The World According to Cachia

•  - Ineffective Work Teams,
•  - Materials Wastage,
•  - Ineffective Training,
•  - Financial Miscalculations,
•  - Unsafe Work Practices (which lead to Workplace incidents and injuries), and
•  - Ineffective recruitment Practices.

Whilst these issues occured with labourers and process workers... [some] managers and engineers too were effected by poor numeracy and literacy skills.

It seems there is [potentially] an issue with our School leavers and their lack of understanding of the nature and operation of the ‘commercial’ world and what is therefore expected of them.

Possibly this could stem from their employment expectations being beyond their immediate capabilities, which could lead to dissatisfaction from both the individual and the Company…and ultimately it results in staff turnover.   Alternatively, I am hearing [anecdotally] that although Vocational [or Careers] counselling is available at School it may not be providing the student/job seeker with the necessary skills and/or knowledge required to properly access the market in an environment that suits them.

It’s fair enough to say that if an individual does not have the maturity or stability to secure and retain a position in the workforce, then the School’s vocational programs may not help here. If however, young job seekers are missing out because they are not prepared nor do they properly target the industry that best suits them, we could possibly question the [careers counselling] program made available to them!

Having spoken with a number of parents and colleagues as well as conducting a number of ‘external’ programs for students, I am finding that rather than looking at what motivates the individual, some careers counselling programs focus on the technical aspects of the individual, hence a student may be directed to a career in [say] Accounting, purely because he/she is strong Mathematically. And although the student may be technically competent she/he may not be at all motivated to build a career in this industry.

Aside from appropriate counselling and testing programs, that help students properly identify industries/companies/positions, we should take advantage of the ‘Work Experience’ program. Its basic aim is to assist students through the transition from School to work. Work Experience Programs should be regarded as a technique in career advice as well as a means of understanding how business operates.

Suffice to say, the Careers Counselling should start well before the Work Experience program so the student can really start to consider their vocation!

There is a lot to behold when managing Career Counselling/Vocational Assessment programs, but I believe we should go further by ensuring the individual is not only technically competent but [also] has the right motivational and cultural fit for the industry/company/position!

Its no surprise to hear that businesses across the country are feeling the effects of the current financial situation.   As a result, [some] employers have sought ways to cut and/or reduce costs to its operation.   Although this may be an imperative, it is important that Safety is not adversely impacted upon.

The obvious areas to reduce your spend will be on items such as stationery, [cream] biscuits in the tea room, or removing the office plants.   Some organisations will change their recruitment plans or consider a complete restructure.   These decisions can affect more than the bottom line.

Interestingly, one important matter that is overlooked in all these changes is the impact this will have on the employees.   Increased workloads and/or changes to the workplace or work processes can cause stress and anxiety within the team.   Such distractions/pressures can add to their day, causing them to rush or make mistakes which could put them at risk.

If employees are uncertain about their future and/or the future of the business, they may be reticent to report hazards.

Yes management are looking at ways to ensure the business is productive and achieve short-term profits, and so activities like consultation, maintenance and training may not be considered as a necessity.   This is not the case.   There are genuine business advantages to looking after your employees.

Organisations will benefit greatly from having secure and motivated employees.   This can be reflected by increased productivity, greater involvement and/or innovation from the team and you may also see a reduction in absenteeism.   Having this productive environment can also help companies avoid lost time incidents and compensation claims.

As an employer you may not be able to control the global economy; however you do have the ability to manage and control the activities within your business, and therefore improve the safety and wellbeing of your team.

Business Confidence is on the rise, and it seems every where you turn there are signs that this is the case.   Reports in the media say that Australian business confidence hit its highest level [July 2009] in almost two years, which suggests an economic recovery is gathering momentum.

This of course is good news which will help the optimists offset the commentary of those who advocate a more pessimistic point of view.

Further good news comes from the fact that the improvement to business outlook will assist those employers who seek to retain their staff despite the downward trend in demand, hence production. 

Although this business confidence is broadly based, reports suggest there are strong signs (specifically) in construction, wholesale, transport and manufacturing industries over recent months.

There are those who are cautiously monitoring this situation suggesting that consumer confidence and therefore spending may weaken. This coupled with low business investment suggest the mid term prospects may not be as bright. Which means it’s important for business not to get too confident.

Take into consideration that over the last few months a number of factors have come into being… including the Government stimulus package and the low interest rates. These factors have now been realised, however going forward there may be no further Government ‘hand-outs’ and the RBA are suggesting the interest rates may rise, as soon as February 2010. Hence the calls for caution may be warranted.

We are however in a better position then some of our allies. In New Zealand the unemployment rate reached a 10 year high of 6% and in the U.S. a reported 371,000 jobs were lost in July, taking their jobless rate to 9.6%

Overall it seems that Australian business have weathered the economic storm relatively well. Yes, there have been restructures and people have lost their jobs, but we see that organisations have developed [appropriate] strategies, new products and markets whilst holding a keen eye on innovation.

I think watch this space is an appropriate perspective as we track along the next six (6) months, and if all the reports are correct, we may well see ourselves and our businesses working in positive territory once again.

I was reading an article recently and its main theme was how courtesy [in the workplace] or the lack of it can cost you, and it made me think how this simple act seems to have diminished from work.   The article goes on to explain a scenario whereby the author was looking to buy a car and how a local dealership seemed disinterested… so obvious was the salesman’s distain that he totally ignored our hero to the point whereby she just left the car yard, and as you guessed it she went elsewhere.

I remember in my youth working in a Retail store, my manager would tell me that those customers walking in the store are $$$ in the register… go out there and greet them, be polite, enquire as their health, and make general conversation.   You don’t want them to feel hassled or hurried…nonetheless, you ensure they’re attended to.   Invariably, I would get the sale and the customer was satisfied with not only the purchase, but the experience as well.

Later in my career, I worked in much larger organisations, who thankfully understood the importance good Customer Service, and often I would here statements such as ‘you don’t get a  second chance to make a first impression’ or ‘if you’re not serving a customer, make sure you serve someone who is.’  

All very good and logical sentiments, after all, courtesy (or the lack of it) could not only affect your sales, but it could also damage your reputation.   Imagine a customer telling 10 friends, who tell their 10 friends [etc…] that the service they received from your business was less than satisfactory.   Soon the word spreads and your sales results plummet!!!

Sometimes you don’t know the customer is dissatisfied, because instead of telling you they ‘re unhappy, they simply leave and find a competitor who is willing to assist them… just as in the case of our hero…she went to another dealership, in another locality, who was only too happy to assist, and you guessed it, she bought the car!

Effective 1 July 2009, the Fair Work Act became operational and although there were no ‘fireworks’ the effects of this new piece of legislation will be realised in the workplace.

I have been told by colleagues in the legal fraternity, that the new workplace system is not a huge shift from the former, however the Fair Work Act does have a number of sections that are fundamentally different, for example:-

          - Unfair Dismissal provisions,

          - Workplace Rights, such as Freedom of Association and Anti-Discrimination;

          - The inclusion of Termination and Redundancy provisions;

          - The right to request Flexible Working arrangements; and

          - Bargaining in Good Faith;

Furthermore, the 1^st of July ushers in the introduction of Fair Work Australia. This Government body, presented as an independent umpire, will provide advice and assistance with regards to employment terms and conditions in relation to the adherence of the provisions of the Act… as well; Fair Work Australia will assess and decide upon minimum wage decisions.

With the introduction of the Fair Work Act, some employers may be unsure what this means to them… it is important that Managers are aware of and understand the legislative rules with which they employ their staff and thus maintain the employment relationship accordingly.

If Companies have previously negotiated agreements, that were lodged/ratified prior the 1^st July 2009, these agreements and their terms & conditions, will continue until they expire… of course those employed under ITEA’s will have until 31^st December 2009, when these agreements cease to operate.

Organisations employing staff under [relevant] industry Awards should consider what implications the ‘Modern Awards’ will have on their business and maybe even consider whether it’s time to start negotiating their own Enterprise Agreement.

Unless you’ve been successfully hiding away thus able to avoid the Global Financial Crisis ‘AKA’ the ‘GFC’ organisations have been restructuring their business in an attempt to continue trading; and as such, an inordinate amount of employees have lost their jobs through Redundancy.

Being made redundant hasn’t just become an issue.   Employees were being made redundant, well before the ‘GFC’ and so the anguish associated with loosing your job remains – if it’s any consultation, there plenty of people in the same position.   Given there are more people out of work because organisations are consolidating; finding your next role has now become somewhat more difficult!

When talking to recruiters and candidates, the apparent issues have become there aren’t as many jobs openly advertised, and for those that are the number of candidates applying has increased dramatically.   This leads to increased pressure on the recruiter as they now have so many more applications to consider.  

Some suggest that as a result [of the level of applications received] candidates would be considered more so because they meet the criteria in the ‘key word’ search rather than because they can demonstrate [transferable] skills to perform effectively in the position.

Additionally, candidates feel frustrated, whilst they believe they meet the ‘broader terms’ of the selection criteria, they are not considered suitable because they don’t have experience in the [respective] industry.   The problem for the recruiter is that they have an enormous amount of applications to process and with the selection criteria being so specifically defined; they won’t need to broaden the scope of the search.

In reading news articles and/or [HR] publications, there appears further discontent from the candidate… and that revolves around the ‘Human Element’ of the recruitment process.

Comment suggests the candidates are dealing with recruiters who don’t really understand the fundamentals of the positions they are trying to fill.   Some of the criticism [of the recruiters] includes; they don’t confirm receipt of the application; they don’t return phone calls; they don’t call me when a position becomes available.  

However from the recruiters’ perspective, it is seen that the candidate may have an unreasonable expectation of what the recruiter can actually do!   The recruiter is not there to attend to the needs of the one candidate – the recruiter must provide a certain standard of service to the client organisation as well as manage the expectations of the numerous candidates applying for any given role.

Notwithstanding the good recruiter will appreciate that the candidate he/she places today, may well become the customer/client of tomorrow!

I’ve spent a number of years delivering outplacement programs to people made redundant, and during that time I’ve witnessed the plight of the candidate, actively perusing their next role… and the recruiter struggling to appease their customers and managing the ever increasing number of anxious candidates (and let’s not forget that a number of recruiters themselves have since become candidates).

The one thing I advise participants [of the program] is that you cannot [solely] rely on the recruiter to do your job search for you! Candidates must be proactive; Candidates must network; Candidates must make job search their major task!

Yes job search is hard work, but then again, maot things that are worthwhile take some effort!

• 80% of these companies are not ready for the introduction of the new workplace laws,
• some 45% of SME’s were unprepared or uncertain about how the changes would affect their businesses,
• 30% had a little or no understanding of their obligations under the legislation,
• 50% were rather concerned, or at least somewhat concerned about the changes.