Human Capital magazine issue 8.11

HC

RULES OF ATTRACTION: GENDER DIVERSITY P.10 » INSIDE HR AT ACCOR P.48 » FOR LOVE, NOT MONEY: HR IN NOT-FOR-PROFITS P.30 »

HUMAN CAPITAL MAGAZINE | www.hcamag.com

ISSUE 8.11

Did you make the list?

The who’s who of HR

IN EVERY ISSUE:

Profile case studies

Best practice examples

The forum

Expert opinion columns

Topical news briefs

EDITORIAL

Everyone loves a list

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ith the exception of those pesky ‘to-do’ lists, everyone loves a list.

While standing in the supermarket checkout, who hasn’t been tempted to sneak a look at the various magazines covering any number of topics, with lists of ‘the sexiest people’, ‘the richest people’ or the ‘best places to work’.

It’s been five years since Human Capital last compiled its ‘who’s who’ list of HR professionals, and much has changed in that time. Indeed, while several organisations make a return to the list, only one HR professional in the same organisation makes a return – you’ll have to read the feature to find out who.

While it was tempting to broaden the list to include not just the good but also the bad and the ugly, in the end we’ve kept it to those business leaders – predominantly HR leaders – who are positively pushing the boundaries of best practice and genuinely making a difference in their workplaces. The majority are from large organisations, but a few – such as management consultancy The LiTMUS Group, and software start-up Atlassian – are small and nimble, and clearly have some tips to share with their larger counterparts.

Keep in mind that this is not a list of the ‘best employers’, although we have of course referenced many organisations that make it onto those kinds of lists, but rather a list of the HR professionals who are often in the thankless role of positioning their employers to be considered ‘best employers’. They may have boosted overall HR excellence, or they may have excelled in one particular area – such as employer branding or graduate recruitment. All have made a difference.

Agree, disagree, argue and protest – this is the subjective nature of any list.

Some readers will disagree vehemently – ‘I know someone who works there who says it’s terrible!’ – but the old maxim of failing to please all the people all the time seems appropriate here. If nothing else take a moment to tip the hat to those who are adding to the status and perception of the HR profession.

Iain Hopkins, editor

EDITOR Iain Hopkins

SALES & MARKETING NATIONAL COMMERCIAL MANAGER Sophie Knight

COPY & FEATURES

SALES MANAGER Sarah Wiseman

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Clare Costigan

MARKETING EXECUTIVE Kerry Corben

PRODUCTION EDITOR Carolin Wun

MARKETING COORDINATOR Anna Keane

PRODUCTION EDITOR Moira Daniels

TRAFFIC MANAGER Stacey Rudd

PRODUCTION EDITOR Jennifer Cross CORPORATE ART & PRODUCTION

MANAGING DIRECTOR Mike Shipley

DESIGN MANAGER Jacqui Alexander

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER George Walmsley

DESIGNERS Chris Lai, Paul Mansfield

SALES DIRECTOR Justin Kennedy CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Colin Chan

CONTRIBUTORS Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers, The Next Step, Frontier Software

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Julia Bookallil

Editorial enquiries Iain Hopkins tel: +61 2 8437 4703 iain.hopkins@keymedia.com.au Advertising enquiries National Commercial Manager, HR Products Sophie Knight tel: +61 2 8437 4733 sophie.knight@keymedia.com.au Sales Manager, HR Products Sarah Wiseman tel: +61 2 8437 4745 sarah.wiseman@keymedia.com.au Subscriptions tel: +61 2 8437 4731 • fax: +61 2 8437 4753 subscriptions@keymedia.com.au Key Media www.keymedia.com.au Key Media Pty Ltd, Regional head office, Level 10, 1 Chandos St, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia tel: +61 2 8437 4700 fax: +61 2 9439 4599 Offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto www.hcamag.com Copyright is reserved throughout. No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission of the editor. Contributions are invited, but copies of work should be kept as HC can accept no responsibility for loss.

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CONTENTS

Inside this issue

18 Cover story: Did you make the list?

10 Rules of attraction

Who’s a mover and shaker in the HR profession?

Human Capital showcases Australia’s HR high achievers from the past 12 months

Some organisations operate in industries or professions where gender imbalance is so deep-set that they need to think outside the box to attract a diverse workforce. Human Capital profiles two organisations facing the same problem but from different sides of the gender divide

Letters to the editor

28 All things being EQUAL

Do you have a burning HR or people management issue you would like to share with others? If so, Human Capital would like to hear from you. Send through your comments to editor@hcamag.com. Alternatively, express your thoughts on the readers’ forums at www.hcamag.com

Empty promises are nothing new when it comes to luring candidates in the door – but what are the long-term consequences? Rum Charles provides some tips to ease the rush to the exit

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CONTENTS

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34 Fit happens Human Capital talks to two experts about their views on how psychometric assessment is changing and what role it plays in the current employment market

42 A day in the life of...

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Stuart King provides insights into an average day in the life of a workplace investigator

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30 30 For love, not money Clare Costigan investigates how passionate and savvy HR practices are keeping the not-for-profit sector in full bloom

Regulars 4 In Step – HR career experts 6 Legal 8 HR technology 16 The Forum

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WHY IS IT SO? HR Career Experts

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n this month’s Instep, we look at just a small sample of issues in HR that make you ask, “Why is it so?” Aspects of HR that lead you to ask questions about the profession and its make up. These questions do not have either positive or negative connotations, but they are interesting to consider as pointers to the makeup of the current cadre of HR professionals and as guide posts for future trends.

These areas of interest in HR are as basic as the gender make up of the profession, the rewards on offer in HR and the preferences in the area of career development.

Gender in HR A national survey, The HR Viewpoint, was conducted

by The Next Step and completed by almost 2000 HR practitioners from all levels and from all sectors.

Females make up 70% of the HR profession.

The response to the survey from the senior market was strong with 20.5% nominating themselves at the HRD or Group HRM levels. Of these two combined groups, females make up 55% .

At the other end of the profession, in the early career market, the HR Consultant/ Adviser levels are dominated by females at 80%.

So just some of the questions that can be asked from these facts include; • Is the dominance of HR by females an issue?

• Why are the early career markets so dominated by females?

• Whilst it’s outstanding that more than half the profession is led by females at the senior end, why isn’t the dominance by females of the early markets reflected in the senior market?

Variable Reward Philosophically, if you accept the value that HR plays in an organisation, there should be as many opportunities to link performance with reward as any other role. Having said this, the HR Viewpoint survey found that 35.8% of HR professionals earn no bonus at all. Combined with the next group, (0 to 10% bonus) 60.4% of all HR professionals earn less than a 10% bonus.

At the other end of the continuum, only 6.83% of all HR professionals said they earn over a 30% bonus.

So therefore, there is obviously a shortfall of HR professionals earning a bonus. Why is this so?

An analysis of the best and worst industries for bonuses in HR is quite interesting. Firstly, the worst two industries are not a surprise when it comes to minimal bonuses. These are Not-for-Profit and

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the Government sectors with 92% and 88% of HR professionals earning 10% or less.

Which sector comes in next as the 3rd worst industry for bonuses? The legal profession with 84% of practitioners earning 10% or less variable bonus.

Why is this so?.

Not surprisingly, the two best two industries to pay bonuses for HR professionals is the Mining/ Resources and Banking & Finance sectors with 36% and 46% respectively earning 10% or less bonus.

Professional Development There has been much written about and time spent on the subject of professional development within HR. As the profession has progressed, the focus has clearly been on practitioners becoming more business focused and commercially pragmatic.

So the obvious assumption would be that HR professionals would align their development plans to sharpen their business skills.

Once again the HR viewpoint survey illustrated some facts in the HR market that require questioning.

The most popular area for development was Change/OD and Talent at 32.9%. This compared with 7.3% looking to develop their Commercial and Finance skills. Clearly, there is a dislocation in the market demands for skills and HR’s views.

Along similar lines, in the means to develop themselves, 32.9% of HR professionals indicated that some sort of HR study such as formal HR programs, conferences and workshops would be the best way to be developed. This compared to only 4.9% of HR professionals indicating that they thought that line management experience would have the most impact of their careers.

Questions are raised by these figures including, Why aren’t the messages from the business world about what the market is looking for being taken on

by HR professionals?

So what does all that mean?

At its most basic, there are many, many questions that can be asked about the HR profession with most of the answers being quite subjective. Having said this, it’s through analysis of the data that issues can be discussed to ensure that the function is future proofed.

Craig Mason is a Director with The Next Step, a specialist consulting practice in the HR market For information call (02) 8256 2500 or email cmason@thenextstep.com.au or visit www.thenextstep.com.au

Recent HR Market Moves supplied by The Next Step

Raechel Gavin has left Bain & Co to join DMG Radio in the role

consulting in her personal business called HR Strategy.

of Group Human Resources Director. Raechel held the role of Senior HR Lead for Australia for three years with the global management consultancy.

After a stint as a Divisional Recruitment Relationship Manager with

Kate Rimer has commenced the role of General Manager, Human Resources for the Wealth Management division of CBA. For the last six years Kate held the role of Executive Director, People & Development with Mallesons. Previously Kate held senior HR roles with AMP, Allen Allen & Hemsley and Westpac.

Cathi Bawden has been appointed Kate’s successor as Executive

ANZ, Alison McLeod has rejoined Ernst & Young as the Oceania Recruitment Director. Previously Alison held senior recruitment roles with Telstra.

Milan Draskovic has accepted the role of Human Resources M&A with Origin Energy. Milan has previously worked in senior HR roles with OAMPS & Sinclair Knight Merz.

Director, People & Development with Mallesons. Cathi has been internally promoted having held senior HR roles with the firm since she joined in 2002.

Eva Freedman has been promoted to the role of Head of

Galia Jenshel has commenced as an OD Specialist with Cadbury.

After a successful career in senior HR roles at Orica, Virgin Blue and

Prior to this Galia was consulting at a senior level with IBM Global Business Services & Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Richard Hesketh has accepted the role of HR Services Manager

Organisational Development for the Asia Pacific Region for HSBC. Eva’s previous role with HSBC was the Head of Human Resources.

SEQ Water Distribution, Bruce Highfield has commenced as Executive Manager, Workforce Capability at Unity Water.

with QR National. Richard was most recently with the mining giant Rio Tinto Aluminium as Human Resources Adviser and Employee Relations Specialist.

Matt Ballard has recently commenced his new role as HR

Liz McPherson has joined the funds management business Future

Human Resources and IT at the Port of Otago, NZ. Matt’s previous

Fund as HR Director on a fixed term assignment. Prior to this Liz was

organisations include Shell Australia and Deloitte Consulting.

Manager, Organisational Development at BHP Mitsubishi Alliance – BMA Coal. Prior to joining BMA, Matt was General Manager

By supplying Market Moves, The Next Step is not implying placement involvement in any way.

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Legal Experts

WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT: IMPLICATIONS BEYOND DISCRIMINATION

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he recent publicity arising from the David Jones case has catapulted the issue of workplace sexual harassment back into the public consciousness and has highlighted the need for employers to ensure that their staff and management comply with anti-discrimination legislation at all times. The David Jones case is receiving public attention partly due to the reputation of the employer and its former CEO, but also because of the creative and expansive claim for compensation brought by the applicant. However, whilst the amount claimed in the David Jones case has left the Australian legal profession and large employers holding their collective breaths (whilst raising eyebrows about the quantum of the claim), the 2009 award of $466,000 made by the Federal Court in the case of Poniatowska v Hickenbotham currently holds the honour for the largest payment of compensation for sexual discrimination upheld by an Australian court.

Ms Poniatowska commenced her claim after her employment was terminated for allegedly poor performance, and after she had made a number of complaints alleging sexual harassment against several staff members. The claim was brought in the Federal Court pursuant to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (SDA) and what is now the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (AHRCA) after the Commission’s compulsory conciliation process proved unsuccessful. Section 46PO of the AHRCA provides that compensation for unlawful discrimination may be awarded by the Court after having regard to all relevant matters including the nature and extent of discrimination, damage flowing from any breach of contract, past and future economic loss, damage to the person, and past and future medical expenses. The compensation awarded to Ms Poniatowska (and upheld on appeal) was assessed by reference to these matters, and included the significant amounts of $340,000 (plus interest) for lost earnings and $90,000 for pain and suffering. The employer’s application seeking leave to appeal the Poniatowska decision in the High Court is currently underway. If the High Court upholds the decision and award made to Ms Poniatowska, the award will establish a new and permanent benchmark for compensation in sexual discrimination claims.

In contrast to Poniatowska, the David Jones case is far more broadly pleaded. In the latter case, the applicant’s claim does not expressly rely on the

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SDA (although it is understood that the applicant is awaiting conciliation by the Commission of her SDA claim, and such a claim shall likely be added to her Federal Court proceedings if the conciliation process is unsuccessful). Instead the claim filed against David Jones pleads misleading and deceptive conduct, breaches of express and implied terms of the employment contract, breach of the employer’s duty of care, and trespass to the person. In essence, the applicant contends that she had been deceived into entering into an employment relationship upon false contractual representations (both express and implied) that she would be provided with a safe working environment.

Both the Poniatowska and David Jones cases involve allegations of sexual harassment by senior employees, as well as allegations that the relevant employers fostered a workplace culture where sexual harassment and discrimination were not subject to reprimand and otherwise failed to maintain and adhere to policies in relation to anti-discrimination laws. However, the breadth of the claims in the David Jones case - in which the applicant seeks relief pursuant to trade practices provisions, tort and contract - highlights the real possibility that an employer responding to a sexual harassment claim may face liability beyond that prescribed by the SDA. Employers should no longer assume that liability for compensation in sexual harassment cases will be limited to the historically modest payouts awarded in purely discrimination-based claims. With a potentially permanent increase in the high-water mark of compensation awarded for unlawful discrimination and harassment, as well as the expansion of the causes of actions likely to be pursued in the face of such conduct, the financial implications for employers are serious. It is essential that employers are vigilant in ensuring that their management and employees comply with all relevant anti-discrimination legislation, that management fosters a culture of zero-tolerance of unlawful conduct, and that employers maintain, and require adherence to, well documented policies and procedures in relation to harassment and discrimination.

www.codea.com.au

Peter Doughman Solicitor Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers Level 18 St James Centre 111 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000

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HR Technology

EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF MULTIPLE CONTRACTS IN PAYROLL QUESTION: We are a local government

organisation currently reviewing our payroll system and it has been suggested that we consider a system that will support multiple contracts. Can you explain why this is important and how it may benefit us?

ANSWER: It was surprising to see the national

unemployment rate at 5.10% in August, when in many industries, qualified employees remain hard to attract and retain. These talent shortages are one of the reasons why some employers offer their employees the opportunity to work in multiple positions across different shifts. Employees working in multiple contracts are an issue for many employers especially those in the government, health and education sectors.

When employees work in multiple positions, they are often employed under multiple contracts, with each contract requiring different terms and conditions (awards). In a local council for example, one employee may work 10 hours as a library assistant and another 25 hours as an administrative assistant. Different pay rates, leave accruals and payment rules apply to the two positions – this can prove challenging for some payroll solutions.

If your payroll system doesn’t seamlessly manage this task, excessive manual intervention may be required. Depending on the size of your workforce, this can be unwieldy and cumbersome. If your payroll team are managing employees with multiple contracts manually, it is imperative they understand your employer obligations for each award.

Leave management can also be an issue where employees work under multiple contracts or within multiple positions, especially when leave needs to be approved by different managers and a manual leave approval process is in place.

A contemporary payroll solution will ease the administrative burden by automating manual leave approvals. Employees make their leave requests on-line and their managers approve the request in the same manner. This fast tracks the process and maintains an electronic leave calendar. Many best-in-class organisations have already made the transition to automated leave approvals. When their system does not handle multiple contracts, however, their best-practice processing can unravel, as manual processing starts to creep back in.

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An alternative method some organisations adopt is to create the employee within their system multiple times for each contract. This approach can be error prone, as tax calculations are not always accurate. Multiple pay advices and payment summaries also result, which can be onerous for the employee.

When managing multiple contracts, manually monitoring full-time equivalency can be error prone. The health and safety of your employees is of paramount importance and it is vital to ensure the appropriate breaks between shifts. This can also be difficult to manage manually when employees are established under separate codes.

A payroll system that facilitates employee setup with multiple positions or awards will make payroll processing almost effortless. The employee record is created once and multiple positions established for each position held, along with the payment rules associated with each contract or award.

When leave is accrued and paid out for each position, it is done so at the appropriate rate automatically by the system.

Maintaining comprehensive records of your employees’ work histories will ease employee lifecycle management processes and ensure employee goals are aligned with corporate strategy throughout the enterprise. Performance Reviews will also be easier when a complete history of all contracts/positions is available for new managers.

Skills frameworks will also be more accurate and provide HR with a comprehensive view of the workforce in which to develop succession plans.

Your reporting and accounting will also be more accurate with a payroll system that supports multiple contracts. When the system manages the hours and cost centres while calculating payroll, it seamlessly passes data into the general ledger without any manual manipulation required. If your organisation does job costing, it will also be more accurate with the labour costing data captured automatically at the source.

Finally, when reviewing a new system to manage employees under multiple contracts, look for a payroll solution that will eliminate manual processing and deliver functionality that enables productivity and promotes workforce engagement.

Nick Southcombe General Manager Frontier Software Pty Ltd (03) 9639 0777 www.frontiersoftware.com

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HR INSIGHT gender diversity

Rules of

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GENDER DIVERSITY CHAMPION Kate McCormack, director of people, learning and culture, Mercy Health

Mercy Health recognises that its male staff are in the minority. Human Capital talks to Kate McCormack, director of people, learning and culture, about this gender issue and how the company is addressing it.

The health and aged care profession has traditionally been very female-centric. Is this frustrating for you as an HR professional looking to broaden your employee base out as wide as possible?

It’s a challenge. The healthcare profession has traditionally attracted females because of the type of roles and flexibility it offers, given women remain the primary carers of children. I don’t see the gender balance changing significantly in the foreseeable future, however, all our programs and initiatives are available to everyone.

Mercy has introduced quite innovative family-friendly benefits – yet I understand

HR INSIGHT gender diversity

While everyone agrees that gender diversity brings many benefits to the work environment, some organisations operate in industries or professions where gender imbalance is so deep-set that they need to think outside the box to attract a diverse workforce. Human Capital profiles two organisations facing this problem but from different sides of the gender divide. the males in your organisation felt a bit ‘left out’ What specific feedback did you receive from this?

In 2009 we launched our inaugural Dad’s Matter Forum. Feedback from the forum highlighted the fact that our male employees could go weeks without interacting with other men, as their clients, patients and colleagues are for the most part female.

The forum provided our men with an opportunity to network with other men from across the organisation. Feedback also showed that although flexible working arrangements are open to all employees, they struggled with the stigma attached with accessing these arrangements as it has traditionally been the women with the majority of caring responsibilities.

We have also hosted a Men Matter Forum during Men’s Health Week. We will continue to focus on engaging our male employees and promote our family-friendly practices to increase the usage among men.

How important do you think it is to offer employee benefits that don’t discriminate against any group?

Although Mercy Health is recognised as an Employer of Choice for Women, our programs and initiatives are open to all Mercy Health employees. Our programs over the past six years have been focused on flexible working arrangements and supporting work-life balance. With these programs firmly in place we’re now planning to broaden the scope of the programs we offer to include the following areas: health and wellbeing; mature age workforce; and male employees.

Are your senior management and leadership teams predominantly female?

Despite a predominately female workforce, the female representation at a senior level in 2001 was not reflective of our workforce demographic. With CEO support there has been a focused effort to raise the female representation within Mercy Health.

The medical workforce has been traditionally male, however, it seems to be changing. It will take time but we’re already seeing females in senior medical roles in our organisation and an increased intake of female medical graduates.

Our current statistics: »» Board – 45% female »» Direct reports to the CEO – 60% female »» Senior managers – 71% female From 1 January next year, Australian listed companies will be encouraged to disclose two things in their annual reports: The company’s performance in achieving gender objectives set out by the board; and the proportion of women on the board, in senior management and employed throughout the whole organisation. Do initiatives like this make a difference in the gender imbalance at the top level or do we need greater societal/cultural change?

My experience has been that once you start reporting on the gender statistics at board level, people start to notice. Change needs to be driven from the top. Our change happened because both the CEO and chairman were engaged and realised we needed to make a change. They could see the benefit in greater female representation at board and senior management levels, particularly in a female-dominated industry.

n 63% of all bachelor degrees are now taken out by women, yet in 2009 less than 10% of directors on the boards of the top ASX200 listed companies were women* n In 2009, 53% of ASX200 companies had no women on their boards n Analysis of the 2009 ABS Average Weekly Earnings Survey shows a gender wage gap of 17% n A report by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs^ has found that the key influences on the gender wage gap in Australia include industrial segregation, or concentration of women and men in particular industries (25%), labour force history (7%), under-representation of women with vocational qualifications (5%) and under-representation of women in large firms (3%).

However, simply being a woman accounted for 60% of the wage gap n If the wage gap were closed the report estimates that annual GDP would grow by around $93bn Sources: * International Women’s Development Agency www.iwda.org.au/au ^Report title: ‘The impact of a sustained gender wage gap on the Australian economy’ www.hcamag.com

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HR INSIGHT gender diversity

roles. I put it down to the fact that in the past women haven’t considered this to be a career that is available to them. They haven’t realised it’s fun, lucrative, flexible, and professionally rewarding.

GENDER DIVERSITY CHAMPION Kirsty Duncan, GM of Trivett Group

Prestige automotive group Trivett, which owns and operates 22 auto dealerships in Sydney and Melbourne, and employs 500 people, recently received an exemption from the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board following a successful application to go on the hunt for female-only car sales and service providers – addressing the industry’s traditional gender imbalance.

This is the first time such an exemption has been granted to the Australian automotive industry by the Board and is one of only two exemptions it has granted in 2010. The two-year exemption follows six months of intense planning and preparation

by Trivett.

Human Capital talks to Trivett Group’s general manager Kirsty Duncan about this development and the gender issues her company has faced.

You operate in a traditionally very maledominated industry. Has that been frustrating for you as a business leader trying to widen the employment pool as much as possible?

We’ve always hired women across the business – currently around 20% of our workforce is women – but it has been a challenge, particularly for sales and consulting roles and service advisory

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Trivett has just received this exemption from the Anti-Discrimination Board – was this a desperate ‘last attempt’ to boost the number of females in the organisation?

Had you tried anything else?

We hadn’t formally tried anything else.

We are hoping this is a way to specifically target women and get them to realise this could be a wonderful opportunity for them.

In other roles we recruit for we don’t seem to have any trouble attracting women.

We’ve certainly got a very reputable name in Trivett, so this seemed like a way of targeting and encouraging them to say, ‘ok I’ll look into it’.

How important is it for your employee base to demographically match your customer base?

Most people know that males traditionally dominate the automotive industry, yet that’s not necessarily in keeping with the current needs of our customers. Women are a vital addition to this environment and we need to increase their representation in this sector.

A recent survey of our customer database found that female customers enjoy dealing with females and in some cases prefer it. Furthermore, women are now significant influencers of car purchasing decisions, making up roughly 60% of our car buying population.

With the granting of this exemption, the industry can now take a significant step forward and we’re delighted to be at the forefront of the action.

What objectives are you hoping to reach as a result of this exemption?

The Group is hoping to increase the percentage of female sales consultants from 8% to 25% over the course of the two-year exemption period. Trivett will also continue to hire male staff across its business as it continues to grow.

Concurrently, we’re introducing new forms of training for existing employees, who will shortly undergo an etiquette and workplace behaviour training program, looking at communication styles and faux pas to avoid. This is designed to better their understanding of female customers and their needs.

More broadly, as a business leader, what are your thoughts on the ‘glass ceiling’ – do you think females still struggle to rise to the top in some professions/industries?

I can only really talk about Trivett but I see a lot of women here who can be used as examples of empowerment to other women, not just in our industry but all industries – to say ‘this is possible’. Women can achieve as much, if not more than some of the men doing the same roles.

Do you see the new gender requirements for publicly-listed companies as a step in the right direction?

I think it is starting to happen, but even on a smaller level, things like flexible work practices all help. I’m a mother myself and a lot of women in our workplace have recently returned from maternity leave, and you need to be flexible as employers then.

I think all these developments are positive encouragement for women who want to build a career for themselves and also have that work-life balance.

“The Group is hoping to increase the percentage of female sales consultants from 8% to 25% over the course of the twoyear exemption period” – Kirsty Duncan

DIVERSITY INSIGHT

DOES UNCONSCIOUS BIAS PUT YOUR DIVERSE TALENT PIPELINE IN PERIL?

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he question that forward thinking organisations in Australia are asking is: “If we are ranked number one for women’s educational attainment (Global Gender Gap Report 2009); if more women than men are graduating from our universities; if the growth rate of women entering our labour force is double that of men, and if an increasing number of organisations are implementing ambitious gender equity programs - why then are women still so radically underrepresented in leadership positions in virtually all sectors?”

Australia is squandering its talent capital and it is not surprising that the ASX Corporate Governance Council has introduced gender reporting requirements for all listed companies. But is that sufficient to address the problem?

Findings over the last few years by the most eminent global learning and research institutions (Harvard, Yale, Catalyst, McKinsey & Co, etc) demonstrate that commonly given reasons for women not reaching leadership positions (namely parenting responsibilities, lack of aspiration to reach executive levels and inadequate feeder pools at mid-level) are not persuasive. Rather such research has identified that unconscious or hidden beliefs (questioning both the competence and commitment of women in the workplace) are impacting on the everyday workplace decisions regarding the appointment, performance management and promotion of women. This may explain why so little traction in gender equity is in evidence, locally and globally.

These findings fundamentally challenge the traditional paradigm on diversity - namely that patterns of exclusion or discrimination in organisations are conscious and that “good people who know better” will do the right thing and are not biased.

The reality is that every single one of us is biased towards something, someone, or some group; that we internalise these biases at an early stage in our life and all experience thereafter is filtered through this pre-established lens.What we see, hear and how we interpret what is in front of us is dependent on our own mindset, our own preferences - with our preestablished favourable or unfavourable bias towards

people and experiences strongly influencing every decision we make in relation to them.

“No-one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate….” (Nelson Mandela; Long Walk to Freedom) Ironically, as careful as we are about not wanting to appear biased, bias serves a very necessary and important purpose for humans. Our brains are hardwired to use a categorical system to classify and comprehend our experiences. Mental shortcuts are designed to reduce the amount of cognitive effort we use to access and interpret information, particularly where rapid information processing is necessary for safety or other reasons. But the danger of these mental shortcuts is that they can lead to faulty judgements and false conclusions. Whilst we think our judgements are objective, often, in fact they are not.

For example what filters do you use to decide that a particular candidate is leadership material and the best fit for the job rather than another?

There is no such thing as the “innocent eye” and your filters may preclude you from hiring or promoting the most suitable person. Unconscious bias governs many of the most important decisions you make at work and as such has a profound impact on the careers of those you lead.

In the new millennium prejudice in the workplace has not gone away. It has simply gone underground - hidden from others and ourselves.

The challenge for each and every one of us is firstly to acknowledge that we all have biases and then to identify what those biases are.

“It is vital that decision makers elevate unconscious bias to the conscious level so that they can master and overcome it.” (Ross, 2008) The solution: address unconscious bias in your leaders, the root cause putting your diverse talent pipeline in peril, and position your organisation to leverage the full value that diverse talent has to add.

Leadership programs Diversity Consulting has conducted with local and global organisations, aimed at identifying and addressing the biases impacting on all stages of the employment relationship, have done much to provide traction to all their other related diversity initiatives.

Heather Price, CEO, Diversity Consulting Dr. Helen Turnbull, Diversity Consulting www.hcamag.com

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HR INSIGHT mercy health

Human Capital profiles one organisation setting the bar high for family-friendly HR policies

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A better future 14

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ork-life balance is frequently cited as a near impossible challenge to master.

The tough task of juggling work commitments, personal activities and family life is all too familiar for most. As employers, getting the ratio right is critical to a strong, motivated and healthy workforce.

For health and aged care provider Mercy Health, offering flexible working arrangements is just ‘good business’.

Mercy Health has seen its employee retention rate rise to 98%, from around 88% six years ago, through the introduction of a number of fair and flexible workplace initiatives.

“The benefits of offering a highly flexible working environment have been enormous,” says Kate McCormack, Mercy Health director of people, learning and culture.

“With a 90% female workforce, we didn’t think twice about making sure Mercy Health was familyfriendly. Initiatives such as the Parents’ Network and Mercy Bank Program have been largely attributed to our high retention and attraction rates.”

Many employees on parental leave or extended leave fear loss of skills, confidence or a reduction in family income; for others, there is a need to maintain a social network.

“Much of your social network is, in fact, from work. The Parents’ Network is an opportunity for employees to maintain their peer group while they’re on leave,” McCormack says.

Through the Mercy Bank Program, employees taking parental leave can work on a casual basis without losing access to full-time employment benefits.

Associate Nurse Unit Manager (ANUM) Emergency Department, Tianay Hyndam, says she was delighted to return to work on a casual basis following her maternity leave.

“For me, stepping back into the workforce was made easy by the option to work casually. Many of my nursing friends from other workplaces struggled to re-enter the workforce because of a lack of flexibility,” Hyndam says.

“Many felt they had no other option but to join a nursing agency in order to gain the same level of flexibility – but unfortunately this meant they had

HR INSIGHT mercy health

to work across different hospitals in various areas of nursing, adding the additional stress of a new work environment. I also had the benefit of rejoining the workforce at the same senior level I was at when I left,” she adds.

And while 90% of Mercy Health employees are female, it has not forgotten about the male minority.

“Male employees have access to the same opportunities and flexible options as women, but we were hearing feedback that fathers in particular were experiencing a sense of loneliness,” says McCormack.

“We had comments like ‘I just want to have a trivial conversation about football [with other staff members]’.”

Another major problem both fathers and mothers were facing was childcare.

“After hearing about the strain this was putting on families at our Parents’ Network Forum, we put the API Childcare Referral Service into place,” McCormack says. “This gave employees free access to consultants who can find local childcare to suit their individual needs.”

Another popular initiative that has led to improved employee and business outcomes is the Mercy Health School Holiday Program. It was established in partnership with Camp Australia in 2006 to help parents maintain a better balance between work and caring responsibilities.

“Not only has the school holiday program helped families, it has also seen a substantial reduction in sick leave taken during the school holiday period.

This is just one tangible example of the business benefits associated with retaining skilled, talented people,” McCormack says.

Mercy Health has seen a reduction in costs spent on recruitment advertising, lower sick leave rates throughout the year and a reduction in nursing agency costs by enabling employees on parental leave to work casually through the Mercy Bank Program.

“The response to the numerous fair and flexible work initiatives has been strong, with 51% of employees across the organisation accessing flexible work arrangements at all levels including management,” McCormack adds.

Flexible arrangements include part-time work, job share, variable shift options, work from home, children at work in emergency situations, phased return to work from parental leave and phased retirement options.

These initiatives have seen Mercy Health recognised as an Employer of Choice for Women by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency for the third year in a row. The Victorian Government’s Working Families Council has also acknowledged Mercy Health as a 2010 Fair and Flexible Employer.

“Innovation is one of our core values and we will continue to develop new workplace initiatives to promote a happy, productive and rewarding working environment in order to deliver the highest level of care for over half a million people each year,” McCormack concludes. HC

Mercy Health’s leading flexible work practices School Holiday Program Analysis of sick leave data demonstrated that parents were taking more sick leave during school holidays than at other times during the year.

Consequently, the School Holiday Program was established to assist staff and other parents in the local community to balance work and parenting responsibilities.

Breastfeeding Accreditation Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) accredited breastfeeding facilities are available for staff at Mercy Hospital for Women (MHW) and Werribee Mercy Hospital (WMH).

Parents’ Focus Groups Established to monitor flexible workplace policies and ensure employee needs are aligned.

Parental Leave Checklists and Manager Guidelines Provides guidelines for managers and employees to discuss Parental Leave processes to ensure employees are aware of the support available during this period.

API Childcare Referral Service Mercy Health sponsors the API Childcare Referral Service to provide employees with access to consultants who can research the availability of childcare to suit individual needs.

Mercy Bank Program An internally managed pool of employees on parental leave and other casual employees, established to fill ad hoc shifts without affecting leave entitlements or continuity of service.

STATS

n Paid maternity leave is offered by nearly 70% of organisations n The average amount of weeks of paid parental leave is 12.3 for maternity and 5.9 for paternity n 71% of corporate organisations offer paid parental leave to the primary carer; 36% are given 12 or more weeks n 59% of corporates offer a secondary carer paid parental leave; 37% receive at least a week of paid parental leave n As of August 2010, 57% of corporates were undecided as to what changes they will make to paid parental leave with the looming changes to legislation Source: Hewitt Associates Paid Parental Leave Pulse Survey, 2010

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THE FORUM people management skills

Avoiding management

blindspots

Tip 1 Don’t suffer in silence

By Kevin Chandler, CEO of Chandler Human Resources, and executive chairman of First People HR, a newly formed labour hire company in the indigenous employment space

I will tackle this from a different angle and suggest that the first bit of advice should go towards the employees themselves.

Most of us at some time in our careers come up against ‘the boss from hell’. The boss can have a variety of faults: excessive micro management, a domineering personality, complete insensitivity, or just plain negative. Perhaps they just don’t like you. Others may have been riddled with insecurity, or have drug or alcohol-related problems. Perhaps if they weren’t the boss we might feel sorry for them.

But no, the problem arises when they impact on our security in the company or on our career opportunities.

One of life’s truisms is – if I don’t like or respect you, the feeling is almost certainly reciprocated. If you have found yourself in this position you ask two questions: who put them in their role in the first place, and what are my options? Do I stick it out in the hope that the company comes to its senses and moves the problem?

Often this is the right approach as these ‘bosses’ are often found out. Unfortunately, it takes longer than some staff can wait and you end up being just another labour turnover statistic.

From my experience if you see ‘the boss from hell’ as a barrier, so do others and unless management is completely off the ball, action will eventually be taken.

So my advice is: hang in there, but make sure everyone in the department knows the issue. Don’t suffer in silence – talk to HR or other more senior managers before taking the ultimate step.

It’s become a cliché to say that people join organisations and leave managers – but it’s a cliché because it’s true. Human Capital asks a panel of experts about their biggest staff management pitfall, and what can be done to prevent it

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THE FORUM people management skills

Tip 2 Being a manager is more than just having a title; it requires action

By Richard Dunks, managing director, Vantage Human Capital

This is the top staff management pitfall and it has tremendous consequences, leading to lack of staff motivation, negative workplace culture and high staff turnover.

Nine times out of 10 people leave managers, not companies. This pitfall costs Australian businesses wasted time and millions of dollars each year – it costs about one year’s salary for each employee you lose.

Being a manager is not about the corner office or comfy chair. It means you are meant to ‘manage’; this requires action.

Uninspiring managers are seldom capable of motivating staff to reach their brilliant best. To achieve performance excellence, you need to understand your people. The first step on taking over a management role is to make the time to talk to each of your staff privately, and develop a professional rapport.

Identify the issues that are stopping your staff from reaching their full potential. A confidential staff survey can assist you to work out the real business issues you need to address.

Whether you have 15 staff or 6,000, work out a plan so that over a six-month period you speak to as many staff members as possible.

Managing does not mean bullying, intimidating or humiliating your team, or stealing their ideas without recognition. I’ve interviewed thousands of job candidates and people always remember how the boss has treated them – if treated poorly, they will leave at the first opportunity.

Managing also means being organised.

Strategically think through your plans, to understand the repercussions and benefits of change. Consult, gather information and execute your business changes professionally.

Remember, ‘do what you say and say what you do’.

If you inspire people and have their respect, this is when you actually have people in the workplace who are excited to be there. Just think about how your business would perform if people were excited about giving you 110% effort.

Tip 3 Manage the organisation, but lead the people

By Pia Lee, CEO of LIW, a leadership consultancy based in Sydney

‘Micro management’ by the boss is the most cited reason for people leaving their jobs. However, there are two problems with this view. First, it is the word ‘micro’ where there is more focus on the detail instead of the bigger picture. Even though you are probably in your current role because you were great at your last one, it’s time to shift your focus from the technical detail to the business of people management.

Secondly, it is the word ‘management’.

Management is important but it’s something you do to resources, not people. People want to be led so it’s important to manage the administration, and lead the people.

Your primary responsibility as a leader is to create the key conditions for success (Clarity, Climate and Competence – the 3Cs) for those who report directly to you.

The 3Cs provide a simple checklist for any leader to maximise their team’s performance, and is a practical shift away from simply monitoring your people, to enabling them.

Effective leaders should go through the 3C checklist and ask their team members: What are you trying to achieve and how are you measured? (Clarity) What resources do you need to succeed?

(Climate) What skills do you need to do the role? What behaviours and attitudes will gain success?

(Competence) These key conditions are closely aligned with business results, according to the latest Gallup research, Employee Engagement: What’s Your engagement Ratio? which surveyed over a million workers worldwide, and demonstrated that effective leadership not only drives retention, but the bottom line too. HC

“Management is important but it’s something you do to resources, not people. People want to be led so it’s important to manage the administration, and lead the people” – Pia Lee

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COVER STORY who’s who

The F who’s who of HR

Who’s a mover and shaker in HR? Human Capital presents Australia’s HR high achievers from the past 12 months ive years ago, when Human Capital ran its first ‘who’s who’ list, the HR profession was just emerging as a force to be reckoned with.

Back then, the argument on most lips was how HR could stand up and be counted on executive teams across Australia. That debate, for the most part, has been won. Now the fight is how HR should retain their spot and continue to add strategic value to the organisation. All of those profiled on this list have contributed in some way to that debate.

This list of ‘hot’ HR professionals showcases the movers and shakers of Australia’s HR industry who have come to our attention in the last 12 months, whether they’ve made it onto our pages or others.

Predominantly from mid to large-size organisations, these corporate leaders (some of whom are CEOs and MDs) have spearheaded innovative projects, achieved impressive bottom line results, driven down costs while upping productivity, or managed difficult changes.

You may no doubt agree with the inclusion of some of your fellow practitioners and disagree with our selection of others. You may even feel that you warrant a place on the list itself – if that is the case then we want to hear from you for our next ‘who’s who’ list.

COVER STORY who’s who

NAME: Mark Polglaze

NAME: Katrina Haynes

COMPANY: GM Holden

COMPANY: Trilby Misso Lawyers

TITLE: Executive director of HR

TITLE: HR manager

WHY HOT? GM Holden was praised by the federal government

WHY HOT? In the ultra-competitive legal world, where firms

as a model of workplace collaboration between unions and employers during the GFC. Instead of shedding jobs from its 6,500 strong workforce, the company reduced hours wherever possible. Realising their employees have been through a tough period, the company has invested heavily in employee development. Led by Polglaze, GM Holden has increased the focus on performance and engagement by changing their remuneration system to one of variable pay for management levels (thus rewarding superior performance), and has simplified employee objectives. An emphasis on career and succession planning is the third prong of a cultural overhaul.

Recognised as an Employer of Choice for Women – it was the first automotive manufacturer to introduce 14 weeks of paid maternity leave in 2002 – GM Holden is looking towards a brighter 2011.

vie strongly with each other to attract the brightest graduates and battle head-to-head on remuneration, any competitive edge must be pursued. In Queensland-based Trilby Misso’s case, the competitive edge is seen by a number 32 placing on BRW’s Best Employer list as well as a Hewitt Best Employer accreditation in 2009. Not only has staff turnover been slashed, but Haynes has been instrumental in introducing policies that have a positive impact on the firm’s ability to deliver excellent client services.

The firm offers several ‘nice to have’ benefits such as providing daily fruit, two days’ paid leave for volunteering, and a ‘textbook allowance’, through to more significant employee benefits such as flexible working arrangements and paid study leave. The company organises employee focus groups to plan further improvements for the business and the employment deal it offers its people.

Mark Polglaze

Rhonda Brighton-Hall

Robert Orth

NAME: Robert Orth

NAME: Rhonda Brighton-Hall

COMPANY: IBM

COMPANY: Luxottica

TITLE: Director of human resources

Katrina Haynes

TITLE: Senior vice-president, HR & communications

WHY HOT? Like most HR generalists, Orth’s responsibilities

WHY HOT? Brighton-Hall is one of HR’s true visionaries. Not

are wide ranging and seemingly daunting. He’s accountable for everything from organisational culture and change through to industrial relations. A 27-year veteran of IBM, Orth remains passionate about HR. IBM has been an Employer of Choice for Women (EOCFW) by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency for nine consecutive years – one of only 15 organisations to receive the award every year since 2001. Hot desking and telecommuting have long been staples of flexible work at IBM, but beyond that, the advancement of women is an integral part of IBM’s business agenda. The company remains ahead of the pack in terms of focusing on professional development opportunities for all employees and engaging them in the policymaking process – a case in point being ‘online jams’ whereby thousands of employees around the world discuss online the challenges, issues and possible directions taken by the company.

only has she received an AHRI award for HR Leader of the Year (2009), she was also named the Telstra NSW Business Woman of the Year 2009, and she continues to break new ground in her new role at CBA. Her past work at Luxottica is perhaps best summarised by her project leadership role for Luxottica’s ‘future of retail’ flagship store in Melbourne, which was a significant exercise in employee ‘co-creation’ and major driver of engagement in the company. Brighton-Hall canvassed all employees for their thoughts and ideas; she then marshalled the best talent; and finally she brought the project to life. Her savvy business acumen is encapsulated in this quote: “We’ve got a fundamental belief that people and culture drive performance. If you treat people right, they’ll treat your customers well, and your business will work well.”

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COVER STORY who’s who

THE REFORMER NAME: Karl Solomonson TITLE: Head of HR

COMPANY: Dell Australia WHY HOT? A key component of Dell’s talent program is

diversity – particularly gender equity. It permeates everything from career development programs to employee benefits. Dell Australia CEO Joe Kremer is a passionate diversity advocate, and Solomonson shares his enthusiasm. Family-friendly policies abound at Dell, including job sharing, work-fromhome and greater leave allowances. Solomonson has also played a key role in establishing Women in IT Executive Mentoring (WITEM) which is an accelerated development program for senior women within the IT industry. He’s also focused his efforts on boosting engagement levels in the company, with initiatives such as ‘Tell Dell’ culture surveys.

Robust financial results during the height of the GFC and three successive Hewitt Best Employer awards are proof that his efforts are paying off.

NAME: Elizabeth Broderick TITLE: Sex discrimination commissioner and

commissioner responsible for age discrimination COMPANY: Australian Human Rights Commission WHY HOT? OK, not strictly a HR leader, but someone who is increasingly being called upon for guidance and inspiration as organisations finally acknowledge gender diversity issues and the challenges – and opportunities – of an ageing workforce. Broderick has travelled Australia extensively listening to women and men’s concerns about gender equality and age discrimination. In 2008 she was part of Australia’s delegation to the United Nations for the Commission on the status of women. She has developed mentoring programs for teenage girls and female university students and is channelling her significant media profile towards raising awareness on issues relating to gender equality, women in business, work and life balance and CSR. The next 12 months will be busy: from 1 January next year, Australian listed companies will be required to disclose in their annual reports their efforts in achieving gender objectives on the board.

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Joanne Allen

Karl Solomonson

NAME: Joanne Allen

TITLE: Head of human resources COMPANY: Citi

WHY HOT? Allen is hot for two reasons. Firstly, for her

diversity initiatives. As a working mother of two, Allen has pushed for many strategies to encourage the slow but steady transformation of Citi from a male-dominated environment typical of the finance industry, into a femalefriendly workplace well positioned to capture a larger scoop of Australia’s dwindling talent pool. Secondly, she’s delivered a new program for high performers at Citi. The 12-month Ignite program sees each participant assigned a development advisor, who works with the participant to craft an individual development program. This involves picking and choosing from the core programs, as well as looking at elective options, including managing talent, engaging employees, building high performance teams, operating strategically, and innovation.

COVER STORY who’s who

NAME: Megan Simpson

NAME: Jessica Booth

COMPANY: RedBalloon

COMPANY: CSIRO

TITLE: Employee experience manager WHY HOT? It’s refreshing to know that a company in the

business of advising other companies on how to recognise and reward their staff is leading by example – and by example we don’t just mean having RedBalloon employees test out the various experiential rewards on offer before going to market with them (paintballing and weekends away at the snow are de-rigour for RedBallooners). Always one step ahead of the pack thanks to the vision of founder Naomi Simson, over the past two-and-a-half years Megan Simpson has led the planning and implementation of RedBalloon’s own engagement strategy.

Her entrepreneurial approach to RedBalloon’s reward and recognition, L&D and recruitment practices has enabled the company to achieve an engagement score of over 90% in the Hewitt Best Employers Awards and ninth place in the Best Places to Work survey two years in a row.

Megan Simpson

Jill Johnston

TITLE: Senior human resources advisor WHY HOT? Although Booth has recently moved into a new

role, her real acclaim stems from her work at CSIRO. Charged with finding and retaining talent in the skills short sciences arena, Booth was instrumental in setting up ‘The beginning of something wonderful’ – a maternity leave guide for women within her division transitioning out of and then back into CSIRO on maternity leave. She has been an active champion for the use of social media for HR purposes. Among her achievements was the successful roll out of a social media strategy for CSIRO’s Undergraduate Vacation Scholarship Program. She has also set up HR Club Sydney (www. hrclubsydney.com), which is a community-based project to encourage conversation and discussion of all things HR. In 2009 Booth received the AHRI Dave Ulrich HR Rising Star of the Year award.

Trent Brown

NAME: Jill Johnston

NAME: Trent Brown

COMPANY: Austereo

COMPANY: Ezypay

TITLE: Head of human resources

Jessica Booth

TITLE: CEO

WHY HOT? While 2DayFM’s Kyle Sandilands may have kept

WHY HOT? One of Brown’s greatest successes has been

the HR team on its toes for the past 12 months, in reality the fast-moving and fiercely competitive commercial radio field has plenty of HR challenges on its plate. As an Employer of Choice for the Gen Y demographic, high staff turnover means that replacing staff is not difficult, just costly. Strategic HR issues during Johnston’s four years as head of HR at Austereo have included restructuring, policy development and implementation, personal development plans for the senior management team, coaching middle and senior managers, and designing a pay and reward framework. Overall employee satisfaction, workplace practices, and a fun work environment has seen Austereo land the 24th position on the Great Places to Work™ Institute’s annual list of top employers, a career goal that Johnston set her sights on several years ago.

moving the business through an enormous cultural change, which involved implementing values and behaviours that are lived every day. These have been personified into ‘values characters’ that adorn the office walls. The casual, cheeky culture and values attract people who are engaged with the company and love their jobs. Brown has introduced a range of innovative incentives and staff benefits to help successfully retain the online direct debit company’s top talent. Top of the list are harbour cruises, scavenger hunts, and cocktail nights.

‘Ezyplayers’ also enjoy fresh fruit in the lunchroom and weekly personal training. Recently, Ezypay was the winner of the 2010 NSW Telstra Business, Panasonic Australia Best Medium Business Award, and was awarded the Best Medium Business 2009 in the My Business awards.

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NAME: Kim Schmidt

TITLE: Director of human resources COMPANY: Woolworths Limited

WHY HOT? A regular speaker at HR conferences, Schmidt

leads a team of HR professionals to manage 191,000 employees across Australia and New Zealand in brands such as Woolworths, Big W and Dick Smith. She’s a strong advocate of tying HR strategy to business strategy, which involves strategic planning to assess exactly what the business will look like in five or even 10 years’ time, what skills will be needed, and ensuring that employees are upskilled to undertake those future roles. Schmidt has been a key driver of the Women in Management Committee at Woolworths which has led to the delivery of flexible working principles, parental leave kits, mentoring programs, implementation of paid maternity leave and job share initiatives. Thirty-four per cent of internal executive promotions and 45% of external appointments are women. Schmidt’s efforts were recognised by the EOWA in 2009.

Kim Schmidt

Ross Miller

NAME: Kellie Reeves

TITLE: Director of people and culture COMPANY: Dimension Data

WHY HOT? In the aftermath of the dot.com bubble burst of

the early 2000s, few would have predicted it would be IT firms leading the way as Employers of Choice. Yet it was three such firms that made the shortlist of the ‘best of the best’ in Hewitt’s 2009 Best Employer list. During a period when so many companies cut L&D corners, Dimension upped the ante. A revamped L&D curriculum covering technical, leadership and professional development and delivery in a variety of formats including e-learning, classroom and coaching and mentoring, has scored points with employees, while social media is being embraced to engage employees and candidates in exciting new ways.

Barbara Chapman

Kellie Reeves

NAME: Ross Miller

NAME: Barbara Chapman

COMPANY: St.George Bank

COMPANY: Commonwealth Bank Australia

TITLE: General manager, human resources

TITLE: Group executive, Human resources and group services

WHY HOT? Miller was responsible for bedding down the

WHY HOT? Since joining Commonwealth Bank in 2006,

massive HR changes wrought by the St.George/Westpac merger in 2008/09. Compounding the internal dramas was the collapse of global financial markets. Few would blame staff for feeling disillusioned and disengaged, yet by most yardsticks of HR success, St.George has come through solidly. Voluntary resignations sit lower than the industry norm at sub-10%, while retention of new employees is high and absenteeism rates are also tracking in the right direction. Miller focused strongly on ensuring the ‘spirit’ of St.George would not be swallowed by the larger Westpac entity. Simple yet effective initiatives included personalised messages to staff groups during the merger and ensuring St.George employees were kept informed of what was happening at all times; keeping some leadership forums separate; and celebrating St.George initiatives that were picked up and used across the Westpac group.

Chapman has successfully championed the development of a leadership capabilities framework and has pushed diversity to the top of CBA’s corporate agenda. A nationally-recognised Indigenous employment strategy, including a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), is a formalised commitment to Indigenous Australians. CBA is also aiming to lift the ratio of women in senior leadership roles from 26% currently to 35% by December 2014. Far from just talking the talk, Chapman has this objective as one of her personal KPIs, as does everyone on the CBA executive leadership team. Wider encouragement for staff to participate in the annual measurement of cultural aspirations and employee engagement benchmarking has seen CBA placed among the top 25% of companies internationally for engagement, according to the 2010 Gallup Q12 survey.

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COVER STORY who’s who

THE RIGHT-HAND MAN NAME: Jon Scriven TITLE: Group executive, people COMPANY: Qantas WHY HOT? The besieged national carrier

has witnessed a ‘roller coaster’ three years. Qantas laid off 1,500 workers in late 2008 and shelved plans to hire 1,200 staff in response to weakening passenger demand. Then in early 2009 Qantas slashed its senior management team by 20% in an effort to further reduce costs.

The new management team – Scriven included – has had its hands full dealing with the heavily unionised workforce, as collective employment agreements relating to almost a third of its staff expired

in the middle of this year. The negotiations on pay and conditions covering about 10,000 workers will be the first big test for Qantas’ boss, Alan Joyce, and Scriven, who assumed the role of human resources chief in April 2009. Holding responsibilities for all aspects of HR across the Qantas Group, which includes the Qantas and Jetstar brands, Scriven will be Joyce’s right-hand man throughout negotiations. Both will be hoping some of the lessons learnt in the stand-off between management and engineers in 2008 – which lasted 10 weeks and caused substantial damage to the airline’s reputation – have not been forgotten.

NAME: Hugo Bague

NAME: Chrissie Tucker

organisations COMPANY: Rio Tinto Limited WHY HOT? Rio Tinto Limited, the Australian half of the duel-listed mining giant (Rio Tinto plc is listed in Britain), has made its HR mark felt locally across three broad areas. In August LinkedIn inked a deal with Rio Tinto to use LinkedIn Recruiter to find and hire new employees, with Rio Tinto promoting job opportunities with the company through LinkedIn’s professional network. The plan is to leverage LinkedIn to recruit particularly at the higher end of the company hierarchy, as the company seeks to attract talent to the company internationally. The second area of focus is corporate health and its ties to OHS. Rio Tinto’s ‘Achieve Health’ program is tied to the company’s goal of zero injuries and fatalities. The program involves: health risk assessment and bio metric assessment; worksite health campaigns; health interventions (lasting behavioural change on issues such as smoking, exercise and mental health); and an executive medical program. Finally, significant inroads have been made towards Indigenous recruitment – particularly important considering many Rio Tinto Australian operations are in areas with large Indigenous populations. The level of Indigenous employment has steadily increased and Indigenous employees now make up 8% of the entire workforce, up from 0.5% in the mid 1990s.

COMPANY: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

TITLE: Group executive, people and

TITLE: Manager of diversity and human resources WHY HOT? In the late 1990s, the ABC conducted a major review of EEO. Since

then Tucker has taken a leadership role in developing and implementing the award-winning Equity and Diversity Management Plan, which covers all areas of diversity: gender, disability, race/ethnicity, Indigenous, work-life balance, age and discrimination, harassment and bullying. In the area of work-life balance the ABC developed two groundbreaking programs: the national Men at Work Program (in which participants learn about men’s physical and psychological health, balancing work-life, relationships and communication, and networking and mentoring); and the cross-industry Women in Television Project – involving the work and family resource ‘Visions of Balance’ and balancing work-family seminars conducted Australia-wide.

The ABC also provides additional benefits, including flexible working arrangements, child care centres, pilot referral service, guidelines for managers and staff and an EAP. Tucker is also joint President of the NSW EEO Practitioners’ Association and holds a position on the Board of Advisors, Diversity Council of Australia.

NAME: Brad Miller

TITLE: Managing Director

COMPANY: The LiTMUS Group WHY HOT? For a company with no appointed HR manager, but rather distributes

the function across the business, The LiTMUS Group has managed to implement some truly impressive people initiatives that have seen the company’s 70 employees raving about the management consulting firm as an Employer of Choice. It seems others are noticing too: LiTMUS received over 2,500 job applicants looking for work in 2009 with the interest continuing in 2010. During the GFC the employee-owned firm bucked the trend of laying off workers and instead had steady employment growth. Incentives to recruit and retain the best include development courses for career growth and direction, support of work-life balance (‘sabbatical’ is not a dirty word at LiTMUS), and the Boost Awards, which are grants of $5,000 for employees to undertake an activity outside of work which challenges the individual to go beyond their comfort zone. Other incentives include programs focused on health & wellbeing, the environment & community and the arts. www.hcamag.com

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COVER STORY who’s who

THE STAYER NAME: Tim Fenton

TITLE: President, APMEA

(Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa) COMPANY: McDonald’s WHY HOT? McDonald’s has achieved a remarkable feat in recent years: it has rewired youth perceptions of its brand.

Driven by Fenton’s astute leadership, the company has reversed the connotations of uncool ‘McJobs’ into highly respected career breeding grounds complete with quality training and development. That ability to tap into notoriously fickle Gen Y and X is reason enough for inclusion on this list, but Fenton hasn’t stopped there. The 36-year veteran of the company has also taken charge of advancing women in the workplace and in late July 2010 he put together the first AsiaPacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) women’s leadership network meeting at McDonald’s.

Rose Clements NAME: Alec Bashinsky TITLE: Partner, people and performance COMPANY: Deloitte WHY HOT? Deloitte’s culture is to talk straight, be

a star, grow and improve, and most of all have fun and celebrate. It’s paid off in spades: in 2009 at the height of the GFC the firm hired an extra 205 staff. Perhaps even more telling, the firm received a whopping 30,534 job applications. Fortunately, none were for Bashinsky’s role – he is the sole returning contender from Human Capital’s last ‘who’s who’ list in 2005 – and he’s as passionate as ever about HR’s role in business. As a professional services firm, it’s no surprise that providing strategies is a strong point for Deloitte; it’s even less of a surprise to learn that it has a strategy around just about everything people-related, including attracting and developing graduates. Bashinsky has taken a personal interest in the firm’s diversity initiatives, overseeing the Deloitte Businesswoman of the Year Awards, and providing initiatives that have landed the firm on the EOWA’s Employer of Choice for Women list.

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Tim Fenton

NAME: Rose Clements

TITLE: Director of human resources COMPANY: Microsoft

WHY HOT? For a massive, multi-billion dollar enterprise one

could be forgiven for thinking Microsoft’s culture might be a little impersonal. Thanks to Clements and her team, this is not the case. Clements can be proud of a culture of support and social conscience at Microsoft, which includes The Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student technology competition to encourage young people to apply their imagination, passion and creativity to technology. Scholarships, sponsorship of .NET computer labs and bestowing the Microsoft Research Asia Fellowship Award are just a few examples of the company’s CSR contributions. A ‘focused’ rather than ‘frivolous’ benefits suite for employees includes fitness allowances, access to competitive and high quality healthcare, car allowances and fuel reimbursements. It’s no wonder Microsoft was one of the tech trio taking out the ‘best of the best’ award in the 2009 Hewitt Best Employer awards.

COVER STORY who’s who

NAME: Vaughan Paul

NAME: Richard Tanner

COMPANY: Optus

COMPANY: Virgin Blue

TITLE: Director of human resources

TITLE: Human resources chief

WHY HOT? While the telecoms war for customer

WHY HOT? It wouldn’t be a list of hot employers

loyalty continues to rage, it’s Optus that is winning the war for talent. In 2009 AHRI awarded the Optus HR team with the John Boudreau Award for Human Capital Management. Specifically the award was given for a leadership development tool known as Upward Feedback (UF), a bespoke 180-degree feedback tool based on the Optus Leadership Capability Framework. It measures four critical leadership capabilities, as well as effectiveness in leading by the Optus values. Results contribute to the annual performance review rating of all people leaders and this link delivers a strong message that people leadership is as valued as business results. In addition to UF, Paul has successfully driven change over a range of HR functions including career development (including cross-functional internal moves), talent programs, and the implementation of new communication practices across the business.

without the name Virgin making an appearance somewhere. Despite his minimal direct involvement in recent years, Virgin Blue is best known as one of Richard Branson’s success stories. Known for fun and flair, now, thanks to Tanner, corporate compassion can be added to the list. At the height of the GFC, faced with fleet capacity reductions and the potential loss of jobs for hundreds of employees, the executive team – spearheaded by Tanner – offered part-time roles, job share roles, and 12 months’ unpaid leave.

Virgin executives recognised the turbulent nature of the aviation industry and knew that burning bridges would not be of benefit. That industry uncertainty is likely to continue, with immediate challenges being the replacement of CEO Brett Godfrey with incumbent John Borghetti, looming organisational changes with V Australia, and ongoing union negotiation over enterprise agreements.

Faced with fleet capacity reductions and the potential loss of hundreds of jobs, the … team offered part-time roles, job share roles, and 12 months’ unpaid leave

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COVER STORY who’s who

NAME: Joris Luijke

TITLE: Head of human resources COMPANY: Atlassian

WHY HOT? Luijke fosters fierce loyalty amongst employees.

How? He understands it’s not just about remuneration and career development – it’s also about having fun at work! While it helps that the company HQ sits on top of a pub, teambuilding initiatives include poker nights, complimentary food and drink, free holidays and up to $10,000 for referring a successful new hire. Employees are encouraged to use 20% of their working day in thinking up ways to improve company products. The Atlassian crew live by Ghandi’s words: ‘be the change you seek’. Alongside a Hewitt engagement score of 87%, their recruitment campaign, which aimed to hire 32 engineers by leveraging social media, saw the software startup take home the Fairfax Employment Marketing Award for best Onsite HR Team. No doubt they had a drink to that.

NAME: Margie Kwan

TITLE: Employer branding senior manager COMPANY: Ernst & Young

WHY HOT? In February 2008 Ernst & Young became the

first professional services firm to launch a Facebook page, and today the sponsored page has over 12,000 fans. Taking old-fashioned word of mouth to the next level, Kwan has been instrumental in positioning the firm where graduates (of all backgrounds, not just accounting) communicate. Engaging in two-way dialogue with grads to highlight what it’s like to work at EY, the firm posts video case studies and facilitates discussion boards for students to ask questions and speak with people who are currently undertaking a career program with the company. As a testament to their efforts, Kwan, on behalf of Ernst & Young, won the 2009 Australian Marketing Institute Award for Marketing Excellence, under the category of Experiential and Brand Experiences.

Mari Ruiz NAME: Mari Ruiz

TITLE: General manager of people and talent COMPANY: InsuranceLine

WHY HOT? InsuranceLine picked up a Hewitt 2009 Best

Employer citation for encouraging a strong entrepreneurial spirit in their people. Ruiz is fortunate that CEOs Howard Ware and Bradley Goldschmidt believe that encouraging a strong entrepreneurial spirit in their people ultimately benefits the organisation. According to Ware and Goldschmidt: “Happy, confident and motivated staff who work in a fun environment constantly look for ways to improve services and manage costs. They have a sense of ownership. If you employ the right people, and put them first, they will look after your customers, and then by default your shareholders are taken care of.” The company encourages a strong hands-on management philosophy, with executive and management staff seated together in an open plan environment. This allows everyone to participate in discussions and for senior staff to understand grass roots issues. New employees are often surprised by the company’s ‘consensus management style’ of decision-making, but it’s been proven as a vital tool for driving engagement and buy-in.

THE EDUCATOR NAME: Peter Coyne TITLE: General manager, human

resources

COMPANY: Crown Casino Melbourne WHY HOT? Commanding a team of 85 HR

professionals at Crown, which operates 24/7, is noteworthy in itself, but Coyne’s biggest contribution has been in the L&D space. In his 15-year career with Crown Casino, Coyne has been instrumental in funnelling an early career passion in teaching into the opening of the Crown College. The $10m stand-alone teaching

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college exposes all Crown staff to the highest training standards, offering frontof-house experiences for customer-facing roles, as well as management/supervisory training programs in conjunction with Swinburne University. As one of the most significant youth employers in Victoria, Coyne is aiming to change the mindset of employees from having a ‘job in hospitality’ to a ‘career in hospitality’. It’s paying off: in September Crown picked up ‘Victorian Employer of the Year’ at the 56th Victorian Training Awards.

COVER STORY who’s who

NAME: Lucinda Gemmell

TITLE: Director of human resources COMPANY: Diageo Australia

WHY HOT? Beverage giant Diageo has the power of strong

consumer brands behind it, but it’s behind the scenes that Gemmell is making the biggest impact. Finishing as the number two ‘Great Places to Work’ list compiled by The Great Place to Work™ Institute (out of 160 participating companies), Gemmell has set high benchmarks when it comes to employee satisfaction and engagement. Specifically, those on the list excel at the following: the relationship between managers and employees; the relationship between employees and their jobs/company; and the relationship between employees and other employees. Diageo Australia also came fourth on the annual Corporate Responsibility Index, a leading, independent measure of responsible and sustainable business practice.

Simon Cowl

Lucinda Gemmell

NAME: Simon Cowl

TITLE: Australia/New Zealand HR director COMPANY: GlaxoSmithKline

WHY HOT? Cowl, who has a career history of being involved

in tricky HR issues (including bedding down the Fosters/ Southcorp acquisition), has continued his run at pharma giant GSK. His task there was a significant HR transformation program, with the end goal to simplify the HR function by moving to a truly shared service structure. As the first country in the GSK family to roll out the new model, all eyes will be on Australia for the immediate future. A shared service shop called the HR Response Centre supports every employee across Australia and New Zealand for HR transactional work, while HR resources aligned with business units now have the freedom to concentrate on strategic issues. Small but impactful L&D, OD and total rewards teams provide support, while a newly established in-house recruitment team provides the last piece of the puzzle.

Research by Clare Costigan www.hcamag.com

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FEATURE retention

All things being EQUAL Empty promises are nothing new when it comes to luring candidates through the door, but what are the long-term consequences?

Rum Charles provides some tips to ease the rush to the exit

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hroughout 2009, with the GFC at its height and fear of unemployment looming, employees kept their heads down and were pleased to hang onto their jobs.

With recent low unemployment figures (5.1%, September 2010), it has become clear Australia is not heading into recession. In fact, our strength has been accompanied by a skills shortage and has provided people with new opportunities to seek fresh employment.

But what is really driving employees to seek greener pastures, and why? Where does management stand in employees’ decisions to flee one company for another? The answers lie in what employers and managers can do to slow the rate of attrition from their organisations.

Having conducted many exit interviews for organisations over the years, I can say with confidence that most people do not change jobs simply to earn more money. Sure, more money is always gratefully received, but this is not the prime motivator for leaving a job.

The deciding factor for changing jobs is often related to the way people are treated by their management and leadership teams, which affects their sense of self worth in relation to how and where they spend the majority of their waking lives. Things often start to go awry on the very first day of a new job.

A lot of focus is given to the task of recruiting new staff members, right from the moment the current incumbent hands in their resignation.

Selection panels are created, job descriptions are written, HR and senior management become

involved – and there is a rush of action to select the right candidate.

Once the position is filled, however, everything comes to an abrupt halt. It’s almost as if no one needs to think about that position or person any more. A sense of ‘mission accomplished’ sweeps through the recruitment team and everyone on it melts away to focus on core activities.

When the candidate arrives for their first day at work they find that all the excitement and camaraderie present at the interview has ‘left the building’, and after a brief walk around the office (the half hour of “this is your desk” and “here’s the kitchen – we have a great coffee maker” and “this is Jo, see her if you need to order stationery”), they are left to fend for themselves – sometimes without an induction session.

So begin the feelings of abandonment, being lied to, conned into yet again just another job in another company that promises the earth and delivers little except a cubicle and a pay packet. Within a week the new employee starts to plot their escape, deciding how long they will have to stay so the move doesn’t look too bad on their resume.

It’s time to reverse this trend across the board so employees want to stay within their current place of employment. Begin by EQUALising the relationships between staff, management and leadership teams.

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Empathise … see things from the employee’s point of view

As a manager it is very easy to be caught up with the day-to-day activities of your role, but your real

FEATURE retention

function is to lead and manage the wellbeing of your teams. To do this, you need to empathise.

Stepping out of your own situation and empathising creates a positive and constructive team dynamic, as you connect with your team members at a human level – not just about work, but about motivations, life goals and workplace aspirations.

The reality is that many managers merely go through the motions of empathising, which can do more harm than good as it falsely sets up your employees with the warm and fuzzies. When your insincerity is discovered (which it inevitably will be), it will send your staff members running for the nearest exit.

To be a great manager or leader you must empathise with emotional intelligence, honesty and integrity.

Question … ask and answer questions to engage in twoway conversations

Q

The days of management being aloof and dictatorial are gone. Collaboration and mutual respect create engagement, which in turn creates loyalty – to the team, the manager and the company. A company is a living, breathing entity made up of the people within it, and like all living creatures it requires regular attention to maintain good health.

Ask relevant questions, listen to responses and ask for clarification if at first you don’t understand.

By questioning openly and honestly a leader will, in a very short period of time, train their subordinates to do likewise.

Understanding … the people are the culture and the culture is the people

U

Organisational culture is created by people’s interactions. It is not tangible, but more like the olfactory sense, felt by people around and within it – bypassing the body and going straight to the brain, evoking immediate reaction: ‘I like it here’, or ‘I don’t like it here’. So when a manager understands their people, they understand the culture of their team and the organisation.

Understanding culture is key to shaping it, and this cannot be done in an HR office or boardroom. Working with people, shaping attitudes and behaviours and understanding what makes the workplace tick will in turn shape the culture.

Action … the action you take now is your past and creates your future

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Something I often heard as a child was that ‘actions speak louder than words’, so saying what you mean and meaning what you do are paramount to the success of any relationship. This is true of staff expectations in relation to your leadership and communications.

Leading and communicating is a momentby-moment activity, so team members require ongoing nurturing to become responsible contributors to the culture. Your staff members will evaluate your actions and in return, they will contribute to the company culture, as culture is everyone’s responsibility.

Leadership … and management are activities not titles

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In my view, many managers have a misplaced feeling of self-importance and believe their staff is there to serve them. I believe the reverse of this; the leader or manager is there to serve the team, not the other way around. In fact I am rather fond of saying ‘all managers are dogs’. Yes, dogs.

Like dogs, managers need to be trained and cared for by team members, and in return, their role is to defend the team from attack, sniff out problems and battle other dogs to bring back bones/resources.

Managers must also use their keen hearing to listen acutely, always be pleased to see team members, plus have boundless energy to stay or fetch as required.

By utilising EQUAL as a whole, you will create a balanced, loyal and productive team that enjoys coming to work. So minimise staff turnover by being the dog that everyone wants to be around. HC

Rum Charles is the author of The Shower, the Course and the Thought Bubble ($22.99), now available at all major bookstores. For more information on Rum Charles visit www.rumcharles.com www.hcamag.com

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FEATURE HR in not-for-profits

Clare Costigan investigates how passionate and savvy HR practices are keeping the not-for-profit sector in full bloom

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arge salaries and bonuses: Tick. Luxury European car and fuel allowance: Done.

Health insurance: Did you really need to ask?

A shares portfolio with the company: Your future has never looked so secure.

These are just some of the offerings of wealthy corporations that can afford to poach and spoil prized staff. Who could resist such temptations? After all, employees are the life force of an organisation, feeding skills, ideas and kinetic actions into a system making it run, and (hopefully) profitably at that. So why shouldn’t they be retained at all costs?

But what happens when an organisation that is just as worthwhile and needed in society does not possess the funds to offer such temptations?

How do organisations manage to attract skilled and motivated staff to their cause? And how can they ever hope to compete with their richer, flashier competition? Simple, they don’t try to compete. Notfor-profits look towards a different realm and think outside the square.

A Towers Perrin study of over 35,000 employees from not-for-profit, public and private sectors showed that while a competitive base salary is one of the most important factors when attracting employees, other elements of the job have a greater impact on employees’ intentions to stay. Regardless of whether an employee is from a not-for-profit or not,

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this study showed competitive benefits, such as retirement benefits and work-life balance – as well as a competitive base salary – were the most important factors when attracting employees. However, career advancement opportunities, retention of highcalibre people, the overall work environment and development of employees’ skills were the most important factors determining staff retention in all three sectors.

Most leaders of not-for-profit organisations are aware that they operate on an uneven playing field but only once they have accepted this can they learn to truly tackle HR issues that are unique to their situation. Successful organisations in this sector, such as Planet Ark and The Starlight Children’s Foundation, instil in their organisation unique qualities and strategies that see them not only survive but prosper.

These are the eight commandments of a successful not-for-profit organisation:

1. Match thy mission A successful not-for-profit organisation must match every person in the organisation with its mission.

A mismatched passion can lead to frustration, communication breakdown, wasted efforts and ultimately the loss of a staff member or volunteer.

When recruiting for The Starlight Children’s

FEATURE HR in not-for-profits

Foundation, head of people and culture Susan Henry makes sure that during the interview process people are matched with their mission accordingly.

“We want to be really clear with them [volunteers and paid staff] about their role description and our mission and the way we work. We also have working with children checks and interviewing and screening processes; we’re pretty thorough.”

Henry also believes people who wish to work for a not-for-profit organisation must have pride in their work. “They [volunteers and paid workers] have to be passionate about making a difference, and want to work somewhere where they can do this.

“They still want to use their skills, and to grow and develop, and it’s not a stepping off [from their career goals] – they’re still achieving all they want but in a different environment. It’s one that is driven by helping people and sick kids and not making money,” says Henry.

2. Thou shalt be flexible Not-for-profit organisations need passionate people who prize a quality work-life balance above most other HR initiatives, but not before a company’s mission.

Research has shown that the majority of employees in this sector are women so it’s no surprise that employers in this sector have led the

way in offering workplace flexibility. Consequently, having competitive benefits can help organisations attract employees. In targeting women, benefits may include child care, flexible work arrangements and job sharing.

Not-for-profits can offer in spades flexible working situations that many large for-profit corporations would not even consider. Founder and CEO of Planet Ark, Paul Klymenko, believes this is a big draw card for people working with his not-forprofit organisation.

Klymenko admits that while he cannot offer large salaries, he can offer something else to his employees: a work-life balance that suits them. With two offices, one located in Sydney and the other in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Klymenko is able to recruit passionate and skilled people from two different areas who ultimately also have different needs. While the Sydney basin is ripe with skilled and passionate candidates who are used to working longer hours and are more conveniently located to the Sydney CBD, Blue Mountains employees are happy to sacrifice an hour’s worth of travel time and pay for a better work-life balance.

3. For love not money Another quality that is universally recognised in notfor-profit organisations is the fact that those who seek

not

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FEATURE HR in not-for-profits

work within this sector cannot be solely motivated by a pay packet. Not-for-profit organisations can offer in abundance the type of work that would warm the cotton socks of any Good Samaritan, but can rarely supply a wage to match.

There are currently numerous tax exemptions (including FBT exemption or rebate), concessions, rate exemptions, stamp duty exemptions and other special forms of treatment (concessions) which are available to the not-for-profit-sector. FBT exemptions or rebates mean that employers can offer to package their employee’s salary in such a way that it provides them with considerable tax savings. Staff may benefit from a reduction in a range of everyday costs including home loan repayments, rent, car repayments and running costs.

However, it is crucial that workers and volunteers are motivated beyond monetary remuneration. A passion for the organisation’s mission is important, as is the attraction to a flexible work environment.

But there is still more to it than that. At the end of the day, these two factors must trump the potential of a larger pay packet elsewhere.

A recent research paper published by Insync Surveys, titled HR Challenges and Triumphs in the Not-For-Profit Sector, highlighted the fact that the main reason people leave not-for-profit organisations is that they feel they are not renumerated appropriately for all the hours they put in.

The same paper noted that negative issues relating to pay and workload may be overcome by increasing the volunteer workforce. Volunteers can help to reduce the workload of current employees and free up funding to improve the conditions for paid workers. In return for their labour, volunteers receive non-monetary benefits, such as the opportunity to socialise, to express their belief in a particular set of values by supporting the organisation’s mission, to gain personal and professional recognition and to get on-the-job training.

4. Think outside the square (and then think a little further) Successful not- for-profits know that it is very unlikely they will be successful in finding new recruits if they base their criteria solely on experience and skill level.

Savvy HR gurus in not-for-profits look for how well the person fits in with the organisation’s mission as well as their attitude and personality. They also believe that a candidate’s lack of experience can be turned into a development opportunity.

The Insync research paper highlights this notion stating, “not-for-profit organisations must often

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recruit based on behaviour and aptitude rather than skill and experience”.

While personal alignment to the values and mission statement of the organisation is important, just like any other organisation, it’s worthwhile assessing what motivates employees. Development plans, ‘stretch assignments’ and other opportunities to be challenged are just a few areas to consider.

5. Thou shalt seek ‘something more’ People who excel in the not-for-profit sector do so because they match the mission. However, that is not the only internal factor that drives them.

People like Klymenko felt compelled to work and shine in the sector because of that undeniable urge to get something more out of life. Klymenko was very successful and “made a lot of money” within the finance sector but admits there were “more than a few drinking sessions trying to sort out my conscience”.

After an inspirational conversation with his sister, Klymenko left the finance world, the perks and the money behind, and instead founded the brand that is known today as Planet Ark. That ‘something more’ factor is a powerful force and if harnessed will drive a person to do great things within an organisation. By fulfilling that internal voice, one achieves an inner reconciliation that can only come from being utterly honest. Notfor-profits benefit greatly from this drive. In the case of a Klymenko, whole organisations can be forged.

6. Embrace that which connects The internet, love or loathe it, is pivotal to a not-forprofit spreading its mission and ultimately giving volunteers, workers and organisations a two-way communication channel.

The internet has also revolutionised the way notfor-profits work. No longer do they rely on external sources to spread their word. Online communities such as The Starlight Children’s Foundation livewire site or PlaNET Vollies, connects thousands of people across continents and gives countless missions and voices within the not-for-profit sector exposure.

The internet has also been handy in cutting out expensive PR middle men, allowing organisations to host their own media centres and post press releases on their sites.

Ethicaljobs.com.au is a clear example of how not-for-profit organisations and ethical organisations are using the internet to find suitable candidates, especially for roles that are hard to fill.

Founder of ethicaljobs.com.au, Michael Cebon, says that certain sectors are very tricky to fill but

THE NUMBERS n 22,272,000 – Australia’s population as of 31 March 2010 n 40,976 – number of not-for-profits in Australia n 884,476 – number of employees in not-for-profits at the end of June 2007 n 5.2 million – the number of Australians (18+) who volunteered in 2006 n 45% – the rate of increase in volunteering when a person has gained university education n 25-44 – the age range with the highest percentage of volunteers n 10 million – the number of worldwide hits per annum the Planet Ark environmental news service receives

FEATURE HR in not-for-profits

with the help of sites like ethicaljobs.com.au and the internet these roles are finding suitable candidates.

“Not-for-profits struggle to fill IT and financial roles.

It’s hard to find people who have these skills and match an organisation’s mission, and it’s incredibly important that staff share an organisation’s values.

That’s what ethicaljobs.com.au is all about,” he says.

The Starlight Children’s Foundation’s Henry, and colleague Kerry Shields, talent sourcing and onboarding manager, unanimously agree that the internet has reshaped the way the organisation reaches its public.

Not-for-profits that embrace the web have the ability to deliver speedy results in recruitment. Both Henry and Klymenko are unanimous in agreement that by the time a potential employee or volunteer has entered a not-for-profit organisation brand name into a search engine they are pretty adamant that they want to work with the organisation and want to do it now.

“We recruit to need – that is, we need to be able to fill roles straight away – because when people click on our site or pick up the phone and say they want to volunteer, they have already gone with the whole thought process and they want to do it now.

“If we said come to an information session in three months’ time and they were not available on that day at that time, then they would miss out and we would lose them,” says Henry.

7. Thou shalt get with the times Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. Once upon a time these words were jibberish, yet in this era they are formidable communication tools that represent and supply a voice for anyone who uses them.

Social media is not a tool to be taken lightly, however. Countless blunders by high profile Tweeters demonstrate the damage that can occur to reputation and brand (not to mention the legal ramifications) when communication channels are open to all.

However, not-for-profit organisations, being astute by nature, are now using social media to connect with target audiences. In the case of The Starlight Children’s Foundation, whose major volunteer and worker audience is Gen Y, social media is a tool the company is beginning to use to spread their mission and attract volunteers when charity events quickly require larger numbers.

Shields says the organisation is embracing social media like never before. “Social media is something that is definitely evolving for us here at Starlight. For our bigger campaigns like Starlight Day, we now have an online drive for volunteers

“They [volunteers and paid workers] have to be passionate about making a difference, and want to work somewhere where they can do this” – Susan Henry and [paid] workers. We achieve this through tools like Facebook.

“For our general volunteer recruitment, we’re also picking up social media – it’s something we’re moving forward with.”

8. Thou shalt seek harmony The days when not-for-profit organisations fought vigorously to keep their skilled staff from being snatched away by the corporate world is diminishing and a significant social shift has emerged.

Something quite remarkable has happened: a cross pollination of ideas and strategies between the corporate world and the not-for-profit sector.

HR managers within for-profit sectors are starting to realise that many of their employees are experiencing internal shifts in motivation. And while they don’t wish to quit their jobs for a not-for-profit career, they do want to contribute their time and volunteer with them. This has birthed the initiative of workplace giving. One need only look at the 2010 BRW best places to work list to see that three of the top five employers on that list quote charity work and volunteering in their employee retention and attraction packages.

Cebon agrees that HR managers are using workplace giving to attract and retain talent. “There is a social trend underway. People increasingly want to feel like their work is making a difference and companies can see that employees want to make a social contribution.

“Many corporations encourage and allow their people to do one day paid volunteer work per year with a charitable organisation,” Cebon says.

Klymenko agrees with this trend and adds, “I was at a conference recently on workplace giving.

There were 90 for-profit companies in the room and in addition to many of them having a workplace giving program – where people could work for X amount of days with charities on full pay, thanks to the company – they also wanted more engagement with not-for-profits. You would think they wouldn’t do something that provided little remuneration. It must make them feel better about themselves. It was an interesting observation.” HC www.hcamag.com

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PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING psychometric assessment

fit

happens

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PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING psychometric assessment

Actually, fit only happens with the correct due diligence in recruitment. Iain Hopkins talks to two experts for their views on how psychometric assessment is changing and what role it plays in the current employment market

H

R practitioners with long memories may recall the days when psychometric assessment was necessary due to the sheer volume of applicants; notwithstanding the GFC as a blip in a talent-tight market, now psychometric assessment is required because there are too few candidates. Kim MacDonald, MD of PreVisor Asia-Pacific, explains: “The overwhelming fact in Australia is that there’s just not enough good talent. I’ve recently spent time in the US and what I saw there was psychometric testing being used to make sure that of the 500 candidates applying the hiring manager didn’t have to speak to 495. In Australia there are five good candidates to begin with and you’ve got to make a trade-off.”

MacDonald says the trade-off is often between the candidate with a perfect cultural fit and the candidate with perfect experience. “As soon as you come to think of an employment decision as a trade-off you need really good data. You can’t go on hunches. That’s why the field is growing,” he says.

Rethinking what’s on offer Psychometric assessment is inherently tied to assessing a candidate for cultural fit with an organisation. Again, the GFC has changed the playing field. Many organisations are revisiting their EVP and reassessing what they can actually offer candidates and employees – a key consideration when looking at cultural fit and motivational drivers for employees.

Kellie Rigg, head of psychology, HR consulting at Randstad, says that the results of psychometrics (including individual motivators) can be used throughout the employee lifecycle.

“With the tool we use we have motivation questions built in to understand the key drivers for the individual; then we can use that to understand whether culturally that fits with the organisation and what they have to offer. We can also use it to highlight

skills gaps and use it for professional development purposes,” she says.

MacDonald notes that perceptions of the EVP between two candidates will be completely different: one will want a short commute to work; another will want an opportunity to work overseas. In other words, the EVP is becoming more personalised. “If you’re an HR manager now the interview is no longer ‘tell me about a time when you did X’. The interview is about determining what will motivate that individual and constructing the EVP to capture their heart and mind.”

Nuts and bolts Like any other pre-employment screening technique, essentially psychometric testing is attempting to predict someone’s behaviour. Rigg confirms that this is the end goal of any recruitment process – the aim is to build a picture of an individual to know how they’re going to perform within a particular role. “Being able to use multiple measures helps us build that picture,” she says. “We call that predictive validity. Psychometric assessment provides something more than what you might traditionally get from an interview, a reference check or an assessment centre where people are trying to put their best foot forward. It helps us provide a more objective and standardised measure that has greater freedom from our biases as interviewers.”

Psychometric assessment aims to put a quantifiable assessment across a person’s behaviours and abilities. Common factors to assess include: »» Personality or behaviour – preferred style of operating in the workforce. Eg, the interviewee may be asked which statement is most like themselves: I get nervous before a formal situation; I like selling things to people; I’m interested in understanding what drives people. »» Ability – the underlying cognitive skills someone might require for that role – whether that’s verbal

“People tend to think of testing as a blunt instrument, but over time it’s gotten better and better.

We can now be very precise” – Kim MacDonald

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PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING psychometric assessment

reasoning or numeric reasoning. Eg, to assess numerical reasoning, there might be a graph with inferences to be made from accompanying data. »» Motivation – the elements that will most likely motivate someone in the workplace. Eg, on a scale of 1–5, how important is having your own office? How important is it for your salary to match what you think you should be earning?

MacDonald notes that there is a hierarchy of performance (see diagram below). Abilities, motivations and behaviours/personality are less trainable; they are more like hardwired traits. “As much as I might want to improve, there’s not much I can do that will make me more intelligent,” he says.

“I’m as intelligent as I’m ever going to be.”

However, there are other areas someone might be hired for. For example, someone may have extraordinary skill, or superior knowledge and experience. “Someone may be so sublimely skilled that you’ll take them even if they don’t have these other things,” says MacDonald.

A well constructed psychometric assessment will contain a mix of behavioural/personality, cognitive questions and IQ questions.

This approach helps to remove the likelihood of ‘social desireability’, which is especially troublesome with personality testing. Social desireability occurs when candidates provide the responses they believe the employer is looking for. Although there are ways to counter this, such as extra validity checks, MacDonald cautions against relying on a single form of testing.

“If you provide some IQ testing with situational judgment, some personality, some motivation, and then combine those things, you mitigate the risk of desireability. A reputable vendor will take care of it, but there is a risk there.”

The ‘right’ answer to the question then depends on the type of test. However, while a numerical reasoning test will certainly have a right/wrong answer, MacDonald says it must be relevant to the job.

A policeman would not need to know complex maths problems like a trader in a financial services firm, for example. Other answers – to motivational questions, for example – might not be obvious at all.

“It might be based on the answer that other people, who do the job well, have given. It’s the idea that empirically we can prove something but we don’t know why. We might say striped ties predict job success. We would have no rational theory why, we just know it’s true, so the guy with the striped tie would get the job.

Another example: what’s your favourite colour? It’s blue. Blue is the answer given by people who have been successful in the past. As a candidate you don’t know what the best answer is.”

As MacDonald points out, asking 300 personality questions will turn off a candidate, so this mixed question approach is a more engaging proposition.

“If I was given just 10 minutes with a candidate I’d give them a 10-minute IQ test because intelligence predicts like nothing else. If I had 15 minutes, I’d assess motivation, or how much they want it – there are so many examples of people who achieve great things on sheer desire. Finally, if I had more time, I’d try to find out who’s more conscientious, more confident interpersonally,” he adds.

Broader considerations How important is it to consider broader elements such as the team’s psychological make-up and even business needs when undertaking recruitment for a particular role? Although Rigg says the primary concern is to have an understanding of the role itself,

Why assess?

Skills

Easily trainable Less trainable

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Knowledge

Ability

Motivation/interest

Experience

Traits

PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING psychometric assessment

she adds that she would also consult with a client on what the team structure is like and who the other personalities are. “It’s important to understand the culture of the team – just because someone can do the job doesn’t mean they can fit in with that team,” she says. “I wouldn’t suggest profiling the other members because that team will not always be together, so I’d say it’s more important to have some understanding of the team – the norm behaviours, what’s important for that team, the motivations, values and drivers.”

Looking at broader business and economic needs is also worth considering. For example, during the GFC it may have been important for employees to closely follow rules and err on the side of caution; whereas now the economy is stable and it’s important to grow market share – so some risk-taking traits may be desired. “Can you be precise enough to say that this individual is more of a risk taker than the next person?

Yes you can. People tend to think of testing as a blunt instrument, but over time it’s gotten better and better.

We can now be very precise,” says MacDonald.

Changing with the times Traditional approaches to psychology are being challenged in the modern era, which MacDonald believes is “as significant a transition as TV going from black and white to colour”. As just one example of new versus old, a traditional approach to assessing the desirable traits of a sales employee would be to say that person needs confidence and aggression.

MacDonald calls this the Glengarry Glen Ross approach – a reference to a movie in which Alec Baldwin plays a character who is adamant the only way to get sales leads is to go harder and harder. “It wasn’t effective in the movie, and it’s not effective in real life,” MacDonald says. “Sales roles are probably some of the least understood by psychologists because we’re still stuck trying to predict that sort of behaviour. In the modern field we say there might be 50 ways to be a really good salesperson. It’s not just behaviour we want; we want the outcome – people who sell more. It could be that two people display completely different behaviours but both get results.”

Indeed, while Rigg believes it’s crucial that HR and hiring managers have a solid understanding of the role they’re hiring for and what defines success in the role, it’s also crucial not to go too far. A metaphor likening recruitment to dating is cute but it also works: in both cases lengthy ‘wish lists’ for the perfect person

“[Psychometric assessment] helps us provide a more objective and standardised measure that has greater freedom from our biases as interviewers” – Kellie Rigg

are drawn up and every candidate is a failure against that list. “When you start to say there’s an ideal profile you’re missing out on someone who may be successful. They could be a good partner for you, even if they don’t have all the traits,” says MacDonald.

In the talent-tight market, how do employers compel candidates to take the test and stick with them through the process? PreVisor has found that one way to engage candidates in the process is to ‘give something back’. For example, the testing may also act as a simulation of what the role is like. “If you give me a simulation of something that looks like the job, I can then see how it relates to my experience. That’s going to be closer to where I’m coming from as a candidate,” says MacDonald.

The other battle is one of time: most candidates today are not willing to suffer through hours of assessment. Testing vendors are trying to make tests shorter but ensure they remain predictive and valid.

The future is adaptive technology: a question is asked, and based on the response a follow-up question will be asked that is statistically accurate and relevant based on the previous response. “Instead of asking 300 questions I can ask 60,” says MacDonald. “I’m saving time and lowering the chance that someone may cheat.”

The ultimate aim is to offer candidates adaptive simulations, a combination of the two concepts outlined above. In terms of best practice, MacDonald cites Boeing, which is assessing people for their fit to the EVP. “Testing for cultural fit is poorly handled because it’s poorly defined. Boeing has said ‘here’s the culture, how do you want to participate?’ They let candidates think about the EVP while doing the test.”

Final tips When should psychometric assessments be completed? While it depends on the role, Rigg believes that for optimum cost benefit in graduate recruitment, for example, some ability and behavioural testing should be done upfront, especially if job profiling has been performed and a merit list against key criteria has been created. “It shouldn’t be left too long in the process,” she says. “If it’s done after the initial interview you can explore the things that come up in the psychometric and really nut them out.”

Both Rigg and MacDonald agree that the results of psychometric assessments can be jeopardised if handled by those without expertise in psychology. HC www.hcamag.com

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TEAMBUILDER stephanie vass

Stephanie Vass is both group general counsel and head of people and development at Resimac. She speaks with Renu Prasad about the unique challenges of this double-barrelled role

Y

ou never know when the next career challenge will arise. Earlier this year, Stephanie Vass was a partner at law firm Piper Alderman and was not looking for a change.

“I really wasn’t looking to move, I was very happy at Piper Alderman,” she says. “I enjoyed what I did, it was a great working environment and it was a great team of people.” But a conversation over a client lunch with the CEO from specialist securitisation and finance company Resimac turned into a job offer which was too appealing to turn down. “One of the reasons why I moved was that Resimac had been my client for a long time,” explains Vass. “I knew the business, I had worked with very senior people in the organisation, I knew the CEO very well and respected him immensely.”

It’s a story which affirms the old adage that business relationships, not an active job search in the market, is the best way to find a new role. Still, Vass admits there is a challenge in meeting the high expectations and important duties with which she has been entrusted in a commercial environment. It’s a common experience for any lawyer who has left the security of private practice to go in-house – or indeed, anyone who has made a career shift.

Many facets Vass wears multiple hats at Resimac. As group general counsel, she is responsible for the management of the company’s legal affairs while as head of people and development she is responsible for the company’s HR function. It is an unusual combination but also one which clearly makes sense, given Vass’ previous experience as an employment lawyer in private practice. As Vass points out, there are certain analogies between law and HR: “There is a need to manage people’s expectations. Business units are your clients from an HR perspective and you have to be able to service them in the same way that you are expected to service a client in day-today [legal] practice and make sure their needs are met. If they’ve got a question or an issue which needs to be resolved it has to be resolved then and there.”

Vass may be part of the executive team, but she is very much involved with frontline HR duties such as reviewing policies and procedures, conducting seminars on topics such as workplace diversity and acting as a single point of contact and negotiation for recruitment. Having a single point of contact means that Resimac is able to ensure a consistency in its approach to employment conditions.

When law

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Thilo Pulch, www.pulchphotography.com

TEAMBUILDER stephanie vass

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TEAMBUILDER stephanie vass

The common thread through all of this, of course, is the importance of understanding the legal obligations which underpin the employment relationship and this is something which Vass is uniquely placed to appreciate: “I think I can bring a different approach to HR because I am a lawyer,” she says. “It’s an advantage – I can look at issues from a legal perspective and ascertain what the risks are and what the exposure is to the company. Having that background is an edge because I’ve had all sorts of cases and I can anticipate what the likely outcome is going to be.”

Over the years, there has been a shift in the role of the in-house legal profession across Australian and New Zealand businesses. In-house lawyers have waged a steady campaign to be recognised as part of the core senior management group rather than simply a company appendage with only peripheral involvement in key business decisions. This campaign has largely been successful, but the debate continues for HR professionals looking to be seen as part of the senior management group.

The capacity to provide solutions from a legal perspective, rather than simply an HR one, may be a key part of this evolution. Certainly Vass’ legal background has seen her become involved in matters at an earlier stage than perhaps might otherwise have been the case. “If you have someone with a legal background in HR, I think [senior management] will come to you right at the outset to ask for assistance,” she says. “They know you’ll be able to give them the proper direction and also advise them of the consequences if they take different approaches to certain things.”

Will we see more GCs take on HR responsibilities as part of their role, and in the longer term might in-house legal and compliance teams even displace HR teams in some companies?

Lawyers who have taken up GC roles in the past have often had corporate or litigation practice backgrounds and this may be part of the reason why a fusion of legal and HR functions is relatively uncommon at present. What prompted Vass to take up the HR function was her background in employment law and she warns against the tempting assumption that any lawyer is capable of navigating workplace laws even without a background in this particular area.

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“I think I can bring a different approach to HR because I am a lawyer … I can look at issues from a legal perspective and ascertain what the risks are and what the exposure is to the company” – Stephanie Vass

“Most lawyers think that they know how to navigate through an employment contract – but it can be quite complicated and we’ve had two pieces of significant legislation in the last four years,” she observes. “The number of mistakes we’ve seen in employment contracts that have come from lawyers without exposure to workplace relations legislation is just phenomenal. I think people underrate [employment law] because they consider it soft, and it isn’t – you need to be aware of all sorts of legislation, and be aware of the type of workplace conduct which may be in breach of the legislation such as the Trade Practices Act, the Fair Work Act, or the OHS Act. It can be complicated.”

Vass takes an interest in the issue of company morale and this was in fact one of the things she investigated before joining Resimac. “I wanted to meet and talk to the executive team at length and find out what keeps them here,” she says.

Vass discovered that Resimac has a very low staff turnover, something which she attributed in part to the quality of the leadership. “The executive team is respected internally and in the industry. In terms of the employees, people know what they have to do and know what’s expected of them. At the senior level in particular that’s very important,” she says. She was also impressed with the level of energy within the company: “We’ve also gone through quite a growth spurt, there have been quite a few [new] people employed at various levels in the operations area, and the organisation is changing its profile – people sense that,” she says.

Renaissance lawyer?

The concept of a ‘renaissance lawyer’ may be something of a hyperbole, but it is certainly intriguing to encounter professionals who have interests which could have led them down a very different career path. Vass is just one example of a lawyer with a wide range of professional interests spanning from languages (she speaks five) and engineering. Having finished her secondary studies, she toyed with the idea of becoming an engineer before eventually settling on law. Structured financial products might be as close as Vass gets to her own engineering project in this role, but there is little doubt that there will be no shortage of stimulating work in this next phase of her career. HC

TEAMBUILDER stephanie vass

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FEATURE workplace investigations

. .. f o e f li e h t in y A da Stuart King provides insights into an average day in the life of a workplace investigator

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y aim is the prevention and not the investigation of workplace behaviour complaints.

I’d rather stop organisations risking possible loss of people, damage to brand and litigation by identifying preventative processes and enacting proactive strategies to identify behavioural risk and pre-empt workplace complaints.

But as a former Victoria Police senior officer now advising organisations Australia-wide on risk associated with workplace behaviour and conflict resolution, and with more than 30 years’ experience in this and related fields, investigations constitute a large part of my business.

Most HR managers lack the skills or experience to conduct investigations into workplace behaviour

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complaints, and since this sort of sensitive investigation must be independent the preferred option is to call in an expert consultant.

Investigation should be the last resort, but when it does occur, the following describes the investigator’s experience on the all-important first day of a process that typically takes five to eight.

Day one: Laying the foundation for success Having prepared for the investigation (see box p43) the investigator’s main objective is to build their relationship with the participants and to create confidence in the methodology to be applied. There will be pressure on all concerned so confidence, clarity and trust must be established from the outset.

FEATURE workplace investigations

To this end, I will meet with the organisation’s HR or OHS representative, then the complainant and the respondent individually and in that order.

At the first meeting of the day the investigator finalises the terms of reference with the HR or OH&S representative. This includes articulating his role as being objective, fair and independent and confined to the agreed investigative process. Participants’ welfare is the responsibility of the organisation’s representative, although the investigator should get contact details for the organisation’s counselling and assistance services if available to pass on to those who in his opinion are stressed and struggling with the process. The investigator will establish what other processes might have been tried, such as mediation, and the outcomes desired by the complainant. This can be a tricky conversation if the organisation’s representative has already made up his or her mind about the case. They’ll often express a view to which my standard, objective response is “we’ll see”.

The investigator meets next with the complainant to establish a rapport and explain the process of gathering and analysing material evidence from which to make findings and generate a report and recommendations for the employer. He describes his background in terms of the brief and explains his role as an independent and objective investigator whose final report will be based on analysing the weight of evidence surrounding the complaint and whether it can be substantiated on the balance of probabilities; that is, an investigation is a search for truth based on whether or not it is more likely than not that the alleged complaint did or did not occur. The investigator provides and explains the particulars of the complaint he has drawn up from the complainant’s statement and ensures that the complainant has nothing further to add before signing off on it. If the complainant is accompanied by a union representative or lawyer, the investigator needs to make them confident in the process too and to articulate his expectation of their role which is as a support and not an advocate for the complainant.

At this meeting the investigator requests a list of witnesses and others the complainant believes should be interviewed, inquires about his or her welfare and asks if there are any questions.

This is usually a stressful encounter at which the complainant’s emotions can range from outraged

demands for vengeance to apprehension about outcomes and in which the investigator plays an educative role based on his/her skills and experience.

He/she might assure the outraged complainant, for example, that despite the seriousness of the issue it is not a murder investigation. The complainant might feel hurt and upset and want to hurt the respondent but he or she needs to understand that this is an independent investigative process and that their desired outcomes may not be reasonable or just or those that are recommended. Overcoming stress and emotion for those involved is all in the method of approach, keeping an open mind and managing the expectations of the complainant, the respondent and the organisation.

The next interview, usually after a short break to finalise the particulars of the complaint, is with the respondent. Again the investigator introduces himself/herself and outlines the brief and the investigative methodology. The respondent receives a copy of the particulars of the complaint and is asked to consider providing a written response. It is important for all involved to understand that their participation is voluntary and that they have the right not to engage with or speak to the investigator.

Respondents in a complaint almost always have questions about the process and what is going to happen to them. I assure them that the procedure will be entirely objective, free of preconceived outcomes and safe in the sense of providing opportunities for them to be heard. They too are asked to nominate witnesses and material which can help the investigator make a judgment on the basis of

Preparation Preliminary steps before commencing an investigation include: • Identifying what has been done already to try and resolve issues • Gathering and reviewing all the relevant paperwork such as the complainant’s written claim, the organisation’s policies on required workplace behaviours, its code of conduct and the relevant legislation • Preparing a confidentiality agreement for all involved as an undertaking not to share conversations about the investigation with other parties to protect people from victimisation and reduce the risk of collusion • Drawing up the particulars of complaint. Typically a complainant will submit a statement that reads more like a long story of what happened, full of emotion and pain. A skilled investigator needs to establish what breaches of policy or legislation may have occurred and articulate them such that the respondent can clearly understand and respond www.hcamag.com

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FEATURE workplace investigations

probabilities as a means of helping them understand what test is being applied. But while it is one thing to begin gathering evidence it is another to talk about possible sanctions and way too early in the process. I don’t talk about consequences or outcomes and if they ask I say it will depend on the results of the investigation. If I can allay their worry I will by trying to put some perspective on the case. In so doing, however, you must remain cautious and circumspect.

The rest of the day is spent scheduling interviews with witnesses and drawing up an investigation plan.

Once you start you have to keep moving forward because people get anxious. One of the big problems is managing the expectations of all concerned, particularly when so many assume you can conduct the whole process in a day or so!

There will very likely be another meeting with the organisation’s representative to report back and discuss whatever resources might be needed.

Having already identified what he or she thinks are the relevant areas of company policy and legislation, the investigator might conclude this busy first day with further research. He or she needs to invest time in understanding internal policy definitions and applications, relevant legislation and in determining where the allegation sits as a basis for referencing all material gathered from then on.

Next steps

Stuart King is the CEO of Kings Workplace Solutions. For further information visit www. kingsworkplacesolutions. com.au

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With a solid foundation established the investigator moves to the heart of the investigation – gathering evidence and analysing it. While the process should be standard and consistent, what will vary is the quality of material and analysis. The investigation must be thorough. It’s a bit like compiling a database: if you get rubbish in, you get rubbish out so you need to identify fruitful investigative avenues that will provide probative evidence and help answer the question around the probability of something having occurred or not.

Investigations require a particular skill set and one needs to be practised to know the pitfalls. As a former police prosecutor I understand the application of policy, law and regulations, presentation of evidence and cross-examination. I learned also

With a solid foundation established the investigator moves to the heart of the investigation – gathering evidence and analysing it through this experience that seldom does the truth emerge and that often outcomes favour those who present the best argument. So an investigator’s skill is not to be seduced by the more palatable version of events and to see beyond them. During interviews my radar is working overtime as I try to read people and understand their psychology and open up my intuitive cognition to how a person is travelling.

I don’t always get it right but you can generally tell if someone is in a bad or unhealthy space.

You must bear in mind also the holistic nature of the complaint. Individual incidents might be excluded on the basis of evidence, for example, but this does not necessarily preclude an overall discernible pattern of behaviour.

Analysis of the material as a basis for the final report and recommendations is the time consuming part and draws also on experience and intuitive skills. Linking material to the central particulars of a complaint can present as a web of complexity and information. The skill is in thinking at various levels simultaneously while being mindful of relevance.

Usually there are three possible outcomes.

The complaint is either substantiated or not, or you are unable to determine an outcome because there is insufficient evidence to find either way.

It is possible but rare to find also that the complaint is vexatious or malicious.

Generally, one of the parties to a complaint is going to be unhappy with the investigative result.

However, if all concerned have faith and trust in the investigation the parties usually recognise that they have been heard in the course of a fair and unbiased process. HC Stuart King will present his recommendations on the implementation of outcomes in an upcoming issue of Human Capital

FEATURE workplace investigations

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LEADERSHIP INSIGHT microsoft

A different perspective Iain Hopkins talks to David McLean, Microsoft entertainment and devices division regional director (Australia and New Zealand) about diversity of thinking, empowerment and the role of the leader n Microsoft’s average time-to-fill in Australia and New Zealand is a lengthy nine to12 weeks n 68% of all vacancies at Microsoft are filled either through internal mobility or employee referrals n 96% of permanent employees were handled by the internal recruitment team

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Human Capital: What do you think organisations can do to foster a culture of innovation in their employees?

David McLean: At Microsoft we absolutely foster and encourage innovation – in fact I think it’s perhaps the most important thing we have. The reason our products are successful is because they’re innovative – and that comes from the creativity of individuals. Microsoft’s culture remit is to look for people who have certain attributes.

Anyone who works for us must have a passion for technology. It’s very important that people care about the products the company produces. We also look for honesty and openness. We care a lot about authenticity. We also focus on diversity.

People may think it’s the traditional areas – gender balance, ethnic balance, religious tolerance – but from my perspective the most important part of diversity is diversity of thinking.

HC: What do you mean by diversity of thinking?

DM: I’ve got some people who are very ‘straightyone-eighty’ in terms of how they look at things, they are very conservative; then there are some who always work on the wild side and try to break the rules, they are creative. In the function they deliver on, every single one of those people is smarter, more competent, and better at that job than I will ever be. My sales director is a much better sales director than I will ever be. My job as a leader of those people is to empower them to make decisions about the business that make sense.

HC: Do you hire people for those attributes?

DM: Yes. When someone has gone through the interview process at Microsoft, we establish

whether they have the core competencies to do the job at hand. After that we focus on what some would call those softer skills – passion, can you be innovative in the job, are you open and honest, are you authentic? The challenge then becomes how those people learn to communicate with each other because they will communicate differently.

That’s why openness and respect becomes critical for us. How respectful are you when someone doesn’t think like you? How do you operate in a way where your first assumption is that person’s point of view is coming from a good place?

HC: What do you think is a leader’s role in encouraging innovation?

DM: Leaders should not expect to have all the answers. A leader should be someone who can help facilitate finding the answers in others. If my job is to have all the answers then I create an environment that is prescriptive. If I’m operating a prescriptive model then I’m not going to get the level of diversity of thinking that will make the result stronger because the only thinking will be my own.

If I think I’m the smartest person in the room then I’m already setting myself up to fail.

Leadership is about selecting the right people in your organisation so the level of empowerment is deep. It’s also about taking risks. I can think of myriad examples where we’ve empowered people to make decisions and taken a risk with them to ensure we get results from them.

HC: There is a counter to that. What happens when someone takes a risk and it’s a mistake?

DM: The important thing is to always look at people’s intent. If you have good people they

COVER LEADERSHIP STORY employee INSIGHT Microsoft retention

“From my perspective the most important part of diversity is diversity of thinking” – David McLean should, from time to time, make mistakes. The issue as a leader is how you respond to that mistake. If you respond by making sure they’ve learnt from the mistake and move on, then I believe you’ll get even more loyalty from people. People in my organisation will only run into trouble if they make the same mistake twice.

HC: How about conflict in the workplace – is some friction healthy?

DM: There are different types of conflict and the conflict I embrace is conflict of ideas. Any meeting I’m involved in, I will stimulate conflict. Sometimes, I will immediately disagree with your point of view and not really have an opinion. Part of the reason for that is to stir up the thinking. When someone says we can do something in a particular way, I want to test whether they’ve thought it through.

HC: What are your thoughts on the role of technology in drawing out great ideas?

DM: No one has exclusivity on ideas. Therefore, the question is how do you get access to those ideas, and what do you do with them once you have access to them? There are websites now where you can pose a question and people give you their points of view. To be able to do that you need to be open to others. You can’t believe that you’re the only one who can come back with an answer. That’s cultural, and that’s fostered within Microsoft.

What technology should do is continue to help create environments for people to do their best thinking. With the technology that Microsoft uses in its business, cloud services, and so on, it means people can work in an environment that works best for them. Some people need to be surrounded with other people to tease out ideas, someone else may want isolation. We have an environment where we manage people by objectives. We manage people by outcome, which means you’ll never see me wandering around the floor wondering where everybody is. That’s not how we work.

The technology we have access to provides an opportunity to work where I want, how I want. HC www.hcamag.com

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PROFILE john mcdonnell

Bed, board and brilliant HR From the UK to Australia via Russia and Oman, this month’s HR professional has rich experiences in hospitality to draw on. Iain Hopkins talks with John McDonnell

J

ohn McDonnell’s entrée to HR occurred quite by accident. Growing up in the UK, one of his mother’s colleagues had a full-time job in the HR (or personnel as it was then known) department at a hotel. Looking for direction, McDonnell got talking to her, and through that came some clarity around what he was after in a job: he wanted a role that provided the opportunity to communicate and engage with others and perhaps also had the scope to develop people to their full potential.

McDonnell set about scouring newspapers to get an entry level role into human resources. He ended up in a HR administrative position at the British School of Motoring. “It was a great start. I was lucky I had people around me who showed me the ropes in terms of HR and what it does for the business,” he notes.

After several years at BSM, McDonnell was contacted by his original HR mentor, who informed him the hotel she worked for was searching for a personnel assistant. “I went along, met her, met the GM, and ended up in the hotel industry,” he says.

Subsequent work with Intercontinental Hotels took McDonnell to Moscow and Oman in the Middle East.

He took a break from hospitality and joined Southcorp just before the tumultuous Fosters takeover. McDonnell points to this period of his career as being the most challenging but also the

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most rewarding. “I really wanted to understand what Fosters was about,” he says. “I wanted to understand the culture and impact of what they wanted to do with this new business model, and was able to communicate that to our own people at Southcorp.

Some colleagues declined to stay; others said ‘yes, I get that; I want to be part of this big Fosters model’.

“For me, going through the merger process for that 15-month time frame was tremendous.

Fosters did a terrific job trying to harmonise that partnership, bringing the two cultures together,” McDonnell adds.

He relocated to Australia in 2003 with the intention of being here for three years, but fell in love with the Australian culture. A move back into the hospitality industry saw him working with GPT Group’s Voyages Hotels division for just over a year, and he joined Accor as general manager – human resources Australia, in July 2008.

HR at Accor Accor is a global company established in Paris in the late 1960s. In 1990 Accor branched into Australia with the Novotel in Darling Harbour, and it now operates 150 properties Australia-wide. Brands under the Accor banner include Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Ibis, Mercure, All Seasons and Formule1.

PROFILE john mcdonnell

PERSONAL FILE

John McDonnell Age: 40-ish Family: Wife and two young girls – aged nine and six Favourite sports: Anything competitive – with a nine-year-old in the family I’ve become a netball expert!

Favourite movie or TV: I’m Alright Jack with Peter Sellers always makes me laugh. Also Fargo – I love the way it keeps you in suspense and challenges your thinking Self-described: Very energetic, highly driven, competitive, passionate.

Hobbies: Being with the kids, and wine. I love walking around wine shops for hours on end – much to my wife’s distress!

First job/worst job: First job was HR assistant at British School of Motoring.

I haven’t really had a ‘worst’ job – I’ve loved bits of all jobs I’ve had If not in HR: I had aspirations of being a sports journalist when I was younger

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PROFILE john mcdonnell

In Australia, the company employs between 7,000 and 8,000 workers, which fluctuates seasonally.

Across the business, there are approximately 90 HR professionals employed.

McDonnell holds national accountability for the HR function, which is split into two elements: the national function, which includes the corporate office with head of training & development, a national talent manager, a comp & ben manager, and a HR generalist looking after project activity. The national function is responsible for setting direction at local level and determining what is streamlined down from Paris.

The second element is the HR operational function. Each state has its own divisional HR director who is responsible for day-to-day activity, but has an indirect reporting line to the corporate office for advice on any challenges and issues.

Making it work The range of HR issues in a hospitality organisation such as Accor are quite daunting, yet McDonnell will only say, “it’s a challenge, but a pleasant challenge”.

Having worked in a consumer environment and hospitality for many years, McDonnell has seen the challenges of both industries. “In a consumer environment like Fosters, for example, you have the ability and opportunity to delve into a specific field, whether it’s compensation, L&D, organisational development, or whatever. In hospitality you touch on all facets of HR. You’re dealing with everything from recruitment to engagement, and all the hygiene elements around supporting people, through to the IR aspects to coaching and working with a management team at a property level,” he says.

McDonnell says the simple business model is a primary reason for success. The key roles are the general managers and operational managers of each property. “As a GM you’re not just responsible for your own property but for your own business unit.

You have a lot of autonomy to run your own business; you’re accountable for the bottom line,” he says.

Last year was particularly challenging: corporate travel was reduced; meetings cancelled; and social occasions were minimised. Yet the GMs still delivered financial outcomes. Surprisingly, when the Accor leadership team rolled out a satisfaction survey last year the results showed a 1.6% year-onyear increase in employee satisfaction. “We’re a very values-driven business,” says McDonnell. “They

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“That [under 25] demographic is asking, ‘what can you do for me?’ so it’s about providing learning opportunities and career development” – John McDonnell

underpin everything we expect from our people.

What these results told us was that the values we have in our organisation are strong, because they’re lived from our vice president down. Our GMs took time to communicate and listen to their teams. We can’t touch people every day from the head office – but our GMs can, and they do. Eighty-nine per cent of our people, when asked if they were satisfied with Accor, said ‘yes’.”

HR challenges Recruitment is “always a challenge” in an industry like hospitality, says McDonnell. He notes that recruiting talent in rural communities is actually easier than urban areas, because the hotel is often viewed as an integral part of the community in rural areas. In CBDs, Accor must compete not just with other hotels but all organisations in a customerdriven business.

“Look at Coles and their fantastic work in rebranding their HR division; or McDonalds with their truly aspirational careers website. Forty per cent of our workforce would be under 25, so this is the competition we’re dealing with,” says McDonnell.

“That demographic is asking, ‘what can you do for me?’ so it’s about providing learning opportunities and career development.”

In terms of attraction, two things work in Accor’s favour. Firstly, candidates tend to identify strongly with and attach themselves to a hotel brand. This becomes apparent when the Accor brands partner with hotel schools and TAFES. “People get very excited about the brand. They say, ‘I’ve stayed at a Novotel.’ They connect in that way,” says McDonnell.

Secondly, word of mouth rules in hospitality.

“The majority have come through because of word of mouth – they know someone who has stayed at the hotel, or know someone who has worked at the hotel brand,” says McDonnell.

Retention Top of Accor’s retention weapons is The Academy, a dedicated training and development division. The Academy is split into two divisions. The first is the RTO arm, which runs a traineeship program.

“The idea behind that is to drive some certification and recognition for employees without any sort of qualifications,” McDonnell explains.

“We’ve developed a program called Start Me, which is developed over the first 12 weeks [of employment].

PROFILE john mcdonnell

There are hurdles to go through in terms of initiating yourself as an individual into our values, into what your role is and how it supports and contributes to the organisation. You receive a certification after that process.”

The next stage is the Build Me program, which is aligned to a Cert 3 Hospitality Operations program whereby individuals undertake a range of competencies certified under the Australian Qualifications Framework.

The other side is the Academy Leadership Team, which is driving the professional development of employees – the ‘7 Habits’ leadership program is one of the many specialised training programs, focusing on such areas as sales and marketing, and general manager development.

A new initiative this year has been the introduction of Accor’s online university. The content covers everything from basic introductory courses through to particular competencies such as problem solving and time management. “This ability to selflearn really appeals to a lot of people and the take up has been amazing,” says McDonnell.

Retaining talent is critical and this year saw Accor roll out its first state-based assessment workshop for employees with leadership potential.

The assessment centre was held at SECC and brought together 70 rising managers. The assessment centre enabled the organisation to identify high potential through a series of business activities. This resulted in a number of new career opportunities being identified for many managers.

“We put a competitive challenge around some business exercises, with independent assessors measuring individual effort and team effort. The feedback was fantastic so we are now rolling it out nationally,” says McDonnell.

Development programs are also run for specific job roles. For example, a fast track program for general managers, and a tailored program for assistant managers. “What was apparent to our VP was that our assistant managers are at the front end of inquiries. This program focuses on empowering them to make a real difference to customer experiences. For example, if a customer has a bad hotel experience, the assistant manager should feel empowered to take action to rectify the situation, by financial means or other means – a complimentary breakfast or free accommodation on a return visit.”

Out and about McDonnell’s passion for Accor is palpable – so much so that he admits to feeling somewhat constrained sitting in the corporate office. For him, nothing tops being out and about meeting employees in hotels. In 2010 a new concept was formalised: all head office staff will experience two days in a hotel, dealing directly with customers. “I’ve just done mine,” he says. “I was with the assistant manager in Wollongong. You see the challenges our employees face and the work they do daily. I was really impressed by the quality of our people’s work, from making a reservation to ensuring that all the processes were followed and done well.” HC

In his own words…

What are your thoughts on the future of HR as a profession?

It’s really important that HR professionals position the HR function as an integral part of the business, not just another support function. That’s an old cliché but the best advice I got was from a managing director who said HR can only make a difference if they truly know how the organisation works. I made the effort to really understand the mechanics of that organisation and this proved invaluable. HR should not just strive to excel in the HR field but demonstrate a real understanding of all facets of the business.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?

Probably the merger process of Fosters and Southcorp. The cultural environment was great for me.

When I look back it was tough and demanding, but it was a great learning experience. I also lived in Moscow for a year and then spent time in Oman. Both experiences really opened my eyes up and I grew personally so much in that time. Sometimes I think you’ve got to put yourself under pressure – positive pressure – where you’re out of your comfort zone.

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IN BRIEF australian news

Pay budgets finally on the rebound

Pay packets have finally rebounded from the effects of the GFC, but will only continue to rise at a conservative pace according to Mercer’s latest salary survey.

Mercer’s Market Issues Survey of 132 organisations revealed that salary increases have started to rise, after bottoming out at 3% for the year ending December 2009. The rate of growth in salaries increased to 3.5% in July 2010, as improved economic conditions led employers back to more competitive labour market conditions.

However, Mercer warned that while remuneration budgets are now slowly rebuilding, there is likely to be a mismatch between employee expectation and pay budget allowance.

The report predicted that conservative budgets would likely continue not just through fear of a double-dip recession, but also uncertainty over legislative upheavals such as the Fair Work Act and the potential impact of the mining and resources tax.

Casuals may present unfair dismissal risk

Employers that boost their casual workforce around Christmas could be exposed to unfair dismissal claims if they decide to retain those staffers longerterm, a workplace lawyer has advised.

Lisa Berton, partner at Kemp Strang Lawyers, said that under the Fair Work Act, an employee in a business with over 15 staff qualifies for unfair dismissal protection after a period of at least six months.

If the person is employed in a regular and systematic way for at least six months and has a reasonable expectation of continuing employment, this makes them eligible to bring an unfair dismissal claim.

In a recent case, a casual employee engaged as a traffic controller commenced an unfair dismissal claim.

His employer argued the employee was not eligible to claim, on the basis that he was a casual. Fair Work Australia found that the casual employee had completed the six-month qualifying period and was therefore entitled to bring an unfair dismissal claim.

Employees express doubts over contract work

New research by Robert Walters has revealed that Australian employees have a pessimistic attitude toward contract work, with few considering it as a long-term career option.

The Employee Insights Survey gathered information from almost 500 Australian professionals. Results revealed that employees prefer stable full-time work. Fifty-eight per cent would only consider a contract role when a permanent role is not available.

When asked about their perception of contracting as a career, 40% regarded it as a short-term employment solution, 45% believed it was a way of getting good experience short-term, while only 7% would consider it long-term.

But contract work has its benefits according to managing director James Nicholson. “Contracting shouldn’t be viewed as a stopgap before finding permanent employment. It can be used to gain exposure to new contacts, industry sectors or environments.

Contracting can [also] open doors for those looking for a career change.”

Fast fact

85% of Australian women polled by The Heat Group believe there is greater pressure on women to be attractive at work compared to men, with 30% having personally experienced appearancebased discrimination

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Australian cities rate well for employment risk A global study has found Toronto to be the city with the lowest risk in the world to recruit, employ and relocate employees, with Sydney and London further down the list but still within the top 20 lowest risk cities.

Aon Consulting’s People Risk Index measured the risks that organisations face with recruitment, employment and relocation in 90 cities worldwide by analysing demographics, education, employment practices and government regulations.

According to the Index, the five lowest risk cities for employers are Toronto, New York, Singapore, London and Montreal. On the opposite end of the ratings, locations such as Dhaka, Bangladesh; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Lagos, Nigeria; Karachi, Pakistan; and Tehran, Iran, represent the least desirable of the 90 cities for employers.

The Index found that Australia’s high income and level of economic development greatly contributes to its low risk. However, the relatively small size of Australian cities, an ageing population and relatively high staff turnover rates when compared to North American cities increases recruitment risks. The limited number of multilingual professionals and managers in Australia is also a reason for Australia’s higher risk score.

IN BRIEF international news

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IN BRIEF international news

Asia-Pacific companies fall short when it comes to safeguarding their employees on work-related travel, according to a survey by International SOS and The Association of Corporate Travel Executives. It found companies were more concerned with managing their travel budget than with spending on travel safety and security.

Tony Ridley, director for Security Services in Asia Pacific, said that trend represents a failure of priorities.

“Many organisations are operating across borders without fully understanding the duty of care obligations to their travelling employees,” he said, noting it was an employer’s duty of care to take practical steps to safeguard business travellers against foreseeable risks.

The low importance placed on travel safety training extends to companies sending their executives to ‘high-risk’ countries – 75% of whom said they did not conduct travel safety training for their employees.

Italy: Sex blackmail at work kept under wraps One out of 17 female workers in Italy have received sexual blackmail at work but left the incident unreported, according to a new survey.

Most victims kept quiet because they were afraid, embarrassed or did not believe that the authorities would be able to help them, according to the Italian official stats institute ISTAT, which interviewed 24,000 women.

The report indicated almost 60% of women who experienced sexual blackmail either changed jobs or gave up on their careers.

The survey also found that one out of two Italian women experienced some form of sexual harassment or blackmail in her life, including verbal or physical abuse and stalking.

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UK: Over 65s soldier on

A third of British workers aged 65 and above plan to delay their retirement for longer than expected due to a fall in the value of pensions, reported the Financial Times (FT).

Data released by Heartwood Health Management revealed that almost half of people in the UK aged 65 or over plan to continue to work until they are at least 70.

In August, the UK government said that the default retirement age of 65 will be phased out over a sixmonth period starting next April. Currently, employers can force their employees to resign when they hit 65.

According to the FT report, pension consultants supported the government’s proposal as it would give people more freedom over when and how they choose to retire.

US: Women on top

Fast fact:

Asia-Pacific: Travel risks left unchecked

A worldwide survey has revealed that 20% of commuters travel over 90 minutes every day. Although the average commute length is 25 minutes, a disheartening one in 10 commuters travels more than an hour to their place of work

Young, single and childless women in major US cities are earning more than their male counterparts, according to new research.

Mostly in their 20s, these women are earning an average of 8% more than men their age, according to New York research firm Reach Advisors.

The report found that women earned more than men in 39 out of 50 US cities. Atlanta, Georgia registered the biggest disparity with young women earning 21% more.

However, on average, most American women who work full-time earn 80% of what men receive.

One reason for the spike in earnings is because more women are attending university, the report found. Nearly threequarters of female highschool graduates headed to university compared to two-thirds of males.

Source: Regus

Japan: Moonlighting on the rise

Young Japanese are seeking second and even third jobs to supplement their incomes.

Salaries have decreased by more than 12% over the last decade amid an uncertain labour market, driving young Japanese to tap side jobs for extra cash to spend and save.

Common part-time jobs include marketing products, delivering leaflets, working in convenience stores, trading foreign currencies online and selling items on internet auction sites. A survey by internet market research company Ishare revealed that almost 17% of workers aged between 20 and 50 had a side job.

This is despite the fact that the country is notorious for its long working hours – the eighth-longest in the world.

Disposable incomes have taken a further hit since the global downturn, with many companies banning paid overtime to save money.

THE LAST WORD compiled by James Adonis

5 minutes with...

David Johnston – Metcash

Chief human resources officer What’s the greatest HR lesson you’ve learned so far?

Winning the hearts and minds of people is the hardest thing to do. First you must earn their respect, then you must prove your worth and then … keep on doing it!

What’s your favourite people-management tip?

Keep laughing! The pressures of a senior HR role can be enormous and the HR needs of groups and individuals can be deeply involving and at times emotional, so a professional HR practitioner must face it, deal with it and be able, at the right time, to walk away and get over it!

What career advice do you have for ambitious HR professionals?

Ambition is good but it does not equal knowledge. Having ambitions and qualifications is not enough. To reach the top of the HR profession you need to ‘get your hands dirty’ and experience every aspect of the HR function. There are no short cuts!

What’s the main challenge facing the HR industry right now?

Maintaining relevance as the ‘go to’ advisor to the business and in particular to the business leaders. You are only as good as the advice you give.

How should HR professionals overcome that challenge?

By ensuring that the advice you give is accurate and practicable. No one will listen to you if you’re a technocrat. Your advice must be accurate – legally – and experience-based, but most importantly it must be ‘fit for purpose’ – ie, practical.

n 46% of jobseekers say they would use social media sites to find a new job, with just under half saying they would use LinkedIn Source: Morgan McKinley

n A survey of 500 Australian employees has revealed 58% would only consider a contractual job when a permanent one was unavailable Source: Robert Walters

Quote of the month “We have, I fear, confused power with greatness” – Stewart L Udall

Can you believe it?

According to the British, premier league footballers should be paid more than CEOs. The BBC surveyed 1,000 Britons who said that CEOs of the 100 richest companies should get a pay cut of 94%. (For the record, the respondents also thought the Prime Minister wasn’t worthy of getting paid more than a footballer.)

n There are just six female CEOs and five female chairs in the top 200 Australian companies, and only 4.1% of women occupy important line roles Source: EOWA

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