September 05 Newsletter

Creating an environment that makes work enjoyable

Excellent leaders show passion for the work they do and deliberately cultivate a culture in which people can enjoy their work. This translates into a higher level of success for both individuals and the organisation.

Consider the following suggestions:

• Examine your views toward fun at work. Does it seem like a contradiction in terms? Do you have fun at work? Why or why not?
• If you think fun is frivolous, think again. Fun does not automatically lead to lower productivity or lack of focus. It can coexist with hard work; in fact, fun on the job can motivate people to work harder and be more productive.
• Realise that you can’t force people to enjoy themselves. Your attempts are likely to backfire if you put people into situations in which they feel they must act as if they are having a good time. Instead, give people the freedom to create their own fun, and ask them to contribute ideas for creating a positive work environment.
• If people have a vague sense that the environment could be better, but they’re not sure how, ask them to describe a workplace that they could enjoy. Challenge them to be specific and to bring examples from other workplaces.
• As a group, generate several concrete suggestions on how to make the environment more enjoyable. Choose some suggestions to implement immediately. Implement a few at a time so you can measure their effectiveness.
• Identify a work unit in the organisation in which people consistently enjoy their work. Interview the unit leader and some of the employees to learn more about their approach to work and to working together. Ask them to share their approach with your group.

From Successful Manager’s Handbook, 7th ed
Hint - Another good read is FISH, by Stephen C Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen

We love to have fun here at Beaumont, I hope you enjoy the good humour and enthusiasm you receive when working with our team, it makes such a difference to work with happy people!

The Workforce of Tomorrow

To give you some scary statistics ....in 2005 140,000 students will graduate from Australian Universities: in 2010, that number will be 50,000. Where is our future workforce coming from?

Attracting and retaining high quality employees has always been an organisational challenge - in the near future, it will become a top priority as acute labour shortages take hold in all Western economies.

Employers are challenged to think laterally about workforce alignment, and develop environments that engage high quality employees, as well as strategies to retain them.

We would like to invite you and your colleagues to Beaumont Consulting’s complimentary workshop on one of the most important of topics of the moment: Employee Engagement and Retention.

Sylvia Vorhauser, Director of Assessment Edge, will speak about the organisational challenges and responses necessary to position businesses for future success.

WHEN? – Tuesday 15th November 2005 - 5.30pm - 7.00pm then drinks.... Venue to be confirmed.

A refreshing cold beer or a glass of wine will be served from 5.30pm till 6.00pm, the presentation will commence at 6.00pm and will last approximately 1 hour, and as usual there will be more refreshments and nibbles after the workshop.

This is an excellent opportunity to learn how you can position your company for the future, through your employees, so be quick as spaces are limited.

To register your interest please email Debbie or call her on 02 9279 2777.

More employers offering paid maternity leave

The number of employers offering paid maternity leave has almost doubled over the past five years, according to a new survey by an equal opportunity agency.

The research, conducted by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, surveyed 1,750 employers registered with the agency, including private sector employers, group training companies and higher education employers, who have more than 100 employees.

About 40% of respondents said they provided paid maternity leave last year, up from 36% in 2003 and 23% in 2001, the survey said.

It showed that of those offering leave, 42% of employers offered six weeks paid maternity leave, followed by 21% offering 12 weeks. About 6% provided 13 to 14 weeks, while only 2% offered more than 14 weeks.

The survey also revealed that paid maternity leave was most prevalent among medium to large employers in power, gas and water supply (79%), education (76%) and communications services (73%). The industries with lower uptake levels included retail trade (12%) and construction (14%).

What is your company offering in terms of paid maternity leave? Is it worth considering that this strategy could be an important element in setting you apart from your competitors when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. How does the cost of offering paid maternity leave compare to the cost of replacing an employee, recruitment fees, having a position vacant for too long? Food for thought….

Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Survey 2004: Paid Maternity Leave, EOWA, August 2005

Fee is off travelling so we’d love you to meet Blake

We have a warm welcome and a fond farewell this month.

Felicity, who has been our fabulous Receptionist at Beaumont for quite some time, is leaving us for more exotic locations as she is off traveling the globe, so as we say bon voyage to Fee, we say a huge welcome to Blake Mason who will be the new face and voice of the company. I’m sure some of you will be speaking to him soon and finding out what a quality chap he is.

What’s Kristy up to?

Kristy is now our Candidate Care Manager...

At Beaumont Consulting we view ourselves as a "partner" in the job search experience. In support of this philosophy, Kristy McIntosh has recently been appointed to act as our Candidate Care Manager. Kristy will be responsible for maintaining regular contact with our quality candidates, thus giving you timely access to high calibre candidates.

Kristy supports our Consulting teams in the search and selection of candidates at all levels, both temporary and permanent, so when you need someone fabulous and fast, with Kristy in place, we are now even better placed to service your needs.

Temp of the month

Outstanding performance from our temps doesn’t go unnoticed. We truly appreciate, and like to therefore acknowledge the great work they are doing for us.

Our September Temp of the Month award goes to Joseph Chow, the feedback from his colleagues is great with them saying, “He is amazing! I can’t believe how good he is!” and they have extended his contract for another month! So congratulations to Joseph.

Joseph is pictured here whilst on assignment at Adstream with Andrew Jeffers, the CFO of Adsteam and our very own Nikki Beaumont. He gets $100 from a store of his choice.

Joke of the month

The office happenings….

Quote from a recent meeting: "We are going to continue having these meetings, everyday, until I find out why no work is getting done".

Quote from the Boss... "I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame it on you."

A motivational sign at work: The beatings will continue until morale improves.

My Boss said to me " What you see as a glass ceiling, I see as a protective barrier.

I thought my Boss was an idiot, and quit, to work for myself. My new Boss is an idiot, too ... but at least I respect him.

HR Manager to job candidate "I see you've had no computer training. Although that qualifies you for upper management, it means you're under-qualified for our entry level positions."

Quote from telephone inquiry "We're only hiring one summer intern this year and we won't start interviewing candidates for that position until the Boss' daughter finishes her summer classes.

Quote of the month

If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y plus Z. X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut. - Albert Einstein