Embrace change to deal with a more fragmented markeplace

Recruitment agency Ignite says businesses need to embrace change this year, as they face a fragmented marketplace.

Recruitment agency Ignite says businesses need to embrace change this year, as they face a fragmented marketplace where job candidates are using different platforms to find work and where people are looking for non-traditional employment.

Chief executive Julian Sallabank says growing trends include a greater demand for part-time work, which has made Australia a more competitive economy, with many skilled workers choosing reduced hours so they can spend more time with family or pursue hobbies.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show there are about 120,900 more people working part-time than a year ago, and about 35,300 fewer people working full-time.

Sallabank says some companies may not be able to offer top salaries, but with more people seeking flexible hours, a compromise can often be reached. This also aligns with more businesses focusing on outcomes rather than how work is performed or hours worked.

BOSSES CONFIDENT

An international quarterly study on confidence among chief executives has seen a marked increase in Australasia, reaching its highest since October 2013.

The YPO Global Pulse survey found leaders in Asia to be more confident about economic and business conditions than their European counterparts, rising in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, but down in India.

The YPO sales index for Australasia also soared five points to 72.7, its highest level in seven years, and 72 per cent of the region’s business leaders expected to increase turnover in the next year, versus only 2 per cent predicting a decline.

The index for ASEAN countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam — also rebounded in the fourth quarter, rising 9.4 points to 62.

WORKPLACE FUNK

A workplace relationships and health survey has found a high number of Australians are stuck in a working funk, with the thought of going home at night the thing keeping them there.

The report commissioned by A Future that Works and undertaken by human resources expert Lindsay McMillan, found 72 per cent were looking for greater meaning in their work, and close to 50 per cent will be looking for a new job this year.

“Our research has shown some really negative and unhealthy results for workers throughout the country and across a diverse range of industries,” McMillan says. “These include: 10 per cent of employees experiencing verbal abuse or bullying at work, 18 per cent experiencing conflict with their boss and a massive 72 per cent after greater purpose.”

The report defines steps to build a culture of meaning and purpose, including fostering employee participation and inclusion, communicating the alignment between roles and goals, encouraging autonomy and reinforcing engagement.

CIL PARTNERSHIP

The Centre for Integral Leadership Asia, founded by Stephenson Mansell Group in 2016, has formed a new partnership to create one of the largest independent leadership and coaching practices across the Asia Pacific.

The partnership between The Leadership Group in China, Slingshot Group in Bangkok and SMG in Sydney will service China, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and the Pacific regions, employing more than 100 coaches and facilitators.

CIL Asia chief executive Joe Fischer, previously the international head of human resources at P&O Group in London, says the entity will provide a point of difference in the leadership space.