It goes without saying that the internet has radically changed media over the past few years. For marketing departments worldwide, online channels present opportunities to reach new customers in a wider reach of locations.

With a strong IT link in their marketing department, businesses can better leverage their promotional messages across this growing channel.

Australians engaging more with online ads

According to a survey conducted by Roy Morgan, Australians are increasingly likely to click on advertising on the internet. Compared to 2011 figures, the number of those who viewed this type of content on a computer in a typical four week period rose by 25 per cent to 1,248,000.

Online advertising can now be viewed on tablets.

Four years ago, there was no advertising on tablets at all and now over 200,000 individuals will click on at least one ad a month on these devices. Similarly, 378,000 Australians now view advertisements on a mobile phone, compared to just 60,000 in 2011. A significant group of individuals (one fifth of those surveyed) even utilise multiple devices to access internet advertising.

Increasing connectivity is not just important for the younger generation. As Tim Martin, general manager of media at Roy Morgan explained, online advertising is also crucial for reaching more mature customers.

"14-24 year-olds are currently much more likely than the average Australian to agree they often notice ads online, including when watching videos – however they are the least likely to say they've clicked through ads recently," he said.

"YouTube, Facebook and other digital content providers and platforms aiming to boost advertising revenue need to broaden their reach among older demographics – those consumers who are ready to click (and shop) online."

The importance of data collection

Online marketing isn't just about communicating information. The channel is also useful for collecting customer insights and data that can drive future projects. Having a more intimate knowledge of why, when and how customers interact with your brand can make it easier to meet their future needs.

Gaining an ITIL certification can help manage customer data in a way that makes it easy to store, access and analyse. When it comes to collecting this information, online platforms can offer easy, affordable and wide-reaching methods.

For example, Amazon uses a platform called Mechanical Turk (MTurk). According to research conducted by the University of Texas, this particular service can capture data from a more diverse pool than samples from American colleges. The information obtained is just as reliable as data from traditional methods and survey participants can be recruited quickly.

How can IT play a part in ad campaigns?

In both the online and offline world, creative technology can create interesting, unique and, most importantly, memorable campaigns.

It is important to understand how the technology will be utilised to engage target audiences.

As consumers become overloaded with information, typical ads may not grip them in the same way and companies will need to think outside the box.

This is where good project management training becomes key. Even for the smallest campaign, it is important to understand how each element will add value and how a marketing department can utilise technology to engage target audiences.

A fantastic example of simple yet effective campaigns has been seen just across the ditch in the Haka 360 app. In order to capitalise on the excitement surrounding the Rugby World Cup, insurance group AIG created a virtual reality experience that can be viewed on a VR headset or on a mobile phone. In any medium, users are able to get up close to the All Blacks as they perform the famous haka.

IT and marketing can come together in many effective ways and businesses should consider how these two departments can collaborate on future projects.

Over the past few years, political leadership in Australia has been rather volatile. Prime ministers have come and gone (and come again), each with their own vision for the future of the country.

Like any other new leader, this new head is bringing something a little different to the parliamentary table. As former Minister for Communications, Malcolm Turnbull has been hailed as a technology minded PM and his focus on IT has caused excitement amongst many Australians.

Will his reputation and background help Australia become a leader in IT?

An “agile” government

In his first media address, Turnbull’s words harkened to IT project management training terms as he framed his speech around the terms “agile” and “disruption”.

“The Australia of the future has to be a nation that is agile, that is innovative,” he said, according to a September 15 Sydney Morning Herald article.

“We have to recognise that the disruption that we see driven by technology, the volatility in change is our friend if we are agile and smart enough to take advantage of it.”

The NBN will reach most Australians by 2020.

One of Turnbull’s most notable campaigns during his time as Minister for Communication was the rollout of high-speed broadband. This was hailed by Senator Mathias Cormann as one of the biggest infrastructure projects that Australia has ever seen and is budgeted at $49 billion through to 2020.

So far, one in 10 Australians are on the national broadband network (NBN) and the recently updated plan is set to connect 2.6 million premises by the end of July 2016. As an increasing number of businesses get on the high-speed grid, gaining an ITIL certification is becoming a key way to stay on top of these new opportunities.

Australians ready for a change

The new prime minister already seems to have resonated with the wider Australian population.

70 per cent of respondents named Malcolm Turnbull as their preferred leader.

According to a September 15 leadership survey conducted by Roy Morgan, 70 per cent of respondents named him as the preferred prime minister. Only 24 per cent highlighted Opposition Leader Bill Shorten as their first choice and 6 per cent were unsure or named another candidate.

“Turnbull leads clearly amongst both genders, across all States & Territories and leads Shorten across supporters of both major parties,” said Gary Morgan, CEO of Roy Morgan.

As technology continues to become a major part of the wider population’s lives, having a like-minded leader is a good step for the IT industry as well as businesses in general. If Malcolm Turnbull can meet these expectations, Australia may see a significant boost to innovation and technology in the coming years.

The digital arena is one of the most fast-paced and exciting places for a business to be. However, with strong talent across countries worldwide, how can Australian businesses keep pace with global competition and create innovative consumer offerings?

Recent research conducted by Gartner revealed how quickly this sector is growing. Out of all the businesses earning over $250 million in revenue per year, 32 per cent were involved with the digital market, a 10 per cent increase from the previous year.

Improving customer relationships and engagement was the key driver for this sector, with 83 per cent of businesses anticipating improvements in this area through digital ventures. Patrick Meehan, research vice president at Gartner, pointed to an evolutionary business model as the key to growth in this market.

"Digital business moments of untapped opportunity and competition can rapidly change the dynamics across industries," he said.

"Innovative companies are tailoring digital business moments to complement their existing products and services."

Reaching a new-age consumer

The introduction of online channels has done wonders for engaging customer bases, according to a survey from Adobe and the CMO Council. In the Asia-Pacific region, 66 per cent of businesses found they were able to create more touch points through digital media.

Increasing efficiency in customer acquisitions was also highlighted as a key benefit amongst 47 per cent of respondents. An additional 41 per cent saw an increase in customer loyalty.

In-depth analytics is one of the most important drivers for success in these schemes. Understanding the exact needs of your target market can help give you a direction for future projects. Delivering innovative solutions to problems at a fast pace will set your business apart, especially if you can leverage both online and offline offerings to your customers.

How can Australian organisations stay ahead?

Australia has strong potential to become a notable contender in the online marketplace. However, there are still greater actions that need to be taken to ensure continued success.

Although much of the focus of digitalisation is around marketing in particular, collaboration between this department and IT is a key step to moving forward. According to a Harvey Nash survey, 66 of CIOs have been affected by digital disruption, forcing them to rethink how their organisation approaches projects. In order to remain competitive, firms must create adaptive business models and employ greater flexibility between different business functions.

The nature of IT functions is not limited to one part of the company alone and objectives need to be shared between different departments in order to execute new strategies. IT project management training is becoming more relevant to marketers as they must understand the inner workings of their new promotional spaces.

Marketing professionals need to have an understanding of digital channels.

Government going digital

Businesses aren't the only organisations that can benefit from a more cohesive digital strategy. According to Deloitte, the Australian government could reap a high amount of economic and social benefit by changing the channels of communication between departments and citizens.

By digitising customer transactions, Deloitte estimates that the government can save $16.2 billion through productive and efficient gains over a lifetime. Consumers are also expected to see time saving benefits from the reduction of travel and waiting times, accounting for a $8.7 billion reduction in "lifetime present value terms".

John O'Mahony, Partner at Deloitte, predicted that digital transformation projects will offer benefits four times over the total cost. However, these need to be enacted with care to ensure the whole culture is aware of the implications of this change.

PRINCE2 training is not just of benefit to business leaders, but for IT professionals in the public sector. With clear benefits well within reach, the demand for IT leadership is becoming key to success in all sectors of the economy.

Managers worldwide are realising just how important business process analysis is to their company. However, many firms do not have the skills in their workforce to fully benefit from this practice.

According to a survey by McKinsey and Company, the strategic value of IT has not been lost on business leaders when it comes to process improvement. In fact, one of the most common priorities is the use of IT to make processes more efficient, with 61 per cent of executives naming this as a key focus. Cost effectiveness was also important to executives, as 48 per cent aimed to use technology to achieve this purpose.

74 per cent of companies can't find the links between process indicators.

Despite the good intentions of managers, there may be major shortcomings in their current systems.

In a more recent survey conducted by consulting company BearingPoint, 61 per cent of companies did not track process-specific KPIs. A further 74 per cent were unable to form links between individual indicators to get a clear picture of overall performance.

If a company is unable to get specific and useful feedback from their systems, it can be very hard to action marked improvements. Even though three-quarters of participants feel that business process management is important to their business, without the right skills, you'll be unable to achieved the desired changes to your systems.

What makes a great process analyst?

While an analytical brain, a sharp eye for detail and the ability to process large amounts of information are all key to the role, social skills also play an important part.

Analysts must be able to communicate their findings in a way that is understandable to everyone in the business. They also need to build strong relationships based on trust and respect, as they may have to suggest a contradictory strategic turn that goes against the common opinion. This could include a company-wide adoption of a new system or the introduction of an alternative delivery channel.

Business Process Analyst need to relate well to others in their firm.

On top of all this, business analysts must be adaptable to change and able to grow, according to Craig Pitts, lead global information security architect for Mondelez International.

"What was relevant and critical five years ago isn't always critical today, even if it's still relevant," he said in an August 25 CIO article.

"If technology can make that easier, then you should leverage that."

Alongside IT project management training, offering your workers a chance to pursue business analyst courses is a very wise move. Having a knowledgeable analyst on your team can open up new possibilities for your company that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

In today's technology driven world, there is no time for business leaders to lag behind on IT. But how can you stay afloat amongst the confusing terms, changing tides and constantly emerging innovations?

85 per cent of CEOs struggle to understand the strategic implications of IT.

There's no question that IT has become a huge part of an overall business strategy. According to a recent Reinvent Data Centers survey, 93 per cent of CEOs worldwide believe that technology is more important to them than it was five years ago.

However, the majority of the leaders surveyed seem to be missing the mark when applying innovations to their processes as 85 per cent of CEOs struggle to understand the strategic implications of IT.

To help you better understand the benefits of having a strong IT management portfolio in your business, we've broken down the four main components. Each part offers its own unique capabilities, although there are some overlaps.

Enterprise Architecture

In the simplest terms, this is all about defining your business capabilities. Enterprise architects look at the people, processes and materials in an organisation to find where value can be derived for the end customer. For example, we teach the SABSA method to help people build a strong security framework across the entire company.

In this step, the focus on on the overall strategy of the business and enterprise architects must logically assess each of the above factors in a firm to highlight where the potential changes can be made.

PRINCE2

This is where points that are highlighted for change see implementation through project planning. PRINCE2 is the most widely used and trusted management and government framework worldwide. When used effectively, it allows managers to deliver projects within an acceptable risk profile and in accordance to quality standards.

Formal PRINCE2 training is often required to fully grasp the full potential of this software, but the pay-off can be great for those who do choose to take the time and money to train their managers. PRINCE2 can be applied to projects of any size, with a focus on the decisions that managers need to make to see them through to completion.

PRINCE2 is one of the most reliable project governance systems in the world.

AgilePM

Another key project management software is Agile. While there is a lot of overlap with this software and PRINCE2, the two complement each other rather than compete. In fact, a recent certificate course has been added specifically for PRINCE2 users to expand their skills in an Agile-oriented way that combines both programs in one system.

AgilePM uses the Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) to deliver projects in a volatile business environment. This system ensures that goals are consistently met on time and on budget, across external and internal shifts. Just like PRINCE2, taking courses in AgilePM is an important part of overall IT project management training and is a worthy investment for any company.

Business Analysis

Similar to an Enterprise Architect in scope, business analysts looks at the requirements of a business project. They focus on the current state of the business and what needs to be done to reach the future desired state. Rather than keeping the end customer in mind, business analysts in IT need to consider the entire value-chain and each individual process within the chain.

Business Analysts also play an important role in implementing business processes. These are often designed on a project-to-project basis and incorporate both IT and non-IT elements.

With all four of these aspects laid out, it is easier to see where your project management systems may be failing. If this is the case, training is always available to you or your managers to help reach better project outcomes.

Ever imagined how to measure the exact popularly of an oft-spoken trend? With the release of Gartner's "Hype Cycle" report for 2015, it is now clear to see which technologies are setting the highest expectations in the global market.

Keeping a keen eye on these trends is vital in order to stay competitive.

The Hype Cycle goes through five stages of development; the Innovation Trigger, the Peak of Inflated Expectations, The Trough of Disillusionment, the Slope of Enlightenment and finally the Plateau of Productivity. While these terms somewhat sound like levels in a poorly designed video game, they nevertheless offer insight into what technologies the world is currently buzzing about.

For business leaders, now may be a good time to brush up on IT project management training. Keeping a keen eye on these trends is vital in order to stay competitive according to Gartner Vice President Betsy Burton explained.

"As enterprises continue the journey to becoming digital businesses, identifying and employing the right technologies at the right time will be critical," she said.

Here are some of the current technologies holding the prime position atop the peak of the hype cycle.

Speech-to-speech translations

As guessed from the title, this software allows for users to decipher foreign languages without the years of training needed for fluent communication. Skype passed a milestone of its translation services back in April, offering Mandarin and Italian speech-to-speech options, bringing the total to four languages.

The communication possibilities this software brings are pretty exciting, as language barriers start to lower – although it is more likely to slide into the Disillusionment trough sooner than the next technology.

Automated vehicles

Despite some security concerns, automated cars are very close to hitting peak excitement. While Gartner believes they still have a while to go until they reach the productive plateau, they will be landing on Australian shores by late 2015. Volvo and the ARRB Group will be jointly running tests during the Driverless Vehicle Conference in South Australia. This further research is expected to breathe new life into this region, following previous manufacturing setbacks, according to ARRB group.

While there are still numerous tests for the automated car to go through, this is a big step towards a driverless future for Australian roads.

The Internet of Things (IoT)

This area has seen a lot of discussion over 2015 and multiple groups in Australia have come together to develop a national strategy to presented to the government. Communications Alliance, the representative group for the communications industry, have been in discussions with representatives from companies such as IBM, Alcatel Lucent, Intel, and Creator Tech since May.

The aim of the strategy is to prepare policy recommendations, explore economic opportunities and map the current IoT ecosystem in Australia. The final report is set to be released by October at the latest, which shows how relevant this aspect of technology is to the wider community.

Businesses certainly have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Staying on the pulse of these developments remains key as they move closer to widespread adoption.

The struggles of women in the IT industry is one of the most hotly discussed topics worldwide and the fire isn't dying down anytime soon. While we've come a long way from the male-dominated offices seen a few decades ago, there is still work that needs to be done to help more women reach the boardroom.

Companies still lacking a gender balance

Recently, Apple made a public statement regarding the diversity of their recruitment, shining a light on a broader trend within the technology sector. While they had made improvements in increasing the proportion of women and racial minorities in their workforce, they are still rather far away from reaching a fair balance.

In 2014, only 26 per cent of computing roles in the United States were held by women, down from 36 per cent in 1991.

Apple's current workforce consists of 65 per cent male and 35 per cent female workers. However, the company has increased the rate of new female hires by 36 per cent and the overall proportion of women has increased by one percent from last year.

Other tech companies worldwide are also failing to hit the mark. In 2014, only 26 per cent of computing roles in the United States were held by women, down from 36 per cent in 1991, according to the National Centre for Women in Technology (NCWIT). For women of colour, the numbers only get more depressing as black and latina women only consist of 3 per cent and 1 per cent of IT workers respectively.

Companies that don't make an effort to include women amongst their numbers are missing out on a number of benefits. As stated by the NCWIT, having more diversity increases the capacity for innovation, lowers the cost of attrition and "brain drain", boosts productivity and lends to better problem solving due to a wider range of views and outlooks.

Australia leading the charge for females

While international figures paint a somewhat bleak picture of women in technology, local results suggest Australia is bucking this trend.

Recent research conducted by Robert Half revealed that 65 per cent of Australian IT businesses have increased the number of female workers employed, the highest out of the eight nations surveyed. Even France, the immediate nation ranked below Australia, have some catching up to do, as only 42 per cent of French firms have increased the number of women they've hired.

Part of the reason for the rise is the application of IT in other sectors such as food, retail and sport. Women have the opportunity to enter the IT job market by combining industry experience with formal learning , such as ITIL training.

Is increasing hiring enough?

The continual empowering of women in the IT industry is a complex issue that doesn't end at hiring ratios and even if women are getting roles, they still face struggles to get the top roles.

According to Division Manager of Technology at Robert Half Bansrii Shah, direct actions and initiatives need to be put in place to encourage the participation of young women in the industry.

"To continue growing the representation of women in IT roles, particularly in leadership positions, we need to foster this interest at schools and universities so that they develop the skills and passion for the sector at an early age," she said.

Women are still facing barriers when it come to securing IT leadership roles.

There is still a disappointing number of women in leadership roles, with only 9 per cent of IT management roles held by females, according to the Centre for American Progress. Support through mentor programmes often makes a significant difference, as role models can help groom the traits emerging leaders will need to advance their career's.

As they old saying goes; knowledge is power, and management courses such as IT project management training may be a good way for women to gain an edge and rise to the top echelons of IT companies.

Its no secret that IT can be useful for a myriad of unique functions and in a million different ways. However, a particularly exciting area for IT at the moment is the e-commerce market.

According to ATKearney's Global Retail e-commerce index, Australia is the 10th most desirable market in the world, scoring highly in consumer behaviour and infrastructure. Compared to other markets in the top 10, the local market has strong growth potential, although it is being outpaced by countries such as Belgium, Russia and China.

Australian eCommerce market is currently an attractive place to operate.

The latter had the highest growth potential score in the index and with their innovative outlook, it's not hard to see why. Recently, digital marketers in China have been the leaders in embracing e-commerce, according to research from Forrester. One-third of businesses surveyed stated they are currently collaborating with e-commerce professionals, taking direct responsibility for the execution of online strategies.

This is a great example of how IT strategies can give other departments a boost. Australian business leaders could gain a lot from better managing their IT portfolio, possibly through PRINCE2 training. Having a better understanding of the current and potential applications of IT could lead to some innovative new ventures and collaborations.

Will the e-commerce boom last?

While the current e-commerce environment is looking rather attractive, there are uncertainties around whether the good times will last. ATKearney projected the industry will continue to grow, but at a slower rate than previous years. In 2016, for example, the global e-commerce growth rate is expected to fall from 18 per cent to 16 per cent, hitting a total value of US$1,155 billion.

In 2016, the global e-commerce growth rate is expected to fall from 18 per cent to 16 per cent.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) had a more cynical view, expressing their belief that fickle consumer habits made it hard to nail down the exact contributions online sales made to overall revenue. Customers tend to jump between online and offline platforms, as e-commerce fails to fit their specific needs in some situations.

To ensure future growth for sales, both organisations stress the importance of traditional bricks-and-mortar stores. Interlinking offline stores more tightly with online channels ensures that consumers remained engaged with the brand. ATKearney stated that successful companies ensure all customer touch points add value to the sales process and IT project management training may be the key to developing creative new solutions.

PwC also stressed that digital technologies needed to be integrated with physical outlets to better cater to and delight customers. Offering a more personalised experience is more likely to see customers coming back again.

As leaders and nurturers of their staff, managers have an ethical duty to provide the best working environment they can to foster well-being. Those who make an effort to promote positive change often find that their workers and the wider community will repay them in kind.

Organisations that put in place "health codes of conduct" were more likely to see higher rates of employee engagement.

For example, the employee well-being platform Limeade recently announced the winners of the 2015 Limelight awards, highlighting organisations that have turned employee wellness into a business strategy.

The awards focussed on fresh innovation, engagement and cultural integration as key factors in stand-out organisations that promote social enterprise and well-being.

Innovative and creative measures will often see improved performance as a result. For example, recent research conducted by Cornell University found organisations that put in place "health codes of conduct" saw higher rates of commitment to health than other workplace wellness programmes. Participants surveyed found that ease of implementation was a key factor in the success of the initiative.

As Lead Author Rebecca Robbins explained, a worker can choose to opt into the scheme from the commencement of their employment. If they choose to take part, they will be rewarded for maintaining their personal health and wellness with incentives such as recognition programmes and have their progress mapped out for them.

The programme offers morale boosts as well as better employee health as explained by Brian Wansink, co-author of the study.

"Offering recognition is a great way to show employees that their health and wellbeing are valued by the company," he said.

What part can technology play in workplace well-being?

IT managers can help lead the way towards innovative solutions that ensure workplaces are supporting employees, with disabled staff members representing just one area where IT is supporting well-being. In the past, businesses have often struggled to fully accommodate disabled workers due to constraints around infrastructure and available technology. However, the tide is turning according to Gartner, as the organisation predicted that 50 per cent of companies in the US will have technology programmes underway in 2015 that focus on supporting this group.

Opportunities for disabled workforce could rise as more companies initiate programmes to support them.

The organisation called upon IT leaders to collaborate with Human Resource departments to identify where technology can be applied for the benefit of disabled workers. Solutions that ensure employees are able to fully participate in the workplace can be deceptively simple, although IT project management training may be needed to take on more ambitious projects.

The possibilities for mobile data are already cause for great excitement and recent findings may see this feeling hit a new peak.

Gartner has predicted that mobile data traffic will increase exponentially in the next three years, reaching a staggering 173 million terabytes during 2018. In 2015 alone, 52 million terabytes is set to be produced, a 59 per cent increase on the mobile data traffic from the previous year.

Mobile data traffic will increase exponentially in the next three years.

While a lot of this increase will come from new users of mobile data, Jessica Ekholm, research director at Gartner, also highlighted there will be growth from existing users updating their networks.

"New, fast mobile data connections (3G and 4G) will grow more slowly, from 3.8 billion in 2015 to 5.1 billion in 2018, as users switch from slower 2G connections and consume more mobile data," she said.

The Gartner report also revealed how exactly data is being used in different parts of the world. Polls conducted in the USA and Germany last year showed that while 43 per cent of American users felt unrestricted by their data caps, only 20 per cent of Germans felt the same.

Because of this, the majority of those surveyed (56 per cent) wait until they are in a free Wi-Fi area to download large files and stream video. By comparison, only 36 per cent of Americans felt the same way.

These differences are unsurprising considering that 34 per cent of German users still get a measly 500 megabyte cap per month. In the UK, poor Wi-Fi creates a reverse situation. According to a poll conducted by Global Wireless Solutions, 40 per cent of Britons use data in their home, with 17 per cent saying they are forced to due to slow home connections.

In order to capitalise on growing mobile trends, communication service providers worldwide need to develop new methods to extend its capabilities in data provision. IT project management training may be necessary to undertake these development schemes.

As mobile data usage grows, communication service providers must provide better plans for their customers.

While some companies may be falling behind the trend, others have embraced coming changes. Hans Vestberg, CEO of Ericsson, provided Fortune magazine with some surprising affirmations for the future in a July 20 article. He predicted that by 2020, 3G and 4G networks will be the main networks used worldwide. The reason Vestberg gave for this bold prediction was the decreasing prices of smartphones around the world.

"As device makers launch more inexpensive smartphones they'll proliferate around the globe," he said.

"For every $10 you reduce the price of the smartphone, 100 million more people will buy them."

Across many sectors, business leaders face a number of challenges with regards to recruitment. While they may not actually hire candidates directly, they need to ensure that the right staff are brought onboard. In turn, the business can continue to grow without running into any significant operational issues.

With this in mind, leaders should take the time to consider some of the biggest challenges for the latter half of this year, and the most effective ways to avoid any problems. In many cases, offering framework training can prove to be a great tool to attract top talent and retain valuable staff members.

Here are three talent challenges to keep an eye on as the year progresses.

Talent going mobile

Smartphones have consumed business culture, and in many cases the devices are now a problem for many organisations. Technological issues aside, however, companies need to consider them for another reason: mobility.

Offering framework training can prove to be a great tool to attract top talent.

Thanks to the mobile capabilities afforded by new smartphones and tablets, workers are wanting to take their jobs out of the office and either home or even while travelling on a business trip.

This was explored in a recent Robert Half release, which explained that businesses are concerned about essential staff departing (such as CEOs and CFOs), as they seek an improved work-life balance.

"Top talent is extremely mobile, which creates issues for employers. Salaries obviously remain an important factor in employee satisfaction, but by no means the only consideration for top performers who may be looking to further their career elsewhere," said Robert Half Director Andrew Brushfield.

Taking leadership online

In a similar leadership issue, Weber Shandwick has come forward with a consideration for businesses. New research has found that 80 per cent of CEOs from a number of leading companies across the globe are now using social media to engage with customers and the public.

"CEOs can enhance and strengthen the reputation of their companies by taking an active and visible role in creating and sharing branded content through their company sites and social media," Chris Perry, global president of digital at Weber Shandwick explained.

The organisation found that so-called "CEO sociability" has grown substantially since 2010, with 80 per cent of CEOs now using social as opposed to 36 per cent in 2010. Many organisations are likely to be following the example of companies such as Google, as CEO Larry Page has a 97 per cent approval rating according to Glassdoor.

Matching talent to growth

To grow, a business needs to bring in top talent at all levels to drive the organisation forward. Without the right team, it's likely that the company will remain largely static. This is a real challenge when companies are in high-growth mode and looking to launch new projects, according to new research from Hudson.

"The consequences of these pressures can be significant. If scurrying to fill employment ranks, poor hiring decisions may be made. By slowing down to carefully consider job candidates, the launch deadline may be missed," the Hudson report noted.

Hudson explained that outsourcing recruitment can often be a suitable approach, as it allows a capable third party to handle the issue of bringing the right workers on board. As we noted at the beginning of this article, training is also a great way to both attract and retain top talent, not to mention actually upskilling staff.

With PRINCE2 training, for example, staff will be able to effectively conduct projects, whether these are large trade shows or even just departmental projects. IT security training, on the other hand, can attune staff to one of the major issues that businesses are currently dealing with; the risk of sensitive information leaking.

Get in touch with ALC Training today to get your business on the right track with a number of effective, proven frameworks.

In many industries, valuable candidates are in high demand. That is, companies want workers with both the right skill sets and personalities.

Many employers, whether in small businesses or larger organisations, are likely going to find it difficult to hire and retain staff. So what can be done? There are several approaches, which include offering training in frameworks like PRINCE2, putting remote working in place and focusing on the health of staff.

Doing so can make the workplace more attractive, and subsequently easier for employers to hire and retain candidates with the right skills and mind sets.

Put incentives in place

People love rewards, and this is something that translates well to the work environment, regardless of position. Offering bonuses for completing extra milestones can be a great way to incentivise staff success, whether monetary or something else entirely.

Companies want workers with both the right skill sets and personalities.

Inc explained that covering an additional percentage of health insurance premiums for staff that pass a set of biometric markers is also useful, for example having lower blood pressure or blood sugar. This leads on to our next point.

Focus on health

In this day and age, little else is as important as health for most people – and it's something that translates well in the workplace. While helping out with insurance premiums is a good step, companies can take this further by subsidising gym memberships and even running health programs.

A recent Roy Morgan Research study found that the nation's health is continuously improving, with the Australian Wellness Index reaching a new high in March of this year. However, while the organisation noted that work was still required to address mental health issues, businesses can play a crucial role in this trend.

"These latest results highlight the continuing need for national, targeted responses to address mental health issues. Australian women aged 18 to 24 have suffered the greatest decline in their psychological health since 2007," said Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine.

Understanding the health of workers prior to embarking on such endeavours could lead to better long-term health.

Consider working-from-home initiatives

Finally, in a move that many businesses are starting to invest in, consider working from home. As the name implies, this means allowing staff to carry out their normal tasks from either home or another location entirely. It's an idea that can mean great things for the business, as staff will be able to avoid lengthy commutes on days they're not required in the office, and also work from where they're actually needed.

For example, if a member of the team has a meeting in a distant city, they're able to work from a nearby cafe without losing time.

Caution is needed, however, as staff will need to be kept in the loop while outside of the main office. This means managers will need to start thinking about the usefulness of video communications and virtual meetings to keep the team on the same page.

Keeping remote staff in the loop is critical.

Skilled and engaged employees are key to the success of a company, and employers cannot afford to let this aspect of business slip. With competition running high for skilled talent, now is the time to work on attracting and retaining staff members.

As explained above, it's important to start thinking about the best ways to attract and retain staff – and training can be an excellent option.

Allowing your team the opportunity to get up to speed with IT security training, for example, will help to ensure they're engaged at work.

What part does IT training play in better marketing?

Agile Australia: Will Malcolm Turnbull lead a tech revolution?

How can Australian organisations fully utilise digitalisation?

Is it time to review your need for business IT analysis?

A business guide to the IT management portfolio

Analysis pinpoints the most hyped technology trends

Empowering women in technology: How far have we come?

Can IT solutions secure continued growth for e-commerce?

Well-being for all workers becoming a central focus

Are we in for a mobile data revolution?

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