Better Employers Needed For Bay Business Growth

Media Release
Friday 11 March 2005

Better employers needed for Bay business growth

The growth of Bay businesses is being limited by poor employment practices according to the Bay of Plenty Sustainable Business Network (SBN).

At a time of record low unemployment and significant skill shortages many businesses are struggling to recruit and retain the right people due to poor employer skills, according to Calum Revfem, SBN regional manager. “There is an urgent need for Bay businesses to become better employers if the region is to achieve sustainable economic growth.”

Employers need to become smarter in the way they recruit staff as employees now have the choice of who they want to work for. “We are constantly hearing about businesses that lose staff because of the unattractive work environment that they create, their lack of staff training and having no flexible working arrangements that take into account family and lifestyle. People move to the Bay for its great environment and for lifestyle reasons. If we’re to keep them here, then we have to take that into account as their employers, and consider business practices like work-life balance.”

SBN which promotes sustainable economic, social and environmental business practices conducted a business survey in November 2004 and found that the recruiting and retaining of staff was the number one issue challenging the sustainability of their members. In response SBN is running a series of three workshops on ‘How to become a better employer’. The workshops are presented by local practitioners in the employment industry including Karen Bisset of HR Consulting, Chris Freeman of Future Pace and Mereana Mills of M2 Communicate.

ENDS

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