Human Resources Director 13.02 by Key Media

DEFINING YOUR DNA WHY YOUR EVP MATTERS

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

LOST IN SPACE NASA’S HR DILEMMA

HCAMAG.COM ISSUE 13.02

HR PRODUCTIVITY HOW TO GET ‘IN THE ZONE’

THE SPEED OF OPPORTUNITY KPMG’s agile work practices

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EDITOR’S LETTER / HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

TWO EARS, ONE MOUTH: THE ART OF LISTENING

DEFINING YOUR DNA WHY YOUR EVP MATTERS

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

LOST IN SPACE NASA’S HR DILEMMA

HCAMAG.COM ISSUE 13.02

HR PRODUCTIVITY HOW TO GET ‘IN THE ZONE’

THE SPEED OF OPPORTUNITY

An HRD I recently interviewed has spent the previous four years working in Singapore. Prior to that she was based in Vietnam, working for a French company, surrounded by a workforce who spoke English only as a second (or in some cases, third) language. Yet despite the obvious challenges, she said it was “the best learning experience of my life”. In Southeast Asia in particular, she said her ‘Australian-ness’ was both a boon and an albatross. A boon because her plain-talking to executives got the message across without fluff; and an albatross because that same direct approach could be misinterpreted (in performance conversations in particular) as being too harsh. The recipients too often quickly became deflated and felt they weren’t doing a good enough job. One or two even threatened to resign – which was certainly not the HRD’s intention at all!

KPMG’s agile work practices

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COPY & FEATURES EDITOR Iain Hopkins JOURNALISTS Chloe Taylor, Jill Gregorie PRODUCTION EDITORS Roslyn Meredith, Moira Daniels

ART & PRODUCTION DESIGNER Marla Morelos, Cess Rodriguez DESIGN MANAGER Daniel Williams TRAFFIC MANAGER Abby Cayanan

SALES & MARKETING MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Lisa Narroway BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS James Francis, Steven McDonald, Gareth Scott

CORPORATE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mike Shipley CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER George Walmsley

When talking about leadership skills the ﬁrst step towards any form of so-called ‘soft skill’ development is self-reﬂection

MANAGING DIRECTOR Justin Kennedy CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Colin Chan HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Julia Bookallil Editorial enquiries Iain Hopkins tel: +61 2 8437 4703 iain.hopkins@keymedia.com.au Advertising enquiries James Francis tel: +61 2 8437 4766 james.francis@keymedia.com.au Steven McDonald tel: +61 2 8437 4757 steven.mcdonald@keymedia.com.au Gareth Scott tel: +61 2 8437 4745 gareth.scott@keymedia.com.au Subscriptions tel: +61 2 8011 4992 • fax: +61 2 8437 4753 subscriptions@keymedia.com.au Key Media keymedia.com.au Key Media Pty Ltd, regional head oﬃce, Level 10, 1–9 Chandos St, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia tel: +61 2 8437 4700 • fax: +61 2 9439 4599 Oﬃces in Auckland, Toronto, Denver, Manila 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 HRD can accept no responsibility for loss.

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We often note when talking about leadership skills that the first step towards any form of so-called ‘soft skill’ development is self-reflection. What are your strengths – and can these be better utlised? And what are your weaknesses – and can these be minimised? This HRD added that since these overseas experiences, she has become much more adept at ‘reading’ people, and adapting her communication style accordingly. It’s helped in her interactions with employees at all levels, but especially with her fellow executive colleagues. The ‘two ears, one mouth’ mantra has rung true for her: sometimes it’s more effective to sit and listen instead of diving in with a solution or opinion. As Australian businesses look to increase their presence in Southeast Asia and China in particular, it might be worthwhile considering how a regional move might also benefit your long-term career prospects. On that note, stay tuned for the launch of HRD’s new website, HRD Singapore (hrdmag.com.sg), launching in February.

hrd_editor@keymedia.com.au

Iain Hopkins, editor, HRD

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CONTENTS / HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

10 COVER STORY

Out with the old, in with the new One wouldn’t naturally think a professional services ﬁrm would be a hot-bed of innovative work, but KPMG is bucking the trend, as Iain Hopkins discovers

Deﬁning your company’s DNA Your EVP is useful for more than just for attracting and sourcing talent. In fact, a well-deﬁned EVP can provide the building blocks for organisational success, as Iain Hopkins discovers

Lost in space: NASA’s HR dilemma It may be true that in space no one can hear you scream, but on Earth, the cries emanating from NASA’s HR department are becoming harder to ignore. The once shining beacon of human endeavour is facing a HR crisis and there are no easy ﬁxes, as Jill Gregorie discovers

T p a

I b

HR Summit Showguide Your essential guide to everything at Australia’s premier HR event: HR Summit Sydney, 2015

In the zone We’ve all experienced it, and we would all love to bottle it: when you’re in the zone, you’re totally immersed in what you’re doing and you are productive to the extreme. Dr Adam Fraser outlines the factors that lead to being ‘in the zone’ and how to stay there 2 | FEBRUARY 2015

02-03_Contents.indd 2

REGULARS 04 | Things you should know: February 2015 06 | News analysis: Parental beneﬁts 56 | Head to head: HR skills

CHECK OUT THE HRD ARCHIVES ONLINE: hcamag.com

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HRD13.

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FEBRUARY 2015 / THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Retirement

Engagement

BACK TO WORK:

‘HAPPIEST’ INDUSTRIES REVEALED

BABY BOOMER SNAPSHOT

1. Construction & facilities

7. Media & entertainment

services

8. Finance & insurance

2. Consumer products &

9. Education

services

10. Business services &

3. Technology & software

consulting

4. Telecom, energy & utilities

11. Government & non-profit

5. Healthcare, pharmaceuticals

12. Manufacturing

1 in 5 pre-retirees concerned about longevity risk plan on returning to work to combat longevity risk

& biotech 6. Hospitality

A TINYpulse survey of over 30,000 employees across more than 500 companies collected during 2014 revealed employee sentiment across industries. The results for the happiest industry – construction & facilities services – revealed a disproportionate weight given to colleagues and professional satisfaction as the source of these workers’ happiness. Other variables like work environment, professional growth, and the quality of management teams were considered less vital to work happiness.

Peers drive satisfaction: 34% of the happiest employees say their peers and colleagues are what drive their workplace satisfaction.

Job responsibilities matter: Job fit is key, with nearly 20% of happy employees saying their happiness stems from being energised by their everyday responsibilities. Main drivers of dissatisfaction: The top three drivers of workplace dissatisfaction are having unsupportive managers, not having the tools for success, and lacking opportunities for professional growth.

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73%

...of ‘retired’ Australians are actually ‘semi-retired’ moved immediately to full retirement, meaning less time to save and more retired years to fund

... of Australians aged 50-80 years approaching retirement believe they will semi-retire, or gradually wind down into full retirement, meaning more years of earning an income and saving

1 in 17 retirees concerned about longevity risk have returned to work to combat longevity risk

Source: Mercer SmartThinking survey of 1,500 Australians aged 50-80 years

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

Retention

68%

THE POST-M&A RETENTION FALLOUT Retention agreements are used during M&A deals to retain the acquired company’s top staﬀ. Cash incentives or bonuses are often implemented into the agreements to entice talent to stay on – yet new research from Towers Watson has revealed they are far from eﬀective.

88% of high-retention companies (deﬁned as having retention rates over 60% for the full term of the agreement) said their transactions successfully met their strategic objectives

43%

of respondents indicated they retained a high percentage (over 80%) of employees who signed a retention agreement, over the course of the full retention period

said they retained that same percentage one year after the period expired

62%

67%

48%

of respondents said that engaging with the target company’s senior leadership was the most useful source in drawing information about which individuals should sign retention agreements (verses just 27% for low-retention companies)

of low-retention companies (those with retention rates of 40% or less) expressed the same sentiments

of those who left before the end of the retention period centred on their concern about the changing organisational culture

Source: Towers Watson’s 2014 Global M&A Retention Study

HEAD TO HEAD:

Recruitment

LINKEDIN VS FACEBOOK FOR PROFESSIONALS Revenue

$US1.52bn Jeﬀ Weiner, current CEO

Key players

Reid Hoﬀman, founder & former CEO Dipchand Nisher, VP of products

Number of employees Users Gender of visitors

Age of visitors Business pages Paid advertising

Chris Hughes, co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, founder Sheryl Sandberg, COO

3,177

6,818

Members: 332 million

Members: 1.35 billion

Monthly visitors: 187 million

Monthly visitors: 25,000 million

43% male

50% male

57% female

50% female

13-17: 7%

13-17: 1%

18-34: 26%

18-34: 19%

35+: 66%

35+: 80%

4 million

25 million

Cost per 1,000 impressions. Approx $US2

Cost per 1,000 impressions. Approx $US3

Click through rates. 1/1,000

Click through rates, 1.5/1,000

Professional networking site Most used by recruiters Recruitment beneﬁts

US$7.87bn Mark Zuckerberg, founder & CEO

Follow companies/create company pages Showcase CVs Follow and create groups Showcase knowledge

Word of mouth Social connections More users New apps for showcasing CVs Recommendations by friends Source: Brighton School of Business & Management: brightonsbm.com/ health-social-care-management/index.php

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NEWS ANALYSIS / FAMILY FRIENDLY BENEFITS

ABBOTT’S ABOUT-FACE: PPL OFF THE AGENDA The Federal Government’s on again/off again Paid Parental Leave scheme is officially ‘off’. What action can employers take, regardless of government policy, to retain working parents?

As this issue of HRD went to press, Prime Minister Tony Abbott had finally confirmed what many had suspected all along: his signature Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme will not proceed. He stated: “Over Christmas, I said that over the break I’d be better targeting the proposed Paid Parental Leave scheme and scaling it back in a Families Package focusing on childcare.” He added that “what’s desirable is not always doable – especially when times are tough and budgets are tight”. According to assistant treasurer Josh Frydenberg, the government’s intention is now to place “emphasis on child care and how we can build and boost female workforce participation”.

THE ROAD TO NOW The PPL scheme was designed with the intention of paying new mothers their full salary for six months up to an annual income of $100,000; however, this is now set to be replaced with an overhauled families package. While some may have voiced their frustration at the ongoing game of ‘pass the parcel’ for this contentious but vital issue, others applauded the decision. Diversity Council Australia CEO, Lisa Annese, said that childcare is one of the most influential

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factors over female participation in the workforce. “In a survey of our employer member organisations in 2014, nearly 95% of employers said access to and availability of affordable childcare presented difficulties for their employees,” she noted. “There is no doubt that this is a major disincentive to women participating more fully in the workforce.” Annese added that while PPL is important, childcare is a bigger issue for employers. “The existing government funded PPL scheme provides a very important safety net for new parents,” she said. “But as suggested by the Productivity Commission and in line with feedback from our members, we support the government’s plan to direct funds allocated for the expanded PPL scheme towards improving accessibility and affordability of childcare as this is likely to have a greater positive impact on the workforce participation of women.”

BEST PRACTICE Not surprisingly, employers have taken matters into their own hands. Two companies leading the way are Caltex and NAB.

CASE STUDY #1: CALTEX One of Caltex’s six core values is ‘trailblaze’. This has

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

come to the fore in its quest to halt the high level of turnover for female workers who have undertaken parental leave. In 2011, nearly half of all those who took parental leave did not return to work at all. Of those who did, another 10% left within a year. Simon Willshire, group general manager of human resources at Caltex Australia, urged his team to develop something “out there” to alleviate the issue. After a few ideas were dropped for being too conservative, the Baby Care Package was hatched. It consists of: • a baby care bonus: 3% of base pay each quarter (12% pa) until the child reaches their second birthday • $3,000 worth of emergency baby care per year through Dial an Angel • access to a provider to locate suitable childcare • the establishment of nursing rooms in all major Caltex facilities. As for business impact, it’s been impressive. In the past year, Caltex has experienced: • a 100% return rate from parental leave • 7% turnover in the first 12 months after returning to work • recognition for diversity excellence, including acknowledgement from the Federal Government for leadership in this area. “The Baby Care package demonstrates that investment in employee benefits can actually benefit the bottom line,” Willshire tells HRD. “Childcare availability and cost is a massive unresolved issue which impacts productivity by diminishing the workforce availability of female talent, and it puts huge pressure on young parents. I’m really proud that Caltex has been able to contribute some thought leadership in this area.”

CASE STUDY #2: NAB Eligible NAB employees receive the government’s parental leave scheme in addition to NAB’s current parental leave provisions. This means eligible employees receive: • 18 weeks of government paid parental leave pay (at the national minimum wage) • 12 weeks of paid parental leave including superannuation from NAB (at employee’s normal pay rate). This is in addition to one week of prenatal leave • superannuation contributions of up to 10% on unpaid parental leave for up to 12 months • recognition of up to 40 weeks of unpaid primary carers leave for long service leave purposes.

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Other benefits, such as pay reviews, super contributions while on leave and long service leave are all aimed at tackling the short and long-term challenges that come with raising a family. “At a practical level, new parents need access to quality, affordable childcare – and feel confident that their kids are safe and being looked after,” says Lynda Dean, general manager workplace performance at NAB. “We offer subsidised childcare places, as well as on-site long day care facilities at four head-office locations, an attractive option for parents wanting to have little ones close by.” Dean also acknowledges that having a child puts new demands on parents – not just during pregnancy, parental leave or during the transition back to work – but over the next 20 years. “Working hours need to suit personal and family needs, as well as business requirements,” she says. “Flexible working arrangements are offered wherever possible – men, women, parents and those without kids – and many opt for varied or staggered start and finish times, compressed weeks and flexible work locations. We’ve also mandated that all roles being advertised at NAB must now be open to both part-time and full-time applicants.” Another NAB innovation is a pay review for all parents returning to work. “We want to ensure that NAB parents, particularly mums, aren’t penalised in the workplace for having children, or taking time off to care for them,” says Dean. “It’s about minimising the long term impact that being out of the workplace for an extended period can bring.” The results so far have been encouraging: In 2014, 87% of employees returned to work after taking primary carer’s leave. This is a 7% increase from 2013, and well above the 2006 rate of 65%.

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER Those who believe only the big players can afford such generosity should reconsider. Regardless of size, best practice, family-friendly employer of choice organisations recognise and acknowledge the reality of the work-life ‘squeeze’ that exists for many working parents. “They don’t do token gestures,” suggests Emma Walsh, founder and director of Parents@Work. “They create sustainable policies and procedures with a genuine interest in creating a culture that their employees want to be a part of. This is, of course, alongside the transparent desire to boost productivity and make business better in some form or another.”

Did you know? The ‘motherhood penalty’ – the impact that bearing and raising children has on women’s wages – is continuing to have a major effect on female participation in the workforce. Raising children accounts for an average 17% loss in lifetime wages for women. Many return to work that is lower-paid than what they had been doing prior to having children, and this work frequently does not reflect their abilities, education levels or work experience. Source: Diversity Council Australia’s 2014 Diversity and Inclusion Study

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NEWS ANALYSIS / FAMILY FRIENDLY BENEFITS

Return to work tips The employers doing it best proactivity seek out ways to support their teams to meet and combine the needs of work and family in deliberate and innovate ways by: yypromoting gender diversity and reducing the gender gap yyraising awareness of unconscious bias, and preventing discrimination against working parents, carers and those choosing to work flexibly yyimplementing generous, bias-free parental leave policies and flexible work solutions that benefit all employees yytraining managers to accommodate flexible work arrangements and support parents returning to work. HRD looks at three of these tips in detail: 1. Understand the gender gap In 2013, research by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) confirmed what many have known all along: women remain disproportionately likely to carry out primary caregiving responsibilities even when they were employed in full-time work. Societal forces such as hard-wired gender stereotypes and caregiving expectations continue to be seen as the cause. Lack of support among women and lack of confidence were also highlighted as barriers. 2. Create a recruitment strategy designed to incorporate flexible roles and attract and retain key talent – both men and women Review your organisation’s recruitment strategy by identifying areas of improvement and limit unconscious bias through family friendly and flexible workplace policies. Redesigning roles that allow for greater flexibility will help you retain valued staff and attract new talent. Just 26% of Australian organisations have a clearly defined strategy to attract and retain women long enough to reach senior leadership positions, according to women’s leadership research conducted by Mercer in 2010. “The 2012 AWALI study found that over 40% of mothers in full-time employment revealed they would rather work part time,” says Walsh. “Organisations must reconsider the way jobs are designed and performed to allow for greater flexibility – and if done well, employees, the employer and customers will benefit.”

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Recruitment tips Here’s are Walsh’s practical tips for creating a strong family friendly recruitment strategy: yyfocus on the applicant’s qualifications for the job in question. Avoid asking questions about the applicant’s children, plans to start a family or pregnancy during interviews yyreview policies around hiring, promotion, pay, benefits, attendance, and leave to determine whether they disadvantage workers with caregiving responsibilities yyensure that job openings, acting positions and promotions are communicated to all eligible employees regardless of parental responsibilities. Do not assume that certain employees (such as single parents) will not be interested in positions that require travel or working unusual hours yyidentify and remove barriers to re-entry for individuals who have taken parental leave yyprovide the training necessary to enhance the competency of employees while they are on parental leave.

3. Create a parents program A parents program will provide employees and managers with resources to manage their career and better plan for the parenting transition. “The amount of planning for the return to work undertaken during pregnancy differentiated women who returned to work from those who did not,” reported the Australian Institute of Family Studies. To ensure your employees experience a smooth transition to and from parental leave, it’s valuable to offer a parents program that connects parents and managers to useful resources explained in one central place. “Parent programs increase loyalty in your organisation and help to retain your most valued working parents,” says Walsh. “Employees will feel their journey into parenthood is supported in a very practical and complete way. Furthermore, confidence, morale and productivity improve when parents feel they have achieved the right work-life balance.” Regardless of the Federal Government’s next move, employers can tackle the issue of retaining working parents – and it’s in their interests to do so. “We have thousands of amazingly talented parents at NAB. And if we don’t support them in their personal life, if we don’t help them grow their career – we will lose them,” says Dean.

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

Let us help ENGAGE your people.

We just want to make the world a happier place to work.

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COVER STORY / HR AT KPMG

“We have to ﬁnd a new way to lead which is completely diﬀerent to the past” Susan Ferrier

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12/02/2015 5:48:01 PM

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

Out with the old,

in with the new

One wouldn’t naturally think a professional services firm would be a hotbed of innovative work, but KPMG is bucking the trend, as Iain Hopkins discovers Walking into the 15th floor of the KPMG office in Sydney, it’s clear that something is amiss. Or if not amiss, then certainly something is different. For one thing, there are no offices. Yes, there are glassed-off private meeting rooms, but the majority of people sit in an open-plan arrangement, with space divided up by soundproofed table and chair modules. Over here is a comfortable couch, like you might find in your own home or at a funky cafe. And over there are two padded seats (for sound reduction) facing each other for more intimate conversations. In the far corner of the floor is a designated ‘quiet area’ for those who don’t want to be disturbed by phone chatter from their neighbours. Welcome to the world of activity-based working (ABW). Unlike it’s close cousin hot-desking, ABW means that employees have no set desks, or even set areas; they move constantly – sometimes up to three times a day – to where their work requires them to be. KPMG is currently at the tail end of a trial run of ABW, which commenced 18 months ago. The entire 15th floor has been given over to ABW, and employees from multiple functional and client teams have had an opportunity to spend time in this new environment. Even CEO Gary Wingrove trialled it for four months at the start of 2014. The results have been so successful that a brand-new KPMG office in Sydney’s greater west, as well as the firm’s new head office in Barangaroo, will embrace ABW. The adoption of ABW started as a project called Workplace of the Future. KPMG worked with UTS, and in particular Professor Roy Green, dean of the

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business school. The germ of an idea started as a scenario-planning, thought-catalyst group: what is the world of work going to look like in five to 10 years’ time? Professor Green advised KPMG about collaboration and innovation being critical to future organisational success, and eventually the ABW pilot was suggested.

THE BIGGER PICTURE For Susan Ferrier, national managing partner of people, performance and culture at KPMG, the adoption of ABW is the tangible aspect of a deeper cultural shift within the firm. “It’s hard to shift a culture – it takes years,” she says. This culture shift involves a move from a riskaverse, compliance-oriented business towards a more collaborative, innovative business. KPMG has developed a new strategy with a new culture goal, which explicitly speaks to this goal of having a collaborative and innovative environment in which it’s safe to fail, experimentation is encouraged, and where diverse thinking is fostered. “We’re constantly looking for ways we can live and breathe that, and this pilot space is one of the ways we’re doing it,” says Ferrier. The issue is so important to the executive team that innovation has literally been tied to the company’s brand. A national partner for brand and innovation, Martin Sheppard, has spearheaded many of the innovative initiatives now in place at the firm. There are other “proofpoints” – as Ferrier refers to the markers of this culture shift – that KPMG is

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COVER STORY / HR AT KPMG

THREE BIG CHALLENGES FOR 2015 1. LEADERSHIP. “How to keep building the capability in the organisation to lead in a different, complex world which is calling for new styles and paradigms of leadership – that’s our number one challenge,” says Ferrier. “We’ll continue to work with the partners and more broadly across the firm to help people acquire different leadership capability.” 2. DIVERSITY. “We need to capture our diversity advantage,” says Ferrier. “I think we’ve done some fantastic work on diversity over the last few years, and we now need to capture that advantage so that it translates to an advantage for the firm.” 3. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT. “There’s a big shift in performance management,” Ferrier says. “We’re going to need to do some work to determine whether or not we’ll go down a route where we don’t have performance ratings, or set performance reviews, and perhaps move to a more agile approach to managing performance. There’s a trend towards having more real-time, constant conversations around performance. Then you need to have more agile systems around that to be able to understand which of your team members is doing well and which of your team members needs assistance.”

keeping an eye on. These include strategic alliances with two companies: the not-for-profit Advance, which helps entrepreneurs grow their companies; and Artesian Venture Partners, which aims to provide structure and support to high-growth startups. The alliances work both ways: KPMG hopes to build its innovative capability across the firm, and also access talent in a different way. Another proofpoint is the firm’s leadership program, called Magellan. One hundred and twenty partners have gone through the program, which aims to reinforce the idea that it’s ‘safe to fail’ and that experimentation is good for business. “We’re encouraging our partners to understand what that means, and getting them to work together in small groups to come up with safe-to-fail ideas and then try those ideas out,” says Ferrier. “What I’m finding is partners feel they are more empowered to try their ideas out, whereas before they perhaps felt they couldn’t.” The initiatives appear to be working. Recent engagement surveys asked specific questions about safe-to-fail experimentation and innovation, and Ferrier says there has been a “definite uptick” in how people feel the narrative has shifted at the firm. “Everyone feels there’s more openness about

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trying out new things and challenging the status quo. But we’re a year in and it takes a long time to shift culture, so we need to keep at it and keep providing the proofpoints that we’re making the shift. We need to make sure it’s embedded across all our people processes, from promotions to reward to recognition. It can’t just stand out on its own; it must be something that seeps into the way we do things.”

BECOMING AGILE ABW is also in keeping with a shift towards ‘agile’ work. Ferrier’s HR team has been operating ‘agile’ for almost two years, and indeed the firm’s consulting practice already uses elements of agile: talent is pulled together from different parts of the consulting or advisory practice for a particular piece of work or to resolve a client issue. They’ll then disburse and move on to the next project. More traditional arms of the firm, such as tax audit and private enterprises, are learning and observing the benefits of this agile approach. Ferrier is a fan of the diversity of thought and backgrounds that invariably come together in the multidisciplinary teams that form. “That’s a tenet of our diversity strategy, which has two goals: creating a culture of inclusion; and diversity of thought. You can’t get diversity of thought unless you are deliberately thinking about bringing people together, trying new ideas out, bringing new talent in, and gaining new perspectives on projects,” she says. However, there are challenges. Ferrier says agile can be harder to manage because it’s less stable than traditional hierarchical structures. “You’ve got to be ready for that; you need to have leadership and managerial capability dispersed across the whole organisation, and not just held in certain hierarchical roles.” However, she believes the next generational wave will simply expect to do ‘work’ in a different way. “My daughter is 17 – she is two or three years off coming into the workplace. Her approach to work or indeed any activity is highly collaborative. She does all her homework and even studies in a collaborative space. Her social life is a massively networked group of people. They just see that as normal. And they expect to have a voice. So the whole top-down management structure or philosophy is fragmenting fast. We have to find a new way to lead which is completely different to how we did it in the past.”

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

firm, Ferrier says the one constant has been the intensive people-centric cultures of these types of entities. “That’s a common thread, but there’s a big difference between lawyers, investment bankers and the pro services market,” she says. “What I’ve learned through all those sectors is the need for agility and flexibility. Plus you need to be a really voracious learner because you need to understand your context quickly so you can give the best possible advice.” Over the following two pages, read more about the rise and rise of agile workplaces

LESSONS LEARNED Ferrier and her HR team have ‘walked the talk’ by trialling ABW themselves. Ferrier notes that she was initially “very anxious” about it. Here she outlines her concerns – and the solutions she found while undertaking this new way of working

A PASSION FOR INNOVATION Ferrier herself represents a new era of HR leader. She has a track record of embracing innovation, stretching back to her MBA studies in her early 30s. During that MBA – which was the catalyst for a career switch from law to HR – she undertook a thesis in innovation. It was while speaking at an event in Europe that she was spotted by the head of a small consultancy that operated within Barclays Bank. That consultancy focused on innovation; specifically, working with senior managers to become more innovative and experimental. While the consultancy didn’t last long – the world of investment banking is not renowned for shaking things up too radically – she did forge ties with the Barclays HR team. From there her future career path beckoned. “I find law to be a very cerebral, advisory function and I was a bit more interested in getting my hands dirty and ‘doing’,” she explains. “I like the idea that the work we do in HR is quite privileged; we get to change people’s lives, not just at work but how they are outside of work.” Despite tenures in a tech start-up, a law firm, an investment bank, and now a professional services

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Susan Ferrier’s ABW concerns ...

What she learned ...

1. The paperless world: “As an ex-lawyer I’m very paper-oriented. You need to be as paperless as possible in the ABW pilot space. You only have one locker where you store things, whereas I’m used to having cabinets and shelves.”

“I walked around with a trolley for my papers for the first few weeks, and I’ve now been able to pare it right back. I’m not paperless yet, but I’ve improved!”

2. Confidentiality: “The other worry for me was confidentiality – so when I’m having a confidential conversation with our CEO or one of the other executives, I was concerned about how I would manage moving from my agile workspace into a confidential room.”

“You need to get the design right. Before we had these pop-in/pop-out rooms there were several times when Gary, our CEO, would call and I’d be on hands-free wandering around the corridors looking for a room, whispering into the phone. So the design needs to be done so you have quick access to private rooms. It also made me realise how few of my conversations actually are confidential and how particularly in an HR team there was huge benefit to members of my team hearing me on the phone and listening to how I might deal with an issue.”

3. Constant interruptions: “I was worried about being interrupted all the time by my team. People have access to you in a completely different way. They don’t need to check a good time in the diary; they can just swing by your desk.”

“ABW actually made me more efficient. Things got dealt with a lot faster than they might have in the past because individuals could quickly come up and talk to me rather than phone or email. Then while I was talking about the issue, someone else would overhear it and add something which made the outcome a lot better than it might have otherwise been.”

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LEADERSHIP / AGILE BUSINESS

Moving at the

speed

of opportunity

Navigating the frightening rate of change requires agile leadership – yet with only 20% of HR professionals classifying themselves as ‘anticipators’, there’s plenty of work to be done. HRD chats to Mark Busine, MD of DDI, about the trend towards agile leadership HRD: Why are businesses demanding agile leaders? Mark Busine: Australian leaders have entered the world of VUCA. The VUCA world is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Take the retail sector in Australia, and in particular supermarkets. Despite having an incredibly strong history and foundation in the market (and remaining relatively successful) traditional organisations are having to confront a rapidly changing landscape. Woolworths, for example, has done some great work introducing new concept stores, premium stores, organic product offerings, and building their technology presence – all with the aim of enhancing overall customer experience.

AGILE LEADER TRAITS V – Anticipating and reacting to the nature and speed of change U – Acting decisively without always have clear direction and certainty C – Navigating through complexity, chaos and confusion A – Maintaining eﬀectiveness despite constant surprises and a lack of predictability

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HRD: What does this shift mean at an individual level? MB: I think this heralds the end of the traditional job/position description. For employees of the past, job clarity and organisational stability were valued qualities. The position description represented the employee’s blueprint and the organisation’s foundation for selection, development and performance management. With the pace of organisational change expected to accelerate, organisational structures and jobs are likely to change on a far more frequent basis. While our ability to deal with ambiguity and change will be tested, two factors will influence the severity of this. Firstly, in an environment of intense scrutiny and accountability, organisations – and their leaders – will need to clearly articulate goals and objectives. They will need to build assurance and confidence that actions have been put in place to achieve these goals. Secondly, individuals will still demand a degree of clarity and direction, even if the substance of their role changes more regularly. As such, processes such as performance management will

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

be critical. These processes must become more dynamic than traditional processes based on periodic (often annual) reviews and planning. HRD: It must be a challenge for leaders to change the natural way in which they lead? MB: This is not easy. When you’re operating in this context, as a leader you can’t expect to be the one that is the expert in everything. You can’t expect to have all the knowledge. Look at LinkedIn. You are bombarded with information, knowledge, thought leadership perspectives. I think one of the skills and attributes that will be important will be the ability to make sense of the knowledge that’s out there. To cut through it and make judgments based on that data. This also confronts and challenges the traditional hierarchies and control structures that organisations have in place. And to some extent it confronts, even today, our understanding of a leader’s role, which is ‘I’m a leader because I’m more of an expert than the person who reports to me’. That’s not going to be the case going forward. HRD: The VUCA world plays in nicely with HR’s embrace of data and analytics... MB: Absolutely. One of the key requirements and skills that HR will need to develop, if they are to be an anticipator, is analytics and being able to use data to create insight. HR has shifted over the past 10 years to more of a partner model, and that often involved sitting in a particular business unit and partnering with key stakeholders. But we were still often reacting to the needs of that particular group. Being an anticipator means getting ahead of the curve, and then anticipating the needs going forward, to understand where the organisation is going over the next three, five years and what the implications are for the talent in the organisation. Being an anticipator is not about a role, it’s more like a concept or mindset we need to be adopting. HRD: It makes sense that with agile leaders we’ll also have agile teams – correct? MB: Yes, but as a leader you’ll need to confront the reality that your team may not always embrace things at the same speed and/or the same degree that you do. That’s where you get people talking about the inter-related role of collaboration. Collaboration offers you the opportunity to draw out the ideas, perspectives and insights that exist in

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“Being an anticipator is not about a role, it’s more like a concept or mindset we need to be adopting” Mark Busine your own team. McKinsey research indicates that these days the core to productivity in knowledgebased organisations is essentially interactions or, more broadly, collaborations. HRD: And how might such a team operate? MB: More work will be project based. Teams will be formed with the goal of delivering a particular set of outcomes. With that comes processes that enable us, as we do come together as a team or individually, to get a sense of what our goal is, what we need to achieve, what we need to do to get to that goal, and then track our progress towards that. Then we move on to the next key goal or project. HRD: Does this present some challenges in terms of managing people, performance management, etc? MB: The notion of the traditional leader and having a stable group of direct reports and supporting their development is going to be challenged. Therefore we’ve got to start recognising that the skills of leaders need to be deployed across these different environments. Part of your role within a project team is coaching, providing support, and performance management, albeit perhaps for only a fixed period of time until the individuals move into another context. Ten years ago when project teams were formed, the head of the project would probably assume that was not their responsibility – they’d assume it would be handled and managed by the secondee’s permanent manager. But I think that’s going to shift. HR has to be preparing leaders to do that. HRD: Can you see an agile HR team working well? MB: HR can’t disconnect itself from what’s going on in the business landscape and within the organisation. HR has to both support the business in its endeavours around agility and agile leadership, but also itself start to embrace this concept and the way in which it works in the organisation.

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TALENT MANAGEMENT / EVP

DEFINING YOUR COMPANY’S DNA Your EVP is useful for more than just attracting and sourcing talent. In fact, a well-defined EVP can provide the building blocks for organisational success, as Iain Hopkins discovers Deoxyribonucleic acid (more commonly referred to as DNA) is a molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. It is literally the building block of every organism on Earth. Taking that concept into the corporate world – it wouldn’t be the first time an organisation has been likened to a living organism – the DNA of your organisation is the Employee Value Proposition (EVP). An EVP influences engagement, and employee engagement is linked to profit, revenue, labour productivity, share price, customer satisfaction, happiness and wellbeing. It truly is the building block of any organisation. Since it was first isolated by the Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher in 1869, scientists and geneticists have devoted their energy towards discovering more about DNA. In the same way, corporate leaders have devoted resources towards identifying and building their employment brands around their EVP. Yet much like the saying ‘The journey is just as important as the destination’, there’s much to be gained from the process of evaluating an EVP. “The important element is not necessarily the end line or end piece of communication; it’s the fact that everyone from leadership down agrees that this is the DNA of the organisation: this is what we stand for, this is what we can deliver, and this is what makes us unique,” says Mike Beeley, CEO, ReAgent Employer Marketing. Beeley, who recommends that all companies go through this vital step of evaluating (or re-evaluating) their EVP, notes that very few companies are fortunate to have clearly articulated purposes and

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values, or single-minded charismatic leaders who continue to drive everyone towards a point in the distance. “Far more common is a slightly confused, dazed workforce who by accident tend to meet their goals. It’s not due to good management or encouragement,” he says. Providing guidance is the EVP, which has a very powerful ability to unite and direct human endeavour. Done well, done sympathetically and ideally done in a unique way so it doesn’t look like you’re copying someone else, you can capture the imagination of talent and steer them along a singleminded, clear path to an end goal. To use another analogy, the EVP can act as the steering wheel for your employer brand. Employer brands can be good or bad. Jihadist rebel group ISIS is a brand, in as much as it’s an organisation that most people have a clear perception of. However, the EVP can turn a poor employer brand into a great employer brand. “It gives you the ability to steer that employer brand in the direction you know you need to take it,” Beeley says. However, it’s only once you’ve done an EVP evaluation that you realise how powerful it is – and how many applications it can have.

WHY IS IT NEEDED? There is a misconception that the EVP is only important when undertaking recruitment. In fact, it impacts on all aspects of an employee’s lifecycle – and indeed it is critical through all the vagaries of the business environment, in good times and bad. “A brilliant EVP can prove its value most during times of corporate stress,” says Mark MacWhite, group design director at eBrands. “It can unite

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

EVP FOR BUSINESS

IMPROVED EBIT

FIRST SIGNS OF STRESS

NEW MARKETS, NEW CUSTOMERS

REASSURANCE, ENGAGEMENT, PRODUCTIVITY, RETENTION

ATTRACTING REVITALISING EVANGELISM

NEW TEAM, NEW LEADER

ADJUST VALUES, INSTILL CONFIDENCE

RECESSION, COMPETITION, LAZINESS, LAY-OFFS

LOSSES, REDUCED EBIT, LOWER SHAREHOLDER RETURNS

LEADERSHIP CHANGES

Source: ReAgent Employer Marketing

TIME FOR A REVIEW? An EVP evaluation can galvanise and encourage introspection. Constant tweaking of the core is not recommended; however, key changes within the business will make EVP review necessary. These include: • Leadership changes • Core strategy changes • Major changes to services or portfolios • M&As • Fast growth • Times of crisis • New business creation • Globalisation – for example, if it’s necessary to craft a local employment brand with a global EVP factions, functions, products and portfolios. The EVP can help a company that dislocates to feel whole again.” Beeley adds that a nasty side effect of downturns or times of corporate crisis is that the good people working at the company lose faith and leave. Clear focus and communication around the EVP can minimise the fallout. Using one example of corporate trauma (see boxout above for more), an M&A is when ‘all hands on deck’ applies, especially when it comes to retaining good talent. “This period of time is rife with rumour and innuendos that can only be countered with transparency,” says MacWhite. Once change happens – such as during M&A

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activity – it is important to set up shop and show everyone who you are, what you have changed, how you have grown, what the future looks like, and what is important to you. Anyone who is going to experience any brand touchpoints needs to know how change has been affected. They are asking the questions, such as: Has the organisation changed? Am I still important to it? Do they still care about me and all the plans my business/people have vested in them?

THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘CORPORATE MEMORY’ It seems that modern-day organisations have a bad case of amnesia – but unfortunately it’s amnesia that never lifts; they simply forget things, including certain capabilities they may have. With any significant exodus of staff, knowledge of ‘the way things are done around here’ walks out the door with them. “There is usually no such thing as a corporate memory,” says Beeley. “The ability to withdraw or extract information at will is pretty limited.” This is not necessarily an IT issue; it could be due to management stability or any number of factors. “Often when organisations go through a massive change – of ownership, of management, of CEO – all the good stuff goes out the window,” Beeley adds. A carefully documented EVP, however, can maintain the character or personality of the organisation in a common area where everyone can access it. “Having a corporate memory is simply the ability to remember who the hell we are,” says Beeley.

EVALUATING THE EVP MacWhite concedes that it’s not unusual to come across businesses that don’t understand what an EVP is. Often this is a lack of understanding that extends to how closely the EVP is tied to a business’s core reason for being, and understanding how developing an EVP correctly can create a valuable asset. “Initially they are trying to understand it to put a value on it,” he says. “They want to know how to better engage their workforce. They want to know how long it takes, how much work is required, and, critically, how they can achieve stakeholder buy-in.” eBrands provides clients with a road map of a journey that helps the business define itself; from what it is now, to what it wants to become. “It’s a collaborative process that initially looks confronting, but is actually necessary and enjoyable,” says MacWhite. Continued on p19

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TALENT MANAGEMENT / EVP

CASE STUDY: AURECON HRD chats with Liam Hayes, Aurecon’s chief people officer, about his company’s award-winning employment brand initiatives HRD: Do you think there is something of a misconception that the EVP is important only when a company is actively recruiting? Liam Hayes: It certainly appears that companies have invested more time and money in promoting their EVP as part of the recruitment process. The issue with only focusing on this part of the employee life cycle is that it’s no good for organisations to have a strong external employer brand/EVP that portrays the company in a certain way, yet the employees who work for the company have an entirely different experience. Your best employer brand ambassadors are your employees. Your employer brand strategy can be aspirational, but your strategy must be to live up to the promise. An EVP is much more powerful when it is aligned with and supports your overarching brand proposition. This is why it is important to work in partnership with your marketing and communications team to develop an employer brand/EVP and to identify all of the touchpoints across the employee life cycle in which you can communicate and reinforce your key messages to current and prospective employees. HRD: Does Aurecon have a clearly defined EVP? If so, how does that EVP link to your employer brand? LH: Defining our EVP and rebuilding our employer brand awareness was the priority for us in 2010 following a merger and the creation of the Aurecon brand. Our goal was to create a clear and focused EVP for Aurecon that delivered on both differentiation and relevance.

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‘Live Your Ideas’ is our aspiration for our people to be innovative, agile thinkers who can create the future by bringing their ideas to life, and in so doing build a vibrant and brighter future for all. It reflects our overarching brand proposition, ‘Fostering Human Achievement’, and supports our strategy of ‘making people our passion’. It also supports our client focus by emphasising the application of leading thinking to best meet client needs and deliver project outcomes. We ensure Live Your Ideas is what we use across our entire employer branding strategy, both internally and externally. For example, we currently have a 7,500-stories campaign which is an extension of our Live Your Ideas EVP. HRD: Any tips you can provide for undertaking an EVP evaluation? LH: Having an employer brand and EVP strategy and executing it well is critical to ensure it has the desired impact. It is therefore important to ensure your EVP is realistic and specific to your organisation and industry, and to continually measure to understand your successes and gaps. Embedding your EVP is a journey, and if you try to do everything at once it is likely to fail. When we receive the results from external employer brand surveys and our internal employee engagement survey, we take the opportunity to reflect on our EVP and employer brand. We find undertaking this review extremely valuable as it ensures we remain focused and can make changes to our strategy if required. In 2011 our priority shifted from building brand awareness to building consideration and pursuit through further differentiation of our brand and ensuring we were living up to our EVP. We achieved this through ensuring our EVP, communications and initiatives were aligned with the three most important drivers identified for us to attract and retain employees.

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

Continued from p17

What the client should arrive at is an EVP that is simple, truthful, emotive and inclusive. “As clients look for help to create alignment between the anticipated and actual employment experience, our job is to get under the skin of the client to make that happen,” MacWhite adds. Here are four tips to help to make this road map something concrete: 1. Understand your strength as HR: As a HRD, it’s critical you understand your advisory position within the leadership team. Beeley suggests the EVP is one thing that HR as a group can provide to leadership that they can’t do themselves. “Leadership teams struggle with engagement, of connecting with employees. So how do you set up the messaging, how do you create a set of values, and then behaviours that reinforce those values? That’s something HR can play a unique part in.” 2. Sell it to your executive colleagues. “Leadership buy-in is essential,” says Beeley. “It’s up to you to demonstrate to them how powerful this can be and how much influence the leadership team can have through this EVP. On a broad basis, the EVP is a communication platform for informing and influencing many people at once.” 3. Secure a budget – and get external help. “You cannot do a proper EVP analysis on the smell of an oily rag,” Beeley says. “It’s also difficult to do it on your own. The people you are talking to probably won’t be honest with you. Having HR in focus groups is a bit like having your parents in the room when you’re talking to your mates. As the child, you are fearful that what you reveal might hurt you down the track. It’s imperative to have an unbiased external research team undertaking the research so you capture the truth rather than what you’d like to think the truth is.” 4. Research, research, research. “If we haven’t got that research piece nailed down, without fault or gaps, what tends to happen is we go back to the leadership team and ask for changes to be made to the EVP, and one of the first questions to be asked is ‘How do we know this is true?’ This is where the robustness and

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RISE OF THE SEGMENTED EVP? It’s true that marketers love to segment and neatly categorise their efforts. Is the EVP next on the list? The Graduate Value Proposition (GVP) has already gained traction. Will employers be forced to introduce tailored and specific EVP messaging for other segments of the workforce? Mums returning to work or Indigenous workers, perhaps? MacWhite thinks it’s unlikely. “The EVP is the essence of the employment brand – it doesn’t change based on your talent needs at the time; segmentation is achieved through the use of tactical brand tools that appeal directly to the target without altering the core of the brand. “Anything that alters the core of the employment brand – the EVP – simply creates distortion and confusion. An organisation does not have 10 EVPs flying around; it has one, perhaps with 10 great executions.” rigour around the process comes into play. If there are any chinks in that armour – if you haven’t talked to one segment of the workforce who is particularly influential or you’ve only talked to certain segments – it’s very easy for leadership to say, ‘This can’t be true’. They can dismiss it and the whole process can fall apart.”

A UNIQUE JUNCTURE HR is at a unique juncture in its evolution. For too long perceived as tactical ‘firefighters’ or ‘policemen’ in the workplace, effective HR strategies can now have a tangible impact on business operations. Formulation of a robust EVP is part of this. Beeley suggests HR is in a similar position to where the ‘sales’ function was post-World War II when they struggled to answer the fundamental question: ‘How do we sell more stuff?’ The answer, of course, was by understanding the needs of the customer better and undertaking research about where they were, who they were, and what they wanted. “All of a sudden sales became marketing,” Beeley says. “HR can do this too, and some are already there. They’ve broken away from the policeman role and become market-driven. They understand who their core customers – their people – are and are looking forward rather than sideways or backwards.”

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L&D / PERSONALITY PROFILING

Detail Humour Role play Helicopter view

Wouldn’t it be great if your training provider (or internal training resources) knew the answer, and delivered training that hit-the-mark every time?

PERFECT MATCH:

L&D PERSONALITY Training. Personalised. PROFILING

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We do it for everything from online dating to spotting the next generation of leader – why not apply the same personality proﬁling methodology to the learning experience? You’ve no doubt witnessed it ﬁrst hand – and you might even be guilty of it yourself. You attend a course or seminar and, full of enthusiasm, you take notes and nod your head at the wonderful insights being shared. Then you return to work… and you work. Anything you may have initially taken onboard in that training session gets forgotten. According to the Ebbinghouse Forgetting Curve, the average participant begins forgetting what they’ve learned almost immediately without the use of any practical activities to support the new knowledge. This research was originally conducted in 1875, so this has been a problem for the ages. The research suggests there is a 6-9 hour window before participants start to forget up to 50% of what they learned if they have not completed any practical activities related to the new information or skills. How can this waste be minimised? Innovative learning models are shaking things up. pd training, for example, uses a model based on tying learning to personality types. They use real world examples supported by actual practical activities, either designed on the spot by professional trainers or planned as part of the complete learning experience. While personality profiles have been used for years to identify potential leaders and to enhance team dynamics, they’ve rarely been used in the

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L&D space. Yet it makes a lot of sense: people do learn in different ways. Some prefer face-to-face; others are quite happy to do it online at their own pace. Some need guidance and support; others don’t. Paul Findlay, managing director of pd training, says the best results come when the profiling is done prior to (or if necessary, at the start) of the training event. “We use the insights to deliver the training in a way that is more tailored to the individual’s natural preferences; however, that’s only just the beginning,” he says. “By learning more about yourself and others in the context of a business course, the epiphanies people have about recurring scenarios can be life changing.” Using the personality profiling tool, every course is delivered to cater to the needs of clients and the individuals in the room on the day. This occurs to the extent that even if the same topic is being delivered to multiple groups in the same company, the delivery of each and every session will be based upon the personality type, needs, backgrounds and learning goals of the individuals in each training event. Following the personality profile, participants have 24x7 access to peers, a range of training support materials (personality profiling report,

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF HOW PERSONALITY IMPACTS ON LEARNING

Directive Driver

Self-directed learners will often have a high abandonment rate if the content isn’t concise and gets to outcomes with new ‘ah ha’ moments delivered quickly or frequently. In a classroom environment, these people will want to quickly get to ‘what do I do with this information, and what good is it to me?’ You’ll lose them quickly if you get bogged down in history or details. They will comfortably take part in activities, but they need to be pointed and purposeful. It is this personality type that probably invented the term ‘warm and fuzzies’ to describe face-to-face training.

Adaptive Coach

These can be quite self-directed in their approach to learning. Online content would need to be video based – preferably presented by a well-known/respected personality in the field. Much like the Red Directive Driver, these learners thrive on the conclusions and results, not so much on the theory, research and detail around the academic rigor it took to get there. In a classroom, the opportunity to interact with their colleagues, and work toward a common understanding will be an opportunity they relish. However, you’ll lose them fast if you spend the day in facts or figures and PowerPoint – these are the inventors of the term ‘death by PowerPoint’.

Contemplative Advisor

Consultative Counsellor

Give these people the access, time and quiet space, with a deadline that they need to meet and they will happily pore over online content – especially if they get the time and luxury to work through the case studies, facts and detail around the science behind the lessons. In a classroom setting, these people are the biggest protesters of role plays and group work – let them listen, observe and perform written tasks. Asking them to join in will meet with resistance; often they’ll be worrying too much about being in the spotlight to really take in the content. These learners need interactive people-based content, and will work through it if given the time to do so; however, in online learning they will benefit from videos of respected people providing the materials. They will often get buy-in when the training has the details supporting the facts – don’t shy away from detailed content for this type of learner. In the classroom, if you set up activities with strong explanations and clarity on how to go about them, these people will enjoy and willingly participate in the day. Make sure you watch these participants: your activities can easily run overtime, as they enjoy collaborating with their peers and love to focus in on the details!

courseware, course notes, videos, forums, training booster emails) and their trainer to assure that if they do start to forget anything, they have instant access to any type of support they require.

why certain people conduct themselves that way they do.”

BENEFITS TO EMPLOYEES

While the focus is naturally on the learners, the trainers also benefit from the insights gleaned from personality profiles. When you are delivering a communications or people focused course you often have participants attending from many different job roles, experience and seniority, with wildly different technical skills and personality types, so it’s difficult to guess how to run the session to suit their personalities until you get some insight about them – that’s where the profiling comes to the fore. “You now know you should pick on x person to join in or lead discussion and y person to conduct some research. You can prepare and deliver courses that leaves each person feeling really connected and engaged by the content, thereby making the most of the time spent in training for each and every person in the room,” Findlay says. “The whole purpose is to help individuals and their employers get the best possible impact from the time and money invested in training.”

Perhaps you’ve heard these common questions being asked in business courses – Findlay certainly has: • Why do I always lose out in negotiations? • Why does John always brush me off? • Why don’t I ever get through my to-do list? • If I could just learn what motivates Mary! • Why are some people so much better at delegating? • John and Mary really just butt heads – why is that? • It makes me so mad that Peter never reads my emails, why won’t he? Questions like these come up in different business courses all the time. Often, people are attending training that is focused on something unrelated, and Findlay suggests that the self-awareness and awareness-ofothers that comes out through the profiling answers these questions and more. “It’s commonplace for clients to tell us that the profiling part of the training was the most valuable thing they took from the training because they gained a true insight into their fellow team members and could now communicate better and understand

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BENEFITS TO TRAINERS – AND EMPLOYERS

pd training is an Australian-owned, international training and professional development services provider, with over 400 specialist trainers, delivering thousands of courses each year

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12/02/2015 5:54:48 PM

BEST PRACTICE / HR PRODUCTIVITY

IN THE ZONE We’ve all experienced it, and we would all love to bottle it: when you’re in the zone, you’re totally immersed in what you’re doing and you are productive to the extreme. Adam Fraser outlines the factors that lead to being ‘in the zone’, and how to stay there 22 | FEBRUARY 2015

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HCAMAG.COM

12/02/2015 5:59:09 PM

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

A day in the life of an HR professional is a roller coaster ride: it can be stressful, hugely demanding and at the same time incredibly rewarding. One minute you can be dealing with a stressful dismissal and then suddenly you have to think strategically and make a decision that will deeply affect the business. In response to this pressure, some HR professionals thrive, while others fall dramatically short. John Molineux (lecturer in Human Resource Management at Deakin University) and I set out to understand what helps HR professionals either get into ‘flow’ (a high-performance state in which an individual is completely engaged in what they are doing, driven by intrinsic motivation, and experiencing positive emotion), or get stressed (feel overwhelmed, with lack of clarity, a low level of productivity and negative emotion). To do this we studied 821 HR professionals varying in age, role (HR managers, HR specialists, HR generalists, HR business partners, HR consultants), seniority and years of experience. Our interactions with them ranged from surveys to one-on-one interviews and diary recordings.

WHAT WE FOUND Below is the preliminary model that represents our findings from the study.

WATCH YOUR ATTITUDE! The big finding that really stood out was that increased work pressure (deadlines and expectations) led to a greater amount of flow. Yes, you heard right: high levels of work pressure helped HR professionals get into this high-performance state. Specifically, HR managers tended to experience a higher level of flow at work, as the use of skills, interest in, and challenge of the work is significantly higher than for lower roles such as HR generalists. However, there is a caveat. Work pressure did not result in greater flow when the individual perceived that this pressure was a bad thing. This mindset led to an increase in their stress levels. Therefore, whether we view pressure as a challenge or a threat is a critical skill.

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The individual’s attitude plays the most important role in whether work pressure leads to flow or stress. In other words, do they see pressure as an opportunity to dig in and deliver, or do they see pressure as something that pushes them into stress? Associated with this we found that positive social support at work and a supportive leader helped people to get into flow. HR professionals performed better when they felt ‘safe’ and able to stretch themselves without fear of persecution. What we take from this is that if we want our HR team members to be at their best we need to give them work that stretches them and builds capability. However, we must ensure that the stretch is not so far it overwhelms them. Interestingly, the individual’s attitude plays the most important role in whether work pressure leads to flow or stress. In other words, do they see pressure as an opportunity to dig in and deliver, or do they see pressure as something that pushes them into stress?

GIVE ME TIME TO THINK One of the challenges we face in the modern working environment is the huge amount of time spent on communication (emails, meetings, phone calls, unscheduled conversations). HR professionals across the board said that the time spent on communication dramatically reduced their capacity to execute. Our findings showed that across all HR roles 42.7% of time was spent providing advice, in meetings or doing emails. If you add in conflict resolution, interviews, reports and training, this rises to 63.9%. Those HR professionals who were expected to be strategic by

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BEST PRACTICE / HR PRODUCTIVITY

the business said they spent so much of their time communicating, putting out fires and executing tasks that there was very little time to catch their breath, let alone be strategic. Across all HR roles, time spent on strategy was 7.8%; for HR managers this only increased to 9.9%. The learning is that HR professionals need to be more guarded with their time and more aware of where their time is spent. Often communication soaked up so much time people then had to use free time at night to complete their actual work.

DON’T INTERRUPT ME Another finding was that interruptions in the work day dramatically drove up work stress and drove down psychological flow. We found that the level of interruptions was so bad that most HR professionals felt they did not drive their day; rather, the interruptions and urgent requests controlled their time. The only time they got to think and focus was when they removed themselves from the workplace, such as working in a meeting room, working at home, or going somewhere offsite (cafe, hotel foyer). In addition, we found a personality effect here too. The more introverted they were, the greater the level of stress experienced from an interruption. In contrast, more social extroverts were not as distressed by interruptions. The takeaway here is that HR managers are constantly being diverted from strategic work to address immediate issues. There is a need to delegate this work wherever possible or respond to it in more innovative ways, including using selfhelp for client managers. Also, try to automate lower-level work as much as possible to enable HR to spend more time on future-focused activities such as developing

Our findings showed that across all HR roles 42.7% of time was spent providing advice, in meetings, or doing emails. If you add in conflict resolution, interviews, reports and training, this rises to 63.9% 24 | FEBRUARY 2015

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strategy, change management, building capability and building engagement.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE Greater levels of work-life balance led to more time in flow at work. Work-life balance was measured as feeling as though people were meeting expectations in each aspect of life. However, when boundary strength (clear boundaries between work and home, eg not working at home) is high, people experience less flow. This seems a dichotomy, but not if you look at it in terms of work experience. People who really enjoy work don’t mind if it spills into home time, as long as it doesn’t impact on home negatively. People who don’t like their work as much tend to avoid working at home. The key message is, do you find work enjoyable? Work out what ‘balance’ means for you, and how you can minimise work interference by setting realistic boundaries.

GIVE ME SOME SUPPORT The nature of HR often means that you are supporting others and rarely looking after yourself. On a number of occasions the interviews were halted so the interviewer could offer support to the HR professional and allow them to unload some of their stresses and fears. In a way, it seemed that they had no one they could turn to and offload. Also, across the board HR professionals said they severely lacked resources; the result led to HR managers doing much of the operational work, and often a high percentage of the advisory work. The key learning is: you have to ask yourself, ‘Who is looking after HR?’

WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS Finally, what really struck us was how different and unique everyone is. Some are energetic in the morning while others come into their own in the afternoon. Some thrive on pressure while others buckle under it. Some are driven by helping others while some are fascinated by business. It shows that blanket leadership strategies are useless and the ‘five key drivers of engagement’ approach is no longer relevant.

WHAT NOW? What should HR leaders do differently as a result of this information?

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12/02/2015 5:59:13 PM

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

1. DON’T LET YOUR TEAM BECOME STAGNANT You must stretch your team and give them work that pushes them. A common trap I see leaders fall into is that they have the ‘go-to person’ in their team – you know, the one who always gets things done and delivers on time. What do they get? The interesting projects, the important work that pushes them. The rest of the team, meanwhile, gets business-as-usual projects, which don’t push them or help them grow. Then leaders complain about the capability gap in their team (which they are perpetuating). 2. SEE PRESSURE AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GROW Our attitude towards pressure is more important than we ever thought. Also, how the individuals in your team perceive pressure will determine if this pressure propels them into a highperformance state or deep into stress. Therefore, training the team around shifting mindsets and giving them tools to evolve their perception of pressure is essential. 3. MAKE YOUR TEAM FEEL SAFE Striving to be a leader/team member who makes those around you feel safe is a critical step. When HR professionals felt they had support from their team and their leaders, this feeling of safety helped them get into flow. Also, check in with your team and allow them to confide in you and get things off their chest. Enable friendships at work, reward team and collaborative behaviours, and regularly recognise achievements. 4. CONTROL YOUR ENVIRONMENT Understand that interruptions dramatically drive up people’s stress levels. If you want them to grow, do good work and be ‘strategic’, you have to loosen up on the way you let them work. Let them work from home; let them leave the office to complete a project. Also, can you shift your internal culture to ensure you respect people’s mental space? Do you have to interrupt

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them right now? Can it wait? Can you save up a number of interruptions so you just interrupt them once? Respect their time! 5. BE HUMAN Take an interest in how happy your team members are outside of work. When your staff feel like they are meeting expectations at home, they get more flow at work. What should HR practitioners do differently as a result of this information? 1. Take care of the carers Who is looking after the HR people in your organisation? Do you invest in their wellbeing or do you just expect them to keep giving to the organisation? 2. Develop key cognitive strategies to handle work pressure This will assist you to move into flow rather than stress. These can range from explanation style to mindfulness. 3. Start each day with clarity on what you’re trying to achieve It will never go to plan, but clearly mapping out what you are trying to achieve helps you focus and be more productive. 4. Have a thinking space When you have to get something important done or put deep thought into a task, ideally remove yourself from the work environment to perform it optimally. 5. Explore how you communicate and use your communication tools Manage your email, phone and instant messaging rather than being slaves to them. 6. Be challenged at work, but be realistic in what you can and can’t do Sometimes you need to say no. Renegotiate unreasonable time demands, get help from others, use positive psychology and mindfulness techniques to reduce stress. Recognise when you are under stress and seek to mitigate it by engaging in suitable recovery activities.

Adam Fraser is a human performance researcher and consultant who studies how organisations adopt a high-performance culture to thrive in this challenging and evolving business landscape. Phone +61 2 9818 5199 or visit dradamfraser.com

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12/02/2015 5:59:17 PM

L&D / EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

2015 PRIORITY #1

Executive education Brought to you by

Rather than taking a slash and burn approach, now is the time to invest in senior executive talent Finding, keeping and training the right people to meet new challenges are critical responsibilities for HR executives, especially in a business climate dominated by cost-cutting. But for Professor Ian Williamson, who teaches Managing Human Capital on the Senior Executive MBA (SEMBA) program at Melbourne Business School (MBS), cost-cutting is the wrong approach.

RETURN ON PEOPLE INVESTMENT “People talk about employees being the most important assets in their organisations, but if you look at how we manage them, we treat them as a cost,” says Professor Williamson. “We don’t calculate the ROI like we do when buying a machine.” He says smart organisations, with a true asset orientation, think long and hard about return when looking to hire or develop staff; they factor in the likely productivity boost and alignment with their strategies. “If you’re focused on return, you never think about cost-cutting. You spend as much as you possibly can, given a certain return.”

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LEARNING TO LEAD BEYOND YOUR STRENGTHS Professor Williamson says one way the MBS SEMBA program provides a ROI is by helping executives to become highly effective in a wide range of situations, including the unfamiliar. “Everybody in our Senior Executive MBA comes to us with a solid foundation in a functional area. They are already accomplished experts in their field. Our challenge is to help them develop into leaders, who can utilise their experience and call on others to help them make better executive decisions.” He says the SEMBA program is unique in terms of the executive cohort it attracts. As organisational leaders, the participants must view their business divisions in an interconnected manner, operate effectively in a team structure, and respond positively to challenges from peers, who they must also try to persuade and convince. “The characteristic of a team leader is the ability to understand how and when different areas of expertise are relevant to a business problem.”

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12/02/2015 6:00:00 PM

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

2015 GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES Professor Williamson, who is also director of the Asia Pacific Social Impact Leadership Centre at MBS, says developing senior executives is particularly important for companies looking to exploit two of 2015’s biggest growth opportunities: productivity through innovation, and the single ASEAN market.

CLOSING THE PRODUCTIVITY GAP WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY IN THE YEAR AHEAD? utilisation of resources 52% employee engagement 30% customer service 10% investing in R&D and innovation 8% Source: Australia’s Productivity Imperative, Trans-Tasman Business Circle

Faced with global competition, Australia’s high labour costs and small workforce make productivity and innovation crucial, but many firms are overlooking their workforce’s potential. “Firms that can get more out of the knowledge, skills base and relationships that their workforce possesses will be the most successful. And the way to do that is through innovation, whether that’s new products, business processes or ways of engaging or partnering,” Professor Williamson says. He adds that innovation places a heavy emphasis on human and social capital. “If you think about the Australian economy, there’s a lot of sophistication in mining and resources, and financial transactions, but utilising our social and human capital – the intangibles embedded in our workforce – is less developed, with more potential for growth.”

ASEAN OPPORTUNITIES DID YOU KNOW? The Asian Century is the projected 21st century dominance of Asian politics and culture, assuming certain demographic and economic trends persist. A 2011 study by the Asian Development Bank found that an additional three billion Asians could enjoy living standards similar to those in Europe today, and the region could account for over half of global output by the middle of this century.

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The single ASEAN market is the other big growth opportunity Professor Williamson sees for Australian organisations in 2015. “ASEAN countries have forged an agreement to create a single trade block of 650 million people in 2015. But the level of development across the 10 ASEAN members varies dramatically; Myanmar and Singapore, for example, are at very different levels of development. “Many organisations will miss out on the ASEAN opportunity because they don’t have the capability to engage with such diverse cultures, or create a global strategy, or develop their people to become comfortable working with partners in the region.” The SEMBA program is also taught on four continents – Australia, North America, Europe and Asia – to teach executives how to function effectively in cross-cultural settings. “The skills we teach can be generalised across cultures and settings. They provide a template to negotiate effectively, manage a highly diverse workforce, structure a global operation, develop effective partnerships, and measure the way the workforce is managed. “It helps you understand in real time that you can’t necessarily do in North America or China what you can do in Australia.”

SEMBA’S SUPPORT NETWORK To give participants more time for interaction with peers and faculty in class, the SEMBA program uses technology to allow easy access to program material before and after class. Participants are provided with iPads, but everyone can access the material on other devices. However, it’s one thing to read an article and think about it, and another to talk to the author. “We encourage direct access to our faculty members who are world-class researchers. Having the time to discuss with them how to apply the information is critical,” says Professor Williamson. “The time spent with faculty and class peers is really important for building a support network of people who can work with you over the 18 months of the program. That’s essential because you need support to unlearn and relearn if you want to change your way of thinking and your organisation.”

The Melbourne Business School offered Australia’s first MBA over 50 years ago. It’s co-owned by the business community and the University of Melbourne, Australia’s No. 1 university, established in 1853.

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12/02/2015 6:00:04 PM

INTERNATIONAL PROFILE / NASA

Lost in space:

NASA’S HR DILEMMA It may be true that in space no one can hear you scream, but on Earth, the cries emanating from NASA’s HR department are becoming harder to ignore. The once shining beacon of human endeavour is facing an HR crisis and there are no easy ﬁxes, as Jill Gregorie discovers

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On 20 July 1969, the entire world watched breathlessly as two NASA astronauts stepped foot on the moon, declaring, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. And Mr Armstrong was right: this was a feat that transported civilisation to a place it had only dreamt about since the first humans looked up at the sky and pointed in wonder. Flash forward a few decades to a 2014 Cadillac commercial, in which an American actor proudly states, “That’s right, we went up there and you know what we got? Bored. So we left. Got a car up there and left the keys in it, and do you know why? ‘Cause we’re the only ones going back up there, that’s why.” It’s catchy marketing, but is there any truth to this patriotic sentiment? According to research conducted by Loizos Heracleous, professor of strategy and organisation at Warwick Business School, there may not be. Whereas NASA once commanded 4.5% of the US federal budget, it now represents a mere 0.5%. Moreover, new participants such as China and India are quickly catching up to American innovation, and

HCAMAG.COM

12/02/2015 6:03:01 PM

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

may boast the world’s pre-eminent space agencies in as little as two to three decades from now. Heracleous has hope that NASA can remain competitive amongst these new rivals, but it will take cutting-edge workforce solutions with a focus on long-term human capital investment.

ROCKY ROAD Underlying many of NASA’s challenges is the fact that the space exploration landscape has transformed enormously since the organisation’s heyday in the 1960s. In addition to the government-funded space agencies of rising superpowers, NASA now operates alongside such well-financed private endeavours as Space X and Virgin Galactic. This heightened competition comes at the same time that NASA’s workforce is beginning to show its age. In 2013, a full 58% of NASA scientists were aged 45-59, compared to 34% who were of the same demographic in 1993, according to a study coauthored by Heracleous in Space Policy. This age dilemma is exacerbated by the fact that NASA is relegated to stiff, uncompromising policies by nature of its existence as a US government agency. “The organisational constraints placed on public sector organisations, for example, relating to the whole cycle of HR policies, mean that public sector organisations such as NASA do not have as much flexibility as the private sector on practices such as pay for performance, accelerated promotions, and configuring reward packages in ways that are competitive in the market for talent,” says Heracleous. Moreover, because of budgetary restrictions, NASA now outsources many of its functions to contract workers. While monetarily efficient, this causes a division of labour that often results in employees operating in silos at the expense of largescale integration.

TURNOVER IS GOOD? Almost paradoxically, another phenomenon that Heracleous suggests is an obstacle for NASA is the low rate of employee turnover in the agency. He notes that overall turnover in private US industry is 15%, compared with 7-10% in governmental organisations. At NASA, however, it rests at a mere 5.2%, which drops down to 1.7% when excluding retirees. While many organisations would consider this a crowning achievement, turnover is actually encouraged in science and research-based fields, as it

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spurs new ideas and allows for fresh perspectives to facilitate innovation. During the Cold War days at NASA, employees were free to move to private industry, acquire knowledge in new technological and research methods, then return to ‘cross-pollinate’ their discoveries with NASA scientists and engineers. Referencing the low turnover rate that currently exists at NASA, Heracleous says, “Assuming that new people in any organisation help to bring in new thinking, energy and competencies, and contribute to revitalisation, this figure is not ideal.” Instead, he recommends that NASA implement a program similar to one established by Sandia National Laboratories for the US Department of Energy. As part of Sandia’s Entrepreneurial Separation to Transfer Technology (ESTT) initiative, employees can leave the lab to start a new company or work at an existing tech firm, but are guaranteed employment if they ever choose to return. “This will allow brilliant scientists to not only accomplish great things in NASA but can facilitate technology transfer and exchange with industry and universities,” he says.

HR CHALLENGES AT NASA  As of 2012, NASA accounts for only 6% of global expenditure on spacerelated research  A mere 0.5% of the US federal budget is allocated for NASA research, compared with 4.5% in the 1960s  At the time of the NASA moon landing, the average age in Mission Control was 26. Gene Kranz, then director of mission operations, was 35 years old and described himself as “the old man in this room”. As of 2007, the average age of a NASA engineer is 41  The number of workers in the 20-24 age range dropped from 34% in 1993 to 14% in 2013 Source: Professor Loizos Heracleous; PBS.org

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INTERNATIONAL PROFILE / NASA

“Collaboration with the private sector can take several forms beyond the principal/contractor relationship” Loizos Heracleous FLEXING ITS MUSCLE Another solution that Heracleous presents revolves around flexibility. In order to succeed going forward, he argues, the agency needs to become more nimble. NASA’s performance-driven culture in the 1960s meant the entire workforce was completely revitalised around every eight years. While this is no longer the case, if NASA can be more flexible in applying private market-oriented pay structures to its operations, it may be able to return to its days of attracting brilliant scientists at the peak of their careers. While this may seem insurmountable for a government agency, he points to the Singaporean public sector as a success story on which NASA and other American government programs can model themselves. He cites agile HR policies and high performance standards as reasons why it “runs like clockwork”. “Investment in continuous training and development of civil servants, combined with a real performance-led reward and evaluation process, plus opportunities for development through further education, job rotation, or collaborations with other organisations, are factors that can be seen in that context, and that can ensure competitiveness.” Though this may be difficult to attain in the wake of shrinking budgets, Heracleous believes it’s possible. He advises that organisations: • Prioritise which goals are most important, and direct resources there • Seek to accomplish more tasks with fewer resources. “This doesn’t simply mean to cut cost in existing activities incrementally, but rather to focus on particular activities that add the most value, and to reconfigure how things are done. Open innovation processes are an example of this,” he says.

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• Reduce bureaucratic costs, and make changes in any areas where the organisation can run more efficiently

BANDING TOGETHER Heracleous also advocates for NASA to become a network organisation that links with other space agencies, in both the public and private sectors, to work collaboratively in advancing technology using the competencies from each organisation’s best and brightest scientists and engineers. One positive step that NASA has taken to become more network-oriented is through its ‘open innovation’ efforts. Under this model, the agency welcomes helpful ideas from external sources and even hosts public competitions to encourage idea sharing and problem solving through crowdsourced platforms. However, NASA needs to expand its undertakings in collaborative research and team-guided discoveries, argues Heracleous. “In particular, collaboration with the private sector can take several forms beyond the principal/ contractor relationship. Learning from experience with productive engagements within the private sector is one of the best ways to gradually build a culture and set of processes that facilitate such collaborations.” But in order to achieve this, massive cultural shifts within the agency will be needed, as NASA has distinct organisational processes that make integration difficult. Additionally, the transition to a network organisation will require extensive cybersecurity measures to certify that sensitive information remains secure.

THE NEXT GIANT LEAP? NASA is on the brink of a human capital crisis, and may require flexibility, increased turnover, and network integration to remain the global leader in science and space exploration. While these solutions necessitate “…a long-term process and requires changes in organisational policies and practices, as well as consistent role modelling by leaders”, Heracleous feels that they are all worthwhile to support the agency that made the wonders of outer space seem attainable to all those here on earth. “NASA represents something bigger than just a state agency going to space; it represents the human spirit of exploration, the transcendence of constraints in search of new worlds,” he says.

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12/02/2015 6:03:08 PM

EXPERT INSIGHT / WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Productivity Commission review – is the ‘Fair Work Act’ fair? The most significant industrial relations review in a generation is underway. Lisa Burrell outlines what HR needs to know

It’s a topic which occupies much debate amongst HR professionals, economists, politicians and academics: the impact of our legislative framework on workplace productivity, the balance of the IR framework, and the increasing costs of compliance. On 22 January 2015, the Productivity Commission (‘PC’) released five issues papers in which it confirmed the Australian Government had asked the PC to undertake a public inquiry to examine “the performance of the workplace relations framework” and identify “improvements” to it. Initial submissions are due on 13 March, with the final report scheduled for November 2015. In what is being touted as the most significant industrial relations review in a generation, the issues papers outline the key areas which will be at the heart of the review, which include: yy Unemployment, underemployment and job creation yy Safety nets, including the federal minimum wage, NES, modern awards and penalty rates yy Red tape and the compliance burden for employers yy Bargaining, industrial disputes and industrial action yy The ability for employers to flexibly manage and engage with their employees yy Employee protections, including unfair dismissal, general protections and antibullying legislation yy The efficiency and effectiveness of institutions such as the Fair Work Commission (‘Commission’)

EXPECTED OUTCOMES Employers will be particularly interested in the opportunity to reduce uncertainty and remove red tape for issues that were either not identified or not rectified by the outcomes of the 2012 Fair Work Act review. Key issues for business will likely focus upon

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the impact of penalty rates, the barriers to hiring (and terminating) staff, the compliance cost of existing Fair Work Act processes, the reality of ‘goaway’ money and continuing issues around union right of entry. Selecting just one issue from the myriad to illustrate the PC approach, the papers revisit a century old question of whether the current framework presents ‘a bog of technicalities’. The recent decision in Peabody is cited, whereby the Full Bench of the Commission held two documents that were stapled to the Notice Of Representational Rights (‘NORR’), informing parties of their rights to appoint a bargaining agent formed part of the NORR. As a result, the Commission determined that NORR contained ‘other content’ contrary to the Fair Work Act and did not approve the proposed enterprise agreement, resulting in the bargaining process needing to recommence. The PC papers aim to highlight the current situation whereby much of one case ‘related to the role of a staple’ and the compliance costs and complexity that are obviously present, seeking feedback on specific questions around the level of cost, opportunities to mitigate and barriers created within the framework. The PC review will be a fascinating examination of the effectiveness and ‘fairness’ of the current system for Australian businesses and employees and will no doubt make for interesting debate throughout 2015.

Lisa Burrell is the general manager of the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI). VECCI is Victoria’s most influential employer group, servicing over 15,000 Victorian businesses per annum. An independent, non-government body, VECCI was founded in 1851 by the business community to represent business.

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12/02/2015 6:03:51 PM

CORPORATE HEALTH / DENTAL WELLBEING

SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT Brought to you by

Novated lease and salary sacrifice programs? Tick. Company laptop and tablet? Tick. Gift vouchers and discounts? Tick. While these are all considered part and parcel of modern benefits programs, smart employers are taking an interest in employee health – and specifically in dental care

Anyone who’s struggled through a day at work with a toothache knows how debilitating it can be. In an organisation with thousands of employees, there’s a fair chance that someone else within the organisation is grappling with that same pain. The impact of unhealthy employees on business performance is well documented – but until now, you’ve possibly never considered incorporating dental health initiatives into your employee benefits offerings. Enter the Corporate Dental Program (CDP). Fuelled by a desire to provide employers with a unique suite of employee benefits, the CDP has emerged to fill the gap (or cavity) in the Australian benefits landscape. The CDP is an employee benefit scheme provided across Australia and New Zealand by the Dental Care Network (DCN). The CDP is a free health & wellbeing benefit suite for organisations of any size. There is no cost, no reporting and no reconciliations for employers. All employers need to do is promote the program to employees and DCN does the rest.

NEGLECT COMES AT A PRICE Beyond gym memberships and healthy eating and living seminars, Australian employers have traditionally taken something of a ‘hands off’ approach to corporate health & wellbeing programs. Afterall, an individual’s health is no one’s business but their own, right? Not quite. As Australia’s sagging productivity levels and burgeoning ‘sickie’ reputation take hold, employers are being forced to get involved. Savvy HRDs realise that the lasting value of any health & wellbeing program is its capacity to encourage greater participation and achieve positive attitude and behavioural change that will extend the program’s benefits beyond the workplace. Organisations such as Allianz, Citi, Canon Australia, Dick Smith, Coles and Optus have seen this value already and have taken steps, via the CDP, to avoid the unexpected fallout from poor dental health. Here’s why: there are one million lost days of work each year due to poor dental health in Australia. This equates to $2bn in total direct costs and lost productivity due to poor dental health.

NEED TO KNOW The CDP benefits employees as well as their direct

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

family (ie spouse, children, parents/parents-inlaw). Here’s what’s on offer: •

•

The

10% discount on dental treatments. Employers who partner with DCN secure a 10% discount off the final treatment price for each visit or treatment plan, up to a maximum discount of $500*, for all employees and their families Health & wellbeing solutions, including: - in-office oral health screenings. These screenings aim to reduce the number of days lost to poor dental health, by identifying possible decay and poor oral hygiene habits of DCN partner employees - ‘Lunch & Learn’ presentations – oral health presentations from DCN Dental Practitioners, followed by a 10-minute question time - dental health and oral hygiene seminars (for example, ‘Dental Hygiene: Important for your whole body, not just your smile’, with tips on diet, tooth cleaning and visiting a dentist) - one-on-one verbal consultations with employees. Advice on how to engage with employees through marketing collateral, including: - graphics and written material such as dental health articles for use in benefit newsletter articles or intranets - customisable email campaigns. Promotional items (dental floss, brushing timers, toothpaste and toothbrushes) - competitions and prizes - network campaigns to promote better dental health to employees, including Dental Health Month, Share a Smile and Christmas competitions. Access to a network of over 205 dental practices, with locations across Australia and New Zealand. All practices share one simple mission: to help people with the wellbeing of teeth, gums and overall oral health. Free, comprehensive coverage against dental accidents up to $5,000 per accident. Known as Dentisure, this is a patient loyalty program for patients who book in for regular dental check-ups. CDP benefits are compatible with private

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health insurance. All employees can use this program in conjunction with their ancillary cover health care benefits – the 10% discount is taken off the final price of the service before it is charged to their health fund, which means the employee is increasing the amount they can spend under their capped dental benefits by 10% each year.

THE TIPPING POINT For anyone still questioning the importance of dental health you may want to consider that there is thought to be a strong correlation between gum disease and heart disease, according to the Dental Practice Education Research Unit at the University of Adelaide. Gum disease is thought to be linked to other diseases as well, including rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and stroke. In fact, Colgate research indicates that up to 90% of all systemic diseases have oral health symptoms. So, next time you notice your inflamed gums or experience that shooting pain from eating icecream, perhaps it’s time for that much-delayed trip to the dentist. With some luck, your company might be able to offer a convenient and cost-free helping hand.

HALF OF 18-25 YEAR OLDS HAVEN’T VISITED A DENTIST IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

30% OF AUSTRALIANS ADMIT THEY ONLY BRUSH ONCE A DAY

48% OF PEOPLE REMEMBER A SMILE ON FIRST IMPRESSION MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE

90% OF ALL DENTAL DISEASE IS PREVENTABLE

MORE THAN 90% OF ALL SYSTEMIC DISEASES HAVE ORAL SYMPTOMS

For more information on the Dental Care Network and the Corporate Dental Program visit dentalcarenetwork.com

FEBRUARY 2015 | 33

12/02/2015 6:05:17 PM

ENGAGEMENT / TECHNOLOGY

RECIPE FOR

SUCCESS Brought to you by

It’s not unusual to have a different technology platform for each and every one of your engagement initiatives – and no doubt you bear the brunt of the administrative burden that set-up entails. Sit tight – there is help at hand Any HR professional knows that employee engagement is akin to a recipe that’s been honed and perfected over time: it’s comprised of multiple components – or ingredients – and without those ingredients your finished dish won’t taste quite as expected. HR leaders, much like a home chef seeking an easier option, might be tempted to grab a bit of everything in the fridge – or in their engagement arsenal – in the hope that it’ll work. An ad hoc approach to engagement activities is the default position for HR professionals who have 101 priority items on their plate.

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER How can the situation be improved? How can disparate engagement initiatives, each with their own systems and processes, be brought together? The answer might lie in Reward Gateway’s latest innovation: SmartHub™. As the name suggests, SmartHub™ creates a digital ‘hub’ for all engagement initiatives within a company. All

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existing platforms – whether developed by other service providers or built in-house – can be integrated into SmartHub™. It’s your own customisable engagement platform. Imagine carrying one consistent brand across all of your benefits and resources and communicating them from one centralised place. In short, it’s a one-stop platform for employees to keep track of their benefits; and for employers, it’s a critical tool to manage engagement more effectively.

“The last thing HR needs is to be bogged down having a conversation about the nitty-gritty of what benefits a provider should be managing for them” Scott Sampson HCAMAG.COM

12/02/2015 6:06:17 PM

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

“We believe that happier, engaged employees make better decisions, work harder for their customers, and innovate more for their organisations,” says Scott Sampson of Reward Gateway. “So we listened to HR and built SmartHub™ to help them deliver engagement in their entire EVP; discounts is just the secret sauce that keeps their people coming back.”

SMART TECHNOLOGY = SMART OUTCOMES Built from the ground up with simplicity in mind, SmartHub™ is focused on delivering the best possible User Experience (UX) for both HR and their employees. SmartHub™ gives HR the ability to update or post content in only a few clicks and deliver their message to all of their people, on any device, in real time. From resource links to interactive content, the scope, scale and ‘personality’ of a program can be fully customised. Every image, video or text change is updated in real time, allowing unprecedented collaboration between service providers and the HR team. The platform also supports more interactive content, like videos, polls and forms.

A WIN FOR EMPLOYERS ... The advent of social media, along with what seems to be a new resource or system to log into every day, has created far greater competition for our time than ever before. Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently proclaimed that, because of the internet, social media and smartphones, we now produce as much data in 48 hours as we did from the dawn of civilisation up to 2003. Why is that relevant to HR? Because it means that effective messaging needs to be relevant, it needs to avoid interrupting employees’ days, and it needs to show them something they value. With SmartHub™ comes built-in analytics that allow business leaders to see how successfully their engagement initiatives are tracking with employees. This is data that helps determine habits and preferences across entire workforces, or small pockets within. Those insights are then used to suggest what type of communication strategy the employer might use. Importantly, this data is anonymised and created on a ‘live’, real-time basis. HR has been used to a predetermined annual communications program or even less for too long. How can we know what our people want over the course of a whole year in the face of constant, instant communication and opinion offered by social media?

HCAMAG.COM

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“To deliver and maintain engagement, it’s critical we match our communication to the current needs and challenges faced by our people,” says Sampson. Another tool, SmartScheduler™, allows employers to build multiple versions of their hub in advance, choosing when each one starts and finishes. It’s also possible to specify the time they want the content or focus to change. The SmartPages™ dashboard lets managers see what’s live on site, saving valuable time and resources. These savings should not be underestimated. The 2014 global HR survey, published in HRD, revealed that 65% of senior HR professionals are ‘very concerned’ about the amount of time they need to spend on compliance and administrative functions. SmartHub™ helps to alleviate some of that workload. Indeed, Reward Gateway can provide all the administrative support required to keep multiple engagement initiatives on the boil. “One of the biggest problems HR teams face, particularly in Australia, is how under-resourced they are,” Sampson says. “The last thing HR needs is to be bogged down having a conversation about the nitty-gritty of what benefits a provider should be managing for them. HR should be freed up to spend time looking at the things that really matter to them and their people.”

A WIN FOR EMPLOYEES ... There’s little point in having state-of-the-art technology if users struggle to use it intuitively. UX has become a critical differentiator for HR technology products, and SmartHub™ has been designed with the user front of mind, no matter their preferred device. There’s even a subsystem called SmartSpending, which allows employees to track budgets and can intuitively suggest where they can save more money.

A PERFECT OUTCOME – EACH AND EVERY TIME For Reward Gateway, and indeed for the majority of HR professionals, leaving engagement to chance is not an option. By removing the administrative burden of running an all-encompassing engagement campaign, and providing a user-friendly platform from which to manage these initiatives, HR might just get that perfect engagement recipe down pat after all. Reward Gateway is on a mission to make the world a happier place to work. Join over 1,000 companies globally who use Reward Gateway to engage their staff.

FEBRUARY 2015 | 35

12/02/2015 6:06:20 PM

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT / WORKFORCE STRATEGIC PLANNING

THE 12

DEADLY TRAPS

OF WORKFORCE STRATEGIC PLANNING The term ‘workforce strategic planning’ is too often used when it is really only a dressed-up form of traditional workforce planning. Colin Beames differentiates the two and outlines 12 traps to avoid 36 | FEBRUARY 2015

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HCAMAG.COM

12/02/2015 6:07:07 PM

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

Workforce strategic planning has become a hot issue for many organisations as they seek to more effectively manage their most vital intangible asset – their people. Given the cost of labour constitutes anywhere between 40% and 80% of the cost base of an organisation, the business case for developing a workforce strategic plan would appear to be overwhelming. However, while many organisations may have a marketing strategy and/or an IT strategy, they may lack an effective workforce strategy. Having bundles of HR policies and conducting talent management, succession planning and workforce planning falls well short of having developed a whole-of-workforce strategy.

DID YOU KNOW Advanced Workforce Strategies’ research, based on a survey of over 60 Australian organisations (over half of these with employee numbers of between one and 5,000 employees), using the Workforce Strategy Audit Survey (WSAS), conﬁrms that many organisations are only at a rudimentary stage of having developed a workforce strategy.

FAIL TO PLAN? PLAN TO FAIL Some of the adverse impacts of not having a workforce strategy include paying too much to some people and too little to others, excessive vacancies, high turnover, poor performance, customer dissatisfaction, etc. Fundamentally, those organisations without a workforce strategy are unlikely to be maximising the ROI in their people. They are unlikely to be effectively harnessing their human capital to deliver on business outcomes.

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Some organisations are ‘locked’ into models and mindsets that are now either obsolete or of limited utility A DEFINITION OF WORKFORCE STRATEGIC PLANNING A common definition of a workforce strategy is “a form of asset management, the sum of actions taken to acquire, retain, develop, motivate, and deploy human capital in the service of an organisation’s mission”. This is therefore an assetbased, whole-of-workforce approach (including the contingent workforce), applying over the employment life cycle. Ultimately, the essence of a workforce strategy is making choices about the importance of roles to business outcomes. More specifically, it is about workforce role differentiation and workforce segmentation. Roles come first before people, without diminishing the importance of the latter. Workforce strategy involves a deeper understanding of the characteristics of roles (eg ‘make’ versus ‘buy’ roles, including critical roles).

DID YOU KNOW ‘Make’ roles are those roles in which people need to be developed from within, and ‘buy’ roles are roles in which people can be acquired virtually ready-made from the market. These roles should have vastly different Employment Value Propositions (EVPs), with different HR policies applicable, and different cost-of-turnover implications.

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12/02/2015 6:07:11 PM

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT / WORKFORCE STRATEGIC PLANNING

DID YOU KNOW A critical organisational capability is that which distinguishes it from its competitors, why customers purchase its products and services, or what contributes signiﬁcantly to its success.

THE 12 DEADLY TRAPS OF WORKFORCE STRATEGIC PLANNING

Advanced Workforce Strategies has identiﬁed 12 common or deadly traps of workforce strategic planning, summarised below 1.

Associating the importance of a role/job with its position on the organisational chart. 2. Relying on traditional job evaluation methodologies to identify the true value and contribution of roles to the business strategy and outcomes. 3. Failing to distinguish between ‘make’ versus ‘buy’ roles, critical roles, and roles suitable for outsourcing. 4. Segmenting the workforce primarily on a job/organisational level or by job families. 5. Offering the same EVP for all roles. 6. Paying all people at the same market point. 7. Reporting turnover for the organisation as a whole (or any other metric for that matter). 8. Loosely adopting the term ‘workforce strategic planning’ but missing the strategic component. 9. Not explaining precisely how business and workforce strategies are aligned. 10. Failing to recognise the difference between ‘lag’ and ‘lead’ HR data. 11. Embracing HR analytics and investing in HR technology before having first developed a workforce strategy. 12. Not involving CEOs, CFOs and executives in the development of a workforce strategy.

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A FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING ORG CRITICAL CAPABILITIES AND CORE COMPETENCIES Consistent with the above, such a workforce strategy should also identify those roles that are central to strengthening the critical capabilities and the more important core competencies of the organisation. This, after all, is the source of competitive advantage, performance improvement and sustainability of the organisation. This business strategy should reflect this strengthening. This focus on strengthening critical capabilities and core competencies is now gaining momentum, rather than the previous emphasis on individual job competencies. Hence there is a need to understand the ‘line of sight’ between various roles, the strengthening of critical capabilities and core competencies, and the execution of the business strategy. A workforce strategic plan should also provide a rationale for determining levels of investment in people in various roles, the allocation of people resources, the identification of people risks, and the mitigation of those risks.

LIMITATIONS OF TRADITIONAL APPROACHES Some organisations are ‘locked’ into models and mindsets that are now either obsolete or of limited utility. Often the term ‘workforce strategic planning’ is used when it is really only a dressed-up form of traditional workforce planning. The latter is more narrowly focused on gap analysis and workforce supply and demand considerations, developed by HR for short-term budget purposes, and not owned by the business. Misconceptions therefore abound regarding what is meant by ‘workforce strategic planning’, with the precise detail of exactly how the workforce strategy is aligned to the business strategy missing. If you identify too closely with any of the deadly traps listed here (see boxout), you may be using yesterday’s models and thinking to solve today’s complexity!

Colin Beams is managing director, Advanced Workforce Strategies. To access a more detailed white paper on this topic, visit: advancedworkforcestrategies.com.

HCAMAG.COM

12/02/2015 6:07:13 PM

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

10 - 11 MARCH LUNA PARK SYDNEY

OFFICIAL SHOWGUIDE sydney.hrsummit.com.au 39-53_HRS15Showguide-WITHADS.indd 39

13/02/2015 2:37:04 AM

HR SUMMIT MAIN CONFERENCE DAY ONE TUESDAY 10 MARCH 2015 8:00AM REGISTRATION & EXPO HALL OPENS 8:50AM OPENING REMARKS FROM THE EVENT PARTNER Rob Wells, Managing Director ANZ, Workday 9:00AM FROM ZERO TO HERO – LEADING ADVERSITY REQUIRES PERSONAL TRAITS THAT ONLY SURFACE WHEN YOU REACH A CROSSROAD Soldier and member of the elite Special Air Service (SAS), Donaldson was awarded the Victoria Cross – Australia’s highest honour – in 2009 for his heroism whilst on his second tour in Afghanistan. Hear his inspirational story that reflects on important themes such as leadership, team work and responsibility. Mark Donaldson, Australian Soldier & Victoria Cross Recipient 10:00AM MAKING THE CASE FOR CHANGE The benefits of a modern cloud based Human Capital Management (HCM) system are well known within HR circles. But how do you quantify the value of an HRIS to a cost-conscious CFO or CEO? Join Iain Miller as he shares case studies and tips for convincing financial decision makers to invest in HCM. Ian Miller, President APJ, Workday 10:30AM AWARD-WINNER PROFILE: BUILDING LEADERSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT AT DIAGEO Lucinda Gemmell will share insight into her success in creating 90% engagement levels at Diageo, based on the company purpose to ‘celebrate life, every day, everywhere’. • How to cultivate a culture where employees ‘act like an owner’ • Leadership development at Diageo: How to lead people brilliantly • The role of neuroscience and values in leadership • How Diageo increased engagement while reducing overhead costs Lucinda Gemmell, HR Director, Diageo Winner, Australian HR Director of the Year, Australian HR Awards 2014 11:15AM REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK 11:45AM EVP CASE STUDY: CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING AN AWARD-WINNING EVP A strong Employee Value Proposition (EVP) should be unique, authentic, relevant and compelling to employees. Gain insight into: • Incorporating EVP messaging with consistency across all employer brand touch points • Targeting messages to different audiences in the employer brand life cycle • Using current staff as ‘brand ambassadors’ • How to use exit drivers and to feed into the EVP creation Anne Heyes, Executive Director, Human Resources, Australian Red Cross Blood Service Winner, Best Employee Value Proposition, Australian HR Awards 2014 12:30PM DRIVING HR STRATEGY THROUGH MIDDLE MANAGERS As all HR practitioners know, at the end of the day the key to good HR strategy execution lies in the hands of our middle-managers – they are the people who manage our people on a day to day basis. This session will discuss methods of influencing upward and downward, to ensure that your middle managers are carrying out your HR plans to the letter. • Building alliances with key middle managers across functions and geographies

• Winning over the tough departments – Turning HR sceptics into HR lovers • Building leadership competencies amongst middle management Peter Hartnett, HR Director, Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Finalist, Best Health & Wellbeing Strategy, Australian HR Awards 2014 1:15PM NETWORKING LUNCHEON National HR Summit attendees are encouraged to visit exhibitor booths and complete their Expo Treasure Map to enter the Grand Prize draw of $10,000 cash! Submit your completed Treasure Map by 1:30pm on Day 2 to be included in the prize draw. Winner must be present to collect their prize. 2:00PM COMMUNICATING CHANGE DURING A MERGER OR ACQUISITION During a merger or acquisition, the HR team take centre stage to communicate the myriad of complex (and sometimes unpalatable) changes that employees need to face. How do you ensure that every impacted employee hears relevant news at an appropriate time from an appropriate person? A great HR communications plan ensures that the right people are spoken to at the right time, in a respectful manner that delivers key messages. • Cultural alignment • Structural change • Integration of HR systems • Channels of communication Amanda Towe, Director of Human Resources, Johnson & Johnson Medical Finalist, Employer of Choice (<1000), Australian HR Awards 2014 2:45PM CASE STUDY: TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE – INSIGHTS AND LESSONS OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS In February 2014 the CSIRO Board endorsed a program of operating model decadal transformation in response to reviews of CSIRO’s staff wellbeing, operating arrangements and financial sustainability. This session will share some of the lessons learned during their transformational change management program. • ‘Five things I wish I knew when I started the change journey’ • Why I’d never ‘skimp’ on communication and change management resources • Benefits realisation and path to impact a critical focus • Establishment and evolution of Program Office operating arrangements • Program Office governance, risk management and stakeholder engagement insights Sue Davidson, General Manager, HR Strategy & Organisational Development & Integrated Reform Programme Director, CSIRO 3:15PM REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK 3:45PM CASE STUDY: MAKING TOMORROW’S LEADERS TODAY - BEST PRACTICE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS As HR professionals, we know that our leaders determine the quality and tone of our culture and drive our organisational performance. There it’s critical to maintain best-practice systems and initiatives to measure, recognise, support and develop desired and necessary leadership skills. How can you achieve this when you’re already struggling to find and retain appropriate talent? Rob Phipps, Chief People Officer - South Pacific, Yum! Restaurants International (including KFC and Pizza Hut)

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13/02/2015 11:10:30 AM

4:30PM

IT’S ALL IN THE DELIVERY: IDENTIFYING HR DELIVERY ENABLERS, SYSTEMS, PROCESSES AND INFRASTRUCTURE The changing landscape of HR service delivery is dynamic and HR leaders are taking a fresh look at processes and systems. How is technology affecting the role of the HR teams in large organisations? What are the next steps HR Directors should consider when planning their 2016-17 budgets? This session encourages HR leaders to seize opportunities to deploy sophisticated new technologies that can make the HR function more effective and efficient. SilkRoad

11:45AM EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE 12:30PM TRAINING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: BEYOND THE 70:20:10 MODEL? As most HR practitioners know, the Princeton 70/20/10 learning concept has become the mainstream in best-practice leadership development. • What’s the ideal split between online (social, eLearning and video, wiki etc.) and face to face (coaching, observations, formal training etc.)? • How to manage the on-the-job component of leadership development Carolyn Taylor, Learning & Development Solutions, Cochlear

5:00PM

NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION Meet and network with fellow HR professionals whilst enjoying live music and harbour views Sponsored by

1:15PM

NETWORKING LUNCHEON (INCLUDING GRAND PRIZE DRAW) Make sure you submit your completed Expo Treasure Map by 1:30pm to go in the Grand Prize draw for $10,000 cash! The prize draw will be held at 1:45pm. Winner must be present to collect their prize.

6:00PM

EXPO HALL CLOSES

2:00PM

CHANGE MANAGEMENT – BECOMING A CHANGE LEADER It takes a certain amount of charisma and personal power to take your organisation on a cultural change journey. Can these traits be learned? We think so. • Turning bad news into good • Controlling the conversation • Using internal alliances to build support for your change initiatives • Dealing with negative reactions Bob Barbour, People and Culture Director, Lion

2:45PM

THE FUTURE OF PERFORMANCE RATINGS AND RANKING With three generations in the workplace at KPMG (each with very different motivational drivers), performance ratings are getting much airplay in HR teams, at the executive table and in the boardroom. Is there really a single ‘one size fits all’ model of measuring performance? Explore the thinking behind both sides of this story and look at practical examples of what is and isn’t working.

DAY TWO WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 2015 8:00AM

REGISTRATION & EXPO HALL OPENS

9:00 AM KEYNOTE: LEADERS WHO INSPIRE - A 21ST-CENTURY APPROACH TO MOTIVATION AND LEADERSHIP Queen of the Pool Libby Trickett (Lenton) has consistently delivered worldbeating performances during her swimming career and has been integral to Australia’s world dominance in swimming. In this session, hear how she motivates herself to achieve optimum results and mentors and leads Australia’s next generation of Olympians. Libby Trickett, Quadruple Olympic Gold Medallist 9:45AM

LEADING A GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED HR TEAM In a national organisation, often the HR team is geographically dispersed, while still being connected by the thread of community and belonging to a group with coherent standards of advice and support. • Creating a team culture in a virtual environment • Balancing local considerations with national initiatives • Delivering coherent and consistent support • Overcoming ‘head-office fatigue’ Belinda Watton, General Manager, HR, Ergon Energy

10:30AM AWARD-WINNER PROFILE: HOW HERITAGE BANK BECAME AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE Employee engagement and motivation are the result of great leadership – leaders who continually work to clarify expectations while providing meaningful feedback, support and development to their people. • The guiding principle of “People first”: what it means at Heritage • Professional development: ‘High Potential’ and ‘Contender’ programs • ‘Step Forward’ programs to build leadership skills in female workforce Bob Hogarth, General Manager People and Culture, Heritage Bank Winner, Employer of Choice (<1000), Australian HR Awards 2014 11:15AM REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK

Gaye Haug, Head of Performance and Reward, KPMG

3:15PM

REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK

3:45PM

STARTING AT THE TOP: CASCADING LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT As all good HR directors know, leadership transformation starts at the top. This session will discuss the leadership development program at Swisse and how they cascaded their leadership programs throughout the organisation to build a strong and coherent company culture. Catherine Crowley, Director of People and Culture, Swisse Wellness Pty Ltd

4:30PM

SOCIAL SOURCING – DIGITAL RECRUITMENT 2015 Great organisations today take a multi-platform approach to their digital recruitment campaigns. In this session Career One will discuss how they used the internet to fulfil their talent requirements. • Collaborative consumption, the sharing economy as the first point • Using innovative digital recruitment technology to bring networks together • Getting your messages to stand out from the masses of employers all ‘fishing’ from the same finite talent pool in an online virtual environment • The virtual recruitment process Karen Lawson, CEO, Career One

5:00PM

CONFERENCE CONCLUDES

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13/02/2015 11:10:34 AM

HR DIRECTORS FORUM DAY ONE TUESDAY 10 MARCH 2015 8:00AM

REGISTRATION & EXPO HALL OPENS Directors Forum delegates are asked to make their way to the Ted Hopkins Room above the Expo Hall to start the day

9:00AM

FROM ZERO TO HERO – LEADING ADVERSITY REQUIRES PERSONAL TRAITS THAT ONLY SURFACE WHEN YOU HIT A CROSSROAD Soldier and member of the elite Special Air Service (SAS), Donaldson was awarded the Victoria Cross – Australia’s highest honour – in 2009 for his heroism whilst on his second tour in Afghanistan. Hear his inspirational story that reflects on important themes such as leadership, team work and responsibility. Mark Donaldson, Australian Soldier and Victoria Cross Recipient

10:00AM LEVERAGING YOUR DATA ASSETS FOR NEW INSIGHTS HR as an industry is changing rapidly, driven by technology. Harnessing data has the potential to further change the way we manage people – but only with the right analysis and insights. Revelian’s Chief Analytics Officer, Dr. Peter O’Hanlon reveals how cutting-edge technologies are transforming the ability of HR professionals to leverage their most valuable data assets for new decisionmaking capabilities. • How to use the turnover statistics of high performers to develop best-practice remuneration plans • What recruitment data can tell you about your employer brand (and how to improve it) • How data analytics can feed into your leadership development programs and performance management systems • Using predictive data modelling to plan for your future workforce needs Dr. Peter O’Hanlon, Chief Analytics Officer, Revelian 10:30AM AWARD-WINNER PROFILE: LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS FROM THE CEO In this inspirational session, the Australian HR Champion of the Year will discuss the key to strong, inspirational, solid leadership. Jack Percy, CEO, Accenture Winner, Australian HR Champion (CEO), Australian HR Awards 2014

1:15PM

NETWORKING LUNCHEON HR Directors Forum attendees are encouraged to visit exhibitor booths and complete their Expo Treasure Map to enter the Grand Prize draw of $10,000 cash! Submit your completed Treasure Map by 1:30pm on Day 2 to be included in the prize draw. Winner must be present to collect their prize.

2:00PM

LEGAL UPDATE: UNFAIR DISMISSAL – PRACTICAL LESSONS FROM RECENT CASE LAW During 2014, thousands of unfair dismissal cases have come before the Fair Work Commission. This session will provide an overview of the major decisions that have been made and the practical implications of those decisions for employers. • Procedural fairness – How the Commissioners are interpreting Section 387 of the FWC • The test for procedural fairness (and the weight given to deficiencies in procedure) in cases of serious misconduct • Can a change in required skills and competencies make an existing role redundant? • Terminating an employee who participates in unlawful industrial action Lessons from Mahoney v Bechtel Construction (Australia) Pty Ltd [2014] Kathryn Dent, Director, People + Culture Strategies

2:45PM

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP THROUGH SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION Whether you’re negotiating compound workplace agreements with unions or discussing an HR strategy with your peers at the executive table, negotiation skills are key elements of successful HR leadership. Sarah Rodgers, General Manager People & Performance, Sydney Airport Corporation Limited

3:15PM

REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK

3:45PM

EXECUTIVE FUTURE-PLANNING: HOW FAR AHEAD SHOULD WE BE LOOKING? Executive teams often have 5-10 year plans – how far ahead should HR directors be looking? How far into the future do Australia’s top organisations plan? What economic, social and political forces will be shaping tomorrow’s workforce (and tomorrow’s organisations)? Jon Williams, Managing Partner, PwC’s People Business

4:30PM

CHANGE MANAGEMENT DURING A BUSINESS ACQUISITION– THE ART OF PERFECT EXECUTION During a merger or acquisition, the HR director takes centre stage to manage the cultural alignment issues, devise the business structures and harmonise employee entitlements so that the process runs smoothly. • Cultural alignment • Structure • Retention • Harmonisation • Integration of HR systems Anne Dasgupta, Head of OD & Change, Fuji Xerox

5:00PM

NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION Meet and network with fellow HR professionals whilst enjoying live music and harbour views Sponsored by

6:00PM

EXPO HALL CLOSES

11:15AM REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK 11:45AM BUILDING INFLUENCE IN THE C-SUITE Successful HR directors can exert powerful influence over the executive team to incite moral and financial support for people-focused initiatives. Gain insight into the delicate art of getting an executive team to commit budget to HR initiatives • Choosing your battles: Deciding when it’s appropriate to stand up and make the case for change • The key ingredients of a solid business case Mike McCarthy, Group Head, Human Resources Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard 12:30PM CASE STUDY: STRATEGIC PLANNING – EXCELLENT EXECUTION The key to successful strategies lies with having a good plan, based on solid evidence that everyone has ‘bought into’, then following the plan consistently. • Achieving buy-in for the plan • Revising the plan along the way: • Ensuring consistency through the execution phase Ganesh Chandrasekkar, General Manager, Reward & Performance Management, Westpac

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DAY TWO WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 2015 8:00AM REGISTRATION & EXPO HALL OPENS Directors Forum delegates are asked to make their way to the Ted Hopkins Room above the Expo Hall to start the day. 9:00 AM KEYNOTE: LEADERS WHO INSPIRE - A 21ST-CENTURY APPROACH TO MOTIVATION AND LEADERSHIP Queen of the Pool Libby Trickett (Lenton) has consistently delivered worldbeating performances during her swimming career and has been integral to Australia’s world dominance in swimming. In this session, hear how she motivates herself to achieve optimum results and mentors and leads Australia’s next generation of Olympians. Libby Trickett, Quadruple Olympic Gold Medallist 9:45AM CASE STUDY: MANAGING LARGE-SCALE ORGANIC GROWTH Strong HR leadership is the key to successful growth. In this session, Sally Kincaid will discuss the HR strategy behind QBE Australia’s growth. • Building cultural agility for sustainable business growth • Re-engaging post-transformational change Sally Kincaid, Chief HR Officer, QBE Australian & New Zealand Winner, Australian HR Team of the Year, Australian HR Awards 2014 10:30AM EXECUTIVE SUCCESSION PLANNING: THE FINAL TRANSITION This session will discuss best practice methods to prepare senior leaders to make the ultimate progression into the C-Suite executive team. Melissa Davidson, HR Director, Boeing Defence Australia Ltd 11:15AM REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK 11:45AM GLOBAL IMPLEMENTATION – ADAPTING PARENT COMPANY STRATEGIES TO THE LOCAL MARKET Sometimes we can create our own HR strategies and sometimes they’re thrust upon us – a great HR director can add some local flair to global HR strategies to drive their successful implementation. Danielle Weese, Head of Human Resources Australia/New Zealand, Cisco Systems 12:30PM LEADING AN ASIA-PACIFIC HR TEAM Managing an HR team that is spread across the Asian region presents several challenges. How do you implement strong and consistent HR strategy across a region consisting of such diverse local cultures? How do you create and communicate a ‘harmonised’ EVP when your employees have such differing entitlements and are governed by such different laws? CBRE is an excellent example of how their HR teams manage 68,000 professionals in 40 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific and provide end-to-end IT and business process services that facilitate the ongoing evolution of their clients’ businesses. • Creating a trans-border organisational culture, starting with the HR team • Balancing local considerations with global/regional initiatives – Where do you draw the line?

• Finding the right communication channel mix and key messages for such a diverse audience • Overcoming ‘head-office fatigue’ Olivia Walsh, Head of Learning & Development, CBRE 1:15PM NETWORKING LUNCHEON (INCLUDING GRAND PRIZE DRAW) Make sure you submit your completed Expo Treasure Map by 1:30pm to go in the Grand Prize draw for $10,000 cash! The prize draw will be held at 1:45pm. Winner must be present to collect their prize. 2:00PM CASE STUDY: DRIVING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE AT A NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL LEVEL Driving change in a multi-site environment is challenging enough; driving change across borders, cultures and time zones is another level of difficulty altogether. In this session, the HR director of Imperial Tobacco will discuss the unique challenges of implementing large-scale change in a regional context while managing staff in a highly regulated and controversial environment. Bronwyn Carman, Head of Human Resources, Imperial Tobacco Australia Limited 2:45PM HR 2020: INSIGHTS FROM THE HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES What will BNP Paribas’ workforce look like in 2020? What steps is BNP Paribas taking to become a Best of the Best Employer? What plans for succession do they have in place? What skills will they need to deal with the challenges of the future? Cathy Doyle, Head of Human Resources, BNP Paribas 3:30PM DRIVING MULTI-NATIONAL HR INITIATIVES It takes skill, experience, sensitivity and a great deal of pragmatism and energy to implement HR strategies successfully across diverse countries. In Mary Lemonis’ time with Campbell Arnott’s, she has worked in senior HR leadership positions across Russia, China and the Asia-Pacific region. In this session, she will draw on her vast experience to share some case studies and lessons that she has learned in implementing HR strategies across a variety of different countries and cultures. • To what degree should you localise your organisational culture and communications? • Ways to get local management on-board with trans-border HR initiatives • The Campbell-Arnott’s way – the key to successful international HR integration Mary Lemonis, VP HR Asia Pacific, Campbell Arnott’s 4:00PM CONFERENCE CONCLUDES

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SPEAKERS BOB BARBOUR,

People & Culture Director, Lion Bob Barbour, who hails from Scotland but is now a fully paidup Australian, joined Lion Nathan in October 1992 as HR Director for the Australian business. He was promoted five years later to People & Culture Director (then Group HR Director) for the Lion Nathan Group. In October 2009, Bob became P&C Director for Lion following the combination of Lion Nathan and National Foods.

BRONWYN CARMAN,

Head of Human Resources, Imperial Tobacco Australia Bronwyn has been with Imperial since March 2011 and has almost 20 years in business with an emphasis in both Human Resources and Organisational Change. Bronwyn’s career has included senior HR positions in both her own consultancy and across a range of industries that include FMCG, tourism & hospitality, direct marketing, and manufacturing. Bronwyn has also lectured at the University of Western Sydney in both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

GANESH CHANDRASEKKAR,

General Manager, Reward & Performance Management, Westpac Ganesh has over twelve years’ experience working in Human Resources. Prior to his current role, Ganesh was GM, Human Resources, Westpac Institutional Bank (WIB) and Head of HR, Westpac Business Financial Services for two years. He gained extensive consulting experience working for Hewitt Associates in Sydney leading their Corporate Restructuring and Change practice. Ganesh also has international experience holding various HR roles with responsibility for the EMEA region.

ANNE DASGUPTA,

Head of Organisation Development & Change, Fuji Xerox Australia Anne DasGupta is a thought leader in the field of change management. Her experience spans across financial services, telecommunications and technology industries in building organisational capabilities to successfully lead change. Anne’s work to date has been about replacing the old (mostly) formal & linear processes of managing change with new (mostly) informal and dynamic ways of leading change.

MELISSA DAVIDSON,

Human Resources Director, Boeing Defence Australia Melissa is responsible for effectively guiding the acquisition, development and retention of talent, enhancing the company’s leadership capabilities, and increasing the productivity and operational effectiveness of the Human Resources function. She joined Boeing Defence Australia in 2006 as the Employer of Choice project manager before being appointed to various Human Resources management roles across the business.

SUE DAVIDSON,

General Manager, Organisational Development, CSIRO Sue has worked as the General Manager, Organisational Development at CSIRO (reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive) since September 2009. In this capacity she has led the Organisational and Learning and Development functional areas responsible for People and Culture Strategy development and implementation. Sue has also led the Workplace Relations and Policy area and currently is the Director of the Integrated Reform Program Office – a decadal reform of CSIRO’s Operating Model.

CATHERINE CROWLEY,

Director of People & Culture, Swisse Wellness Catherine joined the Swisse Wellness business in 2011 after many years working in HR and L+D positions across the retail, cinema and hospitality industries. In line with the rapid growth and international expansion plans for Swisse Wellness, the need for a corporate strategy around People was fundamental. Catherine oversees each stage of the team’s journey from attracting the best talent through to developing and retaining them.

KATHRYN DENT,

Director, People+Culture Strategies Kathryn is a Law Society Accredited Specialist in the area of Employment and Industrial Law. She holds a Masters of Labour Law and Relations. For in excess of 14 years Kathryn has practised exclusively in the area of workplace relations law. During this time she has provided advice and representation to employers in all industries on all matters related to the employment contract.

MARK DONALDSON,

VC Mark Donaldson VC is a remarkable young man that has lived life to the full from a very early age. On 2 September 2008 in a valley in eastern Afghanistan, Trooper Mark Donaldson made a split-second decision that would change his life. His display of extraordinary courage that day saw him awarded the Australian Victoria Cross for Gallantry - the ultimate symbol of heroism.

CATHY DOYLE,

Head of Human Resources Australasia, BNP Paribas Cathy joined BNP Paribas reporting to the CEO, as Head of Human Resources Australasia in August 2012 and is a member of our Territory Executive Committee. Prior to this Cathy was the Group Executive Equities at Perpetual with 16 billion FUM for Institutional and Retail Clients. She has also held senior Executive HR or business roles at Qantas, CBA and NRMA.

LUCINDA GEMMELL,

HR Director, Diageo Australia Lucinda has more than 15 years of progressive HR and commercial leadership experience in Australia and Asia Pacific. Lucinda’s current role leads Diageo’s HR function to deliver the Australian business strategy. This role leads significant growth opportunities with a focus on talent, engagement and organisational effectiveness. Lucinda was awarded the prestigious Australian HR Director of the Year title at the 2014 Australian HR Awards.

PETER HARTNETT,

Head of People & Culture, Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing With over 25 years working in the human resources field Peter has been with Sanitarium for the last 5 years as a key driver in creating a culture that is aimed at sustaining Sanitarium in a competitive FMCG industry that is facing major challenges. Peter’s goal is drive business outcomes through culture.

GAYE HAUG,

Head of Performance & Reward, KPMG Australia Gaye is a seasoned and senior Human Resources professional with 20+ years experience across financial services, professional services and the public sector. She has held senior Human Resources roles

with the ANZ Banking Group, the Department of Justice and Health Super as well as roles in the fields of operations and administration. Gaye holds a B. Ed and a Grad. Dip. Business (HRM).

ANNE HEYES,

Executive Director Human Resources, Australian Red Cross Blood Service Anne commenced her role in 2004. Prior to that she was the HR Director at the Victorian WorkCover Authority and the HR Director for the Bank of Melbourne post the merger of Bank of Melbourne and Westpac. Anne was also involved in the merger of Myer and Grace Bros and was the General Manager of HR Planning.

BOB HOGARTH,

General Manager People & Culture, Heritage Bank In his current position, Bob has been pivotal in the implementation of a ‘People first’ culture and ethos and the development of a healthy reputation internally at Board, Executive and staff level. During his time at Heritage, Bob has overseen the HR function to become highly regarded and sophisticated in a very competitive industry such that in 2012 the team was awarded ‘HR Team of the Year’ at the Australian HR Awards.

SALLY KINCAID,

Chief HR Officer, QBE Australia and New Zealand QBE has implemented a group-wide program of change to improve performance and leverage the value opportunity of its global business, with the establishment of a global shared service centre in Manila. Sally has lead the transformation change management and HR aspects of this for the Australian operation. QBE Australia won the Best HR Strategy Award in 2013 at the Australian HR Awards, under Sally’s leadership.

KAREN LAWSON,

CEO, CareerOne A senior executive and leader in the digital industry, Karen has held senior positions within both global companies, as well as joint ventures. In early 2013, Karen was appointed CEO of CareerOne, a joint venture between News Limited and Monster Worldwide. With a remit to forge a new digital strategy CareerOne launched as a new business early in 2014 creating headlines all over the world.

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MARY LEMONIS,

Vice President – Human Resources, Campbell’s Asia Pacific & International Mary is responsible for leading the HR function across Campbell’s International division including Arnott’s Biscuits, Campbell’s and Kelsen, with turnover in excess of $2 BN and 6,300 employees located across fifteen countries. Mary has worked with Campbell for over thirteen years in a variety of HR roles. Prior to her current role, Mary was based in the US for three and half years where she worked as VP HR for Emerging Markets – responsible for leading the HR function as part of Campbell’s market entry into Greater China and Russia – and Global Organisation Effectiveness Director.

MIKE MCCARTHY,

Group Head of Human Resources, MasterCard Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Mike is responsible for talent management, people engagement, recruitment, leadership development, performance management, employee relations and organisational design. Previous roles include Regional Head of Human Resources, Consumer Banking, South East Asia with Standard Chartered Bank based in Singapore, Regional Head of Human Resources, Retail and Commercial Asia with the Royal Bank of Scotland based in Hong Kong and HR Director, Royal Bank of Scotland International based in Jersey.

IAN MILLER,

President APJ, Workday Ian is President of Asia Pacific and Japan for Workday, the leading Human Capital Management solution provider. He has extensive global experience working for a decade or more each in Europe, Asia and North America. Most recently, he has been in global sales leadership and general management roles for companies such as Cray, HP and IBM, working on highly scalable technologies which contribute to the cloud computing revolution.

PETER O’HANLON,

Chief Analytics Officer, Revelian Peter is a noted Australian data scientist and can take credit for helping define the field of business analytics. Drawing on expertise gained through his doctorate in bioinformatics, he has applied this to the corporate world for amazing advancements in how data is monitored, shared and interpreted. His insights have provided businesses including the big four banks with new ways of understanding people.

JACK PERCY,

CEO, Accenture Jack Percy was appointed Country Managing Director, Australia in May 2008 and became the Australia and New Zealand Geographic Unit Managing Director in August 2010. In addition to his current role, Jack assumed the position of Country Managing Director - South Korea in May 2014. Jack was awarded the prestigious Australian HR Champion (CEO) title at the Australian HR Awards 2014.

ROB PHIPPS,

Chief People Officer - South Pacific, Yum! Restaurants International With over 20 years’ experience at Yum! Rob has led HR departments for 12 of those years. Rob started his career with YRI SOPAC as a Customer Service Representative in the Pizza Hut Call Centre in Brisbane. He then progressed through the Company transitioning into Human Resources roles in Sydney, Melbourne the UK and South Africa before returning to Sydney. As Chief People Officer, Rob is responsible for Human Resources in Australia & New Zealand. The number one priority for Rob and his team is to ensure the Company has exceptional people working in a great culture.

SARAH RODGERS,

General Manager – People & Performance, Sydney Airport Sarah has extensive business, finance and HR experience gained across a number of industries including Financial Services, Technology, Telecommunications, Infrastructure & Property. At Sydney Airport she is responsible for developing the human capital strategy, driving the cultural change agenda and overseeing the day to day operational HR agenda.

CAROLYN TAYLOR,

Global Learning Solutions Manager, Cochlear Carolyn is specifically responsible for developing and deploying the learning strategy for Cochlear on a global scale. Carolyn has worked in the Learning and Development field for the past 15 years within a variety of industries including education, aviation and IT. Starting out as an instructor, then instructional designer and more recently in learning strategy and management, Carolyn has extensive experience in the entire spectrum of learning activities.

AMANDA TOWE,

Director of Human Resources, Johnson & Johnson Medical Amanda is responsible for HR partnering for the Lifescan business unit across Asia Pacific. Since joining the JJM team, Amanda has played a key role in managing organisation development, acquisitions and divestitures, and culture change as well as reshaping the Human Resources capability. With more than 20 years’ experience across a range of industries, Amanda Towe is recognised as a global leader in the field of human resources.

LIBBY TRICKETT,

Quadruple Olympic Gold Medallist Libby Trickett first swam her way into Australian hearts back in 2004, quickly becoming as famous for her beaming smile as she did for her record-breaking swims. Libby’s dedication and drive saw her make a triumphant return from retirement to qualify for her third Olympic Games in 2012, adding to her impressive medal tally with her fourth Olympic Gold medal. Libby’s enormous contribution to Australian Swimming was duly recognised when she received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2005. Libby now calls the Today Show home, as their resident Health & Wellbeing reporter.

OLIVIA WALSH, Head of L&D, CBRE

BELINDA WATTON,

General Manager Human Resources, Ergon Energy Having previously held executive leadership roles, Belinda has vast experience in providing commercial Human Resources solutions to public, private and not for profit organisations in varying industry sectors including electricity, agriculture, transport and logistics, hospitality and finance. Belinda’s breadth of experience includes developing and leading high performing teams, developing and executing People Strategies, Organisational and Leadership Development, Talent Management, Industrial Relations and Remuneration Management.

leading and growing large international organisations. He has a foundation in solution selling as a graduate at Burroughs (now Unisys) and then joining fast-moving vibrant companies like Sequent, PeopleSoft and Business Objects. Recently Rob has led the ANZ business for Workday, the highlight of a career focused on providing technologies that deliver great outcomes and a fast track to value for his customers.

DANIELLE WEESE,

Head of Human Resources Australia/New Zealand, Cisco Systems Danielle has the overall responsibility for the 1700 employees and is accountable for the full theatre HR remit, including creating and driving strategies that impact the Cisco brand both internally and externally. As a senior HR Business Partner Danielle works alongside senior leadership teams to ensure the business strategies are executed on a strong foundation of high performance, collaboration, engagement, wellbeing and talent management principles and practices.

JON WILLIAMS,

Global Leader, People and Organisation, Managing Partner, Australia, PwC’s People Business Jon has 25 years consulting experience across Europe, Asia and Australia helping clients across the banking, retail, consumer goods, telecommunications, utilities and government sectors. He has worked closely with the leadership teams of many of Australia’s largest listed organisations such as ANZ, CBA, NAB, Insurance Australia Group, the ASX, Macquarie Bank, Coles, Telstra and Qantas helping them to address complex business issues with significant employee components.

ROB WELLS,

Managing Director ANZ, Workday Rob has more than 25 years’ experience in senior roles

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FREE ACTIVITIES INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS DAY ONE TUESDAY 10 MARCH 2015

DAY TWO WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 2015

9:009:45AM

Free, interactive workshops led by expert facilitators who will equip you with practical skills you can apply in your day-to-day work. All workshops are completely free to attend but places are limited so make sure you check the National HR Summit website regularly for updates and sign up early to ensure you don’t miss out!

IMPLEMENTING A TALENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: KEY CONSIDERATIONS This workshop will explore the challenges and opportunities of implementing a talent management system in your organisation, drawing on case studies as examples. Sally Isenberg, Head of Client Partnerships, ELMO Talent Management Software

10:00- DEVELOPING TALENT FOR A STRONGER FUTURE 10:45AM Today, development professionals are presented with a wide range of assessments and approaches for leadership and talent development. Experience reveals some are more effective than others. In the workshop: • Cameron will discuss tried and tested assessments and development methods which have been found to provide the psychological insight necessary for developing leaders and high-performance relent in a global workplace. • You will be walked through the multi-staged processes required for building increasing levels of self-awareness by incorporating world-renowned assessments that measure personality preferences, interpersonal behaviours, emotional intelligence and 360-feedback. • Through practical examples you will learn how to integrate multiple assessments, feedback and experiential learning methods to develop the talent of today and the future. Cameron Nott, Managing Director, CPP Asia Pacific, The MBTI Company 11:30- WORKPLACE WELLNESS – WHAT IS IT? 12:15PM WHAT’S HAPPENING? WHY BOTHER? The health and wellbeing of employees is an increasingly significant concern for organisations globally. Employers are committed to promoting health as a key business strategy, given the evidence linking a healthy workforce with employee engagement, productivity and performance. This workshop will address wellness and its definition in today’s context, what is workplace health and why the workplace, and includes the latest global trends in workplace health promotion. Kristina Dalgleish, Director, Health at Work 2:002:45PM

10 TIPS FOR HIRING EMPLOYEES FROM OVERSEAS Migration can be a complex landscape to navigate and can become a burden on HR teams. This workshop aims to equip you with the tools to getting started and improved migration management. In this workshop you will learn how to conduct a VEVO (visa entitlement verification) online check, you will have your employer obligations clearly explained and shown examples on how to better manage records of compliance. You will also receive tips and ideas on how to alleviate the stress of visa applications on both the employer and employee. Simon De Vere, Director of Migration Services, Stirling Henry Global Migration

THE AGE OF HR HAS ARRIVED After long watching other executive officers gain prominence in the C-suite, today’s Chief Human Resource Officer - thanks to the competitive advantage of organisational insight - has taken top billing. No other member of an executive team is better positioned today, to help an organisation realise a lasting competitive advantage. In a recent study conducted by Oxford Economics and SAP-SuccessFactors, some compelling data shows that we are in the midst of a looming talent crisis, which will impact organisations’ ability to meet objectives. Whatever methods you used to build your current workforce are unlikely to be sufficient going forward. One of the biggest challenges of organisations is to get the right people, with the right skills, into the right roles, at the right time. This workshop will explore some very profound findings from the global study with Oxford Economics and SAP-SuccessFactors. Additionally, you will be offered the opportunity to (confidentially) participate and contribute in a benchmarking study, to see how your organisation compares to the marketplace. Mark Souter, HR Value Engineering – ANZ & APJ, SAP Marc Havercrof, Strategic HCM Advisory – HCM Cloud and On-Premise APJ/Global, SAP

10:00- WHAT CAN TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES 10:45AM TEACH US ABOUT THE FUTURE OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT? Performance management, like technology, continues to evolve over time. So what are the most integral aspects of a performance management process in today’s modern context? Has there been a shift in away from the traditional mindset? In this workshop Michelle Ridsdale, People Director at Readify, will share her experience and insight on a performance management process that supports the business and its individuals. Highlights include: • Organisational alignment and creating a culture of collaboration • Regular feedback conversations and social recognition • Identifying skill gaps and focusing on development Readify are an Australian technology company and four time recipient of BRW’s Top 50 Places to Work. Michelle Ridsdale, People Director, Readify sponsored by Cognology, Talent Management Software for the future of work 11:30- PEOPLE CREATE YOUR COMPETITIVE 12:15PM ADVANTAGE – WHY DOES MOTIVATION MAKE THE DIFFERENCE? It is ‘People’ who take your business to your customers and stakeholders – internal and external. ‘Motivated People’ ensure your customers and stakeholders receive a positive and memorable experience. This workshop will cover the importance of selecting the ‘right’ people for your business, establishing and targeting the ‘right’ performance metrics and providing the ‘right’ recognition and reward to – maximise work performance, improve profitability and grow your staff.

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Motivation makes the Difference® - Trevor will demonstrate why and how you can use motivation to build your business through targeted enterprise engagement strategies. Trevor Barkway, Managing Director, Synchro Mark McCowan, Director Account Service & Client Development, Synchro 2:002:45PM

3:454:30PM

GOOD FOR WORKERS, GOOD FOR BUSINESS: INTRODUCING GET HEALTHY AT WORK – A NSW GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE The average Australian spends about a third of their life at work, so it’s no surprise that workplace factors such as the physical environment, work tasks and corporate culture can impact the health of workers. With the launch of Get Healthy at Work, there is no better time than now to address these factors as part of an effective and sustainable workplace health program, fully funded by the NSW Government. In this workshop, Tony Robinson, Director of Specialist Services at WorkCover NSW, will explain why the NSW Government has invested $12 million in making our state’s workplaces healthier and how your business can make the most of it. Don’t miss this opportunity to improve health at your workplace – it has never been so easy! Tony Robinson, Director of Specialist Services, Work Health & Safety Division, WorkCover NSW HIGH-POTENTIAL ENGAGEMENT THROUGH LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT Those that deliver the most value in our business often get overlooked in the L&D and Talent Management space and then we wonder why they move on? Key aspects of this workshop will include: • Why you should focus on developing your High Potentials and what are the benefits to your business (beyond retaining them)? • Understanding what is the difference between a High Potential and a Future Leader • Being clear on HIPOs’ needs (and being able to deliver on them) • Ensuring line managers and leaders are equipped to support their journey (coaching etc.) • Measuring the results to feed back into continuous improvement The last area that Michelle and Natalie will focus on is about their unique working relationship where HR & L&D are a team united not divided and how they got there, and sustain the relationship. Be prepared for a highly engaging session with some ideas and practical tips from a best practice organisation. Michelle Cooper, National Manager People & Performance, PeopleBank Natalie Goldman, National Manager Learning & Development, PeopleBank

INDUSTRY EXPO Visit the National HR Summit expo to find out about the latest products, services and techniques available from the best service providers in the industry. This is completely free to attend and open to all HR industry professionals. Bring your whole team and enjoy a productive day out of the office against a backdrop of stunning harbour views at the iconic Luna Park Sydney!

FIVE MINUTES WITH... SPEAKER INTERVIEWS Watch HRD Editor Iain Hopkins interview some of this year’s best HR Summit speakers live on stage

UPDATE YOUR IMAGE WITH A PROFESSIONAL PHOTO Dress to impress and get a new corporate headshot taken by our professional photographer.

NETWORKING DRINKS Catch up with industry colleagues while you enjoy live music and harbour views at the official HR Summit networking event. From 5pm on Tuesday 10 March. Sponsored by

COME SEE US AT THE HRD BOOTH • Meet the HRD and HC Online teams • Watch HC TV being filmed live • Free issues of HRD magazine • Discount vouchers for upcoming HR events

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SPONSORS EVENT PARTNER

SILVER SPONSORS

Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for human resources and finance. Founded in 2005, Workday delivers human capital management, financial management, and analytics applications designed for the world’s largest organisations. Hundreds of companies, ranging from medium-sized businesses to Fortune 50 enterprises, have selected Workday.

Accumulate is a leading employee loyalty and engagement business, working closely with some of Australia’s most iconic brands to improve levels of employee retention, productivity, customer service and business profitability. Drawing on our years of industry experience in the design and delivery of recognition, non-cash reward and benefits solutions, we have helped many organisations connect with their people on a more meaningful level. Talk to accumulate to understand what impact an improvement in employee loyalty could have within your organisation.

Craig Todd, Marketing Manager - ANZ P: 0467 228 331 E: craig.todd@workday.com W: www.workday.com

P: 1300 733 725 E: info@accumulate.com.au W: www.accumulate.com.au

DIRECTORS FORUM EVENT PARTNER Revelian is an innovation-driven Australian company at the forefront of providing unique psychometric tests, surveys, games and communications analytics. We deliver insights to inform people decisions that help organisations recruit the right people, develop employees, as well as enhance and align team culture and performance. Leading companies including some of the nation’s biggest employers use Revelian to support their hiring and people management decisions with objective insights. Lisa Watson, Marketing Campaign Specialist P: 1300 137 937 or 07 3552 5700 E: lisa.watson@revelian.com W: www.revelian.com

GOLD SPONSORS CareerOne is a leading digital employment brand offering a unique job-hunting experience and innovative corporate solutions for candidate sourcing, talent management, and employer branding. CareerOne’s solutions go beyond the traditional job board and offer customers the ability to target talent across thousands of websites, manage their talent with market-leading cloud technology, and promote their company using customised virtual environments. Jessica Reeve, Marketing Manager P: 02 9288 2134 E: jessica.reeve@careerone.com.au W: www.careerone.com.au

Creating the finest employee experience is SilkRoad’s passion and drives everything we do. Our cloudbased social talent management suite nurtures employee engagement from recruiting and onboarding, through learning and career development; encompassing all aspects of HR management (HRMS) from pre-hire to retire. W: www.silkroad.com

Foresights Global Coaching – experienced business coaches providing executive coaching and leadership development to organisations around the world since 1988. Our coaches are all non-executive directors, experienced at CEO/Managing Director level in large organisations. The FGC team’s experience, reputation, professionalism as well as robust systems and processes deliver measurable coaching outcomes. Heather Konsti, Operations Manager P: 02 9955 2611 E: hkonsti@globalcoaching.com.au W: www.globalcoaching.com.au

Peoplestreme provides the largest Human Capital software Technology Roadmap globally. PeopleStreme’s mission is to unlock the full potential of our customers’ workforce through providing the best Human Capital Management software and deployment services in the world. Recognised by Gartner Research as a “Cool Vendor” in Human Capital Management, PeopleStreme must be doing something right. Daniel Spinello, Sales Excellence P: 03 9869 8880 E: daniel.spinello@peoplestreme.com.au W: www.peoplestreme.com

NETWORKING DRINKS SPONSOR Ramco HCM is a global talent management solution that addresses your HR needs from hire to retire. This includes Core HR, Time Management, Payroll, Talent Management, Recruitment, Planning and Analytics. It is a completely native solution that is compliant with Australian statutory, taxes and payroll. Ramco HCM is also the most inclusive HR software with accessibility across devices – desktops, laptops, mobiles and tablets. Rajeev Singh, Vice President – Enterprise Asset Management P: 0412 132 781 E: rajeevsingh@ramco.com W: www.ramco.com/hcm

DIRECTORS FORUM LEGAL SPONSOR People + Culture Strategies (PCS) is a thought-leading law firm that provides advice, strategies and solutions to Australian employers in all facets of workplace relations and people management issues.

COFFEE ZONE SPONSOR

PCS also assists clients with workplace investigations, mediations and conflict resolutions.

Adecco is the world’s leading provider of HR solutions, delivering recruitment and career services to organisations and individuals across the employment lifecycle. Globally, Adecco helps over 650,000 people find work with over 100,000 clients each day. We have an extensive network of over 5,100 offices in more than 60 countries and territories staffed by over 31,000 full-time employees.

Joydeep Hor, Managing Principal P: 02 8094 31010 E: joydeep.hor@peopleculture.com.au W: www.peopleculture.com.au

Matthew De Zilva, Head of Sales & Strategic Accounts P: 0478 309 340 E: matthew.dezilva@adecco.com.au W: www.adecco.com.au

PCS offers a range of pricing models (reflecting a value-based approach to billing) that are tailored to the needs of its clients, including the option of all-inclusive retainer arrangements.

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#HRSUMMITAU 13/02/2015 11:11:04 AM

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SPONSORS WORKSHOP SPONSORS Cognology is an Australian company making Talent Management software for the future of work. Over 250 businesses use Cognology to empower cutting-edge talent strategy. We build technology to help our clients with performance, engagement, retention and learning for their entire employment lifecycle. Our research and development efforts are continually looking for ways to make it easier for our customers to execute business strategy, develop their people and do great things together. Aaron Greeno, Business Development Manager P: 03 9001 0848 W: www.cognology.com.au

Stirling Henry is a specialist migration firm that for over 20 years has been helping companies and individuals navigate the complex and ever -changing Australian immigration laws. Our primary area of work is the support of subclass 457 visa applications and employer-sponsored permanent residence visas. Lisa Williams P: 02 9233 1805 E: lisa.williams@stirlinghenry.com W: www.stirlinghenry.com

SuccessFactors, an SAP Company, is the global provider of cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software. Our suite integrates onboarding, social business and collaboration tools, a learning management system (LMS), performance management, recruiting software, applicant tracking software, succession planning, talent management, and HR analytics to deliver maximum people performance to organisations of all sizes across more than 60 industries.

CPP, The MBTI® Company, is the distributor and certification provider of leading psychometric instruments including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, the world’s best known and most trusted personality assessment tool. We offer psychological insight, with solutions designed for: • HR/L&D/OD Practitioners • Executive Coaches • Consultants • Career Counsellors

John Speed, Regional Vice President P: 61 2 9935 4500 E: jspeed@successfactors.com W: www.successfactors.com

P: 03 9342 1300 E: enquiries@cppasiapacific.com W: www.cppasiapacific.com

ELMO sets the benchmark as a leading provider of Learning Management Systems, Performance Management Systems and Pre-Built eLearning. In operation since 2002, we have experienced consistent growth and rapid expansion of our client base becoming the supplier of choice for over 500 organisations across Australia. Gordon Starkey, General Manager P: 1300 884 510 E: contactus@elmotalent.com.au W: www.elmotalent.com.au

Since 1994, Synchro has worked with blue-chip organisations across Australia and New Zealand, optimising the way their workforce takes their products and services to market. Synchro achieves this by designing and managing Incentive Marketing and Enterprise Engagement Programs. We use Sales Force Incentives, Channel Development Campaigns, Recognition & Reward and Customer Loyalty Programs – to drive the desired workforce behaviours, ROI and business profitability. Trevor Barkway, Managing Director P: 02 9957 1299 E: tbarkway@synchro.com.au W: www.synchro.com.au

Health@Work is a wholly Australian-owned company, operating nationally providing innovative and effective Corporate Health and Wellbeing Services. We provide a unique suite of corporate health and wellbeing services that can be delivered as a standalone offering or packaged to form a bespoke wellbeing program for any organisation.

Get Healthy at Work is a free NSW Government initiative that offers businesses all the tools, resources and support they need to address risk factors for chronic disease in the workplace. Importantly it also includes a confidential Brief Health Check to help workers better understand their risk of developing heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes. Visit gethealthyatwork.com.au for more information.

Kristina Dalgleish, Director P: 1300 245 203 E: kristina@healthatwork.net.au W: www.healthatwork.net.au

Amanda Gorvin, Business Engagement Manager P:02 4321 4434 E: amanda.gorvin@workcover.nsw.gov.au W: www.workcover.nsw.gov.au

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James Francis, Business Development Manager P: (02) 8437 4766 E: james.francis@keymedia.com.au Steven McDonald, Business Development Manager P: (02) 8437 4757 E: steven.mcdonald@keymedia.com.au Gareth Scott, Business Development Manager P: (02) 8437 4745 E: gareth.scott@keymedia.com.au

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EXHIBITORS At Affinity, our single-minded goal is to organise employee information – making it both useful and accessible. Affinity is the gateway to capturing all employee-related data – delivering it to you in a comprehensive, single-pane view. This includes information from other business systems (e.g. Finance, Project, CRM etc); eliminating the need for multiple system data entry and retrieval.

At EmployeeConnect our focus is to provide you with a high-performance web-based HR solution that can integrate with any payroll engine. Together with our experience and extensive research, we thoroughly understand all areas of HR and know how to help you transform paper-based HR processes that deliver strategic, financial and competitive benefits.

Dennis Pivac, Director P: 03 9550 6201/1800 778 326 E. info@affinityteam.com W: www.affinityteam.com.au

Kate Larkin, Marketing Manager P: 02 8288 8800 E: kate.larkin@employeeconnect.com W: www.employeeconnect.com

Fully maintained and serviced First Aid Kits: Injury-specific modules, no capital outlay, service and supply defibrillators.

Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1983, Frontier Software is a global leader in Human Resource, Talent Management and Payroll Solutions. Their flagship solution chris21 sets the benchmark functionality and useability. With support offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and key global locations, Frontier Software is well placed to service their 1,600 clients.

Managed First Aid and Fire Evacuation Training: Ensures customers maintain a high level of legislative compliance, national visibility and immediate time reporting, workplace incident recording and analysis MANAGING YOUR TRAINING, RECORDS, AND COSTS Michael Massih P: 02 9851 4616 E: mmassih@cleanroom.com.au W: www.alscofirstaid.com.au Challenged employees to take 10,000 steps a day for the month of September! In teams of four, participants track their progress via a 3D pedometer and record results on the interactive Steptember website. Compete internally or with organisations around Australia. Teams can make every step count by raising vital funds to support children with cerebral palsy. Marie Gamble, Steptember Country Manager P: (02) 9975 8765 E: mgamble@cerebralpalsy.org.au W: www.steptember.org.au Part of the award winning Aspen Medical Group, Aspen Corporate Health is an expert and innovative provider of workplace health solutions and services including pre-employment medicals, injury management, well-being programs, occupational vaccinations, travel medicine, skin cancer screening, health assessments and injury prevention. Healthpoint, a leading provider of accurate health information and screening tools, is now being utilised in workplace health in conjunction with Aspen Corporate Health. Amanda Mundy, Business Development Manager – NSW P: 0413056109 E: amanda.mundy@aspencorporatehealth.com.au W: www.aspencorporatehealth.com.au Your workforce is your biggest cost and most valuable asset. ConnX can assist you to maximise and leverage that investment through effective workforce planning, process automation and engagement. ConnX minimises the administration burden for personnel allowing you more time to focus on the strategic functions of your job. Zane Knight P: 1300 CONNX HR E: sales@connx.com.au W: www.connx.com.au Dental Care Network™ brings leading dentists from across the country together in one place. It’s easy to find dentists you can trust for your employees. Our Corporate Dental Program is an employee benefit scheme for organisations to offer to their employees. No cost, no admin, easy to use. Bikram Singh P: 02 9420 6807 E: contact@dentalcorp.com.au W: www.dentalcarenetwork.com.au Drake International is focused on developing the people, productivity and performance of businesses with our suite of recruitment and talent management solutions. Drake provides recruiting, assessing, training and development, as well as engagement and retention solutions to assist your business throughout any stage in the employee lifecycle, making us so much more than just a recruitment company. P: 13 14 48 E: drakemarketing@au.drakeintl.com W: www.drakeintl.com

Nick Southcombe, General Manager P: 03 9639 0777 E: sales@frontiersoftware.com.au W: www.frontiersoftware.com Halogen Software offers an organically built cloud-based talent management suite that reinforces and drives higher employee performance across all talent programs - whether it is recruiting, performance management, learning and development, succession planning or remuneration. Endorsed by thousands of HR professionals worldwide, Halogen has been recognised as a market leader by major business analysts and has garnered the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the industry. The company’s powerful, yet simple-to-use solutions, which also include industry-vertical offerings, are used by organisations that want to build world-class workforces that are aligned, inspired and focused on delivering exceptional results. Lorna Daly, Regional Sales Manager P: 1800 048 060 W: www.halogensoftware.com.au ITC Learning is a recognised leader in providing leading-edge eLearning technology and services. By collaborating with our clients we enable them to implement customised solutions that respond to business objectives. We have the tools to assist your enterprise implement a complete eLearning solution – Lectora Authoring Software, Lectora Mobile, CourseMill Learning Management System, Business Skills Courseware Libraries, Content Development Services. Drop by our booth to see how we can help you with your eLearning endeavours. Keely Jones, Business Development Manager P: 02 9438 2500 E: keely.jones@itclearning.com.au W: www.itclearning.com.au Developers of Australia’s Premier Paper Reduction & Document Management Software - organiseit is a software application custom designed to provide an easy-to-use solution for the management of your office data and information flow making it the secure, private and central location for all your business information. For security, compliancy, and affordability, organiseit is the best way to manage data in your organisation. Jane Davies, Administration Manager P: 02 9262 7357 E: jane@organiseit.com.au W: www.organiseit.com.au PeoplePulse offer mobile, kiosk and desktop survey solutions specifically for HR Professionals. As an Australian online survey tool with more than 10 years HR surveying experience we have a depth of HR specific industry knowledge that makes us your best choice for a full-service online survey solution. Dawn Tingwell, Head of Sales P: (02) 9232 0172 E: dawn@quinntessential.com.au W: www.peoplepulse.com.au

With over 25 years’ experience in the Fleet Management and Leasing industry, sgfleet is a leading provider of vehicle Salary Packaging solutions in the Australian marketplace. With operations in Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom, sgfleet’s Novated Leases and Salary Packaging make it easy for organisations to provide a great workplace benefit for employees. Phil Clump, National Manager - novated sales P: 1300 138 235 or 1300 138 235 E: newbusiness@sgfleet.com W: www.sgfleet.com

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Windsor Income Protection is: • A leader in the provision of group and corporate wage protection programs • A provider of tailored products that are solutions based, innovative and suit the needs of clients • A provider of Staff and Member Engagement Programs • 100% Australian owned Aaron Stokeld, General Manager Sales & Operations P: 02 9191 1962 E: aarons@windsorip.com.au W: www.windsorip.com.au

FREE EXPO FLOOR STAGE ACTIVITIES DAY 1, TUESDAY 10 MARCH 2015

WorkForce Software offers two workforce management software suites in Australia: EmpCenter and EmpLive (previously known as RosterLive). EmpCenter is designed to accommodate the complex requirements and stringent regulatory demands of large employers, and is WorkForce Software’s flagship enterprise suite. In May 2013, WorkForce Software acquired RosterLive to strengthen its enterprise product portfolio with a complementary small and medium-sized business product.

11:25AM FIVE MINUTES WITH…LUCINDA GEMMELL, DIAGEO 1:25PM

FIVE MINUTES WITH…PETER HARTNETT, SANITARIUM

Elysia Hill P: 02 8399 1688 E: ehill@wfsasutralia.com W: http://wfsaustralia.com

5:00PM

NETWORKING DRINKS

12:40PM FIVE MINUTES WITH…MIKE MCCARTHY, MASTERCARD

DAY 2, WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 2015 Register today at

1:30PM

ALL EXPO TREASURE MAP ENTRIES DUE FOR THE PRIZE DRAW

1:45PM

$10,000 PRIZE DRAW, YOU MUST BE THERE TO WIN!

sydney.hrsummit.com.au

Document Management Software Over 5000 users in Australia & Asia-Pacific

and fully integrated with your current industry software via XML’s

Reliable Fast Secure Searchable

organiseit ▪ works on MS Azure cloud organiseit ▪ has audit trails on all users, folders & files organiseit ▪ is fully compliant with ATO laws & the Evidence Act of Australia organiseit scanning module ▪ automatic storage of your .pdf documents in organiseit named, dated and keyworded.

“Say goodbye to paper storage!” Drop by our booth #10 at the 13th National HR Summit for a demo Ph: 02 9262 7357 email: info@organiseit.com.au

www.organiseit.com.au

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IN PERSON / MELISSA DAVIDSON

Melissa Davidson, HR director at Boeing Defence Australia, is equally at home chatting to aircraft mechanics ‘in the field’ as she is resolving complex IR issues. She chats to HRD about accidentally falling into HR, the benefits of a multi-skilled HR team and why the ‘X factor’ matters in leadership assessment HR Director: How did you first enter the HR profession, and what drew you to it initially? Melissa Davidson: I’ll be honest; I got into HR by accident. I was in a senior clinical role that had been made redundant. I rang the regional office and said ‘I’m reading the newspaper. I could make much better use of my time…’ It turned out I had the same Bachelor of Health Administration degree as the hiring manager who was looking for a personnel and industrial officer role – so I got the job. I had no background in HR at all and it was a huge learning curve. What I really loved then and today is that no day is the same and you can partner with a business to make a strategy happen. I also appreciate that HR is a team sport; it’s a team environment.

IN PERSON:

MELISSA DAVIDSON

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HRD: How do you think your IR and employment law roles have helped in your career? MD: IR and employment law is my passion. I love the complexity of applying it in practice. Certainly there are certain skills such as dispute resolution, influencing, negotiation that you do acquire if you undertake a law degree – but it’s when you do it in practice that it gels. Interestingly, I’ve watched Bill Shorten and Julia Gillard, people who have worked in the employment law field, and I recognise the way they negotiate, how they use influence and positional bargaining. That’s what you do as an industrial practitioner and that background has been invaluable as the HRD at BDA. That said, there are so many other skills that other people bring to the team who HCAMAG.COM

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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

Qualiﬁcations 1992 – 1994

Queensland University of Technology Master of Laws, Employment Law

1985 – 1989

UNSW Australia Bachelor of Health Administration, Management

1980 – 1983

MELISSA DAVIDSON

CAREER TIMELINE

Cumberland College of Health Sciences Bachelor of Applied Science (OT), Psychology, Occupational Therapy

have different backgrounds – for instance those who do the workforce analytics, or the OD people. All of those skills are part of what makes an HR team, so no skillset is paramount.

HRD: How do you spot the next generation of Boeing leaders? MD: Boeing has a really strong culture around leadership. We were ranked in the top 10 best companies for leaders in 2013 by Chief Executive Magazine. We have quite a structured approach to how we rank and rate our leaders. Across the company, in 65 countries and the two core businesses, all leaders are assessed twice a year against the six Boeing leadership attributes. These are: you chart the course – you set out our position; you set high expectations, for yourself and others; you find a way – you deal with barriers, blockages and dealing with complexity; you inspire others; you live the Boeing values; and you’re an achiever – you get results. All leaders are made to go through their paces; people are assessed on a 50:50 basis. Fifty per cent is assessed based on what you’ve achieved in the business, and the other 50% is how you’ve done it as a leader. So, achieving targets but killing people along the way is not acceptable. Those attributes have a number of criteria underneath them that are applied and it enables us to see who’s performing well. That said, there is also the X factor: the people who just stand out. They are people ready to take on the slightly ambiguous projects, who will put their hand up for the hard stuff.

HRD: How has the concept of succession changed in recent years? MD: I remember many years ago the person who first HCAMAG.COM

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Work summary

Employer of Choice project manager

July 1983 – June 2003 Department of Health, Queensland Various managerial HR and clinical roles

2007 – 2008 Boeing Defence Australia HR manager

July 2003 – Dec 2004 Queensland Corrections Assistant director industrial relations Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 ENERGEX (1) A/Director industrial relations & (2) Project manager people and culture Jan 2006 – Dec 2006 Boeing Defence Australia

Sept 2008 – May 2010 Boeing Defence Australia Senior manager HR operations May 2010 – Present Boeing Defence Australia Director HR Sept 2014 – Present Boeing Defence Australia Company director

hired me into HR saying to me, ‘you’re not one of these conventional people who think it’s step by step do you?’ At that stage I didn’t realise what he meant. In order to continually challenge leaders, Boeing does a lot of rotations at senior levels. I reported to the VP of HR in St Louis for three years. He got sent off to manage facilities at that level at Wichita at one stage. I managed facilities and security as well as HR until this year, so it’s by no means in your specialty area. Our MD calls it ‘mixing things up a bit’. It’s simply part of our culture – as is putting people on start-up programs and particular projects.

HRD: Is it ever a struggle to recruit people into the company – perhaps due the nature of the industry you’re in? MD: We do have very powerful brand recognition and I shamelessly use our brand to recruit. Sometimes it’s more synonymous with commercial airlines and that’s not our core business, but it’s still a very powerful brand. Here in Australia a lot of people are attracted to being part of an international company. What we really emphasise is this: what you do really matters. You’re defending Australia and it’s in the national interest; you’re part of something much larger than yourself. At the moment we do have aircraft deployed in the Middle East and there’s a great pride amongst all our workers but especially our Super Hornet group. It’s up to them to keep those Hornets flying. There’s a tangible sense of what you do and how important it is. 2015 HR Summit See Melissa talk about executive succession planning and how to prepare leaders to make the ultimate progression into the C-suite executive team. 10-11 March hrsummit.com.au

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DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING: HEAD TO HEAD

Views from the frontline If you could revisit your own HR education, is there anything you wish you had studied that would help you in your current role – or has the role changed so much that you feel you’d benefit from fresh skills (and if so, what skills?)

IAN FLEMINGTON

LUCINDA GEMMELL

HILTI

CANON AUSTRALIA

DIAGEO AUSTRALIA

It has been 15-20 years since undertaking my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The HR space has continuously changed and evolved throughout that time; as such it has been necessary to continuously self-educate, learn and grow. The HRD role is very influential at the GM level, and people topics are now on executive agendas. As partner to the business, an HR practitioner’s business acumen and commercial competence has become more important to be able to effectively contribute. Whilst it is not necessary to be an expert, having had a good, solid component of commerce, business and marketing within my HR education would have helped me a lot within the HR executive roles I’ve held. I also wish I had taken a step into a business operational role, enabling me a broader experience and finer appreciation of certain business topics. I encourage new HR practitioners to consider doing this at an early stage in their career.

One area I find myself focusing on constantly is coaching. Specifically, coaching leaders to coach and drive great performance within their teams. Most management programs invariably teach line managers to coach in some way, but so often it is not reinforced when they are back in the workplace. The need for leaders to ‘coach the coach’ is critical but is a skill rarely taught, and therefore rarely practised. As you progress into more senior levels of an organisation, this becomes more apparent, reflected in AHRI’s 2012 findings that 68% of organisations surveyed found the need to employ independent executive coaches. The business case is obvious when you consider the Forum Corporation’s finding that highperforming organisations provide 15–20% more coaching at all levels than others. So, in a nutshell, if I had my time again, coaching the coach is where I would focus my learning.

I studied psychology as my undergraduate degree and I believe this helps me every day to understand, assess and develop people and culture in our organisation. I am also really interested in the latest theories on neuroplasticity and the capacity for people to change and grow, especially as leaders in organisations. I also studied an MBA at the AGSM because I really needed to understand how to make organisations more effective. The core role of HR in an organisation is to enable strategy through talent, culture, capability – and you need to understand how an organisation ticks commercially to do this effectively. Studying business or an MBA at any stage is a massive advantage.

KELLIE WARTA

Talent acquisition manager

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HR & communications director

HR director

Got an opinion that counts? Email hrd_editor@keymedia.com.au or join the debate at hcamag.com

HCAMAG.COM

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SENIOR

EXECUTIVE

MBA

MELBOURNE BUSINESS SCHOOL

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