Wellness programmes have been part of HR’s mission since the 1970s, especially in the US. These programmes coincided with research that revealed what the cost of poor employee health on a company’s bottom line was, and with the rising culture of fitness in the seventies.
Up until ten or 15 years ago, wellness programmes revolved around health, focusing on things like losing weight, stopping smoking or general fitness and a discounted gym membership for employees.
There is a major talent shortage of generalist HR Advisors and Senior HR Advisors in Auckland. It is hard to remember a time when this hasn’t, to some degree, been the case. As with many other professions in New Zealand, this can be partly attributed to Kiwis heading off overseas and leaving a gap at the intermediate level. We are also now hearing from a range of business that funds are finally being freed up for people-focussed initiatives, which is a huge relief following a number of very lean years. So perhaps candidates are staying put in their roles, enjoying the perks and interesting projects that become possible when cash flows more freely?
However we are wondering whether there might be another force at play creating extra pressure on the HR advisory candidate market.
HR in many companies is the driver of diversity and in large or global companies there can be a whole division driving a change agenda in this space. We often see these people and teams focus on an increase of women in senior leadership roles. This is obviously an important issue and seems a no-brainer when we read articles like this: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/top-companies-with-women-on-boards-perform-better-research-finds-20150423-1mqsm2.html
So increasing women in leadership roles is not only the right thing to do but may also increase company profits. So we can absolutely see why companies would focus on this. Read More
An industry-wide trend we’re seeing in HR is an increased emphasis on bringing commercial HR practitioners into the team. From speaking to HR practitioners from all different backgrounds and levels, we’ve put together these tips for how you can make sure you put your most “commercial” foot forward.