the other hand, as with many organisations, we were affected by the ongoing repercussions of the GFC and as such some positions became redundant and we had no choice but to say a sad goodbye to three of our valued employees who had been with the organisation for a number of years. The organisation acknowledges the hard work and commitment of those affected and wish them all the very best for their next steps.
see this happen. Since the introduction of a dedicated HR function in late 2007, there has been a strong focus on valuing and developing our staff and this is represented in a large number of internal promotions and vacancies being won by internal staff members. RugbyWA sees this as a way to motivate our staff to be the best that they can be and is pleased to provide a strong career path where possible for all our employees.
One of the most significant changes to the organisation in 2009 was the resignation of our former CEO, Greg Harris and the appointment of Vern Reid as his successor. Vern has been a board member for a number of years and therefore already had an excellent understanding of the business and so was able to “hit the ground running”. Vern has had a very positive impact on the morale of the organisation and all at RugbyWA look forward to working with him moving forward. At the same time RugbyWA sincerely thanks Greg for the significant achievements he accomplished in his short time with us.
Strategies This year a number of strategies were introduced to create a better work environment for our staff. These include;
Reward and Recognition This year has seen some small changes to our Reward and Recognition program with the introduction of a “Winner of the Month” scheme. The winners are nominated each month by senior management for something they have done to contribute to the purpose of our business and acknowledged publicly at the monthly staff meeting. This is coupled with a Winners Scoreboard in RugbyWA reception which acknowledges all the wins that our employees make each day in their roles to contribute to the business, no matter how big or small. This rotates frequently.
Professional Review Post 2009 season a comprehensive review was undertaken with the staff and players involved in the Professional Rugby department. The review allowed the organisation to clearly see where we were doing well and where we needed improvement. The results were put into action and many positive changes have occurred resulting in a very exciting department that is looking forward to a positive season ahead.
• A new performance and development system to allow our staff the to set clear targets in a collaborative way with their managers and identify any development needs that we need in order to assist them to get there • Winner of the Month awards and Winners Scoreboard as outlined previously in this report • Fruit at Work for the health and well being of our employees • The facilitation of staff massages for health and well being • An Employee Assistance Program for all staff and players • Lunch time fitness classes (commencing January 2010)
2009 was a transition year for the RugbyWA Media Department, which said farewell to Michael Earsman and welcomed Mark White as its Manager. Mick left an indelible mark on rugby coverage in the west, fostering strong relationships with media across the full spectrum of outlets, as well as increasing exposure on the east coast. His efforts are greatly appreciated, and his larger-than-life personality will not be soon forgotten by RugbyWA staff or WA media. The season went crisis-free from a media perspective, with the departures of Matt Giteau to the Brumbies and Drew Mitchell to the Waratahs providing the most off-field media during the year. Retention and recruitment stories continued throughout 2009, as would be expected with as many as 14 players departing the club. The West Australian newspaper continued to support the game strongly with its two ‘Super Rugby’ liftouts each week of the Super 14 season. This once again provided rugby with a dedicated 8 pages of coverage on top of general editorial in the sport pages. Our strong relationship with the Sunday Times continued, both from an editorial perspective and through Matt Giteau’s regular column. We also enjoyed support from our broadcast partners 96FM and 8826PR, through live home game broadcasts and weekly programming. Players and Coaches were interviewed regularly on ‘Sports Central’ on 6PR, and we had a regular spot with the 96FM brekky crew. Rugby was once again
supported in radio across the state on ABC Radio, 990AM and NOVA. Emirates Western Force training sessions and press conferences were well attended by local television networks. Channel Ten again led rugby coverage in the state, followed by Fox Sports News, ABC News and Channel Nine News. Channel Ten journalist Caty Price and cameraman Nick Hatherly again joined the team on tour in South Africa, and put excellent packages together for both Ten News and other WA networks. Cambridge Sports Media were once again commissioned to produce RugbyWA’s publications including the Linebreak match programme, season guide and annual report. Greg Paull must be commended for his high-quality work and dedication to turning these publications around in good time. We look forward to continuing our relationship in future years. Photographer Christian Sprogoe continued to produce high quality images for the organisation, and we thank him for his efforts in 2009. Getty Images also provided an excellent service in supplying photos from both home and away games. New relationships with The West Australian and Channel 9 were developed late in 2009 for the 2010 season in the Partnerships area, which bodes well for the organisation’s coverage in those two mediums. RugbyWA Media Team
2010 and beyond The ongoing aim of the HR department is to ensure that RugbyWA has a winning culture that enables all our staff and players to feel valued, included and motivated to contribute to the overall purpose of our organisation. Nicole Horrocks Human Resources Manager
Crispin Roberts
Mark White
Michael Earsman
The Employee of the Year program continues and this year’s winner was Colin Richardson. Colin is the Brand manager for our organisation and a very deserving winner. He did have some very tough competition by the way of the three other nominees which were Haydn Masters, Sport Science Manager, Brendyn Appleby, Strength and Conditioning Coach and Tilly Lloyd-Poole, Junior Competition Coordinator. All nominees are voted for based on how they demonstrate living by our values, how they contribute to a team environment and how they add value to our business and the purpose of RugbyWA. Congratulations to all nominees and of course the winner, Colin. Recruitment We continue to focus on getting the right people for our organisation and follow thorough recruitment processes to
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RugbyWA 2009 Annual Report
RugbyWA 2009 Annual Report
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