Workforce Briefing Report

Workforce Briefing Report Introduction King Edward VII College has been operating for five years. The college is based in the Melbourne CBD, with about 500 students enrolled. It offers a range of courses in management, marketing, human resources and international business. Courses are offered at all levels from Certificate II to Graduate Diploma. The college is very popular due to its competitive pricing structure, innovative teaching methods and state of the art facilities. Due to its success, the college plans to establish two additional campuses, one in Brisbane and one in Sydney. The Brisbane campus will commence operating in January 2018 and Sydney in mid-2018. Campus locations are already in place, with the process being overseen mainly by the CEO and the Finance Manager. No staff have been employed as yet, but it is anticipated that each campus will require a receptionist, a student services officer and 4 trainers. Existing staff at the Melbourne campus will complete all other staff functions until such time as student numbers increase substantially. It is anticipated that maximum student numbers will be up to 50 students at each of the new campuses. The College currently employs 24 staff members including the CEO, a Marketing Manager and Marketing Assistant, Human Resources Manager, Finance Manager, Administration Manager, Office Assistant, Receptionist, Academic Manager, Student Services Officer, and approximately 14 trainers. Further details regarding the above staff, as well as the staff turnover statistics, are provided in the Workforce Information document. King Edward VII College understands the overall importance of strategic planning for human resources and, given the company’s expansion plans, a Strategic workforce plan is now required. The status of key areas of human resources is as follows: ● Equal employment opportunity and diversity: equal employment opportunity is implicit in recruiting staff and in the workplace but there is no formal policy or strategy in place or arrangements for flexible working arrangements. ● Human resources information systems: the current human resources system is basic. Staff files are kept in a filing cabinet and payroll is managed through accounting software. There is interest in migrating to an advanced HR information system as the business grows and has multiple sites. Costs need to be identified. ● Induction is limited to a couple of hours at the beginning of an employee’s employment. There is no follow up. ● Job analysis and design: no formal systems in place. ● Occupational health and safety: policies and procedures and processes are in place. However, no formal training system or ongoing development systems are in place. ● Performance management: while performance management is indicated in the company’s strategic plan, it is sporadic and depends on the manager. Clearer procedures and systems Flinders International College V.1 Page 1

need to be put in place and there also needs to be some attention to reward and recognition schemes. ● Professional development: professional development onus is on the staff with no formal systems in place. Any professional development undertaken by staff is not always recorded although staff are supposed to complete a professional development register. An online system for recording professional development and that is linked to the human resources information system would be useful. There is no current budget for professional development and an annual amount needs to be identified per staff member. ● Recruitment and selection: there are a desire to identify recruitment and selection strategies that ensure the recruitment of quality staff. ● Staff retention and succession planning: no formal systems are in place. Strategic Objectives 1. To be a leader in vocational education and training 2. To establish and maintain high quality infrastructure supporting clients and staff 3. To be well led, high performing, profitable and accountable 4. To develop our people and resources Target market for services King Edward VII College has two broad segments to its target market, consisting of people wishing to gain entry to the industry, as well as people already working in business and management who want to formalise or develop their skills. Building effective leadership and management skills of managers has been identified as particularly important. This has informed King Edward VII choice of delivery. We also intend to capitalise on market needs for delivery of blended (classroom and online), as well as on-line courses. There are many training providers in our sector and King Edward VII seeks to offer a point of difference through our competitive pricing structure, innovative teaching methods and state of the art facilities. Flinders International College V.1 Page 2

● Friendly organisational culture- positive impact on HR ● Ageing workforce for senior management positions- negative impact ● High staff turnover of trainers- negative impact ● High staff turnover of trainers ● Difficulty in finding skilled trainers and assessors ● Lack of leadership and management skills of existing workforce ● Lack of diversity in workforce Human resources policies still in their infancy, for example, recruitment process not making full use of technology advances e.g. social media, no formal performance management system in place, no employer branding/employer of choice initiatives As set out in the strategic plan, there will be more emphasis on online learning, and this will necessitate staff training and potentially new roles. Students should also look at the staff turnover and diversity in workforce information and make judgements as to whether these are acceptable. Changes to industrial and legal requirements Here are some of the most significant changes to employment legislation which can impact King Edward VII : Minimum Wage Rates The decision impacts businesses and employees that fall under the National Workplace Relations System. These are businesses that are covered by the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Fair Work Act). In 2023, the national minimum wage increased by 5.6% and the increase took place from the start of the first full pay period on or after 01 July 2023 for award free employees. Award minimum wages were staggered per industry and introduced as of the first full pay period on or after 01 July 2023, 01 September 2023 and 01 November 2023 respectively, depending on the award that applies. Underpayments Employees must be paid at least the minimum entitlements for the job they do and the industry they are in. The minimum amount of pay they should receive will generally depend on the applicable industrial instrument, e.g. a modern award or an enterprise agreement. An underpayment is when an employee is not paid their minimum entitlements for the work they do and when they do it. These entitlements may include overtime rates, penalty rates, payment for annual leave or leave loading, and allowances Staffing Flinders International College V.1 Page 4

Workforce option Advantages Disadvantages Recruiting externally means seeking candidates from outside of the organisation through a range of recruitment options such as advertising on Seek or in the newspaper. ● Larger pool of candidates ● Potential to increase diversity to the workforce ● Provides the opportunity to bring in candidates with fresh ideas ● Takes longer to hire staff ● Can be costly ● Internal staff feel aggrieved as they feel it lessens their chance of promotion. Casual labour means hiring employees for a short period of time or to fill gaps when employees are sick. ● Quick solution to meeting workforce needs ● No responsibility to keeping staff member on ● Entitlements for full-time employees do not apply ● Casual labour unlikely to be loyal to a company ● Casual labour not as familiar with company procedures or ethics ● Can be costlier, as rates are sometimes higher New graduates or trainees can be hired to come into entry level positions within the organisation. ● Can be hired initially at a lower pay rate ● Trained to perform a specific job ● Government funding may be available ● May be inexperienced and need a lot of attention ● May not have the depth of knowledge and skills of an experienced worker ● May leave once full training is provided. Offshore workers may be recruited from overseas and assistance with visas provided. ● Access to a larger pool of candidates from overseas ● Potential to increase diversity to the workforce ● Provides the opportunity to bring in candidates with fresh ideas ● Cultural fit may be an issue ● Language may be an issue ● May leave to go to home country Services required within the organisation may be performed by a contractor who could be employed for a specific amount of time. ● Specialist skills to perform function ● No responsibility to keep the staff member on ● Flexible option for acquiring services ● Expertise resides outside organisation ● Limited opportunity to build internal expertise ● Contractor may not be loyal to the organisation Flinders International College V.1 Page 5

● Recruitment Selection and Induction policy- gap ● Internet usage policy- gap ● Documentation policy and procedure- gap Recommended human resources strategic directions Strategic Objectives 1. To be a leader in vocational education and training 2. To establish and maintain high quality infrastructure supporting clients and staff 3. To be well led, high performing, profitable and accountable 4. To develop our people and resources How to achieve these objectives through: ● Recruitment and retention of high-quality staff: Employees are more loyal when they feel connected to the organization. Successful organizations encourage their employees to ask questions of their supervisors regarding the business and to have them involved in critical business decisions. ● Developing people: Successful development cannot happen if your management style creates barriers that are a hindrance to growth. It's a good idea to review outdated processes and rigid structures to remove any potential barriers. You can then encourage a work environment that incorporates time to develop and grow in the ways that are most beneficial to your team members. ● Creating a Safe and Supportive Workplace Culture ● Embracing diversity ● Developing appropriate policies and procedures ● Develop and implement a cultural sensitivity and awareness program for staff ● Improve web site information to attract more students ● Develop and implement a cultural sensitivity and awareness program for staff ● Implement staff performance management review system Technology and systems Human Resource Management (HRM) includes activities such as recruiting, training, developing and rewarding people in the organization. HRM must aim at achieving competitiveness in the field of HR by providing constant educational and training programs for the personal and professional development of the employees of the organization. It has been conventionally proved that Information and Communication Technology (ICT), such as the Internet, mobile communication, new media, and such in HR can greatly contribute to the fulfillment of personnel policies of the organization. Technological advancement can have a huge impact on the HR department of an organization. It allows the company to improve its internal processes, core competencies, relevant markets and organizational structure as a whole. Human Resource must mainly be focused on the strategic objectives of the organization. These strategies must be led to incorporate an IT strategic plan for the organization. These are activities related to any development in the technological systems of the entity, such as product design (research and development) and IT systems. Flinders International College V.1 Page 7

Technology development is an important activity for the innovation process within the business, and may include acquired knowledge. In the context, all activities may have some technical content, and result in greater technological advancement. Information Technology may have a greater impact on organizations that exist in a dynamic environment. This will lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness of the Human Resources. Hence, utilizing IT applications for database management and advanced recruitment systems will increase the efficiency of the business. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can make the following major impacts in Human Resource Management. 1. Effective recruiting Organizations have realized that effective recruiting cannot be done without the use of IT. Organizations now use job portals on the internet to search for the best candidates for the position. The process has been made effective with the use of the internet as many people come to know of the offer and hence increases the probability of hiring efficient employees. Employers can present all necessary information related to job, careers and personal development of each employee on portals online. This is a great promotional tool for the organization. Currently, Envoy has developed Asana, an IT tool for recruiting that analyzes details down to where a potential candidate’s high priority values are. The HR IT tools not only help hire the best potential but also retain it. 2. Inventory management tools and human resource management Entrepreneurs with business acumen describe that the performance of an organization can be made more effective and efficient by customer intimacy, operational efficiency, and leading edge. Customer needs must be met by customization and by providing outstanding customer instances. For this purpose, organizations use HR IT tools to provide a universal set of products and diversify the business by providing improved products and services. Flinders International College V.1 Page 8