Welcome

Welcome back to work. We hope you're feeling relaxed and reinvigorated after your summer break.

We know it isn't always easy returning to work after a holiday – it can be daunting to take a first look at that inbox full of emails! The first article in this issue reveals just how common the back-to-work blues are, and suggests ways you can make the transition go more smoothly.

Before Christmas, The Johnson Group team spent a long weekend on Waiheke Island. I arranged the trip as a reward to thank everyone for the commitment they'd shown throughout the year. We're all about building relationships, and we know how important it is to maintain our energy and enthusiasm so that we can give candidates the support they need to find great jobs.

The start of a new year is a time many start thinking about where they want to be in the future. Where would you like to be working a year from now? 2007, like 2006, will be a candidate-driven market, which makes this an ideal time to talk to us about your next move.

Feel free to come in for a coffee to have a chat about your career plans for the coming year. We're looking forward to working with you and to helping you move forward in the direction you want.

Leigh

Beating the Back-to-Work Blues

Returning to work after the summer holidays is always a challenge. The piles of documents that should have been dealt with before Christmas, the lengthy queues of emails in the inbox, the rapidly-approaching deadlines – all combine to make the first day back at work one of the toughest days of the year.

With the run-up to Christmas becoming increasingly hectic in many workplaces, employees often return to work feeling as if they haven't had a proper break.

A British survey found that only one in four employees returned to work refreshed, and almost 60% were less than enthusiastic about resuming their workload. Of the 2000 workers surveyed, a quarter said their post-holiday feeling of relaxation disappeared as soon as they switched on their computers.

More than half of the employees surveyed returned to work determined to spend less time in the office in the new year, and one-fifth immediately began planning their next holiday.

Working Well, the Mental Health Foundation's workplace mental health programme, suggests workers prepare for the transition back to work by:

Having their next holiday planned when they return to work. Holidays give workers a chance to recharge, which ultimately increases productivity.

Sticking to New Year resolutions such as getting more sleep, exercising and eating well.

Making sure they take time for themselves to do the things they enjoy, such as gardening, reading, walking on the beach or listening to music.

Survey Finds Public Servants are Keen to Advance

Public sector workers are increasingly ambitious to move up the career ladder, according to the results of the State Services Commission's latest Career Progression and Development Survey.

More than two-thirds (68%) of the 5,235 state sector workers questioned hoped to hold a more senior job in the public service in the future, compared with 60% of those who took part in the survey in 2000. 22% percent were thinking about changing jobs, and 12% were actively applying for other jobs.

Pay and benefits were highly important to nearly three-quarters of public servants, but the most important factors were having a feeling of accomplishment in their jobs, effective management and challenging work.

Public servants wanted to be treated fairly, to work in an environment where staff worked co-operatively, and to have their ideas valued. It was less important to them that they had a well-designed work area or that their outside commitments were accommodated.

The survey also found that:

59% of public service workers were women, 17% were Maori and 7% were Pacific peoples.

Only one-third of managers were rated good at providing staff with performance feedback and actively encouraging and supporting career development.

Older public servants worked harder and were less satisfied with their workload and opportunities than in 2000.

Work/life balance provisions have improved, but public servants were less satisfied with their access to these provisions than they were in 2000.

Workers were less satisfied with pay and benefits and with workloads than they were in 2000.

The majority of public servants were not having their expectations for advancement met. Only 15% thought their organisation was good at meeting their expectations, while 42% felt it was poor. However, dissatisfaction levels were even higher in 2000.

Commenting on the survey's findings, State Service Commissioner Mark Prebble said lifting the performance of the public sector depended largely on the capabilities and commitment of public service workers.

"In the current labour market, it is not enough to hope that the state services will attract and retain quality employees. The combined effects of a tight and shrinking global labour market, the different demands of a new generation of employees and the increasing expectations of the public require a significant change in how state servants are attracted, developed and retained.”

New Networking Group for Younger Professionals

Younger people in the public sector are being given a fresh opportunity to meet new people, forge links between agencies and build the public sector of the future.

The Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ) has launched a New Professionals Group to provide professional development events and informal social networking for people in government jobs. The group is aimed mainly – but not exclusively – at people aged 18 to 39, or in early to mid career. It already has 300 members across the greater public sector.

The Johnson Group's own Katherine Hamilton and Melissa Alfonso-Cruz are members of the New Professionals' Leadership Team, along with convenor Rebecca Webb, from the Ministry of Health; Jacquie Singh, from the Ministry for the Environment; Phillipa McKenzie, from Russell McVeagh; and Melissa Gill, from the Ministry of Social Development.

The Johnson Group is a key supporter of the New Professionals group, and has provided financial sponsorship for a social event in February. The event, dubbed "An Evening in Ireland", will be held at 7pm on Saturday, 24 February, in the Irish Society Hall at 10 Fifeshire Avenue (off Cambridge Terrace). It promises to be a great night, with music from The Shenanigans. To reserve a ticket, and for further details of the New Professionals group, check out www.ipanz.org.nz .

New Centre Encourages Expat Kiwis to Come Home

An online careers service has been launched to tap into overseas communities of expatriate New Zealanders.

The Kiwi Expat Association (KEA) launched its global talent agency to help New Zealand meet its skills shortage and to contribute to New Zealand's success in the global economy.

Professionals looking for roles with a salary of more than $NZ80,000 can register on the centre to say they are keen to work with Kiwis or with Kiwi companies, either in New Zealand or elsewhere.

Global Talent Centre General Manager Andrew McLeod says New Zealand has 24% of its population living offshore, which is a higher percentage than in any other developed country. “To date, this extremely valuable group has been under-valued and under-utilised in our drive for prosperity as a nation.”

A survey carried out by KEA found that 75% of those who took part would consider return to New Zealand if the right opportunity came up.

The Johnson Group is a foundation partner of KEA, and has has worked to attract returning Kiwis and skilled migrants to help meet skills shortages in the public sector.

To register with the Global Talent Centre, go to www.keagtc.com .

Age Discrimination a Barrier for Older Workers

Research from the Human Rights Commission suggests the job market is increasingly tough for workers aged over 40.

The Commission arranged for researchers to send in similar applications from fictional applicants for 75 advertised jobs. The candidates were in three age groups: 25-plus, 40-plus and 55-plus. The 25-year-olds were 6 to 12 times more likely to be shortlisted than the 55-year-olds for human resource positions, and 6 to 10 times more likely to be shortlisted for sales jobs.

Younger applicants were considered trainable, go-getting and easy to get up to speed, while older applicants were thought to be set in their ways.

One issue was that older workers often wanted more flexible hours, such as job-share positions or a four-day week. Department of Labour Chief Executive James Buwalda said businesses needed to become more adaptable in their hiring practices and work practices, and more willing to help workers to gain new skills.

About 71% of workers aged 55-64 are in employment in New Zealand, which compares well internationally: in Australia, the figure is just 55.5%.

Leigh Johnson says older workers can increase their chances of getting the job they want by demonstrating they are still enthusiastic, full of vitality and receptive to new ideas.

"Younger hiring managers want older workers to be open-minded, to be able to fit in to a mixed-age team and to be happy working with new technology,” she says. "The key is to focus on your attitude, not your age.”

Social Development and Employment Minister David Benson-Pope announced in November that the Government's Working New Zealand programme would remove the current discrimination in the benefit system, extending employment services and programmes to everyone on unemployment benefit, regardless of their age. He said older New Zealanders had as much right as anyone else to choose to be in the workforce.

Average Pay Rises Higher in Wellington than in Auckland

The average New Zealand worker received a 5% pay increase last year, according to a survey.

The survey, by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, found that workers in Wellington received an average pay increase of 8%. Salaries in Auckland rose by an average of 5.3%.

The biggest pay rises were in the consulting engineering sector (7.6%), followed by central government (6.5%) and financial institutions (6.3%). Managers received an average 7.7% increase in fixed pay, and executives received a rise of 5.7%.

John Ellen, a principal at Mercer, said it was difficult to attract quality staff with the right skills, and some employers were now finding their staffing levels were not keeping pace with the needs of their business.

The 5% average pay rise showed employers were doing everything they could to keep good staff, which included putting more focus on work/life balance, training and development, career progression and workplace culture.

Kiwis Give Views on Flexible Work Arrangements

New Zealanders have given feedback on how workers and workplaces can benefit from flexible work arrangements.

In November, the Government released a discussion paper drafted by the Department of Labour at the request of a parliamentary select committee considering a private bill on flexible working hours from Green MP Sue Kedgley. The paper sought New Zealanders' view on workplace flexibility such as job sharing, varying starting and finishing times, and working from home.

Department of Labour Chief Executive James Buwalda says flexible work was an increasingly important response to New Zealand's labour shortage, which was likely to continue.

Labour Minister Ruth Dyson says there is “no debate at all” about the need for quality flexible work arrangements in New Zealand.

Department of Labour research has found that flexible work arrangements improve recruitment and retention rates, reduce sick leave and stress, improve productivity and lead to great loyalty.

Nineteen percent of New Zealanders work more than 50 hours a week, 40% have variable hours, 18% do shift work and about a quarter work some hours at night.

Public consultation on the flexible work paper ended on 15 December, and the responses are now being considered.

Job Doctor

I've enjoyed my job, but have decided it's time for a change. My New Year's resolution is to find a new job in 2007, but how do I take the first step? When is the best time to look, and what can I do to prepare for putting myself on the job market?

Blake, Waikanae

A good first step would be to come in to meet with Katherine Hamilton, Candidate Liaison for The Johnson Group. Katherine knows how important it is to be happy at work, and is passionate about helping people find the right role. She recently passed her Graduate Certificate in Career Development, which gives her an extra tool to help candidates identify their dream job – and decide when would be the right time to make a move.

2007 brings good news for job seekers. Employers found it difficult to attract skilled staff in 2006, and it isn't likely to get any easier in 2007. Unemployment is still low, and the job market is expected to remain tight. This is an ideal time to look for that dream job, move to a more senior role, break into a new field or negotiate more flexible working arrangements with a new employer.

And Finally...

The Johnson Group welcomes consultant Kirsty Bidwell onto the team. Kirsty is an energetic, bubbly, enthusiastic recruitment professional who feels the job we do is a privilege. She's a real asset to The Johnson Group.

We're celebrating the results of a recent candidate survey, which found an 87% satisfaction rate with The Johnson Group. This positive feedback is proof that we understand the needs of the people we work with, and go the extra mile to achieve results.

The Johnson Group celebrates its second anniversary in April, and – in the words of one of our clients – we're looking to “catapult” ahead this year. We have a strong team, are building a large pool of talent and have a clear strategy about what we do and how we do it.

Best wishes for the year ahead, and we look forward to working with you in 2007.

Newsletter #5