Workout: specialisation is the key to a bigger paypackey

Reward more likely comes to those with a track record in driving revenue growth, profitability and cost savings.

Louise Langridge, joint managing director at Morgan McKinley.

Professional services recruitment company Morgan McKinley has found specialisation is the key to salary growth in its 2016 Australian salary guide.

The guide, which has researched hiring and salary trends in the past year, found salaries remained flat across core white-collar disciplines.

Joint managing director Louise Langridge says the report found those with a track record in driving revenue growth, profitability or achieving cost savings are likely to command higher salaries, and professionals who can work well outside of their core areas are in strong demand, along with change-management specialists.

The report found that with increasing pressure on businesses to reduce costs, more outsourcing and offshoring of non-core activities are likely, along with contract hiring for fixed-term and temporary positions.

HR snapshot

Hays’s annual DNA of a human resources director study has found 88 per cent hold a bachelor degree, with only 24 per cent having a degree in HR.

However, of the 461 HR directors in Australia and New Zealand who took part in the study, 44 per cent held additional HR qualifications and certificates, and 4 per cent had psychology degrees.

Sixty-eight per cent said they had not always worked in the field, and 47 per cent had worked outside of both countries to benefit their careers.

Hays found the most important skill for HR professionals to have was understanding stakeholder engagement, along with commercial acumen and strategic planning.

The study found HR directors thought the biggest challenge would be meeting strategic goals while working within budgets and workforce changes.

Improve morale

Mobile employment and workplace engagement organisation Reffind says there are simple ways to improve morale at work, starting with boosting motivation.

Managing director Jamie Pride says while morale alone may not necessarily increase productivity, things good employers do to buoy morale, such as investing time and effort into understanding employees and making sure they are engaged, will result in productivity returns.

Pride says the five tips — including defining core values and sticking to them, encouraging a conversation between employees and management, and building workplace relationships through different levels of an organisation — are essential for businesses to thrive.

He also advises companies to be flexible with working hours, and celebrate achievements and acknowledge wins by workers to encourage them to go that extra mile.

Grow your career

The founder of one of Australia’s fastest growing accounting firms, Brett Kelly, from Kelly + Partners, will share his industry experience and insights in a course aimed at business owners.

The Grow Program is a nine-month intensive professional course aimed at helping founders and owners increase sales, profit and income and turn their business into a valuable and saleable asset.

The Sydney course starts in March and will be run by Kelly and Duncan Kerr, who has worked with the Australian cricket team and other national teams.

The eight course modules range from conducting a personal assessment, managing finances, building effective teams to creating a robust succession plan.

Details: growprogram.com.au.