20
Innovative recruitment initiatives
The rapid growth of City Care's business means that recruiting
new staff is a major priority for the company. However the
current low rate of unemployment and shortage of skilled staff
in the marketplace means that recruiting the right staff is a
challenge for the organisation. Our Human Resources team has
therefore implemented a number of innovative measures during
the past year to raise our profile as a good employer and attract
more people to apply for roles with City Care.
In late 2004 City Care set up a recruitment website called Web
Recruit where prospective employees can log their details.
By the end of the year we had a pool of over 200 suitable
candidates registered on the site and had employed 6 staff via
Web Recruit.
We put in place a varied advertising campaign based on
suggestions from staff who took part in a focus group on
recruitment. This included billboard and radio advertising,
advertising on the backs of buses and in the TV Guide. During
the Lions Tour, we embarked on a special recruitment drive
to target qualified trades people from amongst the Lions
supporters or their families by distributing branded rugby balls.
The company also saw the first successful results of the staff
referral incentive implemented earlier in 2004 with a number of
staff being recruited via this means. Staff members are eligible
for a $500 bonus when someone they recommend is hired and
employed by City Care for more than 3 months. From these
referrals City Care has gained a good selection of new staff
including a painter, a carpenter, cleaning and administration staff.
Other HR initiatives
City Care received the results of our first assessment against
the Investors in People Standard in April 2004. We met 3 of the
12 criteria, and came close on another 4. We have identified
a number of key projects to move us towards achieving
the standard. Some of the key initiatives that have been
implemented during the year are:
· Reviewing and upgrading a regular newsletter for staff to
improve communication
· Ensuring monthly team meetings happen with all staff
· Training managers in financial management processes with
a specific emphasis on City Care's financial management
systems
· Increasing the involvement of Operations and Contract
Managers in the strategic planning process
Projects for the coming year include further development of the
company's performance management system and appraisal
process and refinement of the induction programme.
We have created a new role of Talent Development Manager
within the HR team to develop success profiles defining the key
attributes of our high-achieving staff and focus on ways in which
we can retain these staff and recruit others like them.
Permanent
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