Editorial
Dare to dream
I was about 11 or 12 when I dreamed briefly of becoming a farmer, but it wasn’t long before I ditched that idea in favour of becoming a teacher. After five years of trying to motivate recalcitrant 11 and 12-year-olds, however, the teaching dream lost its allure and I pursued a career in publishing.
Despite leaving the classroom behind, I’ve remained an enthusiastic advocate for the importance of learning and I’m always interested to hear about the learning that is taking place in our workplaces.
We’ve been lucky to get an insight into some interesting initiatives in this issue of Employment Today, two of which proved to beaward-winners. The first of these was not actually a workplace training initiative at all. It was about a two-year programme to manage the closure of the manufacturing facility at Pacific Pharmaceuticals, and it won the HRINZ HR Initiative of the Year for 2007/2008.
The remarkable thing about Project ME, as it was called, is that Pacific Pharmaceuticals invested $135,000 for staff training and development and $225,000 for resources for 160 staff who would be walking out the door and taking their new-found knowledge elsewhere. I’m hugely impressed by such altruism—Debbie Robson and her team gave Pacific’s staff the wherewithal to dare to dream (see our profile on page 12).
The second initiative also featured in the recent HRINZ awards, where Vehicle Testing New Zealand earned a ‘distinction’ in the regional HR Initiative category. VTNZ found that setting up a dedicated staff training centre led to massive savings, a reduction in staff turnover and a considerably more engaged workforce.
In Miriam Bell’s article on workplace learning in this issue, NZCTU secretary Carol Beaumont talks of workplaces as being “places of lifelong learning and growth”. She says investing in training is one of the most significant investments that our country can make for its future. In the same article, Business NZ chief executive Phil O’Reilly expresses a similar sentiment, saying New Zealand can no longer afford to be the kind of low-skills-based economy that we were 10 years ago.
Business NZ, the CTU and industry training organisations are working with government to upskill New Zealanders. But, as O’Reilly points out, the onus is on employers to assess their workplace needs and get involved in the various initiatives. As he says, it’s profoundly important that we do better than we have been doing.
Lyndsey Swan
Feature articles
All about me!
Making 80 percent of your staff redundant is never going to be fun—unless, of course, you take the Pacific Pharmaceuticals’ approach. Debbie Robson and her ‘Pitt Crew’ tell Lyndsey Swan about their award-winning initiative.
Performance art
Fiona Barrington explains how the ASB Bank improved overall company performance by combining two separate frameworks to create the ideal system. She outlines the steps they took.
Exit stage right
Exit interviews are valuable tools to gain insights into you organisation’s strengths and weaknesses, says Doris Cuthell. She explains how to get the best from the process and gather information to help recruit and retain staff.
Singing to the same tune
Workplace training is no longer something that might be nice for employees to do. These days providing employees with decent training options could be the difference between growing or failing as a business, reports Miriam Bell.
Off-site training proves a winner
A dedicated training centre has proved to be a winning formula for VTNZ. Alice Taylor reports on an award-winning initiative that helped build a more engaged and capable workforce.
Safe behind the wheel
Road crashes cost New Zealand businesses millions. A safe driver policy and driver safety training are the cornerstones to managing the risk to business, and to keeping your employees safe on the roads, says Karen Dickson.
Practice makes perfect
Having detailed health and safety procedures in place is not enough enough, say Karen Spackman and Steve Wragg. They examine a case which illustrates the need for systems to operate effectively in practice.
Bully-free at work
Removing a bully or providing training to create awareness is not enough if the workplace culture does not change, says Hadyn Olsen. He outlines five key areas organisations must work on to provide a bully-free workplace.
A matter of restraint
Restraint of trade clauses have become a necessity in employment agreements as employers seek to protect their business. But, says Max Whitehead, such clauses don’t provide unlimited protection against competition. He outlines the factors a court will consider.
Departments
Aitchison’s HR: Learning to be mental as anything
Without a learning culture in the workplace, says Neville Aitchison the best people can do is to watch others to see what they're doing, or make it up for themselves. The trouble with that is it often leads to monkey business.
Strategic HR: Top performance
Reviewing the chief executive’s performance can be a complex and problematic task, especially for smaller organisations, says Gordon Davidson. He examines the issues involved and looks at how to set up a well-designed CEO performance review system.
Case in point: A no-win situation
Is a win a win, if there is no money in it? Bridget Fleming examines a case which highlights the importance of both procedure and justification when pursuing a personal grievance.
Recruitment: Auditioning for Air NZ
For the introduction of their ‘international concierge’ role, Air NZ decided to try out a new way of recruiting too. Miriam Bell went along to see just what the company’s unique initiative was all about.
Legal solutions: Private practices
Employers hold a range of personal information on their employees, but how long should they keep files once a worker has left, and what information can they provide to a potential purchaser if selling a business. Rick Hargreaves has the answers.
Learning & development: The eyes have it
Used well, visual media can make a real difference to the learning experience, says Roydon Gibbs. He outlines the essential factors for creating effective instructional material.
Leadership: Time to look in the mirror
Plenty of surveys suggest one of the main reasons people leave a job is a poor relationship with their manager. Anna McNicholl says it’s time managers looked in the mirror and made some changes. She offers some ways to make a difference.
Wellness at work: Wake-up call
Many companies only pay lip service to establishing work/life balance programmes, says Diane Child. She provides 10 tips for improving your strategy.
Public sector: No loose ends
Settlement agreements need to be carefully documented, says Paul Robertson. He discusses a recent case where contradictory statements proved to be a problem. |
