RCSA Journal June 2015 by RCSA

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RCSAJournal Australia & New Zealand | June 2015

2015 RCSA AWARDS

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Celebrating excellence

IN THIS ISSUE • The changing world of work: special interview with Ciett • Employment Services Industry Regulation: a “good faith” approach • Focus: Diversity – Rainbow-inclusive workplaces in New Zealand

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Contents

REPORTS 4 President’s Report: Robert van Stokrom FRCSA 6 CEO’s Report: Steve Granland

2015 RCSA AWARDS 8 Major Event Report: The 2015 RCSA Awards and Gala Ball

2015 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 12 Michael Bunting: Recognising great leadership

INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK 14 Changes ahead for New Zealand 16 Examining the job board market

SPECIAL FEATURE 18 The changing world of work: special interview with Ciett MD Denis Pennel

2015 FOCUS: DIVERSITY 22 Rainbow-inclusive workplaces 23 Two new WGEA campaigns STAY CONNECTED www.youtube.com/rcsatv

24 Why are we having the diversity conversation?

Celebrating excellence in the industry

32 Highs and lows of SaaS RMS implementations 34 Contractual liability: what you need to know 35 Eliminating time-to-fill: helping buyers hire in an instant 36 The facts about on-hire employment in Australia 37 The RIB Report

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

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26 Employment Services Industry Regulation: a ‘good faith’ approach.

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28 Why it pays to bring your super together

40 RCSA Partners and Premium Supporters

30 Accessorial liability and the on-hire industry

41 RCSA CompEvent

31 Safety first: but online learning is elementary

42 RCSA Board, Life Members and Fellows

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RECRUITMENT & CONSULTING SERVICES ASSOCIATION LIMITED The RCSA Journal is published by the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association Limited.

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38 News from Members

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The Recruitment & Consulting Services Association (RCSA) is the leading industry body for talent management and workforce solutions in Australia and New Zealand. With approximately 3,300 members, Corporate and Individual, the Association sets professional standards, conducts research, educates and develops members’ skills, monitors industry developments and lobbies governments on issues directly affecting members.

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NOTE: All material published in the RCSA Journal is subject to copyright and no part may be republished, photocopied or transmitted electronically or in any form without written permission. Opinions expressed by contributors are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by the RCSA or the editor. Advertisers and contributors to the RCSA Journal should be aware of the provisions of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 and the Trade Practices Act 1974 in relation to false and misleading advertisements or statements and other unfair practices. The RCSA and the editor accept no responsibility for such breaches. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, no responsi bility is accepted for errors or omissions.

JUNE 2015

PRESID E N T’ S RE PO R T Robert van Stokrom FRCSA

Working towards the Future of Work

he future of work will be influenced by the flexibility of labour, skills and the hours worked as Australian employers compete for skills and experience in a global market for labour. I was reading recently a speech presented by ACTU President Ged Kearney at the launch of the Build a Better Future campaign. Prominent throughout were continual references to an outdated view of work that has lost sight of the need for our country to be united in work and to be working together toward a cause greater than just the removal of flexible work arrangements. In fact, I predict those same flexible labour market conditions have spurred a number of other countries towards recovery in the post-GFC environment. By seeking to limit the flexibility of work arrangements, our economy will no longer reflect the preferences of a growing number of workers. The Reserve Bank of Australia, in its Statement on Monetary Policy May 2015, said it expects economic growth to continue at a below-average pace for longer than earlier anticipated, and for wage growth to remain subdued and to not increase much over the next couple of years as employers seek to contain costs to help improve the competitiveness of Australian producers. We need to work in concert for the future improvement of our economy. Flexible work is secure and meaningful, with workers consistently saying they can plan their lives better as they have direct control of when they work, and where they work. Flexibility in work arrangements will play a significant role in shaping the future productivity of our economy and to opening new opportunities for all Australians. While fashionable in the 1970s, commentary attributing declining standards of living to the rise of flexible work is out-of-touch with the modern reality. Noted social commentator Bernard Salt, at the Future of Work conference held in April, noted that Australia is the 12th biggest, the third richest and the 11th fastest rising country in the world. In order to maintain our standard of living, Australian producers must be able to compete in a global economy. This requires a broad

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acceptance that future labour markets provide a fair go for workers by providing the opportunity for all Australians to participate in the workforce and by supporting all forms of work and a pathway to employment.

RCSA Gala Ball recognises our industry’s leading lights I was pleased to be able to sit among colleagues and Partners of our industry at the RCSA Gala Ball held recently in Sydney. While the past twelve months has been an interesting time for all of us, the professionalism of our members has remained consistent. The recent Four Corners program shone a light on the appalling practices of a small number of illegal labour-hire contractors that knowingly exploit workers and operate outside the law. RCSA has zero tolerance for these illegal and unethical practices. Our Code for Professional Conduct clearly identifies acceptable practices and we will not tolerate organisations that knowingly bring our industry into disrepute. We believe our industry has an important role to play in ‘rubbing out’ these practices and we will focus our efforts on protecting the rights of workers and employers, and the right for them to choose the arrangements and time at which they engage labour in the future world of work. The proposed introduction of an Employment Services Industry Code (ESIC) will go further to establish a regulatory regime to eradicate unfair practices across all classes of employment services. This is a giant leap forward for our association as it will change our influencing position dramatically. A consultation draft of an ESIC will be released in June, and I encourage all members to provide your views about the Code. I would like to acknowledge the commitment and work of all RCSA members in every-day realising the objectives of the RCSA Code for Professional Conduct in your work with candidates and clients. Robert van Stokrom FRCSA RCSA President, Australia and New Zealand

We need to work in concert for the future improvement of our economy. Flexible work is secure and meaningful ...

CEO ’S RE PO RT Steve Granland

Welcome to the mid-year issue of the RCSA Journal

his year is shaping up to be an important year for the RCSA on many fronts with a number of high profile commissions and inquiries into the world of work and the continued pursuit by the RCSA of a Prescribed Industry Code. Leading off is the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission Review into Workplace Relations, which, when combined with consultations, will span most of 2015. In an environment in which the Productivity Commission has been asked to assess the performance of the workplace relations framework, the RCSA will look to address the perceptions and the reality of on-hire and flexible work arrangements in a contemporary economy. In its submission, the RCSA calls for a halt to the misinformation and fear campaigns that are hindering Australian workers from entering the labour market. RCSA’s position is clear – it’s time to overcome the fear of non-standard work, and to remove restrictions that are currently hindering the ability of employers to engage on-hire and contingent labour. These restrictions are uncompetitive and hinder Australian workers from participating in the labour market at a time when workers and employers alike are seeking employment arrangements that meet everchanging economic and social needs. This misinformation and fear about flexible work and casual employment is rampant, and is hindering Australian workers from participating in the labour market. In addition, government, policymakers and workers and employers across Australia and New Zealand need to better understand on-hire worker services and better define on-hire and contingent work within the future Workplace Relations Framework. With this in mind, the RCSA has publicly countered recent union views and claims which are far reaching and misleading in their depiction of on-hire work and released to members and the market “The Facts about On-hire Employment in Australia: Q&A Fact Sheet”. I encourage all members to review this document (there is an extract on page 36) and take an active role in supporting RCSA’s position over 2015. Featured in this issue of the RCSA Journal are the RCSA Awards and Gala Ball held on 21 May in Sydney at the beautiful Hyde Park Doltone House. The Gala Ball and Awards night is a great opportunity to celebrate excellence in our

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industry and this year 300 people gathered to enjoy a fabulous evening. I would like to publicly acknowledge the hard work of the judges and thank all the applicants for ensuring the judges had a very difficult task by providing the highest quality entrants. Congratulations to the 2015 winners including Caitlin Iustini MRCSA, winner of the PEARL Professional Recruiter Award; DFP Recruitment Services, winner of the McLean Award for Workplace Safety; and Manpower Group, winner of the Corporate Social Responsibility Award. For the first time, the 2015 RCSA Awards recognised excellence in both client and candidate service. These new awards were an initiative of the RCSA Board under the Strategic Plan and are linked to the raising of standards and recognition of professionalism. We had an excellent response to the new Awards and I know the judging panel found it particularly difficult given the extremely high quality of the award submissions. Congratulations to the inaugural winners of these awards, Bayside Group for Excellence in Client Service and Xpand for Excellence in Candidate Care. In closing, I would like to encourage you all to consider attending this year’s RCSA International Conference, Recruitment Renewed – Strategy, Technology, People. Not only is this event being held in one of the most beautiful locations in Australia – Hamilton Island - but the quality of the presenters we have assembled for this year’s program is quite rare. The conference will run from 2-4 September. Registrations are running ahead of 2014, which sold out, so I encourage you to get in early. There are significant Early Bird savings if you register by 30 June 2015 and additional discounts of up to 30 per cent are available for multiple registrations. Steve Granland RCSA CEO, Australia and New Zealand

The RCSA calls for a halt to the misinformation and fear campaigns that are hindering Australian workers from entering the labour market.

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2015 RC S A AWA R D S

2015 RCSA Awards and Gala Ball T

he winners of the 2015 RCSA Awards were announced at the recent Gala Ball at Hyde Park Doltone House, Sydney. The event, hosted by highly-acclaimed comedian Denise Scott and featuring first class entertainment from speed painter Brad Blaze, was voted a great success! In addition to the three existing categories (the PEARL Professional Recruiter Award, the McLean Award for Workplace Safety and the Corporate Social Responsibility Award) this year the RCSA introduced two new categories recognising excellence in both client service and candidate care.

RCSA President Robert van Stokrom FRCSA

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AND THE 2015 FINALISTS WERE … PEARL Professional Recruiter Award finalists Caitlin Iustini MRCSA (WA) Kate Taylor APRCSA (ACT/NSW) Todd Curry MRCSA (VIC).

Excellence in Client Service Award finalists Australian Medical Placements, Bayside Group, ManpowerGroup, Sourced and WorkPac.

McLean Award for Workplace Safety finalists

Excellence in Candidate Care Award finalists

Challenge Recruitment, Christchurch Labour Hire Safety Forum and DFP Recruitment Services.

Australian Medical Placements, McLaren Associates, ManpowerGroup, Quay Appointments, Titan Recruitment and Xpand.

Corporate Social Responsibility Award finalists ATC Midwest, Kennedy Reid, ManpowerGroup and TaylorCare Recruitment.

RCSA’s Board Members: From top left Alan Bell FRCSA, Director, Bell Medical; Robert Olivier FRCSA, RCSA Finance Director and Director HRO2 Research Pty Ltd; Lincoln Crawley FRCSA, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup Australia & New Zealand; Ian McPherson FRCSA, Director, Enterprise Recruitment; Matthew Hobby FRCSA, State Manager SA, McArthur; RCSA Vice President Peter Langford FRCSA, Managing Director, HORNER Recruitment; RCSA President Robert van Stokrom FRCSA, Chief Executive Officer, DFP Recruitment Services; RCSA Vice President Sinead Hourigan MRCSA, Director Brisbane, Robert Walters.

RCSA’s distinguished group of Life Members: From top left Kim Shearn FRCSA (Life), Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life), Graham Jenkins FRCSA (Life), Sue Healey FRCSA (Life), Helen Olivier FRCSA (Life), Sylvia Moreno FRCSA (Life), Ross Fisher FRCSA (Life), Nan Carroll FRCSA (Life), Greg Savage FRCSA (Life), Rosemary Scott FRCSA (Life), Kaye Strain FRCSA (Life), Steve Shepherd FRCSA (Life).

AND THE 2015 WINNERS ARE â&#x20AC;Ś

PEARL Professional Recruiter Award Sponsored by Astute Payroll

Robert van Stokrom FRCSA, RCSA President and CEO DFP Recruitment Services; PEARL Professional Recruiter Award winner Caitlin Iustini MRCSA, Managing Consultant, Technical Resources; and sponsors Marcus Webb, Director and CTO, Astute Payroll and Nicholas Beames FRCSA, Founder and CEO, Astute Payroll.

Caitlin Iustini MRCSA is a Managing Consultant at Technical Resources. She has worked with the company for over 8 years and currently manages a team of eight recruiters and four support staff that focus on the placement of white collar, technical staff to a diverse range of reputable blue chip clients.

McLean Award for Workplace Safety Sponsored by WorkPro

Corporate Social Responsibility Award Sponsored by Voyager Software

Corporate Social Responsibility Award winner ManpowerGroup. From left Robert van Stokrom FRCSA, RCSA President and CEO DFP Recruitment Services; Lincoln Crawley FRCSA, Managing Director ManpowerGroup; Nikki Grech, ANZ Manager - Global Strategic Accounts, Head of CSR ManpowerGroup; Joe Wehbe, HR Diversity Coordinator ManpowerGroup and sponsor Timothy Berwick, Regional Manager Asia Pacific, Voyager Software.

ManpowerGroup, whose submission focused on their commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and their significant involvement in the community through fundraising and volunteer initiatives.

Excellence in Candidate Care Award Sponsored by GE Capital

McLean Award for Workplace Safety winner DFP Recruitment Services. From left Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life), Chair of the RCSA Safety & Risk Working Group and Director Bayside Group; Kate Coath, Chief Operating Officer, DFP Recruitment Services; and sponsor Tania Evans, General Manager WorkPro.

Excellence in Candidate Care winner Xpand. From left Ian Tyler, Group Managing Director Xpand; Robert van Stokrom FRCSA, RCSA President and CEO DFP Recruitment Services; and sponsor Lee Clarke, Head of Debtor Finance GE Capital; and the team from Xpand.

DFP Recruitment Services, whose submission focused on their recent investment in the extensive redevelopment of safety procedures and training to reach the highest OH&S standards.

Xpand, who invest in building positive, long term relationships with their candidates as a priority, offering a number of innovative and personalised services and implementing a system of two-way communication throughout their journey.

Bayside Group: applying an approach firmly centred on partnership and out of a genuine interest in knowing their customer, Bayside Group has delivered a number of tailored workforce management solutions over their 40 years, resulting in many long-term client partnerships.

Excellence in Client Service Award Sponsored by GE Capital

Excellence in Client Service Award winner Bayside Group. From left Robert van Stokrom FRCSA, RCSA President and CEO DFP Recruitment Services; Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life), Director Bayside Group; John Wilson FRCSA, Director Bayside Group and sponsor Lee Clarke, Head of Debtor Finance GE Capital.

JUNE 2015

2015 RC S A AWA R D S

Kinetic Super CEO Megan Bolton

The team from RCSA Principal Partner Kinetic Super and MC Denise Scott

Left: Pre-dinner drinks and CanapĂŠs sponsor Key Factors

Right: RCSA Business Partner and Entertainment Sponsor JLT

The call for nominations for the 2016 RCSA Awards will open in November 2015. Kinetic Super is the principal partner of the RCSA. 10

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2 015 R C S A I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O N F E R E N C E

STRATEGY TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE

2015 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Platinum Sponsor

HAMILTON ISLAND, QLD 2-4 September 2015

2015 RC S A I NTE RN AT I O N AL CO N F ER EN C E

Recognising great What are the five keys to exemplary leadership and how do we recognise them? Michael Bunting, the author of Extraordinary Leadership in Australia and New Zealand, explains this critical issue. Michael is one of the world class presenters you can hear at the 2015 RCSA International Conference, Recruitment Renewed: Strategy, Technology, People.

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Michael Bunting

ecruiting the kinds of leaders companies need to engage their employees, increase productivity and bottom line performance has never been more crucial. According to the research organisation Aon Hewitt, companies with an engagement score of 76 per cent or higher (deemed to be ‘best employers’), outperform the average company on: • revenue growth (by six percentage points) • operating margin (by four percentage points) and • total shareholder return (by six percentage points). However, their studies also show that only one in four organisations across Australia and New Zealand engage more than 60 per cent of their people. And the struggle with engagement is not unique to this region. The Gallup research organisation reports that a staggeringly low 13 per cent of employees worldwide are actually engaged in their work. Every client I work with understands the importance of engagement, and they want to recruit and develop the kinds of leaders who can bring engagement to their workforce. But how can we begin to recognise great leadership?

In Extraordinary Leadership in Australia and New Zealand, my co-authors Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner and I determined the kind of leadership behaviour that generates workplace engagement. We gathered research from more than 75,000 people in Australia and New Zealand to identify and chart the kinds of leaders who engage their teams. Our goal was to determine the deliberate practices that distinguish leaders of engaged workforces from others. What do these leaders do that makes them so extraordinary? Kouzes and Posner had already spent three decades questioning leaders at all levels in organisations when we started to work together, and the responses they gathered over the years were fascinating. They had determined the habits of effective leaders were consistent and that their actions shed a great deal of light on their results. The two regularly asked people about their personal-best leadership experiences and then analysed more than 5,000 interviews and case studies gathered from around the globe. They added this to more than five million survey responses gathered from a number of industries and organisations involving people at all different levels of the organisational hierarchy, of all different ethnicities and ages. From this research, The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® emerged. When performing at their best, leaders: • Model the Way • Inspire a Shared Vision • Challenge the Process • Enable Others to Act, and • Encourage the Heart. Here are some snapshots of each of these practices, including comments from some of our case study leaders about their personal-best experiences as leaders.

Model the Way Tyrone O’Neill, Director of Customer Marketing at Optus, says the foundation of leadership is trust which, ‘comes from people knowing who you are, and seeing that you are walking your talk. It’s only through action that you prove trustworthiness’. In order to convince others to willingly follow, leaders must clarify and communicate their values and

leadership beliefs. Then they hold themselves, as well as those around them, accountable for putting shared values into action.

Inspire a Shared Vision Engagement of his team was clearly a huge priority for Jan Pacas, managing director of Hilti Australia, a premium brand that makes power tools and fastening technology. From the start, he says he wanted to take his team to a place they had never been before. He focused his vision on two core objectives, which he made clear to all his employees. He wanted to double the company’s business in five years and become a top-10 employer in Australia. ‘You have to express your vision so every manager and every employee can break it down into specific things relevant to them,’ he explains. ‘The vision has to appeal to a person’s head, heart and hands. Head, meaning they understand it. Heart, meaning it’s emotionally compelling to them. And hands, meaning it’s actionable – that they know what to do and are empowered to do it.’

Challenge the Process When Wendy Lenton was hired as Human Resources Director at George Weston Foods, one of Australia’s largest food manufacturers, the first thing she did was change her title to Director of People and Performance. The company had been underperforming for four years, but soon after she joined, it began generating five per cent in top-line growth. The secret was challenging what had always been done. ‘Sometimes you become the expert in your field and then you stop innovating,’ she remarks. ‘I think it’s important to put yourself into uncomfortable situations to stretch yourself beyond your boundaries. ‘Making time to develop and stretch yourself while still maintaining the outcomes you need to achieve in the business is a significant commitment, but will pay off in the longer term.’

Enable Others to Act Jonathan Moss, CEO of beverage manufacturer and distributor Frucor Australia, was aware that his team members were operating in silos, that they were not enabling one another. Knowing he had to bring everyone together if things were going to change, he stepped forward with his own

personal commitment to building a climate of trust. He then engaged his teams in the process. ‘We created a new environment where deep inquiry was not only acceptable, it was welcomed,’ he says. ‘It was about trying to get under issues rather than just flat-lining across the top of them. It was also about eliminating any defensiveness. Our conversations were always about the issue on the table, not about the individual. And there are no ‘undiscussibles.’ If it feels like something needs to be raised, it’s safe to raise it.’

Encourage the Heart The importance of authentic, personal recognition is something Nathalie McNeil, HR Director at Novartis, knows very well. Nathalie maintains that personalisation and authenticity is what makes Encourage the Heart an effective leadership practice in the Australasian culture. She believes genuineness comes from really knowing people on a personal level, and sincerely caring about them. ‘If you can’t recognise something specific, you’re not paying attention – and good leaders pay attention,’ says Nathalie. ‘They know their people. When you truly know someone, not only do you recognise them for things they’ve done, but you also do it in a way that they personally value, because it’s relevant to what they care about.’

Studies also show that only one in four organisations across Australia and New Zealand engage more than 60 per cent of their people.

Leadership makes the difference What is clear is that exemplary leadership is vital to engagement. When the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership are applied, the results are tangible and measurable. Michael Bunting is co-author with Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner of ‘Extraordinary Leadership in Australia and New Zealand: The Five Practices That Create Great Workplaces’ from which portions of this article are excerpted. Michael is also the founder and director of leadership development consultancy, WorkSmart Australia (www.worksmart.net.au). He is a guest lecturer in the University of Sydney’s awardwinning Executive MBA program.

JUNE 2015

INTERNATI O NA L O U T LO O K

Changes ahead for New Zealand The RCSA Journal’s New Zealand commentators in this issue are Ian McPherson FRCSA, Michelle Bishop MRCSA and John Harland FRCSA, RCSA New Zealand Chair.

Ian McPherson FRCSA Health and safety reform requires action from directors and officers A major operational focus for the industry in New Zealand at present – particularly for those in the on-hire Ian McPherson FRCSA, market – is the changes Enterprise Recruitment Ltd in health and safety legislation set to take effect this year. Reform is well under way, with the new law expected to be in place by October/ November. The final detail has yet to be completed and this is unlikely to happen before the end of May. With guidance documents yet to be released, a huge amount of information will be coming out over the next few months. Every director and officer – regardless of their individual focus in the business – needs to be at the coalface of their company’s health and safety, actively sponsoring it, interrogating, and being able to articulate the risks that exist and the controls that are in place. The industry, however, needs to consider a number of areas, including: • Improved worker participation and how to achieve this, as it is a core requirement of the new law. • Occupational health. For us, this will mean improved baseline testing: how will we do that? • Site-specific pre-inductions. This is a process creep that has become a real issue in the blue-collar space. • How do we monitor site training and ongoing supervision of task? • MBIE is considering a Safety Star Rating (similar to the Accident Compensation Corporation Partnership Program) that will reward businesses able to demonstrate good health and safety practices. A key message that WorkSafe are delivering is to concentrate your energy on the areas

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and industries that provide the most risk. Some of the change required could be quite challenging for those who don’t have the scale and resources to implement and maintain, but focusing on the new environment now is certainly necessary to ensure no surprises later in the year.

Michelle Bishop MRCSA Competition returning to the Christchurch IT sector For the first time since the earthquakes, the Christchurch IT sector is experiencing a significant boost in competition within the Michelle Bishop MRCSA industry. The rebuild has brought a great number of opportunities, and employees in response are upping their game and taking the chance to demand more from their employers. The uncertain period since 2011 led to many employees placing job security above anything else, but there’s a sense that employees are now seeking more challenges, opportunities and remuneration. New evidence suggests businesses have become comfortable with their wage rates, but as the sector grows employees will seek more competitive offers. Most employers believe they’re paying market rates, but the past 12 months have seen an increase to 35 per cent of employees saying their salary does not meet their expectations, based on their skills and the industry average. On the whole, those within the IT community see a vibrant, innovative IT sector as vitally important to the Christchurch rebuild. IT is viewed as a change enabler, bringing to the city more job opportunities, investment and a stronger market. The current season is seen as a prime time for Christchurch to reinvent itself as a technologically modern city, but as the rebuild charges forward, how is the sector keeping up?

I N T ER N AT I ON A L OU TLOOK

As business continues to return to normal, post-earthquake, this is a sign that the IT sector is maturing and in-house professional development is preparing employees to take the next step in their careers. While this is great for businesses, some employees who are looking to progress outside their organisation, or are new to the Christchurch market, are indicating that companies tend to be insular in their recruitment and are primarily promoting from within. There is, however, a steadily increasing trend that suggests the Christchurch market is becoming more hospitable to career-minded employees. New projects continue to drive IT recruitment in Christchurch. As the city continues to grow, more and more start-ups and SMEs are popping up. Strategic, financial, and industry support remains significant for the success of these businesses, and we look on with interest at the rapidly evolving fabric of the Christchurch tech sector.

John Harland FRCSA Industry set for a good period of growth after a number of difficult years In the six months since my last comment in the RCSA Journal, the market – as expected – has moved on in a positive John Harland FRCSA, ERG Workforce Ltd. direction for the industry. Feedback suggests most recruitment companies are doing well in both temporary and permanent areas. Certainly, most growth occurred in Auckland and Christchurch and, as widely published, this growth is evident not only in jobs but also pressure on housing and infrastructure in both cities. Overall, the economy appears to be remaining more robust than many international economies and consequently business sentiment and expectations for the future remain positive. I’m still not convinced about the ‘rock star’ economy due to the major growth being experienced only in Auckland and Christchurch, and the weakness in dairy prices, which undoubtedly will further impact rural economies. However, I’m confident our industry is in for a good period of growth for the next few years: now is our time after a number of difficult years.

Impressive statistics Statistics published for the March quarter

were impressive and highlight why the recruitment industry is doing well in New Zealand. A total of 16,000 more people were employed during this quarter, and 74,000 for the year ended March 2015. Half of these were in Auckland. There was a 19,000 rise in the labour force (employed or seeking work) in the quarter, but also a 3,000 rise in the unemployed to 146,000, the highest for a year. The unemployment rate has also risen very slightly. This probably reflects the very high level of labour participation (69.6 per cent) combined with higher net immigration and new entrants to the labour market. Surprisingly, wage growth has been minimal at 1.8 per cent, with only 10 per cent of private-sector salaries and wages increasing in the March quarter, the smallest for five years. And 43 per cent of pay rates have not increased over the past year, perhaps reflecting that companies are now under pressure to boost productivity and return to profitability following a long recessionary period.

Growth focus I believe the industry can now focus on growth and how we maximise this opportunity. The challenges appear to be a lack of available, suitably qualified or experienced people to match the jobs available. This means we need to find more innovative ways of identifying and attracting candidates, but the positive point here is that we have a major advantage over employers doing it for themselves or relying on technology. First, companies need to be very cautious about using networks to find people, particularly if those people work for a competitor. Secondly, unless a company’s brand is iconic – and these are few – how do they attract people to apply? Thirdly, the importance of people interacting in this process substantially weakens the technology-based solution proposition. People who are in work but looking for change fear the direct approach to a prospective employer as there is no protection to their privacy, something that could potentially jeopardise their current employment. As the intermediary, we offer protection of their privacy and possibly anonymity until interview stage. Moreover, we have the advantage of being in a stronger position to negotiate an offer by giving advice and a balanced objective view to both parties. We are experts in these fields as this is what we do every working hour.

Candidate care Candidate management is another area that has become more important.

Don’t undervalue your applicants by not responding in some way, as these people have skills that may be of value to another client even if they’re not suitable for the specific job they applied for. Avoid the electronic response, as these are probably more damaging than not responding at all, with most candidates viewing them as condescending and insulting. Where possible, personalise your response, even if you are very brief, as this will be appreciated.

Margin pressure I’m seeing continuing pressure from larger employers, generally through procurement departments, to request reductions in margins. I suspect they’re trying to cash in on the ‘hard times’ and lock in low margins before the growth becomes too evident, resulting in some push back from us as we have more opportunities to offer our candidates. Unless you’re an international that can justify low margins on the basis of economies of scale, avoid becoming embroiled in long discussions about how expensive you are in relation to others. We must become better at selling our value proposition because a perception still exists that we’re expensive for the effort expended. Employers are now in a competitive environment for good staff and must realise there is a cost to this. Good luck to those who buy into this for fear of losing a client, because with growth and/or retention through cost cutting come other challenges. Cash flow to fund growth is something all business owners must monitor closely. Debtor management is critical, along with a focus on maintaining costs relative to your growth. The ideal is to achieve growth at the same cost so profitability increases. For businesses struggling with these issues, the RCSA has some very supportive sponsors who can advise about the benefits of debtor finance and other solutions.

Youth unemployment Finally, recognise there is a worldwide issue with youth unemployment that will affect businesses in the future through its potential to create a generation of long-term unemployed and the associated social issues. Sign up for RCSA’s Jobs Charter initiative and see what we as an industry can do to avoid creating a ‘lost generation’. Youth are the future for our industry because they represent the future workforce. See John’s article “Rainbow-inclusive workplaces” on page 22. JUNE 2015

INTERNATI O NA L O U T LO O K

Examining the job board market John Nurthen looks at what SIA discovered about this maturing industry

t doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem so long ago that job boards were a new feature of the recruiting landscape, so perhaps it will be surprising to some that this sector has now been around for a quarter of a century and is continuing to evolve and develop. Over this time, recruitment organisations have come to represent a major customer segment for job boards â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for many, the largest segment. With that in mind, Staffing Industry Analysts recently took a dive into the job board industry to uncover trends, learn

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its size and find out how the key players stack up in terms of revenue. One of the first questions: how large is the industry? The global job board market has a long tail of small providers and that makes any realistic valuation of the space difficult. We found third-party estimates that varied from between US$3 billion to US$27 billion, however, during this research project we identified job boards with a combined revenue in excess of US$7.8 billion, so we can easily discount the lower of these third-party estimates. Our research indicates a figure of between US$10 billion to US$20 billion would seem a sensible revenue estimate for the total global job board market. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much smaller than the

John Nurthen

global staffing market at US$404 billion. The largest job boards have an international presence and enjoy marketleading positions in a number of countries. However, there are many strong national players that dominate local markets and also plenty of niche job boards that effectively target specific worker-types. Job boards have evolved quite significantly in their 25 years of existence. No longer just selling online job advertisements, they now offer a raft of other complementary services. For example, many job boards allow employers to proactively search their database of registered job applicants for a fee. Our estimate of the global job board market included revenue from these other services.

I N T ER N AT I ON A L OU TLOOK

New classifications of job boards have also emerged over the years, and these are also included in our revenue ranking. These classifications include: • social media platforms • job aggregators, which find job postings from other sites and, like a typical search engine, compile jobs they have scraped from third-party websites and match the skill and location to jobseekers’ requirements • job distributors, which provide a platform for hirers to advertise jobs on multiple syndicated job boards for a monthly fee based on an agreed number of job slots. Based on 2014 revenue, the five largest global job boards are as follows: 1. Recruit, a Japanese HR company that also operates a number of important staffing organisations, ranks as the largest job board provider. Recruit’s most prominent international job board brand is Indeed, although the company also operates a number of other Asian job boards. Recruit has an estimated US$2.25 billion in 2014 revenue derived from the ‘HR Media Segment’. It’s also aggressively acquisitive,

following an IPO in 2014, as evidenced by the acquisition this year of Chandler Macleod and Peoplebank to become the secondlargest staffing organisation in Australia. 2. LinkedIn ranked next with US$1.33 billion in ‘talent solutions’ revenue for 2014 of which 60 per cent is derived from the US; 25 per cent from Europe, the Middle East and Africa; eight per cent from the Asia Pacific region; and eight per cent from ‘Other Americas’. The company has seen exponential growth in its revenues since 2005 when it started to charge for job listings and premium accounts. 3. Third is Monster, one of the 20 most visited websites in the world in 2006. However, the company has experienced some difficulties in recent times; including a failed attempt to sell the business in 2012 and the departure of its CEO amidst a four per cent reduction in annual revenue and seven per cent reduction in the company’s workforce in 2014. Still, the company remains a significant global job board with 2014 annual revenue of US$770 million and seeks to restore its former glory under a new CEO.

4. US-based media conglomerate Gannett Media is the fourth-largest job board based on its ownership of CareerBuilder and annual job board revenue of US$713 million. At the end of 2014, it was announced that Gannett Media will spin-off its digital media and broadcasting businesses, including Careerbuilder, by mid-2015. 5. Completing the top five job boards globally is Melbourne-headquartered, SEEK with 2014 annual revenues of US$688 million. With a dominant position in the Australian market, SEEK also own a number of prominent regional job boards including Zhaopin (China), JobsDB and JobStreet (SE Asia), Brasil Online (Brazil), and OCC (Mexico). John Nurthen is executive director, global research, for Staffing Industry Analysts, the global advisor on contingent work. For more information, visit www.staffingindustry.com.

JUNE 2015

SPECIAL FEATURE

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SPECIAL FEATURE

The changing world of work Denis Pennel, MD of Ciett, the international Federation of private employment services is in a unique position to take a world view of our industry. He spoke exclusively to the RCSA Journal on the positive improvements in key global markets and has coined three new concepts to describe the role our industry plays in the changing world of work: ‘Simplexity’, ‘Adaptagility’ and ‘Flexicurity’.

eflecting on the sustained improvements seen in key global markets (details below) following the devastating global financial crisis, Denis Pennel, Managing Director of Ciett, cautions that the situation, while positive, is not perfect, given that statistics from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reveal more than 200 million people around the globe are unemployed. ‘So we still have challenges. And what I would like to say is that nothing will get back to “normal” as some people expect. The new normal is abnormal or atypical, because today we face not so much a job crisis as a work revolution. We’re actually in the midst of a third industrial revolution as a result of new information and communications technologies, market globalisation, demographics, and so on. ‘The world of work is changing and I believe our industry in this context has a key role to play now, and even more in the future.’

The way we work now Denis points out that the way we work today is very different from the way we worked in past decades. The labour force, for one, has changed dramatically. ‘In the 1960s and 1970s in Europe, the US, New Zealand and Australia, it was very much based on the white-male-breadwinner model. This is no longer true. Women now account for a significant share of the labour force – at least in developed countries – and this a very good thing. In the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, women comprise 50 per cent of the workforce. We have increasing numbers of migrant workers, so people with ethnic minority backgrounds are being employed in the labour market, as are disabled people, which is another positive. So the labour force has never been so diverse.’ At the same time it has never been so highly

educated and this, combined with the fact that we live in much more individualised societies, means today’s workforce has different expectations. ‘So it’s a very different workforce from the 1960s and 1970s,’ Denis says. ‘However, work is still extremely important: I don’t believe at all in this end-of-work story. Many people find fulfilment through their work, and the young generation particularly has no interest in working in boring nine-to-five jobs. They expect their jobs to provide fulfilment or happiness – and happiness at work is a great topic today. So this, too, is a completely different approach.’ Companies have also had to adapt and change as globalisation means the economic environment has never been so complex, volatile and unpredictable. ‘The life of a product has never been so short, forcing companies to continually innovate,’ says Denis. ‘This has led to changes in the typical organisational structure which, through the need to change and adapt, tends to be flatter and less centralised. In turn this is changing the way businesses employ people and today they’re using a significant share of flexible workforce, whether agency workers, fixed-term contracts, consultant suppliers, or outsourced workers.’ Denis believes this trend will continue and in the future we’ll see more self-employed workers, with companies less likely to enter into a traditional employment relationship and more likely to contract self-employed people. ‘In the US, estimates suggest that 25 per cent of the workforce is free agents, meaning people not employed with a permanent full-time contract. This figure is expected to increase to 40 per cent by 2030. In the UK in 2014, 90 per cent of job creation was through self-employment. While the trend is less clear in Continental Europe, we can expect an increase in self-employment in the forthcoming years.’

JUNE 2015

SPECIAL FEATURE

Key role for the industry As to whether this evolution is good or bad, Denis reserves judgement. ‘If you go back to the period preceding the massive post-war industrialisation, self-employed workers accounted for 30 to 50 per cent of the workforce in many developed countries. Industrialisation changed this, with most people moving to an employeeemployer relationship, a trend that culminated probably during the 1980s, 1990s in Europe and the US. Now we’re moving again from manufacturing to a more services-oriented economy and the employment model of the post-war decades no longer fulfils our needs.’ That the recruitment industry will continue to have a key role in the future Denis is certain. ‘We already play a great role, and matching supply and demand of work is definitely part of this role,’ he says. ‘I believe we should see the industry’s role in a much broader perspective: we’re enabling adaptation to change and this is how we like to position it. Because the world of work is changing, we deliver adaptation to change.’ On the subject of supply and demand, Denis comments that Australia is one of many countries – including Europe, Japan and China (as a consequence of the one-child policy) –with an ageing population. ‘I think a key challenge for Australia into the future will be attracting the right

talents. Possibly you will need to open the immigration door at some point.’

Educating the policymakers In line with Ciett’s aim to speak as one voice for industry, the organisation holds regular discussions with the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament. ‘We have an almost daily, relationship with the ILO in Geneva,’ Denis adds. ‘We’re also in touch with OECD, the World Bank, and the IMF in Washington – all these international organisations or policymakers that influence the way the labour market should be organised.’ The big question is, do they grasp the concept of this rapidly changing world of work? ‘Sometimes, but I would say in most of the cases, no,’ Denis responds. ‘You can understand that with such a high level of global unemployment, the primary concern of governments is to fight against it.’ The problem with this, he continues, is that they approach the situation as a short-term issue, when the reality is it’s long-term because of this evolving world of work. ‘Much needs to be done to educate policymakers, to explain to them what we do, to make them understand that our industry is part of the solution because some actually see us as being part of the problem.

Trends in key labour markets USA ‘The number of people being assigned by our industry is now higher than 2008, so we managed to not only make up for the crisis, but also to keep on increasing this industry,’ Denis says. Staffing and recruitment outpaced economic growth and labour market improvements, according to the 2014 American Staffing Association Staffing Industry Economic Analysis, with an average of three million temporary and contract positions filled each week in 2013, an increase of four per cent over the previous year. Europe ‘Overall, if not fully

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recovered from the crisis, Europe is certainly heading in the right direction,’ Denis comments. ‘In the badly affected countries such as the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, the industry is growing. Germany is also doing well.’ Asia ‘The story is similar. However, we need to differentiate between the emerging markets such as China and the major established markets like Japan or Korea. There again all the lights are green.’ The two regions where the situation is not so positive are LATAM (Latin America), and Africa.

LATAM ‘The number of agency workers has actually decreased in LATAM,’ says Denis. ‘Brazil was driving the growth of the continent, but now faces a very tough situation, partly because of a political crisis. While the growth rate is still positive, it has decreased significantly over the last two years. Argentina is in a very poor state, almost on the edge of a financial crisis.’ Africa ‘The continent remains very complicated. The key market is South Africa, but the government adopted a new regulation, due to come into force this year, which has a negative impact on industry

because it places additional restrictions and conditions on the use of private employment services.’ Denis adds that in terms of overall industry revenues, Africa and Latin America don’t rank among the largest. The most important markets globally are: • Europe, accounting for about 38 per cent of the overall industry revenues. • The US, with 29 per cent • Japan 18.5 per cent. ‘Because these three continents account for more than 75 per cent of industry, it’s really important to focus on them.’

SPECIAL FEATURE

Asia-Pacific Growth Plans I believe we should see the industry’s role in a much broader perspective: we’re enabling adaptation to change and this is how we like to position it. Because the world of work is changing, we deliver adaptation to change.

This is complete nonsense but again, this is what we have to explain and educate.’ And to this end, Denis created three new words to describe this role to these key stakeholders, introducing them during his presentation at the annual Global Recruiter Summit in London designed to investigate the role the recruitment industry plays in this changing world of work.

The words are: SIMPLEXITY ‘Our industry is here to simplify the complexity of the labour market in what we offer to our customers – whether individuals or companies – because indeed it’s becoming increasingly complicated to find your way in the labour market.’ ADAPTAGILITY ‘We facilitate adaptation to change, helping companies and our people become more agile, helping them find their way in the labour market.’ FLEXICURITY ‘As an industry, we reconcile flexibility on the one hand with security on the other. Flexibility, because we provide flexible workforce solutions to

companies and individuals: increasingly, people are willing to work in a flexible way rather than the traditional nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday scenario. Security, because our industry is here to provide temporary work, but we try to compensate short-term assignments with some more stability by improving the person’s employability and providing them with some more social benefit. We also provide security to companies because we offer completely legal and sustainable ways to organise their flexibility.’ Denis Pennel was interviewed for the RCSA Journal by Rosemary Ann Ogilvie. Steve Shepherd FRCSA (Life), RCSA Past President and Group Director, Randstad, is the RCSA’s representative with Ciett and a member of the Ciett Board. Steve regularly contributes updates on Ciett activity to the RCSA Journal. In the next issue he will report on the objectives released at the recent Ciett Conference.

‘The Asia Pacific region is a key region for us, and growth is part of Ciett’s strategic plan until 2017,’ Denis comments on Ciett’s expansion plans for this region. ‘We’re investing significant effort and focus to improve the organisation of the industry and also the membership base, because we believe this is where the next markets will be.’ Denis adds that Sydneybased Ciett Board member Steve Shepherd, Employment Market Analyst and Group Director, Randstad Asia Pacific, represents the region and has been very active over the last two years helping develop further activities. ‘When I say “the region” it’s mostly about South East Asia because North Asia is well covered, with members in Japan, Korea, China and India.’ In South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand have been members of Ciett for many years. Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines joined last year. Now Ciett is looking at countries such as Malaysia, and in the future, Thailand and Cambodia.

Complicated situation ‘The situation is complicated, not least because our industry is not always very well represented and organised,’ Denis says. ‘Just one example: in the Philippines, numerous associations represent private employment services and it’s never good to have multiple bodies representing the industry.’

Several countries have regulatory issues. And a significant part of the industry’s business model in these countries is made via cross-border overseas recruitment practices, meaning they send workers abroad and levy fees on the workers. ‘Ciett does not accept this practice: we believe it’s contrary to the ILO convention on private employment agencies and as a general rule we don’t think it is fair for workers to pay for being recruited,’ Denis comments. ‘We’re trying to educate governments about this. However, in the Philippines we identified one trade organisation that has rejected this fee-charging policy, which means they’re eligible to join Ciett.’ In Indonesia, the big problem is that the overall regulatory framework on the industry is very restrictive. ‘We face many conditions for our industry to be able to operate, so we really need to amend and to improve this framework. ‘But clearly Ciett has a strong focus today on this part of the world. In Europe we cover the entire Continent from Lisbon to Vladivostok. In North America we have the US, Mexico and Canada as members. In LATAM and North Asia, the major countries already belong to Ciett. Africa is still very patchy with just two members, South Africa and Morocco, but expanding further there is not a priority for us.’

JUNE 2015

FOCUS: DIVERSITY

Rainbow-inclusive workplaces: A standard for gender and sexual diversity in employment (New Zealand) John Harland FRCSA, Chair – RCSA NZ Council, comments.

n mid-2014 the RCSA was invited to participate as a member of the Standards New Zealand Committee to write and publish a ‘Standard’ to assist organisations achieve an inclusive workplace John Harland FRCSA, that employs people ERG Workforce Ltd. from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, takatāpui, queer, and intersex (LGBTTQI)1 communities, sometimes referred to as the ‘Rainbow Community’ as there are many other groups identified within the overall definition. As an organisation which actively promotes ethical, fair and non-discriminatory recruitment practices for our industry it was important that we participated and I was delighted to have been asked to represent the RCSA on this committee. Following a number of day-long meetings, the Standard was published in April 2015 and it is significant that the RCSA was involved as New Zealand is the first in the world to develop an official standard addressing this type of workplace discrimination. It is perhaps timely to be writing this article in light of a recent research publication Out on the Fields – the First International Research on Homophobia in Sport which found that 78 per cent of respondents said an openly gay, lesbian or bisexual person would not be very safe as a spectator at a sporting event’, and 62 per cent of all respondents and 73 per cent of gay men believed homophobia is more common in team sports than in other parts of society. These figures directly impact on ‘Rainbow Community’ participants in sport and their overall achievements. Unfortunately, New Zealand is at the top of countries where this discrimination occurs,

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so perhaps being the first in the world to develop and publish a workplace standard will lead the way in other areas of society.

Why is a Standard necessary? Perhaps to answer this question it is best to quote directly from the ‘Foreword’ to the Standard. There is an increasing body of International research that shows that people from the LGBTTQI communities still face discrimination and exclusion in the workforce; in recruitment, retention, training, and advancement opportunities. This occurs even in those countries that have enacted through legislative change to bring about legal equality. This discrimination and exclusion points to on-going effects deeply embedded attitudes, behaviours, and ideas as well as the time it takes to bring about social change. Achieving greater equality for all of a county’s cultures is a gradual process, which may be helped by conscious efforts to address unlawful and costly discrimination and exclusion in employment. While this (discrimination) has an obvious negative impact on the health and social equity of people from LGBTTQI communities, it also has a negative impact on productivity and efficiency. Research indicates that workplaces that encourage and support staff to be authentic and bring the whole of themselves with them to work perform better than those where people feel they must hide a central aspect of themselves. This research result is becoming more and more widely understood and incorporated into general business practices internationally, with many of the world’s largest companies and institutions now routinely working to benchmark themselves against local metrics of inclusion typically developed by community–based organisations. Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all people are entitled. New Zealand has two main laws that specifically promote and protect human rights: the Human Rights Act and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. While this standard (Rainbow Inclusive Workplaces: A Standard for Gender and Sexual Diversity in Employment)

New Zealand is the first in the world to develop an official standard addressing this type of workplace discrimination.

is voluntary in application, its existence signals that this is an area of equality in employment that must be taken seriously, for the benefit of both the employee and employer, as well as the productivity of the country as a whole. The Standard focuses on the central areas of policy, staff engagement, external engagement, training, and monitoring ... The standard NZS8200:2015 outlines the requirements to be met for organisations to be recognised as inclusive and safe workplaces for people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. The RCSA is proud to have been involved in this worldwide first and recognises its importance in the area of recruitment, employment and the workplace. As an industry, we are in a unique position to have a direct impact on influencing organisations to adopt non discriminatory workforce practices across the whole spectrum of ethnic background, colour, sex, age, religion, and sexual orientation to establish true diversity in the workplace and we must first start with our own recruitment policies and processes. A copy of the Standard can be purchased from the Standards New Zealand website. 1 S tandards New Zealand explains in the document that in New Zealand, it is common to use the acronym LGBTTQI and the term ‘queer’ or ‘questioning’, as well as the term ‘takatapui’ meaning a same sex partner.

The Equilibrium Man Challenge and Closing the Gender Pay Gap ‘The aim of the Equilibrium Challenge is about normalising flexibility for everyone so it’s no longer seen as a token gesture for part-time working mothers, and instead is seen as a sensible way to work in any working environment, in many roles,’ says Yolanda Beattie, Public Affairs Executive Manager for WGEA, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The observational documentary series The Equilibrium Man Challenge1 – one of two new campaigns from WGEA2 – follows six Equilibrium Men (E-Men) as they negotiate and transition to formal flexible working arrangements. Broadcast online in topic-based segments over six months, the program looks at the challenges the men face and how they overcome them – and the leadership capability required to drive real change. The second campaign is Closing the Gender Pay Gap. In 2014, WGEA led an innovative and targeted project to tackle pay inequity within Australian workplaces. Included were a range of self-service tools and resources to help employers understand the gender pay gap and its causes, along with a high-profile, employer-based direct marketing and public awareness campaign3 aimed at compelling senior decision makers to invest the time and resources to address pay gaps. ‘Employers regularly tell us one of the biggest contributors to the like-for-like pay gap is commencement salaries: that women tend to start at a lower scale,’ says Yolanda, who believes best-practice employers should be insisting their recruiters push back on their line managers to ensure women are paid the median starting salary for the specific job category. ‘And I know of a small number of employers who do this: all commencement salaries are approved by a central remuneration specialist to ensure women are not offered lower starting salaries.’ In regards to the Equilibrium Man documentaries, Yolanda says men are responding very positively. ‘ABS figures show men are more successful negotiating

flexible work than in the past, but it’s coming off a low base: men were more likely to have had their flexibility request denied. However, while this is starting to change, in most large organisations it’s still closed doors in the sense of, ‘I’m working from home, but tell people I’m interstate visiting clients’. So this resistance to being loud and proud about it persists, and there’s also the fear from management that everyone will want to start working from home!’ Yolanda believes this is another area where recruiters have a really valuable role to play. ‘It’s frustrating for recruiters when a company offers no room for flexibility in a role. The best advisers are those who can push back and give difficult and challenging advice in the pursuit of better outcomes. Certainly, there’s the very real fear of losing clients by doing this, but it’s about building the relationship over time so that advice is better received, and you’re able to assemble a really strong business case as to why it makes sense for employers to start seeing differently how they can access and build talent pipelines.’ Job redesign is a major component of flexible work and this, too, is where recruiters can offer value. However, the biggest barrier to flexible work, says Yolanda, is the ‘ideal worker’ model: the employee who’s at their desk before the boss arrives, and leaves after they do. ‘Until we put this person front and centre with the message that this is not how we work here, that we don’t reward people who measure their success and performance on the hours they spend at work rather than outcomes, only then will things change.’ Yolanda Beattie of WGEA spoke with business writer Rosemary Ann Ogilvie. 1 http://equilibriumchallenge.com.au 2 www.wgea.gov.au/learn/wgea-campaigns 3 http://inyourhands.org.au

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JUNE 2015

FOCUS: DIVERSITY

Why are we still having the diversity conversation? is difficult. Businesses need to be honest with themselves, and they need to have data that shows where bias may be. Reviewing hiring data can highlight where low representations within a workforce lie. Once you have the data, you need to take a detached eye and explore whether there is anything about the way you hire or operate that drives the disparity and excludes specific types of people.

Don’t leave it to quotas However, seeing an under-representation doesn’t mean you need to go out and hire people to tick a box. It is too easy to fall into the trap of discussing targets, quotas and reporting as if they’re the only solution to the problem. While they are a step in the right direction, the real solution lies in addressing the stereotypes that propagate these views. The fact that businesses sometimes try to find a quota fit instead of a culture fit is worrying. This type of hiring, often based on a desire to be perfectly politically correct, only serves to exaggerate and call attention to difference, rather than embracing it. It’s not an easy task.

Culture should lead

Meahan Callaghan is Group HR Director for SEEK Ltd.

It’s time we asked ourselves the question: why are we still talking about diversity in the workplace?

ata from the Diversity Council Australia shows companies and CEOs have been slow to embrace cultural diversity. The Committee for Economic Development of Australia suggests that growth of just six per cent in female workplace participation would lift the GDP by $25 billion1. While anecdotal evidence suggests there are still considerable numbers of LGBTIQ2 Australians who don’t feel comfortable and safe at work.

Diversity works Businesses work smarter with a diverse set of skills, opinions, backgrounds and experiences – this is common knowledge, and evidenced by fact3. Diversity leads to challenges being approached from a variety of different perspectives and businesses that realise this recognise that debate leads to better ideas, while ‘groupthink’ slows progress. For business owners and operators, addressing inherent and subconscious bias

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Culturally, the way you operate should inform the people you hire, and that’s okay. While the way you operate can, for example, exclude people who don’t like healthy debate, or collaboration, or a flat company structure, it shouldn’t exclude people based on their ethnicity, gender, age or sexuality. Alongside skill set, hiring a cultural fit is critically important. As different generations come through the workforce, each is motivated by different things. Money, freedom, autonomy and passion can all play a part, but in an organisation that retains its staff, the unifying theme is having a culture that staff feel comfortable in, irrespective of their background. In many banks, comfort is found in a hierarchy. In many dot com businesses, comfort is laid back. But comfort forms the crux of an organisation that has happy, fulfilled and loyal staff. Comfort enables your staff to be who they are, content in the knowledge that they were hired for their ability to do their jobs in an

FOCUS: DIVERSITY

environment where they can be themselves. And not because a quota enforced them on a business trying to tick a diversity box.

Let people be themselves To give you an example from our own experience, at SEEK, our platform is that you can be the person you are when you’re at home. We focus on having a cross-section of people by briefing our recruiters to not veto people on any dimension that isn’t related to their ability to complete a task and fit in with the team. Gender, sexuality, ethnicity and age don’t come into the equation either ‘positively’ or ‘negatively’. We believe that we are greater as a team than as individuals, which is why during interviews, a key question we ask is how people feel when an idea they’ve pitched goes to the wider team and is dissected,

tweaked and put back together to the point where it hardly looks like the original idea. And being a ‘youthful’ organisation doesn’t mean we only hire young people. We choose our staff based on their ability to fit into our culture seamlessly – a culture of debating, of long-term focus and a desire to get things done.

It’s time to experience the benefits Understanding the benefits of collective experience is the cornerstone of a good diversity policy. Focus on hiring people with diverse experiences that benefit your business and fit with your culture, and the rest should take care of itself. So is the real question, aren’t we embarrassed this conversation is still happening? Where we’re still fighting to

ensure somebody’s age, ethnicity, gender or sexuality doesn’t trump their skill or cultural fit. It’s time we accepted the benefits and started to implement the relevant strategies to address it. Meahan Callaghan is Group HR Director for SEEK Ltd. Meahan is responsible for leading and advising on people related strategies across the Group. She has been with SEEK since 2005 and held human resources positions at Tabcorp, FOXTEL, AMP and the Sheraton Hotel Group. She holds a Bachelor of Business degree, majoring in Human Resources from Victoria University and holds a Post Graduate Degree in Psychology from Deakin University. 1 T he Committee for Economic Development of Australia 2 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Intersex and Questioning. 3 Harvard Business Review December 2013

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Employment Services Industry Regulation: a ‘good faith’ approach

nce again, there is talk in the wind of regulating the employment services industry. But this time it’s different. This time, the talk is coming from RCSA itself and it is about nothing less than federal regulation of the employment services industry, consistently across the Commonwealth, by a prescribed industry code made under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. It is talk about regulation with a trade and commerce focus that is designed to supplement, if not replace, existing state and territory systems that operate as barriers to the effective functioning of a national and trans-Tasman market for employment services and which, in some cases, retain outdated licensing provisions from the 1970s which are supported by conditions and provisions that are never enforced. How might a regulatory code differ from the voluntary member association codes that already operate within the industry? There are at least 12 key points of difference that could be identified. 1. It would operate federally and not only within the boundaries of any one state. 2. It would operate across all classes of employment services and not only with regard to labour on-hire or as a restriction on on-hire all. 3. It would regulate the conduct of users of employment services as well as the conduct of employment service providers. 4. It would give substance to a reciprocal duty of good faith required to be observed in dealings for the supply of an employment service and so reinforce provisions already found in the unconscionable conduct provisions of the Australian Consumer Law. 5. It would assist to clarify the role of employment service providers and eradicate unfair practices across all classes of employment services. 6. It would extend to the conduct of Australian employment service providers in offshore jurisdictions. 7. It would extend to a wider range of activities and types of conduct, providing more detailed and certain provisions than are contained in most existing codes.

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8. It would introduce requirements for disclosure and minimum standards in relation to pre-employment activities. 9. It would introduce a requirement for written employment services agreements that met prescribed content standards. 10. It would include diversity and vulnerable worker protection provisions not likely to be found in existing schemes. 11. It would provide compliance, enforcement, dispute resolution and assurance mechanisms that would no longer be the preserve of the industry associations. 12. The costs of establishment would be sourced from the commonwealth. I could go on and say that it “would have teeth”; but the existing codes already have teeth - it is just a matter of whether anyone is biting (or whether anyone, who is commentating, has been bitten). In coming months, Members are likely to hear a great deal more about a prescribed code of industry conduct once an exposure version is released by the RCSA board for public comment and consultation. One of the most important parts of that consultation will concern any good faith requirement. Presently, it is difficult to say whether there is an obligation implied contractual for parties to Australian commercial dealings to act in good faith towards each other or to bargain which they create. Unless such a provision is expressly included in the contract, the trend of decisions has been towards very limited recognition of an implied term, leaving the parties free, in most instances, to pursue their own interests even though they may conflict. That can work tolerably well if the parties are of roughly equal bargaining power and have roughly equal access to market information and other information relevant to their dealings. It does not work so well if there is an imbalance in bargaining power, knowledge or capacity. The Australian Consumer Law therefore contains unconscionable conduct provisions that allow a court to have regard to whether the parties to commercial dealings have

acted in good faith; but the ACL provides little further guidance as to the content of that duty. The employment services industry would appear to have been seeking greater specificity when it comes to prescribing the content of a good faith obligation and at least four states (Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia) and the ACT have legislation or codes in place that attempt, in some measure, to give meaning to what can be loosely identified as good faith obligations. In Queensland and in the ACT, for example, employment agents are under an obligation to act ‘honestly, fairly and professionally’, suggesting that the obligation to act in good faith extends to a positive duty that goes further than an obligation merely to act without bad faith. A code, regulating the conduct of employment services providers, should therefore not only require that parties to dealings for the supply of employment service act in good faith, it should also set out what that duty requires. Such a code (borrowing from the statutory exposition of the duty of good faith in New Zealand’s Employment Relations Act 2000 and the RCSA Code) might say, for example, something like: The obligation to act in good faith: (a) requires parties to dealings for the supply of an employment service to be (b) active and constructive in establishing and maintaining a lawful and productive relationship in which they are, among other things, responsive and communicative; and (c) requires an employment service provider: (i) to observe a high standard of ethics, probity and professional conduct which requires not simply compliance with the law; but extends to honesty, equity, integrity, social and corporate responsibility in its dealings and holds up to disclosure and to public scrutiny; and

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Andrew Wood Hon FRCSA (Life)

(ii) to comply with the provisions of this Code; and (d) requires a party, other than an employment service provider, not to do anything to cause or to procure, or to be knowingly concerned in, a breach of this Code by an employer services provider. It might then go on to provide 50 or so separate provisions covering a range of topic areas that have specific relevance to the employment services industry. How might such a code impact upon the day-to-day conduct of employment services providers and, importantly, of their customers?

In reality, it would have little impact upon those service providers, who already adhere to a code such as RCSA’s Code for Professional Conduct and who are moving to establish standards that would be consistent with RCSA’s Service Delivery Standards. It may have a far greater impact upon the so-called ‘cowboys’ and ‘cowgirls’ operating within, and on the edges of, the industry; and it would have an impact on the conduct of those customers who, in the absence of such a code, might seek to apply pressure to employment service providers to compromise ethical and professional standards. In any event, we will have to wait to see

what the consultation brings forth. It is sure to provoke many challenging conversations, in the context of which it will be most important for RCSA Members to be fully conversant with what the RCSA Code already requires with regard to the day-today professional practice of its Members. In order to be in a position to make an informed contribution to those conversations, and if it has not been done already, it may be time for members to brush up on their code training!

Voyager Software now offers an even wider range of solutions with both on-premise and true Cloud solutions that can be deployed simply and cost-effectively. Voyager Infinity brings efficiency and centralisation for recruiters. A rich, easy-to-use Windows application that can be bought and installed on-premise, or take a subscription to the SaaS solution and let Voyager manage it for you on the Microsoft Azure Cloud platform, in Australia. Why compromise? Get the power of a rich local desktop application with all the benefits of the Cloud. Features include: CV Parsing; Job Posting; Integration with Office365; Dashboards; Powerful Searching; Automatic CV Builder; Integrated Web / Social Network Searching. Evolve offers recruiters simplicity as a fully-hosted (SaaS), browser-delivered, fast response solution. With the capability to serve hundreds of users around the world on one central system, evolve offers the capacity for easy growth and as well as meeting the needs of small businesses. Features include: 2-Factor Authentication for Security; CV Parsing; Website Integration Module; Customisable Dashboard; Integration with MS Office. All Voyager’s solutions are backed up by the services of our Sydney-based support team and no minimum term.

Book your FREE no-obligation demonstration TODAY! www.voyager-software.com.au | +61 (0)2 9455 0244 | sales.ap@voyagersoftware.com

JUNE 2015

BUSINE S S M A N AGE M EN T

Why it pays to bring your Australians have more than $15 billion in lost and unclaimed super. Claire Miller had unwittingly joined their ranks. While Claire knew she had several super funds, she didn’t know how many or how much money she had in each. That’s until Kinetic Super gave her a call.

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ith the aim of helping their members get the most out of their super, Kinetic Super rang Claire – a call that ultimately changed her attitude and importantly, the nature of her retirement savings. Being a super fund that one of Claire’s employers had contributed to during her career, Kinetic Super contacted her and raised the possibility of helping Claire bring together all of her lost and other super and the possible benefits of consolidation. She leapt at the opportunity. ‘To be honest, until Kinetic Super called me, I really hadn’t taken any notice of my super. I knew I had several accounts because I kept signing up with my new employer’s super fund, but I never really knew what to do with them all or even where to start. It was all too hard.’

Claire started work at the age of 15 and keeping track of her super was never really a priority. Over the course of the following 23 years, she changed jobs, married and adopted her husband’s name, took time out to have a baby, relocated from Melbourne to Kyneton and, from time to time, considered tracking down all of her super. ‘When Kinetic Super called me, I was a little surprised to learn they had found I had super with eight different funds! They told me super funds charged fees and because I had small amounts of money in each of my accounts, the amount of super I had was possibly being eaten away. That was a bit of a wake-up call for me. I realised if I didn’t do anything, I could have very little super to show for all those years I’d worked.’ The experience has been a fruitful one for 38-year-old Claire. ‘I wasn’t aware how much money I could save on the fees alone. I now think it’s really something everyone should know about.’ Last year alone, the Fund helped members locate and bring more than $31 million dollars of their lost or other super into their Kinetic Super accounts, with Kinetic Super doing most of the work. Just as in Claire’s case, all members have to do is to provide their tax file number and consent to allow Kinetic Super to trace their lost or other super, and then give them the okay to bring it all together. Anthea Shand was also determined to find her missing super when she contacted Kinetic Super where she had two accounts amounting to $10,000. ‘There was a lot of stuff in the media about tracking lost super at that time so I decided it was time to do something about mine,’ she recalls. Anthea, a 40-year-old Melbournian, had spent much of her working life as a professional temp so it was very easy for her to lose track of her super. ‘I would work with one employer for anything from six months to a year and each employer would have a different super fund,’ she explains. ‘I tried to find the money myself but it was difficult. I was getting letters in the mail, statements from different super funds and I could see the charges for each account.’

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super together That harsh reality prompted her to act. She was surprised at how quickly and efficiently Kinetic Super managed to track down her money. But the real win for her was bringing all her super together. Like Claire, Anthea also considered the implications of moving her super such as exit fees and insurance before she moved all her super to her Kinetic Super account. ‘Not only am I saving money by paying only one set of fees, I feel more confident about my super knowing that I’m back in control.’ Claire and Anthea’s experiences are not unique. On average, Australians’ have three super accounts with each charging an average of $500 per year in fees. (Australian

Prudential and Regulation Authority, apra.gov.au, 14 April 2015). As Anthea reflects, ‘Kinetic Super was the only fund that took the time to help me get my super sorted; I felt they had my interests at heart. Their fees are pretty low too compared to other funds and they’ve been around for years and have had good returns, so I feel confident my money is being well looked after. Overall, this has been a good process to go through because it’s made me evaluate my super and think a bit more about my financial future. And it was all easy with Kinetic Super.’ This article was provided by Kinetic Super.

Kinetic Superannuation Ltd (KSL) (ABN 14 056 917 303 AFSL 222590 RSE L0000352) is the Trustee of Kinetic Superannuation Fund (KSF) (ABN 78 984 178 687 RSE R1000429) which includes Kinetic Smart Pension (KSP). This information is of a general nature only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision about Kinetic Super you should obtain and consider the Kinetic Super Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Incorporated Information, and also consider your personal circumstances including any implications of the transfer on you personally (such as loss of benefits and fees or costs that may arise). For a copy of the PDS, call us on 1300 304 000 or visit the Kinetic Super website, kineticsuper.com.au

JUNE 2015

BUSINE S S M A N AGE M EN T

Accessorial Liability and the on-hire industry a means of ensuring vulnerable employees in ‘skill poor and labour intensive’ industries are not being deprived of their core entitlements.

Accessorial liability under the Fair Work Act

Jessica Fisher, Partner, Solicitor and Director of FCB Group.

oes the competitive squeeze result in on-hire industry competitors overlooking the minimum standards for employee entitlements (enshrined in the Fair Work Act) and Modern Award system? In the intensely competitive on-hire industry, recruiters can often find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place – wedged in the middle of cost conscious commercial clients and industry competitors prepared to cut margins to win and retain business. This competitive squeeze has the potential to result in on-hire industry competitors overlooking the minimum standards for employee entitlements enshrined in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) and Modern Award system in view of winning contracts for major clients. As Natalie James from the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) commented in late 2014, ‘undercutting competitors’ costs is often the easiest way to win work and labour is the most significant cost.’ However, the risk faced by employers of on-hire employees and host organisations alike in potentially turning a blind eye to Australian employees’ minimum entitlements under the FW Act’s National Employment Standards (NES) is that, as Ms James noted, ‘costs can, however, only be legitimately reduced so far before the statutory safety net is threatened’. Accordingly, members must make themselves aware that also enshrined in the FW Act is a mechanism by which anyone, not just direct hire employers, can be held responsible for contraventions of the NES and awards and be liable for significant compensation and penalties. In recent times, we have seen a push from the FWO to chase ‘assessorial’ contraventions by businesses as

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The concept of accessorial liability is expressed in section 550 of the FW Act which states, in essence, that a person is also involved in a contravention of a civil remedy provision if, and only if, the person has ‘aided, abetted, counselled, procured, induced or been in any way knowingly concerned in’ a contravention. Moreover, the legislation provides that any corporate entity which has ‘constructive knowledge’ of a contravention of the NES is an ‘accessory’ to that contravention and will face penalties of $51,000 for each breach while individual’s face a maximum penalty of $10,200 for each breach. Ms James spoke of the FWO’s recent crackdown on such breaches, stating: ... we (FWO) are using accessorial liability more and more, so that we can hold individuals involved in contraventions to account. Involvement in a breach can result from being ‘knowingly concerned in’ or ‘party’ to the breach, including by doing or not doing something, directly or indirectly. Knowledge of a breach can arise from ‘wilful blindness’. In a nutshell, this means that turning a blind eye at the top of the procurement chain can be risky. Given that the reach of the accessorial liability provisions can extend from company directors all the way to HR directors and even recruitment consultants, the FWO’s focus on prosecuting contraventions under them should serve as a warning to RCSA members to ensure they are fully compliant.

Accessorial liability in the on-hire industry – what does it mean for members? Perhaps in no other industry is the exposure to risk stemming from the accessorial liability provisions more apparent than in the on-hire industry. Equipped with an in-depth knowledge of the competitive landscape in the industry,

commercial clients can play on-hire providers against each other with a view to procuring labour at minimum cost and, at the same time, attempt to pass risk of contraventions to their supplier. Such an industry dynamic threatens to expose on-hire employee service providers in that agencies may be tempted to lower the base rates of pay and other statutory benefits provided to employees so that statutory on-costs (for example payroll tax, insurance and superannuation) can be lowered and an appropriate margin can be achieved within a tender price for a contract. Members must bear in mind that any flirtation with a failure to provide employees with their minimum entitlements under a relevant award or the NES, exposes not only the agency and individual responsible for the contravention to the penalties outlined above, but also the client – who would potentially be found to have been involved with that contravention and similarly be liable to penalties under the FW Act.

Making sense of it all The competitive nature of our industry can too easily make the above seem like just another barrier to success in the industry. The FWO has recognised that the push for compliance is as much about protecting vulnerable employees as it is about ensuring that compliant businesses that ‘do the right thing by their employees’ don’t find themselves on an ‘uneven playing field.’ Throughout a tendering process members must be sure to seek to educate clients that any involvement with a process that leaves employees short of their ‘safety net’ entitlements will also potentially leave them exposed to harsh penalties. Merely changing providers to acquire a lower cost of labour will not remove the risk of being prosecuted under the section 551 provisions. Members must, at all times, be aware of the minimum rates and conditions payable to employees under the applicable Modern Awards so that appropriate on-costs and regional margins can be added without threatening the legality and compliance of the rates and conditions paid to employees.

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Safety first: but online learning is elementary There are two things in the Australian online learning market that we know for sure; online compliance training is more prevalent than ever before and creating safer workplaces is a key focus for most Australian businesses.

Georgia Edge, Product Manager, Learning Seat.

hile online training will continue to grow because it meets business challenges like creating cost efficiencies and reaching dispersed workforces, there is a pervasive attitude that online compliance training is a tick-box exercise rather than an important piece of the puzzle in a broader safety strategy. And while the world is going digital and our audience is primed from all their posting, tweeting and blogging, there are some audience challenges that elearning traditionally struggles to overcome namely relevant, concise information provision and targeted, engaging content that speaks directly to its audience. So, it seems the online learning industry has its work cut out. If we can overcome the pragmatic realities of how adults in the workplace like to learn, online compliance training becomes one of the key influencers in shifting the very attitudes and beliefs that underpin behaviour and conduct in the workplace. We can create meaningful safety cultures through online compliance training and check the compliance box at the same time. To understand how adults like to learn in the workplace is to understand some fundamental principles behind education, catalysed by the emerging world of digital content consumption. Three key factors to keep in mind when building effective online compliance training:

1. Keep it short and to the point Users today have grown to expect online content to be intuitively accessible and keenly relevant to their to-the-minute activity. If we translate this lesson to an elearning environment, we can assume that in order to reach our audience we need to keep it short and to the point. In addition to this, learning time can easily become compromised because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all typically time-poor and often using communal computer resources. Learning should be broken into bite-sized chunks that allow the learner to learn, depart and revisit as desired.

2. Less text, richer content Research tells us that when we come across lots of text online, generally as consumers, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to read it but rather skim across it. What can elearning take from

this? How about we build online training with less text and more dynamic content? Long, linear slabs of dry legislative text are compliance training techniques of the printed era and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t translate well into the digital age. Slimming down the word count and using rich content mediums like animation, audio, video and interactivity is more engaging for learners and also assists in overcoming common language barriers to learning.

3. (Theory + practice)x experience = understanding One tried and tested educational methodology is constructivist learning theory. The basic idea is to provide the theory and facilitate practice. From here understanding is created by providing rich learner experiences. To put it simply: (theory + practice)x experience = understanding. In the online learning environment this often means providing key information, then dropping the learner into a constructed scenario so they can put their knowledge into practice, test their hypotheses and create their own experience from which a personal understanding of the content develops. With a thorough overhaul of the way elearning has traditionally been presented we are able to create a meaningful message that transfers to employees the key legislative instruction that underpins our endeavours to create safer Australian workplaces. Comprehensive compliance training should educate workers on inappropriate, unsafe, unfair or inequitable behaviour and in doing so help to mitigate risk and build safer workplaces, resulting in increased worker engagement and attrition. Provided learning outcomes comprehensively cover key legislative aspects, any business can mitigate the risk of workplace-related accidents and incidents by trusting that this approach to training will result in positive behaviour change and an increased safety culture. Georgia Edge is Product Manager for the Content Library at Learning Seat. Georgia is responsible for ensuring that the Learning Seat course library meets market needs and delivers training in relevant topic areas in innovative and effective ways. JUNE 2015

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Highs and lows of SaaS RMS implementations The words ‘system implementation’ are enough to send a shiver down the spine of many a veteran COO or CFO. Coming in second only to ‘custom system development’, a system implementation can be a hard and thankless project.

Col Levander FRCSA, Managing Director, Rec Tech Solutions

n fact, surveys show that over 50 per cent of system implementations fail – they blow budgets, under-deliver or are terminated without any outcome. At any one time among recruitment agents, it is estimated that around 15 per cent are looking to switch management systems. Anecdotally, we see three primary reasons for this: 1. natural evolution: either the agency has outgrown its current system, or the current system has not kept up with the pack 2. adopting cloud: going SaaS can provide significant benefits and savings to organisations, which is motivation to make the change 3. a failed implementation or relationship – being the stick to the carrot of improvements.

SaaS – advantage SaaS/Cloud based systems are sweeping the market place. All vendors, large and

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small, established and start-up, have a cloud offering. For vendors having a single central repository for their code base, an ability to roll out updates is attractive, as is the potential global market. For clients, these systems mean a reduced need for hardware, flexibility of access and often lower fees.

The catch? Cloud based software vendors cleverly present their systems as simple. From user interfaces to the website promotion, it is all elegantly simple. This positioning resonates because to some extent it is true – gone is the need for new hardware, network domains and layer upon layer of software. All good so far then, so what is the catch? The standard concern that naysayers put forward is the long term costs and monthly usage fees, but while these can be significant, usually savings are found through decommissioning hardware and lowered maintenance costs. Perhaps these naysayers are the IT managers who see their empires eroding. Obvious improvements and elegant systems all make switching systems that much more attractive, but they do not nullify the potential issues encountered by the business prior, during and after its implementation. Weaknesses, within the business, in project management and procurement process can, and do, still have the same negative impacts. The perceived level of simplicity of adopting cloud based systems can lead to a more laissez faire attitude. You may recognise this approach: 1. need for a system upgrade reaches tipping point (some reasons provided above) 2. team leader is identified and asked to investigate options 3. team leader browses the web and is delighted by the proffered benefits and ease of adoption 4. team leader reaches out to vendors to investigate and arrange demos 5. stakeholders attend demos and group makes a decision based on the best presentation 6. commercial agreements and engagement 7. implementation project ensues

8. Fifty per cent of projects fail. Sure, this is simplified for brevity, but it is common. On the surface, (to a non-project professional) it sounds like a reasonable process, and herein lies the catch. It is the organisations’ naivety that comes back to bite them after it is too late. The catch is that the team ‘did not know what they did not know’. This process neglects essential elements of a successful project set up, including: 1. agreement and documentation of business and functional requirements, providing a yardstick and way to measure appropriateness of systems 2. planning for team commitment and roles within the project, which will compete with day-to-day activities 3. neglecting to agree on the criteria for selecting a system and vendor, keeping in mind that this relationship will be central to the organisation’s operation and success for the next three to five years, at least 4. loss (or worse, abrogation) of control of the project set up process to suppliers; believe it or not, some salespeople are more interested in making a sale than you in making the best decision. SaaS technologies, like most other significant systems that become embedded within a business and support core functions, come with a lock-in effect. Lock-ins are both real and perceived: • the real financial and operational impact of another project, • perceived, being the loss of face associated with repeated change, has personal or reputational impact. This means that organisations often cling onto poor systems: ‘We are making the most of our investment in system X’. This is, of course, a false statement. Sunk financial costs are history, but the ongoing (operational and financial) losses associated with the poor system are current. Project failure is not an option, so what are the common causes of project failures? Fortunately, they are well documented, if not well mitigated. They include:

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1. lack of connection with the organisation’s mission and goals 2. lack of senior leadership/stakeholder buy-in (we would add ‘enthusiastic backing’) 3. lack of documentation and agreed requirements 4. over-selling or excessive expectations 5. poor management, documentation and few or no milestones 6. poor product selection and evaluation 7. poor inter-team communication. Notice that these causes are associated with project kick-off and not implementation. In fact, all but two can and should be addressed prior to any significant commitment to the project. This indicates that avoiding project failure is, or at least should be, a relatively low cost task. Again, ‘didn’t know what we didn’t know’ stuff. In summary: 1. technologies become better, cheaper and more accessible to smaller businesses 2. system implementations and adoption remains a challenge 3. most of these issues can and should be addressed during project initiation and do not incur significant additional cost.

Our advice in a nutshell Get serious about project initiation.

Common mistakes made and examples To keep these reflections directly relevant for those looking to implement a recruitment management platform here are our top picks of common mistakes: • not having a clear understanding of the business requirements and goals, and aligning these to the technology features and functionality • being influenced by the software super salesperson: sold on sizzle but neglecting practicalities or working through details • not identifying the appropriate person within the organisation and recognising their capacity to lead the project process and be the business cultural champion • lack of preparation and a robust system research and evaluation plan • failure to have all third party providers

to the business on the same page • not managing scope creep (usually a result of poorly documented requirements). This can be a costly exercise and it is why it is necessary to have a definitive process and everything in writing • lack of detailed and agreed project milestones and milestone tracking.

Our top tips for implementing a technology platform successfully Our top five tips maximise the success of a new SaaS/cloud based system implementation are therefore: 1. Before you sign any paperwork, or if you have concerns, run your project through the critical success factors checker 2. Clearly map the purpose of your project to the goals and mission of your organisation – and before committing, sense-check this match by revisiting your organisation’s mission and goals. 3. Focus obsessively on stakeholder engagement and buy-in. Include the executive and sponsors for sure, but also include your marketing department, website designer, IT support, other technology suppliers. The business has to own the project and have everyone aligned! 4. Clearly document your business and functional requirements – and understand their link back to the purpose, cost savings and benefits, as well as how they contribute to your organisation’s goals and mission 5. Having a detailed project plan with agreed milestones and check progress against it each day. Communicate honestly and widely to the project team (sponsors, delivery team and vendor) about progress against plan. 6. Manage the vendor relationship, ideally with the help of a third party expert (to even the balance of experience implementing RMS systems). Hard questions and tough decisions early on can be the difference between success and failure. 7. BONUS TIP: Factoring in an additional 15 per cent for training. Training should be not just pre ‘Go Live’ but on site when ‘Go Live‘ is staged. You should also factor in

post implementation training and review dates and advanced training to maximise your investment.

How the Skopes tool helps in the process The Skopes toolset and RecTech processes are designed to assist agencies looking to switch RMS/CRM systems. It brings together 20-plus years of knocks and experience implementing SaaS and Cloud based systems. It is a low cost and efficient option for getting together the key project initiation details and documentation, including: 1. mapping of project outcomes to the organisation’s goals and overall mission 2. functional requirements gathering, based on comprehensive pick-lists 3. project management tasks like setting milestones and considering risks 4. procurement steps like creating selection criteria and ROI estimates 5. automated production of comprehensive documentation for internal use (Project Charter) and external use (Request for Quotation). Article written by Col Levander, Managing Director of Rec Tech Solutions and Luke Farley. For more information email: col@rectechsolutions.com.au or visit the website www.rectechsolutions.com.au or www.skop.es References • www.project-management.com/top-10-main-causes-ofproject-failure/ • www.cio.com.au/article/533532/why_it_projects_really_ fail/ • www.dfpni.gov.uk/cpd-coe-ogcnaolessons-commoncauses-of-project-failure.pdf

JUNE 2015

BUSINE S S M A N AGE M EN T

Contractual Liability: what you need to know What is Contractual Liability Insurance? Contractual Liability is a requirement by which one party to a commercial contract (example: Terms of Business) assumes some or all of the liability of the other party/parties to that contact. Such a requirement is usually found in the ‘indemnity’ or ‘insurance’ provisions of that contract. This has potential to create an onerous exposure because: • The person or company is assuming a liability for which they in the absence of the contract would not be legally liable and • The insurer of that party (if asked to insure such contractual liability) now has an increased exposure to a claim.

What are some of the potential issues this creates for you (as the recruitment agency)? While this imposes a potential issue for insurers, ultimately this may cause an onerous exposure to you and your business. Some of the reasons are: • Under the operative clause of all public and products liability policy wordings is a statement that the insurer will respond to the insured’s ‘legal liability’ (or similar words). This will include obligations under law arising from civil actions and in most jurisdictions will also include liability arising from contractual obligations. • Most standard insurance policy wordings however, incorporate a specific contractual liability exclusion, but qualify this exclusion by ‘writing back’ into the cover those liabilities that would have been covered by the policy in the absence of such contract. • Commercial contracts often not only require the other party to effect insurance on their behalf but also to ensure that their policy waives its insurer’s right of subrogation and contribution against them (often known as hold harmless clauses). Without such waivers the other contracting party may be just delaying having to incur the liability (i.e. the other insurer would cover the legitimate loss then seek to recover costs or contribution from other parties).

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• Commercial contracts usually also require the other party’s insurance to cover them as an insured with the inclusion of the ‘Cross Liability’ clause. This clause allows one insured under a policy to claim against another insured under the same policy.

What are some of the potential issues this creates for your business? Insurance is one method of risk management and to protect your business from a financial loss suffered by a third party (and ultimately a financial loss to your business) resulting from the actions caused by you and/or employees. However, insurance should not be relied upon entirely. As a business you should implement Risk Management tools to assist in reducing the likelihood of financial loss to your business. Some of the reasons for not entering into a contractual arrangement that may include a contractual liability obligation (or ‘hold harmless clause’) resulting in an onerous exposure to your business are: • The liability being assumed (in the contract) may be greater than is capable of being insured. • The assumption of someone else’s liability may not be commercially viable if they cannot fully insure it? • Some contracts make it a condition that the insurance is effected by the other party. This is not always possible if the wording of the contract is too broad i.e. all liability is to be insured in respect to certain activities. Unfortunately every commercial policy has exclusions and conditions which will limit the cover to something less than ALL possible loss scenarios. • If insurable, your policy may incur claims that otherwise may not have been payable. Therefore, premiums and other terms (or conditions) may affect your policy for a long period of time in the future as a result of actions of other issues outside your control. • In most circumstances including a contractual liability obligation will incur additional premium charges, not only for the period of the contract but after the contract has ceased.

Are these risks worth taking? If you are considering entering into a commercial contract that includes contractual liability obligations, it is always recommended that you challenge the unreasonable conditions. Often your clients will have standard contracts which have been drafted by lawyers to get the best possible position for your client. In some instances when you challenge your client’s contractual liability conditions, these clauses can be removed entirely, or altered to reduce the onerous exposure on your business. If you are unsure at any time when considering entering into a commercial contract, please contact the team at Recruit Insure on 1300 884 093 and they will be happy to assist and provide you with some guidance from an insurance perspective.

Can my insurer cover contractual liability contracts? Regardless of how wide a policy wording is, cover can only be assured if all material facts have been disclosed to the insurer and appropriately accepted by them. Therefore the question you should ask yourself is; Will my insurer provide cover (or extend my policy) if I provide them with the contract and supporting documents; • No. Thinking your insurer will provide a ‘blanket cover’ for contractual liability without a considerable amount of information may be misguided as there are a number of risks associated with contractual liability to be considered before the insurer will provide additional cover. • If the insurer agrees, in many cases they will limit the cover they provide to specific nominated contracts and/or limit the cover provided by the policy in respect of those contracts. i.e. no waiver of subrogation. Any advice in this document is general advice and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and your objectives, financial situation or needs before acting on this advice. Please visit www.jlta.com.au or contact Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Ltd. PO Box 464, Winston Hills NSW 2153. Tel 1300 130 373 for the relevant Product Disclosure Statement, or for further information.

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Eliminating time-to-fill: helping buyers hire in an instant

Scott Wintrip, keynote speaker at the 2014 RCSA Conference, has helped thousands of companies across the globe increase revenue, improve profitability, expand market share, boost employee retention and decrease labor intensity. He has consulted for, coached and educated more than 40,000 staffing professionals, creating more than $1.2 billion in positive economic impact for his clients. For the fourth consecutive year, Scott has appeared on the Staffing 100, a list of the 100 most influential leaders in the industry as a result of his innovative leadership, development of cutting-edge training programs and offering staffing and recruiting executives a host of practical and sustainable solutions. You can learn more about Scott and his services at WintripConsultingGroup.com.

t’s been said that time is not on our side. The latest statistics back this up, as time-to-fill, how long it takes to fill a job or assignment, has risen to its highest level in more than a decade. The problem is not capabilities: there are more of those today than a decade ago, especially the added efficiencies through technology. Nor is it available talent: competent recruiters can always find someone to do the job or complete the assignment. The issue is process – most hiring managers (and their recruitment organisations, if they are using them) are not working a process that allows them to hire in an instant. Yet these very same hiring managers can buy many things they want, when they want them, such as videos on demand from iTunes, eBooks from Amazon and food from services like EatNow or other apps. Needs are always more important than wants, which makes this all-time high of time-to-fill even more baffling. Time is clearly not on the side of anyone who recruits or hires. It makes people scared, scattered, scurried, and, sometimes, even

stupid. Too much of it allows them to over-think and under-perform. This causes real harm as jobs go unfilled, backlogs increase, overtime grows, efficiencies plummet, customers complain and revenues suffer. Recruitment services, in particular, have a unique opportunity to make their buyers smarter by helping them engage in a nimble process so that they get the talent they needed yesterday right now. Organisations must develop the ability to deliver talent on-demand and then market this capability to buyers.

provocative; the kind of question or statement that would stick in someone’s mind. The goal is to begin to deliver value from the very start, and that begins with leaving valuable, interesting messages. By applying the Attractive Persistence Plan to maintain Brand Consciousness, recruiters not only stand out, they remain top of mind. Especially when they provide buyers with the ability to hire on-demand. With that in place, they must then contend with a dangerous competitor.

How’s your brand consciousness?

Competitive golfers and dancers keep their competition top of mind, knowing their influence can undermine them at any moment. Just the noise from these competitors can cause them to slice a drive or miss a step, creating a lost opportunity which results in losing the match. The competition ends up stealing their trophies, their winnings and even their self-confidence and pride. The real power of these competitors comes from where they live – right between the ears. That’s why we often hear people saying they are competing with themselves, because they know that the only real competition, the thing that can get in their way, is their own thinking. Just like athletic professionals, competition for customers and candidates is not on the outside, but in our own competitive thinking. The other companies who provide similar services are not competitors, but merely potential distractions. What they do, how they do it, the price they charge and any games they play only matter if we let it. There is enough noise that comes from the critic who lives in the human head. Don’t add to the cacophony: simply ignore what other people do. There is lots of talk about differentiation among people in recruitment. To be different requires making a real difference. Reducing or eliminating time-to-fill is distinct, different and powerful. Succeeding at this requires recruiters to ignore the competition, deliver talent in an instant, and remain in-sight, in-mind and in contention.

People don’t just wake up one day and suddenly select a random vendor when making a purchase. A confluence of factors makes buying possible, with one of the most important being Brand Consciousness. Unless a recruitment firm is a known poor performer in the market, being passed over as a contender is always caused by one of the following: • buyers don’t know that the company exists (Brand Unconsciousness). • they’ve forgotten they exist (Brand Amnesia). • they don’t yet understand the true value of their services, especially when compared to competitors (Brand Dubiety). The job of every leader and team is to overcome these factors by remaining in sight, in mind and in contention. Sustaining Radical Accountability (an unwavering responsibility for always doing the next right thing) to maintain this standard requires a simple, three-part approach called the ‘Attractive Persistence Plan’: 1. Brief: messages left are no longer than 30 seconds total. This includes a brief introduction, a compelling question or statement (such as a result recently achieved), and contact information (repeated twice to ensure accuracy). 2. Polite: do not bash the competition, chastise the prospect for not calling back, or have an arrogant attitude or tone. Do call persistently, which for many people means about once each week. 3. Interesting: make a different statement or ask a different question in each message. Questions and statements should be

Noise: cancelling the competition

JUNE 2015

BUSINE S S M A N AGE M EN T

On-HIRE Q&A On-hire employment is known by many names in Australia, including ‘labour hire’, ‘temp’ work’, ‘agency work’ and ‘contract work’, none of which are particularly helpful in clarifying what it is and how it compares to traditional employment. There is an excellent FAQ guide on the RCSA website which has been prepared to provide clarity for employees, government, regulators, academics, unions, business, employer bodies and other stakeholders.

Q: What is on-hire employment? A: In 2010 Australia’s Modern Awards incorporated a standard definition of ‘on-hire’ which is both easy to understand and now widely accepted. See this definition below. On-hire means the on-hire of an employee by their employer to a client, where such employee works under the general guidance and instruction of the client or a representative of the client.

Q: Who is the legal employer of an on-hire employee? A: On-hire employees are employed by the on-hire firm, not the ‘host’ organisation. Whilst on-hire employees are assigned/on-hired to a host organisation (client of the on-hire firm) this in no way diminishes the legal rights of the on-hire employee or the legal obligations of the on-hire firm as an employer.

Q: Are on-hire employees casual employees or permanent employees? A: Approximately one-third of all on-hire employees are employed as permanent employees on either an ongoing basis or for a specified term e.g. 12 months. The remaining two thirds of on-hire employees are employed as casual employees which means that they are employed by the hour and receive a casual loading (typically 25%) in lieu of entitlements such as annual leave, sick leave, carer’s leave and paid public holidays. This loading is also paid to compensate for the noncontinuous nature of their employment and the fact that casual employees are not entitled to notice periods prior to termination. Check out these and other questions on the RCSA website today!

RCSA JOURNAL

The facts about on-hire employment in Australia A message from Robert van Stokrom FRCSA, RCSA President.

he RCSA lodged a submission with the Productivity Commission recently as the commission reviews the Workplace Relations Framework. The ACTU, NUW and other unions have also lodged submissions, a number of which make claims that are far reaching and misleading in their depiction of on-hire work. These views are incorrect and do nothing more than create uncertainty and unwillingness among employers to employ Australian workers, and generate fear among the four per cent of Australian workers who everyday go to work with or from an on-hire firm. Make no mistake, the RCSA is committed to the protection of workplace rights and conditions for workers and employers alike. There already exists a robust workplace relations framework, and the actions of over 3,000 RCSA members who have signed onto the RCSA Code for Professional Conduct, reflects the commitment of our members to adhere to industry best practice and ethical behaviour. RCSA believes that all Australians should have the opportunity to work in an arrangement that meets their individual needs and personal circumstances. We believe it is time to overcome the fear of flexible work and to provide greater flexibility around the capacity of individuals and enterprises to meet their changing lifestyle, family, earning and competitive needs. Not all on-hire organisations are created equal, and while the RCSA represents a number of employment service firms, it cannot account for the actions of all employment service agencies. RCSA has for some time cautioned employers and workers alike to consider carefully the practices and reputation of the on-hire firms they choose to work with.

Why are some unions opposed to on-hire work in Australia? Unions are businesses, and on-hire workers are not good for that business. Today, the on-hire sector makes a substantial contribution to the labour market employing over 450,000 Australians. However, as only 17 per cent1 of all Australian workers are members of a union it is clear that more and more workers feel capable of protecting themselves and that unions are stuck in the past, protecting union interests before member interests. Campaigns that feed on fear and create uncertainty by positioning on-hire employment as a ‘threat’ help drive membership among workers who ‘fear’ that on-hire employees are going to ‘take their jobs’. The decline in union membership would indicate that unions are far less relevant in the future world of work. On-hire employees typically choose to be employed for a number of shorter consecutive periods of time and are more likely to move from one workplace to another making them more difficult to recruit. Workers are well informed and know that you cannot create secure work simply by introducing law which makes it illegal for employers to not offer ongoing permanent employment. This is exactly what the unions are asking the Australian Government to do. While on-hire employment is not good for union business, some unions will continue to blame on-hire employment, rather than catching up with the way Australia works. ABS: Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership (EEBTUM) survey

BUS I N ES S M A N AGEMENT

The RIB Report Nigel Harse continues his recruitment industry predictions. ‘March results for the 120-plus RIB participants suggest that FY15 should close on a high note on the back of many strong indicators,’ says RIB Report director, Nigel Harse, March temp and Nigel Harse FRCSA, Director, The RIB Report contract sales were 21 per cent ahead of March 2014, while FY15 YTD results sit 20 per cent ahead of FY14. ‘Temp and contract sales has now recorded 20 consecutive months of year-on-year growth, with March results setting a new record monthly high of $1.44m per participant,’ notes Nigel. Temp and contract hours processed through the payroll continues its positive

growth trend, with March results setting a new monthly record high as well as recording the fifteenth consecutive month of year-onyear improvement. Eighty-five per cent of participants recorded growth on the previous month, and 70 per cent are ahead of FY14 In regards to temp and contract gross profit as a per cent of sales, the long-term trend causing pressure for most organisations continues to ease slightly, with FY15 YTD returns averaging 12.9 per cent, as against 12.6 per cent for the same period last year. ‘Temp and contract gross profit continues to forge ahead,’ adds Nigel. ‘With 70 per cent of participants recording YTD growth on FY14, the FY15 RIB Average now sits 23 per cent ahead of FY14.’ Perm placements increased in March, with 71 per cent of participants recording

improvement on the prior month. FY15 YTD perm placements have improved for 60 per cent of participants, driving the RIB Average to reflect an eight per cent improvement on FY14. Perm sales in March climbed above $120,000 per participant for the first time since March 2012. FY15 results are the strongest in three years, and reflect 11 per cent growth on FY14. ‘So, don’t listen to those pundits who suggest recruitment is dying,’ Nigel advises. ‘The facts suggest the opposite to be the case for many, although not all, as one in five recruitment organisations have failed to deliver a profit so far in FY15.’ Nigel Harse was interviewed by business writer Rosemary Ann Ogilvie.

JUNE 2015

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Welcome to new RCSA Corporate Members 14 February to 14 May 2015 • Ablecare Staffing Pty Ltd • AcomHR Pty Ltd • Acorva Limited • AHA Recruitment • Barton Mills Recruitment Pty Ltd • CB Healthcare • CK Recruitment Pty Ltd • EPEC Solutions • Grandstand Scaffold Services • GWG Partners • Hooper & Hanson Pty Ltd • Majer Recruitment Pty Ltd • Metro Nursing Service Pty Ltd • Mills Resources • Prescript Recruitment • Profile Group • Ryan Laurel Resourcing • Scope-Medical Recruitment • Sigma Search Pty Ltd • Stafford Business Support Limited • Tailored Workforce Pty Ltd • Thomas Health Care • Venator Pty Ltd

RCSA MEMBER GROUPS

Kingfisher’s new office strength & flexibility

ingfisher Recruitment’s new Melbourne office has been designed to not only provide a more productive and flexible working environment but, importantly, to provide a transparent and interactive experience for all visiting clients and candidates: a critical step in adapting to the changing environment and challenges to our industry. The aspirational brief asked for the fit-out to reflect Kingfisher; progressive, engaging, transparent, flexible, strategic, interactive, dynamic, and to reinforce their Company Charter built around the four pillars of People, Process, Focus and Presence. Kingfisher have removed doors or internal partitions giving candidates and clients ‘access to all areas’ – a clear view to the many different working areas and activity centres, including a café style kitchen with unlimited coffee. Weaving through the whole tenancy, the rope sculptural elements provide a striking and unique aesthetic symbolising the company’s strength and

Welcome Simon Gardner RCSA’s new Membership Manager

anra

Association of Nursing Recruitment Agencies

For the latest news and events, please visit the website: rcsa.com.au

RCSA JOURNAL

flexibility, the recruitment connections made between candidate and employer, their deep networks, their elegant processes and structure. This culminates in a rope graphic wall, forming the four words that embody Kingfishers DNA: People, Process, Focus and Presence. All consultants have a Surface Pro tablet computer and iPhone with all software cloud-based so they can work anywhere at any time. Areas have been created around the office for private interviews, catch-ups and meetings. ‘This is all part of the continuous and ongoing mission to provide a high level of service and consistent quality outcomes for our clients and candidates,’ says Matthew Barnett, Kingfisher MD.

imon has spent more than seven years working across three established membership organisations in the sports and events industry (Melbourne Cricket Club, AFL and Melbourne Storm) and is looking forward to working in the recruitment industry. In his latest role at Melbourne Storm as Membership Data and Operations Manager, Simon was responsible for the management of the membership team including membership execution, communications via email and website, implementation of a membership loyalty program and responsibility for the organisations data privacy commitment. In previous roles at the MCC and AFL, Simon’s roles were based in membership, customer service and database management. At the AFL as Membership Manager, Simon managed the department’s seven team members to service 60,000 AFL Members. At the MCC, the major responsibility of this role was to manage the CRM database

including the day-to-day integration of the database with external and internal programs including the MCC website, and ticketing agent systems. Simon completed a Bachelor of Business Management (Human Resources and Industrial Relations) in 2003 at the University of Queensland and a Masters in Business (Sport Management) at Deakin University in 2007. You can contact Simon via email: sgardner@rcsa.com.au or telephone: +61 3 9963 0555

A S S OCI AT ION NEW S

Forty years for HORNER one of a trio of anniversaries!

RCSA CPD & EVENTS CALENDAR 2015 AU S T R A LI A JULY 2015 CompEvent Breakfast Series Sponsored by SEEK (See special feature page 41.)

Recruitment Consultant Certificate FRIDAY, 17 JULY 2015

Introduction to Recruitment FRIDAY, 24 JULY 2015

Interviewing Essentials FRIDAY, 31 JULY 2015

S M B S M B S M B

Sales & Marketing from the Desk

AUGUST 2015 Introduction to Recruitment Workshop

Horner is celebrating 40 years in the recruiting and consulting sector.

WEDNESDAY, 19 AUGUST 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015

arie Horner was among the early practitioners of the professional recruitment sector when she founded HORNER in 1975. Marie was later joined by husband Kim Shearn and together they successfully managed the business until 2005. Horner believe the fact that they are now celebrating their 40th Anniversary is testimony to the founders’ original commitment and to the staff, clients and candidates who have all contributed along the way. After acquiring the business 10 years ago, Peter Langford FRCSA, Director, has grown and developed the Horner business into a larger, contemporary organisation with a broader service offering to suit the ever changing market. Today, Horner employs over 30 full and part time staff and operates from offices in Melbourne CBD and inner suburbs, Mulgrave and Tullamarine. Peter is also a National Director, Fellow and current Vice President of the RCSA and this year he celebrates 30 years since commencing in the recruitment sector – which completes the trio of anniversaries being celebrated at Horner this year. Peter said, ‘I acquired Horner because it had sound client relationships and a consistent and successful trading history which could underpin future growth. Horner had always enjoyed a level of presence and respect in the Melbourne market, but to grow we

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FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2015

RCSA International Conference Recruitment ReNEWed – Strategy, Technology, People WEDNESDAY, 2-4 SEPTEMBER 2015 Peter Langford FRCSA (RCSA Vice President) and Maria Karpetis with Marie Horner and Kim Shearn FRCSA (Life)

needed to improve on its breadth and quality of service offering; then we set about spreading the word’. Peter has recently introduced additional service lines to Horner including Learning and Development, HR Services and OHS Consulting. A 40-year anniversary in business is hard to beat. How do you do it? Peter believes: ‘Employ people in your business who are excited about the journey and committed to achieving the levels of success you seek. You also need to invest in good leadership who help to embrace change and build talented, cohesive teams. Most importantly, you need to ensure the environment and culture is right, as this helps to enhance performance and minimise staff turnover - and our low level of staff turnover has certainly been a major strength’. What does the 40th anniversary mean for Horner? ‘It is a great opportunity to thank our clients, candidates and of course our staff for their continuous support and, with their help, we’re looking forward to reaching more milestones in the future!’ Peter says.

Hamilton Island, Queensland Recruitment Consultant Certificate FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2015

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Introduction to Recruitment FRIDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2015

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Interviewing Essentials FRIDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2015

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Sales & Marketing from the Desk WEDNESDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2015

Introduction to Recruitment WEDNESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2015

Interviewing Essentials WEDNESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2015

Sales and Marketing from the Desk

NEW ZEAL AND JUNE 2015 NZ PEARL Consultant Forum Recruitment ReNEWed – The Power of You

WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE 2015

CompEvent Breakfast Series Sponsored by SEEK (See special feature page 41.) KEY

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JUNE 2015

ASSOCIATION NEWS

RCSA PREMIUM SUPPORTER PROFILES

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

PREMIUM SUPPORTER

Kinetic Super is an industry fund with over 20 years’ experience in managing super savings for Australians. Benefits: a $2.3 billion industry fund that operates for the benefit of over 350,000 members; low fees with competitive investment performance; online services – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; affordable, highly-competitive insurance options. We have been a partner to the RCSA over the last 20 years, and we are excited by the opportunities ahead of us. To learn more about Kinetic Super, visit www.kineticsuper.com.au. Members: memberexperience@kineticsuper.com.au or call 1300 304 000. Employers: employerservices@kineticsuper.com.au or call 1300 304 044.

Scottish Pacific Debtor Finance has been helping Australian businesses to achieve their aspirations by providing cash flow solutions and freeing them from the constraints of traditional banking for 25 years. Simple and easy - that’s the power of debtor finance. It provides a flexible cash flow facility that will help your business grow. To find out how Scottish Pacific Debtor Finance can help your business, call 1300 332 867 for your local office, which can provide you with a package tailored to your business needs, or visit. www.debtorfinance.com.au

PREMIUM SUPPORTER 2cloudnine is the exclusive Asia Pacific implementation partner for Jobscience the world’s most advanced recruitment management system. Jobscience manages everything including CRM, candidate sourcing and engagement, job order processing for temp, perm contractor management, award/rate interpretation, candidate care and role based analytics. Jobscience has been developed on Salesforce.com, utilising all of the innovative capabilities of the world’ most trusted and socially capable business cloud computing platform. To discuss your unique business objectives, visit www.2cloudnine.com

RCSA PARTNERS & PREMIUM SUPPORTERS RCSA Premium Supporter & Principal Partner Kinetic Super

RCSA Premium Supporter & Business Partner Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Ltd

RCSA Premium Supporters 2cloudnine Adzuna APositive Cashflow Astute Payroll Bibby Financial Services Australia Pty Ltd FastTrack Pty Ltd Indeed Key Factors Pty Ltd Learning Seat Pty Ltd Recruitment Systems Pty Ltd Scottish Pacific Debtor Finance SEEK Limited Voyager Software (Australia) Pty Ltd WorkDESK Recruitment Software

RCSA Supporters 180 Capital Funding Advertiser Newspapers Pty Limited AHRI – Australian Human Resources Institute AltusQ Appoint Me Auditor Training Centre Ayers Management Pty Ltd Broadbean Technology Book Builders Pty Ltd BULLHORN Certex Cloud Strategem CVCheck CXC Global Head Office Data Savvy Pty Ltd Ebit Services Pty Ltd Etz Technologies Fairfax Media Fathom Business Architects FCB Group First Choice Software Asia Pacific GE Capital

Geoffrey Nathan Consulting Inc GreenBizCheck HHMC Australia Pty Limited IProfile JobAdder JXT Consulting Lander & Rogers Lipman James Lombardi Partners LooksFresh Photography Matheson Publishing Melbourne Polytechnic (formerly NMIT) MemberBenefits Pty Ltd Mindset Group Next Telecom Pty Ltd NPA Worldwide PAJE Business Solutions Pty Ltd Quinntessential Marketing Consulting Pty Ltd Rec Tech Solutions Revelian Rewire Group Rural Health Workforce Australia

Selectus Pty Ltd Skillcheck Pacific Pty Ltd Snappy Recruit Sovereign Private SpotJobs The RIB Report Verify Holdings Australia Pty Ltd Working Abroad Newcomers Network WorkPro

NZ RCSA Supporters Equal Employment Opportunities Trust Human Resources Institute of New Zealand Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Ministry of Social Development NZ, Work & Income Secured Signing Ltd The Dominion Post Trade Me Jobs

For information about joining the RCSA Supporters Program, contact Carly Fordred, RCSA Marketing & Communications Manager, Telephone +61 3 9663 0555 or email cfordred@rcsa.com.au

RCSA JOURNAL

A S S OCI AT ION NEW S

CO M P LI M E N TA RY M E M B E R E V E N T

Branding when the personal meets corporate

ffectively differentiating yourself from your competitors for commercial gain is the holy grail of all companies, irrespective of industry. In the recruitment sector, sophisticated jobseekers and clients are more discerning than ever and consciously choose which recruitment organisations to engage with based on a set of criteria which is often emotionally or values driven. There is an added layer: the personal branding of your staff and the positive (or negative) impact it can have on your brand and your business in general. Enter the new age when personal and corporate brands intersect, cross over and sometimes clash. Join SEEK’s Senior Marketing Manager who will answer any burning questions you

have on why company and personal brand is so important, how you can change or build your brand perception in the marketplace and attract clients and candidates alike.

Alex Lasry Head of B2B Marketing, SEEK Alex is responsible for marketing and communications to SEEK’s hirer and advertiser audience across Australia and New Zealand. He leads the B2B marketing strategy, driving increased engagement, with day-to-day responsibility for Communications, Sponsorship & Events, Product launches, as

well as supporting SEEK’s sales and service teams. Prior to working at SEEK Employment, Alex worked for SEEK Learning, McMillan Shakespeare and CPA Australia across both B2B and B2C roles.

SEEK July Breakfast Dates Tuesday 14 July (Hobart) Wednesday 15 July 2015 (Melbourne) Thursday 16 July 2015 (Canberra) Friday 17 July 2015 (Sydney Wednesday 22 July 2015 (Brisbane) Thursday, 23 July 2015 (Perth) Friday 24 July 2015 (Adelaide) Wednesday 29 July 2015 (Christchurch) Thursday, 30 July 2015 (Wellington) Friday 31 July 2015 (Auckland).

BREAKFAST EVENT

CompEvent

Complimentary Breakfast Event for RCSA Members.

Branding – when the personal meets corporate Enter the new age of ‘personal’ and ‘corporate’ brands, see how they can cross-over, strengthen, or even clash with your business. Join one of SEEK’s Senior Marketing Managers who will answer any burning questions you have on why company and personal brand is so important, how you can change or build your brand perception in the marketplace and attract clients and candidates alike. For more information about this event and to register, go to: www.rcsa.com.au/Learning Centre and Jodie Williams Events/Australian or New Zealand CPD Professional Development Coordinator Events Calendar/Breakfast jwilliams@rcsa.com.au or Ph: +61 2 9922 3477

Brought to you by

JUNE 2015

ASSOCIATION NEWS

RCSA BOARD, LIFE MEMBERS & FELLOWS * RCSA Board President Robert van Stokrom FRCSA

Vice Presidents Peter Langford FRCSA Sinead Hourigan MRCSA

Directors Robert Olivier FRCSA Lincoln Crawley FRCSA Steve Heather FRCSA Alan Bell FRCSA Matthew Hobby FRCSA Nina Mapson Bone FRCSA Ian McPherson FRCSA

RCSA Life Fellows Pauline Ashleigh-Marum FRCSA (Life) Jim Bailey FRCSA (Life) Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life) Dorothy Caldicott FRCSA (Life) Mike Carroll FRCSA (Life) Nanette Carroll FRCSA (Life) Jane Fanselow FRCSA (Life) Ross Fisher FRCSA (Life) Peter Gleeson FRCSA (Life) Larry Grima FRCSA (Life) Michael Hall FRCSA (Life) Sue Healy FRCSA (Life) Kris Hope-Cross FRCSA (Life) Malcolm Jackman FRCSA (Life) Graham Jenkins FRCSA (Life) Dawne Kelleher FRCSA (Life) Barry T Knight FRCSA (Life) Roger Lampen FRCSA (Life) Ruth Levinsohn FRCSA (Life) Debra Loveridge FRCSA (Life) Reg Maxwell FRCSA (Life) John McArthur FRCSA (Life) Matthew McArthur FRCSA (Life) Sylvia Moreno FRCSA (Life) Helen Olivier FRCSA (Life) E. Leigh Olson FRCSA (Life)

Pam Dew FRCSA Rhonda Dunn FRCSA Jason Elias FRCSA Diane Epps FRCSA Ken Fowler FRCSA Stuart Freeman FRCSA Norm Geist FRCSA Angela Giacoumis FRCSA Tony Greaves FRCSA Mark Griffiths FRCSA Allison Guy-Ritchie FRCSA Ian Hamilton FRCSA Michael Hannaford FRCSA Andrea Hardy FRSCA John Harland FRCSA Nigel Harse FRCSA Nick Hays FRCSA Sam Hazledine FRCSA Steve Heather FRCSA Jennifer Hobbs FRCSA Matthew Hobby FRCSA Alison Hucks FRCSA Phil Isard FRCSA Tim James FRCSA Leigh Johnson FRCSA Tania Kapell FRCSA Giles Keay FRCSA Linda Kemp FRCSA Maria Kourtesis FRCSA Peter Langford FRCSA Colin Levander FRCSA Gaynor Lowndes FRCSA Laura Marbikafola FRCSA Nina Mapson-Bone FRCSA Andrew McComish FRCSA Fraser McKechnie FRCSA Ian McPherson FRCSA Annie Milne FRCSA Tracy Morgan FRCSA Gillian Mullins FRCSA Stephen Noble FRCSA

V John Plummer FRCSA (Life) John Plummer FRCSA (Life) Wendy Rae FRCSA (Life) Beryl Rowan FRCSA (Life) Julie Sattler OAM FRCSA (Life) Greg Savage FRCSA (Life) Rosemary Scott FRCSA (Life) David Shave FRCSA (Life) Kim Shearn FRCSA (Life) Stephen Shepherd FRCSA (Life) Geoff Slade FRCSA (Life) Jan Spriggs FRCSA (Life) Kaye Strain FRCSA (Life) Jean Tait FRCSA (Life) Rodney Troian FRCSA (Life) Janet Vallino FRCSA (Life) Paul Veith FRCSA (Life) Hugh Whan FRCSA (Life) John K Williams FRCSA (Life) George Zammit FRCSA (Life)

RCSA Fellows Julian Azzopardi FRCSA Jacqui Barratt FRCSA Nicholas Beames FRCSA Nikki Beaumont FRCSA Alan Bell FRCSA Kevin Blogg FRCSA Stephen Bott FRCSA Lisa Bousfield FRCSA Graham Bower FRCSA Nicky Brunning FRCSA Kevin Chandler FRCSA Sandra Chiles FRCSA Ross Clennett FRCSA Karen Colfer FRCSA John Cooper FRCSA Ron Crause FRCSA Lincoln Crawley FRCSA Christine Crowe FRCSA Denis Dadds FRCSA Bill Dalby FRCSA

Robert Olivier FRCSA Penny Perkins FRCSA Stephen Porter FRCSA Bruce Ranken FRCSA Tony Ricketts FRCSA Scott Roberts FRCSA Sophie Robertson FRCSA Deborah Ross FRCSA Courtney Rowe FRCSA Mia Ryan FRCSA Michael Sacco FRCSA Lee-Martin Seymour FRCSA Alan Sherlock FRCSA Linda Simonsen FRCSA Paul Slezak FRCSA Ian R Stacy FRCSA David Stewart FRCSA David Styles FRCSA Lyn Tanner FRCSA Corrine Taylor FRCSA Scott Thomas FRCSA Vibeke Thomsen FRCSA Gayleen Toll FRCSA Nicole Underwood FRCSA Rosemary Urbon FRCSA Scott Van Heurck FRCSA Robert van Stokrom FRCSA Craig Watson FRCSA Paula Watts FRCSA John Wilson FRCSA

RCSA Honorary Fellows Julie Mills Hon FRCSA (Life) Joan Page Hon FRCSA (Life) Malcolm Riddell Hon FRCSA (Life) Reg Shields Hon FRCSA (Life) Jill Skafer Hon FRCSA (Life) Andrew Wood Hon FRCSA (Life) * Correct at time of printing.

RCSA Principal Partner

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Advertise in the RCSA Journal You can reach owners, managers and consultants in the recruitment industry across Australia and New Zealand through the RCSA Journal. Contact Carly Fordred, RCSA Marketing and Communications Manager for information: cfordred@rcsa.com.au or call +61 3 9663 0555

Recruitment Software Looking for a software package to care for your Candidates and Clients, organise your Job Orders, with Payroll and Billing built in, able to do a lightning search, or scan, integrated with Outlook, that can send text messages, turn its hand to a marketing campaign and when it isn’t doing all that, run your General Ledger, handle your Debtors and Creditors and calculate your taxes? If you are, make sure you take a look at WorkDESK Recruitment Software. WorkDESK can operate in the Cloud, works with Office 365, will pay and bill temps and contractors for a start up or nationwide organisation. When you want to track profitability down to the Timesheet level, WorkDESK tracks Employees’ Superannuation, Annual Leave, Personal (Sick) Leave, paid or unpaid, Long Service Leave (including portable), plus Rostered Days Off and Parental Leave, in detail. And, in case you are wondering, WorkDESK puts no licensing limits on the number of people you can pay.

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