Executive Team Shake-Up Revealed By News Corp Australia

A new approach to the News Corp Australia’s executive leadership was unveiled by executive chairman Michael Miller. New responsibilities were handed over to top executives Nicole Sheffield and Damien Eales.

Executive chairman Michael Miller appointed Damian Eales, to the new role of chief operating officer, publishing; previously Mr Eales was the head of metro and regional publishing. In an email to staff News Corp Australia Mr Miller said that the focus will be shifted on digital and publishing businesses of the company.

Damien Eales will now be in charge of News Corp Australia’s newspaper publishing assets after assuming his new role in the company. This will now incorporate community mastheads, group marketing and network advertising.

News Corp Australia’s Group Director Human Resources and Corporate Initiatives, Mr Derrick Crowley will now assume the role of chief transformation officer, apart from his responsibility for the department of Human Resources.

Mr Michael Miller said that these newly appointed portfolios will work hand in hand to make sure that the company meets its strategic targets to increase profits and audience opportunities.

Advertisement

Starbucks Is Offering Health Insurance For Parents Of Employees In Mainland China

From 1st June 2017, Starbucks employees in mainland China can add their parents to the company’s health insurance plan. The company’s representative has stated that this policy will benefit more than 10,000 parents.

Executive chairman Howard Schultz, said that “Supporting critical illnesses for aging parents exemplifies what we believe is our responsibility as a global public company and honours the family values deeply-rooted in the Chinese culture,”

Starbucks currently has more than 2 thousand stores in China across 127 cities, and employ around 40,000 people.

CEO of Starbucks China Belinda Wong stated “Culturally, parents play an important role in the lives and career choices of our Chinese partners and they are a natural extension of our Starbucks family in China.

Through this new investment, we are stepping up on our responsibility to help our partners take care of their aging parents by alleviating the financial costs that may arise during a family emergency.”

A recent study conducted by human resource department showed that more than 70% of Starbucks’ employees in China are worried about their parents’ health as they age. This led Starbucks to make the decision of implement the new policy.

The study also revealed that nearly 80% of the retail employees who are single are quite concerned about their financial capacity to give for their parents’ proper care for a long-term in case of critical illness.

Starbucks hopes to provide better support to its employees with this new benefit.

Katie McGrath Is The New Human Resources Boss In Seven West Media

It is official, Enero global HR director Katie McGrath has been appointed as the Group Executive of human resource department by Seven West Media (SWM).

It has been reported that Katie McGrath will work together with the senior executive team and report to Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner.

McGrath is slated to replace Melanie Allibon, who is now working for Newcrest Mining since January.

Former Human Resource Chief Melanie Allibon left in 2016, a few days after the affair between Amber Harrison (former executive assistant) and Tim Worner (CEO) was revealed.

Before joining Enero, McGrath operated as the national head of HR for Bain & Company and has worked efficiently in various senior HR roles for nearly 2 decades. Katie McGrath holds a Bachelor degree in Commerce and a Post Graduate degree in Psychology.

She will be leading Human Resource operations of all Seven West Media’s businesses, which incorporates the Pacific Magazines Seven Network, the company’s portfolio of digital businesses, and Seven West Media WA which includes The Sunday Times and The West Australian.

Use HR Software To Keep Your Company At Par With Technology

HR department is characterized by some people as a department that hire employees, get huge amounts of emails, and manages payrolls and other documents that are related to the workers. However, today HR industry is changing at a quick rate, utilising innovation that is much more progressed than ever. The manually managed department, of the old era has now developed into an industry that widely uses latest Human Resource software.

HR department has usually been a vital part of any organisation. Without a productive Human Resource group to run an organisation, numerous organisations will face challenges in keeping up good relations with and amongst employees, or to keep the business in working position constantly.

For many years now Human Resource software is available in the market and although at first, its designs were complex and difficult to operate. However, things changed with time, and now we have Human Resource software that is highly efficient, user-friendly and affordable.

Nowadays, the software comes with an extensive variety of options, including basics about the HR industry, for example, hiring, payroll and workers’ record management. However, there’s a lot more offered by the software and it doesn’t stop there yet. They also incorporate training programmes, workflow and session improvement.

Another alluring feature of the software programme is the self-service option. This option may permit the manager to concede certain access to workers, permitting them to check their data, the power to upgrade their records and even request a holiday. Essentially, the software systems can be designed for the business owners and there are endless potential outcomes.

The motivation behind these HR solutions is to decrease the main part of manual management and documentation and automate important procedures. This will enable the HR team to concentrate more on dealing with the necessities of the workers. Employee relations are best taken care of on a man to man level, in this way the utilisation of HR solutions to deal with the more common projects is generally supported.

The extra support and individual concentration of workers does not just make them feel more refreshed and appreciated in the organisation, it additionally permits them to take a move ahead and deliver effectively with phenomenal performance. A standout amongst the most imperative parts of Human Resource manager is to resemble as a really concerned manager that acknowledges the benefits and good performance of the workers.

There is unquestionably an extensive variety of HR software and HR solutions available. As a small or growing business, it is always an intelligent move to perform a small research of every single accessible option to ensure that your software is perfect for your small business. The HR software is intended to build up a shared view for the worker and the owner to have a good business association that would benefit both sides.

7 Resolutions For Your Small Business In 2017

New Year resolutions are not only limited to exercise, lifestyle goals, quitting cigarettes or alcohol. This New Year, you should try to make resolutions that will help your small business reach new heights.

Let’s take a look at a few New Year resolutions for the business world that you can use in 2017.

1. Figure Out How To Deal With Your Cash Flow More Successfully

This is an awesome resolution for small company proprietors who witness extreme fluctuations in their cash flow. It is also a good thing for small businesses that have not been able to make enough money to invest into the business, or for the individuals who don’t generally have an idea about the everyday finances of their company.

2. Find New Ways To Enhance Your Digital Presence

If you haven’t got your business website updated or upgraded for the past two years, then this is the right time to do it. This is the best time to make your business website mobile friendly. There are many businesses that still don’t have any type of web presence, so this New Year you must pledge to get a website or web presence for sure.

3. Go Social In Your Small Business

Have you been keeping social networking on the sidelines and not by any means beginning to check which social media platform is the best option for your business? Are you planning to start a blog for your business website, but don’t have any specific strategy or time for it? Try not to do all these things anymore and make a resolution that you will look into this area in 2017.

4. Be More Engaged And Productive

This is the ideal resolution for people who regularly sit idle on social networking websites or surrender to different distractions that gets them off-track, and then wind up thinking what they did the whole day because hardly any work is completed and the day ends.

5. Develop Your Team And Assign Effectively

If you have a lot of work, more than you can deal with and lack time to concentrate on developing your business, it’s an ideal opportunity to quit the unnecessary things in your company and begin acquiring others to get a move on. This resolution concentrates on building your team and figuring out how to assign successfully.

6. Improve As A Communicator

Misunderstandings among the employees on a frequent basis, lack of worker spirit and regularly sitting around idly dictating the same info again and again is an indication that you’re communicating inadequately. However, this resolution will help you concentrate on improving as a communicator in your company.

7. Get HR Software For Your Company

Haven’t thought about it yet, isn’t it? It’s not too late to get highly effective HR Software for your company. Small businesses often lack the budget to have a separate HR department in their company. However, with HR software you won’t need to have an HR department and you can focus on the main business of your company.

Top HR Trends In 2017 – Focus Will Be On Tech (Part 2)

The HR industry is also witnessing a revolution because of advances in technology. With the inception and great rise of Smartphones, mobile devices and better connectivity, the HR industry is on the verge of a tech boom.

With technology in the hands of the workers, companies will be able to gain advantages of engaging continuously that will eventually develop an environment of open communication as well.

The year 2017 is about to begin in a few days and companies has started assuming how good it will be for their businesses. HR world has also witnessed a change in 2016 with more and more people inclining towards technology. Let’s take a look at the top trends of 2017, which you’ll in see in the HR industry from a tech point of view.

• Employee Engagement

Connecting with workers is of really crucial for any business. However, this is a lot simpler to be said than to execute. The difficulties also emerge as there is no single stage for tracking all the advantages being offered. This is utilised for all worker engagements – rather than HR managing numerous suppliers and require workers to log-in to various platforms, there should be one place where every single service is coordinated.

Likewise, this is being viewed as a vital HR trend in the next year 2017 since this will guarantee that workers are really ready to exploit the advantages they are qualified for in an easy and convenient way. Also, it gets to be a lot simpler for businesses to guarantee that they can provide these easier aspects of the benefits package to their staff.

• Concentrate On Wellness

While most businesses give some type of medical coverage to their workers, currently, the concentration is gradually yet surely moving towards wellness. Again, this is a consistent as opposed to ad-hoc engagement. Rather than having a yearly health check-up, you may see businesses putting more in continuous health engagement.

Here, the mobile apps help as it can track essential parameters and guarantee that the worker is remaining fit. This could be through observing their exercise& activity regimen as well and giving a record of burned calories.

• Tracking Of Actionable Info/Data

Going paperless and digital is the latest trend that will increase in 2017 also. This guarantees all the info/data is received and Human Resource department will get HR software & HR solutions to utilise the information in genuine actionable terms. Here, what it actually implies is that it becomes not just simpler to archive actions, but also guarantees that company and its workers are that are able to follow up to check-up, whether the job has been done on time or not. Likewise, this guarantees any un-actioned things can be checked in to figure out the reason for it is incomplete and motivates review or feedback of the activities.

Top HR Trends In 2017 – Focus Will Be On Tech (Part 1)

HR department is a key component in any company or business. After all, the main distinctions between the two same organisations are its workers. Making the correct investment in hiring employees can prove to be the deciding moment of a company’s fortunes.

The only HR (Human Resources) as an operation is of central significance when companies are concerned. Let’s take a look at some HR trends for 2017 that are set to lead the torch in the new era.

The single greatest trend is that your Smartphone is turning into the main device for HR engagement with the staff and utilising that as a single stage to connect and act. Here are some top trends that are probably going to be in the focus in 2017.

• Extensive & Far-reaching Engagement

Smartphones and other mobile devices have changed dynamics HR to a great degree. With mobile devices turning out to be easily accessible and common, people have started preferring Smartphones over laptops and desktops. This gives an ideal opportunity for HR managers to engage with their connections instantly & consistently.

Whether it is the essential functions like timesheet, payroll or productivity and communication tools, or benefits such as rewards, discounts, everything seems to be available on the Smartphones. The new age should be confronted in a more advanced way, which shows that Apps based advancements will surely be more progressively utilised. With comfort at the fingertips of the workers, HR managers will have the capacity to influence favourable benefits of continuous engagement that will make an environment of better communication also.

• Uninterrupted Feedback

As a result of the extensive and far-reaching engagement through the workers with mobile devices can offer their feedback and criticism instantly. This is just the opposite of the customary yearly worker satisfaction review, which has a negative point that it could be impacted by recent events, you get a consistent graph and Human Resource manager can delineate against the choices that had been taken.

Additionally, these help organisations to make vital moves when it matters instead of sitting tight for the appraisal time period. This likewise implies the company can better concentrate on creating strong connections with the workers and guarantee that they can act when it makes a difference. This will guarantee that workers have a long association with the company – and in today’s circumstances loyalty is difficult to find.

• More Focus On HR Software

HR software or solutions isn’t something new, and it has been in the market for a while. However, in 2017 we will be witnessing a remarkable increase in the usage of different HR solutions – even by small business. Why? The improvement in the safety and state-of-art HR software available these days are going to attract small business more. Small business usually don’t have much budget to have a own HR department, but with HR software, this issue can be easily resolved.

5 Things To Ensure That Your Office Christmas Party Is Successful

Yeah, it’s true! Christmas is just a few days away and thus the Christmas party season is going to begin. Whether your organisation’s Christmas night is arranged or in the arranging stage, let’s take a look at these 5 tips for HR Managers that will help them to organise the best party of the season.

1. Try Not To Make It Mandatory

Great participation is clearly the key for a good work night out, however by making an office party mandatory there is probably going to be a significantly more sceptical demeanour at the night. No doubt, you wish loads of individuals to be in the party, you likewise need individuals who really want to be there and there are different approaches to urge employees to attend, instead of making the night mandatory.

2. Friday Is The Best Night To Party

As a Human Resource expert, I can say that the area of concern is not the night of the party, but the next of the party. If there’s a workday after the party night, then there are various disciplinary issues and absences, which lead to lost work time. However, you can get rid of these issues easily, by organising the party on a Friday night as next morning will be the start of the weekend and the entire hangover and other absence issues will not be your problem.

3. Don’t Forget To Invite Everybody

This tip may sound obvious and an easy, yet it is one of the most crucial parts that need to be considered while making arrangements for an office Christmas gathering. In big companies, it can be difficult to remember to send invitations to everybody for the gathering, yet it is crucial to ensure that the HR office doesn’t forget anyone.

Keep in mind that not everybody in the organisation may have a work email address. Don’t forget about those employees who are working in another city as they may be visiting their homes for the Christmas season. Keep in mind the interns, those on sick or maternity leave. Simply ensure you invite everybody!

4. Food Must Be Delicious

No matter when and how you organise the office Christmas party, one of the most important things to include is some food items. Good food will attract more guests and your party will be quite successful. If the party is in the evening of the last working day before the holiday begins, then some food items become more important than ever.

5. Avoid Work Talk During the Party

Clearly, a large number of employees will talk about work issues on the night of the office party as work is one the major thing they have in common. That’s reasonable, but HR managers should avoid such conversation because you might end up promising something to the employee on behalf of the company. So better stay away from nonsense conversations.

Christmas holidays are about to begin and you’re worried about how to manage the human resource work? Don’t worry as HR software is here to save the day! With HR software, your work becomes a cloud based and you can login to your account from anywhere and anytime.

Master These Job Interview Questions To Achieve Success

Let’s take a look at 5 questions you should master before going on a job interview.

Question – Have You Recently Given Interviews To Other Companies Also?

Ensure that you don’t give much importance to this question and answer quickly. A simple yes will do the job and tell them that you’re considering all the options. You can opt to say that this particular job is your first choice. Keep in mind, being honest is the best approach. Try not to lie and don’t say that you’re interviewing for other companies, if you’re not.

Question – How Can You Prove Beneficial For This Company?

When you’re planning and getting prepared for the interview, consider how you can be beneficial at that job and the things you would do to accomplish your goals. Bring in new ideas about things which you have done before and have benefitted your past companies. It will be an amazing answer, if you can make the company to see the profits you could bring in for them in the first 30 days of the job. Be particular about what you’d get a kick out of the chance to achieve, so it’s more credible and amazing. To make it look more believable and impressive, you need to be specific about what you’d like to accomplish.

Question – Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?

It’s fine if you’re laid off from your last organisation due to the bad economy. You don’t have to share all the details, however you can be honest and reply that the company needed to lay off a specific number of people or the department was being rebuilt. If you have left the job because of a negative circumstance, ensure not to say anything bad about your previous company or employer as it would look bad. Focus on the way that you’re looking for development and that you feel this company (in which you’re now giving interviews) is developing in the right direction.

Question – Do You Want To Any Queries From The Interviewer?

Asking decent questions can unfold many things about your identity and can be the most crucial part of the interview. Take some time to make amazing, thoroughly considered questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” in reply. For instance, if you’ve applied for an HR job, then ask the interviewer about details of the HR software they utilise in the company. Don’t ask questions that look too obvious and make you look like as if you’ve got the job. Don’t focus too much on salary, benefits, and promotion. Focus more on what you can achieve for the company and not what the company can get for you. Use your experience to find how many questions will be appropriate.

Question – Were You Involved In Any Fight In Your Previous Office?

You have to be quite careful while replying to this question, make sure your reply and tone doesn’t look negative. You should answer positively as it will reflect that you can manage conflicts easily. Discuss a problem you had to deal with in the past (not the one created by you), and how you resolved the issue.

Master These Job Interview Questions To Achieve Success (Part 2)

We have discussed 5 questions which you need to prepare for your job interview. Here are 5 new questions you need to master before your job interview.

 

• Question  – Are You Giving Interviews To Other Companies Right Now?

 

Do whatever it takes not to give a lot of emphasis in this question and answer quickly. A basic yes and saying that you’re considering all the opportunities will be helpful. You can choose to say that this specific job is your first preference. Keep in mind, being honest is an excellent approach. Don’t lie and say that you’re interviewing at other companies if you’re not.

 

• Question  – What Can You Do For This Company?

 

While you’re preparing & planning for the interview, consider how you prove to be beneficial at the position and what steps you would take to accomplish that. Get new thoughts and ideas related to what you have done before that has profited your past organisations. It will be an excellent answer, if you can make the organisation to visualise the things you could do for them in the first 15 days of your job. Be particular about what you’d get a kick out of the chance to achieve, so it’s more credible and amazing. To make it look more believable and impressive, you need to be specific about what you’d like to accomplish.

 

• Question  – Why Did You Leave Your Current Job?

 

It’s reasonable if you’re laid off from your company due to the rough economy. You don’t need to share every detail, however you ought to be honest and say that your organisation needed to relinquish a particular number of individuals or the division was being rebuilt. If you’re leaving the job due to a negative circumstance, make sure not to say anything bad about your old organisation or manager as it would surely look bad. You can concentrate on the way that you’re searching for development and that you feel this organisation (in which you’re now giving interviews) is growing in the right direction.

 

• Question  – Do You Have Any Questions For The Interviewer?

 

Asking good queries can uncover a ton of your identity and can be the most vital part of the meeting. Take some time into making exceptionally individual, thoroughly considered queries that need more than a “yes” or “no” reply. For example, if you’ve applied for an HR job, then ask them details about the HR software they use. Try not to make questions that appear to be too obvious and that make you look like as if you’ve got the position. Try not to concentrate on salary, benefits, and promotion. Concentrate more on what you can accomplish for the organisation and not what the organisation can accomplish for you. Utilise your own experience to figure out how many queries are appropriate.

 

• Question  – Were You Involved In Any Conflict In Your Previous Office & How You Resolved It?

 

You need to be very careful while answering this question, while ensuring that your reply and tone doesn’t sounds negative. You should talk positively as it will show that you can handle conflicts easily. Discuss an issue you had to face (not the one created by you), and how you resolved the problem.