People Dynamics Newsletter - People Matters
Issue 71, January 2011 | Back to Newsletters Index
PD News
Hi everyone!
Welcome back to a new year. I hope you all had a restful break. Our hearts go out to those who are experiencing the floods in Victoria and Queensland where many of our clients have had to suspend operations for the time being. We hope they are ok and are able to resume business shortly.
In People Dynamics news, big congratulations go to Jess on her engagement to Jayden over the weekend! We wish them lots of happiness. Meanwhile, whilst Emma has moved to New York for her internship with the UN, we welcome Shannon back to us for a six month contract. Shan was away the second half of last year and had a wonderful time exploring Canada and the States. It’s nice to have her back with us.
Also I was the featured interview on Business Essentials (BE) this month on the issue of recruitment – you may find it interesting to listen to. I have also recorded another interview with Bob Kersley at BE for the February edition on retention, and this is our main focus for this month.
Retention – The Key Focus for 2011
Part of having a great workforce is ensuring you have the right people, in the right place, doing the right things at the right time! In this case not only do you need to recruit the right staff for your business but have a managed retention process. With managed retention, this means you don’t retain everyone; you retain those that are key to the success of your business, are fully engaged and want to be at your workplace.
Retention has always been a key issue, and never more so than now, as we start the New Year and move into an improved economy. Job growth rates have improved and we recorded the lowest unemployment level in two years at 4.98%. This moves us into a tight labour market which will become tighter as the year goes on. More jobs than people means more competition for staff and it will become harder for employers to retain people. Whilst most think people are motivated by money only, this is not true for many. It wont matter what you are paying if your culture is terrible and your management style sends your staff home with stress headaches. Here are the top engagement factors to employees as measured by a number of surveys over the last few years (the results of which have remained largely the same):
- Good working relationships with others in the workplace, including friendship
- Open, honest and authentic (sincere) relationship with boss
- Feedback and recognition (a heart felt thank you goes a long way; acknowledgement is important)
Having said this, salary is a base motivator and needs to be equitable. Ways to find this out include seek.com.au and mycareer.com.au where you can find salary survey information or contact us for more information.
Managing Leave Entitlements during the floods*
With the recent floods affecting many parts of Australia, many employers affected by the natural disaster are faced with how to manage the needs of their staff. With unexpected emergencies such as this, it’s important to focus on providing short term assistance to employees, particularly in relation to leave entitlements. Types of leave relevant in these situations include:
- Annual leave or long service leave
- Personal / carer’s leave
- Community service leave
- Special paid leave
Due to the sudden nature of the floods, employers may need to grant leave without the usual notice periods. Personal or carers leave may need to be granted also if the employee is unwell or if a member of their household or immediate is unwell or has an unexpected emergency, which the flood would qualify them for.
Employers may also be requested to cash out a part of an employee’s annual leave, long service leave or personal leave accrual. Cashing out leave entitlements must be done in accordance with the National Employment Standards (NES) and the relevant industrial awards.
Community Service Leave may also be taken by employees during this time. The NES states that an employee who is working in a voluntary emergency management activity is entitled to take unpaid leave. This leave may include:
- time off when the employee is engaged in the activity
- reasonable travel time associated with the activity
- reasonable rest time immediately following the activity
For more information, or to request a copy of the NES, contact us on 03 9077 4870.
* with thanks to Lander and Rogers for supplying us with this information.