The skills required to work in Australia’s evolving funeral industry

Don’t let the name fool you - landing a job in Australia’s funeral industry can be hugely rewarding. These are the skills you need.

The funeral industry may be one of the oldest in the world but even its workers arenot immune to evolution.

As in all industries, evolving social, cultural and technological contexts have influenced the way people work.

Invocare people and culture group executive Amanda Tober says, for example, funeral and memorial workers have had to learn about many religious influences beyond Christianityas Australia becomes increasingly multicultural.

“We have a responsibility as an organisation to train and educate our employees on different rituals and cultural ceremonies and with that we are also focused on building a much more diverse workforce representative of the communities we serve,” she says.

Customer relations manager Matthew Adam uses data to help with cemetery mapping and planning. Picture: Supplied

Tober says the industry also has embraced technology, such as live streaming services offered for family and friends who cannot make it to the funeral, while handwritten paperwork is being replaced by digitised forms to make the planning process more transparent and streamlined.

“(Families) can access information about their arrangements in real time,” she says.

“They can reflect then come back to us and make changes.”

Adelaide Cemeteries Authority customer relations manager Matthew Adam also uses technology in his role, which includes maintaining the records of hundreds of thousands of burials and cremations from the past 182 years.

“All of that data is now digitised and we work with members of the community who

want to learn more about their ancestry (and) locate long-lost ancestors and other family members,” he says.

“Our data also includes geographical mapping and guides future cemetery planning.

“By identifying our most popular areas and monitoring when they will reach capacity, we can make informed decisions about future garden requirements and ensure that we continue to meet community preferences and needs.”

Memorial consultant Chris Clare says empathy and understanding will always be important. Picture: Supplied

Despite changes in the industry, many aspects have remained the same.

Adelaide Cemeteries Authority memorial consultant Chris Clare says the most important skills for his role are soft skills, such as empathy, understanding, communication and compassion.

Young people with these attributes are encouraged to consider a career in the industry as Federal Government data shows the average funeral workers is 52 years old – much older than the overall workforce average of 40.

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Tober says Invocare, with brands including White Lady Funerals, Simplicity Funerals and Value Cremations, has opportunities for people without formal qualifications or experience, which can also develop into leadership pathways.

“We don’t necessarily have a preference for industry background or experience but we look for great customer service – we can train the rest,” she says.

Funeral director Jasmine Cameron outside Waverley Cemetery. Picture: Adam Yip

MEET A FUNERAL DIRECTOR

Jasmine Cameron, Walter Carter Funerals

WHAT DOES YOUR JOB INVOLVE?

My role includes taking the first calls from families who need to begin planning a funeral; contacting hospitals, nursing homes and doctors; face-to-face meetings with families; contacting venues and suppliers to co-ordinate funeral requests, such as flowers, musicians and newspaper notices; working with crematorium and cemetery staff, doctors and sometimes government and legal departments; trimming coffins; washing hearses; assisting mortuary staff with preparation of the deceased; creating slide shows and curating music; reviewing funeral run sheets and packing equipment; briefing funeral teams on plans; conducting funerals; and applying for Death Certificates.

WHY FUNERAL DIRECTING?

This Halloween marked three years to the day that I started in the death industry.

I had planned on a very different career, but some turbulent life events ended up changing me so drastically as a person, I no longer had the desire to pursue it.

If I can prevent someone from feeling (thrust into a situation with no idea what to do) by guiding them through the first, overwhelming stages of loss, then I know I’ve done my job right.

HOW IS THE INDUSTRY CHANGING?

We are, thankfully, becoming more progressive as a society.

A greater push for equality and acceptance of diversity requires flexibility of funeral customs. A funeral no longer has to take a standard form and personalisation to honour the deceased is a top priority.

HOW ARE THE REQUIRED SKILLS CHANGING?

There’s an acute need for funeral workers to be a lot more tech savvy.

People not only want photo and video tributes played at funerals, they also may want services to be live streamed to relatives living overseas.

Every venue has different technology setups and if there’s something that is likely to go wrong on a funeral, it’s the sound and visual components so you’ve got to be able to be able to think fast and know multiple tech solutions.

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