by Nuture HR
International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world, where women are recognised for achievements today and throughout history; regardless of ethnic, cultural, economic or political divisions.
I congratulate those women who have taken on an industry or profession that was / still is predominately male dominated. These women have pushed back, achieved their goals and paved a way for others to achieve their dreams no matter what obstacles they were faced with!
What can we learn from these high achieving women?
No matter who you are regardless of gender; if you are committed, resilient and focused you can:
- cut through barriers
- achieve your goals and
- inspire others to achieve their dreams!
by Nuture HR
In today’s society, both male and female employees want to juggle their caring responsibilities to maintain work life balance and overall wellbeing. Long held gender stereotypes that are gradually changing, are making it difficult for males to access flexible working.
Despite many organisations promoting flexible work practices, there is a comparatively low take up of flexible work options by males. Recent reports also depict that flexibility does not appear to be as readily available for men as women for example:
- Men are twice as likely to have requests for flexible hours knocked back as women (ABC News Report, 2016), and
- Women who have access to flexible working are more inclined to move into senior positions, whereas men who opt for flexibility are less likely to receive the same treatment (News.com., 2016).
These studies represent a growing concern for males in Australian organisations who may be susceptible to stereotyping and discrimination and alert organisations to re-think their actions when approached by their male employees for flexible work arrangements.
So how can an organisation increase the uptake of flexible work practices by males:
- Create a culture where it is safe for both males and females to access flexible work practices,
- Educate senior leaders on the benefits of flexible working for both males and females – such as higher levels of employee wellbeing, engagement and productivity,
- Address stereotypes that caring responsibilities are a female’s domain,
- Educate that taking time out for caring responsibilities does not mean an individual (whether they be male or female) is not career focused and
- Share stories about individuals whom have taken up flexible work practices to encourage others to also partake in such practices.
For further information on encouraging flexible work practices, please contact the team at Nurture HR Consulting www.nurturehrconsulting.com.au
References
ABC News. (2016). Men twice as likely to have flexible work hours’ requests knocked back:
study. Retrieved from
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-03/men-more-likely-to-have-flexible-work-requests-knocked-back/7137208
News.com.au. (2016). Why the flexible work dream is out of reach. Retrieved from
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/why-the-flexible-work-dream-is-out-of-reach/news-story/6efb05203f97feb31ff1f836ef5bb0a8
by Nuture HR
What is outplacement and career transition?
Outplacement is the provision of support for employees whose roles have been declared redundant to assist them in transitioning to a new career or new role.
Support occurs through:
- Assisting an individual in better understanding what motivates or drives them and what career / role they may be better suited to or have a preference
- Understanding networking; including how to network using traditional techniques and digital mediums
- Assistance with developing and or updating resumes and application letters
- Interview techniques and
- Emotional support
Outplacement benefits both the transitioning employee and the organisation they are leaving. This is achieved via an employee receiving the practical and emotional support they require, plus the organisation being sure they have provided all that was within their realm to assist the transitioning employee in securing future work and or meeting their career aspirations.
For further information on outplacement please contact Eva and her team via
email eva@nurturehrconsulting.com.au or phone on 43 125 120.
by Nuture HR
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances. If there is any reaction, both are transformed.” – Carl Jung
The Grandfather of personality psychology, Gordon Allport, saw personality through an ideographical approach- he viewed the individual uniqueness and experience. Allport concluded, that personality traits are innate neuropsychological properties, initiating individuals to act in a meaningful consistent way across time and situation (Sollod et al., 2012 pp. 2).
Carl Jung furthered the study of personality and referred to it as the predispositions to behave in a certain manner. Consequently, personality across the board is unique to the individual.
Personality within organisations make work interesting and conversely at times, challenging. That is why within business you need to be aware of its advantages but also attentive to its impacts on individual performance and team cohesiveness and the relationships and follow through with clients.
Listed below are some advantages and disadvantages to be aware of when uniting personalities within workplaces:
Advantages:
- Some personalities mix well with others and allow for greater success.
- Great leaders are approachable, understanding and adaptable to others personalities.
- Research suggests that individual personalities within teams can influence team dynamics
- Individuals need to understand the power of the situation and its role on different personalities.
- Personalities working together can increase creative thinking
- Different personalities can motivate one another
Disadvantages:
- Often first impressions are subjective to the situation (i.e. first time meeting co-workers is nerve racking) and may force a false judgement.
Different personalities vary in productiveness, attention to detail, ability to commit to projects, motivation etc. Hence, it is worth understanding personalities to better organise teams.
For more information on personality within workplaces please contact eva@nurturehrconsulting.com.au
Reference: Sollod, R., Monte, C., & Boag,S.(2012). Beneath the mask. Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons Australia.
by Nuture HR
Being able to write a “Masterpiece of a Resume” can be a gruelling task, knowing what to write, how to make it stand out, let alone typing it up when computer skills may not be your specialty.
Rest assured, there are ways around making the task less of an effort and more of a challenge. Remember this could be the key to getting the perfect job! So what makes a good Resume?
The following tips and tricks are some quick wins to creating your, “Masterpiece” and catching the attention of your prospective employer.
- Your Resume should be no more than 3 pages long. Give the reader the lasting effect to pick up the telephone and discuss your Resume further.
- Capture the reader’s attention by ensuring the content is at a high level. Make it easy for them to understand, highlighting, such things as: who you are, where you have worked and a short introduction on what the company does.
- Keep the layout simple. Overcomplicating the Resume with fancy fonts and special effects can make it look busy and be the difference between a call back or not. Stick to a simple layout with fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri, with size 12 font. Bolding headings may be necessary, particularly for: company names, key dates and heading of sections throughout the Resume, for e.g., Personal Information, Education, Work Experience, etc.
- Jobs and education should be in reverse chronological order. Too much detail about earlier positions in your career are not relevant. Focus on the most recent and relevant.
- Be sure to make reference to any degrees or licences you have acquired in the education section and any advanced training that may be relevant.
- Use short, concise sentences and bullet point them to show emphasis. Longwinded sentences may stop the reader, reading on! Use verbs to highlight job responsibilities, such as; managed, developed, implemented, initiated. Impress the reader by selecting your most poignant and relevant jobs you have held.
- Any achievements or awards or personal affiliations that may be relevant should be included.
- Don’t waffle about personal interests. Keep them short and concise and only mention if relevant. If mentioning them serves no benefit, then leave it out!
- References should be listed at the bottom of the Resume as, “References available upon request”. Should the prospective employer acquire them, they will ask for them?
