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Deciding to recruit, train and develop Indigenous team members can be a really savvy way for your business to expand your workforce, particularly if you operate in remote or regional areas where it is difficult to attract and retain skilled staff.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are among the most vulnerable of all members of modern society, so to help improve their education, employment and overall economic prospects, the Australian government has introduced a number of grants and programs to support businesses embarking on Indigenous Recruitment initiatives. While the incentives may be lucrative, below you’ll find some important points to consider to ensure that there are positive outcomes for all stakeholders.
You Need A Plan
While it is possible to find qualified and experienced Indigenous applicants, if you are trying to address a skills shortage or have a high volume of vacancies to fill, it’s highly likely that you’ll be working with people who are fairly new to the workforce. This can be a positive – it gives you the opportunity to mould them into the type of employees you need now and into the future, but it also represents some challenges. Make sure that you have clearly defined job descriptions and responsibilities and a thorough training and induction plan in place well before you advertise the roles. If your new team members need additional training or support, you may be able to apply for government assistance to offset the costs associated with this.
You Need to Earn Your Incentives
There’s no denying that hiring and training staff costs businesses a lot of money and while taking advantage of government grants and subsidies can be a really effective way to offset that, they often have strict criteria and key performance indicators associated with them. If you aren’t willing to put the time, effort and resources into ensuring the success of recruiting and developing an Indigenous workforce, no amount of money will make it worth it for you. Bad hiring decisions or poorly implemented strategies can have a long-term effect on your company culture, morale and productivity.
You May Need Professional Help
Reputable recruitment agencies like Chandler Macleod have experience in developing and implementing Indigenous Recruitment Programs that meet business objectives while providing the additional support and assistance that both staff and their employers need. They can also assist with ensuring that your workplace is culturally sensitive and provides a safe, inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds to thrive in their chosen role.
There are a number of positives to deciding to actively recruit Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people from your region. Not only will you be meeting your labour resourcing needs but a well implemented program can also boost your community relations endeavours in regional areas and help your organisation commit to a corporate social responsibility initiative in a way that has direct commercial business benefits.
Does your organisation have an Indigenous Employment program? What advice would you give to employers looking to attract and retain more Indigenous staff?
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