Employees at companies that encouraged voluntary staffing and hours reductions during the downturn are more likely to be happy and to be advocates for their employer, a major survey has found.
To avoid being left with poor performers, employers must take stock now of the valuable talent likely to jump ship when the employment market picks up, says the national director of psychometric consulting company SHL, Stephanie Christopher.
An employer group survey of 500 Australian CEOs exposes plans for more training-budget cuts over the next year, which will exacerbate the skills shortage, it says.
More than half of Australian employees would accept working fewer hours in their next job if it offered greater stability, and nearly two in five would take a pay cut, a national survey has found.
Employers need to stop viewing engagement as "being nice" and start to see it as a way to genuinely drive commercial returns, says RedBalloon CEO and founder, Naomi Simson.
The GFC has caused many baby boomers to rethink their retirement plans, creating opportunities for employers to benefit from their unique knowledge and experience for longer - if they can keep them engaged - says Nola Charkos, corporate consultant for ipac consulting.
The economic recovery will hit employers "like a tsunami", says human capital consultant Anthony Sork. Employers acting too late to stop the exodus of their workers must focus on attaching and on-boarding their replacement recruits.
The downturn will last 12 months longer for organisations that fail to address employee engagement issues now, says TMP Worldwide head of employer branding, James Wiggins.
Australia's low unemployment rate throughout the GFC is attributable in part to HR's greater involvement in business strategy and commitment to minimising job losses, says AHRI CEO, Serge Sardo.
The economy has focused employees' needs for status and equity outward ("Two of my neighbours lost their jobs; I'm just happy to have mine"), but at some point in the near future they'll return their focus inside the four walls of your organisation and you better be ready...
