Time flies when you’re having fun and 2019 has certainly flown by for the team at Inspire HQ. As we wrap up for the Christmas break and start prepping for the new year ahead we thought in our final blog for 2019 we would take a look back at the year that was in the world of Recruitment, Human Resources and Careers.
The #1 HR challenge for businesses in 2019
We talk to a lot of business owners and managers and the number 1 HR topic of conversation in 2019 has been about managing mental health in the workplace. You’ve no doubt heard the stats on mental health in the workplace (for more info you can visit Beyond Blue, Safe Work Australia, Black Dog Institute). Mental Health in the workplace has big impacts on employee engagement, productivity, absenteeism, culture and can be costly to the business. Navigating this space can be challenging; how can you help and support your employees, how can you be proactive, what can you say and what can’t you say are questions we are asked every day.
The #1 complaint from Job Seekers in 2019
This one has been at the top of the list for a few years now and it seems employers are only getting slacker when it comes to communicating with prospective job seekers. The number one complaint from job seekers is lack of communication. Lack of communication looks like:
- I applied for a job and have had no response
- I called to enquire about a job I saw advertised and no one bothered to return my call
- I went for an interview and never heard back
- I called to ask for feedback after applying / interviewing for a job and got no response
One of the worst stories I have heard is from a candidate who applied for a job – she responded to the KSC, attended two interviews, has followed up three times (by trying to call and email) and has had no response from the organisation – no communication at all! This is disgusting behaviour – she has invested hours of her time and can’t even be given the courtesy of an update / outcome of her application. Come on employers we need to lift our game if we want to attract the best talent and build our employer brands; not destroy them.
The #1 Recruitment challenge in 2019
There will be no surprises here…….. attracting talent is the number 1 challenge for businesses right now. It’s a conversation we have multiple times a day with business owners and managers. Finding the right candidate – with the right skills, experience, attributes and culture fit keeps getting harder and harder. Simply putting a job advert on an online job board isn’t going to give you access to the best of the best talent. With many sectors experiencing candidate skills shortages, recruitment continues to get harder and harder for businesses. If your recruitment strategy is all about posting a job advert on seek and on your social media channels; it’s time to rethink your talent attraction strategy.
The #1 Recruitment frustration from Business in 2019
If you’ve posted a job advert on an online job board this year we know you have cringed as you have watched the volume of applications roll in that don’t match your job advert requirements at all. These applications often don’t have the qualifications or working rights in Australia or skills and experience to be remotely considered for your job vacancy. These kind of applications waste everyone’s time.
The #1 Business Book of 2019
We love a good professional development book at Inspire HQ. If you’re looking for a good book to read over the Christmas break I’d highly suggest you take a look at Winging It by Emma Isaacs. What I love about Winging It is Emma’s easy to implement tips, advice and tricks. It’s the kind of book that you can pick up, flick to a page or chapter have a quick read for a quick fix of inspiration and motivation.
What will I be reading this holiday season? Greg Savage’s newly released book The Savage Truth. Greg is a recruitment industry icon and has just written his first book. Even if you are not a die-hard recruiter, Greg has some many gems of leadership, business and life experience to share from his very successful recruitment career.
The #1 Christmas Party
Do you get a headache trying to come up with an idea for what you’ll do for the Christmas Party? More and more Managers I talk to struggle with what to do for the annual Christmas Party. It can be a headache trying to come up with an event that will appeal to one and all. Some of the team love the social element of the Christmas Party, for others it’s not their thing, managing alcohol comes with its risks, do you hold it during work hours or out of work hours? What is intended to be an event to celebrate the year and acknowledge the team quickly becomes overly complicated.
If you need some Christmas Party inspiration check out the team at Revolution Print. We are loving their creative new take on the Christmas Party. This year instead of holding a Christmas Party, the team at Revolution Print are having a catered lunch – a different menu – every day this week. You can check them out here on Facebook to see their Christmas lunch celebrations. Each day they set up a table, fully decorated with all the Christmas essentials, they have a caterer come in and provide lunch, the team stops for a couple of hours and comes together for Christmas lunch. Word on the street is the team are loving it and it’s a week long celebration! #employeeengagement
Our #1 lesson of 2019
This year my biggest learning was about surrounding yourself with the right professional support. We can’t be good at everything and we can’t be everything to everyone which is why we need to make sure we have the right team of professionals around us to help us with the tasks and responsibilities that are not our genius. IT is definitely not my area of genius. Earlier this year we had a lucky escape from having our IT systems hacked. It was one of the most stressful times of my business journey and it caused a lot of sleepless nights. What I learnt, was the importance of having the right people around you to help. Not just IT people, but Accountants, Lawyers, Marketer’s, Human Resource professionals etc. These people and companies may also need to change as your business grows and expands to better suit your needs. A shout out to the fabulous team at Black Iron Technology Group who fixed all our problems, set us up with the right infrastructure and systems to suit our business needs and reduced my stress levels! Thanks Chris and team.
Our #1 Thanks of 2019
Referrals are the life blood of our business and to all of you who have referred businesses and individuals to Inspire HQ in 2019 we want to say a very big thanks. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Our team has loved building great workplaces in 2019; helping individuals navigate their career, finding and connecting great talent with great businesses as well as coaching, advising, implementing, and training businesses in HR, leadership and people management.
We are looking forward to an exciting 2020. Thank you for following our blog this year and for all your support. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a hugely successful 2020.
