COVER STORY
2O16 HOT LIST A GREAT YEAR FOR…
JON SCRIVEN
Group executive human resources & office of the CEO, Qantas Group
The turnaround in Qantas’s fortunes in the space of three years is remarkable. After posting one of its biggest ever yearly profits ($1.02bn) in the 2015/16 financial year, the company rewarded around 25,000 workers, including pilots, cabin crew, ground staff and check-in staff, with a hefty bonus. Personnel were only eligible for the bonus if they were covered by an EBA that included an 18-month pay freeze – which was outlined in the $2bn Qantas Transformation program launched in February 2014. At the time the company was again deemed profitable, Qantas offered a one-off bonus to staff affected by the pay freeze, equivalent to 5% of each employee’s salary. To further promote this quick turnaround and increased profitability, Qantas also launched a series of initiatives which increased engagement to 79% across all areas of the group – an increase from 68% in 2012. These initiatives included improved health and safety metrics, an employee peer recognition program, a flexible work program, and a new program to tackle unconscious bias.
BARB HYMAN Executive general manager, people & culture, REA Group
Barb Hyman has always firmly believed that HR can and should adopt a marketing mindset, especially in recruitment. “Representing our employer brand and telling the story of our culture is a critical capability which, when done right, enables us to make connections with high-quality talent.” True to form, in June 2016, REA Group was named as a LinkedIn Top Attractor and was the sole company featured from both the digital and media industries. In August, it was named Best Employer at the B&T Women in Media awards for its achievements in promoting workplace equality. This included its innovative parental leave provisions and increasing female representation at all levels of the business. For Hyman, it always goes back to looking after their people. “While it’s great to be recognised as a top employer externally,” she says, “how our people feel about working at REA Group is just as important to us … our people are our best advocates.”
STEVEN MURPHY
General manager, people & culture, Tourism Australia
In response to ongoing digital disruption, which is impacting on roles and departments within Tourism Australia, Steven Murphy and his team are running a change program that involves understanding global best practices and working with specialists on creating clear role descriptions that incorporate cultural and legal differences across countries. In sourcing and developing talent, his team is changing the traditional requirements for roles in terms of educational background/work experience – for example, for PR roles, considering those with backgrounds in behavioural science, design, and entrepreneurship, and not just degrees in journalism/communications.
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NAOMI MOURRA Head of HR, ANZ, BBC Worldwide
Since joining BBC Worldwide in 2009, Naomi Mourra has focused her attentions on talent development, having launched a global management system, an induction program, training and development programs, and wellbeing initiatives during her tenure. In 2013, she was appointed as head of HR, and thus far she’s been working to keep HR simple but also “very different” – specifically in terms of communication. To achieve both objectives, Mourra uses humour to cut through the ‘white noise’ of corporate communications, particularly around aspects of HR that may be stressful or worrying (such as appraisals or bonuses). She’s known for showing engaging video presentations in order to lighten things up, or sending quirky emails to ensure people don’t instantly hit ‘delete’. As head of HR, she sees her role as “a conduit between the workforce and [the] MD”, and has prompted the MD to embrace hot-desking in order to get a holistic view of BBC Worldwide’s people.
www.hcamag.com
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