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Empowering Survivors: The Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave in Australia

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Empowering Survivors: The Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave in Australia

Filed Under: Advisory and compliance, Business Update, HR essentials, Leadership

This article offers a comprehensive overview of the scheme, its impact on small businesses, and the importance of fostering a supportive work environment with access to Australia domestic violence support services.

An in-depth look at how this initiative supports employees and small businesses. 

Understanding Family and Domestic Violence Leave

Family and domestic violence is characterised by intentional harm or fear inflicted by one person in a relationship onto another. This recurring pattern of behaviour aims to control, manipulate or harm the victim. Abuse can take many forms, including physical, emotional, financial, or sexual, and may come from anyone in a close relationship with the victim.

In Australia, the AustralianBureau of Statistics reports that one in six women and one in sixteen men experience family and domestic violence in their lifetime. We’re all aware of the prevalence of family and domestic violence, but did you know that, in Australia, a woman is murdered by her current or former partner every 10 days? Shockingly, that’s true!

Workplaces often serve as a refuge for victims, offering safety and crucial social and financial support, as well as access to various Australia domestic violence support services.

The Importance of Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave

Stable employment is a critical factor in helping individuals escape abusive relationships. The introduction of paid leave allows victims to take time off without risking their income or employment, facilitating their exit from harmful domestic situations.

Addressing family and domestic violence also benefits employers, as it can impact an employee’s productivity due to distress or unplanned absences.

Criteria for Accessing Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave

The new scheme allows full-time, part-time and casual employees in Australia, whose employers fall under the national industrial relations system, to access 10 days of paid leave within a 12-month period.

This leave can be utilised for various purposes related to family and domestic violence, such as ensuring safety, attending court, seeking police services, or participating in appointments with professionals in counselling, medicine, finance or law.

The leave doesn’t accumulate and resets annually on the employee’s work anniversary. The new paid leave replaces the existing National Employment Standards (NES) entitlement of five days of unpaid leave. Employees can still access unpaid leave until paid leave becomes available in their workplace.

Implications for Small Businesses

The paid family and domestic violence leave applies to all small businesses under the national (Fair Work) industrial relations system, typically incorporated businesses with ‘Pty Ltd’ it ‘Ltd’ in their name. This was scheduled in two phases:

  • For businesses with over 15 employees, the leave policy became effective: February 1, 2023
  • For businesses with fewer than 15 employees, the leave policy becomes effective: August 1, 2023
  • Until August 1, 2023, employees working for national system small business employers with less than 15 employees can continue to take unpaid family and domestic violence leave. While the scheme doesn’t yet apply to employers under Western Australia’s state industrial relations system, it is anticipated to come into effect for state system employers in 2024.

Employee Entitlements Under the Scheme

Full-time and part-time employees will receive their full pay rate for the hours they would’ve worked if they were not on leave. Casual employees will be paid at their full pay rate for the hours they were scheduled to work during the leave period.

Employees may need to provide evidence, such as a statutory declaration or documentation from the police, court, or family violence support service.

Employers Can Support Affected Employees

It is crucial for employers to create a supportive and secure work environment. If an employee is suspected of experiencing family and domestic, it is essential to check on their well-being and encourage them to seek professional help. This could include Australia domestic violence support services. Employers should also make information about support services like 1800 Respect and the Employee Assistance Program readily available in the workplace for all employees to access.

Here are some practical steps employers can take to support affected employees:

  • Develop a workplace policy: Creating a clear and comprehensive policy on family and domestic violence can help foster a supportive work culture and ensure that employees are aware of their rights and available resources.
  • Provide training to the leadership team: Equip managers and supervisors with the necessary knowledge and skills to identify and respond to employees experiencing family and domestic violence. This can include understanding the signs of abuse, knowing how to address the situation sensitively, and being aware of relevant laws and support services.
  • Offer flexible work arrangements: Implementing flexible work options, such as remote work or altered hours, as possible, can provide additional support for employees dealing with family and domestic violence. This flexibility allows them to manage their personal matters while maintaining their job security.
  • Maintain confidentiality: Respect the privacy of employees by keeping their disclosures confidential and handling any information with sensitivity. Ensure that the affected employee’s contact details and work schedule are not shared without their consent.
  • Establish a support network: Encourage the formation of a workplace support network where employees have a safe space to share their experiences and help each other. This can help create a sense of community and solidarity among employees.

Potential Benefits of  the Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave Scheme

This recent implemented leave policy while benefiting family and domestic violence survivors also had a positive impact for employers and society as a whole.

For employees:

  1. Financial security: The paid leave allows employees to maintain financial stability while addressing domestic violence issues, which is crucial in helping them leave abusive situations.
  2. Reduced stress: By offering paid leave, employees can focus on seeking support and handling their personal matters without the added worry of lost income or job loss.
  3. Improved mental health: Access to paid leave can improve the mental health of employees affected by family and domestic violence. It provides an opportunity to seek professional help and work towards recovery.

For employers:

  • Increased productivity: Addressing family and domestic violence issues through paid leave can lead to more focussed and productive employees. They can better manage their personal matters without work-related stress.
  • Enhanced workplace culture: Providing support to employees experiencing domestic violence can foster a positive workplace culture, demonstrating empathy and understanding from the employer.
  • Reduced turnover: Offering paid leave for domestic violence can lead to lower employee turnover rates, as it shows a commitment to employees’ well-being and encourages loyalty.

For the community: 

  • Greater awareness: The introduction of the paid leave scheme raises awareness of family and domestic violence, encouraging open conversations and promoting the availability of support services.
  • Societal change: By acknowledging and addressing family and domestic violence through paid leave, the scheme contributes to a larger societal shift towards reducing and preventing such violence.
  • Economic benefits: Reducing the prevalence of family and domestic violence has far-reaching economic benefits, including decreased healthcare costs and increased workforce participation.

United Efforts for a Safer Society: Combating Family and Domestic Violence Together

By implementing the paid family and domestic violence leave scheme and taking proactive steps to support affected employees, Australia is making significant strides towards creating a safer, more inclusive work environment. The well-being of employees is clearly being prioritised.

Employers play a critical role in this process by fostering a supportive workplace culture, providing resources, and ensuring that survivors feel empowered and secure in their professional lives.

Together, these efforts demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing the pervasive issue of family and domestic violence. They also contribute to the broader goal of building a society where everyone can thrive without fear or harm. As we move forward, employers, employees and the community at large must continue working collaboratively to eliminate family and domestic violence. And more importantly, to support the resilience and strength of survivors.

If you would like to chat further about this Scheme, book in a free 30-minute consultation here.

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How to Increase Employee Engagement in your Workplace

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How to Increase Employee Engagement in your Workplace

Filed Under: Culture, HR essentials, Leadership

A consistent, motivating, and rewarding remuneration and incentives program is key to improving employee engagement and retention. For many people, money is not always the key motivator. Other incentives that go hand in hand with remuneration can validate your employees’ choice to work for your company. A business that recognises this will attract and retain great talent who value their role and contribution.

Why is employee engagement important?

Since 2020, businesses in every industry have experienced enormous changes. Now, two years later, we need to look at different ways to engage our people, strengthen company culture and manage any uncertainty felt by our employees.

In her Quantum Workplace article, Natalie Wickham defines employee engagement as:

‘The strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward the work they do, their teams, and their organization.’

Retention and engagement are more important than ever before – for your people and your business. Wickham goes on to define and explore 14 benefits of an engaged workforce as:

  1. Increased employee safety
  2. Better employee health
  3. Happier employees
  4. Greater employee satisfaction
  5. Better home life
  6. Lower absenteeism
  7. Higher retention
  8. Greater employee loyalty
  9. Better customer service
  10. Higher quality products and services
  11. Greater productivity
  12. Higher sales
  13. Higher profitability
  14. Higher stock price

Ways to strengthen employee engagement

Employee engagement is dependent on providing your staff with:

  • clarity
  • certainty
  • a clear direction for the company and themselves.

Consider the following questions:

  • Do your employees know and understand your business goals and vision?
  • Is their work meaningful and contributes to the business goals?
  • Are there opportunities to include your staff in future planning?
  • Are your leaders equipped to have regular conversations with their employees about job security, work arrangements and other sensitive topics?
  • Do you provide regular communication to your employees about your business performance and development?
  • Do your staff have the space and time to do their job at their full potential?
  • Do you recognise your employees’ efforts and provide suitable opportunities for development?

Once you have worked through these questions, you are well on your way to establishing the types of benefits that will improve your employee engagement and support your overall business culture.

Employee wellbeing is a primary focus of Future of Work

It is vital that the benefits you offer your employees reflect your company culture, and provide the opportunity to become more engaged and motivated.

A recent Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) report cites that:

‘85% of workers report that their wellbeing had declined throughout the various lockdowns’

and that,

‘More than one-third of workers (37%) consider their employer the main source of mental health support.’ 

Engagement benefits must work to create:

  • Social connection
  • Safe spaces for personal needs
  • Greater workplace flexibility
  • A focus on work/life balance and overall wellbeing
  • The opportunity to develop interpersonal skills for leaders and staff

Examples of perks / benefits you can offer your employees

Praise and Celebrate

Consistently acknowledge and celebrate the effort and successes of your employees. Show them how their work contributes to the overall success of their area, and the business as a whole. A ‘thank you’ goes a long way to increasing an employee’s sense of fulfillment.

Tools / Resources

Invest in the right technology, tools, and resources to enable your team to do their job safely and successfully.

Connect and Communicate 

Now more than ever, leaders must be as transparent as possible to provide support to their people. Creating connections by opening the lines of communication for a two-way conversation, shifts the employee/employer relationship into a positive space.

Focus on Wellbeing

Develop a wellbeing culture that promotes health and wellness across all aspects of your employee’s lives – not just at work.

Include inclusive programs that help reduce stress, promote good nutrition and exercise, and support your employees’ physical, mental and spiritual health.

Simple changes to your work environment can also help to improve the engagement and health of your staff. Tess Taylor states in ‘The Balance Careers’:

‘Today’s employees are looking for the entire package when it comes to their work experience. Companies that take the time to improve the work environment with soft seating arrangements, collaborative workstations, pleasant artwork, lighting and live plants are going to find that this translates to happier employees.’

Flexibility

A workplace that creates mobile-friendly, off-site or hybrid work options, can be a great way to improve employee engagement and retention.

Parental leave may be a priority for some employees, while a competitive bonus structure may appeal to others.

The option of additional unpaid leave may assist staff members with family overseas, particularly as travel becomes possible once again.

If it is possible, providing complimentary childcare can reduce parental stress and improve happiness.

Training and Development

Learning and Professional Development is a major boost to employee engagement and productivity.

Clear career development paths and on-the-job training programs are a great way to provide your employees with growth opportunities at no cost to them.

Financial Rewards

These can be in the form of profit sharing, stock ownership, bonus or incentive programs.

A well-structured and focused Leadership and Development team will help you explore your options to determine the most suitable perks / benefits for your workplace. By using the framework of staff retention and engagement as the core principles, you can develop your internal structure and workplace environment to provide the appropriate support, remuneration and incentives to increase employee happiness, satisfaction and wellbeing in these uncertain times.

If you are looking for ways to further increase your employee engagement, book in a free 30-minute consultation here.

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Strategies for Effective Team Communication: Why is it important?

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Strategies for Effective Team Communication: Why is it important?

Filed Under: Change management, HR essentials, Leadership

Staff retention is one of greatest challenges we face in business today. Ineffective communication is a primary cause of employee turnover. Developing clear lines of communication throughout a business will improve employee engagement, leading to an increase in overall productivity, retention, creativity, and more effective client and supplier interactions.  

So, how do we, as leaders, successfully connect with our teams and keep them informed about our business activities through clear and purposeful communication? 

In our post-pandemic world, with so many people still working from home, it is crucial that all businesses understand how to effectively manage employee communication. Although every workplace has its unique challenges, there are important factors to consider that will help you improve communication with your team members. 

 An Informed Employee is an Engaged Employee 

When a team member understands what is going on, what is expected of them, and why, they become more:  

  • Closely involved with business updates 
  • Dedicated 
  • Loyal 
  • Productive 
  • Closely aligned with the overall strategy.  

Informed employees better understand their role within the business and are more able to execute their assigned tasks because they have access to the information they need, no matter where they are. 

Challenges to Workplace Communication 

There are many challenges to the creation and maintenance of effective written and verbal communication.  

These include:  

  • Inconsistency in communication  
  • Reliance on technology (no face-to-face communication) 
  • Assuming the audience understands the jargon 
  • Not listening to your team 
  • Not making communication a leadership function 

Consider your business – how do these five factors play out in your work environment? 

Don’t Assume that Everyone is Skillful in Communication 

Assuming that everyone in your workplace can communicate effectively is a damaging notion.  

Some leaders lack the capability to communicate well and are unable to help others express themselves. On the flipside, employees may feel awkward when they are asked to express opinions, especially in front of more senior staff. Also, some leaders simply may not have the skills to sensitively facilitate staff involvement. 

Communication Channels 

While all communication channels have their merits, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.  

You will need to consider the challenges of your particular business environment and explore what works best. It may take some trial and error – so be open to feedback and review what is, and isn’t, working, then make any necessary adjustments.   

Success in communication comes from knowing how to pass on different types of information to the members of your team. 

  • Reduce the number of communication channels: Making information available in one place (if possible) makes the process more manageable for everyone. The more places your team must look, the more frustrating it can be, and the more likely they are to miss something.  
  • Consider who you are talking to and the outcome you need to achieve: If you are communicating a quick update that is relevant to everyone, a mass email or intranet post may be fine. If you are announcing a major change, you may need to use a more targeted, hands-on approach.

Again, determining what best suits the needs of your business, staff, and relevant timeframes will help you work out the most effective way to share all necessary information with your team. 

Building Connection – Team Meetings 

Every business has its own team rhythm and ways of working. A well-organised plan of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings helps to keep everyone aligned and accountable. 

  • Annual Planning Meeting (Owner and Senior Leaders): The purpose of the annual planning meeting is to align the team’s priorities for the year ahead to move the business closer to achieving their 3-5-year plan. 
  • Quarterly Meeting (Leaders): This is to determine how you will accomplish the annual plan and move the business forward. Generally held as a one-day meeting, the goal is to set up a road map for the next quarter that supports, focuses and motivates the team.  
  • Monthly Meeting (Leaders): A well-managed monthly management meeting should focus on learning, sharing and problem-solving. This provides a great opportunity to share the load and develop your upcoming business leaders in line with your succession plan. 
  • Weekly Meeting (Team): The weekly meeting keeps your team focused and accountable in execution of the priorities set out in your quarterly plan. 
  • Daily Huddle (Everyone): The daily huddle is a 5–15 minute catch up! This enables your entire team to be informed and aligned on the work that needs to be done. 

Communication through Difficult Conversations 

Difficult conversations are a normal part of life and need to be addressed in an open and constructive way. 

Many people put off uncomfortable conversations in the hope that the problem either fixes itself or disappears. This approach can have a damaging effect, particularly regarding how employees feel within their workplace. People want to feel heard, especially when they face uncertain circumstances such as created by the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Many employees have felt unsure about the direction of their workplace and worried about whether their roles will continue to exist. 

Preparation is the Key for Leaders and Managers 

Go into the meeting with a very clear understanding of the problem you are trying to solve. Before starting a difficult conversation, ask yourself these questions: 

  • Am I prepared? 
  • What information do I need from the employee? 
  • How do I think the employee will react?  
  • Do I have a clear understanding of the problem and outcome I want to achieve from this conversation?  
  • What solutions can I propose to resolve the matter?  
  • What would I like the employee to feel and do? 

Taking the time to prepare fully for your meeting will help you define any underlying issues and ensure your communication is clear and concise. 

It’s important to have the right communication mechanisms in place to build relationships and impart knowledge of common goals, listen and engage with team members, and to manage any issues and emerging risks. Poorly executed communication can cause employees to endure an unsatisfactory work experience, leading to a whole host of problems with morale, productivity and, in some cases, customer satisfaction. By focusing on providing the best possible communication to employees, you will ensure your team stays well informed with everything they need to perform their jobs at the highest level.  

Do you have the necessary communication strategies in place to drive and maintain team accountability and performance? Grab a copy of the checklist on ‘Team Communication’ in my HR Resources library here.

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8 common mistakes businesses make with recruitment

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8 common mistakes businesses make with recruitment

Filed Under: Advisory and compliance, HR essentials

We hope that most of the time we get our recruitment right but at times we don’t, and we can’t get it right all the time. Sometimes people leave as a result of something that could have been identified at the recruitment stage. Remember, we generally employ people for their skills and competencies and 90% of the time we manage people out of the business because of their behaviours and attitudes.

We invest considerable resources in the hope of finding great team members and I’m sure you’ve had enough of attracting the wrong candidates or candidates not even showing up for their interviews. The recruitment process for any business can be daunting, especially if you don’t get it right the first time. There are some common mistakes that businesses could avoid, giving them every chance of finding the right candidate. Here are 8 common mistakes businesses make with recruitment:

1.Ignoring promoting from within the business

It’s common for businesses to forget to look at the people they already have on board to see if anyone can do the role or who could grow into the role with development. Promoting from within can also motivate the team and increase morale. Take the time to write down the advantages and disadvantages of hiring an external person to a role versus a current team member.

2.Lengthy hiring process

Some businesses take too long in the recruitment process and run the risk of missing out on great candidates. 33% of candidates will lose interest and pursue other roles if the hiring process is lengthy. Majority of candidates will be applying for more than one role at a time and in this current job market, talent is being ‘snapped up’ very quickly.

3.Making assumptions

There are so many assumptions that can be made in a recruitment process! Making too many assumptions based on what the current job market is like without backing it up with some data and research, assuming one channel for attracting and searching for candidates will give you a representative sample of resumes or only focusing on ‘good looking’ resumes. Also, assuming the candidate that lives closest to the office is the right choice.

4.Lack of preparation

A recruitment process can feel overwhelming, but preparation is key in making sure you provide a positive candidate experience. Some common areas where businesses make mistakes are not preparing for interviews such as scheduling and confirming interview times and locations, developing interview questions and re-familiarise themselves with the position description.

5.Interviewers do all the talking and not a lot of listening

When interviewing candidates, some interviewers do all the talking and not a lot of listening, they use closed questions rather than open ended questions and they don’t make a candidate feel comfortable and relaxed from the start. Many interviewers we have found have actually failed to let the candidate know about the actual duties of the role.

6.Not doing your due diligence

Businesses don’t always have the hiring process following a level playing field in which each candidate is judged against identical selection criteria or not asking themselves clarifying questions to make sure the final decision on the chosen candidate is as objective as possible. It is important when selecting your candidates, you do your due diligence by finding out if the candidates information provided is accurate, for example, qualifications are true and correct. Reference checks are a good way to clarify the information, thoughts and opinions you came up with during the interview, for example, ‘this is what I found, would you agree’? It is also good to have another opinion of the candidate’s work habits and performance as well as behaviours.

7.To many ‘cooks in the kitchen’

It’s important to have the right people involved in the recruitment process such as the potential candidate’s manager. However, having too many people involved can slow down the recruitment process.

8.Lack of communication

Ongoing communication with candidates throughout the recruitment process is important. 44% of candidates find poor communication as the most frustrating aspect of a hiring process and I’m sure we have all had this experience where you heard nothing back from your application. Candidates need to receive communication from you even if they are unsuccessful for an interview or were interviewed and are unsuccessful. The unsuccessful candidate may not be right for this role but potentially others in the future.

Adapting a more structured recruitment approach may help you avoid some of these common traps. When you are involved in the selection process you should always keep in mind the importance of bringing people in who are not just good at the job, but who will also play a part in helping to create a more positive culture.

 

Ready to improve your recruitment process?

My Recruit Right! Program will show you the 9-Essential Steps you need for a more effective recruitment process. The program has been designed to support you and your team to implement an effective, efficient and consistent process in line with current legislation and laws. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you! The best part is, you can complete the program when and where it suits you!

Enrol for my Recruit Right program here.

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Human Resources: Reflecting on 2021 and trends for 2022

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Human Resources: Reflecting on 2021 and trends for 2022

Filed Under: Advisory and compliance, Business Update, HR essentials

2021 certainly for business owners, managers and people leaders has been tough to navigate with ongoing restrictions and lockdowns, vaccine mandates, keeping staff engaged and morale high, adapting to remote work models and recruiting and onboarding virtually. The ‘future of work’ has definitely been accelerated by the pandemic.

On a positive note, we have seen shifts in businesses prioritising mental health and wellbeing, not just from an organisation level but through to a team level, fully embracing flexible work and finding ways to improve retention and communications with their employees.

For Catie Paterson HR Business Consulting we have enjoyed helping businesses build a solid foundation of HR processes, systems and culture to allow their people the opportunity to grow and contribute to the achievement of overall business goals. Through the Human Resources Success Audit Webinar Series’ with the Better Business for Good Company, the new resources library and Recruit Right online program (more online programs to come!) we can further support businesses to create better workplaces.

Human Resources trends expected in 2022

2022 will see a need for businesses to really focus on increasing engagement with their staff with a focus on regular communication, in particular, one to one checkins to discuss and make sure employees are progressing to achieve their career goals and training and development plans and to provide Managers an understanding if they need further support in certain areas.  Engagement will only continue to increase if people are provided clarity, certainty and a clear direction on where the company is headed.

2022 will also see workplaces fully implement their hybrid work model as a long-term approach rather than just for the needs of the pandemic. There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ model and each business will need to update their policies and adjust their model that fits around their employees and customer needs.

Mental health and wellbeing will also need to be a top priority for 2022 with the need for businesses to look at wellbeing more from a team level and not just from an organisational perspective. Clear and consistent communication of mental health and wellness support programs and resources and the people involved is crucial, whether this is to employees working remotely, in an office or on a large worksite.

Businesses will need remain flexible with their plans with some potential external changes to occur unexpectedly.

At Catie Paterson HR Business Consulting we are here to help with all your people management needs. If you would like to know more, book a free 30-minute consultation with me here.

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9 steps to a successful recruitment process

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9 steps to a successful recruitment process

Filed Under: HR essentials

The pandemic has changed Australia’s job market with many businesses finding it difficult to attract staff as well as keep existing ones across all industries. Skill shortages from lack of migration to remote work is allowing for more opportunities being available for job seekers, increasing the challenges of hiring talent.

As reported in The Age and according to SEEK, ‘job ad volumes in October were 63 per cent higher than a year ago and 44 per cent above where they were in October 2019.’ These are astonishing figures. At the same time, applications for jobs are also down.

With such a competitive market, businesses need to make sure they have a solid recruitment process that showcases and communicates their employee value proposition and provides a positive candidate experience in the selection process.

Attracting and finding the right talent can be time-consuming and a costly process especially if you need to re-hire and retrain due to hiring the incorrect person. Adopting a more structured approach to the recruitment process will help minimise the risk of choosing the wrong candidate the first time, a slow screening/interview process and a negative candidate experience.

For a recruitment process to be effective and efficient there are key steps that need to be in place and followed by everyone who might be involved in recruiting team members.

Is it time to create a solid recruitment process for your business?

Here are the 9 simple steps you need for a successful recruitment process:

1.Background work

Background work is the first step in the recruitment process that can help you save time and money in the long run if it’s done correctly. However, this step is often not completed entirely by businesses.

It is taking the time to look at the role you are trying to fill and considering how it fits into the current, mid-term and long-term needs and business goals/objectives. It is also important to define the types of skills, experience and behaviours you are after for the role before working through the selection process, increasing the likelihood of finding and retaining the right candidate.

2. Write the position description and the advertisement

Before any advertising can occur for the role you should have a Position Description (PD) which is up to date. The information in the PD forms the basis of any advertising and is the critical step to understand what the requirements of the role are. It outlines the required duties, responsibilities, skills, qualifications, and type of employment. It also should detail a behaviour profile for what success looks like in that role and your organisation’s values.

The next step is to write the job advertisement and think about what channels/where is best to advertise the role. More than one channel should be chosen and some of these, for example, could be internal advertising, seek and/or LinkedIn, other social media, recruitment agencies and networking events.

3. Assess and shortlist candidates

Depending on the role, the assessing and shortlisting process may be a shared responsibility. If the role has been advertised and there are several applicants to go through, you may like to consider conducting telephone screening to develop a short list of candidates. Before starting this process make sure to have a template of questions you would like to ask each candidate to help with the screening process.

4. Interview preparation

The interview is the most common selection method to recruit team members. The success of the interview will have a lot to do with how you prepare and structure it.

In the current market with competition for good applicants so strong, it is important the interview is a positive experience which sells the benefits of your business and the role.

Prepare for the interview by:

-Scheduling interviews – confirm interview times and location and make sure to choose your location well. Make sure interviews are scheduled not too long after the phone screening.

-Develop and design interview questions/guide. The most common questions used are target questions or behavioural based structured questions around a candidate’s past behaviour in similar situations to what will happen in the role they have applied for. These types of questions generally go beyond determining whether a person can do the job.

-Read resumes and prepare specific questions from their resumes.

-Re-familiarise yourself with the Position Description – you should also know the role inside and out.

5. Conduct interviews

If you are conducting a number of different interviews you need to have a structure to them, so they are effective and a positive experience for both you and the candidate. Here are seven stages which helps structure the interview:

-Start with a welcome and introduction

-Review their resume with them to get them talking

-Start using your target questions

-Business overview – what do they know about your business?

-Position overview

-Time for the candidate to ask any further questions

-Close the interview and inform them of the next steps.

When conducting interviews, did you know that there are some questions you cannot ask an interviewee and are illegal? It’s important to understand what some of these unlawful questions are when preparing your interview questions. My checklist on ‘Interview Questions You Can’t Ask’ provides some examples of unlawful questions. You can find this here.

6. Check final candidates against hiring criteria and make final selection

In making your final candidate selection you need to gather all your notes from the interviews and review them and if there were others involved in the interview you need to collect their feedback. It is also useful to rate the candidates against a set of ‘clarifying questions’ to help you compare.

7. Reference check the selected candidate

Reference checking can be a really useful tool to aid in making a final decision, yet we don’t use it as much we should. You can find out if the candidate has truthfully represented themselves by reference checking. Use the information, thoughts and opinions you came up with during the interview to clarify anything e.g. ‘this is what I found, would you agree’? You can only conduct a reference check once you have gained authorisation from the candidate to talk to that person.

8. Make the successful candidate an offer

Once the decision has been made you have the privilege of making the successful candidate an offer to join the business. Keep in mind they may have other offers so make sure you have all the final details of the role i.e., salary, ideal start date etc ready and make the offer as attractive as you can.

9. Communicate with all the unsuccessful candidates

It’s an important part of the process to ensure you take the time to communicate with all the unsuccessful candidates. Be prepared to provide these candidates reasons why they were unsuccessful.

A good recruitment process helps you both attract and find that right team member for your business. As a business owner or Manager, finding a team member that has the right skills you need, someone you can rely on to do the work and is excited/motivated to work with you is critical for any business to be successful.

Is it time to put these steps into action and create your very own recruitment process? My Recruit Right program will take you through each of the nine steps and all the tips and tricks on what to do and what to avoid. Register for my program here.

Or, just wanting to get started? Then grab a copy of my free recruitment and selection checklist here.

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