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Australia & New Zealand | March 2013
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The Leadership Edge: Building a Competitive Advantage in a Changing World
In this issue
• Diploma and Education pathway launches • RCSA Awards and Gala Ball
Looking after members for over 20 years We are Australia’s leading industry fund for the recruitment sector. Q uality product options with low fees and excellent insurance cover Competitive investment performance O ver 420,000 members, looking after Australia’s leading recruitment firms S upports the Recruitment Industry and Principal Partner of the RCSA D edicated Member Education and Advice Consultants to assist you1 A warded Canstar Cannex’s 5 stars for outstanding value for the RecruitmentSuper SelectSuper product in 2012*
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Contents THE RECRUITMENT AND CONSULTING SERVICES ASSOCIATION LIMITED
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FOCUS: THE LEADERSHIP EDGE
The RCSA Journal is published by the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association Limited.
RCSA AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND PO Box 18028 Collins Street East VIC 8003 Australia. T: +61 3 9663 0555 Toll Free NZ: 0800 441 904 F: +61 3 9663 5099 E: info@rcsa.com.au www.rcsa.com.au
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RCSA JOURNAL ADVERTISING & SUPPORTER ENQUIRIES
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Conference: Leading into the Future
6 CEO’s Report: Steve Granland
30 If your clients have quality management, why don’t you?
7 RCSA’s university pathways
31 New Zealand: H&S Guidelines
FOCUS: THE LEADERSHIP EDGE
ASSOCIATION NEWS
8 L eading into the future: Bob Anderson on leadership
32 New RCSA Director 32 Business Solutions
11 The Third Space: Adam Fraser explains
33 RCSA Individual Membership survey
DESIGN
RCSA AWARDS
Perry Watson Design T: +61 3 9596 0899
12 RCSA Awards and Gala Ball
34 Member Groups: ANRA Workforce Participation Forum
14 Meet the 2012 Award winners: Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life)
Julie Morrison Manager Marketing & Communications RCSA T: +61 3 9663 0555 E: jmorrison@rcsa.com.au www.rcsa.com.au
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GEON Impact Printing The RCSA Journal is printed in Australia on recycled paper. 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 responsibility is accepted for errors or omissions.
© Copyright RCSA 2013 ISSN 1838-8736
4 President’s Report: Lincoln Crawley FRCSA
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2013 RCSA Awards and Gala Ball
35 Member Groups: AMRANZ 36 RCSA Association News 38 Life Member Profile: Reg Maxwell FRCSA (Life)
INTERNATIONAL COMMENT 16 Ciett Report from Steve Shepherd FRCSA (Life) 19 Women – know your place! David Head reports BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES 20 The Trusted Adviser journey by Mark Ashburn
35 New Zealand: Paul Robinson 40 RCSA Partners and Premium Supporters 41 RCSA Board, Life Members and Fellows 42 2013 RCSA CPE & Events Calendar – Australia/New Zealand
22 Don’t mention the “V” word! 24 “Candidate Ownership” or “Right to Represent”
www.facebook.com/rcsaausnz
26 How would you like to be remembered?
twitter.com/RCSAevents
28 Recruitment industry trends – Nigel Harse comments
www.linkedin.com/company/rcsa-australia-andnew-zealand AND www.linkedin.com/groups/Australia-New-Zealand30-Recruiters-4524099/about
The Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA) is the leading industry body for talent management and workforce solutions in Australia and New Zealand. With approximately 4,400 members, Corporate and Individual, the Association sets professional standards, conducts research, educates and develops members’ skills, monitors industry developments and lobbies state and federal governments on issues directly affecting members.
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PRESIDENT’s REPORT Lincoln Crawley
FRCSA
Dear Members
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eems only yesterday we were trying to stretch the last few hours out of our Christmas break after what started as a promising year for most and ended for many well short of expectations. From my own experience and from conversations with Corporate member CEOs and owners, there is no question the market demand for both staffing and permanent recruitment declined in the second half of 2012 and fell far short of expectations across many sectors in the three months leading up to Christmas. As we got back to our offices (or planes) in January, many saw that clients were emptying their balance sheet leave accruals through extended shutdowns which resulted in a slower start to client activity in the early part of the month. The tactic is not surprising – but the scale and speed of these client decisions took many by surprise. “Certain Uncertainty” – that’s how I would describe the business environment we should be prepared for in 2013. With multiple influences impacting multiple sectors, many outside our control locally, we should expect that the traditional pattern of short downturn or recession followed by seven to ten years
Certain Uncertainty – that’s how I would describe the business environment we should be prepared for in 2013.
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of recovery/boom/good times is gone for the next three to five years. It’s been replaced by what I expect to be a series of short and sometimes sharp downturn/recovery cycles which will impact different sectors at different times. There will, of course, be sectors which are immune - for example, some areas of ICT, the Christchurch rebuild, oil and gas and hard mineral resources in strategic locations such as the Pilbara. This Certain Uncertainty represents a significant challenge to many in our industry and, as our clients will be grappling with the same forces, we will see them putting off investments with long return cycles and employing increasingly sophisticated procurement techniques which will likely touch even the most boutique of skills which had enjoyed a certain amount of immunity in the past. On the flip side however, it presents a huge opportunity for those prepared and capable enough to capitalise on it. So here are some thoughts on how to better engage with the market not only to survive but thrive in Certain Uncertainty: 1. Consistently deliver service excellence to clients, candidates and employees – let it slip at your peril! 2. Sell better than they buy. Procurement professionals are well schooled in not only making you feel like you are standing on one foot but on one toe. It’s a tactic to get you off balance and question the value you are providing and have provided in the past. Make sure you understand the value and are skilled in how to sell it standing firmly on both feet. 3. Be an expert – in their business, in their challenges, in your chosen skill domain(s). 4. Help them understand that in an environment of certain uncertainty they need to be able to flex down and up. Position how you can help them prepare and execute a more flexible model. Most members have front line staff called consultants – now is the time to truly consult. 5. Sell eye-to-eye not eye-to-belly. Many are cautious of engaging the C-suite as they feel intimidated – the facts are that these are the leaders who will make decisions which you and our industry are uniquely positioned to make a real difference in
these uncertain times – so look them in the eye. 6. Use social networking as a productivity tool, not an end in itself. Frankly, I don’t care what you had for breakfast, where you are now or saw out the car window. Invest your time to make social networking work for you. 7. Of course there’s “fish where the fish are” which for some will be easier than others based on geography and domain expertise. However there are many ways to make subtle or significant changes to your service and value proposition which will make your services more relevant. This is a very competitive industry, so forgive me for not saying “what”, but I urge you to look at what’s possible and do what’s possible fast. The RCSA, supported by many industry experts, has invested in and developed a fantastic professional development program and I urge you to join the growing number of industry professionals who are, as a result, better prepared to take on the challenges and opportunities this year will bring. For our Australian members, in the lead-up to the election, it’s very clear that the casualisation debate will be on the table and it’s critical we engage powerfully and with influence in the debate. Over the next few weeks, you will see key message planks coming from the RCSA which outline our view and the case for driving productivity through flexible work practices. Our intention is to not only respond powerfully to union movement campaign messages but also to get on the front foot through media, stakeholder engagement and arming you with consistent and powerful messaging. In the mean time, check out the Steve Shepherd’s Ciett message on page 16 – it makes compelling reading. I hope to see you at the Gala Ball in Sydney on 30 May, if not before.
Lincoln Crawley FRCSA RCSA President, Australia and New Zealand
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on ti ! ra en st p gi O Re ow
2013 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Leadership The
BUILDING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN A CHANGING WORLD 28-30 August 2013 – Sheraton Mirage Gold Coast How do you build and sustain superior leadership and performance? And how do you transform yourself into the kind of leader your business needs to maintain a competitive advantage? Your team members are looking for inspiration and fulfillment – and a guide as to how they can lead too. You might have the theory, but how do you put it into practice? Key areas for discussion at the 2013 RCSA Conference will be around resilient leadership and having the ability to create and seize opportunities; how to develop winning organisations that can drive rapid creativity and how to develop the best tools to become more resilient, such as effective risk management. There is now a greater need for clear and decisive leadership to help businesses adapt to the “Changing World”.
John Peters
2013 RCSA INTERNATIO Laurel Papworth
Lea The
2013 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Great leadership makes a difference to how a business performs – The this conference will provide you and your key staff with the leadership tools and resources to allow your organisation to take that next step.
Leadership BUILDING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN A CHANGING WORLD
Bob Anderson
www.rcsa.com.au/conference2013/
Cameron Judson
CEO’s REPORT Steve Granland
Welcome to the first issue of the RCSA Journal for 2013. In this issue of the RCSA Journal we are looking at the theme of our Conference: The Leadership Edge. Keynote speaker Bob Anderson has some great ideas and another Conference presenter, Adam Fraser shares his ideas for The Third Space. One of the most popular breakfast series run by the RCSA every year is the CEO Panel. I had the opportunity to attend a number of these breakfasts in February, meeting with many members and listening to the insights of the panel members. For me, there were a number of common themes which emerged across the breakfasts I attended – including the fact that 2013 is likely to see a continuation of choppy economic seas and agreement that economic cycles today are much shorter and less predictable so organisations have to be nimble and adaptable to succeed. There was also agreement that this was likely to present not only challenges, but also opportunities, as our industry continues the journey from transactional to true value added service. I think it was RCSA President Lincoln Crawley FRCSA who said at one of the breakfasts that he wants to see us continue to move from an industry to a true profession where the inevitable BBQ question: What do you do for a living? is answered with pride. My experience working with professional associations over the past twenty years has taught me that there are three key elements required for an occupation to be considered a true “profession”. These are: a minimum education/experience expectation for professionals, a commitment to ongoing education and training for professionals, and the existence of a code of conduct. The RCSA now has these three planks in place with the establishment of the RCSA Professional Accreditation Framework in 2011 (providing for three levels of individual professional membership based on education and experience), the RCSA Continuing Professional Education Program (requiring individual members to undertake 25 hours of CPE annually) and the RCSA Code for Professional Conduct. Additionally, the RCSA now has in place a formal education pathway providing industry participants with the opportunity to enter the pathway via the RCSA Certificate of Recruitment or the recently launched RCSA/AHRI Diploma of Management. The final step in the pathway has now been established with individuals who complete the Diploma provided with credit and pathways through to Graduate Certificate and Masters programs through higher education providers such as Swinburne. Having a true education pathway linked to a formal individual professional membership structure is a vital step in the development of a profession. I am very pleased to report at the time of writing that we have around twenty people enrolled in the first intake of the Diploma to commence in March 2013 – the course is made up of eight modules and delivered via distance education over 12 months. I look forward to bringing you regular updates on our first crop of students through the RCSA Journal over 2013. The RCSA Education Pathway is part of the RCSA Professional Emerging and Aspiring Recruitment Leaders (PEARL) program to which we continued through 2012 to dedicate resources with the PEARL Mentoring program running very successfully and the PEARL
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Consultant Forum developed and scheduled to run in March 2013. Another key focus for the RCSA over the last year was the launch of the RCSA Workplace Information Line (WIL) a telephone-based advice service for RCSA Corporate Members providing advice in the areas of workplace relations, work health and safety, and independent contracting. WIL is now well established and attracting around seventy member calls a month. To ensure we are continuing to build on this popular new corporate member benefit over March, we will be undertaking a survey of all WIL users. What is in store for 2013? Another theme from the recent CEO panels was that one of the only certainties for 2013 is that there will be continued uncertainty. In addition to the continued challenging global and domestic economic conditions, we face a rather long unofficial election period. At the RCSA we plan to face the challenges head on and began with a strategic planning review with the RCSA Board in late February. Other plans locked in at the time of writing for 2013 include continued regular contact with organisations (public and private) requesting industry membership in tenders to ensure they are able to confirm RCSA membership when required, the development of member collateral including “Questions to Ask Your Recruiter” and “Recruitment Careers” brochures, building our ability to provide in-house education and training programs for our members and launching the quarterly and annual member survey. Perhaps the most important project for 2013 is a review of the RCSA Code for Professional Conduct. In 2014 we will be applying to have the Code re-authorised by the ACCC in Australia and approved by the New Zealand Commerce Commission. An important part of this review will be member consultation around suggested improvements to the Code. Given the important role played by the Code, please ensure you take the time to provide input. Applications for the RCSA Awards program for 2013 closed late February and I am very pleased to confirm we have had a great response with more than thirty applications received across the three Award categories. To continue to build professionalism as an industry, it is important that we recognise and celebrate excellence through this Awards program. The Awards will be presented at the RCSA Gala Ball on May 30 in Sydney. Last year’s Gala Ball was a huge success and I am anticipating this year will build on that success. With limited places available, I recommend you visit the RCSA website and book today! In closing, I come back to one of the common themes from the CEO Panels: your staff are vital to your success and it is important to continue to invest in their development. If you haven’t already done so, I enourage you to look at the great range of professional development opportunities available from your industry body: everything from online webinars, to formal distance education to face-to-face workshops covering a huge range of topics. If we are not providing what you need, let us know. Steve Granland RCSA CEO, Australia and New Zealand
RCSA’s university pathways RCSA, through its partnership with AHRI, has secured education pathways allowing its Diploma of Management (BSB51107) graduates to obtain a place in Swinburne University’s Graduate Certificate of Business Management.
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iploma graduates will receive full exemption from the unit MBM502 Human Resource Management and complete the remaining three units (depending on the elective stream chosen). “We are very excited to have secured this pathway for our Diploma of Management graduates,” says Claudia Gray, RCSA Learning Centre & Major Events Manager. “The RCSA/AHRI Diploma of Management is a great opportunity for aspiring recruitment leaders to fast-track their careers,” Claudia says, “and now, with the pathway created to Swinburne’s Graduate Certificate of Business Management, the opportunities are even greater”. To be eligible, graduates must have successfully completed all units and work involved in the RCSA/AHRI Diploma and achieved at least 12 months relevant work experience. RCSA/AHRI graduates who successfully complete Swinburne’s Graduate Certificate of Business Management with at least a credit average result
will be eligible for a place in the University’s Master of Business Management, consisting of a further eight units (two+ years part time). RCSA launched the Diploma of Management in conjunction with AHRI in 2012, following the organisation’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Diploma is undertaken as flexible distance study over one year and each of the eight units comprises one written assessment and one supervisor checklist per unit. The RCSA Centre for Excellence and Diploma of Management are proudly sponsored by RecruitmentSuper.
Second semester The Diploma has been very well received by the membership and the first intake group have now started on their journey. Enrolments for the second intake close 12 July 2013.
NMIT/RCSA pathway to a Cert IV in Business or stand-alone certificates
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here are new learning and development pathways for recruitment professionals to help you or your people become Accredited Recruitment Professionals. These courses (all written for the recruitment industry) may suit people who do not want to do a full-on one-year Diploma. These are all flexible learning and can be completed in your own time. The courses can be stand-alone or build to BSB40212 Certificate IV in Business. 1. Certificate in Recruitment and Selection Pre-Requisite: nil. Entry level for recruitment professionals. The premier entry-level qualification for consultants in recruitment on-hire and human resources services throughout Australia. Designed for new consultants or those already working in the recruitment, on-hire and human resources services profession who want to improve or reinforce their skills and knowledge this certificate is a comprehensive and practical course on contemporary recruitment, on-hire and human resources practices. Follow the recruitment process through from identifying a job vacancy to appointing the successful candidate. 12-week flexible delivery or 2-day workplace workshops (on request).
2. Advanced Certificate in Recruitment Practices. NEW! First Time offered! Pre-Requisite: Certificate in Recruitment and Selection. Advanced level for recruitment professionals. This course is designed to build on the skills and knowledge gained in the Certificate in Recruitment and Selection and covers a range of core skills and knowledge required for the recruitment professional at an advanced level. 12-week flexible delivery or 2-day workplace workshops (on request). 3. Certificate in Recruitment Management. NEW! First Time offered! Pre-Requisite: nil. The Certificate in Recruitment Management provides recruitment managers or those in supervising roles with skills and knowledge to manage and lead recruitment professionals. Learn how to develop your team, manage budgets and financials, promote your business and improve customer service. 16-week flexible delivery or 3-day workplace workshops (on request). Look for more information on all courses on the RCSA website: www.rcsa.com.au - Learning Centre and Events tab. march 2013
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Leading into the Enhancing the creative capacity of the organisation to create its desired future is the simple definition of leadership RCSA International Conference keynote presenter Bob Anderson formulated many years ago.
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his definition remains highly relevant today, as it responds directly to key themes that emerged from the most recent IBM CEO studies (2010 and 2012), each involving more than fifteen hundred leaders. The first issue, CEOs grapple with how they can meet the challenge of escalating global complexity – and in fact, they’re losing sleep over this issue. “I call it the ‘4 o’clock in the morning club’, where you’re lying awake wondering how to lead through this much complexity,” Bob Anderson, who is CEO of The Leadership Circle, explains. “CEOs in the 2010 study talked openly about feeling over their head and wondering if they had what it takes to lead through.” The second main theme in the 2010 study is how to develop the creative capacity of the organisation to meet this challenge of escalating complexity. In the 2012 study, the two main themes were how to develop highly collaborative organisations and how to achieve radical innovation. “So to put all this together, CEOs are focused on how to collaborate for radical innovation, to enhance the collective capacity of the organisation to
meet complexity and to thrive in the midst of it. This ties right into my definition,” Bob says. A second definition, which he wrote in the eighties, goes like this: Leadership is the life stance of continuously focusing your attention and commitment on a desired future, and in the midst of the current realities, taking authentic, collaborative, and systemic action to bring that vision into being over time. “Leadership is a life stance. The hallmarks of it are this constant focus on purposeful vision – on a vision you care about deeply – and building alignment among key stakeholders for that desired future,” Bob explains. “So the centrepiece of leadership is constant attention and commitment to a desired future. When you study the literature on leadership, purpose and vision are right at the centre.”
No safe way Bob observes that in most organisations, people are waiting for the right set of circumstances, the right boss, the right culture, the politically risk-free environment, in order for them to be great. “It’s a long wait. The hard news is, there is no safe way to be great. There is no safe path,” he points out. “And frankly if one exists, leadership isn’t required. Leadership is needed when there’s risk and uncertainty, when the outcome’s in doubt, when there are differences of opinion. In the midst of all this, leaders emerge. “So leadership is focusing on the desired future in the midst of the current realities in which there’s no necessarily clear or risk-free path, and then working authentically, collaboratively, and systemically over time,” he says.
Stages of leadership What tends to happen, though, is reactive shortterm fire fighting and problem solving rather than the longterm systemic building capacity in the organisation to create its optimal future. “At The Leadership Circle, we work with a model of stages of leadership. This model has three distinct stages which we call Reactive, Creative and Integral,” says Bob. “I’ve pulled this primarily from the work of Robert Kegan at Harvard University, a foremost researcher on stage-of-development, as did Steven Covey. Covey describes this in his book The Seven
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conference
future Habits of Highly Effective People, in which he talks about stages of ego development as they relate to leadership: dependent, independent, and interdependent. Our framework is basically the same.” Effective leadership is beyond the Reactive stage, Bob continues: “It has developed to least stage two in this three-stage model, what we call the Creative level of development.” Bob estimates eighty per cent or more of managers undergoing a thorough assessment of stage-of-development will test out at Reactive level. “So the question becomes, how do we meet escalating complexity? Is our stage of leadership complex enough to meet the complexity we face? “If the problems and challenges are more complex than our internal operating system, we’re out-matched. This results in the experience of being in over your head, the experience where CEOs lie awake asking, How do I deal with escalating complexity, and how do I build a creative capacity in the organisation for radical innovation, and real partnering? These questions are pointing beyond the Reactive to the next stage of development: Creative. This is the kind of leadership that’s required now, but most leaders are not functioning in an operating system designed for this,” he says.
A blend of consciousness and competence Senior leaders need to be focused on how effective leaders are being developed, now and for the future. “We need to view this as a blend of consciousness and competence,” says Bob. “We use the terms ‘learning’ and ‘development’ interchangeably, but they’re not the same. Skill learning, technical learning and knowledge learning are all really important, but development is evolving your internal operating system, the internal system that defines your level of effectiveness. “Developing leaders is about much more than skill development, but this is where our field has tended to focus. If we’re really serious about developing leaders, we need to also understand how to develop their complexity of mind to meet the challenge of escalating global complexity.” He explains that this is what leadership expert Ronald Heifetz talks about when he describes adaptive challenges: the challenges so complex our current way of thinking can’t solve them.
They can only be solved – as Einstein said – at the next level of consciousness, not from the level that created them. And that, Bob says, is an adaptive challenge. Great leadership, the kind that is up to the challenge, is well-honed capability arising on a higher order of mind: when these two arise together, extraordinary leadership can emerge. “In our zeal for describing leadership and what makes leaders effective, we’ve looked at great leaders and asked, What do they do? And we’ve done a good job of that. We’ve extracted the skills, capabilities, competencies, and behaviours that make them effective,” Bob continues. “What we haven’t noticed is the internal operating system that allows them to do all this so elegantly. In paying attention to the outer game, we’ve missed the inner game: the structure of their mind, the way they think, their habits and patterns of thought, have actually shifted from one stage to the next, which allows for much more capacity to effectively meet complexity.” Of the 18 dimensions The Leadership Circle measures in this creative space, the two most highly correlated to leadership effectiveness are purposeful vision and teamwork. Purposeful vision is the hallmark of the creative level of mind. It’s a passionately focused leader who distils this passion into clarity of vision personally and for the organisation. The second dimension is teamwork, and related to this is collaboration. “This takes us back to the definition of leadership and to the CEO studies,” Bob says. “Effective leadership depends on how well we build alignment and teamwork around a common vision that people care about enough to bring into being, or care about enough to risk for, or care about enough for it to be larger than the things that divide them. When this kind of alignment emerges around vision, it results in high-performance teamwork: it’s the hallmark of this creative-level operating system.” So boiling it down into the key areas: what really makes for effective leadership? “I’ve talked about purpose and vision, and of course this needs to be translated into strategy, execution and results. We’ve mentioned collaboration and teamwork: the ability to work well with people, relate well, build teams, and collaborate. When you put those together, you define real effectiveness,” he says.
Leadership is the life stance of continuously focusing your attention and commitment on a desired future, and in the midst of the current realities, taking authentic, collaborative, and systemic action to bring that vision into being over time.
Continued on page 10
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Continued from page 9
Bob Anderson, RCSA International Conference keynote presenter
Difficult conversations
Competitive advantage
Two additional dimensions of effective leadership that show up a lot our research are authentic presence and systems thinking. “Authentic presence is leadership of high integrity and authentic,” Bob says. “This kind of leadership requires the courage to be vulnerably honest and authentic in every encounter.” Consistent feedback from the leadership teams that The Leadership Circle has worked with over a year or more indicates the “difference that makes the differences” is that they can now hold the difficult conversations. They can tell the truth to one other. Therefore, they can cut through complexity because they’re no longer dancing around issues. “Many years ago Peter Senge remarked that the collective intelligence of a leadership team is often lower than the average intelligence of team members,” Bob says. “The reason is that when they come together, a lot gets stifled. The conversations don’t happen. What’s required to enhance our collective effectiveness is first, creating alignment around what matters more than our differences, and then developing the capability to have authentic conversations. Leadership teams need to be really good at having difficult conversations in a way that cuts through tough issues.”
There’s never any argument that effective leaders out-perform ineffective leaders. “At The Leadership Circle we regard effective leadership as a competitive advantage,” Bob says. “So the question is: how much investment are you making in the development of your own effectiveness as a leader, and in the collective leadership of the organisation?” He adds that most organisations way under-invest in leadership. Leadership defines the mission/vision/values that set the direction; it defines the culture; it’s the primary force in architecting the system to translate vision into strategy, and strategy into execution. “So if an organisation’s leadership system isn’t optimised, its whole performance is compromised. “Is the collective leadership of the organisation developing at the pace at which complexity is escalating? If the answer is no, then your leadership is becoming a competitive disadvantage,” he adds.
Designing the system Another hallmark of effective leadership is systems thinking instead of problem solving. “At the reactive level, leaders focus is on fixing problems,” Bob explains. “In the creative leader, systems thinking starts to boot up, and the focus is on how to design or optimise the system so problems disappear. It’s a more complex way of understanding the organisation. You’re designing the organisation for the future, so it is fit for purpose. And in the process, you’re not so much focusing on fixing and patching problems, which actually make the system more complex and cumbersome, you’re redesigning a system to make it more elegant and effective in the midst of complexity.”
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Bob Anderson was interviewed for the RCSA Journal by Rosemary Ogilvie.
conference
The Third Space The greatest challenge in future business is not the amount we have to do but how we transition between tasks. The new competitive advantage is the ability to extract maximum value from each role/task/ interaction we engage with. Conference presenter Dr Adam Fraser introduces his ground-breaking research on how we can use “The Third Space” (the gap between roles and environments) to transition effectively.
Dr Adam Fraser
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ecruitment is a job where you have multiple hats to wear and you switch between them at lightning pace. However, we inherently find it hard to move from one interaction to another without dragging the energy, mindset or baggage of the first interaction to the next. Salespeople find it hard to move from a disastrous sales situation to the next sale. Frustrated leaders find it hard to meet with their teams and not take that mood out on them. The greatest challenge in business within the next decade – is not the amount we have to do, as this shows no signs of lessening – instead it’s the way we transition between tasks. Your job as a manager, your job as a leader, your job as a salesperson is to adapt your behaviour to meet the needs of the next role/environment/task.
used The Third Space to get over a difficult meeting and show up to the next one, baggagefree and focused. What determined whether people stuck to their diet was what they did in the gap between thinking ‘I know I shouldn’t eat that’ and putting it in their mouth. As a leader or as a consultant, start using the Third Space to deal with what you have been through so you can leave it behind and reset your mindset to extract the most value out of what is coming next. You can learn more about The Third Space at the 2013 RCSA International Conference.
This is the competitive advantage We can’t work any harder, we can’t fit any more in, time management is dead and boundaries between work and home no longer exist. The great businesses have a workforce that can be resilient and get over what they have just been through, to pause and centre themselves, and then show up with the thoughts, emotions and behaviour that extracts the most amount of value from what is coming next. This alignment occurs in the transitional gap which I call “The Third Space’” I first began thinking about the importance of transitions when I came across the research of Jim Loehr. He showed that there is very little difference between the top one hundred male tennis players. They were as fast, as accurate, and as powerful as each other. Where the elite players differed was what they did in between the points. • In between points they were able to get over the previous point and not carry what happened into the next point. • They were then able to greatly relax their body so their body and mind were incredibly calm. • Finally, they adopted a mindset of focus and clarity as they moved into the next point. Jim Loehr’s research showed that it was not what they did during the point it was what they did in between the points that made them the best. I began to research the importance of what we do in The Third Space. The results blew my mind. The best sales people used The Third Space in between calls to get over the previous one and get refocused for the next call. The best leaders
“The greatest challenge in business within the next decade – is not the amount we have to do ... it’s the way we transition between tasks.”
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AWA R D S
2013 Rcsa Awards Welcome to the annual RCSA Awards – the industry’s opportunity to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence. The Awards will be presented at the RCSA’s “night of nights” – the Gala Ball on 30 May in Sydney.
The Principal Award partner is RecruitmentSuper and this year’s awards are: • PEARL Award (Professional Emerging and Aspiring Recruitment Leaders) • McLean Award for Workplace Safety • Corporate Social Responsibility Award. “As the leading industry fund for the recruitment sector, RecruitmentSuper has proudly partnered with the RCSA for over twenty years. We are excited at the opportunity to support the RCSA awards, and look forward to a night of celebrating the growth and success of the industry, acknowledging those who have made significant contributions.” MEGAN BOLTON CEO, RECRUITMENTSUPER PRINCIPAL RCSA AWARDS SPONSOR AND RCSA PRINCIPAL PARTNER
Proudly sponsored by
PEARL Award (Professional Emerging and Aspiring Recruitment Leaders This award, which was launched in 2011, is part of RCSA’s commitment to encourage and celebrate the contribution of young professionals to excellence in recruitment. “CareerOne is proud to be sponsoring the PEARL Award in 2013 for the third year running. This is an area we share a passion in with the RCSA. We are committed to encouraging young recruitment professionals to do the best they can and celebrate their success. These are the people who are going to shape this ever-changing industry for years to come. We look forward to awarding this year’s winner in May.” Sam Issa NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR CAREERONE.COM.AU
Proudly sponsored by
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AWARDS
and Gala Ball McLean Award for Workplace Safety
Corporate Social Responsibility Award
This award, named in honour of Malcolm McLean, recognises a Corporate or Individual member demonstrating commitment to workplace safety activities, a specific workplace safety solution or safety system.
This award is designed to foster a culture of CSR throughout the recruitment industry as well as raise the profile and recognise the achievement of the sector within the community.
“WorkPro sponsors the McLean Award for safety, to publicly encourage individuals and organisations to foster a safety culture that develops unique ideas to improve worker safety, and promote and award those who continue to commit to safety.” TANIA EVANS GENERAL MANAGER WORKPRO
Proudly sponsored by
“FastTrack as an organisation is founded upon collaboration across our people, clients and communities to help them achieve & reach their potential. The 2013 RCSA awards provide real opportunity to demonstrate the value and rewards of Corporate Responsibility Programs including how these values contribute towards building a positive and deeply rewarding industry. FastTrack, are truly proud to be a sponsor of this important program.” Glenn Flower Marketing and Product Manager FASTTRACK
Proudly sponsored by
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Meet the Award winners
Outstanding Contribution Award: Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life)
R
“The professionalism and development of our industry is far more important than any one person’s knowhow, and collectively we can achieve great things.”
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obert Blanche FRCSA (Life) is Director of the Bayside Group. As well as building an impressive organisation with his business partner John Wilson, he has been a prominent figure in the industry for many years. Robert first joined the National Association of Personnel Consultants (NAPC) in 1995 and was quickly invited to join the Council. He established and chaired the first Victorian OH&S Workers’ Compensation Committee which was quickly emulated by other regions. He was appointed President of the Victoria chapter and later joined the newly formed RCSA Board and served as a Director for the maximum permitted period of ten years. He held many executive roles including eight years as Treasurer, ten years as National Chairman of the OH&S and Workers’ Compensation Committee and two years as Vice President.
Robert, what advice would you give to other people who would like to make outstanding contributions to the industry? When I was first involved with the industry’s association it was called the NAPC. Initially I was very mindful of the individual intellectual property I held. Our company, the Bayside Group, had a lot of knowledge and experience in the world of contracting and I was somewhat guarded with what I was prepared to share. I soon learned my peers on the committees with which I was involved applied a different approach, and were totally committed to the welfare of the recruitment industry. My first lesson: the professionalism and development of our industry is far more important than any one person’s knowhow, and collectively we can achieve great things. My second lesson, of course, was that I didn’t know as much as I thought I did! To this day my involvement with my peers across the RCSA has enriched my knowledge of
recruitment tenfold. I believe I’ve gained more than I have contributed. So my overriding advice would be to get involved and support your industry, and you will ultimately stand to be a winner – regardless of a formal award.
And having won this award, what are you goals/plans for the future? The recruitment industry faces some significant challenges, and I look forward to working with my team at Bayside Group, and RSCA colleagues alike, to adapt in meeting changing requirements. My business partner John Wilson and I have strived relentlessly to build a solid financial and values driven foundation for our business. Our children, who have extensive experience in the industry and hold senior roles within the business, will be fundamental to the continued growth of our company as they lead it into the future. Together with our loyal and enthusiastic staff, we are cognisant of our potential for continued growth, and we’ll work hard with our people to maximise that potential through collaboration and professional development.
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internationa l comment
Ciett Report
The way to work RCSA representative and Ciett Board member Steve Shepherd FRCSA (Life) comments.
Steve Shepherd FRCSA (Life), RCSA Immediate Past President, is the RCSA’s representative with Ciett and a member of the Ciett Board.
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I
’m proud of the work we do to create employment. Proud to be part of an industry that puts millions of people around the world to work every day, gives people the right skills for work, and whose flexibility is key to helping companies navigate difficult economic times. So it’s frustrating that in many ways it feels like our industry is constantly on the back foot, responding to criticisms levied by trade unions, when our efforts would be better invested in promoting the quality work options private employment services offer. And in an election year in Australia, it is likely that we will hear this criticism get louder. And that’s why Ciett, representing the private employment services industry, has taken a bold step forward and we are working to realise our new vision to be “The Way to Work” and one day for there being “A Job for Every Person, a Person for Every Job”. In Australia there are 321,000 agency workers every day – that’s nearly three per cent of the workforce. And moreover, these agency workers are highly skilled individuals, over half of whom have completed higher education. More broadly, across the rest of South East Asia, we see that there are 1.3 million agency workers in India – the vast majority of whom (82 per cent) are under the age of thirty. Here, the evolving private employment services industry is providing that vital first introduction to work and, in some cases, their first legalised experience of work. That’s something to be proud of. Our industry has the collective power to bring about growth and greater security. We believe that we can and must act as a bridge to social and economic progress. Although right now our vision may seem a distant dream, we are confident that it is within our reach. To help us achieve this vision, we also committed to a series of global milestones. Within the next five years, we have pledged to: • support 280 million people in their job life • help 75 million young people enter the labour market • up-skill 65 million people, giving them more work choices
• create 18 million more jobs • serve 13 million companies with the right talents to succeed. Work means so many different things to so many different people. Today there is no such thing as a “regular job”. The way people choose to live and work has changed immeasurably. Instead of following a linear career trajectory, individuals move from job to job, from industry to industry and can expect to have as many as five different careers. The nine-to-five day is a thing of the past, with businesses turning to flexible working arrangements that allow their staff to balance work according to their own needs and constraints. And far from the daily commute to the office, workers may simply log on and start work, potentially thousands of miles from their employer who they may never meet in person. Quite simply, the notion of work has never been more fluid – and our industry is at the heart of it. Yes, security is still important for many, but security with flexibility. In setting out our vision and commitments, we are laying bare our contribution to the labour market in Australia and New Zealand. But I’m proud of that. The future of work is right now, and our industry is shaping that future. Look for a full report on this CIETT initiative in the next issue of the RCSA Journal.
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The message to your clients and candidates is also clear…Always use a RCSA Member. Take advantage of your RCSA Membership: • Always attach your post nominal to your surname • Use your Individual Member logo on your business cards and email footer • Display your member certificate in your office • Tell your clients and candidates that you are an Accredited Individual Member of the RCSA, committed to the highest professional standards. If you are not currently an individual member of the RCSA join 2000 others professionals and become a member today.
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INTERNATIONAL COMMENT
Women – know your place! T Gender diversity is one of the hottest tickets in town. Governments, employers and lobbyists the world over are clamouring for recruiters to do more in relation to getting females into the boardroom, reports David Head from the UK.
David Head, publisher of Recruitment International magazine.
his is certainly the case in the UK and I’m certain this will be reflected in Australia. Today’s boardrooms require a balance of skills and experience; they need a wide range of views and they genuinely need more female representation at a senior level. But why should recruiters be pioneering this? What makes us right for the job? For example, do we walk the walk ourselves? How good is the recruitment industry in promoting gender diversity in its own boardrooms?
The UK recruitment industry and gender diversity I have mentioned previously that Recruitment International publishes the Top 250 Report – a list of the largest UK recruiters ranked by their UK turnover. In our most recent publication, there were 331 recruitment companies detailed with, in nearly all cases, the company’s main board directors listed. This gave us the opportunity to mine the data to find out just how gender diverse UK recruiters actually are. We wanted to discover whether we as an industry actually practice what we are being told to preach.
between front and back office is even more marked and in the majority of cases those who disclosed the information said their top biller was female!
Male fee earners = 33% F emale fee earners = 33% Male back office = 10% F emale back office = 24% When it comes to bringing new employees into our sector once again recruiters preferred women. We asked, when hiring new employees what percentages of your people are male or female? Operations/fee earners Male = 36% Female = 64% Back office/support Male = 24% Female = 76% We then wanted to see how well we as an industry nurtured, trained and developed our people. We did this by seeing how the ratios between male and female changed as you progressed up the management ladder.
Breakdown of management staff by gender Junior management Male = 56% Female = 44% Middle management Male = 58% Female = 42%
Ahead of the curve
Senior management Male = 72% Female = 28%
In 2011, The Lord Davies Report into women on Boards said that in 2010 women made up only 12.5 per cent of the members of the corporate Boards of FTSE 100 companies. For me that was the benchmark figure – surely we as an industry could better this? The reality was that, combined, the 331 recruiters featured reported that they had 1,241 directors of which 15 per cent or 186 were female. So as an industry, we are slightly ahead of the curve. However, these recruiters consisted of the biggest and so we felt they would not represent the industry across the board. It’s fair to say that most recruitment territories have the same characteristics, larger corporates with more female owner/managed businesses on a local and regional basis. We needed to dig deeper. This got us into doing a much wider piece of research which we promoted to all the agencies that we have records on. This consisted of a questionnaire which, when answered, highlighted some very, very interesting facts about the UK recruitment industry. To begin with, there are more women in recruitment than there are men: 57 per cent of industry professionals are female versus a male population of 43 per cent. The breakdown
Main Board level Male = 85% Female = 15% The biggest drop is the massive 14 per cent fallout between middle and senior management and that’s clearly an issue that, as an industry, we need to address. Getting more women through into senior management has to be better than starting again from scratch?
Women in recruitment One of the biggest initiatives that Recruitment International is unveiling in 2013 is a brand new Inspiring Women in Recruitment Conference. From this, we will be launching a new group called Women in Recruitment which will help attract, develop, promote and retain women in our sector. More importantly it will look at ways of getting more women from middle to senior management. We also see the new body as one that can be used to promote the work and the expertise within our sector especially to end user hirers – we do already have a better ratio than most sectors and we need to tell our clients this. This is something I hope will eventually be picked up across the recruitment markets of the world – which begs the question, how genderdiverse is the Australian recruitment industry?
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Trusted Adviser journey – answering your questions For the past couple of Journal issues Mark Ashburn has been writing about the Trusted Adviser (TA) concept and his experiences with using this style at RecruitmentSuper. In this issue he answers some of your questions.
O
ne of the things I love about the recruitment industry is that so many people are passionate and forthright. At first, I was a bit surprised when people called to talk about these articles; but it’s been great to see the amount of interest that has been generated around this topic. While I’m a big believer in TA as a methodology for sales people and businesses, I’m no one-eyed evangelist. I don’t believe TA is so right that it makes alternatives wrong or inadequate. It’s just one way to go about things. Here are a few answers to the questions that I’ve received since starting this series on TA.
Q.
Have you always been a believer in the TA methodology?
Kind of, however, when I started in sales (back in the 70s) there wasn’t much literature on the topic. My style developed along TA lines, mostly because I’ve always been fascinated by how people make money in business. That makes me a listener and a researcher. I found the TA methodology in books during the 90s and that helped to round out my style and understanding of what I was about as a salesperson. Since then I’ve learned that, while I have a natural bend toward that style, it’s not always the right approach for every situation. So, provided the environment is right, I think TA can work well for both seller and buyer.
Q. Mark Ashburn, General Manager – Sales, RecruitmentSuper
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hat do you see as the W major strengths of this model?
When executed well, you get to have fearless conversations with your clients. You can ask any question you want so you will be perfectly clear about where you stand.
If long-term relationships are vital to success, TA can be a real asset because it will help you weather changes to the operating environment better. When competition is fierce, particularly on price, it will keep you in the race for longer and you will win more than your share. If you rely on advocacy to grow your business and/or you operate in a small market space, TA is a great asset because you will have a powerful reputation to leverage with decision makers.
Q.
hat are the major risks W for an organisation implementing a TA operation?
Consistency is important. If you switch on and off the methodology, the team will never get more than part way toward being TAs for your clients. That’s dangerous ground because your clients may find your people credible, but your organisation inconsistent. Considering the environment is vital: if your clients truly want a transactional relationship, and to simply buy a commodity, you will frustrate them a lot by sending out a TA team. When I’ve been in businesses where this has been the case I have found functional experts (hunters and farmers) can deliver much better results.
Q.
I s it possible to employ TA with another methodology?
Sure. Most things in life are not black and white. You just need to be mindful of the message that is received by the market if your “personality” is too diverse. One of the most valuable things I have come to know as a salesperson is that there are times when winning is not the best outcome. If a client is looking for a TA relationship and you deliver a
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
transactional model there is bound to be trouble. You won’t be able to love them the way they want to be loved, you will be perceived as impersonal and cold and the client won’t feel good about how things turn out. It’s no bed of roses the other way either – the TA team may seem too slow or too nosey to truly satisfy a client looking for a purely transactional relationship. It matters that your business and team have a style that lets your staff and clients
Integrity assured.
know exactly what you stand for and what your strengths are. Be clear about your personality. Then you just need to have the discipline to focus on the part of the market where your strengths are an asset.
It matters that your business and team have a style that lets your staff and clients know exactly what you stand for and what your strengths are.
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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
Don’t mention the “V” word Just the thought of mentioning the words “vicarious liability” scares a lot of people and it’s more pertinent in the recruitment space. Unfortunately, legal jargon can sometimes be confusing, so what we have prepared is a bit of information on what vicarious liability is and what to look for. What does vicarious liability mean? Vicarious liability is a legal term generally meaning “that an employer is vicariously liable for the negligence of an employee provided the employee was acting in the course of employment”. What people forget is that in cases where the employee has done something intentionally wrongful, the employer may still be liable. The basis of this term is that the employer is entitled to recover from the employee a contribution to any damages which the employer is liable to pay to the person injured or killed. Most importantly, it can mean that a
recruitment agency can be considered liable for the actions of temporary workers even when they have not been negligent in the recruitment process. In most circumstances, the recruitment agency could be considered ”vicariously liable” for the actions of the temporary worker.
What should I look out for? The first thing is to take out a recruitment insurance product that has been specifically tailored to suit the recruitment sector. It is best practice to avoid miscellaneous or generic Public Liability or Professional Indemnity policies because they generally fail to mention vicarious liability – and even if they do, they may contain exclusions or endorsements which may limit the terms of coverage. As a recruitment company, you need to have a policy that fully extends to include the actions of temporary workers.
How can this impact me? Not having the right cover could potentially expose you to being up for maybe not all the costs, but being held partially liable for reimbursement. On a regular basis, we are seeing new clients coming to us who have thought that all insurance cover is the same. It isn’t. When it comes to paying for a claim, the amount being sought by the third party may not cripple the business; but the legal bill surely can.
What can I do? First of all, do I have the right cover?
Will my policy respond to pick up this potential exposure if a claim occurs? The team at OAMPS are happy to oblige. If you have concerns that you are not correctly covered, we may need to revisit your current policy and look at extending it. We want to reiterate that we are not lawyers. However, as insurance professionals who not only see requests on a daily basis surrounding such concerns as vicarious liability, but also many tricky contract reviews, we repeat that you should seek professional legal advice before entering into any contract or agreement. Just to remind you, as members of the RCSA who have access to this material, we also recommend downloading the many Guidance Notes on Vicarious Liability and other insurance aspects. You could also speak to your legal partners and engage your insurance broker to kindly review contracts that may give you concern. Within the next month, OAMPS Insurance brokers will be producing a video on Vicarious Liability and Hold Harmless clauses. We hope this video may clarify some issues with members surrounding these clauses. Disclaimer – This article has been drafted by OAMPS Insurance Brokers to assist RCSA Members with a general understanding of the subject matter. This article does not purport to be an exhaustive statement of all the legal or best practice requirements in the area. It is provided to RCSA members as a guide only. Members are encouraged to obtain further advice from an appropriate professional source.
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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
“Candidate Ownership” or “Right to Represent”? The RCSA Journal publishes, verbatim, a recent Guidance Note prepared for the RCSA by Andrew Wood Hon FRCSA (Life), Barrister, Derwent and Tamar Chambers. The RCSA invites your comments. The expression, “candidate ownership” is a misnomer. No one can “own” a candidate. The expression is really a shorthand reference to some things you can own. If you are going to claim that you have “candidate ownership”, it is important to make sure that you are talking about something that you actually do own. It is also important that you have taken proper steps to secure your “ownership” of it. Relevantly to recruitment, you can “own”: • an enforceable right to represent a candidate for a specific job or jobs • an enforceable right to recruit for a specific job or jobs, or on behalf of a client generally • goodwill in your relationships with your candidates and clients • an enforceable right to protect commercial or in confidence information • legal copyright in a document or work of which you are the author • an enforceable licence to use copyright in a document or work of which someone else is the author. There are probably other things you can own as well. The emphasis is mostly on enforceability. Enforceability might arise because there is some contract in place that a court will enforce (e.g. a contract to supply your services to a client); or because of operation of law (e.g. some candidate information may be confidential). No “candidate ownership” arises simply from the fact that you won a race to get a candidate’s resume to a client ahead of anyone else.
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The mere assertion of “candidate ownership” does not entitle you to a fee. Nobody is going to decide whether you “own” a candidate or not. They might decide whether you own any of the rights we have spoken about and whether your ownership of those rights and the way you have used them entitles you to a fee. The RCSA Code does not create any entitlement to a fee. There is not an industry standard or practice of such uniform application that you can rely on it in place of a clear contractual entitlement. Your entitlement to a fee mostly depends upon your having an enforceable agreement in place, which your client has clearly accepted. It can sometimes also depend upon your complying with local laws that regulate what employment agents do. In rare cases you may have an entitlement to claim fair recompense for the value of the services you have provided. It is not the same as a contractual fee claim. As we have said, the emphasis is on enforceability. Sometimes you might appear to have some right; but it will not be enforceable – i.e. it may be impeached. • Your right to represent a candidate might be based on a trick – e.g. the candidate agreed to your representing him/her when applying on line for a job that did not exist; or which was misleadingly described; or • Your right to represent a candidate was obtained (in NSW) without disclosure of necessary matters under the Employment Service Provider provisions of the Fair Trading Act and Regulations; • Your right to represent a client was based on misleading statements about the nature and quality of your services; • Your right to represent might be asserted over too long a period of time and therefore be unenforceable under the restraint of trade doctrine. These are just some examples of how your “right” may be impeached. In some of these cases you might also be breaching a
legislative provision or committing an offence. Some of these rights may be exclusive or non-exclusive. Exclusivity does not necessarily mean that a client will have to pay only one fee to the “exclusive” agent; or that the candidate might not already have been presented to the client by means other than your representation. Example: Agency Black on-hires Jo Candidate as a temp to Client X with a twelve month temp-to-perm fee arrangement. The assignment ends. Eleven months later, Jo Candidate is placed permanently with Client X by Agency White. Assuming that both the temp contract and the recruitment contract are enforceable, Client X may be liable for two fees. It would not matter that Jo Candidate gave an enforceable promise of “exclusivity” to Agency White when agreeing to Agency White’s representation. A better expression than “candidate ownership” would be “right to represent”. A right to represent implies that you have secured three relationships and have not left them to contingent speculation: • Relationship with the client: is there an agreement that the client will acquire your services that meets the certainty requirements of the RCSA Code as well as local legal requirements? • Relationship with the candidate: do you have authority from the candidate to represent him/her and is the extent of that authority sufficiently certain to meet the requirements of the RCSA Code as well as local legal requirements? • Relationship to the job: does your right to represent extend to the specific job in respect of which the placement is made? NOTE: the RCSA Code says: Members must only advertise permanent positions for which they have permission to recruit. Members must take reasonable steps to ensure the certainty of their engagement: a. by a client to provide an employment service – extending to such matters as: i. position description and duties;
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
ii. inherent requirements of the position; iii. remuneration and conditions attaching to the position; iv. any reference, background, or suitability check required by the client to be performed in respect of the position; v. disclosure of client; vi. disclosure of candidate information, assessment or valuation; vii. agreement regarding all relevant terms of business including any guarantee; b. by a candidate – extending to agreement regarding all matters relevant to the member’s representation of the candidate. By “secured”, we mean: legally and fairly. An agency that had “skimmed” a job from a job board and submitted a resume drawn from LinkedIn, in order to “get the resume to the client first” might not have secured any of the necessary relationships. These three relationships, and the requirement that they be legally and fairly
secured in order to ground a fee claim, are reflected in the guiding principle that applies where parties to a fee dispute have voluntarily sought RCSA’s arbitration of the dispute. That principle may now be stated: The agency that created the interview that led to the job offer in respect of which the fee is claimed is entitled to the fee provided that it has not acted unlawfully or unfairly. This is not a statement of legal rights – it is only a statement of a principle that may be applied to resolve disputes where all parties to a fee dispute voluntarily agree to arbitration of the dispute and ask that only one fee be awarded. If they do not do that, they will be left to pursue their legal rights. It would be preferable that members speak, in future, about the extent of their right to represent; rather than about their “candidate ownership”.
RCSA Workforce Info Line is a new arm of RSCA Business Solutions and an additional benefit for Corporate Members. WIL is an immediate telephone advice service in the three key areas of workplace relations, work health and safety, and independent contracting. Corporate Members can phone WIL 1300 988 685. Members wishing to seek further information about all other operational matters can email: bussolutions@rcsa.com.au RCSA Memos are prepared by RCSA Business Solutions service providers to assist RCSA Members to understand factual matters which impact upon operations. Further memos are available to RCSA Members at www.rcsa.com.au Disclaimer This memo has been drafted by Andrew Wood Hon FRCSA (Life), Barrister, Derwent and Tamar Chambers, to assist RCSA Members with a general understanding of the subject matter. This memo does not purport to be an exhaustive statement of all best practice requirements in the area. It is provided to RCSA Members as a guide only.
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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
How would you like to be re What can you do to improve the general public’s perception of our industry and promote the professional standards one would expect from a specialist recruiter? The RCSA Ethics, Compliance & Risk Manager Martin Barnett reports.
Martin Barnett , RCSA Ethics, Compliance & Risk Manager
The great Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said:
“Watch your thoughts; They become words. Watch your words; They become actions. Watch your actions; They become habits. Watch your habits; They become character. Watch you character; It becomes your destiny.” Public perception of recruiters and the recruitment industry is poor enough already, so why feed this any further? Client and candidate care is crucial to your business, so why take the risk of damaging a potentially long term relationship? The risk doesn’t just stop here either … word of mouth advertising, as we all know, can be the best and worst kind of advertising; it can also be remembered for months and even years to come, as can your reputation. So what can we do to change this perception and promote the professional standards one would expect from a specialist recruiter; and what makes a recruiter both a specialist in the industry and a true professional? Let us start by considering the basics:
• Treat others as you would wish to be treated. • Communicate clearly and if necessary check for understanding, but more importantly – listen. • Consider the consequences of your thoughts, words and actions. • Stand tall, be proud and promote yourself, your business and the industry. • Don’t be afraid to challenge if you notice bad practice, and if necessary, raise it through an appropriate channel (please do not think of this as whistleblowing). • Take time to learn about your client’s business, its infrastructure and staff. • Also take time to learn about your clients and candidates, and their families. • Be personable – take time to pick up the phone and talk with them or better still, meet with them for a coffee, lunch or other social event. • Be true to your word and don’t make promises you can’t keep. • Consider raising your profile within the local community or region. As a specialist recruiter, you become a valuable resource to your clients and their business. In some instances, your business becomes an extension of your client’s business. If you understand your clients’ businesses and have truly listened, you will better understand their needs and
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RCSA JOURNAL
remembered? requirements. This enables you to provide professional and specialist advice to your client, and on occasions, educate them about the type of candidate who is better suited for the position they want to fill. “It is not always a matter of square peg for a square hole”. This leads us on to the candidate, and a point to note here is that the candidate is not your candidate1. However, that said, the relationship you have with the candidate is what will set you apart from other recruiters. A key point to remember is that a junior candidate may one day become a business leader, so building the relationship with the candidate is also critical to your business and long-term career aspirations.
How can the RCSA help you? The RCSA offers a broad range of business solutions and resources to corporate members, and our networking events are a great opportunity for all members to meet and share ideas and experiences. The RCSA also offers a number of programs to members, which can assist with career development planning and ongoing development. These include workshops, training, mentoring, continuing professional education, and the new Diploma in Management2. Additionally, the RCSA can also support businesses looking to gain certification in the RCSA’s Service Delivery Standards (SDS)3, which is one step away from ISO 9001. For more information on any of our courses, services and business
solutions, please visit our website www.rcsa.com.au or email the RCSA team at info@rcsa.com.au. The RCSA’s Code for Professional Conduct consists of eight Principles, which members and their staff must abide by: 1. Confidentiality and Privacy. 2. Honest Dealings. 3. Respect for Work Relationships. 4. Respect for Laws. 5. Respect for Safety. 6. Respect for Certainty of Engagement. 7. Professional Knowledge. 8. Good Order. These Principles can easily be applied in your day-to-day activities and interactions with clients, candidates, colleagues, members and other industry professionals, and should form part of your general business operations as a means of reducing risk, while at the same time promoting best practice and a professional image for yourself and the industry. The future of the industry is in our hands, and together we can work towards shifting the balance of public perception and promoting a professional image. So that we can continue to improve upon the support, services and solutions available to members, we encourage you to send us any ideas or concerns you have by emailing info@rcsa. com.au.
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1. Reference to Andrew Wood’s recent Guidance Note, published on page 24. 2. In conjunction with AHRI 3. Reference to SDS Case Study, pg 28-29, of RCSA Journal – Dec 2012
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27
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
Recruitment industry Predictions from Nigel Harse, Director, The RIB Report, which collects and reports on industry results.
P
reliminary results for 2012 suggest that permanent placements across most sectors will be down by around twenty per cent on 2011, according to RIB Report director, Nigel Harse. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) survey of jobs available in the internet vacancy index looks at the workplace by eight occupational groups. “For 2012, this was down 24 per cent on 2011,” Nigel continues. “So I believe there is some direct correlation between what we’re seeing in the DEEWR survey, and what we’re seeing within the RIB Report for jobs placed by the recruitment industry.” While most industry sectors appear to have softened, the health, community services, and sales professions seem to have felt it less, according to DEEWR survey data.
Geographic results
Nigel Harse, Director, The RIB Report
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RCSA JOURNAL
In terms of the geographic divide, Queensland appears to have done it tougher than most, a situation Nigel attributes to a contraction and slowdown in government hiring, and the lower demand within the brown coal sector. Western Australia felt a tightening of the belt throughout the second half of 2012, but indications suggest this market is returning to life. New South Wales and Victoria also felt a tightening, but to a lesser extent. “On a positive note, higher average placement fees have softened the blow of fewer placements,” Nigel says. “Perm sales are likely to be down by about ten per cent on 2011, which was a record year. But to put this into perspective, the last three
years have seen the average recruitment company write over $1.1 million in sales each year. This will be the case for 2012, so there’s still considerable volume in the market compared to the slump we went through with the GFC. So while the numbers are down, it’s simply a tightening in the market, which I expect will ease during the year. And to be fair, a number of recruitment companies are bucking these particular trends and growing their market share and volume regardless.”
Temp and contract sales Looking at temp and contract sales, Nigel anticipates sales to be up five per cent on 2011, but again this is being driven by higher charge rates to clients. “This trend of higher charge rates with lower margins will cause some recruitment firms a few serious problems if they aren’t careful,” he cautions. The gross profit (GP), or net disposable revenue, from contract sales for most organisations will be down on 2011. The average for 2012 will see GP as a percentage of contract or temp sales at below 14 per cent. In 2009 it was 17 per cent, which equates to an 18 per cent fall in just three years. “The impact of this trend and its cost to the bottom line is incredibly high,” Nigel says. He refers to the chart (right), which shows that if a company achieved 17 per cent return on temp and contractor sales in 2009, but had followed the industry trend of margin erosion to 13.5 per cent, the lost margin in 2012 alone is $378,000, or 26 per cent GP.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
trends 2009 RIB Avg X
Temp and contractor gross profit % return on sales
2012 RIB Avg
17%
13.5%
17%
RIB Average temp and contractor sales
$7,100,000
$10,800,000
$10,800,000
Temp and contractor gross profit
$1,207,000
$1,458,000
$1,836,000
126%
$378,000
Additional GP if remaining at 17% Y
What if X and Y had remained equal to the 2009 %?
Management and staff cost as a % of gross profit
50%
55%
50%
Management and staff cost
$603,500
$801,900
$918,000
All other cost at 30% of GP
$362,100
$437,400
$550,800
Profit
$241,400
$218,700
$367,200
Variance to 2012 RIB Avg
168%
Costs
Perm volatility
Continuing on the topic of trends, Nigel is concerned about the next trend that creeps up and eats into profitability: management and staffing costs. In 2009, the average company spent fifty per cent of GP on management and staffing cost. After edging up for three years, the RIB average in 2012 will have reached to 58 per cent. Best practice suggests this should be no more than 42 per cent. Unsustainability and danger sit at sixty per cent. “As the chart shows, had we managed to maintain temp and contract GP at 17 per cent of sales, and management and staffing costs at fifty per cent of GP, the combined impact is a sensational 68 per cent improvement in profitability. “By getting on top of these two factors, which are definitely under your control, you can impact the bottom line so significantly that you’re no longer dependent on fluctuations in the market for increased profitability – regardless of whether we’re in a good market or a bad market. The sooner recruiters address these issues, the better their results will be in 2013.”
Nigel expects the perm market to remain a little volatile, but improve towards the end of the year. “Six months of political uncertainty will keep the volatility in play. Once the election is over, hopefully the perm market will start to improve.” However, he believes the temp and contract market has definitely stabilised in the last five to six months and expects slow growth from February with improving demand throughout 2013. “My predictions are based on the fact that there’s more optimism about a recovery in the global economy which is driven by improving economic data from the US and China, as well as a few less clouds over Europe. “So I think overall that’s slightly better than it was last year and I’m cautiously optimistic about 2013.”
Are you and your NZ Insurance Consultant Broker on Recruitment the same page?
Recruitment Firm’s Advertisement breached the Advertising Standards Code 9 October 2001
Recruitment firmswhatUnjustifiably Dismissed. Time to revisit exactly you’re covered for don’t you think? fined for boycotting 7 January 2008 Recruitment agency Consultant discloses Recruitment rivalRecruitment 30 SeptemberFirm’s 2009 applicant's email address to other Advertisement breached the Unjustifiably Dismissed August 2008 email recipients Advertising Standards 7 January, 2008 Recruitment Agency Code 2001 puts 9 October, forward Recruitment Company recommends Recruitment Agency puts candidate now convicted fraudster for $75,000 job Recruitment firms 12 February forward 2004 candidate now facing facing and needfraud more checks fraud and dishonesty charges Recruitment firms need more dishonesty 8 May,charges 2002 (Posted kiwiblog.co.nz) posted kiwiblog.co.nz checks May 08, 24 2002 November, 2008 November 24, 2008 Recruitment Company recommends Recruitment Are you and yconvicted our Insurance Broker on the sfirms ame pfined age? fraudster for $75,000 job for boycotting rival Time to revisit exactly what you’re covered for don’t you
12 February, 2004
30 September, 2009
think?
Insurance Specialists for Recruitment Agencies www.i2ibrokers.co.nz Contact Kirsty@i2ibrokers.co.nz
march 2013
29
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
If your clients have quality management, why don’t you? How many of your clients have quality management systems in place? Do you have your own quality management system in place? Why could it be beneficial to do so? Dianne Gibert has some answers.
What is a quality management system? A quality management system is the formal planning, monitoring and management of a business. It means that a business has identified its objectives and works toward achieving those objectives. It monitors performance and takes action to implement improvements as necessary so that objectives can be better met. This may not be very different from the way you run your own business. If there is a difference, it is often that the quality management system is formal and systematic, as opposed to being driven by individuals. Often the difference can be that a quality management system is documented and actions recorded, as opposed to being stored in someone’s head.
O
ne of the requirements in quality management is that your suppliers have themselves established a quality system. It makes sense – if your business offers a product to the market that includes a component prepared by another business, you would want to be sure that your product is not let down by that component. Imagine if you designed, developed and sold a clever new food processing unit, only to find that the engine component, made by a supplier, kept blowing up. Despite your great design, your product won’t function well! Imagine that you manage IT and other projects and find out that your project managers don’t have the right skills or experience. If those project managers have been supplied by a recruitment agency you would not be too happy with the recruitment agency! It is plain good business sense to monitor the standards of suppliers. It is also a specific requirement of a quality management system. This is one of the reasons that quality management is often a requirement in tenders. How many of your clients have quality management systems in place? Do you have a quality management system in place?
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RCSA JOURNAL
There are eight principles which underpin a quality management system, which include top management commitment and leadership, customer focus, a systematic and process oriented approach to managing activities and continuous improvement. Most businesses will probably have some or all of these principles already embodied in the way they work – perhaps some to a greater extent than others.
The quality flow Another way to view quality management is in terms of the “quality flow”. We have summarised the core elements of quality management into this simple seven step approach. Effective change rarely occurs in a business without management commitment; everything starts here. Then the objectives
should be defined – are you seeking to achieve customer satisfaction, or reduce rework such as calls on guarantees, or increase customer retention – or all of these? The policies and
procedures to achieve these objectives should be clearly defined. Usually this means they should be documented, but not always. Make sure staff understand what is required of them and monitor how well they, and the business overall, performs against the objectives. Finally, management meetings are a vehicle for reviewing how well everything is going and for making decisions on improvement opportunities. Again, this is a fairly standard approach to good business management. This may already be the basis of your own business approach to management. Sure, there are some other elements in a complete quality management system that you will need to address such as document controls and a quality policy. But these other elements should not detract from the basic approach to quality management; they should be seen as “enablers”, that is, things which help to implement and maintain an effective and sustainable quality system.
How can this benefit my business? There are many benefits of an effective quality management system. Firstly, it can provide you with a higher level of planning and control over how your business runs.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES
New Zealand Health and Safety Guidelines for on-hire employees It can be a means to really understand what happens in your business now, and to introduce changes and improvements as needed. It can provide a greater clarity of requirements and responsibilities both of your staff, and also makes it easier for your clients and candidates to understand what you do and how you work. If this is happening, the tangible results should include a higher quality and consistency of services, and a lower level of errors. Your clients and candidates will be very pleased with this result.
Where can I find out more about quality management? There are many courses available and specialist consultants who can assist. Certex offers both online webinars on quality as it applies to recruitment agencies, and workshops. Many businesses look to the quality standards for guidance on what is required. These standards include the AS/NZS ISO 9001 Quality Management System, an international standard, and the RCSA Service Delivery Standard, which is the standard developed for the recruitment industry in Australia and New Zealand. Businesses that are independently assessed against these standards may receive recognition as certified businesses. Look around you, particularly at your own client base, to see how many of your clients have a quality management system in place. Note how many tenders are now asking for this as a requirement. Look at your own management practices and assess what you already have in place, and what gaps there might be. This can be a challenging exercise, but very well worthwhile.
Dianne Gibert is the founder of Certex International and Fathom Business Architects, which has been the certification manager for the RCSA Service Delivery Standard since 2004. Dianne has more than twenty years’ experience as a management consultant specialising in quality management and performance improvement. Certex International is accredited through JAS-ANZ to provide certification services to the recruitment industry in ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems. www.certex.com.au.
When clients need an on-hire worker, the last thing they need is an injury. The last thing you need is to find out that your insurance policy won’t protect you, writes Kirsty Young of i2i, based in New Zealand. The employment relationship between agencies and their contract employees is different from the normal employer/ employee relationship. The difference is that you (the recruitment agency) don’t employ people to carry out work for your company, but for your clients. You don’t supervise the work that the employee will be doing or control their workspace. Consequently some of you out there believe that obligations of employers don’t apply to you. So the unique nature of the on-hire industry has brought with it the publication of the Health and Safety Guidelines (New Zealand). This article explains how these “unique challenges” affect the cover (if any) that will be provided by your insurance policies – yes, that’s right – these guidelines affect more than just one policy. The HSE Act is about making work activities safe and healthy for everyone connected with them and does this by assigning responsibilities to all people connected with the work activity and your responsibility as the agency providing on-hire employees (“temps”) is not diminished because you don’t have direct control over the day-today work practices or workplaces where on-hire employees are sent to work. Under the Act, you are required to take all practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of the temp while on assignment (Section 6), even though you have no control over the work environment. You also have an obligation to: • identify and take steps to manage hazards in your client’s workplace • provide candidates who can work safely • ensure the candidates are fully informed of their safety rights and responsibilities (including their right to refuse and how to handle a tricky situation) • ensure they have the use of the right gear • provide ongoing safety systems. The most obvious issue is your potential to be fined for breaching Section 6 of the HSE Act. The standard Statutory Liability policy is designed to respond to breaches in
connection with the business of the insured (in this instance “recruitment services”). However, any fine would be in relation to your candidate on your client’s site which means that the business of the insured would be the business activities of your client, not yours. So how would your Statutory Liability policy respond? You’ll be unpleasantly surprised to know that standard market policies would exclude a claim of this nature. Have you also thought for a moment that your failure to follow through on your responsibilities could be a breach of duty owed by you and as a result a claim can be brought against your Professional Indemnity policy for negligence? Quite possibly yes, unless your Professional Indemnity policy has an “obligation to employees” exclusion which means that the policy will exclude claims owed by you as an employer and a breach of duty in this instance would be a breach of duty owed to your employees so by all accounts, you’re not covered. And what about if your candidate suffered bodily injury while on a client site and sues you for punitive and exemplary damages for failing to provide them a safe working environment? Your atypical Employers Liability policy would not help you here for similar reasons to the atypical Statutory Liability policy – and that is because the business of the insured (you) is a recruitment agency not the activities of the client’s business where your candidate was placed plus, the definition of employee under the Employers Liability policy is restricted to a person directly employed by you (the agency) in the business shown on the policy schedule (recruitment agency). Working a temp desk carries a unique set of insurance requirements that are not typically covered under your standard Professional Indemnity, Employers Liability and Statutory Liability policies. You need to ensure that your policies are updated to accommodate these potential (and real) exposures you face. Acknowledgements: Health and Safety Guidelines for the On-hire Industry 2003 Publication. Members please note: This article is written for New Zealand readers.
march 2013
31
Association news
New RCSA Director B
ob Olivier FRCSA has recently been appointed to the Board of the RCSA. Bob has nearly twenty years of recruitment experience. He helped form Olivier Group in 1991 and joined as an Executive Director in 1993. As a Chartered Accountant with ten years’ experience in finance, there is no surprise that he specialised in accounting and finance where his technical knowledge and networks proved invaluable. The Olivier Group was ranked a BRW Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Company five years in succession. Bob is, however, best known for creation of the Olivier (subsequently Advantage) Job Index which was the first measure of online jobs in Australia. It was the first research of its kind to provide detailed sectoral analysis. While the research was primarily aimed to benefit clients and candidates, it accrued an enormous following within the recruitment industry, among careers advisors, academia, economists and business commentators. It was even used by the Reserve Bank of Australia and, from 2006 until 2011 Bob served as a member of the Reserve Bank’s Business Liaison Group. Bob enjoyed a high profile in print, online, and on radio, and made more than fifty television appearances to discuss the Australian employment
landscape. In 2011 he was a finalist in the RCSA’s inaugural Outstanding Contribution Award. In September 2008, Olivier Group was sold to Advantage Professional where, after a successful transition, Bob was made Director, Global Market Intelligence. His primary role was to develop job indices for Advantage Resourcing globally. In 2011, Bob established HRO2 Research, a firm that specialises in employment research and data analytics. He is currently working on a new series of job indices that measure demand for staff in Australia and around the world. Bob brings to the RCSA many years’ experience in the oversight of professional associations. He was a member of AHRI’s Recruitment and Retention Special Interest Group for many years and served on their NSW Council for two years. For ten years, Bob was a member of the ICAEW Sydney City Group, serving as Chairman from 2003 to 2005. As Bob says he is a “glutton” for volunteering, enjoying the camaraderie and knowledge-sharing of other board members and the executive. He looks forward to becoming involved in influencing the strategic development of the recruitment industry in such challenging times and putting something back in to the profession. His goal
is to see the industry enjoy the same respect afforded to lawyers, accountant and other professional service providers. And why not? Outside Bob Olivier FRCSA business Bob has been married to Helen Olivier (FRCSA) for 26 years who, he says, taught him everything he knows in recruitment! They have two “children” Lucy (22) and Michael (16) who share their parents’ energy and enthusiasm. Having hung up the soccer boots at the tender age of 44, Bob now plays golf and tennis and has recently taken up yoga which, he says, he wishes he had taken up years ago as it’s so good for the body, mind and soul and helps enormously in balancing work and life priorities.
RCSA never rests when it comes to Continuous Improvement
W
hile the focus upon the on-hire sector over recent years has dissipated when it comes to regulator enforcement of work safety and workplace relations, the RCSA knows that this does not mean we, as an industry, can slow down in our push for continuous improvement. It has been great to see government and industry alike, understanding the valuable contribution the on-hire sector makes to the Australian economy. While there will always be those, such as unions and union sympathetic academics, who are ideologically opposed to anything other than full time permanent employment, we have seen a real shift in the respect for the on-hire sector. With this change in focus, away from the on-hire sector, the RCSA is presented with the challenge of continuing to focus on
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RCSA JOURNAL
how to pursue ongoing improvement. The RCSA continues to push for assistance in driving change and it now appears that government and regulators are increasingly relying upon RCSA to drive that change. This is a welcome move toward greater industry leadership recognition. A case in point is the recent invitation from WorkSafe Victoria to facilitate an on-hire sector symposium on work health and safety in April 2013. RCSA has been asked to assemble a group of leading on-hire firms, host organisations and unions relating to work safety, to develop a pathway for the next few years. Invitations such as these are exciting for RCSA in that it signals a shift toward recognising the sector, and the association, as leaders, rather than followers. These opportunities align with similar approaches taken with the education of
host organisations in workplace relations compliance through the Fair Work Ombudsman. Of course, none of these initiatives would be possible without the ongoing focus of the RCSA Working Groups and the RCSA issues management team. Any member who would like to join a RCSA Working Group should contact RCSA and express an interest. Currently, RCSA has working groups for Safety and Risk, Workplace Relations, Immigration and Independent Contracting. These working groups are integral to policy formation, the provision of evidence supporting representations to government and the creation of new initiatives to ensure we, as a peak body, never rest. Charles Cameron, Executive Director, FCB HR.
Association news
Latest Individual Membership survey identifies your needs The RCSA surveys its Individual members for one very important reason – to know what your needs are so we can serve you better. The latest survey shows that professionalism and ethics still rank top in your priorities.
“91% of respondents would recommend RCSA Individual membership to a colleague.”
act as “ambassadors” and encourage your employees to take up Individual membership. Forty-three per cent of respondents joined through the complimentary offer made to Corporate members in 2011. Of Individual members, 61% received employer subsidised membership – this is up from 45% in 2010.
Perceived value Here’s what you ranked as the top four RCSA Individual membership benefits: • Demonstrated commitment to the Code for Professional Conduct • Keeping up to date with key developments and issues • Access to information that assists in performing to the highest standard • Support for the development of knowledge and skills. There has been a solid increase in the perception of Individual membership value with changes made or as a result of your feedback in the 2010 survey: 25% of respondents indicated their membership is “extremely valuable”, a figure we hope to increase with response to your latest feedback.
Reasons for being a member
The survey showed that our members love their work with 95% of respondents advising they are committed to a long term career as a recruitment professional. A total of 78% also advised they are satisfied to very satisfied with their current employer.
Completing the survey More people completed the individual survey this year (up 29% on 2010) so it’s great to see your engagement with your Association has increased. Of the people who completed the survey, 61% were female and 39% male. Most respondents were from either Victoria, NSW or New Zealand.
How you joined Sixty per cent of respondents became aware of the RCSA through their employer – thanks to our Corporate members who
1. Being able to demonstrate your commitment to high professional standards is the number one reason for being an Individual member: indicated by 77% of respondents, so the message is very clear! 2. Keeping up to date with developments and issues was rated second in both surveys 3. Accessing information to help you perform your role was third in both surveys. The results also tell us that: • 91% of respondents would recommend RCSA Individual membership to a colleague • 74% ranked the RCSA Code for Professional Conduct as “high value” • 70% find RCSA membership helpful to career development • 60% display their post nominals • 48% use the RCSA logo • 55% display their certificate. These members display their professionalism and membership with pride – make sure you do too!
Into the future The RCSA will take on board member suggestions for going forward: 1. Greater support for New Zealand 2. Code enforcement – the process needs improved communication and the RCSA will work to make this easily understood 3. Regional events – the RCSA will do our best to host events in regional areas 4. Increase members’ client awareness of RCSA – we are working on a suite of documents to help with client awareness. 5. Communications – event announcements were most popular (42%) followed by Newshub and the website. Overall, 74 per cent said the communications level was just right.
Rating RCSA performance Overall, RCSA performance was up in three ratings sections on the last survey: • Good: 36 % up to 40% • Very good: 23% up to 30% • Excellent: 2% up to 11%.
The message to your clients and candidates is also clear… The message is clear – tell your clients and candidates to always use a RCSA Member. Take advantage of your RCSA Membership: • Always attach your post nominal to your surname • Use your Individual Member logo on your business cards and email footer • Display your member certificate in your office • Tell your clients and candidates that you are an Accredited Individual Member of the RCSA, committed to the highest professional standards. If you are not currently an Individual member of the RCSA, join 2,000 other professionals and become a member today. Join now to receive three months’ free membership*. Contact the RCSA membership team on +61 3 9663 0555 or visit www.rcsa.com.au today for more information. *Offer ends 31 May 2013.
march 2013
33
Association news
Member Groups ANR A
Innovation leads discussion about the future healthcare workforce
W
hat factors will influence Australia’s future healthcare workforce? Simon Schweigert from the ANRA Secretariat attended Inspire 2012, Reshaping Australia’s Healthcare Workforce on November 13 and 14 in Melbourne. Innovation and patient focused outcomes were at the centre of discussion about the future of Australia’s healthcare workforce during Inspire 2012, Reshaping Australia’s Healthcare Workforce, held on November 13 and 14 in Melbourne. Organised by Health Workforce Australia, the conference challenged healthcare planners to come to grips with increasing demand, projected workforce shortfalls and the need to rethink how we educate, retain and incentivise Australia’s healthcare workforce. Mike Woods, Deputy Chair of the Australian Productivity Commission noted the cost of funding healthcare in Australia was unsustainable and required a review of the current workforce incentives to achieve the best mix of skills in order to meet the changing needs of patients, and attract workers to engage in the longer term to achieve a more even distribution of the workforce. Structural adjustments to roles and duties such as task shifting were discussed and identified as providing significant improvements in productivity. It was however acknowledged these reforms are the most difficult to implement as changes were far reaching and required cultural as well as structural change. Flexible working arrangements and innovative pathways to better distribute the healthcare workforce are seen as key ingredients in meeting future demand. Flexibility was also seen as an important incentive to retaining the healthcare workforce and providing opportunities to develop life long careers in healthcare. This aligns closely with ANRA’s belief that the medium to long-term sustainability
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RCSA JOURNAL
of Australia’s healthcare workforce relies heavily on putting in place innovative practices that keep trained and experienced staff working in healthcare which provides the best outcomes for patients and workers alike. Healthcare reform is a global imperative. Professor Jim Buchan, HWA’s Specialist Advisor Human Resources for Health, noted that healthcare is a labour intensive business but that Australia is well placed to embark on concentrated reform of the healthcare workforce as a key tool to meeting future demand. While reform of the healthcare system in a post GFC environment such as the United Kingdom is presently focused on one-hit large scale cost reductions of 20 billion pounds primarily from workforce costs, Professor Buchan noted Australia was fortunate to be in a better position and ready to get its teeth into innovative change through implementing a range of options. The ability of available education and training to teach and motivate the nations’ healthcare workforce to exceed expectations in their delivery of high quality care was a recurring theme during the two day conference. A number of experts called for a rethink of education structures and more specifically the relationships that exist between health services and the VET sector in producing the right mix of skills to meet these evolving workforce needs. Budgets and finite funding will continue to place pressure on the delivery of health services in Australia. While a perpetual focus will remain on achieving reform through the reduction of costs for healthcare delivery, the generational challenge will be to adopt innovative approaches that enrich the patient experience and ensure a robust and sustainable healthcare system for the future generations of Association of Nursing Australians.
anra
Recruitment Agencies
2013 Agency Nurses Scholarship ME Bank, in partnership with the Australian Nurses Federation and ANRA, is providing ANRA Nurses, Midwives, Assistants in Nursing and Personal Care Workers with the opportunity to access Continuing Professional Development (CPD) through a new CPD Scholarship Program. The scholarship encourages the highest standards and professional skill in clinical practice for nurses employed by ANRA member agencies. Applicants will be asked to identify how their chosen activity will assist in advancing their professional skills and improve an area of practice. Applications, which are open to all healthcare staff working with an ANRA member agency for greater than 12 months, close 31 June. Information is available from the ANRA website.
ANRA Update ANRA Council has rolled out the new ANRA website. Feedback from members has been great with the ease of access to information rated highly by members. The website is available at: www.rcsa.com.au/ imis15/anra/ Please save this url to your favourites as ANRA will post all updates and information through the website in the first instance. So please check back regularly. The first ANRA Member meeting for 2013 was held in Melbourne on 22 February. Future meetings are: New Zealand on Friday 31 May, Sydney for the ANRA Industry Forum on Friday 23 August and to bring 2013 to a close, Brisbane on Friday 15 November.
Association news
A mranz ECFMG: The Australian Medical Council (AMC) invited AMRANZ to a presentation for recruitment agencies by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) senior staff members visiting Australia. The presentation covered the ECFMG International Credentials Services (EICS) verification processes, and also answered participants’ questions. The International Credentials Services of the ECFMG serves international organisations and authorities involved in medical registration, licensing and assessment by obtaining primary source verification of the medical education and registration credentials of medical graduates who completed their medical education outside their jurisdictions. The AMC uses the services of the EICS to verify the qualifications of all international medical graduates applying to it under any of its assessment pathways. EICS verification is mandated under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 (National Law) for all IMGs seeking registration in any category in Australia. Following on from this, Zuzette Van Vuuren, Manager, Assessment Services Support, AMC agreed to present at the AMRANZ CPE Program in Melbourne in March to highlight the processes and answer questions from members.
IMGs: AMRANZ Councillor Rob Embury attended the International Medical Graduates (IMG) Committee Meeting with the Medical Board of Australia. The main agenda item for this meeting was a proposal to review the specialist pathway. A nationally uniform assessment process for IMGs was implemented from 1 July 2008. This was an initiative of the Council of Australian Governments and resulted in the establishment of three nationally consistent assessment pathways for IMGs: Competent authority pathway, Standard pathway and Specialist pathway. All IMGs who apply for limited registration for postgraduate training or supervised practice or limited registration for area of need are required to fulfil the requirements of one of the pathways. Broadly, the specialist pathway is available to specialists who qualified outside of Australia. There are two types of assessment: Comparability assessment – The IMG’s qualifications, training and experience are assessed against those of an Australian qualified specialist. The specialist medical college can assess the IMG as being substantially comparable, partially comparable or not comparable Area of need assessment – If a specialist IMG is applying to work in an area of need, the specialist college will assess whether the IMG is able to meet the service requirements for that particular position.
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Some colleges conduct a comparability assessment at the time that they assess for suitability to practise in a specific position in an area of need. Specialist assessment involves a number of agencies. In brief, the current process includes: 1. IMGs initially apply for specialist assessment via the AMC. The AMC acts as a clearing house for primary source verification of documents and ensures all documentation is complete 2. Once the documentation is complete, the AMC sends the documentation to the relevant college which assesses the IMG and provides advice to the AMC 3. After the IMG has been assessed, he/she can apply to the Board for registration. Detailed information on the requirements of the specialist pathway can be found on the AMC website at www.amc.org.au. Submission: AMRANZ also made a submission on behalf of its members to NSW Health in response to their call for feedback to the draft request for tender for PORA in NSW.
Find us online at:
march 2013
35
Association news
In the media In the last quarter the RCSA distributed four media releases and achieved excellent coverage. Media releases
Sponsorship opportunities in 2013 Would you like to demonstrate your support of RCSA to Corporate and Individual members and their guests? There are excellent sponsorship opportunities still available at these member events: • April Breakfast Series Australia: 11, 18, 19 April • 2013 Golf Challenge Melbourne: 1 May • May Member Networking New Zealand: 22, 23, 28 May • May Breakfast Series New Zealand: 14, 15, 16 May • May Breakfast Series Australia: 8, 9, 16, 22, 23 May • 2013 Gala Ball Sydney: 30 May 2013 • June Member Networking Australia: 25, 26, 27 June • 2013 International Conference Gold Coast: 28-30 August. For information about sponsorship opportunities (including becoming a Premium Supporter) in both Australia and New Zealand, as well as sponsoring these events, please contact Julie Morrison, RCSA Manager, Marketing & Communications. Tel +61 9663 0555 or email jmorrison@rcsa.com.au
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RCSA JOURNAL
• 2013 RCSA Award Nominations now open • Labour hire safety performance way ahead in Victorian claims data once again • RCSA announces new appointment to Board • RSCA pathways lead to University qualifications.
Media coverage • Link value with pricing in tender negotiations • Most mature aged job seekers dissatisfied with recruiters
• Top tips on how to get headhunted • RCSA launches Diploma of Management • Recruitment processes pose major barrier to mature-age workers • Bob Olivier appointed to RCSA Board • RCSA calling for award nominations • Victorian on-hire workers comp claims fall • ManpowerGroup executive joins Recruitment Systems • Popular RCSA breakfast returns in 2013.
Business Solutions Memos & Guidance Notes In the last quarter, the RCSA issued 19 separate Business Solutions Memos and Guidance Notes for Corporate members. • Candidate ownership or right to represent • What to do when a competitor makes an approach to acquire your business • Contractors v employees: who are you hiring? • Employment contract – permanent maximum term (recruitment staff) – updated • 10 assertions for paper-free candidate registration • Restraint case strikes at the heart of recruitment contracts • Greens Bill designed to curb on-hire casual employment • South Australia takes the nation a step closer to work health and safety harmonisation
• Federal government begins process of harmonising Australian anti-discrimination law • Employment contract – permanent (recruitment staff) AUS Revised • Are you making the most of novated leases? • 20 tips to greening your business • Victorian construction industry portable long service leave levy clarified • The Fair Work Amendment (Transfer of Business) Bill 2012 • The case for pre-testing candidates prior to the interview • How to guide – how to provide feedback • Are you doing enough to prevent workplace bullying? • A strategic imperative – data is gold • Specific not global provisions may be what’s called for when protecting confidential information.
RCSA RESEARCH CENTRE
Association news
How to win a sole supply deal
H
ow do you win a sole supply deal? An article in Shortlist late last year showed that a combination of trust, strategic thinking and good account management are fundamental for recruitment companies to win any PSA deal. “These were exactly the considerations used by Hilton Australasia in evaluating providers in its recent tender for a sole supply deal, according to the hotel chain’s regional HR director Richard Todd,” the article reported. The deal went to specialist hospitality recruitment company VIP Personnel after reviewing 18 potential providers. The hotel chain’s regional HR director Richard Todd told Shortlist that they had provided clear criteria based on what they’d worked with in the past. “… If we go to an agency, how quick are they to respond? Do we get quantity or quality of candidates? And how long does that process take? However, although in the past the Hilton told Shortlist that it took an average 136 days
to fill management level vacancies, staff turnover was approximately 15 per cent at management level so they didn’t have high volume vacancies. The article reported that Richard Todd said that they didn’t want to be bombarded with a whole lot of candidates hoping clients would pick the right one. He said he might as well go to market himself if that was the case. “We’re not trying to attract volume. It’s about the quality of the people and the likelihood of them being successful in our organisation,” he told Shortlist. Richard Todd also told Shortlist it was important to the Hilton that people who were recruiting for it knew its business well, and it eventually decided on VIP due to the level of trust it had established with Hilton’s HR directors. He also singled out the work of senior VIP recruiter Tony Murphy, one of Australia’s most experienced hospitality recruiters, the article said. With thanks to Shortlist.
RCSA Member Benefits Accor Hotels Accor’s Away on Business Program will always offer you ten per cent off the best available unrestricted rate at more than 1,600 hotels worldwide including Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel and Mercure and five per
cent off the best available unrestricted rate at Ibis and All Seasons hotels. Visit your RCSA Member Benefits website for more information. Alternatively call Accor Reservations on 1300 65 65 65 and quote company Accor ID code SC743602190.
Direct Connection – special offers for RCSA members The RCSA Direct Connection program gives members exclusive offers from RCSA supporters. Visit the membership/ Direct Connection section of the RCSA website.
New special offers: • InsideTrak: Free enhancements to your public page. • Secured Signing: Enjoy an exclusive free branded online registration form. Are you a RCSA supporter who’d like to be part of the program? Please contact the RCSA office on +61 3 9663 0555.
Adelaide Advertiser continues support in 2013 The Adelaide Advertiser and its CareerOne liftout are proud supporters of the RCSA in South Australia and pleased to continue their support to RCSA members in 2013. Their tailored SA Solution Packs can help deliver employment opportunities and your brand to more than eighty per cent of the state’s population. To find out how you can find the best people in SA with their newspapers contact Dimity Gill, Group Sales Manager – CareerOne, Advertiser Newspapers Pty Limited, Dimity.gill@ news.com.au +61 8 8206 2562.
*Terms & conditions apply.
Thrifty Car Rental Through Thrifty Car Rental, RCSA members have access to exclusive rates on Australia’s most diverse range of cars, trucks, buses, 4WDs and luxury vehicles. Members also receive substantially reduced Compulsory Premium Protection on cars and
trucks only applicable when booking on your exclusive member rates. Visit your RCSA Member Benefits website for more information, online quotes and booking details or call Thrifty on 1300 367 227 and quote your Corporate Discount (CD) Number: 4908003563.
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Association news
Life Member Profile
Reg Maxwell M y first business in 1964 was an insurance brokerage; in 1966 I started Allstaff as a second business and in 1967 I sold my insurance interest to concentrate on Allstaff, thereby becoming the first in Brisbane to do nothing but employment and also the only male running an employment business. It was a fairly new industry, so Allstaff chalked up a number of “firsts” starting in 1968 when we were the first to send a written resume with every candidate, including candidates for industrial jobs. The early seventies boom peaked in 1973 with unemployment around one per cent so good candidates were more than scarce; from July through September I ran the first-ever TV campaign to attract candidates. It was successful, but attracted too many new jobs – more than thirty a day. Every job order was confirmed in writing, so we had to get a couple of temps in to help.
The Brisbane flood In January 1974, Allstaff had 25 staff with offices in the CBD, Fortitude Valley and Moorooka, plus a part-time office in the city of Ipswich. The business was built by door-knocking all the industrial areas so we had a great many small clients. This avoided the possibility of losing a major client along with a measurable percentage of my business – a good idea until the industrial areas went under! The flood coincided with the start of a four-year recession in Brisbane; however, because of the devastation it caused, we weren’t able to see the early signs of recession. None of our offices were damaged, so it was several weeks before we began to realise how badly we had been hit; at first we expected business to start recovering by March but when that didn’t happen retrenchments were necessary, so Allstaff went from three offices with 25 staff down to one office with just five staff – an eighty per cent reduction. The full impact was brought home when we checked our client lists against the new telephone book and found that 673 were no longer listed. Additionally, we had no orders
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RCSA JOURNAL
from over four hundred others until 1977/78. So in that one weekend, I lost nearly eleven hundred clients, although some did eventually return. I rebuilt with the focus on winning major accounts, which took time and a lot of effort but it succeeded eventually and some of our old clients returned as the industrial areas recovered. In 1982, Geoff Hall of Work Desk launched the first electronic system for the recruitment industry and Allstaff was his first customer, thereby becoming the first in the industry to computerise. Executive Relocations: one day in 1985 I received a call from our major client asking if we could provide assistance to families of executives transferred into Brisbane. That was the start of a new business, the first of its type in Brisbane, which we named Executive Relocations, later changed to Relocations Queensland. It continues today under that name. In 1986, the Queenstate Nursing Service was launched with Philomena Paradise RN as a partner managing the operational side. We were the first nursing agency in the state that made no charge to nurses: the others charged fees to nurses and kept fees to hospitals incredibly low, so we couldn’t hope to make a profit until we forced the others to stop charging nurses and raise their fees to a sensible level, which took much longer than anticipated. In October 1990, Westpac was in panic mode because of enormous losses due to irresponsible lending to people like Alan Bond, who later went to jail for his criminal activities. When I called on a pre-arranged line of credit not only was it not available but Westpac gave me 21 days to repay existing loans. Since re-financing was not an option in the depth of the worst recession in living memory I had three weeks to sell Allstaff or be forced into bankruptcy. Fortunately, Western Personnel could see the underlying value and I managed to hold off the bank until the sale was finalised. The price was fair in those conditions, but two years later it would have been at least four
times greater. I managed Allstaff plus Western’s existing business for the next 18 months. In 1992, Allstaff-Western became the first in the industry to have a Quality Management System certified by Standards Australia When I sold Allstaff I retained the other businesses, but they were still in the development stage, so in 1992/3 I obtained relevant qualifications and started a business consultancy practice specialising in management systems, with an emphasis on quality management. I employed a senior consultant to handle most of the general work while I concentrated on the recruitment industry. I developed a training program in Quality Management for owners and managers of recruitment businesses which I delivered regularly in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and once in Adelaide. I also worked with a number of recruitment businesses in the eastern states on the development and implementation of a Certified Quality Management System. In 1995 Queenstate Nursing Service won the Telstra Small Business Award for Quality. We built Queenstate to a major operation in Brisbane with a full branch on the Gold Coast before we sold to a multi-national in 1998 and I moved to Tasmania. We enjoy our lifestyle on two acres overlooking the Huon estuary, which is over a kilometre wide here, with a range of hills and the Hartz Mountains in the distance. We inherited well-established gardens with a variety of trees, camellias, rhododendrons, roses, many bulb flowers and several citrus trees, to which I have added a “fruit salad” orchard and a greenhouse for tomatoes etc. We have three children and nine grandchildren and we enjoy their visits. We also have two standard poodles. My wife Ann has returned to her first love, retailing, and has the best handbag and fashion accessories shop in Tasmania, located in Kingston. I look after the administration, advertising etc, and help out in the shop as needed. My current project is to develop our website into a proper online outlet – have a look at www.arcadiaaccessories.com
New Zealand Update RCSA New Zealand President: Paul Robinson, Director New Zealand, Randstad, reviews the current situation.
Paul Robinson, RCSA NZ President and Director of Randstad New Zealand
T
he year 2013 has started off with a bang as organisations across New Zealand continue to navigate the unique challenge of managing a business through a two-speed economy. If the last two years have been about building the platform for future success, then 2013 is the time for focus, discipline, attention to detail and steady progress in order to achieve what you set out to create. The impact of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake continues to have an effect and this, combined with a maturing workforce
and a relatively weak job market, has meant that New Zealand employers have had to work particularly hard to place their organisation in a position of growth. As we embark on a New Year, now is not the time to let these gains slip away. From a human capital standpoint, focus and discipline will be essential in 2013 in order to navigate your organisation through the challenges that lie on the horizon. While increasing workforce performance and productivity will remain the top human capital challenge in 2013, retaining top performers and attracting new talent will become increasingly important as New Zealand companies plan for their next phase of growth. Talent shortages are set to become increasingly prominent, as employers look to recruit from an ever-depleting pool of talent. What employers can increasingly expect to see in 2013 is a growing competitiveness in the labour force as people once again look for new and alternate ways to progress their careers. Randstad’s recent World of Work report highlights the likelihood of the labour force leaving current positions in the next 12 months – with almost two-thirds stating their intent to find a new role: a figure that has almost doubled on the same period last year. Allied to this is the recent Randstad Workmonitor Report which highlights New Zealanders’ renewed optimism about the country’s economic situation, their belief that their organisation is performing well financially, and the expectation that this will continue to improve in 2013.
1 network Fairfax Employment
With the wider workforce displaying this renewed sense of optimism and mobility, the onus is on employers who are looking to attract this talent, to establish and maintain a strong employer brand. This is particularly pertinent for organisations with limited resources who are unable to compete on remuneration packages alone. Retaining talented employees should be viewed as the most important issue that New Zealand companies need to tackle in 2013, as top performing talent are the backbone of every successful company. Organisations need to create an environment in which employees are given the opportunity to flourish, up-skill and continue their development, so they can remain committed and content and allow their organisations to grow and develop in return.
Paul Robinson As Director of Randstad New Zealand, Paul Robinson is passionate about providing superior recruitment and HR services to businesses throughout the country and making that perfect match with the right employee and the right employer. Paul has a wealth of experience in recruitment consulting and senior management across multiple disciplines, working with a range of impressive brands over the years across many industry sectors in both New Zealand and the UK. Randstad is one of the world’s largest recruitment and HR services providers, employing more than 570,000 people every day with the aim of “shaping the world of work”.
8.7 million potential employees
*
Reach this talent by using our tailored solutions. Call 1300 799 337. *Source: Roy Morgan Research, December 2012.
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Association news
RCSA Partners and Premium Supporters The RCSA Supporters Program, launched in November 2010, provides a tangible and strong connection to the recruitment industry. Becoming a RCSA Supporter sends a message of commitment to the recruitment industry to your existing and prospective clients. You can use the RCSA Supporter program to expand your profile, grow networks and
improve business opportunities with the recruitment, on-hire and workforce consulting sector. The RCSA is proud to welcome the organisations listed below to the Supporters Program, led by Principal Partner RecruitmentSuper and Business Partner OAMPS Insurance Brokers Ltd.
RCSA Premium Supporter & Principal Partner
JobServe Limited JXT Consulting Kandula Pty Ltd Lander & Rogers Lawyers Lexin Technologies Pty Ltd Lifestyle Careers LinkMe Pty Ltd Lipman James Logicalis Australia Pty Ltd Matheson Publishing MECA NSW Pty Ltd MemberBenefits Pty Ltd Mindset Group News Limited NewsLocal Next Telecom NFC Global Pty Ltd NMIT – Preston Campus – BEC NPA Worldwide Recuiting Network Onetest Pty Ltd Oxford Funding Perry Watson Design Quinntessential Marketing Consulting Pty Ltd RecruitAdvantage Redmos Rigzone
RecruitmentSuper
RCSA Premium Supporter & Business Partner OAMPS Insurance Brokers Ltd
RCSA Premium Supporters astutepayroll.com CareerOne FastTrack Pty Ltd Learning Seat Pty Ltd MyCareer Pendragon Management Recruitment Systems Pty Ltd SDP Solutions Pty Ltd Scottish Pacific Benchmark WorkPro Workdesk Recruitment Software
NZ RCSA Premium Supporters Seek NZ
RCSA Supporters Absolute Immigration Services Advertiser Newspapers Pty Limited AHRI – Australian Human Resources Institute
AltusQ Ayers Management Pty Ltd Bank of Queensland Bibby Financial Services Australia Pty Ltd Blaze Advertising Book Builders Pty Ltd Bullhorn Certex Consortio Pty Limited CXC Global – Head Office Deloitte Dingu Blue EASI Management Services Group Pty Ltd Etz Timesheet Solutions Pty Ltd ExecuCon Pty Ltd Fathom Business Architects FCB Group Geoffrey Nathan Consulting Inc Glimmer Management Consultants GreenBizCheck HHMC Australia Pty Limited InsideTrak IProfile Jobmart Australia Pty Ltd Job Capital
Sage MicrOpay Pty Ltd Saxton Corporation Pty Ltd Selectus Pty Ltd SGMC Australia Pty Ltd Skillcheck Pacific Pty Ltd SymbionHR Pty Ltd The Canberra Times The RIB Report This Planet Pty Ltd Verify Holdings Australia Pty Ltd Voyager Software (Australia) Pty Ltd
NZ RCSA Supporters EEO Trust – Equal Employment Opportunities Trust Employment Today First Business Connects Limited Human Resources Institute of New Zealand – HRI I2I Insurance Brokers Ltd Jobs.co.nz Secured Signing Ltd The Dominion Post The Press
For information about joining the RCSA Supporters Program, contact Julie Morrison, RCSA Manager Marketing & Communications, Telephone +61 3 9663 0555 or email jmorrison@rcsa.com.au
RCSA Supporter Profiles
astutepayroll.com
SDP Solutions
WorkDESK
RCSA Premium Supporter
RCSA Premium Supporter
RCSA Premium Supporter
astutepayroll.com automates the management of your temps and contractors – including compliance, induction, TFN submissions, online timesheets, expenses, award interpretation, invoicing and payroll. Purpose built for the recruitment industry, our unique workflow tools improve your cash flow, probity, reliability, and seamlessly integrate the front and back end of your business. Choose one or more modules to manage an effort free workforce, accurate payroll, or select Outsourced Payroll service. Request a free no obligation demo today at www. astutepayroll.com or call us on 1300 794 070.
SDP Solutions is a new-age contractor and workforce management company that offers customised outsourcing solutions. Our service covers HR, risk mitigation, timesheet processing, payroll/receivables management, factoring services and offers complete transparency using our online portal. This cost effective service has enabled recruitment agencies to streamline their administrative processes and manage cash flows more efficiently – in full compliance with government legislation and at nominal rates. Call 1300 409 070, email info@sdpsolutions.com.au or visit www.sdpsolutions.com.au.
WorkDESK software has been providing recruitment professionals with information management solutions for over 26 years. It is a complete, fully integrated, front office/ back office system for candidates, clients, job orders, payroll, billing, financials, CRM, search, rostering and Outlook integration. For a free evaluation kit contact WorkDESK today – call 1800 777 004, email sales@workdesk.com.au or visit www.workdesk.com.au.
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RCSA JOURNAL
Association news
RCSA Board, Life Members and Fellows
*
RCSA Board President Lincoln Crawley FRCSA
Vice Presidents Robert van Stokrom FRCSA
Directors Denis Dadds FRCSA Matthew McArthur FRCSA (Life) Jacqui Barratt FRCSA Peter Langford FRCSA Bob Olivier FRCSA Bruce Ranken FRCSA Steve Heather MRCSA Alan Bell FRCSA Matthew Hobby 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) Reg Maxwell FRCSA (Life)
John McArthur FRCSA (Life) Matthew McArthur FRCSA (Life) Sylvia Moreno FRCSA (Life) E. Leigh Olson FRCSA (Life) 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) 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 Jane Beaumont FRCSA Nikki Beaumont FRCSA Alan Bell FRCSA Victoria Bethlehem FRCSA Kevin Blogg FRCSA Lisa Bousfield FRCSA Graham Bower FRCSA Nicky Brunning FRCSA Sandra Chiles FRCSA Ross Clennett FRCSA
Michael Close FRCSA John Cooper FRCSA Lincoln Crawley FRCSA Christine Crowe FRCSA Denis Dadds FRCSA Bill Dalby FRCSA Pam Dew FRCSA Charlie Duncan FRCSA Jason Elias FRCSA Diane Epps FRCSA Ken Fowler FRCSA Norm Geist FRCSA Angela Giacoumis FRCSA Tony Greaves FRCSA Allison Guy-Ritchie FRCSA Ian Hamilton FRCSA Michael Hannaford FRCSA Andrea Hardy FRSCA Nigel Harse FRCSA Nick Hays FRCSA Jennifer Hobbs FRCSA Matthew Hobby FRCSA Alison Hucks FRCSA Phil Isard FRCSA Tim James FRCSA Linda Kemp FRCSA Maria Kourtesis FRCSA Peter Langford FRCSA Colin Levander FRCSA Des Linehan FRCSA Gaynor Lowndes FRCSA Laura Marbikafola FRCSA Nina Mapson-Bone FRCSA Andrew McComish FRCSA Fraser McKechnie FRCSA Ian McPherson FRCSA Annie Milne FRCSA
Rcsa Premium Supporter & Principal Partner
Tracy Morgan FRCSA Stephen Noble FRCSA Helen Olivier FRCSA Kathie O’Malley 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 Michael Sacco FRCSA Lee-Martin Seymour FRCSA Alan Sherlock FRCSA Ian R Stacy FRCSA David Styles FRCSA Lyn Tanner FRCSA Corrine Taylor FRCSA Scott Thomas FRCSA Gayleen Toll FRCSA Nicole Underwood FRCSA Rosemary Urbon FRCSA Scott Van Heurck FRCSA Robert van Stokrom FRCSA Craig Watson 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 Jill Skafer Hon FRCSA Andrew Wood Hon FRCSA (Life)
* Correct at time of printing.
Rcsa Premium Supporter & Business Partner
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 Julie Morrison, RCSA Manager Marketing & Communications for information: jmorrison@rcsa.com.au or call +61 3 9663 0555
rcsa Australia and New Zealand PO Box 18028, Collins Street East, VIC 8003 Australia Toll Free Aus: 1300 727 504 Toll Free NZ: 0800 448 299 Fax: 61 3 9663 5099 Email: info@rcsa.com.au Website: www.rcsa.com.au
march 2013
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Association news
RCSA CPE & Events Calendar Date
Pearl Consultant Forum The RCSA held its newly restructured PEARL Consultant Forum in Melbourne in March. The Forum followed the theme, Breakthrough to Excellence – taking the Next Step to Peak Performance and featured an impressive line-up of industry professionals and specialist speakers designed exclusively for professional emerging and aspiring recruitment leaders.
2013 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
City
Type
Event Name
All year
Online
Flexible Learning
Australian Entry Level Program (January – March 2013)
All year
Brisbane
Certificate
Brisbane 2013 RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate
All year
Online
Certificate
Certificate in Advanced Recruitment Practices (NMIT)
All year
Online
Certificate
Certificate in Recruitment and Selection (NMIT)
All year
Online
Certificate
Certificate in Recruitment Management (NMIT)
All year
Online
Certificate
Certificate in Work Health and Safety (NMIT)
All year
Melbourne
Certificate
Melbourne 2013 RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate
All year
Sydney
Certificate
Sydney 2013 RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate
10-Apr
Sydney
Workshop
Sydney Sales Masterclass
11-Apr
Brisbane
Workshop
Brisbane Sales Masterclass
12-Apr
Brisbane
Workshop
Brisbane Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
12-Apr
Melbourne
Workshop
Melbourne Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
12-Apr
Sydney
Workshop
Sydney Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
2013 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Leadership The
BUILDING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN A CHANGING WORLD
16-Apr
Melbourne
Workshop
Melbourne Sales Masterclass
16-Apr
Sydney
Workshop
Sydney Leadership Masterclass
1-May
Melbourne
Networking
RCSA Annual Golf Challenge
3-May
Brisbane
Workshop
Brisbane Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
3-May
Melbourne
Workshop
Melbourne Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
3-May
Sydney
Workshop
Sydney Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
30-May
Sydney
Gala Ball
RCSA Gala Ball 2013
Leadership The
14-Jun
Brisbane
Workshop
Brisbane Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
14-Jun
Melbourne
Workshop
Melbourne Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
Date
City
9-Apr
Auckland
TypeB U I L D I N G
A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Event Name IN A CHANGING WORLD
Workshop
Auckland Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting
Certificate
Auckland April RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate
2013 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Bob Anderson
Irena Shamaeva
Cameron Judson
Laurel Papworth
www.rcsa.com.au/conference2013/
30-Apr
Auckland
Leadership The
7-May
Wellington
Workshop
Wellington Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment
24-May
Christchurch
Workshop
Christchurch Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment
31-May
Christchurch
Workshop
Christchurch Workshop, Interviewing Essentials
2013 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Leadership The
BUILDING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN A CHANGING WORLD
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RCSA JOURNAL
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
31-May
Christchurch
Certificate
Christchurch May RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate
31-May
Auckland or Wellington
ANRA
ANRA Professional Development Series Meeting
31-May
Wellington
Certificate
Wellington May RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate
Protect your company’s future
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Professional indemnity insurance protects professionals and their personal assets by providing cover against potential threats, such as claims for alleged negligence and error in the performance of professional services. Public Liability insurance protects your businesses legal liability for compensation following injury and/or damage in connection with your recruitment agency, vital cover for those who on-hire employees or contractors. Protect the finances, reputation and future of your company. Call an OAMPS recruitment insurance expert today. Contact an OAMPS recruitment insurance expert today to request a quote.
1800 552 551 recruit@oamps.com.au oamps.com.au/rcsa Closer to clients Closer to CommunitiesÂŽ Ref: 0506-Feb13
WorkDESK Recruitment Software With business confidence patchy, WorkDESK users can be confident that their software will help them take full advantage of every available opportunity. WorkDESK software is the complete solution – Candidates, Clients, Job Orders, Payroll and Billing, CRM, Search, Scanning, Outlook integration, SMS Text Messaging, Marketing, General, Debtors and Creditors Ledgers (and much more)
WorkDESK is for Consultants, Managers, Payroll and Support staff
our th
year
Try WorkDESK yourself - order your free demo pack today. FreeCall 1800 777 004 (in Australia) FreeCall 0800 445 885 (in New Zealand) Email sales@workdesk.com.au
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