YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
DARREN BUCHANAN MANAGING DIRECTOR, HAYS QUEENSLAND
While we’d all love a considerable pay rise, I’m not sure Santa’s budget extends that far! So instead, I’d ask Santa to give everyone the opportunity to upskill. The half-life of learned skills is now about five years. This makes upskilling a necessity for ongoing career success. Upskilling could be focused on soft skills as well as technical aspects relevant to a person’s role. It could also cover data and analytics, which are set to become standard competencies for most jobs. Your CV will stand out if you can demonstrate strong technical competencies, soft skills and an ability to turn data into actionable insights.
SINEAD HOURIGAN BRISBANE DIRECTOR, ROBERT WALTERS
Seriously, all I want from Santa this year is for all of our politicians to give themselves a performance review and assess how well they have genuinely served the needs of both their electorate and those of employers and maybe identify some clear opportunities for improvement. There has been so much distraction in the political sphere this year with introspection taking the place of real political debate. We can’t get this state or country moving at the economic speed it should if our political leaders spend more time looking backwards than ahead.
JULIE FORD SENIOR EXECUTIVE CONSULTANT, McARTHUR
I would like to ask Father Christmas to provide stability within government at all levels – federal, state and local government. This is so business can thrive and employ more people, the economy can prosper and provide certainty for all workers and the population of Queensland. With good employment opportunities in a vibrant economy comes quality of life for all people – those who are working to provide a living for their family, and support for those who need help if they can’t work. Happy Christmas!
DR NERIDA HILLBERG DIRECTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, FERRIS MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
As a corporate psychologist, I advocate flexible work arrangements. I’d ask Santa for this to assist employees in pursuing the elusive work/life balance. Healthy employees create healthy workplaces. Many organisations recognise that when their staff have balance, they see returns in terms of higher productivity, reduced absenteeism and higher employee retention, satisfaction and engagement. Gone are the days of needing to be tied to your office desk from 7am until 7pm. Advances in technology have changed the world of work.