Name: Technology and the changing HR sphere
Author: ALC Training

Human resources (HR), the critical department in charge of bringing new staff on board and training them in the right skill sets, has certainly been no stranger to the influx of technology in the workplace.

In a very short space of time, the proliferation of the internet and easier data management has made recruitment and the subsequent training and management easier and more effective. These changes in the HR sphere continue, and will keep developing over the next few years.

For anyone involved in HR, whether as a leader in the space or simply a manager in a small business, it's important to understand the major changes. In turn, this can enable them to make better hiring decisions and subsequently retain employees.

HR goes mobile

In a study from KPMG, the organisation found that 69 per cent of HR executives (in the three years to 2012) have increased the use of mobile or web-based platforms. These apps primarily saw use as a way for employees to handle their own HR services, whether payroll or performance evaluations.

KPMG explained that while expensive, these new technologies have undeniable advantages. They allow HR to move away from more mundane tasks and start focusing on strategic services, and also benefit training thanks to a more demonstrative approach.

The new technologies were also found to play a crucial role in developing a stronger culture within the business, something that in turn has the potential to lead to new hires.

"New technologies are playing an important role in how we connect people in the organisation and how we create a culture that is a medium for people," said Global Human resources Director, National Grid, Mike Westcott.

"We are exploring how we use the technology to create a company brand that is attractive to people joining it."

Taking to social media

On a similar level to the mobile push is the one into social media – platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. According to the annual social media recruitment survey from CareerBuilder (conducted by Harris Poll), a substantial 35 per cent of employers said they were less likely to interview candidates if they couldn't find information about them online.

What's more, 52 per cent of employers actually use social networking sites during the the recruitment process, as a way of finding out more about candidates. This is a substantial step up from the 39 per cent in 2013.

Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder, noted that researching candidates on social media and other online sources has now transformed from an emerging trend to a staple of recruitment practices carried out online. She also offered advice for those looking for jobs.

"Jobseekers should make their professional persona visible online."

"In a competitive job market, recruiters are looking for all the information they can find that might help them make decisions. Rather than go off the grid, jobseekers should make their professional persona visible online, and ensure any information that could dissuade prospective employers is made private or removed," she explained.

Technology will continue to play an important role in HR, and most other areas of the business for the foreseeable future. The benefits of new online platforms make them hard for leaders to ignore.

When choosing to work for a particular organisation, a candidate is now far more likely to consider the other advantages of the employer aside from solely remuneration. Training in project management, is likely to offer more value than a larger paycheck.

In nearly every sector in Australia, from agriculture through to hygiene distribution, the cloud offers easier data management, greater IT security and storage scalability on a nearly unlimited scale.

Given these distinct advantages, it should really come as no surprise to hear that a substantial cloud push is coming in Australia. Businesses in the aforementioned sectors cannot afford to stand idly by while this technology grows and should seize the opportunity to utilise the new systems.

But how can companies do so without causing disruption to operations? Powerful certifications such as ITIL can make cloud implementation an easier undertaking.

Australia's cloud push

Through to 2018, the Australian cloud services market is primed to soar from $1.23 billion in 2013 through to $4.55 billion by 2018. This forecast comes from a report released by Frost & Sullivan, which claims the demand for cloud services Down Under is "being thrust by the increasing use of data intensive applications". In turn, this requires cloud applications in the back end to store and then analyse the information.

A substantial cloud push is coming in Australia.

It's not just Australian organisations that will push spending – the government ICT sector will also see spending increase by 2018. In fact, International Data Corporation (IDC) claims spending will reach $6.2 billion this year, with a 1.7 per cent five-year compound annual growth rate.

"Although overall ICT budgets are tight, Australian government organisations need to take advantage of the long-term benefits and cost-saving opportunities offered by cloud and mobility for their organisations," said Bonnie Li, an IDC market analyst.

"Understanding how these technologies can support cost savings through process change, transformation road maps and education across the organisation is critical."

This rings true for every business – not solely government organisations. Cloud technologies can offer uniform benefits for all types of company. For example, a distribution business can run telematics applications from the cloud, so all branches and drivers can store and access information from anywhere it's required.

In another example, retail chains can store near-limitless amounts of data, accessing it later to derive useful and relevant information.

With such a large cloud push comes expansion of the underlying infrastructure, too. IDC noted in another report that the worldwide cloud IT infrastructure market grew by 14.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2014 as data centres continued to expand.

"The transition to cloud-oriented infrastructure and data platform architectures within enterprises' datacentres continues to accelerate […]," said Vice President of Datacentre and Cloud research at IDC Richard Villars.

Opportunity for businesses

It's easy to see how uniform cloud technologies can benefit businesses of all sizes and sectors, from small retail stores through to corporate giants. With the infrastructure continuing to proliferate, there's certainly no better time to seize the opportunity and start taking advantage of these capable new technologies.

Firstly, a word of caution. Businesses can find significant difficulties when rushing head first into the adoption of new technologies, even with something as simple as the cloud. So what's the best way to prepare? By training staff to both utilise the new technologies effectively and managing the transition.

Starting with the former, training staff in an IT framework is one of the best ways to prepare them for the changeover. ITIL teaches best practice when it comes to IT – for example enabling business change, managing risk in line with the needs of the company and helping with continual improvement.

Other frameworks can provide additional benefits for the business in other ways. PRINCE2, for example, is a project management framework that could prove invaluable when attempting to utilise the cloud, as staff will understand how to effectively run the transition project.

It's clear that with cloud technologies primed for such significant growth in the not-too-distant future, preparation is necessary now.

To get your staff on the same page and at the right skill level through capable frameworks, speak to ALC Training today!

Generations change, and whether leaders like it or not they have to think about adapting their companies to younger workforces.

With the millennial generation now entering Australian business in full force, it's time to start adapting. So what can companies do to fully take advantage of a younger generation with new ideas and expectations? It starts with a better understanding – and appropriate training.

Tomorrow's leaders

Companies will need to make significant changes to both attract and retain the future workforce, according to a new study from Deloitte. The fourth annual Millennial Survey, released earlier this year, surveyed 7,800 future leaders from 29 countries.

Businesses can offer training programs to prepare staff for more important roles.

A substantial 75 per cent of these millennials believe businesses are focused on their own agendas, rather than helping to improve society. In addition to this, just 28 per cent believe their current place of employment is making full use of their skills. Meanwhile, a significant 53 per cent stated they want to become leaders or senior executives at their current place of employment.

What does this say about millennials? For one, businesses will need to do far more to keep them engaged and satisfied – something that seems unnecessary after dealing with other generations.

"The message is clear: when looking at their career goals, today's millennials are just as interested in how a business develops its people and its contribution to society as they are in its products and profits," said CEO of Deloitte Global Barry Salzberg.

What can companies do?

Firstly, a culture adjustment may be in order. As Deloitte explained, millennials place far more emphasis on the impact a business has on society – rather than furthering the the goals of the company itself.

For organisations to bring millennials on board, it's going to be necessary to further outreach programs and demonstrate this to candidates. Of course, this isn't the only course of action that can prove useful. Given that this younger generation desires leadership, businesses can offer training programs to prepare staff for more important roles.

PRINCE2 training, for example, is a great way of giving staff a strong project management tool set. With this course they'll learn best practices in project management – how to ensure every event from internal marketing initiatives to major seminars go according to plan.

Overall, it's clear that a rethink is in order – regardless of how big the company is. With millennials now entering the workforce, failing to appropriately cater for the new generation could leave companies without an influx of new staff.

Businesses need to understand how to cater for a younger workforce.

In the age of digital business, it's easier than ever to give staff a greater degree of freedom.

Thanks to faster and more reliable internet, a bevvy of capable mobile devices, and powerful communications software, staff are able to work from nearly any location. As a result of removing staff from the office environment, companies can then take out smaller office spaces and reduce operating costs. What's more, any training can be scheduled remotely.

In this new age of remote working, however, it's important that you understand the best ways to manage staff working from home or on the road. Here are three tips.

1) Keep the lines of communication open

Having staff work remotely means you'll be unable to walk over and ask them a question or pass along a comment, so it pays to put strong communication practices in place. A voice over internet tool should be required for all members of the team, along with an instant messaging client that allows quick and easy conversation.

2) Take advantage of the cloud

Ignoring the buzzword status, cloud technologies offer real benefits over more traditional alternatives. How so? Well, you're able to set up a central location online for all business files, so staff can log in and access documents without needing to use email.

3) Adopt a digital culture

Culture is a pain point for many companies – and it needs to be even more of a focus when remote workers are involved. It can be hard to maintain a culture even when all staff are in the same building, so extra work is required to keep everyone engaged.

Try weekly video conferences to get everyone on the same page, or perhaps company outings after work to get staff interacting in person. For workers in other parts of the country, occasional in-person visits could prove useful.

To learn more about taking your business into the 21st Century, with a variety of proven frameworks for staff, it pays to speak to the experts. Get in touch with ALC Training today.

Managing a project, whether it's a large trade show or an internal company project, can be daunting for even experienced professionals. In most cases, projects mean controlling budgets, staff and strict timelines.

To help out, we've assembled three useful project management tips – for those just starting out with projects and more experienced individuals.

1) Get everyone on board

Our first tip is one of the more obvious ones, but it really needs to be considered. On any project, gather the team for a presentation at outset to speak to them about the project and why it's important. CIO explained that this is a great way to get everyone "fired up".

The organisation also noted that it's necessary to try and facilitate remote staff through the use of video conferencing and other tools.

2) Communicate with every level

Depending on the size of the project, chances are leaders will have to work with individuals from all levels of the organisation. In turn, this means strong communication will be key as every person will need to be engaged in a slightly different way.

Take the time to understand who is actually working on a project, as this could also end up saving time. For example, some workers might be better off with quick project briefs, whereas others may require more in-depth explanations.

3) Manage expectations

It's tough to predict how a project will play out when just getting started, but for those reporting to stakeholders it's vital to manage expectations about deadlines and budgets. This means relaying time frames and objectives to the team, and they should be kept updated to avoid confusion.

Aside from our above tips, what else can you do to ensure your projects go according to plan? One of the best options is training in a framework such as PRINCE2. This is a methodology that teaches participants how to best manage projects by teaching a number of approaches.

For example, teaching why emphasis on dividing the project into manageable stages is important, and applying flexibility at a level that's appropriate to the project.

Over 6,000 staff from Tiens Group in China were recently treated to a paid vacation in France, courtesy of their company as a way of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the organisation.

It's certainly one way of boosting employee engagement in the business, but what are the options for companies that can't afford to send their teams on luxurious holidays?

Here are three ways businesses can start to boost employee engagement.

Provide them with training

This is one of the best ways to keep staff engaged, and it's also a method that will yield other benefits for the company. Providing training, in the form of a framework like ITIL or even something more specific to the organisation, means staff will feel valued as the business is taking an interest in their development.

As a bonus, the company will also have access to more highly trained staff.

Allow them to innovate

Every employee likely has something to bring to the table, whether it's a new way of running their team or perhaps a better day to day work schedule for themselves. One employee, for example, might want to start later and work later to avoid traffic.

Allowing staff to innovate, bringing their unique ideas to the table, will offer a similar benefit to our first point – they'll feel like they're making meaningful contributions and having a say in the ongoing development of the business.

Develop a great culture

This is the hardest step, and it's one that won't come easy for businesses. However, it's something that can develop naturally over time if considerations like the above are put into play. Offering training and allowing staff to innovate are just two factors in a great company culture, and will help to create an atmosphere staff want to work in.

Boosting employee engagement doesn't have to be a difficult task, and companies only need to work at it to keep staff happy, loyal and productive.

Speak to ALC Training if you'd like to learn more about how our courses can play an important role in this.

Of all the terms employers are expected to learn in order to run a business, work-life balance is one of the most important.

This is the balance between paid work and activities outside the office, and it needs to be maintained correctly to keep staff happy. Why? Happy staff are the key to a successful company, as they're often engaged with their work and always willing to go the extra mile. Too much work could mean they're put off, and subsequently at risk of becoming disengaged.

As such, it's important for leaders and employers to do their part in maintaining a good work-life balance for employees.

Compounding the need for work-life balance is the fact that jobseekers rank it above most other aspects of employment, according to a report from Hudson earlier this year. The 'Hiring Report: The State of Hiring in Australia 2015' surveyed 3,000 professionals and hiring managers, and noted that Australian jobseekers place work-life balance higher than salary, career progression and job title.

"No longer just a buzz term or the domain of the working mum, work-life balance is now fundamental to all Australian professionals and will be firmly on the agenda as we move throughout 2015," explained Hudson Executive General Manager Dean Davidson.

So what can be done to avoid work-life balance issues, and ensure staff remain engaged with the company?

Employers may want to consider the benefits of offsite staff training in ITIL, for example, as a way of breaking up the monotony of a position. This means providing useful and engaging training for employees.

In addition to this, a project management course could also be a useful way to boost engagement. Training also has the added benefit of showing staff they're valued and worth investing in.

Work-life balance should be a top priority for businesses this year, especially if they hope to retain staff and keep them engaged.

Cloud computing has caused significant disruption over the past few years, and it has understandably grabbed the attention of the business world.

In recent reports from Computerworld, it was noted that 42 per cent of IT decision makers plan to increase IT spending on the cloud this year, with the greatest growth being seen in organisations with more than 1,000 employees (a total of 52 per cent).

What's more, the Cisco Global Cloud Index: Forecast and Methodology 2013-2018 found that cloud workloads will evolve, with 59 per cent set to be Software as-a-Service (SaaS) by 2018.

This means that this year, and over the next few, cloud computing will grow and develop, becoming a technology that cannot be ignored. However, businesses should be aware of how to effectively manage the technology.

On a growth path

As evidenced above, cloud technology is on a substantial growth path. Centaur Partners found that SaaS and cloud-based business application services revenue will climb exponentially in the near future. According to the firm, it will grow to $32.8 billion in 2016, up from $13.5 billion in 2011.

The cloud is the future of business services.

This year may seem like just another stepping stone on the massive upward swing for the technology, but it's important to remember that more and more businesses are continuing to utilise the technologies – and 2015 will be another milestone.

The year of the cloud

Taking a closer look at specific industries when talking about the cloud, can help to give a more localised view of what can often appear to be merely a buzzword.

By seeing what certain industries are achieving, companies can better understand how they might use the technologies effectively.

IDC recently explored the manufacturing sector, and found that a substantial number of businesses in the industry are now taking advantage of both public and private clouds. In the US alone, 41 per cent of manufacturing respondents to an IDC survey said they are now accessing IT resources over public clouds.

"Manufacturers are in the midst of a digital transformation, in which 3rd-Platform technologies are absolutely essential to the way they do business and in the products and services they provide to their customers," said Kimberly Knickle, research director, IDC Manufacturing Insights.

"Because of cloud's tremendous value in making IT resources available to the business based on business terms – speed, cost, and accessibility – manufacturers must ensure that the line of business and IT management work together in defining their requirements."

While directed at manufacturing, the lesson holds true for all businesses – a strategic approach is often best. In doing so, it's easier to avoid potentially costly mistakes.

While many companies rush to adopt the technology – often times fast enough to cause issues – others need to remember that strategic adoption is the best approach.

If businesses want to start taking advantage of cloud technology, it's important to think about the usefulness of powerful frameworks. In most cases, these can be used to ensure that the technology is adopted in the most strategic way possible.

Innovation is one of the most important areas of focus for any business. It elevates a company above competitors; it's often why staff choose to work at any given company, and it can be a deciding factor in customer purchasing decisions, too.

Like nearly everything that's useful, however, innovation is difficult to achieve, and many companies will likely be confused as to how they can become truly innovative. According to new studies, the answer may lie with employee engagement.

Engagement and innovation

The Queensland Government noted that new ideas are often critical to business success, and those that fail to innovate could risk losing ground to competitors or points of difference. It's easy to see why this should be given appropriate attention.

A survey from IX Research sought to discover the role of engagement when it came to innovation, and found that one of the components of an actively managed innovation program was employee participation.

What's more, the companies that take innovation seriously established formal innovation programs in order to organise the process, something that improved corporate performance.

Engaged employees are the key to innovation.

Engage for Success also released a report, finding that engaged employees work harder, which in turn means they look for new ways to add value. In the end, engaged employees are the ones finding direct opportunities to innovate.

LivePerson discovered similar findings, but noted that it was more the relationships between staff that played the most important role. With deeper connections between workers, it was more likely that that a company would see an increase in the level of engagement.

While engagement may seem difficult to focus on at first, comprehensive training programs can help.

Boosting engagement

Engagement isn't easy to achieve, however, and according to Bersin & Associates, US companies spend around $720 million per year on employee engagement initiatives. Of course, given the benefits of innovation, it's easy to see why these companies are pouring funding into the area.

Engagement can also be boosted through greater staff training – for example allowing employees to upskill with an ITIL certification. Education helps to show employees that they're valued within the business – and worth investing in.

Education is one of the best ways to get started – and it's simple to do so. Get in touch with ALC Training today if you'd like to find out where courses are being held.

"When you play professionally, you get accustomed to turnover. Players come and go – they get injured, they get transferred, they get cut from the team. Coaches are hired, and coaches are fired. It's just part of the world you live in," Athlete Tim Howard explained.

Similar to the world of sport, businesses can often lose their star performers; however, there is not always a well-trained replacement waiting in the wings at many companies.

Staff leaving a business is usually always an issue, especially given the difficulties in finding suitable replacements and bringing them up to speed. This turnover means costly hiring processes, expensive training and and potentially issues with the new employees.

This is clearly something businesses will want to avoid. But how?

To avoid turnover, understanding is key.

Getting to the bottom of the issue

In a report released last year, research firm Robert Half surveyed over 2,100 CFOs and more than 300 employees in the US, asking CFOs: "Which one of the following is most likely to cause good employees to quit their jobs?", and workers: "Which one of the following is most likely to cause you to quit your job?". The results were interesting.

At the top of the list for both parties was inadequate remuneration – salary and benefits. A significant 28 per cent of CFOs said this was the reason staff would be likely to quit, while 38 per cent of employees agreed. There's certainly a disconnect here.

Following this was limited opportunities for advancement (CFOs: 22 per cent, employees: 20 per cent) and unhappiness with management (CFOs 14 per cent, employees: 16 per cent). Other factors included job boredom and a lack of recognition.

Given the gap in understanding about turnover between employees and CFOs – it's clear that work is needed from management to close the gap.

Anne Fisher, a contributor for Fortune, spoke with Dan Amos, the CEO of Alfac. He explained that it's really not difficult to get to the bottom of why staff leave. "If you want to know what would keep someone from quitting, ask," he said.

"It sounds like common sense, but not many companies really do it."

Human Resources Expert Susan Heathfield said that company culture was a critical area of focus, as it encompasses benefits, how employees are treated and any other perks. However, she pointed out that good relationships were key to retaining staff – a point reiterated by Gallup.

In research released this year, the organisation stated that around half of a surveyed 7,200 adults left their jobs to get away from a manager, and that those who held regular meetings were more likely to engage staff.

Relationships aside, there's an area that can prove essential for retaining staff – engagement through education.

Engaging staff through frameworks

As the Robert Half release noted, staff value opportunities for advancement – progression that's able to take them further in their careers. With this in mind, it's easy to see why workers would choose to stay with a business when additional training is on offer.

Framework and methodology training is an excellent consideration, given that it provides best practice training across a number of areas. For example, SABSA focuses on best practice in security. This is always important, given the risk of business data breaches.

There are also management frameworks, which educate staff in the most capable ways to control projects, whether small in-house developments of large conferences.

With frameworks being a great tool to progress the skills of your staff, and subsequently keep them engaged in the company, it's a good idea to speak to a course provider about the available options.

At ALC Training, we've got subject matter experts who host a variety of courses across a number of frameworks, including PRINCE2 and ITIL.

Millennials, many with relevant skill sets including IT, currently dominate recruitment discussion, with older workers largely remaining out of focus.

Most business leaders will likely be feeling the demand to bring younger employees on board, as they can offer fresh ideas as well as new approaches to potentially tired processes. This drive shouldn't come at the expense of older workers, however, as a new study has found that they bring valuable knowledge to their positions.

Intelligence from experience

The American Psychological Association (APA) recently published a study that explored the role of age in the workplace, and found that older executives bring useful skills to the job, including what's called "crystallised intelligence".

This means verbal ability and knowledge born from experience – something that's certainly of critical importance when making crucial business decisions. Younger employees excelled when it came to fluid intelligence, however, which involves the ability to reason.

The results of this study serve to showcase the importance of retaining older members of the workforce, even if younger employees may appear to offer attractive benefits, including lower costs and the ability to train them over time.

Focusing on engagement

It's not just cognitive ability that's an important area of focus, as engagement should also rank highly on the employee priority list.

According to a study from the Journal of Organizational Behavior, older workers are actually more engaged than their younger counterparts. This trend was seen among workers approaching the retirement age bracket (55-65) as well as those eligible for retirement (66 years and over).

Older workers could represent a good opportunity for businesses.

"There is this idea among employers that older workers require a lot of accommodations," explained Director of Research at the Sloan Center on Aging, Jacquelyn James.

"Older workers want the same things other workers want: opportunities for learning, job clarity, workplace flexibility, and supervisors who show concern for their well-being and recognition for a job well done. When these job conditions are met, workers of all ages are more engaged."

Clearly, businesses should not discount members of the older workforce, and start to think about hiring them in the near future.

If your business is planning to bring new workers onboard, whether they're experienced or new, consider the use of proven frameworks to ensure they're quickly brought up to speed. Training in PRINCE2 project management, for example, can be extremely useful for running business projects.

Get in touch with ALC Training if you'd like to start thinking about certification – it's a good idea if your business is planning on hiring additional staff.

Those working in project-focused environments can often find it difficult to manage the myriad issues that crop up day to day.

Whether it's budget overruns, staffing issues or perhaps problems with clients, these project workers need to be able to respond appropriately. While it may sound like expensive education is the only option, the answer could be as simple as a four day Agile Project Management (AgilePM) course.

Anyone considering this framework should firstly take a look at what is, what it can offer and how to get started.

What is AgilePM?

This is a certification aimed primarily at those working in project-focused environments. It's designed to offer a leaner, more structured approach that means it's easier to respond to changes – a given on any large project.

Fast and effective change is really the core of Agile project management – this differs from traditional methodologies that require a thorough understanding of the reasons for change before it's enabled. On a real project with many moving parts, slowing down could cause a number of delays.

The benefits of the course

The AgilePM course, available from ALC Training, is quite comprehensive, and covers a number of areas.

Participants will learn the underpinning philosophy and principles of Agile, the lifecycle of a project, and the products produced during an Agile project, as well as their exact purpose.

AgilePM is a great way to better manage projects.

A substantial amount of content is covered over the course, including:

When to use AgilePM
Agile project roles and responsibilities, along with team structure
Facilitated workshops
Modelling
Agile planning
Agile risk management

Who is it good for?

There is no set criteria for the AgilePM course – it's open to anyone involved in project management along with project managers. Basically, it's aimed at those who want to learn how to apply agile approaches, within a project management lifecycle framework.

What's the best way to get started?

Getting started with AgilePM is extremely easy – all that's required is a four day course. These are hosted across many major cities – and don't interfere with usual business operations. Given the short course timeframe, it's easy to take part and learn the necessary skills and approaches.

If you'd like to get started with AgilePM or one of the many other frameworks that deal with IT service management, security and project management, get in touch with ALC Training today.

Technology and the changing HR sphere

Australia’s big cloud push: What do you need to know?

Focusing on millennials

3 tips for managing remote workers

3 tips for successful project management

Three ways to boost engagement

How important is work-life balance?

Going virtual: Why 2015 will be a big year for cloud technology

What role does engagement play in innovation?

Turnover: Understanding and prevention

Out with the new and in with the old: Older workers valuable contributors

Taking advantage of AgilePM