Hiring a new employee can sometimes be one of the most stressful risks a business can undergo. Everyone remembers the journey of how they got the position they are in today and it’s difficult to say no to the fluctuating number of applicants. As a hiring manager or employer in 2020, it’s important that we look at candidates beyond the paper and get to know how this position will fit into their lifestyle and career progression. But more importantly how they will fit into the structure of your organization. At Centastaff we are an agency that looks at the big picture in the hiring process and makes sure that the candidate is right for the job and the organization is right for the candidate. 

As the employer or hiring manager, you probably have your position description and company-related questions that you need to cover during the interviews, but here are six great questions to ask your candidate to learn a little bit more about them.

1. What is your favourite career accomplishment?

This question will highlight what a candidate gets excited about and what they considered to be an achievement. It is an important question to ask as an interviewer because it gives your candidate an opportunity to tell you about a career highlight that may not be written down on paper. Additionally, asking this question also allows the candidate to reflect on the work they have completed and will help you understand how and where they will fit into your company.

2. What is something about yourself that might surprise us?

This question can be a real eye-opener into what type of person outside of the business your potential employee is. The candidate will probably answer with an achievement or skill that is not work-related but will show you what they have a passion for and have accomplished within their passion.This question can be considered an ice breaker and may even replace the standard “tell us about yourself” within your employment process. At Centastaff, we ask this question because we want to make the candidates feel comfortable during the initial interviews and we want to learn about the candidate away from their qualifications.

3. Why did you apply for this role?

This question will give you insight into how they view the role and can be beneficial to ask both before and after giving a brief position description. The added benefit of this question is that it will rule out candidates that are not as interested in the position and more or less just would like a job.

At Centastaff we ask this question during initial interviews because it gives us an insight into what the candidate is looking for and gives us the ability to suggest better-suited roles and job vacancies for them. Therefore, puts them in a position they love quicker than other recruitment agencies.

4. What is a difficult situation that you have experienced and how did you overcome it?

This question is probably already on your list of questions to ask, but if it is not it is an important question to help screen candidates. In this question, you are looking for genuine answers where they can admit that something has gone wrong in a position and comfortably explain how they were able to handle it as an individual or in a team sense. It is important to remember that the difficult situation may not have been experienced in their current or last position and not to pressure candidates into answering with a complex answer as it may leave them feeling anxious or on edge.

At Centastaff, we provide hiring managers with resources and training to help them best combat the answers you may get from asking this question and sift through candidates that aren’t right for your organization.

5. If you were to describe this company, how would you describe it?

It is always a good idea to see how much a candidate understands about the company before diving into the position description during the interview, as it shows how much research they have done on the company and whether they are passionate about the position. With this question, there is no right or wrong answer particularly if they have limited knowledge of the company. There are two reasons you should ask this question:

1. You see how much the candidate knows about the company before asking the hard questions in the interview.
2. You get an idea of how your organization is perceived online and by consumers.

Additionally, this question provides insight into what you need to highlight about the company (and position) that the candidate may not be familiar with.

6. What is your definition of a hard worker?

This question will demonstrate who is the right candidate for your business. At Centastaff we know that every organization has a different way of doing things and that they want to hire the right person for the position. This question highlights the values and the expectations that the candidate has for themselves and others and will help you evaluate whether they will fit into your company culture. Finally, their expectations and values are important to know because it will demonstrate the pace they are willing to work at and if you hire them you will be able to hold them accountable for their words.

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So there you have it, six questions to help you get to know your candidate a little bit better and to help your candidate feel at ease during the interview process. If as an employer you are still unsure of what to ask in your interview, or you have queries about other interview skills and operatives, do not hesitate to get in contact with the Centastaff team and we will set up an employer consultation. Just fill out the form below or give us a call on (03) 9267 9111

What a start the week we have all had! It’s time for us to adapt to the current world order, and we are all making changes to the way that we do business.

Some are working from home, some are face to face whilst practicing their ‘social distancing’, and some are tailoring their behaviour to suit their ever-changing day. The fact remains that there are still essential roles that need to be filled with capable people – essential hiring.

So many of our clients have put a hold on recruitment of non-essential positions, which makes perfect sense during uncertain times. However, as an alternative solution have you considered utilising a temp for say 2-3 days p/week to prevent a backlog of work, or from the work overflowing to other team members who have their own role to focus on. Or what about a contractor to work full-time hours for a month or two while we assess the market?

Did you know that we have a small pool of long term casuals who provide administrative, and secretarial support from home? Our talent pool is filled with experienced, tried & tested staff who are ready to work. Most of Centastaff’s personnel are repeatedly booked from one job to another, so we know the contribution that they can bring to your workplace.

We are all in this together, and we will get through it together. I am happy to offer any support required, and I encourage you to do the same with family and friends.

Stay informed, be kind, be curious about opportunity, and if you are able – please support local businesses.

We look forward to catching up with you in the near future, until then if you need our help with any staffing requirements please contact us on 03 9267 9111

As we move into the new decade of the ‘2020’s, HR outsourcing is predicted to play an increasingly important role in many organisations’ long-term growth strategies.

It is widely accepted there are numerous benefits when it comes to outsourcing tactical and strategic HR tasks to a Human Resource Outsourcing (HRO) company.  This practice lets organisations focus on their core business area as specialist HR functions are given to experienced HRO professionals who have the time and expertise to fulfill many of the requirements of an HR department.

According to a recent article by Business.com, in 2020 the demand for human resources outsourcing will continue to grow, and with ongoing advances in technology streamlining HR departments and staff cutbacks, HR functions will need to be fulfilled externally.

Human resources management is fundamental to any business so hiring an HRO is a smart business move.  It can reduce costs in hiring permanent HR staff yet allows all HR functions to be effectively fulfilled and managed including hiring, training, recruiting, payroll and compliance.

It’s clear the times have already changed when it comes to the modern workplace. In 2020 and beyond, it is important HR play a leadership role in sustaining an organisation’s most valuable asset — its people.

As noted in the Deloitte’s 2019 Global Human Capital Trends report, ‘The relentless acceleration of technology and disruption in political, economic and social spheres is impacting work, workers and employers like never before’.

Here are four HR outsourcing trends to watch in 2020 to help you set out a clear HR outsourcing strategy identifying key points that outsourcing will mitigate.

Artificial intelligence

According to HR Executive, “AI or Artificial Intelligence in human resource technology is also influencing the growth of HROs”.  A clear example of this AI in action is the process of keyword scanning and sorting of CV’s to select potential candidates based on the skills and experience required for the role.

AI technology for recruitment is evolving daily with new and improved ways to streamline or automate certain parts of the recruiting workflow, especially repeated, large-scale tasks being made available for improved HR efficiencies, and supporting the outsourced model.

Changing regulations

As the changes to HR and workplace regulations multiply, both at state and federal government levels, the need for an HRO partner rises.  Internal HR departments may not be equipped to deal with the pace of changing regulations or keep up to date with new labour laws, and this may have significant consequences to an organisation.

HRO professionals keep abreast of changes to employment laws, advising their clients on what and how they should comply with any new laws and regulations.  It is expected the numbers of small businesses to use the services of an HRO in 2020 and beyond will grow substantially.

HR technology for analytics and data management

Without question data management and HR analytics play a large role in all modern HR processes and strategies.  Analytics can transform how HR operates with insights that can actively and meaningfully contribute to a business’s success when used smartly.

This an increasingly complex area for many businesses.  Centralising, sorting, processing and handling employee data, meeting and fulfilling compliance obligations, managing HR functions management ie leave, performance reviews, and payroll operations require a robust system.

It is in the area of functional data management and specialised HR analytics, the demand for HRO professional services is gaining traction.

Additionally, businesses are leveraging HR technologies for outsourcing payroll services to a professional HRO supplier, saving on costs and improving performance.

Wellbeing in the workplace

The hype around “workplace wellness” hasn’t abated in 2020. Research shows happy and healthy employees are more productive, take less leave, stay longer, and want to come to work.

Positive and productive workplaces also give organisations a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent.

Outsourcing workplace wellness management to a specialist HRO agency or consultant to manage and develop employee wellness programs is another area the outsourcing of HR services is expected to grow.

Centastaff can assist with your HR outsourcing

HR outsourcing trends will impact HR departments of all sizes in the coming decade.  By being prepared and developing a clear HR management strategy, you can stay ahead of the curve.

Consider finding an outsourcing partner that aligns with your business goals and empowers you to create a modern employee experience with real results.

Are you looking to outsource human resources for your professional business?

Here at Centastaff, we implement effective management tools and aim to provide you with high quality service that will further contribute to the direction and success of your business. We strive to provide value and support in the pursuit of HR excellence with our clients and their businesses.

If you are in need of human resources support, please call the Centastaff team today.

Today the traditional idea of a ‘job for life’ is no longer the norm as the majority of us will work in a variety of career roles, and even entirely different professions.

More and more people are increasingly changing careers as technology revolutionises how, when and where we work.  And at any age.

On average people in Australia are likely to change their careers around 7 times throughout their entire working life.  The average is set to increase as further technological advances continue to rapidly change the face of the modern workplace.

This increasingly dynamic way of working, along with improved access to new learning opportunities, and the modern view a fulfilling career is one of the keys to a happy life, means a career change offers many potential benefits and unlimited possibilities.

So how do you successfully change careers and keep your sanity?  Firstly, keep calm and give yourself plenty of time to prepare your career transition with these top tips.

Identify your new career path with an action plan

Ask yourself, where do I want to go next?  Defining the vision of what your ideal new career path looks like can be the most challenging aspect when making a career change of this magnitude. Ask yourself, what is it you truly like doing?  Be honest with what inspires and motivates you.

Consider the things you most enjoy about your current role.  Which daily tasks and job responsibilities come easily and bring you the most satisfaction.  As most organisations have regular performance reviews your core strengths and skills should be easily identifiable.

You might also reflect on other areas in your life like your hobbies and interests. Do you actively participate in volunteer work or are you involved with any special interest groups, like sporting or professional organisations?   What makes you leap out of bed on a weekend?  As you ask yourself these questions you may be pleasantly surprised to notice a range of job ideas coming to mind.

As you begin to clearly identify your new career path, an important next step is to form an action plan. Think about the steps needed to reach your ideal new job role and set yourself specific goals that support that goal.

Focus on your skills and experience

If you feel that changing roles could be similar to pushing a boulder uphill, especially if you have been with one organisation, or in the same role for an extended period of time, don’t let that initial feeling stop you from taking the first steps.

You will have multiple skills and experience that are transferable to other roles outside your current career and ideally this is the time to reflect on and compile a list of required skills and experience your new ‘ideal’ role would require.

For example, in this scenario, a person’s ideal role is to work with the State Fire Department however they don’t want to be a firefighter.  As they are currently working as a counsellor for a large media corporation, they could easily seek a role in this capacity.

Have a side project

Moving into an industry we are more passionate about can be daunting, especially if we believe our career pathway hasn’t given us the knowledge and experience, we need to land the ideal role.

Create your own opportunities through a side project that moves you closer to your goal.  As it can be difficult to land a job in an unrelated field that you haven’t worked in previously, by doing something on your own, it will give you the experience and knowledge you need to show prospective new employers you are motivated.

Side projects can be as simple as volunteering with an organization aligned with your interests, or you could start a blog on the industry you wish to work in.

Your career is a marathon, not a sprint

Making major life changes, particularly in a change as significant as your livelihood, is usually filled with lots of speed bumps.  When you hit a hurdle, think it about as a checkpoint and not a roadblock.  Understand each step forward is one step closer to your end goal.

Maybe you land a job role that doesn’t quite meet all your new career ideals but it is in the industry you wish to work in, or the job is within the company that you identified meets your values.  These types of scenarios can help you discover more about your ideal profession.

An area many of us can find daunting when we first start exploring a career change is knowing how to build a bridge to our new chosen line of work.

There are many ways you can do this.  You could volunteer or stay in your current role taking on extra work projects.  Part-time work may even be an option.  Reach out to your network already working the field you want to get into. Ask for introductions to prospective employers.

Update your resume.  Seek out professional advice from career counsellors and advisors.  There are numerous resources available online to help you build your bridge.

Don’t give up on your dream career

Should your career transition not go as smoothly as planned, remind yourself of all the reasons you are making this major life change for yourself.

If something isn’t working out, look for another way to unlock doors.  Join a class, read a book, meet another connection for coffee, join a business networking group or industry associations.

Remember finding the right career for you is a very personal journey so there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.  Moving from one field to another may also present its own set of challenges initially but don’t be deterred, as the impossible is always possible.

As they say at Nike, ‘Just Do It’.

What you should do next

Take your time.  Think seriously about the type of career that you can best use your experience, skills, values, and interests.   Ideally choosing another industry or role within the same or similar field can make your career transition easier.

Ask your friends and family, or a career coach to support you as you make this exciting change in your life.   Reach out to recruitment firms specialising in your preferred field of expertise who can help you land the job of your dreams.

Centastaff can help! We recruit and represent a large network of talented candidates to satisfy the demands of our clients and their businesses. We offer a range of professional roles within the aviation sector, and welcome driven and enthusiastic candidates to join our growing service. Registering with Centastaff is easy! Simply complete the “Apply Now” application form on our website today and you will be on your way.

 

The summer holiday season is here for another year and with our calendars crammed full of celebrations, afterwork drinks, parties, friends and family, it can be a demanding time balancing work and other commitments.

Add to that, many of us are rushing around with extra holiday errands to tick off the list and hurrying to complete end of year work deadlines.

For most business owners keeping the team engaged and productivity on course during the holiday period can be challenging.

Staff may be distracted, have last minute leave requests, or feel they are being left to ‘hold the fort’ when most of us are relaxing on the beach or jetting off on a fun get-a-way.

Taking a proactive approach in motivating your staff and managing business demands can be as simple as implementing a few key actions.

These are our top tips in keeping your team engaged during the holiday season.

Plan holiday leave strategically

Get in early for holiday leave planning.   Discuss with staff their preferred leave times so when leave requests are granted, the workplace is not left short-staffed.

Ensure you have a good mix of management and essential staff in the workplace to keep your business operations running smoothly.   This has the added benefit of reducing team burnout when staff members are forced to carry extra workloads in addition to their own.

Support your employee’s work-life balance by being a little more flexible over the holidays, and if key personnel can work remotely it may be worthwhile offering them the opportunity to take extended leave while ensuring business targets are still met.

Limit non-essential tasks

Move low priority meetings and projects into the new year when business activity is generally quieter.  This frees the team up to focus on completing high value projects and wrapping up deadline driven tasks by the end of year.

Creating checkpoint goals throughout projects can be highly motivating.  Employees usually gain a sense of achievement and are inspired by their accomplishments as they reach incremental project goals.

Celebrate and reward the team when major goals are reached.  Coffees, baguettes and pizza lunches are ideal rewards.  Thankyous and recognition for the team’s efforts can also go a long way in making the team feel valued and motivated.

Celebrate and be festive

The holiday season is the perfect time to share with your employees your appreciation of their hard work and efforts over the year.  Create a fun and festive atmosphere in the workplace with decorations where appropriate.

Boost staff morale, team bonding, productivity and employee satisfaction by holding a fun team event or holiday party, preferably during a working day/evening to reduce employee’s after-hours work commitments.  Involve the team in fun activities throughout the holiday period.   This may be as simple as an office Kris Kringle or festive food sharing day.

These types of festive events allow staff to come together and celebrate their achievements, feel appreciated and valued by management, which helps support a long-term positive workplace culture and office environment.

Be more flexible

Flexibility is key over the busy holiday season.  Your employees will appreciate your consideration in being accommodating and giving them a little extra time across the day so they can take care of non-work-related errands that they are unable to do outside of work hours.

Boost goodwill by offering employees an early finish on some days.  A few extended lunch hours or even one afternoon off can relieve staff stress levels and they will return motivated and ready to work.

Be understanding with rosters as a few team members may need to leave early to catch flights or getaway early to miss holiday traffic snarls.  Offer to let them work from home to manage child-care issues or gaps around school holidays.

This kind of consideration goes a long way in building a loyal team and managing employee stress.

Hire temporary staff

Providing extra staff during the festive season to fill holiday leave gaps is a smart, efficient and agile solution in ensuring smooth business operations and retaining a positive company culture and overall workplace mood.

Temporary staff are an excellent solution for when you need additional coverage to achieve year-end goals or to replace employees who have taken time off, with the added benefit of helping you manage workloads without excess overtime.

Are you searching for flexible and temporary staff to cover holiday leave or busy for your business? Centastaff can help you. We have supported our clients with growth and success for over 20 years. Get in touch with our friendly team today.

While demand for flexible workers and temporary staff traditionally increases leading into the holiday season, hiring temporary staff can be a great solution across the year in keeping your business on the move.

Short term flexible workers benefit your business in multiple ways; whether it’s hiring specialised skills for projects, covering essential permanent employee’s leave or extra demand for staff over the peak summer holiday season, or bringing new skills to the team; employers are recognising the rewards of flexible staffing.

A flexible approach to your organisation’s long-term staffing strategy keeps your business responsive and competitive, ensures business continuity and presents opportunities to access to a larger pool of skilled talent.

Temporary workers are a great asset to any organisation’s workforce and sourcing and hiring talent on a temporary basis from your preferred recruitment agencies delivers many key advantages including an easier exit if the hire doesn’t work out.

Provides flexibility in your workforce in an ever changing economy

To remain competitive, many companies in today’s uncertain times need to be flexible to the fluctuating demands of business by adapting their workforce during busy or seasonal periods.

Whereas hiring permanent staff can be a drawn-out process, hiring temporary employees provides an immediate and quick solution for any seasonal workload increases, unexpected staff losses, extended leave periods and major projects.

Hire for when you need staff and cut back when you don’t.

Diversifies your team and brings in new skills

Engaging temporary staff provides a great opportunity to bring in talent from outside the organisation and access their diverse experiences, skills, talents and ideas.

Their specialised knowledge can add great value to your existing team by improving workplace competencies and simplifying processes; and providing the expertise needed for a specialised project or new product.

Using a flexible professional means, you only pay for the time of the temporary contract rather than the costs of full-time salaries which is a fantastic way to bring talented people into your business.

Evaluate the potential of a longer-term hire

Finding the right long-term employee is challenging for most employers.

By engaging temporary employees to fill a role in the short-term, it gives employers the chance to evaluate workers over an extended timeframe before considering a permanent offer.

You could think of it as a lengthy interview as it gives you the opportunity to view the employee in action, their skills, work ethic, cultural fit and ability to perform the role.

An added benefit of a short-term hire is it takes away the pressure of hiring too quickly as the role is filled throughout the recruitment process and gives space to hire the right talent in the longer term.

Reduce your hiring costs

Hiring is a large cost to any business and a major advantage in using temporary recruitment agency is the agency will employ your temporary staff.

This means they cover the costs of hiring compliance, including providing insurance cover, paying taxes and any fees associated with recruiting, screening, testing and hiring a professional, as well as payroll.

For short-term projects this is a major cost saving to taking on a permanent employee.

Keeping your workplace culture and morale positive

Providing extra staff during busy periods or covering roles when there is unexpected staff turnover can go a long way in keeping the permanent team motivated, content and productive, and ensures you don’t make a rash long-term hiring decision.

Using short-term employees to fill unexpected or additional vacancies is a smart, efficient and agile solution in ensuring smooth business operations and retaining a positive company culture and overall workplace mood.

Are you searching for flexible and temporary staff for your business? Centastaff can help you. We have supported our clients with growth and success for over 20 years. Get in touch with our friendly team today.

 

In today’s competitive job seeker market how do you stand out and create a WOW factor in your job advert that attracts the right candidates to apply to your role.

As job seekers are now more discerning about the type of role and work place they are willing to consider, your job advert is the first opportunity to begin a conversation, so make the advert interesting and make it about them.

Remember your advert may be the first contact a candidate has had with your company.  When writing a captivating job advert you need to include information that inspires them to learn more and communicate clearly to them why your company is the ideal workplace.

The key goal of your job advert is about attracting uber talented people to your organisation.  Potential candidates need to view your advert and be motivated to take the next step.

Reach the ideal candidate

So how do you reach the ideal candidate for your business? You firstly need to explain what’s in it for the potential candidate and ask yourself the following questions.

• What are the reasons they should apply for this role?
• What makes your business a great place to work?
• Are there any career growth pathways available?
• What training and career development will they receive?
• Who are their team-mates?
• What are the benefits of working within your organisation?
• What are the values and culture of your workplace?

Your aim is to encourage people to apply for the job so create short adverts that provide clarity.  Communicate clearly and succinctly using a language style that is simple and easily understood.

You are building a connection with potential candidates and should write the job advert in a format that reflects your workplace culture and resonates with the ideal job seeker.

Your advert should be honest and describe clearly the ideal candidate you seek to attract.  Use your job advert as a filter with the goal of talking to right people and discouraging those candidates from applying who are unsuitable to the role.

Explain and outline the role plainly and with enthusiasm.  Describe why they should invest energy in your organisation.  Your job advert should be interesting and engaging as you want them to take the next step.

Be clear on how the candidate can contribute to the success of your business.  Good people want to be motivated and valued when using their skills and experience in solving challenges within the business.

Creating a great job advert

Tips to create a captivating job advert that deliver a positive candidate experience.

• The Fundamentals. Include: Job title. Job description. Location. Salary. Company name (or brief description, if confidential). Key skills. Call to action. Contact details.
• Ask questions and make statements that appeal directly to the ideal candidate you have in mind for the role.
• Use the right language. Your job description should be warm, inviting and show personality. Talk to the candidate in friendly conversational tone using ‘you’ and ‘your’.
• Include a specific location. People want to know where the job is located and where they are going to be working for a variety of practical reasons, i.e. the commute, proximity to home, schools and more.
• Include the salary. Including the salary is paramount to making a great job advert. Don’t waste potential candidates time, or your own, by attracting candidates who are either under-skilled or over-skilled.
• Your company name. A very important detail if you are managing the hiring process directly yourself.  It gives potential employees a chance to research your company before taking action.
• Describe your company culture. Show people what they can expect when they join your organisation, and why someone would want to work with you and your team.
• Highlight your values. Talk to the right people whose values align with yours as morals and values are important to people. Let potential candidates know what your business stands for as this can increase your hiring success.
• Promote the work life balance. As most of us spend a large amount of our time in the workplace, describing things like flexible working hours, parental care, location, and other positives are worth mentioning.
• Make the advert easy to read. Keep it simple, clear and concise. Don’t waffle or fill the advert with boring or unrelated information.
• Focus on the Role. Job seekers are eager to find out about the role itself, including day-to-day tasks and what kind of experience is required.
• Define and distinguish the ‘must have’ skills, experiences and qualifications from the ‘nice to have’.
• Be found in Search. Include key search terms so your job advert is easily found in a Google search without being overusing those terms.
• Don’t use clichés and jargon. By using honest and natural language your potential candidates will respect and be attracted to the opportunity so much more.
• Link to a video. Video marketing is popular and a great way to showcase your organisation beyond a few words.   This is not essential.
• And most importantly, don’t forget a call to action.  Make it very clear what the potential candidate needs to do RIGHT NOW if they are interested in applying your role.

The team at Centastaff can help with creating a candidate attraction strategy including assisting in creating captivating job adverts. Please get in touch with our team today.

Attracting and retaining great talent in a business is getting more and more complex. The days of a simple, steady wage and job security being enough for workers are gone as more and more companies discover that investing in the happiness of their staff will have a flow on effect to productivity, staff retention, and their overall brand image.

Nailing down the right perks for your employees requires a bit of research into what will suit your business structure, budget, and general wants and needs of your people.

To spark some inspiration, here are a few of the top job perks based on statistics that you can consider for your employees.

Flexible working arrangements

This one has become a given for most companies today. The introduction and evolution of technology has made working remotely or even in transit incredibly easy. Providing flexible working arrangements allows employees a better work-life balance and demonstrates that they’re trusted and respected members of your team. Having flexible hours also allows for parents to work around school pickups and drop-offs and is more likely to result in employees being more productive when their hours suit their needs.

Examples of flexible working arrangements might include:

• Working from home
• Choosing their own hours
• Working during their commute to reduce office contact hours and shorten their day
• Allowing for other commitments such as parental duties or religious obligations
• The ability to purchase more annual leave than standard

Time in lieu

When staff put in extra hours to get a project finished, fill in for a shortage, or just to get a task completed, they want to see their efforts recognised and rewarded. Time is one of the most valuable things to great workers and giving them extra time off for their additional hours worked is a highly sought-after perk.

Extended parental leave

A lot of companies boast a ‘family-friendly’ philosophy, yet still offer only the bare minimum, legally required amount of parental leave to employees. Parents of newborn children can be overwhelmed with joy, stress, and sleep deprivation, only made more complicated by a workplace demanding their return within a short timeframe. By developing a considerate and generous parental leave policy, your employees will feel valued, respected, secure, and more likely to return to their positions.

Health insurance 

Employees want assurance that their health is a priority for their employer. Companies that provide health insurance benefits for their staff are more likely to attract and retain great people who know their wellbeing is cared for. This also includes having a good Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place that offers free access to mental health care, financial advice and other services that benefit staff and can extend to their family.

Subsidised training and development

A top way to demonstrate to employees that they are valued is to actively invest in their futures. Providing staff with subsidised training opportunities and the time required to upskill and personally develop themselves is a worthwhile investment. This is a win-win for employees and employers with the skills and training obtained contributing to productivity, work quality, and shows great leadership from both parties.

Birthday/milestone gifts and acknowledgement

Something as simple as buying a cake for an employee’s birthday or celebrating a milestone can attract the highest gratitude and praise as an employer. A workplace culture that promotes a community/family dynamic can be a major contributor to staff retention and overall satisfaction levels. It can be as simple as a morning tea and a gift voucher, or something more elaborate. Either way, it’s a fantastic, personal touch and a highly regarded perk.

Applying for your Airport Security Identification Card (ASIC) sounds like it could take 10 hours and 50,000 pages of complicated instructions and hoops to jump through. Don’t worry – we’ve laid out all the steps for you (there’s only five!)

As an employee, you will need a valid ASIC worn at all times to work either airside or within a sterile area of Melbourne Airport, and to access and work within other restricted areas.

The five steps to apply online

1. Your application

The whole application process is completed online here. This involves registering as a user with your name and email address, then moving to the personal details section. You can enter information and save your application progress to come back to it at any time (after you’ve turned your house upside down to find your passport or other piece of information you need!) The details you’ll be required to give at this stage include your contact information, employer details, your address history for the last 10 years, proof of identification, and other relevant information. Once submitted, you’ll get an email confirmation and move to the next step.

2. Your application is reviewed, then approved

Your application is sent to your employer’s authorised signatory for review, where they will check your information and provide details of the restricted areas you will be accessing. If approved, you will receive an email notification and a request for payment to be made (if you are paying out of pocket).

3. Payment for your ASIC

The cost of an ASIC is $230. If you are paying out of pocket, you can use a credit card online. If your company is paying for your ASIC, they will be invoiced when your application is approved.

4. AusCheck will begin screening

AusCheck are a body within The Department of Home Affairs and are responsible for conducting criminal and national background checks for the issuing of ASICs and similar schemes. This check may result in one of three outcomes:

• Your check is unconditionally approved (your ASIC is issued to you)
• Your check is conditionally approved (there may be a risk assessment and other requirements before your ASIC can be issued)
• Your check is rejected (you won’t be issued an ASIC and you will be notified)

5. Your ASIC is issued

You’re all set! You’ll be put through an online induction training course, then will be able to collect your ASIC.

How to collect your ASIC

Once you’ve been approved, you can collect your ASIC at Melbourne Airport Security Services during their business hours. You will need to bring the forms of identification and documentation used in your application to be confirmed by Security Services before your ASIC can be issued. Make sure it’s a good hair day – you’ll need to be prepared to have a new photograph taken for the card.

Keeping your ASIC secure

ASICs expire, get lost, forgotten, or even stolen. It’s important to follow the guidelines laid out by Melbourne Airport to comply with the terms and conditions of your ASIC and prevent any incidents occurring.

If you need any further help regarding ASIC please contact us.