Editorial
Delivering Value
A year has passed since the much-hyped Job Summit which saw 200 of New Zealand’s industry leaders join the Prime Minister and his colleagues to thrash out ideas for beating the recession.
Top of the pops among the ‘big ideas’ to emerge from this high-powered brainstorming session was a nine-day working fortnight—with the tenth day set aside for training. Sadly the training part of this idea never made it past the drawing board, although 50 employers eventually signed up to a scheme which offered a minimum wage subsidy for up to five hours if they cut working hours by at least 10 hours and saved jobs that would otherwise have been lost.
Thankfully, things are now looking up on the economic front, confidence is improving, and businesses are back in the hiring game. While many will be heaving a sigh of relief after making it through a tough year, there’s another worrying issue on the horizon—the skills shortage.
Of course, the skills shortage never really went away. It just got pushed to the back burner while businesses dealt with getting through the recession. Indeed, Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O’Reilly predicts the return of ‘significant’ skills shortages by the end of this year, meaning training remains a critical issue in our workplaces.
The good news is, as Jackie Brown-Haysom discovered in her article on workplace training on page 17, few employers abandoned their training programmes through the tough times. Instead, they focused on the learning initiatives that delivered the best value to their business.
As HRINZ president Kristen Cooper points out, businesses have been careful to match people to programmes, rather than sending everybody to everything. She says the training topics most in demand are ones that offer a competitive advantage, such as literacy and numeracy.
Smart companies are taking a really strategic look at their training and evaluating it to ensure it transfers to measurable workplace efficiencies, says NZATD vice-president Helen McPhun. But the responsibility for delivering outcomes doesn’t rest solely with trainers and learners, she warns. Everyone in the organisation has a role to play.
The message is clear. Training is not a cost, it’s an investment—in both your business and your people. If it’s not already on your list of ‘big ideas’ for 2010, it should be!
—Lyndsey Swan
Feature articles
Investing in learning
Despite a global recession, Kiwi employers have continued to invest in learning and development programmes for their staff, reports Jackie Brown-Haysom. She explores the approaches smart companies have taken during tough times.
Choosing the best path
While women dominate the numbers graduating from our universities, it’s a different picture for industry training. But this is changing as the industry training umbrella expands to include new areas of interest, reports Gill South.
Agents of change
Organisational change is a feature of modern society and it needs to
be embraced, says Shaun McCarthy. It can happen at all levels, but can it really be managed?
Time to speak up
Our poor communication skills and fear of confrontation are letting us down, says Denise Gluyas. She explains why speaking up is important and discusses the benefits of assertive staff.
Coaching in turbulent times
A useful approach to leading in turbulent times involves helping employees by coaching them as they prepare for change, says David Keane. He explains how coaching can help organisations navigate safely into the future.
Getting creative
Collaboration is the key to creative success for Wellington advertising and design agency Base Two. Alice Taylor discovers that ideas sharing and support are at the heart of a culture that empowers creativity and achieves solid business outcomes.
Radical proposals in Holidays Act review
Despite a rewrite of the Holidays Act in 2003, problems remain and the legislation is frequently criticised. Now a Ministerial Advisory Group has released a report on the Act. Greg Cain and Jarryd Alcorn examine its recommendations.
Lessons from abroad
Last year’s CIPD conference in Manchester was a chance for HRINZ chief executive Beverley Main to network with colleagues, source ideas, and pick up on the latest trends in HR and people leadership. She reports on the experience.
Departments
Employment branding: Social life
Businesses increasingly want to be involved in social networking, but one social network is not just like another, says Kate Billing. She explains how to create digital engagement for your employer brand.
Learning & development: Training your way to survive the downturn
How can an organisation save money, improve workplace culture, recognise achievements, and encourage personal development. The answer is simple, says Tim Legge—online training is the way to go.
The DoL report: What works around here?
Low workplace productivity is a problem for New Zealand, but businesses can change that by adopting high performance working practices, says Pat Colgate. She outlines the benefits of this approach and the steps needed to succeed.
HRINZ news: Maximise results from training
Effective people development is your best investment, says Bryan Royds. He takes a look at training seminars, and provides a quick guide for managers and junior HR/L&D advisors on how to get the most from this style of learning.
Workplace dilemmas: That leaving feeling
With the economy looking up, should we be worried about our top talent deciding the time
is right to look for greener pastures? Karen Boyte says it’s time to be proactive—it’s too late when they hand in their notice.
Public sector: Obliged to tell
The New Zealand Teachers’ Council must be notified in the event of disciplinary or competence concerns about a teacher, but how is this affected by the confidentiality provisions of a settlement agreement? Paul Robertson explores two recent cases. |
