Monthly Archives: January 2023

A Key Consideration for Businesses in Queensland

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards remote work, and many businesses in Brisbane, Australia have had to quickly adapt to this new way of working. While remote work can offer many benefits, such as increased flexibility and cost savings, it also presents a unique set of resourcing challenges for businesses to navigate.

With more companies moving towards remote work and the population migration to Queensland continuing, finding and retaining top talent can be a challenge. This is especially true for businesses that choose to source their own talent to meet their 2023 growth objectives, without the support of a recruitment consultant.

For example, imagine a business in Brisbane that is looking to expand their team in order to meet their 2023 growth objectives. They decide to handle the recruitment process themselves and begin advertising open positions on various job boards. However, as the market becomes increasingly competitive, they struggle to find qualified candidates that align with their requirements. After months of effort, the business is unable to secure the talent they need, and their growth plans are delayed. This not only costs them time and money, but also puts them at a disadvantage in the competitive market.

This scenario highlights the importance of considering recruitment support when planning for growth. With the right support, businesses can navigate the challenges of remote work and population migration, and find the talent they need to achieve their objectives. The below explores the top reasons why businesses should employ recruitment support in 2023, and how APSG can help Brisbane businesses find the right talent to support their growth.

Here are a few key considerations for managing resourcing challenges in the remote work environment and the challenges a business can expect to experience if trying to recruit their own resources.we can help you find the right talent but also save you time and money.

1. Communication and Collaboration: Effective communication and collaboration are essential for any business, but they can be particularly challenging in a remote work environment. When employees are working remotely, it’s important to have clear and consistent communication channels in place, such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management tools. Additionally, it’s important to set clear expectations for how and when employees should communicate, and to provide training and support to help employees navigate these tools.

2. Employee Engagement and Retention: Remote work can make it more difficult to engage and retain employees, particularly in a job market where top talent is in high demand. One way to combat this challenge is to provide regular opportunities for remote employees to connect with their colleagues and build relationships, such as virtual team-building activities and social events. Additionally, it’s important to provide regular feedback and recognition for employees, and to offer professional development opportunities that can help employees advance in their careers.

3. Employee Productivity and Performance: Ensuring that remote employees are productive and meeting performance expectations can be challenging, particularly when managers are not physically present to observe their work. To address this, it’s important to set clear expectations and performance metrics, and to provide regular feedback and coaching to help employees stay on track. Furthermore, providing remote employees with the tools and resources they need to be productive, such as access to software and equipment, can help ensure that they can perform their jobs effectively.

4. Compliance and Data Security: Ensuring compliance and data security can be more challenging in a remote work environment, as employees may be accessing sensitive information and company assets from personal devices and networks. To address this, it’s important to have clear policies and procedures in place to govern how employees handle sensitive information and company assets.

If a business is trying to recruit their own resources, they can expect to experience a number of challenges. Recruiting resources can take a significant amount of time and effort, which can divert the focus of the business away from their daily operations or “business as usual” (BAU). Additionally, the process of sourcing talent can be time-consuming and costly, which can lead to delays in filling open positions and impact the commercial growth and success of the business.

The Australian and the South-East Queensland economy has been growing over the last two years, and with this growth comes an increased need for talented individuals to support the development and success of businesses in the area. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Queensland economy has grown by 2.7% in the 2019-20 financial year. With the Queensland economy projected to grow 2.8% in the next two years. A major factor contributing to the unprecedented growth in Queensland has been the population migration from other states in the past Two years. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant shift in population as people look for more affordable living options and a better lifestyle. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Queensland had a net gain of around 18,000 people in the 2020-2021 financial year. This is an increase of around 12% compared to the previous year. This migration has led to a higher demand for jobs and housing in Queensland, which in turn has created more opportunities for businesses in the area. However, it also means that businesses will need to be more strategic in their recruitment efforts in order to find and retain the right talent to meet their business growth objectives.

At APSG, we understand the unique challenges of remote work and specialize in supporting businesses in Brisbane by sourcing the right kind of talent to drive growth. With our professional recruitment support, businesses can find the right employees who will help them achieve their growth goals, even in this remote work environment. Contact APSG today on 0432 605 482 to start your talent acquisition journey and overcome the challenges of remote work with our support. Not only we can help you find the right talent but also save you time and money.

THE AUTHOR

Nathanael Deleon

Founder & Director – Australian Project Solutions Group

You have been tasked with developing a team within time constraints, to achieve an ambitious budget. The team you adopt impose a challenge; select members struggle to comprehend task requirements, others more proficient display fatigue from carrying the lion share of work, and a few are resentful of both old and new management due to a myriad of reasons. As a good manager you identify the personal and professional needs of each team member, develop a plan that incorporates their personalities and skillset in order to extract the best possible performance from each individual. Unfortunately, however despite genuine intent not all best laid plans come to fruition, and the need to acquire new talent may be on the horizon.

The arrangement of resourcing to curtail existing poor performance in conjunction to expanding a team may cause significant delays in commercial outcomes. If you fail to run a robust, considered hiring process, you face the likelihood of turning candidates over regularly, impacting your business culture and further compounding the risk to your department’s performance and personal sanity!

Instances like these can be mitigated by having a strong resourcing strategy that aligns to the business plan and core objectives, ensuring that whilst monitoring performance indicators, you are also identifying the risks in existing teams to organise talent where required. This is where APSG can assist you. We work with you in developing resourcing plans catered to you and your organisation’s needs, refining candidates down to those that are most likely to be successful for the role you wish to fill. At APSG, we have gone through similar experiences and understand what it takes to turn teams around as well as develop new ones.

Skill vs Will: pros and cons of each and which benefits your organisation more?

Are you recruiting based on candidate skill or will? Okay, we get it’s going to be a mixture of the two, but how do we approach this assessment of skill versus will and ensure the selected candidate meets both requirements for a particular role? Ideally, a dream candidate is a tenacious expert who can step in without training and consistently exceed KPIs. However, in talent acquisition, hiring managers are consistently faced with a crossroads; do we favour the candidate with proven skills or less experience with the tenacious will to be successful?

In talent acquisition, we are constantly gauging the balance between finding those with experience (i.e. skill) and those with the passion and tenacity for the job (i.e. will). We cannot predict the future and guessing how the skillset, or the will of a candidate applies to a role adds another level of complexity to the already arduous task of hiring new staff. Consequently, hiring the right person for a role is difficult and only exacerbated when faced with several strong candidates. In such instances, management can certainly get stuck in discerning which candidate is the crème de la crème. So, how do you strike the right balance between skill and will when hiring? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both approaches.

Pros of skills-based talent acquisition:

1. Proven track record: When you acquire talent based on skill, you know the candidate has a proven track record of being able to perform the tasks required by the job. This can give you confidence that they will be able to hit the ground running and make a positive contribution to the organization.
2. Efficiency: Skilled employees are often able to work more efficiently because they have the necessary knowledge and expertise to complete tasks quickly and accurately. This can save time and resources and help your organization run more smoothly.
3. Transferability: Skills are often transferable, which means that an employee who has developed a particular set of skills in one job may be able to apply them to other roles or industries. This can be useful if you need to fill a role on short notice or if you’re looking for someone who can adapt to different environments.

Cons of skills-based talent acquisition:

1. Lack of fit: While skills are important, they don’t always translate into a good fit for the organization. An employee who is highly skilled but doesn’t share the same values or culture as the organization may not be a good long-term fit.
2. Limited potential: If you focus too much on skills, you may miss out on candidates who don’t have as much experience but have a lot of potential. These candidates may not have all the skills you’re looking for yet, but they may be more open to learning and development, which can be a valuable asset.
3. Stagnation: If you only recruit people who already have the skills you need, you may end up with a workforce that is not open to change or innovation. This can lead to stagnation and make it harder for your organization to adapt to new challenges.

Pros will-based talent acquisition:

1. Commitment: When you hire someone based on their will, you know that they are committed to the job and the organization. This can lead to higher levels of employee engagement and productivity.
2. Learning potential: Candidates who are motivated and willing to learn can be valuable assets because they are open to new ideas and ways of doing things. This can help your organization stay fresh and innovative.
3. Cultural fit: Will is often closely tied to cultural fit. When you hire someone who shares the same values and culture as the organization, you’re more likely to have a harmonious and productive team.

Cons of will-based talent acquisition:

1. Lack of skills: While will is important, it’s not enough on its own. Candidates who are highly motivated but don’t have the necessary skills may struggle to perform the tasks required by the job, which can lead to frustration and lower productivity.
2. Limited experience: Candidates who are highly motivated but have limited experience may require more training and support to get up to speed. This can be time-consuming and costly for the organization.
3. Misalignment: While will is important, it’s not always a good predictor of job performance. Candidates who are highly motivated may not always have the right skills or experience

Incorporating an assessment of these pros and cons for a candidate’s skill and will can be useful in the talent acquisition process, however, to do so properly, the hiring manager and the organisation itself must have clear parameters for the role. Achieving this in the first place can be an onerous task enough. At APSG we work with our clients to ensure that a detailed needs assessment is generated. Truly understanding our client’s needs is vital in our proactive approach to recruitment. Having a strong understanding of your “goal” ensures transparency and has been proven to significantly decrease the recruitment time-frame.

Contact APSG today to discuss your needs today.

THE AUTHOR

Nathanael De Leon

Founder & Director – Australian Project Solutions Group