INTHEBLACK December 2021 - Magazine - Page 11
“It will become socially unacceptable to send emails after
business hours. There is a danger in working from home that
workers may see themselves as being ‘on call’ 24/7. We need to
protect against that either by agreement or by regulation.”
B E R N A R D S A LT
DEMOGRAPHER AND
B U S I N E S S A N A LYS T
Source: Workflow
WH AT A WASTE!
Thinking of a New Year resolution? If you run
a mid-tier business, consider a digital overhaul.
New research from MYOB shows mid-market
businesses see an average of 12.5 hours per
employee wasted each week on manual or
repetitive tasks due to ineffective digital solutions.
The findings of the trans-Tasman study show
that, for a business with 100 employees, the extra
cost of this additional work equates to more than
A$2.7 million per year.
Organisations cite three main obstacles to
improving their business and people management
solutions:
35%
A LACK OF
LEADERSHIP
SUPPORT
34%
BUSINESS
INERTIA TO
CHANGE
34%
THE HIGH
COST OF
TECHNOLOGY
However, it is wise to address the challenges.
Along with productivity woes, the study shows
business growth and bottom lines are also taking a
hit due to lack of tech solutions, with 50 per cent of
decision-makers admitting that their manual systems
have limited their ability to take on larger customers.
Almost 30 per cent also say extra costs are being
incurred because of inefficient or ineffective business
and people management solutions.
A N AGE-OL D P ROB LEM
Obstacles remain for mature-age job-seekers
in Australia, with a third of employers expressing
reluctance to hire older workers. This is a finding
of the Breaking the Age Barrier report from
employment services provider, MAX Solutions,
which also shows it takes older workers
approximately three and half months longer
to find work than younger Australians.
The report includes a survey of 500 Australian
employers, which shows that, despite the
reluctance to hire mature-age workers, 77 per cent
of employers believe older employees benefit their
place of work and bring valuable skills and traits to
the company.
The respondents also agree that older workers
are more adept than younger workers in skills like
dispute resolution (57 per cent), mediation
(55 per cent) and managing others (55 per cent).
While the overall result of the report shows age
discrimination is rife among Australian business,
the good news for mature-age workers is that
27 per cent of employers say they are willing to
tailor roles to suit the strengths of older candidates.
READ THE STUDY HERE
READ THE REPORT HERE
intheblack.com December 2021 11