Tapping into Talent

2011 has been touted the year of the "Skills Shortage". Earlier this year International Business Times stated that almost 1 in 3 businesses in Australia are being directly impacted by skills shortages, with data also highlighting the mining states of WA and Qld being hardest hit (stats showing 40% directly impacted).

So what can employers do?

It seems so obvious, yet it is something that employers are overlooking. The good news is that there is an effective way to find and tap into the talent pool that could be just the solution for employers who are suffering in the skills shortage!

FLEXIBLE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS!

Why flexible solutions?

There is a growing pool of qualified and experienced employees who choose not to, or are not able to work in full time roles, most notably:

• parents with young children,
• adult children taking care of their aging parents, or
• those who are of retirement age but not ready to stop working altogether).

What are flexible solutions?

There are many different ways that a workplace can implement flexible solutions:

• Part time work,
• job share,
• variation in start and finish times,
• more hours less days,
• contract.

How to implement flexible solutions

There are actually quite a few specialist companies out there who can help you if this seems to be an overwhelming task, BUT if you want it to be something you do yourself, here are a few tips to get you started:

1. assess your needs - this is around the workplace, do you need people on the phones or in the office at particular times, is there time critical aspects to the business etc.,
2. assess your staff needs - find out if your staff are caring for young children or elderly parents, those with disabilities or study needs. Usually staff surveys are a non-confrontational way to achieve this, but you can also conduct staff interviews or focus groups,
3. consider past employees who have the qualifications and/or experience that can be of benefit, but are not wanting full time employment!
4. communicate to staff your intentions (this can be the critical mistake employers can make as staff can get uncomfortable when they feel change is afoot - even if it is good change!), and finally
5. implementation - now this is the area that you will need some advice and support: you will need to ensure that policies you introduce comply with workplace standards and laws.

Flexible workplace solutions are an excellent way for employers to reduce skills shortages, increase staff satisfaction and engagement and attract high quality and skilled staff! There is a huge untapped pool of perfect employees just waiting for the type of role to suit their need for flexibility AND employment!

Workplace Flexibility has some great advice and a sample Flexible Work Practices Policy here.

If you have any questions, or advice on how you have implemented a flexible solution drop us a comment, we'd love to hear from you!