Editorial
No time for complacency
It seems the number of New Zealand job seekers reached an all-time high in March. Online recruitment site Seek says over 940,000 people searched for jobs on seek.co.nz throughout the month. Seek’s New Zealand general manager Annemarie Duff says even if we assume that all 168,000 unemployed Kiwis were visitors, the numbers suggest an additional 770,000 people visited the site.
Of course, there are sure to be a few tyre-kickers among those visitors, but that still means there’s one helluva lot of Kiwis looking to change their jobs. It’s a premise backed up by Seek’s Employee Satisfaction and Motivation 2010 survey which found 68 percent of New Zealanders are keeping their eyes open for other employment options. Wanting a new challenge was the most common reason given for looking for a new job. This was followed by wanting a ‘better package and benefits’, ‘not feeling appreciated at work’, and ‘bad management’.
A second survey, Clarian Human Resources’ Great New Zealand Employment Survey 2010, painted a slightly less gloomy picture. It found that nearly one-third (30 percent) of employees are reviewing job vacancies between one and five times each week, and they’re looking for a successful, stable employer who pays well.
Advertised vacancies on Trade Me Jobs are up nine percent on the last quarter of 2009, according to its head Keith Muirhead. He says skilled employees who’ve been sitting tight are now feeling confident enough to look elsewhere, and he warns that employers who aren’t actively managing their top talent face a double threat—from New Zealand businesses who are starting to recruit again, and from Australia.
If you’ve been feeling complacent about weathering the tough times, now might just be the time to stop. It can only end in trouble—unless, that is, you’re one of the fortunate organisations that managed to generate “a powerful sense of engagement” over the recession. Yes, almost a third of employees surveyed by Kelly Services say they now feel more loyal to their employer.
It’s clear, however, that many workers feel it’s payback time. They hunkered down, picked up the slack when colleagues were made redundant, and accepted minimal pay increases last year. Now they expect some recognition for this. How you do it will depend on how well your organisation came through the recession—just do it! But as Mercer’s Sharon Spence says in our article on employee benefits (page 26), make sure it fits the needs of the individual.
—Lyndsey Swan
Feature articles
Testing their mettle
Staff turnover isn’t an issue for Rotorua machinery maker Hayes International. Its business systems manager, Marion Clarricoats, attributes this to a firm commitment to boosting staff skill levels. Jackie Brown-Haysom reports.
Workplace conflict
Conflict may start as a minor rumbling, but if nothing is done about it, it may escalate to something more serious. Chris Rowe explains how you can tell when conflict is brewing, and what you should do about it.
Death knell or not for strategic HR
Working as the executioner’s assistant is a vital role for HR, but could it also sound the death knell for strategic HR? Employment Today asked a group of senior HR professionals for their opinion on the issue, and the place of HR post-recession.
Work perks really work
As the economy improves, workers are checking out job vacancies and making plans to move on. If you’re not yet able to hike up their pay packets to retain them, what else can you do to avoid losing valued staff? Sally Wenley discovers employee benefits can play a key role.
The risky business of executive remuneration
Executive remuneration took a hit last year, but organisations are now looking to ensure this key group of employees remains engaged. Rebecca Grbin outlines the trends in executive remuneration practices.
Auditing employment reward systems
Employment reward systems are background processes that usually work, ensuring employees do get paid, says Geoff Summers. But how do we know our rewards are still effective in meeting the needs of the organisation?
Guiding employees on workplace savings
New legislation affecting financial advisers will also have an impact in the workplace. David Ireland explains how new ground rules will affect employers, and outlines the risks involved in failing to comply with them.
Is your organisation socially adjusted?
Social networking sites are not only popular among staff, they’re also proving a useful business tool. But what happens when staff misuse such sites? John Hannan and Natalie Shaw examine the issues.
Leading change
Change leadership is more important than ever as businesses try to do more with less, says Dr Paul Aitken. Leaders need to send strong signals about what the business priorities are, and to role-model desired values, he told Lyndsey Swan.
Departments
Remuneration Remedies: Remuneration and rewards in 2010
Organisations are still grappling with cost constraints, so what is the year ahead likely to bring on the remuneration front? Susan Doughty examines the trends for 2010 and predicts a wild ride.
The DoL Report: Training yields good results
HR professionals from two leading hospitality and service companies tell Lisé Hutcheon what they’ve learned about lifting the reading, writing, maths and oral communication skills of their employees with business-focused training. Their stories are part of a new one-stop shop for information about how to carry out successful literacy training in the workplace.
Strategic HR: Making the first move
As people begin to feel more secure about the job market, many will feel the time is right to seek out greener pastures. Ali Tocker looks at how to manage the risk of staff moving on in a recovering economy.
HRINZ News: A glass half-full?
Conflicts and disputes are not bad in themselves—in fact, well-managed conflict in the workplace can be seen as a glass half-full not a glass half-empty, says Lyn Lockhart. If managed correctly, conflict can trigger desirable change.
Wellness at Work: Beating depression
One in six New Zealanders will experience a depressive episode sometime during their life. The good news is that treatment does work and early treatment works even better. Vanessa Caldwell says employers should be aware when an employee is experiencing depression, respond immediately, and help them get assistance.
Public Sector: Management … or bullying?
Performance managing a lecturer after complaints about her teaching and her relationship with colleagues led to her making allegations about bullying. Paul Robertson takes a look at what went wrong. |
