Edition 9 - December 2007Word from the Editor The information you learned from last edition on the different generations, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y, becomes expanded as we look at Technology in the Workplace. Technology brings positives and negatives into our organizations. Technology is a main attraction for our Gen Y, although according to SurfControl figures, if just one employee spent an hour a day on Facebook, it could cost a business $6200 per year. I am sure that you will gain insightful information that you can transfer into your organization or into your career plan. Christmas is just around the corner, and we are looking forward to catching up with many of our clients, temporary staff and candidates. Please enjoy Edition 9, and please do not hesitate to contact our team if we can be of any assistance. Happy Reading! The Access HR Team | |
Gen Y: shd I work 4 u?
Australian employers must embrace new communications technologies as part of their workplace toolbox or they will fail to attract and retain the new generation of tech savvy workers. “Technology will have far greater influence in the workforce in coming years and it will play an enormous role in productivity, cost-efficiency and staff retention,” according to Australian Computer Society (ACS) president, Philip Argy. “Generation Y workers are already embracing the more flexible options made available by new technologies such as wireless communications. “As office and home environments continue to merge, this will create what we are calling an uncollared workforce, with workers seeking out employers that best meet their lifestyle requirements,” he said. Commenting on the release of an ACS report, The Uncollared Workforce, Argy said there were three factors that will combine to shift market power to employees for the first time in over two decades: the impact of new communications technologies such as wireless communications on the younger ‘Gen Y’ worker; the retirement of thousands of Australia’s baby boomers in five to ten years; and increasing skill shortages – particularly in the information and communication technology industry. “With the growing impact of skills shortages confronting most industries in Australia, forward thinking organizations will review their workplace arrangements now to make sure they can cater for greater flexibility,” Argy said. To be effective in this new workforce, all professionals – particularly those aspiring to managerial roles – must have an understanding of technology systems and their applications, according to Argy. “Australian corporate structures will have to undergo radical changes to meet the work/life demands of Generation Y, who do not put priority on being in the office for twelve hours a day just to fit the corporate culture and climb corporate ladders,” he said. “For the, it’s about working productively and flexibly to achieve KPI’s and required outcomes. It is also vital that employers demonstrate leadership and provide the right kind of development and training to retain this new generation of worker.” Key points: keeping up with the uncollared workforce
Reference: Craig Donaldson, Human Resource Magazine, Issue 104 |
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Negative Impacts of Technology in the WorkplaceTechnology in the workplace has many positives with efficiency, cutting costs and on a whole making the whole process a lot easier and quicker. Although with the introduction of blogging, instant message services and websites such as Facebook and Myspace employers need to be mindful that the very thing in place to make their business more efficient could be costing them thousands of dollars a day. In a recent Age article (August 20, 2007) Facebook is reported as becoming every boss’s nightmare, as the social networking website encourages its members to be online whilst at work. As workers mange their online social life via Facebook, the costs of workers being in front of the computer screen rather than being productive, is losing millions of corporate dollars. According to SurfControl figures, if just one employee spent an hour a day on Facebook, it could cost a business $6200 per year. With 800,000 businesses this could translate to $5 billion nationally. (The Age, August 20, 2007) Becoming increasingly popular in Australia is web logs and “blogging”. ‘Blogs’ are online diaries in which owners post information, comments and views which anyone may access. A vast number of bloggers are disgruntled employees who are using their blogs to comment on their workplace, their colleagues and their employer. Besides blogging in work hours the posting of company secrets including office gossip also is a concern for employers. Few employers have addressed developing policies addressing this issue, and according to Stephen Price (Partner and Workplace Relations Practice Leader) Employers need to understand the ramifications and protect themselves. “Blogging that amounts to harassment of a co-worker will be a breach of an employer’s EEO policy and a technical breach of contract”. Employers should also ensure internet policies deal with blogging, consider conducting internet surveillance in accordance with the law, and use blocking software to bar certain blogging sites. (Stephen Price, Human Resource Magazine, 4th April 2006).
Besides the new high tech blogging and social networking websites, the workplace internet is also being used to complete household administration tasks. Reported in Human Resource Magazine (12th December 2006) almost 50 percent of Australians who have internet access at work spend up to three hours a week performing personal household administrative tasks. 48 per cent of workers claimed that using the internet for personal use actually increased their productivity, with holiday planning at 38 per cent being a popular internet past time at work. 53 per cent of survey respondents reported using the internet for personal purposes during their lunch hour. Technology in the workplace can cost employers money. Employers need to be aware of what their staff are accessing, the time it is taking them to do so and have policies in place to manage the use of company property including the internet.
References: Human Resource Magazine 4th April 2006 Human Resource Magazine 12th December 2006 Human Resource Magazine 24th July 2007 The Age, Work Shy Facebookers, Monday 20th August 2007 |
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How To: Overcome Technophobia
Everybody’s stereotypical IT person mostyly looks the same: nerdy, bad hair (possibly still cut by mum) and Coke-bottle bifocals. It’s not a cool metnal image and traditionally it’s not a trendy industry, but becoming tech-savvy can broaden your skill base, increase your value to your employer and equip you with many of the skills you may need to run your own business. In an era where children a practically born with a mobile in their hands, baby boomers and generations Xers can sometimes find themselves at loss when people start ramming their RAM, ROM and USB acronyms down their throats. With a few prominent female figures in the industry, women just aren’t being compelled to familiarize themselves with an industry filled with intimating and confusing jargon, geeky odd-bods and difficult technical issues. With a significant skills shortage and under-representation of women in the Australian industry – only 16 per cent of all information and communications technology employees are female, and of that group, only 6 per cent hold managerial positions – employers are being forced to look overseas as a stop-gap. In an obviously male-dominated industry, it’s no wonder women are baulking at the idea of brushing up on their computing know-how and are adopting that pervasive noughties condition: technophobia. Before you give you give up and relegate yourself to the luddite category, however, there are many opportunities available for you to gain a few computer related skills to help you fight your way through the virtual battlefield. If you haven’t heard the new buzzword ‘mumpreneur’, it’s a notion that you may want to take on board. It’s an idiom that underlies a new concept where mums are coupling an entrepreneurial idea with a few technological skills to come up with a business that allows them the flexibility to work around their kid’s schedules. Of course, mums aren’t the only ones that can implement these skills in their employment positions. If you work within a small office environment and are the resident go-to person for IT problems (no matter how small) you’re worth your weight in gold. Having a broad skill base that traverses a number of industries will not only be beneficial to your employer, but you’ll also be able to use it as leverage for pay rises and promotions. When considering further training in the IT industry, the first step is to take a mental inventory of what you already do know – you may be surprised that your knowledge of computing extends beyond turning the computer on! Once you’ve ascertained your skill level, work out where you’d like to get to (perhaps discuss this with your boss) and find a professional development course that will help you get there. Befriending your IT person and having the odd chat with them about hints and tips to help you solve even the simplest problems will also be great for your skill set (and their social life!). The key is that once you start learning, your taste for more will explode and your rate for learning will increase. Once you’ve overcome your fear of technology and are able to navigate yourself around a computer, we guarantee you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. By Di Pierce, facilitator and program manager, Australian Women & Leadership Forum (www.womensforum.com.au) |
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Temp Star
Access HR believes all our temporary employees contribute and perform extraordinarily and should be recognized for their efforts. It is with great pleasure we announce December 2007 Access HR Tempstar. This award is determined by general work performance, feedback received from clients and the Access HR team. And the winner Sandra Pinto is Access HR TempStar (December 2007)
Sandra has been a temporary employee of Access HR for over 2 years, always keeping me up to date of her movements, her schedule and arrangements that have been made. Currently working at a major client of Access HR’s Sandra continuously shows commitment, dedication and expertise in her varying role. On other assignments Sandra has been a “fantastic asset” assisting clients out of difficult situations. An experienced Personal Assistant, Sandra is a wonderful member of our Access HR Team, and it is with great thanks I congratulate Sandra on being awarded our December 2007 TempStar. |
