Human Resources Director 17.05

BALANCING PRIORITIES Employee experience in a commercial world A CHAMPION OF TEAMWORK How the power of the team gets results HCAMAG.COM ISSUE 17.05

TALKING TECHNOLOGY The challenge of choosing new tech

IAN L A R T AUS

2019

WINNERS REVEALED

HRD celebrates the leading talent professionals and teams who topped the 2019 HR Awards

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OCTOBER 2019

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CONTENTS

@HRDAustralia facebook.com/HRDAustralia

UPFRONT 02 Editorial

Time to reward HR

04 Statistics

Embracing talent’s softer side

06 Head to head

Do qualifications beat experience, or vice versa?

08 News analysis

The challenge of choosing new tech

10 L&D update

How volunteer work develops team connections

PEOPLE

38

WEIGHING UP THE OPTIONS

Meet Jenny Craig’s head of HR, who talks about the importance of balancing the employee experience with achieving commercial results

12 Health and wellness update HR’s role in employee support

14 Opinion

Preparing for a tsunami of change

15 Expert insight

When drinking at work can be cause for dismissal

FEATURES 46 Leading Frazer Jones

Global recruitment firm welcomes new head of Australia business

48 Employee leave

How potential changes to personal leave could impact employers

42 TIPS FOR CRAFTING A DIVERSITY STRATEGY The DLPA’s Karlie Cremin offers insights into the process of designing a diversity and inclusion strategy that works

55 Career path

Kate Hemat-Siraky’s zest for life A sea change for one HR leader

51 FEATURES

HCAMAG.COM CHECK IT OUT ONLINE

19

2019

SPECIAL REPORT

HR AWARDS 2019 WINNERS

HRD highlights the winning talent professionals and teams who were rewarded at the 2019 HR Awards for another year of big achievements

FEATURES

PEOPLE 56 Other life

IAN TRAL AUS

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

PEOPLE

A CHAMPION OF TEAMWORK

Chris Taylor, CHRO at Best Buy Canada, tells of the power of teamwork to achieve great results, and reveals the advice he gives to budding HR leaders

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Three approaches to defusing and getting the best out of even the most uncomfortable confrontations with difficult people

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27/09/2019 10:14:57 AM

UPFRONT

EDITORIAL www.hcamag.com

Rewarding HR’s winners A

s spring rolls around, it can mean only one thing – the much-anticipated return of the Australian HR Awards.

This year’s event saw more than 850 of the country’s top HR leaders gather at The Star Sydney. There were 20 awards presented on the night to the most outstanding HR professionals, companies and teams from across Australia.

When it comes to awarding excellence, no sector does it better than HR. From individual recognition to organisation-wide benefits, our people-centric industry knows exactly how to show its appreciation to dedicated employees.

But who’s rewarding HR? A report conducted by Gallup asked employees which types of recognition they wanted to receive from their employers. The top five responses were found to be: public recognition – as in an award or accolade; private recognition from the CEO; a monetary bonus; a promotion; and receiving a glowing review.

And the business case for implementing these reward strategies is staring us all in the face. A recent report from Recruiterbox found that organisations

When it comes to awarding excellence, no sector does it better than HR with effective recognition programs have 31% lower turnover; in fact, 90% of employees agree that their recognition schemes positively impact on their engagement levels.

But be warned – it’s not enough to simply pay lip service to reward initiatives.

Tom Short, president and founder of Kudos, revealed to HRD: “Companies that get it and realise culture is critical for their success are empowering everyone to be keepers of their culture, making recognition ubiquitous, transparent and central to their operations.

“When they commit to this open format that appeals to boomers and millennials, they’ll experience a more authentic connected culture.

Empowerment is the key, and leadership will come from all levels. Authentic recognition is earnest, timely and focused on the positive behaviours that lead to success, versus success itself.”

In the spirit of reward and recognition, this edition of HRD is dedicated to the winners of our recent Australian HR Awards. Join us as we celebrate the individuals, teams and organisations that have excelled in HR in 2019.

OCTOBER 2O19 EDITORIAL Senior writer Emily Douglas

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UPFRONT

STATISTICS

Embracing talent’s softer side Soft skills are the attribute most sought after by recruiters, and machines just can’t compete in this arena SOFT SKILLS have always been crucial to an employee’s success. Hard skills are what generally get an applicant a job interview, but soft skills are the qualities most likely to grant them entry to the company. And the importance of the skill set has achieved new prominence lately.

While the rise of automation and artificial intelligence have contributed to the declining importance of some more traditional hard skills, soft skills have remained relevant and

80%

of employers say soft skills are increasingly important to company success

41%

have a formal process for the assessment of soft skills

in fact have assumed growing importance to the success of many companies.

The soft skills found to be in highest demand and shortest supply are creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability and time management.

But in the midst of the new emphasis on this skill set, many organisations struggle to accurately assess the strength of a candidate’s soft skills and face the challenge of altering their methods of hiring.

57%

struggle to assess soft skills accurately

CANADA

94%

US

90%

MEXICO

96%

SKILLS TO SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF HR Around the world, talent professionals consider soft skills to be very important to the future of recruiting and HR. Typically, at least nine out of 10 HR professionals agree on the value of soft skills.

78%

increase in LinkedIn job posts mentioning work flexibility since 2016 Source: LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends report

SOFT SKILLS TAKE TOP PRIORITY

ASSESSING THE CANDIDATE

Just over nine in 10 talent professionals agree that soft skills are very important to the future of recruiting and HR; flexibility and an intolerance of harassment come in at a distant second and third.

Soft skills

91%

75%

70

70% 58%

60

72%

40

Anti-harassment

10

53% 40

17%

20

Pay transparency

20

31%

30

71%

0 60

80

100

Source: LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends report

4

80

50

Work flexibility

0

Three out of four talent professionals say their company uses behavioural questions to identify a candidate’s soft skills, while seven in 10 use the method of reading body language.

Behavioural questions

Reading body language

Situational questions

Projects

Tech-based assessments Source: LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends report

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UK

90%

NORTHERN EUROPE 82%

NETHERLANDS 85% SPAIN

PROPORTION OF TALENT PROFESSIONALS WHO SAY SOFT SKILLS ARE IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE OF HR

GERMANY

95%

88% ITALY

95% CHINA

FRANCE

93%

89% MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA

93% SOUTHEAST ASIA 95% INDIA

BRAZIL

95%

95%

AUSTRALIA ARGENTINA

91%

92% Source: LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends report

FLEXIBILITY INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT Three in 10 LinkedIn members say flexible work arrangements are a very important factor to consider when evaluating a job. The proportion of users who value flexibility highly has risen steadily in the last five years.

31%

LINKEDIN MEMBERS WHO WANT FLEXIBLE JOBS

28%

EMPLOYERS SPLIT ON TRANSPARENCY

The matter of pay transparency is the least likely to be embraced by employers: every second company not only does not share this information with employees but says it has no plans to start doing so.

Don’t share, unlikely to start 51% Share salary ranges 27% Don’t share, likely to start 22%

27% 26% 25% 2013

2014

2015

2016

2017 Source: LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends report

Source: LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends report

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26/09/2019 3:06:24 PM

UPFRONT

HEAD TO HEAD

Qualifications or work experience?

How does HR weigh up which is more important when recruiting a new employee?

Linda Carroll

Jane Shand

“Qualifications demonstrate the ability to commit to finishing something but are only really relevant if they’re reasonably current.

A business degree majoring in HRM from 10 years ago without decent professional development since then means the candidate will be out of touch and potentially a risk to the organisation. We should all be on a continual learning journey.

“The importance of experience depends on the job. If the organisation is buying in specialist talent or recruiting for a senior role, it’s key, but it’s less critical for a junior role.

The best solution is a combination of relevant, recent qualifications with proven capability.”

Amy Watts

Head of people and culture Affinity Education Group

VP talent and culture AccorHotels Apartments & Leases

“Experience is more important when I’m hiring; however, having both experience and a qualification is ideal. I work in a highly regulated industry which mandates qualifications.

“The advice that I would give a hiring manager, or an employee, is to look at the quality of training and ensure that the qualification has come from a reputable training provider. If there is an opportunity for a new hire to work towards a qualification in a related field to your industry and apply the learning on the job, then that can be the most meaningful way to learn and upskill your workforce.”

“It can be a bit like what came first, the chicken or the egg? Our job is to try to guide hiring managers to the best possible candidate based on position requirements and factors influencing the business at the time, including time and budget constraints.

Depending on which is more critical, this may influence the hiring decision towards qualifications or experience.

“I’m most interested in what candidates are doing to continuously adapt and stay relevant in their industry, and how they are improving their skills with the rapid changes in technology and as the expectations of leaders continue to evolve.”

Chief HR manager Queensland Rugby League

EXPERIENCE GOES A LONG WAY Almost 70% of employers in a survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education and American Public Media’s Marketplace on the role of higher education in career development felt that colleges were doing a ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ job of producing successful employees. Meanwhile, just over 30% said they were doing a ‘fair’ to ‘poor’ job. That said, managers lent greater importance to internships, employment undertaken during college, and volunteer experience than to grade averages or even relevant coursework when evaluating a candidate. When it came to hiring, almost four in five employers said an unpaid internship in a related field had a positive impact, while more than seven in 10 had a positive view of volunteer work in a community organisation or non-profit. Just under seven in 10 had such a favourable opinion of enrolment in a graduate degree or certification program.

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UPFRONT

NEWS ANALYSIS

Let’s talk technology Yes, technology is terrific – but it’s not the answer to all your problems. So, how should HR tackle the difficult job of identifying and implementing the right tech for their team

WHEN IT comes to technology, there are not many sectors that have seen as much change as HR. The digitisation of entire processes has revolutionised how we perceive tech, from its conception to its implementation in our organisations.

Despite this, a recent study from Deloitte found that 65% of companies believe the HR software they have used hasn’t helped them reach their goals.

“We’re never going to get the value out of software unless we become more comfortable in using it,” explained William Tincup,

to selecting new software. Remember – as with most things in HR, there’s no ‘one size fits all’. Don’t make the mistake of throwing your money at a vendor without knowing what exactly you want from your new piece of tech.

Once you’ve selected your new technology, the next step is onboarding it. Some organisations make the fundamental error of believing that purchasing new tech marks the end of HR’s involvement, when in fact the tricky part is still to come: implementation.

“An implementation can come down to

“We’re never going to get the value out of software unless we become more comfortable in using it” William Tincup, president, RecruitingDaily.com president of RecruitingDaily.com and speaker at the HR Tech Summit New York.

“There are so many different kinds of learning, so many different styles. Some people learn though reading, through FAQs; some through webinars. The training scheme for implementing new HR software needs to be built around all of your users. Everyone has to learn – their style is how they like to learn; their challenges are barriers to this learning.”

Listening to what your people want is key

8

personalities,” Tincup prefaced. “It’s that simple. Personalities can either match or clash, which makes every small problem escalate into an all-out war. As an employer, the first issue you need to look at isn’t the software – ironically, it’s the chemistry of your internal team and your vendor.

“The key is to plan. Plan for success, obviously, but also the inevitable disaster.”

The inevitable disaster, Tincup tells us, is the one aspect of your implementation

that will go wrong. It may be a huge error or a simple slip-up; but essentially, it’s an unforeseen event that has the propensity to derail the entire process – if you let it.

“In every implementation in the history of the world, there’s always an inevitable disaster,” Tincup continued. “It doesn’t matter how much planning you’ve put into the process, or how much time you’ve spent going over the specifics – something will happen that’s completely unplanned for.”

It’s not a question of if something will go wrong; it’s more about what you do when it does go wrong. How do you approach the situation?

How do you coach your team to react?

You can either hold the mistake over an employee’s head; play the blame game – or you can assess the situation and look for the best

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THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT TODAY

82%

of hiring managers believe the candidate experience is very important

53%

of candidates want expectations clearly defined in their job description

81%

of candidates think employers should treat them the same as they do current employees

52%

of candidates claim the biggest frustration during their job search is a lack of response from employers

“The biggest mistake [employers make] is believing the technology they’re working with is the answer” Matt Charney, chief content officer, Allegis Global Solutions remedy. The key, Tincup says, is to be flexible.

You may have a rigid plan in place, but you have to allow for continuous adjustments.

So, what should you be looking at when it comes to new software? Tincup recommends predictive tools.

“The predictive technologies, in particular those tools which help us predict success, will be pretty big business in the coming years,” he explained.

“If you look at the value chain of HR –

from sourcing to ATS, ATS to onboarding, on to core and payroll and benefits, with talent management overarching it all – you can see they’re all vertically aligned.

“Any technology that allows you to predict what’s next is really taking off. In performance and succession and compensation – really any technology that helps you see what’s around the corner is a tool that organisations should keep their eyes on.”

Buying new tech is exciting, but it’s not a

Source: CareerBuilder

‘get out of jail free’ card. The idea that tech is a be-all-and-end-all solution to all of a company’s problems is not only naive; it’s downright expensive. Matt Charney, chief content officer at Allegis Global Solutions, warns that employers need to snap out of this mindset.

“The biggest mistake that’s made is believing the technology they’re working with is the answer, without even having posed a question,” he says. “People will buy tech based off a perception of need or vendor promises or industry competition.

“Employers tend to follow the pack rather than looking at their own individual processes and people in order to figure out whether the issues they’re battling with can be solved with new technology.”

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UPFRONT

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT UPDATE NEWS BRIEFS L&D set for ‘radical reinvention’

The more digital our workplaces become, the more human we need to be as workers, according to the director of Swinburne’s Centre for the New Workforce, Sean Gallagher.

“Workers understand that social competencies – such as collaboration, empathy and entrepreneurial skills – are uniquely human and less vulnerable to being displaced by sophisticated artificial intelligence and automation technologies,” he added. Gallagher’s comments came as a new report by the centre found that digital disruption of the workplace would “compel a radical reinvention of how we educate and train workers for the future of work”.

Employees allegedly paid £200 for training

For staff across Costa Coffee stores in Essex in the UK, training has become a point of contention.

Employees were allegedly forced to pay for training themselves, at a cost of up to £200 deducted from a single payout.

A wave of complaints about salary deductions at Costa Coffee reportedly began with a post on social media.

Franchise owners are said to have contracts that allow for certain charges to be made against employees’ salaries – and not just for training costs. Some staff claim deductions occasionally include penalties for tardiness, while one worker said she had to pay out of her pocket for till discrepancies.

How bad managers stifle innovation

Managers who shoot down ideas from their staff may be harming their organisation’s ability to innovate.

According to research published in the Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, rejecting an

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employee’s suggestion – without regard for the person’s feelings and without any explanation of the critique – may end up silencing those willing to pitch ideas.

“If you want to continue to have people bring innovative ideas or help you detect errors, you do have to care about how you respond to those outcomes,” said Danielle King of Rice University, who led the research.

Growing demand for contingent workers

Organisations are purportedly planning to hire more contingent talent while scaling back on employing full-time staff, research from Willis Towers Watson has revealed. The survey of more than 1,000 companies across 40 countries showed that freelancers/free agents and employees on loan from other organisations constitute 4.2% of the global workforce.

“The increasing sophistication of the skills that contingent workers possess and the work expected from them, combined with the growing premium placed on speed, is encouraging more organisations to consider the use of contingent talent,” the report said.

L&D not just a ‘nice-to-have’ for employers

With the global labour market growing tighter, companies are starting to come up with new ways to make the most of the workforce they already have. Research by B2B ratings company Clutch found that 93% of employees believe employersponsored programs are crucial to their success – and organisations have started responding to the demand. In the US, 77% of companies now offer some form of job development and retraining to accommodate the needs of their workforce. This includes investing in books, videos and online courses (47%) as well as training courses and workshops (46%).

How team volunteering can benefit a business Working together outside of the office can build the connections needed to create successful teams

In the words of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, “What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.”

Indeed, volunteering is a great way to do some good for the community and your team, according to leadership and career expert Michelle Gibbings.

“Developing and sustaining effective team dynamics requires effort and focus, and team volunteering can play a part in helping to build those dynamics,” she says.

Gibbings is also the author of Step Up: How to Build Your Influence at Work and Career Leap: How to Reinvent and Liberate your Career.

She says that essentially teams are brought together to get things done, with the logic that more gets done together than alone. However, that benefit is only achieved when the team knows how to best work together.

“Effective leaders know it’s critical to create a working environment which facilitates that – so the team makes progress on the right things, at the right time.”

Underpinning that environment are two key ingredients – trust, and understanding the strengths and skills each team member brings to the team, says Gibbings.

The leader will usually know the skills and capability of each team member. However, often team members don’t have the same level of understanding of each other.

This may be because two teams have recently been merged, and so relationships are

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still being formed, or because effort hasn’t been devoted to building that understanding.

“Regardless of the reason, this ambiguity breeds disengagement and distrust,” says Gibbings. “It also means that team members can’t leverage each other’s skills as effectively because if you don’t know what someone does, you don’t know how they can help you, or vice versa.”

While there are a number of great ways to build team understanding and connection through structured team days and facilitated team sessions, getting outside the office and

“Developing and sustaining effective team dynamics requires effort and focus” into a different environment plays a part too.

“When team members come together to volunteer to help a not-for-profit or community group they are usually working in a more relaxed and less structured environment,” says Gibbings.

“This encourages banter, bonding and camaraderie, and the experiences from the day become shared stories that help to build the team’s culture.”

Furthermore, it is an opportunity for team members to see each other working in a different context and applying different skills.

Gibbings says volunteering provides a range of positive benefits at an individual level. This is because when a person helps someone it elevates how they feel about themselves, which in turn aids their mental health and wellbeing.

Q&A

Karlie Cremin Director DLPA

Fast fact Seven out of 10 employees surveyed

by B2B ratings company Clutch said they were willing to take part in job retraining if their company offered it.

Selling the value of training Why is designing an effective training program such an important topic in 2019?

The current economic landscape is really uncertain on many fronts. The political pressures are extreme, the financial markets are under pressure, and the Australian economy is showing signs of contracting.

This results in many organisations being much more conservative with their spending. As HR is often viewed solely as a cost centre – not a value-add – it is one of the first departments to see funding removed.

In order to obtain, justify and validate the need to spend money on training and development, there must be a clear link between the strategy and the training, and an economic impact.

Where HR professionals can make the case for training on the basis of a strategic objective, and link the training to increased performance outcomes, we see them gain access to much higher budgets and also have much greater buy-in from senior management.

What advice do you have for HR professionals on how to build an effective training program with the support of senior leaders?

• HR is a value-adding function and department. The key is articulating that value in a way other departments will understand. Strategy and economics are the easiest access point for this. Always have a clear business case for HR spend so people understand the strategic relevance and the intended return on investment.

• We tend to spend so much time on performance management, versus creating high performance. Training can and should be used in a coordinated way to increase the performance of the team as a whole, rather than individually to manage one person’s performance issues or skills gaps.

• The temptation in times of downturn is to reduce training expenditure. However, this is very dangerous as it means that your workforce becomes stagnant and you are losing your competitive advantage at the time you need it most.

Don’t cut expenditure in a downturn; be more creative and strategic in how you utilise it, and what return you need from it.

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26/09/2019 3:11:24 PM

UPFRONT

HEALTH AND WELLBEING UPDATE

How HR can create a more supportive culture Employees are feeling undervalued and overwhelmed.

What can HR do?

about wellbeing and support services across the country.

“Employers and employees, their families and the wider community need to play a role in continuing the conversation on mental health

“There’s a pressing need to eradicate stigma and discrimination” and wellbeing and where support is available to those who need it.”

So what can HR do to create a more supportive culture in the workplace?

Stress and depression are the largest contributors to lost productivity in Australia, according to the AIG Absenteeism & Presenteeism Survey Report.

On average, Australian employees take 8.8 unscheduled days off per year. This costs employers approximately $578 per employee per absent day, with the annual cost of absenteeism to the Australian economy an estimated $44bn per year.

Employsure senior talent manager Jessica Everitt says the research indicates that employees are feeling undervalued and overwhelmed.

“Putting the dollars and cents aside, there is also a human cost,” she says.

The good news, according to Everitt, is that early intervention and support can make

NEWS BRIEFS

a difference. Productivity losses are halved when employees with mental health conditions seek early intervention or treatment, she adds.

“One of the keys to enabling this change is ensuring that business leaders, managers and peers discuss the benefits of getting help in a genuine, positive way,” says Everitt.

“With international figures showing people would be unlikely to disclose a mental health condition to their employer for fear of repercussions, there’s a pressing need to eradicate stigma and discrimination, whilst ensuring we reach out and support our colleagues when it’s needed.”

Everitt adds that it is important for everyone to continue the important conversations

Majority of female employees report high stress levels

For Women’s Health Week, WorkScore analysed data from close to 9,000 female employees to understand their wellbeing needs at work. It found that 80% of women place the wellbeing of others above their own, 70% are often anxious, and 65% have high general stress levels. Two thirds rated their sleep quality as low, and nearly three quarters had low energy levels.

Suzanne Deeming, co-founder of WorkScore, said this showed that women are impacted by work-life demands and suffer from poor mental health and high stress.

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• Encourage employees to speak to their manager if they’re having any issues. If an employee comes to you, treat them with sensitivity, respect and empathy.

• If you’re going to ask an employee, “Are you OK?”, pick your moment. Choose a private and informal location, and a suitable time.

Make sure you’ve blocked out enough time for the conversation.

• Listen without judgment and take what they say seriously.

• Encourage them to take action such as talking to family, a trusted friend, their doctor or an employee assistance provider.

• Have a record of the details of your local EAP contact and your HR department that you can pass on.

• Maintain their confidentiality and privacy.

• Remember to follow up in a few days and check how the person is going.

Employers have role in supporting staff mental health Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15–44, and its incidence is increasing year-on-year. Mental health issues contribute to this worrying trend. Over the course of an adult’s life, they spend up to 4,821 days at work. This creates an opportunity for managers and HR leaders to start a dialogue with their staff, according to Marcela Slepica, clinical director at AccessEAP. Employees may be struggling to cope, and employers can create an environment of acceptance and normalise asking for help.

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26/09/2019 3:11:42 PM

Q&A

Carla Harris Co-founder and CEO Longevity App

Fast fact Employees who lack financial wellness tend to be more stressed, as observed by more than three in five employers (63.3%), according to the Workplace Financial Wellness Index by PwC.

Employee financial health and the role of HR What is the responsibility of HR when it comes to employees’ superannuation choices?

It is important that Australian employers empower employees to take a more proactive interest in their super by giving them choice, whether it is nominating a super fund of choice, or opting to salary sacrifice.

Super is often someone’s largest financial asset (outside of homeownership if that is the case for them), so as an employer-facilitated scheme it should therefore be high on the priority list for any HR team that truly wants to do the right thing by their employees.

What tips do you have for how HR can take a more proactive role in employees’ future financial health?

Why does HR need to take a more proactive interest in superannuation?

Superannuation is an initiative largely facilitated by employers, so the more they can enhance super for their employees the better.

In a climate in which attracting and retaining talent can be hard, super can be thought of as a financial asset that HR can leverage for the benefit of their staff and as a significant drawcard.

While men and women on average face a hefty shortfall in their retirement balances, women in particular are at a disadvantage and retire with nearly half the super as men. It is therefore critically important that companies, and their HR departments, consider their role in supporting the female portion of their workforce, wherever and however possible.

We are already seeing organisations using super as a key weapon in their employee benefit toolkit, with for instance PwC providing full super contributions for up to 12 months while employees are on parental leave.

Overtime on the rise in Australian businesses

Overtime has increased in 31% of organisations over the past year, and 57% of non-award staff were unpaid for their extra hours, says Hays. Of more than 3,400 companies surveyed for the annual Hays Salary Guide, just 8% decreased their overtime in the past year. Of more than 1,600 professionals, 43% worked up to 2.5 hours of overtime on average each week.

Overtime impacts the physical, mental and financial health of employees, particularly if it becomes excessive, says Nick Deligiannis, MD of Hays in Australia and New Zealand.

Depression and anxiety plague legal sector

• Insights we’ve gained through discussions with HR teams is that employers are interested in turning their attention to simple yet effective tools that can help boost the financial positioning and balances of their staff, whether by prompting them daily to put away additional, bite-sized super contributions as they are making everyday purchases, or helping to build out personalised financial plans to take better control of financial goals.

• It should go without saying, but make sure superannuation is being paid to your staff. With nearly $3bn in unpaid super, it is about the number one thing you can do to support your employees’ long-term financial wellbeing.

• Provide a great default fund to staff that gives good returns and is low-cost in terms of fees. Two thirds of people just tick the box for their employer’s default super fund when commencing a new job, which means they are really not giving it too much thought.

Employers can therefore play a vital role in setting them up with a good super product.

• Financial education never goes astray. Even if HR just encourages staff to have only one fund, so that they are only paying one set of fees and can receive the most benefits from compound interest on a larger account balance, it all adds up!

The intense environment of the courtroom – along with the demands of legal practice – is pushing a high percentage of lawyers to the brink of poor mental health, according to a new survey by Meritas Australia and New Zealand. More than four in five legal practitioners (85%) from small and midsize law firms in Australia and New Zealand claimed that they, or someone close to them in the industry, struggled with anxiety. Three in five respondents (60%) reported that they, or a colleague close to them, suffered from depression.

‘Always on’ culture puts pressure on employees

Seven in 10 professionals at all job levels take work calls and emails outside office hours, according to research by Snow Software. And in the era of globalisation and multi-country responsibilities, more than eight in 10 stay online after hours, as they feel they have responsibilities that “require them to be contactable”. Seven in 10 even struggle to disconnect while on holiday, with 71% taking their work-issued devices on vacation. Pressures of work and increased demand for time away from home can lead to burnout, according to the research.

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26/09/2019 3:11:43 PM

EXPERT INSIGHT

OPINION

A tsunami of change ahead Reinventing careers in an age of rapid and dynamic change requires strategic thinking, writes Greg Smith THE SPEED of transformation already underway can feel overwhelming and like a tsunami of change bearing down on us. It’s not just the pace but the depth of change that brings challenges. But it also brings great opportunities for the agile-minded.

The imperative of acting rather than being a passive observer is distilled in a quote credited to Bill Gates: “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.”

Whatever the future of work holds, it’s a reasonable bet that it will be remarkably different in 10 years or so than it is today!

Soft skills are widely expected to become the most sought-after capability in the years ahead.

Deloitte’s 2019 study, The Path to Prosperity.

Why the Future of Work is Human, predicts that by 2030 around two thirds of jobs will be “soft-skill intensive”.

In a recently published report by Deakin University and the Ford Motor Company, 100 Jobs of the Future, the importance of humanistic skills as machines take over routine work is emphasised. Being adaptable and flexible when confronting change, and having the capability to learn and pursue continuous, lifelong learning, is also identified as crucial in the report. These elements are requisite to reinventing ourselves and our careers.

At times of significant change, creativity and innovation come to the fore if we dare to use our imagination and dream what could or might be.

As all the balls are thrown in the air and past conventions are challenged or discarded, opportunities abound for those who are receptive to

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its call. Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”

Having career options is enlightening and empowering and can provide a sense of freedom.

The great thing is we all have choices; we just need to recognise them. However, while some can do this almost innately, many others need help and development to get there, but this can be exciting and rewarding. Being on the journey is often just as satisfying as the destination!

next critical activity for successfully transitioning from one career to another. It’s about identifying not just the skills we have but more importantly the ones we want to use. We all have skills we’d rather not use and others we find exciting and motivating; these are the skills we want to apply, promote and focus our development on. This will enhance our enjoyment of work and ultimately steer us towards career satisfaction.

Mentors can be a rich source of inspiration, guidance and advice, a sounding board for new ideas, and can help you target future pathways to career satisfaction.

By having the capability to hold effective career conversations, leaders, along with internal or external mentors, can play a practical role in helping their employees leverage their transferable skills, achieve significant career changes and reinvent themselves and their careers.

External mentors have the advantage of sitting outside the politics of the organisation.

Mentors, often referred to as trusted advisers, only have one objective in the mentoring relationship: to assist in the career development and support the success of the person they are mentoring.

Once we understand our motivational drivers, identifying transferable skills becomes the next critical activity for successfully transitioning from one career to another Reinvention sounds simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy. Many need help to see what may appear obvious to others; sometimes it’s easier for someone else to recognise our attributes, strengths, capabilities and achievements. This might be due to humility or a lack of self-awareness. Either way, identifying our career drivers and motivational, career and cultural-fit elements is a critical first step to career reinvention.

These self-insights provide a foundation to conceive career options that will lead to satisfaction, and a metaphorical ruler with which to evaluate them.

Once we understand our motivational drivers, identifying our transferable skills is the

Significant change is an opportunity to reflect, review and renew your career. It forces us to confront the approaching realities that, with targeted research and enhanced self-insight, can help keep career changes from taking us by surprise, as well as empower us and make us feel in control of our career destiny. If we ignore the key signposts of change, we could miss the opportunities and career choices we’re seeking.

Greg Smith is an expert in career development and co-founder of HR consulting firm deliberatepractice.

He is also author of Career Conversations: How to Get the Best from Your Talent Pool. For more information, visit www.deliberatepractice.com.au.

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EXPERT INSIGHT

Brought to you by

LEGISLATION

When is drinking on the job cause for dismissal?

In what circumstances can employers take action to terminate an employee for drinking at work?

Joe Murphy explains WHETHER AN employer can dismiss an employee for drinking on the job will depend very much on a range of factors, which include the employer’s policies, the workplace culture and the industry in which the employer operates.

Before you consider terminating an employee’s employment for drinking on the job, there is a fundamental requirement for the business to have a policy that clearly sets out the behaviours that are expected around alcohol. In this case, you should include a specific policy that employees must not drink while ‘on the job’, among other rules and requirements.

Of course, any policy dealing with alcohol and other drugs should go well beyond simply drinking on the job. If the working environment is a safety-critical one, then the policy should address the risks around employees who drink or use other drugs before work and in the period before commencing work, including the night before and a longer period for particular drugs.

The policy should also properly address any requirements the employer has around testing for alcohol and other drugs, having regard to testing frequencies (eg scheduled, random, targeted), and consider any requirements under the relevant Australian Standards.

While the rules might state that ‘you cannot drink at work’, the central issue is not so much whether the employee is actually consuming alcohol at the workplace but rather what effect the alcohol may or will have on that person in

terms of their ability to function both physically and mentally in a safe manner while on the job.

It is also important to ensure that any policy has been communicated to the employee at some point. It is unlikely to be satisfactory to simply host the policy on the intranet and direct employees to it.

How should you handle a line manager who has a drug problem?

Apart from the usual risks to health and safety that arise with drug use by employees, it is important that managers, as leaders of the business, set an example for other employees.

Ideally, you will have a policy in place to help guide you in managing a situation involving a line manager with a drug problem.

Firstly, however, the process is likely to involve a process of ensuring that any evidence of drug use is secured and provable. Secondly, a decision will need to be made about whether the manager can immediately continue in their role safely, with alternative duties or suspension from duties a consideration if the answer is no.

Thirdly, assuming the manager is agreeable to an approach that is focused on abstinence and rehabilitation, then obtaining a firm undertaking from the manager as to his or her behaviour moving forward is vital. Fourthly, ongoing monitoring and proportionate action is required to ensure any undertaking is being met by the manager. If the manager fails to

stick to the agreed behaviours, then termination of employment might be a consideration.

Can you refuse to hire somebody who has a history of drug/alcohol problems?

If you are aware that someone has a history of problems with alcohol and you decide not to hire them on the basis of that history, then you could be discriminating against them on the basis of disability. Drug addiction can be considered a disability depending on the circumstances and motivation behind the decision not to hire the person.

The question will be whether the person can perform the inherent requirements of the job safely.

How can employers keep their employees safe at functions involving alcohol, ie Christmas parties?

The rules about keeping employees safe at Christmas parties are pretty simple: 1. Have a policy and communicate the policy to employees so they are aware of the policy.

2. Ensure arrangements are in place for the responsible service of alcohol.

3. Communicate clearly with employees in advance of the party as to their expected behaviours at the party and in relation to other employees and members of the public.

4. Make sure employees understand the ramifications of any breaches of policy or expectations, and ensure any breaches of policy are dealt with swiftly and appropriately to send the right message.

Joe Murphy is the managing director of National Workplace at Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA). ABLA is trusted by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is the leading voice for business in the Fair Work Commission. ABLA was voted #1 Employment & Workplace Law Firm of the Year 2019. Contact Joe on 1300 565 846 or at joe.murphy@ablawyers.com.au if you have any questions raised by this article.

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26/09/2019 3:12:29 PM

PEOPLE

GLOBAL HR LEADER

THE POWER OF TEAMWORK HRD caught up with Chris Taylor, chief HR officer at Best Buy Canada, who revealed his unlikely path into the industry – and what he believes younger HR leaders need to do in order to rise to the top

HRD: How did you start your career in HR?

HRD: What’s your role at Best Buy Canada – what does it entail?

Chris Taylor: I began my career as a retail leader with a large retail company in Canada – I thought this was going to be my career path.

However, I was asked to take on a training and development role that I didn’t feel I was wired to do; nor at the time did I believe I had the relevant skills to train my colleagues. But, after a number of conversations it was clear to me that this was something my organisation really wanted me to do.

Sometimes you don’t see what others see.

I had enough trust in the company that if it didn’t turn out well, I’d always have my operations path open to me. So I took a leap of faith and stepped into an HR role. And honestly, I’ve never looked back. It was a fantastic decision. I could never have imagined that it would set me on the path it did. I’ve been able to move through a number of different positions, progressing over time, before finally ending up as CHRO at Best Buy Canada.

CT: My role by structure is a fairly traditional one. At Best Buy Canada, we have around 12,000 employees across the country. We’ve got about 175 stores, and I have an HR team of around 100 staff who deal with all the various outputs such as recruitment, HRIS, rewards, engagement, benefits, learning, and health and safety. My personal transition

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with my team, my role is to evolve the organisation from a people and culture perspective.

HRD: Can you tell me about a challenge you faced and how you overcame it?

CT: I’ve had so many challenges throughout my career, but the one that really sticks out for me happened just a few years ago. For many years we operated under two seperate and distinct brands. As the retail landscape

“The days of HR being purely about solving people issues are gone. We do play a huge part in that, but we also focus on creating leaders” went from leading the function across all of HR to setting the entire people strategy for the company. Supporting Best Buy’s overall business objectives in such competitive times has been my biggest challenge. Now along

shifted, we reacted by making the decision to consolidate these two brands into one.

For me, as an HR leader, it was a daunting task to be a part of figuring out how we were going to bring this to fruition in such a short

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PEOPLE

GLOBAL HR LEADER

timeline – we completed the reorganisation in four short months. What stays with me most from this experience is that you should not attempt to do everything on your own.

Surround yourself with top talent and take a collaborative approach. In the end, facing what looked to be an impossible task, we were able to devise a plan we felt was optimal. This plan was executed on a mass scale, countrywide, one Sunday morning. And though it meant we had to close many of our stores and then re-recruit and reopen a number of them the following week, by putting together a fantastic team this sensitive work was accomplished with our people as our focus. And now we’re thriving under one strong brand.

HRD: What new initiatives are you most proud of in your time at Best Buy Canada?

CT: Under our new technology strategy we recently went live with a new cloud-based HCM. When I look at the effort my team put in in order to bring this home from start

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to finish in less than a year, I’m incredibly proud. Being able to get the funding to bring in a modern product and replace a 20-year-old system has been awesome and part of why I work for Best Buy. Best Buy Canada has been named one of Canada’s top employers for several years in a row –

I remember speaking to a young man and asking him why he wanted to pursue HR as a career. He said he loved working with people, to which I replied that he should be a manager instead. The days of HR being purely about solving people issues are gone.

We do play a huge part in that, but we also

“I took a leap of faith and stepped into an HR role. And honestly, I’ve never looked back” we’re always looking for ways to improve and grow as an organisation. We were also named as the Canadian HR Team of the Year at the recent Canadian HR Awards, which for me is a massive pride point. My team is absolutely outstanding, so I’m glad they were recognised.

HRD: What advice would you have for someone looking to be a leader in HR? CT: It’s all about the individual’s mindset.

focus on creating leaders who can do all this on their own.

For me, HR leaders need to have a passion for improving the effectiveness of their company – and that’s the toughest part of my role. As newer HR professionals consider why they want to pursue this career, they hopefully have a passion for moving their organisations forward. Think about how you can be a champion of change within your company, and with commitment you will no doubt have an incredible impact.

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26/09/2019 3:13:12 PM

N ALIA R T S AU

2019 2019 saw another stellar return of the Australian HR Awards, with HR specialists from all over Australia gathering in Sydney to see who would take home the big awards THE AUSTRALIAN HR Awards made a triumphant return on 6 September 2019, firmly establishing itself as a mustattend event for every HR professional in Australia. And indeed plenty of them were on show that evening, with more than 850 professionals making the pilgrimage to Star City in Sydney to recognise their peers – and perhaps even pick up an award or two themselves. Sponsored by Ironfish and hosted by TV personality Tom Williams, it was truly a night to remember. With delicious food, free-flowing drinks and live entertainment, the dance floor stayed full until well after the formal celebrations had come to an end.

EVENT PARTNER

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Big winners this year included VetPartners, who took home the Ironfish Award for Australian HR Team of the Year (>1000 Employees).

The Randstad Award for Australian HR Director of the Year was collected by Linda Carroll of the Affinity Education Group, while Elizabeth Rogic of Assetlink took out the BI Worldwide Award for Australian HR Manager of the Year.

Over the following pages, you’ll discover all of the other big winners of the 2019 awards – and see some of the highlights from the evening itself.

AWARD SPONSORS

CHARITY SPONSOR

27/09/2019 10:08:40 AM

AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 THE SUBSCRIBE-HR AWARD FOR BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY WINNER Commonwealth Bank of Australia

FINALISTS Affinity Education Group Claim Central Consolidated Commonwealth Bank of Australia Eastern Health Employsure Pegasystems Racing & Wagering WA Vodafone Hutchison Australia

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

TECHNOLOGY OCCUPIES a central role in every modern Australian workplace. With their increasing reliance on the internet, encryption and other capabilities to carry out the simplest tasks, businesses must be up to speed on the current applications available for their industry.

For the past several years, Commonwealth Bank has been undergoing a transformation of its use of technology, adopting new practices to support the organisation’s core functions and service levels well into the future. Kym Parker, general manager HR integration and change, notes that it’s a process that hasn’t always been smooth, but it has nonetheless presented opportunities to learn from experience. The overall experience has ultimately been positive, enabling staff to perform their tasks more effectively on a day-to-day basis – and that’s the sort of commitment that secured them the award for 2019.

“It’s been a long journey that we’ve got ourselves through, and we’ve had many different ways of doing that, and we really, really focus on our employee experience” KYM PARKER General manager, HR integration and change Commonwealth Bank of Australia

SUBSCRIBE-HR delivers Australian cloud HR software to midsized enterprises covering e-recruitment, onboarding, core-HR, payroll integration, self-service, surveys, performance management, reporting, workflow.

Subscribe-HR is the most end-user-configurable HR technology platform in the world, meaning that Subscribe-HR adds more value to enterprises, faster than any other HR technology globally.

For more information, visit www.subscribe-hr.com.au

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Event Partner

THE IRONFISH AWARD FOR BEST WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY PROGRAM WINNER AbbVie

HIGHLY COMMENDED MSD

FINALISTS AbbVie Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hollard ING McGrath Foundation Moodle MSD MYOB PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

FOR ABBVIE, workplace flexibility is a key consideration. With technology changing the way people work, and the shifting nature of the modern workplace itself, flexibility has emerged as a key factor for many employees. Having the capability to work outside of traditional hours, unconventional leave arrangements or additional benefits can be make-or-break for prospective or current employees alike.

AbbVie entered the Australian HR Awards for the first time in 2019, so HR director Sue Jennings describes the company as “incredibly proud” to have taken home the award in this category. But more importantly, she noted, they were incredibly proud of their workplace flexibility.

“We try and make sure to support all of our people all of the time, so whatever an individual needs. Whether that is sickness or a need for flexibility to look after an elder parent or children – or whatever it looks like for our people – we really try to make an effort” SUE JENNINGS HR director AbbVie

IRONFISH plays a key role in the Australian property market as a leading property investment services company in Australia and China. We support our investors in acquiring a diversified property portfolio, backed by the confidence of the latest research, personalised strategies and quality investment opportunities.

Central to our philosophy is our commitment to partnership – we’re in this together, and for the long term. We have one of Australia’s largest VIP investor databases, which helps to deliver a high settlement rate for our properties of over 99% in recent years.

For more information, visit www.ironfish.com.au

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27/09/2019 10:08:54 AM

AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 THE JOBACCESS/DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES AWARD FOR BEST WORKPLACE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PROGRAM WINNER City of Sydney Council

FINALISTS City of Sydney Council Glen Eira City Council Griffith University Hollard Honeywell International Convention Centre (ICC Sydney) National Rugby League Special Broadcasting Service Virgin Australia

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

SYDNEY HAS long been regarded as one of the most diverse cities in Australia, so it stands to reason that the Council should be helping lead the charge in diversity and inclusion initiatives. In 2015 the City was the first local government organisation to monitor and publicly report on gender pay equity.

In 2018, it began paying superannuation for up to 52 weeks for staff on parental leave, helping close the long-term wealth gap between men and women.

The Council’s work across these and other fields was recognised this year by a win in this category. The award highlights its ongoing efforts to build an inclusive workplace that provides opportunity and equity for women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the LGBTIQ community, people with disability and refugees.

“This award recognises our long-term commitment to diversity and inclusion as well as our recent achievements in addressing the City’s gender pay gap.

Creating a diverse workforce is not just the right thing to do; it helps improve productivity, encourages innovation and supports economic growth” LORD MAYOR CLOVER MOORE City of Sydney Council

JOBACCESS is the national hub for workplace and employment information for people with disability, employers and service providers. JobAccess provides free and confidential information through a comprehensive, easy-to-use website and telephone service. Contact JobAccess today for helpful advice about financial support, workplace modifications, flexible work environments and a range of other tools and resources for employers.

For more information, visit www.JobAccess.gov.au

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27/09/2019 10:08:56 AM

Event Partner

THE ACHIEVERS AWARD FOR BEST REWARD & RECOGNITION PROGRAM WINNER Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service

HIGHLY COMMENDED Youi

FINALISTS AGL Energy

STAFF NEED more than pay and a simple pat on the back. A dedicated reward and recognition scheme is needed in the modern workplace to both motivate and retain staff, helping ensure their loyalty in the long term. When used correctly, it can serve as a powerful incentive to help boost staff performance.

As the winner of this year’s award, it’s evident that the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service knows a thing or two about keeping staff happy.

No good reward and recognition scheme remains stagnant either.

“It’s a fantastic recognition of all the work that we’ve put in over our journey for our new reward and recognition program”

Employsure Flight Centre Travel Group – Global Gathering Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service HCL Technologies International Convention Centre (ICC Sydney) MSS Security Virgin Australia Youi PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

“We’re into our fourth year, so we’ve actually started the planning of this year’s ‘Thank You Week’, and it’s really a chance for all of our staff to say thank you to our community, to say thank you to our staff. It evolves every year with new exciting opportunities, and it’s a wonderful part of our program” HANNAH BLOCH Executive director, people and corporate services Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service

ACHIEVERS is the world’s leading SaaS-based employee recognition and reward platform. “Recognition Amplified” is how Achievers is helping change the way the world works. By amplifying the frequency of recognition, we help over 300 global organisations foster meaningful and personalised employee engagement every day, creating measurable business value. To learn more about how your company can amplify employee recognition, visit www.achievers.com/au

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AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 BEST RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN WINNER Serco Asia Pacific (ASPAC)

FINALISTS ANZ Technology ‘Thrive Squad’ Cerebral Palsy Alliance Claim Central Consolidated Commonwealth Bank of Australia Diabetes Victoria HCL Technologies Serco Asia Pacific (ASPAC) YMCA NSW

IN 2019, recruitment is a highly contested field. Businesses are in a constant state of Darwinian struggle with one another, looking to attempt to not only attract the best possible talent but also ensure they remain with the organisation for the long haul.

Competition is fierce, so companies must bring their best and brightest resources to the fore to ensure success. Investing in a solid recruitment campaign isn’t just an optional extra any more, because once you’ve attracted the interest of a new asset, the battle is only just beginning.

There can therefore be only one true winner – and in 2019, Serco Asia Pacific (ASPAC) receives the gong. Speaking about the “sheer commitment and talent” of the recruitment team, Julie Carroll, CHRO (Asia Pacific) of Serco, said:

“They were just phenomenal and worked really hard.

We also had a multipronged approach for looking at social media channels, different ways to attract talent to the business, and really focused on the diversity of the pipeline that we were recruiting from” JULIE CARROLL CHRO (Asia Pacific) Serco Asia Pacific (ASPAC)

BEST LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WINNER Lindt Australia

FINALISTS Accor Academie Affinity Education Group Boston Scientific Corporate Technology Services Datacom ghd Hair International Convention Centre (ICC Sydney) Lindt Australia Vicinity Centres

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WHEN IT comes to accepting an award, it’s clear that Phil Turner, HR manager at Lindt Australia, isn’t short of something to say. Describing himself and the company as “honoured” to win in this category, he was quick to note that he hoped “people like the chocolate as well”.

With this year’s judges saying how impressed they were with Lindt’s digital learning experience, Turner was eager to discuss the process. New recruits “visit” the master chocolatier academy so they can understand the company’s processes from manufacture to new product development.

“I guess the idea was about really bringing our brand to life for new starters. So I had this concept of doing a kind of Lindt adventure of going around the world on this kind of exploration – go to different countries, starting in Australia having a virtual tour of what we do in Australia. And going to Switzerland – who doesn’t want to go to Switzerland?”

PHIL TURNER HR manager Lindt Australia With this win under its belt, it looks like another sweet year ahead for Lindt.

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27/09/2019 10:09:06 AM

Event Partner

THE HRD AWARD FOR BEST LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WINNER Deloitte Australia

FINALISTS Beam Suntory Cancer Council NSW CanTeen Coca-Cola Amatil Deloitte Australia Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service Raytheon Australia Leadership Continuum Vicinity Centres

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

ANY COMPANY worth its salt should be constantly looking to develop new leaders. After all, at least some leadership skills are essential for every role in the modern workplace, not just those designated as such – not to mention that having a broad variety of staff equipped with leadership skills means they can easily jump into new roles if required.

Deloitte Australia is well aware of the importance of creating future leaders.

So, for Debbie Ekas, director of learning, a win in this category in 2019 serves as powerful validation of the company’s leadership development programs.

“I think it really comes from how we build our leadership into our program from a graduatelevel strikethrough to a master level. So it starts from the academy where we pulled out graduates from 1,000-plus this year – right through to whatever level we transition our programs, up to our partner level, where we have deliberate leadership series and incorporate that with university programs” DEBBIE EKAS Director of learning Deloitte Australia

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR (HRD) is Australia’s only magazine written for and targeted purely at the most senior HR professionals (CHROs and HR directors) and top corporate decision-makers. HRD works with some of the world’s most high-profile business schools and leverages Key Media’s global footprint to talk with the leading HR practitioners from around the globe. HRD engages the decision-maker that matters by publishing an industrystandard magazine that supports both the business and best practice functional requirements placed on HRDs in their evolving roles.

For more information, visit www.hcamag.com

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27/09/2019 10:09:09 AM

AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 THE CONVERGE INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR BEST HEALTH & WELLBEING PROGRAM WINNER Youi

FINALISTS AbbVie Data#3 Flight Centre Travel Group – Healthwise Lander & Rogers Nova Entertainment Special Broadcasting Service Tasplan Tourism Australia Virgin Australia Youi

THIS YEAR’S win came as a welcome surprise for Youi employee experience manager Ryan McGrory and his team.

“I’m not exactly sure what we were doing.

But I know for us honestly, our commitment to our people and the emphasis we put in health and wellbeing” RYAN MCGRORY Employee experience manager Youi

Sponsoring this category was also a natural fit for Converge International.

Having spent around 60 years involved in supporting wellbeing in Australian workplaces, the organisation has a long-standing association with the field.

Dr Jenny George, CEO of Converge International, noted that Australia was an “interesting” country for employee health and wellbeing.

“I think that Australia is interesting because I think we’re willing to do interesting things,” said George. “I think we have a genuine employee-friendly culture in which we are really trying to do the best things for our employees.

I think it is one of the best environments. We care about culture and we care about it in really hopeful, innovative ways, and I think that comes out in programs that we’re putting together.”

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

CONVERGE INTERNATIONAL are proud of our six decades of leadership in employee wellbeing; we are a pioneer in the delivery of mental health and wellness programs to workplaces in Australia and overseas. Our expertise lies in supporting organisations to manage risk, boost employee engagement and promote positive mental health.

For more information, visit www.convergeinternational.com.au

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27/09/2019 10:09:12 AM

Event Partner

BEST GRADUATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WINNER TAL

HIGHLY COMMENDED Transdev Australasia

FINALISTS APP Corporation Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Hewlett Packard Enterprise Konica Minolta Business Solutions Level Crossing Removal Project TAL ThoughtWorks Transdev Australasia

GRADUATES REPRESENT the next generation of just about every professional industry. Accordingly, development programs are growing in popularity as more businesses seek to recruit the cream of the crop as quickly as possible out of university. This year, TAL’s graduate program stood out as the victor in this category, and the winners couldn’t have been more pleased.

“It’s amazing. We were actually completely shocked. We established our grad program in 2017 – that was our first cohort – so it’s amazing to receive this recognition” Diversity and inclusion senior manager Ross Wetherbee pointed to the unique nature of the program – a small cohort was provided with extensive support across the areas in which they would be working.

“So they get to work with our most senior leadership, they get exposure to our board and our chairman, and we think that’s quite unique in the market. It’s something that’s prized and valued, and it’s a very competitive program to get into” ROSS WETHERBEE Diversity and inclusion senior manager TAL

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27/09/2019 10:09:16 AM

AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 EMPLOYER OF CHOICE (PUBLIC SECTOR & NFP) WINNER The Disability Trust

FINALISTS Cancer Council NSW CanTeen Djerriwarrh Health Services McGrath Foundation Special Broadcasting Service The Disability Trust

SPEAKING ON behalf of her team of 20, Rebecca Coombes, head of people learning culture at The Disability Trust, was “so excited” to be winning this year’s Employer of Choice (Public Sector & NFP) award. Working in a field intended to help those in need is highly competitive, as organisations fight to attract and retain top talent. Being marked as the Employer of Choice within the field for 2019 is a badge of honour and establishes The Disability Trust as an attractive prospect for future employees.

A key factor that Coombes sees as contributing to the win is The Disability Trust’s in-depth approach to learning and development, which helps instil the organisation’s core values.

“Our work is coming on a support level, which is our entry-level role – looking after our clients. Without a very strong, comprehensive learning and development program our organisation doesn’t exist. So we have a very extensive entry-level role right through our leadership development program” REBECCA COOMBES Head of people learning culture The Disability Trust

EMPLOYER OF CHOICE (1-99 EMPLOYEES) WINNER Carman’s Kitchen

FINALISTS Carman’s Kitchen Corporate Technology Services Edwards Lifesciences Gateway Motorway Services ghd Hair McGrath Foundation QBANK Quinton Anthony

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SINCE 1992, Carman’s Kitchen has made a name for itself as an Australian-owned business in the FMCG space, meeting the need for healthy breakfasts and snacks all over the country. And for the last three years Lainie Tayler and the rest of the Carman’s Kitchen team have attended the Australian HR Awards, travelling all the way from Victoria.

“Every time we come here, we have so much fun. We come all the way from Melbourne, bring a whole table, and it’s a big investment but we love it.”

But 2019 has been the best year yet, with Carman’s receiving the gong in one of the hotly contested Employer of Choice awards. Asked about their victory, Tayler was forthcoming and eager to praise the team around her.

“We really focus on our people a lot, and we really feel like it’s the level we put in our business to make it amazing against our competitors” LAINIE TAYLER General Manager, People & Culture Carman’s Kitchen

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10/10/2019 9:26:36 PM

Event Partner

THE REDKITE AWARD FOR EMPLOYER OF CHOICE (100-999 EMPLOYEES) WINNER MSD

FINALISTS AbbVie Apiam Animal Health Boston Scientific Civica Data#3 Employsure Liberty Financial MSD Nova Entertainment Sanofi

AS COMPANIES GROW, it remains crucial to protect the positive aspects that made the organisation great in the first place. So it’s no surprise that this category is so heavily contested, full of companies that have done their utmost to highlight the positive aspects of their internal culture. All are worthy nominees that have marked themselves out as impressive contenders for the title.

Yet each year there can only be one winner – and for the second year in a row MSD has marked itself out as a significant force in this category, getting the gong again. It’s testament to the company’s ability to look after its own employees and develop a positive culture that spreads beyond the halls of its offices.

“It’s absolutely amazing to win an award; we’re very proud” HR director Lisa Onsley was quick to praise their leadership team, noting that MSD has “incredibly great leaders and [an] incredibly great HR team”.

“We’ve always got the best in the industry, and tonight proves that” LISA ONSLEY HR director MSD

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

REDKITE is an Australian charity providing essential, practical support to children and young people with cancer (0–24), and their families. Our corporate partners provide significant and invaluable support for families facing cancer through corporate donations, staff fundraising, workplace giving, events and sponsorship, volunteering and more. Redkite is thrilled to be the Charity Partner of the 2019 Australian HR Awards.

For more information, visit www.redkite.org.au

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27/09/2019 10:09:25 AM

AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 THE O.C. TANNER EMPLOYER AWARD FOR EMPLOYER OF CHOICE (≥1,000 EMPLOYEES) WINNER MSS Security

FINALISTS ALDI Flight Centre Travel Group MSS Security PETstock Schindler Lifts Australia VetPartners

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

AS GENERAL MANAGER, people and culture at MSS Security, Margaret Stinson is well aware of her responsibility for ensuring a high standard of employee engagement across the company. As one of the leading security providers in Australia, it’s essential to work with employees to ensure the highest possible standard of service to clients.

Picking up this year’s award is obviously an indication of the success of the approach Stinson and her team have used to keep employees happy and motivated.

Stinson notes that one of the key contributors to the organisation’s success has been a willingness to spend on incentive schemes and make the effort to recognise employees throughout the year, rather than simply relying on annual salary reviews. Having initiatives like this in place enables a better connection with staff, and allows for regular feedback between both employer and employee.

“We really make sure we have close ties with our employees.

Working with different teams, for living up to our values, we’re performing exceptionally” MARGARET STINSON General manager, people and culture MSS Security

O.C. TANNER, the global leader in engaging workplace cultures, helps thousands of leading companies create peak moments that inspire people to achieve, appreciate, and thrive at work. Learn how to influence greatness in your organisation with O.C. Tanner’s Culture Cloud™.

For more information, visit visit octanner.com/au

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27/09/2019 10:09:31 AM

Event Partner

THE IRONFISH AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (>1,000 EMPLOYEES) WINNER VetPartners

HIGHLY COMMENDED City of Canterbury Bankstown

FINALISTS Accor Pacific Regional Talent & Culture Team Assetlink People & Culture Team City of Canterbury Bankstown La Trobe University Human Resources Team Tabcorp TAL The Salvation Army VetPartners Virgin Australia PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

IRONFISH plays a key role in the Australian property market as a leading property investment services company in Australia and China. We support our investors in acquiring a diversified property portfolio, backed by the confidence of the latest research, personalised strategies and quality investment opportunities.

VETPARTNERS is built on the simple philosophy of “Join Us Stay You” – recognising the unique features of every individual veterinary practice in the network that services its local community. Founded in 2016, VetPartners today encompasses 125 practices, providing a support network that enables vets to get on with what they do best – practising medicine.

For Julie Harris, chief people officer at VetPartners Australia, winning the award in this category is representative of the brand’s power and growth within such a short space of time.

“It’s really good. I think it’s a good representation of all our hard work, the growth of the company and the team’s hard effort of looking after the people in our organisation – so amazing” Asked what she felt set them apart from their competitors, Harris pointed to the importance of passion and looking after fellow employees in the workplace.

“[We’re] in a good fast-growth organisation, being passionate, resilient and just driving, striving to look after the people” JULIE HARRIS Chief people officer VetPartners Australia

Central to our philosophy is our commitment to partnership – we’re in this together, and for the long term. We have one of Australia’s largest VIP investor databases, which helps to deliver a high settlement rate for our properties of over 99% in recent years.

For more information, visit www.ironfish.com.au

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27/09/2019 10:09:28 AM

AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 THE HAYS AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (≤1,000 EMPLOYEES) WINNER MSD

FINALISTS Alinta Energy Australian Radio Network Cancer Council NSW Liberty Financial MSD Northpoint Toyota Nova Entertainment Queensland Airports Sanofi

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

MSD distinguished itself as one of the biggest winners at this year’s Australian HR Awards. Taking out awards in two different categories, it was clear that the organisation has a truly stellar HR team. As a company that works to stay at the forefront of prevention and treatment of serious diseases, it’s essential to maintain a positive working culture. The HR team must have the tools it needs to work for the benefit of staff in this field.

Lisa Onsley, HR director at MSD, was quick to praise her team, and noted the ways that they stood out from their peers.

“I have maintained for a long time that we have the best HR practitioners, at least in our industry. Tonight proves that – but what is different about my team is that they are courageous, they’re active in the business and they know the business.

So I think that’s what differentiates us” LISA ONSLEY HR director MSD

HAYS understands that HR professionals are critical to the future growth of any company. Our recruiting experts offer a personalised recruitment service to guide you through every stage of the recruitment process, while our HR career advice will ensure you achieve your work ambitions.

For more information, visit www.hays.com.au

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27/09/2019 10:09:36 AM

Event Partner

THE HRD AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN HR RISING STAR OF THE YEAR WINNER Jess Edmonds-Saunders Youi

FINALISTS Sarah Alexander, Sanofi Vicki Barry, Assetlink Anna Costanzo, Australian Home Care Jess Edmonds-Saunders, Youi Fiona Henderson, Western Downs Regional Council Samantha Lynn, Assetlink Kate McShane, Affinity Education Group

Symeon Leslie, ghd Hair

FOR JESS EDMONDS-SAUNDERS, employee experience coordinator at Youi Insurance, 2019 is a landmark year. Starting with Youi in 2015 as an internet sales adviser, Edmonds-Saunders marked herself out as an impressive performer in a number of roles within the company before stepping into the role of employee experience coordinator in August 2018. Today, she strives to push the boundaries of appreciation, recognition and high performance at Youi, improving the lives of staff throughout the company.

One of her most impressive achievements during this time has been her involvement in a recognition program called ‘Your Game’. Built entirely in-house, Your Game recognises everything that contributes to making someone a good global Youi Insurance citizen.

“So not just the big achievements – but the little contributions that people make throughout their work life.

I’m having a blast. I haven’t been to an awards night this big. They’re all so friendly and we’ve met awesome people”

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

JESS EDMONDS-SAUNDERS Employee experience coordinator Youi Insurance

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR (HRD) is Australia’s only magazine written for and targeted purely at the most senior HR professionals (CHROs and HR directors) and top corporate decision-makers. HRD works with some of the world’s most high-profile business schools and leverages Key Media’s global footprint to talk with the leading HR practitioners from around the globe. HRD engages the decision-maker that matters by publishing an industrystandard magazine that supports both the business and best practice functional requirements placed on HRDs in their evolving roles.

For more information, visit www.hcamag.com

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27/09/2019 10:09:38 AM

AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 THE BI WORLDWIDE AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN HR MANAGER OF THE YEAR WINNER Elizabeth Rogic Assetlink

FINALISTS Rochelle Choyna, Accor Jessica Foo, TSA Group Rita Hudson, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service Christine Ivankovic, Leap Legal Software Erin Kenny, Accor Farzana Khan, Fink Bonny Rath, Allan Hall Human Resource Services Jason Rogers, Endeavour Foundation Elizabeth Rogic, Assetlink Jason Romano, Northpoint Toyota PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

FOR ELIZABETH ROGIC, national HR manager at Assetlink, it was “pretty incredible” to win this year’s award.

“I am up against a lot of quite successful nominees – very established organisations – and I think it’s just one of the things where you don’t think it’s gonna be you, and here I am!”

With 10 signature behaviours to instil into approximately 3,000 employees, Rogic certainly has her work cut out for her. But she feels up to the challenge and stresses the importance of consistency across the company.

“Whether it’s onboarding, recruitment onboarding, training, delivery and everything. And it’s a great company to work for” ELIZABETH ROGIC National HR manager Assetlink

The award also represented a triumph for first-time category sponsors BI Worldwide, with general manager Pooja Lal noting the importance of HR managers in the workplace.

“At BI Worldwide, we really believe that HR managers drive the culture in the company,” said Lal. “They are able to bring their employee value proposition to life and really make every moment count for the employees. So they’re absolutely particular in the success of the business.”

BI WORLDWIDE We inspire the people that matter most to our customers’ success – their employees, salespeople, channel partners and customers around the world. We offer a combination of technology, consulting and events to engage and motivate employees, run custom sales incentives and build channel loyalty.

For more information, visit www.biworldwide.com.au

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27/09/2019 10:09:41 AM

Event Partner

BEST CHANGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY WINNER Accor Pacific Heartist Team

FINALISTS Accor Pacific Heartist Team Assetlink Transition Team Beam Suntory ETP Ion Detect FedEx Logistics Peoplecare Health

THE SPOKESPERSON from Accor Pacific Heartist Team told HRD that winning the gold in this year’s awards was recognition for the team and all of their hard work over the last few years.

“We’ve got 21,000 team members. This is actually all because of what they do every single day. That’s what Heartist is all about; that’s what our change management program is about. So, to be honest, it feels really incredible. It’s amazing.”

They believe that this year’s win has come about because the organisation is concerned about “being the real deal”.

“Coming to work as who you are as an individual, and it’s sort of that permission to do that,” they said. “I mean, to be honest, who doesn’t want to do that? I do. And that’s why it’s so successful. Every single guest that comes into our hotel wants that same feeling. They want to be themselves; they want to have a great experience. And it’s really that great connection.”

SARAH DERRY Senior vice president talent and culture – Pacific Accor Pacific Heartist Team

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27/09/2019 10:09:44 AM

AUSTRALIAN HR AWARDS WINNERS 2O19 THE AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS LAWYERS & ADVISORS AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION (CEO) OF THE YEAR WINNER Michael Ward Raytheon Australia

FINALISTS Craig Bennett, Diabetes Victoria Paul Braico, Boston Scientific John Burns, VetPartners Simon Kirkpatrick, Gateway Motorway Services Timothy Mackinnon, eBay ANZ Holly Masters, McGrath Foundation Ross Musgrove, Western Downs Regional Council Michael Ward, Raytheon Australia

MICHAEL WARD is managing director of Raytheon Australia, responsible for the executive management of Raytheon operations in Australia and New Zealand.

Born in Australia, Ward is a graduate of the University of New South Wales and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. He studied for a bachelor’s degree in information technology before completing a master’s degree in business administration. Ward has also undertaken graduate training in aeronautical engineering, defence studies and training.

Before joining Raytheon, Ward was employed as a defence adviser to the Parliament of Australia. His service to Parliament came at the end of a 20-year career with the Australian military. Complementing his role at Raytheon Australia, Ward is an active leader in the Australian defence industry, often speaking and contributing at Defence and industry gatherings.

While he modestly attributed his win to the director of HR who “set the vision”, it is nonetheless a reflection of the hard work Raytheon has put into developing a positive workplace culture MICHAEL WARD HR director Raytheon Australia

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS LAWYERS & ADVISORS (ABLA) is one of Australia’s leading employment and workplace legal practices. We focus on representing and advocating for business. Our success with clients is founded on the principles of mutual respect, craft, collaboration and communication. Our motto, ‘Experts make things simple’, sets us apart.

For more information, visit www.ablawyers.com.au

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27/09/2019 10:09:48 AM

Event Partner

THE RANDSTAD AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN HR DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR WINNER Linda Carroll Affinity Education Group

HIGHLY COMMENDED Penny Lovett Salvation Army

FINALISTS Linda Carroll, Affinity Education Group Sarah Derry, Accor Julie Harris, VetPartners Ceri Ittensohn, TAL Snezana Jankulovski Penny Lovett, Salvation Army Tash Macknish, Data#3 Martha Travis PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

CARING FOR 30,000 children every day is no easy task – but for Linda Carroll, HR director at the Affinity Education Group, it’s all in a day’s work. As the winner of the Randstad Award for Australian HR Director of the Year, Carroll was ecstatic about the light it shines on the wider work the organisation does.

“It’s been a great night, and I have an amazing team. And I feel like this is about my team and not just me – so incredible” Carroll also noted the importance of the ‘Affinity Way’ to the company. It’s an ethos that is intended to shape the way employees behave towards each other, as well as the people who are served by the organisation.

“The Affinity Way is based on realising the potential in our educators [and] our children that we care for. We do our best every day to bring out the best in our teachers and educators so they can bring out the best in the children in their care, so it’s really important for me” LINDA CARROLL HR director Affinity Education Group

RANDSTAD is a global leader in the recruitment and HR services industry. The company’s Australian business has been supporting people and organisations in realising their true potential, helping find the best permanent and contracting talent across industries. Human connection is at the heart of the business. A personal approach, supported by state-of-the-art technology, is what sets Randstad apart in talent acquisition. Randstad is uniquely Human Forward. Visit randstad.com.au to discover a new way to recruit.

For more information, visit www.randstad.com.au

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27/09/2019 10:09:49 AM

PEOPLE

INSIDE HR

WEIGHING UP THE BEST OPTIONS FOR HR For Josh Nunan, HR is a matter of building a better employee experience while meeting commercial expectations. HRD sits down with him to find out how he achieves this balance

AS AN industry, HR is filled with people who didn’t necessarily expect to make a career in the field but are nonetheless now pleased that they ended up there. Josh Nunan, head of HR at Jenny Craig, is one such story.

As a self-described “political tragic”, Nunan studied political science at Melbourne University, then completed his master’s at Sydney University. After graduation, he returned to Melbourne in need of work and landed a temp role at an NGO doing HR admin.

“I definitely fell into HR before falling in love with it,” Nunan says. But it was his first brush with an industry that would eventually become a passion. Since then, he’s worked in HR across a number of sectors – primarily retail – and today finds himself in the weight loss and wellbeing space at Jenny Craig.

Looking back over his career, Nunan attributes his current place in the industry to the support of the HR leaders and mentors he’s worked alongside over the years. It’s why he’s such a big advocate of mentoring and taking chances on new talent coming into the profession.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate on my HR

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journey to have worked alongside some truly incredible and highly capable people that I’ve learnt so much from,” says Nunan. “These leaders have been invaluable to me, not only for the opportunities they’ve provided but the knowledge they’ve shared.”

Like many HR practitioners, the most significant changes he’s seen during his time in the field have come as a result of techno-

lution,” says Nunan. “At the workplace level, it’s rapidly transforming businesses and the organisational structures that underpin them.”

The impact of these changes is already being felt and will continue to gather pace in the years ahead, Nunan believes. HR has an important role to play in helping businesses prepare for these changes by ensuring its people strategies are geared to meeting the

“The reality is that for every new job opportunity created, others will disappear.

These changes will have a human impact” Josh Nunan, head of HR, Jenny Craig logical shifts. HR has undergone a major evolution, even within the last few years, and the old model of the personnel department has long fallen by the wayside in favour of a more integrated model.

“I think the biggest changes I’ve observed are those brought about by the digital revo-

enormous opportunities on offer, while at the same time positioning the wider company to manage the negative effects of these changes.

“These changes are likely to bring with them significant challenges as they disrupt current organisational structures,” says Nunan. “The reality is that for every new job

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27/09/2019 10:10:40 AM

PEOPLE

INSIDE HR

FINDING THE RIGHT STAFF Given the unique nature of Jenny Craig, it takes an equally unique person to succeed in this organisation, says head of HR Josh Nunan.

“We’ve tailored our search process to draw in candidates with high levels of emotional intelligence, empathy and excellent interpersonal skills,” says Nunan. “We’ve also empowered leaders on the ground in our weight loss centres to take a leading role in the hiring process, as they’re usually the best placed to identify which candidates will click with their clients.”

Nunan notes that Jenny Craig also targets members who have reached their goal weight, as they have experienced how the program has changed their lives and want to help others find their own personal success.

“There are always improvements to be made, but we feel we have the base settings right,” says Nunan.

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opportunity created, others will disappear.

These changes will have a human impact, and our challenge in HR will be to help mitigate that impact where we can and lessen it where we can’t.”

Nunan is also keenly aware that blackand-white, textbook approaches to HR don’t work in fast-paced and increasing complex operating environments.

“We always have to make sure that our advice to the business is commercial,” says Nunan.

“Accordingly, we work closely with people in the business to reach positive outcomes whilst managing any risks along the way.”

However, Nunan is quick to point out the positive results of these changes that will also emerge.

“We’ll see the emergence of new roles that don’t currently exist and increased emphasis on improving employee experiences,” says Nunan. “Companies will be working to attract the best talent, and employee experience will be a critical factor in employee retention.”

Additionally, increased automation will

reduce manual work for HR teams, improve user experiences and free departments up to focus on strategy, business partnerships and people-to-people contact.

“I think we’ll also see companies looking more and more at short-term project-based roles to help them pursue their digital transformation strategies and leverage the gig economy to fulfil these resourcing needs,” says Nunan. “Those of us in HR will need to carefully balance commercial aims with compliance, particularly around the recent rulings by the Fair Work Commission that have clarified the independent contractor test.”

In terms of Jenny Craig specifically, Nunan notes that there’s never a shortage of initiatives in the project pipeline.

“One we’re actively working on at the moment is a new rewards and recognition program centred around our Jenny values and mission statement,” says Nunan.

“We’ve just refreshed our values promotional materials, so we thought the time was right to set in place a new framework to

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“The refreshed policy suite gave voice to our cultural ambitions for our business and the behavioural standards we wanted to hold ourselves to, and established clear breach pathways to ensure compliance,” says Nunan.

But perhaps most importantly, Nunan wanted prioritise the ‘human’ in ‘human resources’.

Jenny Craig is first and foremost a people-based business: prospective customers often approach the company when they are in a vulnerable state, and personal connections are therefore at the core of what the company does.

“I firmly believe that for HR to be effective it must be trusted by the people it serves and held in high esteem,” says Nunan.

“This meant we needed to focus on delivering excellent service experiences for everyone who interacted with our department, avoiding top-down approaches to delivering advice and instead emphasising collaborative partnerships with our leaders across the business.”

Nunan notes that Jenny Craig strives to build strong connections with staff in order to under-

“We needed to focus on ... avoiding top-down approaches to delivering advice and instead emphasising collaborative partnerships with our leaders” Josh Nunan, head of HR, Jenny Craig incentivise employees who model our values, and live and breathe our mission.”

In practical terms, this meant replacing the Employment Agreement structures for the company’s field-based workforce – approximately 500 employees – across Australia and New Zealand.

“Our goal was to set in place frameworks that aligned with our commercial objectives, complied with recent employment law changes both here and in New Zealand,” says Nunan.

“They also needed to be clear and easy to understand for our people, and in turn to administer.”

Afterwards, the policy framework was revamped to complement the changes to Jenny Craig’s employment frameworks.

stand what’s important to them. The HR team is always available if employees need to talk, no matter the issue.

“These are relatively simple approaches, but they have resulted in us establishing an incredible working relationship with our people,” says Nunan. “We’ve built trust with the wider workforce, and that’s made us much more effective at our jobs.”

Additionally, the HR department knew that to further the company’s cultural objectives and people strategy within the business it needed to take direction accordingly. To this end, Nunan and his team instituted annual engagement surveys, complemented by a number of other feedback mechanisms designed to help improve

JENNY CRAIG AT A GLANCE

Founded in Melbourne in 1983

100+ centres around Australia and New Zealand (650 centres globally)

400+ weight loss consultants

Total of 550 employees in Australia and New Zealand the overall employee experience.

“These surveys have been invaluable to us in helping us craft our strategies,” says Nunan.

“We’ve run the engagement survey for three years now, and each year we have equalled or beaten our overall engagement score.”

The results achieved surpass comparable industry benchmarks and attest to the enormous brand belief in Jenny Craig’s business and alignment with its mission – to change lives, one at a time.

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27/09/2019 10:10:45 AM

FEATURES

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Crafting a diversity strategy that works

Diversity and inclusion are moving beyond simple corporate buzzwords and finally starting to drive active policy within organisations. HRD speaks to Karlie Cremin from DLPA to gain new insights

statistically outperform their peers over a long period of time. Additionally, Deloitte Australia research shows that inclusive teams outperform their peers by 80% in team-based assessments.

Business aside, there are moral and ethical considerations, Cremin explains.

Companies should understand and reflect the communities they serve, or hope to serve. Perhaps most importantly, the modern emphasis on diversity and inclusion is also a means – if an imperfect one – of redressing past inequalities and lack of opportunities for marginalised communities in the workplace.

But how can HR leaders craft an effective strategy for increasing diversity within their organisations?

Cremin points out that it’s a multifaceted process, and quick fixes are unlikely to be effective ones. But as a starting point, she has five key recommendations that organisations should consider before beginning to draft their plans for diversity and inclusion.

1. Articulate the ‘why’

FOR KARLIE CREMIN, owner and director of Dynamic Leadership Programs Australia (DLPA), diversity and inclusion are much more than words to be tacked on to an annual report; they’re approaches to the workplace that deeply inform the consulting services she provides to her clients.

In practical terms, Cremin notes, a diversity and inclusion policy serves multiple purposes. Perhaps the first and most obvious from a strictly business perspective is that it makes good financial sense. There is hard data around this too: research from McKinsey indicates that gender-

“If you don’t have a clear purpose at the heart of your strategy, it’s unlikely to be successful” Karlie Cremin, director, DLPA “The truth is that we all need to go beyond ticking the box,” says Cremin. “Businesses who don’t embrace it in a meaningful way are going to get left behind, both as employers and marketplace performers.”

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diverse companies are 15% more likely to outperform their peers, and ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to do the same. Catalyst research shows that companies with more women on their boards

It is critical to clearly articulate your ‘why’ to the wider organisation, says Cremin.

Not only will it enable other staff to more effectively embrace such an initiative, but it will also provide clarity, guidance and motivation, helping them to stay the course and providing a focal point.

Similarly, successful communication is not just about broadcasting on social media channels and handing out glossy brochures. Consider how you are going to ensure the messaging from your managers and supervisors in their conversations and interactions with their teams is going to deliver the outcome you want, and increase coordinated effort.

“The big problem we see is that many organisations fail to properly articulate why they’re trying to bring more diversity to their workplace,” she says. “But as with any other area of business, if you don’t have a clear purpose at the heart of your strategy it’s unlikely to be successful.”

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Brought to you by

VULNERABLE WOMEN PROGRAM

2. Avoid tokenism While Cremin is positive about the potential that minimum quotas can have for increasing diversity within organisations, she’s well aware of the risk of tokenism.

“One of the real risk factors for tokenism is when gestures or attempts towards diversity happen in silos or are seen as piecemeal,” she says.

What’s needed is a coordinated strategy from the beginning, to help reduce this risk. It’s crucial to include in your strategy how you are going to set your workers up for success once hired – and importantly, communicate the wider vision to the current workforce.

“Rather than running a message like ‘We need to have two workers in X category by next week’, try focusing on the bigger context,” says Cremin. “For example, you

One key area of focus for DLPA, through its Vulnerable Women Program, has been the huge volume of women who are underutilised or struggling to gain entry to the workforce.

“Often they have tertiary qualifications and have huge value to contribute to an employer,” says Cremin. “These women might be from a disadvantaged background, have a history of trauma or domestic violence, or be new migrants or refugees.”

Accordingly, DLPA is partnering with counselling and support organisations to deliver a revolutionary program that will not only assist these women in finding employment but support them through the first 12 months in the job to ensure success. DLPA also provides support to the employing organisation to ensure it is receiving maximum value from its new recruit.

“This program is just so exciting because it can truly change people’s lives, whilst materially contributing to the industry as whole and organisations individually,” says Cremin.

might frame the conversation along the lines of ‘We are committed to having 25% female representation by 2024’, or ‘We want to be different from our competitors so we can be market leaders’.”

3. Start small When it comes to introducing new diversity and inclusion measures, there is

often a temptation to roll out significant changes in one fell swoop, Cremin says. On paper that sounds nice – and can certainly make for good PR – but it can also increase stress among the existing workforce and even contribute to lower rates of uptake over the long term.

“I tend to recommend starting small with diversity initiatives,” she says. “However,

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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Brought to you by

you do need to have clear time frames and a plan for scalability: how will you take lessons learned during these early stages and achieve your goals within that time limit?”

Starting small also enables you to gain insight into what will work in your particular organisational setting. In many cases, it will highlight areas where changes need to be made internally to allow for greater diversity.

The aim is to encourage overall improvement, notes Cremin.

“You want to set the focus to a positive long-term view,” she says, “not into an ‘if this

5. Measure and adjust The best-laid plans will often implode on contact with the outside world. But this doesn’t mean that planning is a waste of time; rather, it means that tools must be put in place to measure progress and adjust as the situation within your workplace changes.

“Diversity is not a set-and-forget proposition,” says Cremin. “You must articulate and define how you will measure whether the strategy is being successfully implemented. What parameters are you setting?

How you will collect and report this data?

“Businesses who don’t embrace diversity in a meaningful way are going to get left behind” ABOUT DLPA Dynamic Leadership Programs Australia (DLPA) is a bespoke leadership and business development program provider that drives strategic objectives and unlocks the potential of current and emerging leaders.

With corporate strategy at the heart of DLPA’s programs, our team works hand in hand with each client to identify key barriers to their success, develop leadership skills, align organisational values, and empower people to reach higher levels of performance.

Backed by years of diverse industry experience, DLPA applies its versatile insights to the specific challenges and opportunities of different industries, supporting change that drives the achievement of results.

Recognising the unique needs of each organisation, we apply a bespoke approach to quickly identify cultural issues and provide tailored, practical solutions. For more information, visit www.dlpa.com.au.

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Karlie Cremin, director, DLPA doesn’t work straight away, we’ll just give up’ mentality.”

4. Focus on structure Building a strong strategy is one thing, Cremin says, but having the internal structures to support it is entirely another.

To be truly effective, a successful diversity and inclusion strategy needs to articulate the structures that will be put in place to support success. This will vary from organisation to organisation but will likely include cross-cultural training, mentoring systems, training and development, reporting structures and process design.

“The advantage of improving your structure is that all of these items can also be used to support the workforce as a whole,” says Cremin.

“They’ ll also create an environment where diversity can add value to your organisation and not just meet quotas.”

Critically, how can you feed this information back to the organisation in a substantial and meaningful way?

“Adjusting and fine-tuning workplace activities on the basis of data is a staple of modern business. With robust metrics and data, you’re able to keep your strategy relevant and maintain the highest chance of success.”

Cremin doesn’t deny that diversity and inclusion is a complex arena for organisations to work in. However, she emphasises that if your organisation is truly committed to reaping the benefits of a diverse organisation, it is imperative you have a robust strategy that supports the success of individual staff members – and, in turn, the entire business.

“Creating diversity isn’t done overnight,” says Cremin. “But if you take it seriously and use these ideas as a jumping-off point before you draw up your strategy, you’ll be heading in the right direction. It really can work if you’re willing to do the work.”

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FEATURES

Brought to you by

FRAZER JONES

Global recruiter welcomes new head of Australia business Frazer Jones has appointed Angela Franks to lead its HR recruitment team and brand-building in the Australia market Originally hailing from Sydney, Franks moved to the UK and very quickly established herself at the forefront of HR recruitment, delivering senior HR search mandates for high-profile clients across a variety of industry sectors in Europe. With a proven track record in brand-building and people leadership, she will further strengthen the APAC management team across the four offices in the region.

“It’s been a privilege to get to know Angela

management and has an excellent reputation amongst clients and candidates around the world,” says Wentworth.

“Her energy and enthusiasm for everything is infectious and paired with an international mindset is a perfect combination to represent and grow Frazer Jones’ presence in Australia.”

“We have broad expansion plans across Australia and recognise the need for investment in key personnel, especially with leadership

“Hiring Angela represents our commitment to invest in Frazer Jones – both in Australia and on a global scale” David Buckley, CEO, The SR Group GLOBAL HR search and recruitment consultancy Frazer Jones, part of The SR Group, is delighted to welcome Angela Franks to the firm.

Franks has joined the company to further build the Frazer Jones brand and lead the HR recruitment team across Australia. With more than 15 years’ experience in the HR space, including spending time as the managing director of a leading London recruitment agency, Franks has a wealth of insight to bring to the Sydney and Melbourne teams, and also provides an exciting opportunity for Frazer Jones as the firm looks to further expand its Australian footprint.

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over the last few months, and I am certain she will replicate the success she enjoyed in London with Frazer Jones in Australia,” says David Buckley, CEO of The SR Group.

“Hiring Angela represents our commitment to invest in Frazer Jones – both in Australia and on a global scale – as we continue to build the best HR staffing business in the world.”

Darren Wentworth, global partner of Frazer Jones, was also excited to welcome Franks to the company.

“Angela brings a proven track record in senior

and management experience,” said Hayden Gordine, head of The SR Group Australia.

“We see Franks as playing a key role in these future plans.”

Franks herself is also “delighted” to be joining Frazer Jones and The SR Group family.

“This is a business with ambitious plans and great people, connected across an unrivalled network in the HR recruitment market,” says Franks. “I look forward to contributing to the growth of the business and getting back to my home in Sydney after so many years away.”

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Creating Opportunities.

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/company/frazer-jones 16/09/2019 11:33 27/09/2019 10:12:04 AM

FEATURES

EMPLOYEE LEAVE

Why personal leave is a hot topic Luis Izzo of Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors discusses the potential impacts on employers of the recent Federal Court decision relating to personal/carer’s leave

ON 21 AUGUST 2019, the Full Federal Court handed down a decision in Mondelez v AMWU & Ors [2019] FCAFC 138 (Mondelez) that has sent most employers, HR and payroll departments into a spin.

The Court confirmed that all employees (including part-time employees) are entitled to 10 “working days” of personal/carer’s leave per year under the Fair Work Act (FWA), regardless of how many hours the employees work per day or how many days are worked per week.

The decision has generated much debate and panic within businesses and has wideranging implications for employers, particularly those employing shift workers or part-time employees.

Shift workers In the proceedings, Mondelez argued that: • its shiftworkers who worked 3 x 12 hour days per week (36 ordinary hours per week) should accrue 76 hours of personal leave per year, reflecting 10 days’ worth of 7.6 ordinary hours; and • whenever an employee takes a day of personal leave, while they might be

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paid for the full 12-hour shift, they have 12 hours deducted from their personal leave accruals.

10 x 12-hour days of personal/carer’s leave each year (equating to 120 hours per year).

This approach will apply to all shift workers, whether they are working more or less than 10 ordinary hours a shift. They will be entitled to 10 full shifts off a year.

Part-time employees The decision has more interesting consequences for the engagement of part-time employees.

Under the wording of the FWA, these employees are also entitled to 10 days of leave a year.

This means that part-time employees who may work as little as one or two days per week are also each entitled to 10 full working days of personal/carer’s leave per year.

Put simply, a full-timer who works 200-plus days per year gets 10 days of sick leave. And a part-time employee who might only work 50 days per year also gets 10 days of sick leave. That’s 20% of their working days in paid sick leave – hardly equitable to the full-timers and employers.

What this means for payroll systems Mondelez argued that this reflected the industrially accepted standard number of hours to be allocated to any day of leave.

The Attorney General and Minister for Employment (intervening in the case) supported Mondelez’s approach, arguing that it was the same as the approach adopted under the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (which preceded the FWA).

The Full Court, by a two-to-one majority, rejected Mondelez’s approach as inconsistent with the natural and ordinary meaning of the words used in the FWA. The Court instead held that all employees are entitled to 10 working days of personal/ carer’s leave per year, regardless of how many hours are worked in a particular day.

The Court held that a “working day” is not a calendar day. Rather, it is the working hours the employee is scheduled to work in the 24-hour period commencing from the time an employee starts work on a particular day.

Under this approach, Mondelez’s shift workers were found to be entitled to

Most payroll systems accrue personal/carer’s leave on an hourly basis.

Rather than expressing an employee’s leave entitlement in days or weeks, payroll software tends to record the accrual as an hourly amount (with 7.6 hours often reflecting one day’s accrual).

In all, payroll systems tend to accrue 76 hours of personal/carer’s leave per year for full-time employees, and a pro-rata amount for part-time employees.

If your payroll system works in this way, to strictly and technically comply with Mondelez an employer would need to ensure that: • 12-hour shift workers accrue 120 hours of personal/carer’s leave per year, 11-hour shift workers accrue 110 hours of personal/carer’s leave per year, and so on.

• Alternatively, if this is not possible, you should ensure that whenever shift workers take leave, they are paid for all of their ordinary hours during the relevant shift but only have 1/10th of

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no harm might be caused by keeping existing accrual practices. As long as no employee runs out of leave, no financial loss might be caused while an employer awaits the outcome of an appeal. » Where an employee’s leave accrual is exhausted and they move into a period of unpaid leave, particular exposure could arise (expecially in the case of part-timers). It could be that the employer has not been properly accruing the leave and may wish to rectify any shortfalls on a case-by-case basis during this interim period.

Payment

their total yearly accruals deducted for that shift. This ensures that 10 full shifts can be taken as personal leave a year.

• Part-time employees accrue a full 10 working days per year (as opposed to a pro-rated amount based on their shorter working week).

Employers who have not properly been accruing/paying leave could be faced with back-payment claims extending back six years or even as far back as when the Fair Work Act’s National Employment Standards were introduced (1 January 2010) for those employees who have remained with the same employer since 1 January 2010.

What happens next?

Mondelez and the Minister for Employment have appealed the decision to the High Court.

If the High Court grants leave for the appeal to proceed, the ruling in Mondelez will be considered in detailed hearings over the course of the next six months.

The final outcome of the appeal could still be a significant time away (as far away as 12 months).

So while the High Court appeal provides a glimmer of hope that these new personal leave rules might not be here to stay, the unfortunate reality is that the principles from Mondelez currently apply and could

expose businesses to claims over the course of the coming year.

What employers should do over the next 12 months The tricky question for employers to ask within their organisations is how they will respond to Mondelez while a High Court appeal looms over the decision.

Technically speaking, employers should be ensuring they are accruing personal leave in accordance with Mondelez, unless and until an appeal rules to the contrary.

Unfortunately, significant time and expenditure could be exhausted on reconfiguring payroll systems that might prove entirely unnecessary if the High Court overturns the decision.

Minimising exposure With this in mind, employers might wish to explore adopting a manual ‘work-around’ to minimise exposure in breaching the Act. By way of example, they could deal with personal leave claims on a case-by-case basis over the next 12 months, taking a tailored approach to the accrual and payment of personal leave:

Accrual » Where any claim for personal leave does not exhaust an employee’s accrual, then

» It is unlikely that any changes will be required for employees working ‘normal’ shifts of 7.6 or eight hours a day. » However, where a shift worker working in excess of eight hours a day takes a period of leave, the employer might wish to check that all the ordinary hours are being paid for whenever the leave is taken. Again, if there is a shortfall, these should be rectified on a case-by-case basis during this interim period.

Of course, while these practical workarounds might assist in a number of cases, there is no substitute for full compliance with the Act. For businesses with significant shift or part-time workforces, it would be a good time to review your payroll and HR practices to prepare for what might be coming your way.

I recommend employers take legal advice on their specific circumstances to ensure no cases of breach arise.

If you want to keep abreast of developments with this case, visit ablawyers.com.au and sign up to receive updates on this matter and other key employment and workplace issues impacting employers in Australia.

Luis Izzo is managing director, Workplace Sydney, at Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors.. Voted #1 Workplace Relations and Employment Team of the Year 2019 and 2018, Australian Law Awards.

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FEATURES

CONFLICT

How to get what you want from difficult people Difficult people are a fact of life. Aytekin Tank offers three guidelines that can help you defuse even the most uncomfortable confrontations ACCORDING TO Rick Brinkman and Rick Kirschner, authors of Dealing with People You Can’t Stand, there are several challenging personality types that make our lives harder: The Tank: Confrontational and angry The Sniper: Makes you look foolish The Grenade: Explodes into fury out of nowhere The Know-It-All: Authoritative and must have things done their way The Whiner: Points out everything wrong in vague terms You might be thinking of a person to put one of these labels on. They could be a friend,

co-worker, customer or family member.

Still, according to executive consultant Tim McClintock, only about 10% of the people you encounter are categorised as

off a complex drink order. Between the mumbles at the barista and the chatter into his wireless earbuds, I think all of us waiting in line knew what was going to happen next.

Listening, combined with the intent to understand what is being sought, gives you a prime opportunity to end the interaction while achieving your goals difficult, even if some days that number feels much larger.

The other day, I was standing behind a guy dressed in a tan suit at a coffee shop. He was on his phone while simultaneously rambling

At the end of the bar, he picked up his coffee, took a sip and immediately lost it over the ‘extra foam’ now destined to ruin his day. Unkind words were exploded across the counter, leaving the barista temporarily

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FEATURES

CONFLICT

frozen. A Tank – confrontational and angry – was on the loose.

I watched as the barista listened to what he said, put his head down and redelivered the order to the man in just a few moments.

He handed the cup over kindly, watched for his approval, nodded and then went to his next order as the man walked out the door, still talking on his phone.

The barista had got what he wanted.

He kept his goal in mind, and by listening and then taking action in the face of verbal accosting , he got the customer to leave.

When you are communicating with any difficult personality, being in the

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Asking questions puts you in the driver’s seat to let the person air what they have to say while you guide them towards what you can do anything about moment is hard. At JotForm, we have four million users, and some of our users give us a difficult time almost every single day.

The following guidelines help me defuse situations, from handling our customer relations to managing our team of more than 108 employees.

1

Listen and understand the end goal

At first, the barista froze to avoid conflict. We’re all hardwired like that. Every last one of our brains still defaults to fightflight-freeze when something highly stressful or unsettling occurs. However, when a person

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The feedback was harsh, but this barista was a pro.

is acting unreasonably right in front of you , being like the barista works perfectly.

He was able to not only move through this automatic response of fight-flight-freeze but also get clear on what he wanted and execute flawlessly. Listening, combined with the intent to understand what is being sought, gives you a prime opportunity to end the interaction while achieving your goals.

The barista understood that no matter what the man said, what he really wanted was to have his coffee the way he asked for it. He listened past all the yelling to delineate how he could fix the situation while achieving his goal of watching him walk out the door.

2

Focus on what you can do

3

Make a distinction between a difficult message and a difficult person

You might not be able to avoid what difficult people have to say, but you have control over what you do and, more importantly, what you ask. Asking questions puts you in the driver’s seat to let the person air what they have to say while you guide them towards what you can do anything about.

Difficult people, especially the ones Brinkman and Kirschner refer to as Whiners, require a lot of directed questioning so you can understand their desires and what actions are available to you. On the flip side, during this intense questioning you might end up uncovering something about yourself you wouldn’t have known otherwise.

We decided to test this process by conducting face-to-face interviews with our users. In one of our first interviews, we came up close and personal with the Whiner. This person drained our time, providing vague descriptions while sprinkling them with unpleasant commentary.

We didn’t give up – we kept digging, always keeping in mind our goal of how we could create a better product. An hour later, we struck gold. We found out this customer had been using JotForm as a productivity tool. Customer after customer shared similar tales as our interviews continued over the following weeks.

By continually asking deeper questions of a difficult customer and not giving up, we not only found a new focus but also discovered the difference between challenging people and unpleasant comments.

Earlier this year, a customer made several new feature requests and was pretty adamant about their unhappiness with our functionality in a support thread comment. Good news: they felt comfortable enough to let us know

where we didn’t meet their expectations. Bad news: yikes!

I didn’t take the grievances shared on our forum personally. I did, however, take them seriously. I don’t usually jump into support discussions, but this was a critical moment to examine whether this person was being difficult or giving us an opportunity for improvement. Further, what if by challenging our platform and strategies this customer was giving us a huge gift? I needed to find out.

I saw this as an opportunity and stepped into the forum to respond to the customer’s experience. I provided details on what was going on with the platform that could be causing their issues and also offered my email address for further discussion.

It always helps to get clear on the difference between a difficult message and a difficult person. What couldn’t be seen on the thread was us listening to their issues and ascertaining their end goals through deepdiving questions.

You will always come across challenging people, but by listening to them, asking questions, understanding their goal and focusing on your actions, you can put yourself in the best position to succeed in getting what you want. It won’t always happen in the most pleasant way, but keeping these guidelines in mind helped us handle challenging moments both with our users and within our organisation, and hopefully they’ll help you grow, too.

Don’t freeze and walk away, but instead engage head-on with these personalities.

They will push you to innovate, make things better and fill in gaps you didn’t know were there before they arrived. I’d say that’s a gift worth getting at the expense of an uncomfortable confrontation, wouldn’t you?

Aytekin Tank is the founder and CEO of JotForm, an online form creation software with four million users worldwide and more than 100 employees.

A developer by trade but writer by heart, Tank shares stories about how he exponentially grew his company without any outside funding.

For more information, visit jotform.com.

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Human Resources Director (HRD) is Australia’s only magazine written exclusively for CHROs, HR Directors and senior decision-makers.

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Aspirational cover stories Best-practice profiles and case studies Interviews with international HR leaders Business strategy content Special reports

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PEOPLE

CAREER PATH

THE ZESTFUL LIFE

Kate Hemat-Siraky jumps at the chance to take on a challenge, even when it might seem beyond her capabilities As a teenager, Kate Hemat-Siraky was wavering between pursuing law or HR when a pivotal conversation helped her decide.

“My cousin was an HR manager at Ernst and Young, and something about the way she described her career made me decide to go into HR.”

2003 CHOOSES HR

“I could feel her sense of pride in how she could impact people’s lives. That’s what I wanted to do: help people grow, and achieve, and realise their potential” 2007

EXCEEDS HER CAPABILITIES Still undecided as to whether she should pursue a master’s or go into the workforce, Hemat-Siraky heard of a role at Oaks Hotels & Resorts through a friend of a friend.

“At the interview they told me it was a junior position, and I walked out of it with a position that I look back on and think was more senior than my capabilities.”

2015

MOVES TO MERIVALE A desire to work for a leader in a vibrant and dynamic field led Hemat-Siraky to a position at Merivale.

“In the interview the CEO asked my age, and I asked how old he thought I was – he said I looked 22 – and then I answered, ‘Under 30 – is that a problem?’ He replied, ‘I was CEO in my late 20s’. Young people were given great opportunities if they had the potential and the willingness to learn.”

2006

GETS OUT INTO THE FIELD While still a student, Hemat-Siraky took on a full-time HR gig in a government department when one of her lecturers introduced her to the manager of the team.

“I applied something I had been doing at uni to a project where we developed online learning to help line-level staff decrease their stress, and it was really valuable. The project finished in half the time expected and our outcomes were really successful.”

2010

JOINS TENNIS AUSTRALIA A move to Melbourne brought the opportunity of a position at Tennis Australia – the role started with a focus on the participation side of the business and the state-based member associations and expanded from there.

“Over time, all the parts of Tennis Australia’s HR fell under my remit – both the sports side of things and the events side of things, including the Australian Open and the Davis and Fed Cup.”

2017

2019

GOES OUT ON HER OWN A move back home to Queensland to be closer to family prompted a new challenge: Hemat-Siraky founded her own business, Zest People Solutions.

“I’ve watched my husband start up and run his own technology business and thought, ‘I could do that!’ I’m a strength-based HR professional and I believe in using those strengths. The Values in Action tool identified my top strengths as zest – so it seemed only fitting that I name my company that.”

WORKS WITH OTHER REMARKABLE WOMEN A newspaper article about the Remarkable Woman mentoring community prompted a connection that continues to this day.

“I saw an article about the CEO, and something she said about how the quest for equality means bringing men along also resonated with me. I don’t want to exclude men; that doesn’t help the cause of equality. I have helped organise events where we celebrate women and they tell their stories. The organisation is having a huge impact on the personal, professional and financial outcomes of many women.”

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PEOPLE

OTHER LIFE

Colin Streeter’s health played a pa rt when he chose to ta ke to the waves.

“I felt a major intervention was needed to really restore my pea k health, fitness, energ y a nd zest for life a nd work,” he says. “It worked. I have regained so mu ch of what I had lost over the previous 20 yea rs.”

A SEA CHANGE

Typically, Colin Streeter holds senior corporate roles in leading corporations.

Right now, though, he is all at sea

56

TELL US ABOUT YOUR OTHER LIFE Email hrdeditor@keymedia.com

33

Countries Streeter has visited on his journey so far

COLIN STREETER was always a water baby, and the Brisbane-based HR leader certainly grew up on the ocean: surfing, windsurfing, fishing, swimming or sailing. So it fits that he is now two and a half years into a three-year sabbatical to sail around the world, a voyage he once saw as “never a case of why, but when”.

The youngest of Streeter’s children leaving for university provided the opening for the journey, given that he and his wife were still young enough

23

Days to complete longest single sail of 6,480km

3

Times chased at sea by potential ‘pirate’ boats

to tackle the physical side of sailing a yacht and make the most of all the adventures they have had along the way.

Streeter is scheduled to complete his circumnavigation of the globe in Bundaberg on 30 October and will be back home in Brisbane by mid-November, but the homecoming will be bittersweet.

“This has been the most wonderful experience of my life; I would highly recommend it to others,” he says.

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