As the sky high prices for vegetables in Australia tumble by 60, 70 % or even up to 90%, Harris Farm Markets Co-CEO Tristan Harris predicts further savings over Spring due to the company’s commitment to Best in Region by Best in Season. Strawberry prices are the latest to slide – 3 months ago strawberries were $10/250g punnet and today at Harris Farm Markets they have 3 punnets for $4.50 – so $1.50/punnet.

The vast majority of strawberry farms were massively hit by La Nina over the last year; but over the last month weather has been great and so the farmers are recovering and the stock is flush. So Harris Farm put the prices down.

“This is where seizing what’s in season, and local, shows up in real savings at the cash register,” said Tristan Harris.

“Lettuce for example, has gone from $10 to $3, representing a 70% decease; Silverbeet has gone from $8 to $3 meaning it is over 60% lower; beans from $40 to $3, over 90% lower; corn has dropped from $4 to $1.50, a saving of over 60% and Broccoli has gone from $12 to $3, representing a 75% saving. This is all a result of Harris Farm championing what’s in season, and it’s the best way to do business,” he said.

“There is also value in mushrooms, herbs, strawberries & sweet delight tomatoes amongst others, with flood impacted areas such as the Sydney basin now flush with great quality crops. It’s time to support these growers who have had a really tough time.”

“We anticipate even more price relief over coming weeks.”

“Our guiding principle is that when nature gives us more, our customers will pay less; when it’s in season, we seize it; we give a fair go to those who grow, and for that wonderful range of bumpy veg (imperfect picks), we bump down the price. This has always been our commitment, it’s not new, but it is important we educate people, because the providence of produce matters.”

He said transparency in 2022 was important.

“In an increasingly hyper-sensitive price-driven economy, we want to show the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind our products and their pricing, and to encourage customers to embrace value, with values.

“There’s a difference between buying an avocado from Harris Farm Markets and buying one anywhere else. It’s the same difference in buying eggs… The difference is that Harris Farm Markets maintains a very real commitment to the farmers and producers behind our shelves of fruit and veg, and a promise that low costs aren’t provided at all cost, because ultimately that cost will be to the farmer.” 

He continued: “Why are sweet delight tomatoes great value this month? Because there’s a bumper crop. Why are these carrot cheaper than usual? Because there’s loads with delicious bumpy bits but they are just as perfect on the inside. Why is our fresh guacamole affordable and delicious? Because we bumped out the middleman and make it ourselves with a tonne of love and the best avos in the country (from Toowoomba BTW),” he said.

“Treating farmers fairly is a no-brainer for us. Our suppliers aren’t strangers – they’re our partners. We expect a lot from them, so a fair go is the least we owe.”

“We know what it takes to grow a great crop, raise a happy herd or develop a new product that reduces waste. It’s these relationships that make it possible for us bring you the best that nature has to offer at a price that’s fair for all. That’s value with values.”

“For example, to the farmers whose crops we buy in full, we are unique in that we offer a ‘total crop solution’. Rather than buying just the largest or prettiest produce, we buy the lot – every piece of fruit off the tree, or veg in the ground as we do with avocados from Toowoomba Balmoral Orchards,

“This way our farmers don’t get stuck with half a harvest that they can’t sell. Yes, it makes it harder for us to manage but it’s the right thing to do, by farmers and by the environment.”

He said their focus on animal welfare and ethical farming practices had not waned, in fact was increasing.

“Harris Farm Markets has not sold a cage chicken egg in the last five years – something we are very proud of and happy to celebrate – and we love working with farms like the family-run Pirovic Farm on the NSW Central Coast, our supplier since 1982!!

Harris Farm Markets continues to shine the light on Imperfect Picks.

“Imperfect Picks is Harris Farm Markets’ seasonal range of fruit and vegetables that might not look perfect from the outside but are as full of flavour as ever on the inside,” said Harris. “Our Imperfect Picks program helps reduce the astonishing statistics that *25 per cent of Australian crops currently never leave the farm gate because they are a bit, well, unattractive, and do not meet the visual specifications of some supermarkets and consumers.”

“It means that every time you buy an Imperfect Pick, you are helping us take more from our farmers, you are helping reduce food wastage, and importantly, you are saving up to 50 per cent!”

“In the past six years we have saved more than 28 million kilograms of fruit and vegetables from going to landfill as a result of our Imperfect Picks range. This equates to approximately 100,000kg of perfectly good fruit and vegies per week. At each store and at our online shop, we have doubled the Imperfect Picks range which gives Aussie shoppers a wider variety of products to select from and makes a huge impact in preventing food waste.”

He said he was immensely proud of the community work done, especially over the past few months.

It’s been a tough time; the pandemic was devastating and then floods wiped out whole areas our customers and farmers call home.

“Because we can, we did. During the pandemic we were giving away 1,000 boxes of fruit & veg a day to vulnerable people who couldn’t’ come to our shops. This year’s inflationary pressures has seen us continue to donate pallets of fresh vegies every week to Ignite store in western Sydney, and pallets of vegies to Ukrainian refugees.”

“During the floods in the Northern Rivers we donated truck loads of vegies to the people of Mullumbimby and Lismore and delivered fresh fruit to Brisbane’s flood army. Being a business doesn’t stop us being human. This is what Value with Values is all about.”

WHAT’S IN SEASON THIS WEEK: 

• Berries are in-season! Blueberry and strawberry crops from northern NSW and Queensland are increasing and prices are starting to ease.
• Queensland strawberries are fully flavoured and the weather remains.
• All citrus is well supplied, as are apples and pears.
• Navels are now at their best and keeping well.
• There is an excellent line of Kanzis Applies in store this week.
• Vegies are the real winner as earlier flood impacted crops are now starting to flush, especially in the Sydney Basin. Tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, imperfect eggplant, midi cos lettuce and broccoli are all stand outs.

As we near the end of another year filled with ups and downs, Aussies are gearing up to spread a little joy by splurging on loved ones during the holidays, and they’re choosing the most eco-friendly options available. With the growing awareness around the environmental impact of silly season waste, many are thinking of new ways to minimise their footprint and still enjoy the holidays without compromising all the trimmings.

Dubbed “The Most Wasteful Time of Year”, we collectively produce 30% more waste at Christmas time than any other time of year, with nearly 5 million tonnes of food sent to landfill. We use in excess of 150,000km of wrapping paper alone, enough to go around the earth nearly four times. The main offenders at Christmas are packaging, presents and food waste, with single-use plastics taking the crown for having one of the most significant impacts on land and water pollution. 

Australia’s culture of excess during Christmas has a well-documented effect on the environment; as waste materials left over from the holiday season breaks down in landfill, methane is released into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming. 

Last year Australians spent a staggering $574 million on 18.7 million unwanted gifts, sending an avalanche of plastic packaging and rejected items straight to landfill. Despite the dampening effects of inflation and cost of living concerns, the ecommerce boom shows no sign of slowing down in the lead up to the silly season. As Christmas 2022 approaches, consumers are still keen to shop online, but are more wary of the effect their consumption has on the environment. 

I’m horrified by the excess plastic packaging generated by online shopping, especially around the holiday season. Confronted by the vast amount of plastic during this time, I encourage retailers to make the simple swap to packaging materials that are designed to decompose completely, to dramatically reduce the amount of plastic going into landfill.

Consumers are likewise calling on businesses to take action, with research from Deloitte showing that they expect companies to show leadership on the issues of climate change and environment. In terms of voting with their dollar 90% of Aussie consumers show a marked preference for ethical and sustainable products over their conventional counterparts. And for Christmas a quarter of respondents surveyed by ING said they would like to receive “socially conscious or eco-friendly” Christmas presents this year, with the eco-conscious preference extending to packaging too.

More and more customers are demonstrating their commitment to the plastic-free movement by purchasing from retailers that opt for zero-waste packaging, like fashion label Cue, online retailer Beginning Boutique and cosmetics company Lush, to name a few. Meanwhile retailers that aren’t environmentally friendly are being dumped by consumers in droves. Don’t let packaging be an afterthought this year.

Grant Thornton has released its 2022 Manufacturing Benchmarking Report providing a unique view of the Australian manufacturing industry. Now in its seventh year, the Manufacturing Benchmarking Report helps mid-sized manufacturers track their performance against industry benchmarks across a number of data points – including sales trends, gross margins, workforce costs, inventory lockup, and capex – and highlights potential avenues for improvement.

The Manufacturing sector has been critical to national resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. Manufacturing makes many contributions to everyday life and Australia’s economy by encouraging commercialisation and R&D, creating efficiencies, generating export activity, and drove the production of crucial personal protective equipment and medical equipment throughout the pandemic.

The impact of the initial COVID-19 outbreak is clearly revealed in the 2022 Manufacturing Benchmarking Report’s sales numbers with a sharp decline in sales growth from 7.6 per cent in 2019 to just 1.79 per cent in 2020. In 2022, the manufacturing industry experienced overall sales growth of 4.6 per cent demonstrating that while the growth rate is trending upward, it continues to be impacted by global supply chain challenges. In another good outcome for the manufacturing the industry in 2022 average debtor days were at 47, significantly below their pre-COVID levels where the industry average in 2019 was 62 days.

As the current economy is experiencing high inflation, sales growth for 2022/2023 will likely increase significantly. However, the high inflationary environment will pose many challenges for the year ahead for all businesses, including the manufacturing sector. The headline anticipated inflation number for the December 2022 quarter is 7 per cent, but there are many actual cost increases businesses are also facing now that far exceed the cost of inflation. Supply chain issues have seen the cost of raw materials increase significantly, and both freight and energy costs have doubled or more for mid-size manufacturers over the last year.

“While the manufacturing sector has shown strength, it is not immune to major challenges – including skill and labour shortages, supply chain gaps and finding its place in a highly competitive global marketplace. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel with major investment into the sector as a result of a strong push by Government for manufacturers to scale up, establish Australia as a manufacturing nation, and position itself as a strategic partner in global supply chains. This includes the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, Patent Box, the R&D Tax incentive, multiple state-run initiatives, enterprises to modernise and improve Australia’s trade system and support Australian exporters. Many of these initiatives are specifically targeted at mid-sized manufacturers and play a key role in bringing these ambitions to scale up domestic capabilities to life,” said Michael Climpson Partner & National Head of Manufacturing at Grant Thornton.

The 2022 Manufacturing Benchmarking Report also recorded staff costs as a percentage of sales, which are between 1 and 1.7 percentage powers lower in 2022 compared to the previous year across all market segments. A shortage of workers and unavailability due to illness has meant that businesses have not been able to grow their workforce at the same rate as revenues. In addition, many manufacturers have been hesitant to add to the cost base of their business due to prevailing uncertainty in the market. Wage increases as a result of rising inflation, coupled with returning workforce capacity mean that manufacturing businesses will need to closely monitor workforce efficiency to manage staff costs.

Business travel’s premier event of the year will make a triumphant in-person return as Flight Centre Corporate opens registrations for Illuminate 2022, staged at Alexandria’s The Venue in Sydney on Thursday 20 October, with a ‘Focus Forward – Bigger, Better, Stronger’ theme.

Hosted as a hybrid event by corporate brands FCM, Corporate Traveller, Flight Centre Business Travel, Stage and Screen, and FCM Meetings and Events, Illuminate 2022 will feature relevant commentary and data from an amazing line-up of thought leaders and will provide critical insights to support business plans for future growth, success, and strategic travel management.

Gracing the stage will be the likes of HSBC Chief Economist – Australia, New Zealand, and Global Commodities Paul Bloxham, Virgin Australia CEO and Managing Director Jayne Hrdlicka, REX Airlines Deputy Chairman John Sharp, Ernst & Young – EY Partner, Climate Change and Sustainability Services Adam Carrel, and Sir David Attenborough’s right-hand-man Dr Chadden Hunter, to name a few.

They will be joined by Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) CEO and Managing Director Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner, Flight Centre Corporate Managing Director ANZ Melissa Elf, Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley, and FCTG’s Global Sustainability Officer Michelle Degenhardt.

“We are delighted to bring Illuminate back in an in-person environment – it continues to be a truly stand-out event for the corporate travel industry across the country,” Ms Elf said.

“Last year’s event was such an incredible success virtually that we wanted to retain that aspect of it, but we also want to practice what we preach by showcasing the importance of meetings and events in the business world

“The corporate travel industry is back in business. It is speeding ahead with every intention of helping companies of all sizes, across all sectors travel more safely, sustainably, and efficiently.

“Our sterling line-up of top industry leaders and inspiring speakers will focus forward on how we can return bigger, better, and stronger, including exploring the path forward for businesses, the industry post-pandemic, and how we can do this together sustainably.

“I encourage all businesses that travel to attend the event to equip themselves with the knowledge and tools needed to help them in the next post-pandemic phase. Innovation is at the very heart of what we provide for clients and customers and the hybrid event will also showcase that.”

Illuminate 2022 is a hybrid event. Guests are invited to register to attend the in-person event on Thursday 20 October, at The Venue, Alexandria, or register for the virtual experience.

New product features help small businesses and advisors predict future payments and spend less time in the back office

Xero, the global small business platform, today announced at Xerocon Sydney — its feature event for cloud accounting leaders from across the Asia Pacific — a suite of new features designed to help small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers plan for the future and manage compliance.

The features unveiled include some of Xero’s most innovative technology, including expanded artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to help customers avoid a cash flow crunch, and insightful tools in Xero payroll to help simplify compliance.

Predict future payments with Analytics Plus

Xero has recently updated its cash flow forecasting tool to provide bulk management of planned and expected payment dates for overdue invoices and bills, further simplifying the process of forecasting cash flow.

Following this, a pilot for powerful new features in Analytics Plus, its popular suite of planning and forecasting tools, will help small businesses and advisors understand their business’ health and plan for the future with confidence.

“Every small business owner would love a crystal ball to predict the future. By leveraging AI, we’re able to provide small businesses deeper insights with a 90 day window into the future that is unique to them,” said Anna Curzon, Chief Product Officer at Xero. “These exciting changes will help small business owners and their advisors understand their future obligations, without having to do the manual lifting.”

For Australian small businesses, Analytics Plus will include upcoming BAS or PAYG payments so business owners aren’t caught out in their cash flow planning. Additionally, Analytics Plus will soon include the ability to predict likely upcoming payments for bills and invoices, such as payroll or partner bills, over the next 90 days, giving customers a holistic picture of their future cash flow. This will provide an opportunity to see the impact of changing regular habits or spending, and adjust accordingly to best benefit the business or practice.

The new features, which will roll out in early access to select Xero customers, will help to complete the cash flow picture for small businesses and their advisors.

Simplifying payroll compliance

Xero recently introduced a simpler way for employees to track their start, end, and unpaid break times in the Xero Me app, helping to support more accurate payroll data and record-keeping obligations. Xero Me is included with every Xero Payroll subscription and is designed to make managing people processes easier for small businesses, allowing employees to access payslips, submit and manage timesheets, leave requests and expense claims – all in one place. By reducing manual processes through self-service in the Xero Me app, payroll administrators can spend less time on manual processes and chasing employees for missing information.

Also showcased at Xerocon Sydney for Xero payroll customers in Australia was Payroll history – a comprehensive, accurate, and trustworthy audit trail of updates made to employee details. Allowing all payroll administrators the ability to identify, audit, and reconcile their payroll quickly and accurately.

“Navigating compliance in an evolving regulatory world can be difficult for small businesses, which is why we’re committed to providing tools that help simplify this critical aspect of managing a workforce. By offering simple tools that provide businesses with enhanced visibility and more accurate payroll data, advisors can spend less time chasing their clients to validate this, and more time on higher value work,” added Anna Curzon, Chief Product Officer at Xero.

Delegates from Australia, New Zealand, and Asia are gathered at Xerocon Sydney at the ICC from 7-8 September to hear the latest from industry leaders and gain expert insight into the newest Xero tools and features to help save time, grow their business and have a greater impact on their clients’ success.

Improved practice management tools

Xero has redesigned the Job Manager in Xero Practice Manager to help accountants and bookkeepers more easily see, find, and track client jobs, their status, and due date – all in one place. The new Job Manager will help advisors monitor progress, assign and prioritise client jobs, and see where budgets may be exceeded, enabling them to manage client jobs and workflow efficiently from end to end.

The redesigned Job Manager has already been released in early access to a small number of accounting and bookkeeping partners. It will be available to all Australian Xero partners later this year. Accountants and bookkeepers can sign up to Xero’s Insider’s Program to find out more and get early access.

Xero unveils its suite of managing employees tools and announces first Australian beta from Planday acquisition

Managing a workforce in today’s ever changing regulatory environment is taking its toll on small business employers in Australia, with almost half (48%) stating managing employees processes is negatively impacting their mental health, according to a new report from Xhttps://www.xero.com/au/ero , the global small 1 business platform.

The study showed many small businesses are struggling to stay on top of regulation or award requirements around employee entitlements and payments, with more than half (56%) agreeing it’s stressful or confusing and 37 percent worrying their staff will be paid incorrectly due to confusing payroll obligations. In Australia, the payroll regulatory landscape is ever-changing, with Single Touch Payroll being a prime example.

The new findings in the Changing world of work report from Xero, shine a light on the workforce challenges faced by Australian small business employers, the workplace experiences of employees, and the critical role of technology in this new world of work.

The Australian report was released at Xerocon Sydney, where Xero unveiled its suite of employee management tools, including the first Australian beta trial from its acquired workforce management platform, Planday.

Technology to help managing employees

According to the report, payroll compliance is driving software adoption, with more than half (51%) of employers reporting that software helps them with managing compliance. As a result, a third (38%) said software has helped to reduce their stress levels, with more than half (56%) agreeing technology that can help forecast payroll costs would make them less stressed about their workforce.

In addition to a changing regulatory environment, almost a third (29%) of employers said accurately tracking employee time and attendance was a top driver of technology adoption. Over the past 12 months, more than half (54%) of employers found that staff didn’t have ideal rostering.

After retaining staff, the second most common concern for employers when managing staff is that they aren’t as productive as they could be. The average employer said it takes staff up to four months to get up to speed and reach full productivity, with employers in hospitality saying it takes up to five months. Conversely, two in four (42%) employees say poor communication hampers productivity.

Anna Curzon, Chief Product Officer at Xero, said: “Payroll compliance continues to be a major challenge for employing businesses, with more than half of Australian small business owners finding the ever-changing regulatory environment stressful and confusing. We strive to make it easier for employers to manage their employees, and to empower employees with self-service functionality. Our connected product suite gives employers critical tech tools to create an empowering and positive experience for employees and to help them attract and retain talent in an increasingly competitive environment.”

Planday beta unveiled as next step towards payroll integration

To help make essential employee-related processes more seamless for small businesses and their people, Xero is building an integration with its Xero Australian Payroll product and Planday.

The beta, announced today, marks an important stage of Planday’s entry into Australia where it will enhance Xero’s broader set of employee management tools including Xero Payroll, Xero Expenses and Xero Me (a simple self-service app for employees timesheet, leave and expense management). Xero Payroll plus Planday empowers small businesses with accurate employee time and attendance data and seamless scheduling, to help support payroll compliance and rostering, while also enhancing the employee experience through a range of intuitive people management tools.

The Planday beta is available now for eligible small businesses using the Retail and Clerks Awards in Australia. Customers can register their interest to learn more about Planday here.

“Our research shows poor communication, slow organisational processes and outdated technology is causing headaches for many small business employees and their employees,” added Curzon. “This isn’t surprising when a third tell us they still use spreadsheets to manage employee leave, time and attendance. We are committed to making employment management easier and will continue to evolve our offering for employers, accountants and bookkeepers and employees”

Navigating high salary expectations in a high inflationary environment

Additionally, the pandemic and its associated long border closures have also taken their toll on small business, with three in five (58%) employers believing that managing business disruptions caused by COVID-19 is still one of their top challenges. Additionally, the impact of inflation on costs and services is one of the biggest concerns for 48 percent of employers, with Australia’s inflation rate hitting a 21 year high of 6.1 percent in the June quarter this year.

Inflation is compounding the issue of labour shortages which are being felt widely. Thirty-four percent of employers are seeing talent shortages as their biggest challenge in securing and retaining talent. To secure and retain talent, employers are also expecting to pay top dollar, with 39 percent citing a rise in staffing costs and a rise in salary expectations (31%) as one of their top challenges over the next 12 months.

When looking for a new role, compensation is the main incentive for employees, with three quarters of employees ranking pay and bonuses in their top three important factors.

“Employees are prepared to walk if employers don’t match their expectations for better pay, with one in five leaving their last employer due to low pay,” said Joseph Lyons, Managing Director, APAC, at Xero. “With almost a third of employees planning to look for new opportunities over the next 12 months, employers will be under pressure to retain staff, amid ongoing labour shortages and rising costs.”

The report was launched at Xerocon Sydney, one of the world’s premier events for cloud accounting leaders. Accounting and bookkeeping partners and the Xero app community are gathering over two days at Sydney’s ICC to hear the latest from industry leaders, gain expert insight into the newest Xero tools and features to save time, grow their business and drive their clients’ success.

Xero, the global small business platform, today released Crunch: Cash flow challenges facing small businesses, Part II, a Xero Small Business Insights special report which identifies late payments, rising expenses, and seasonal slowdowns as causes of cash flow ‘crunches’.

Prepared by Accenture with the support of Xero, the report analyses comprehensive inflow and outflow data from over 200,000 businesses across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to understand ‘cash flow red flags’ – the early warning indicators that a small business is heading for cash flow trouble.

It found that 48 percent of invoices issued by Aussie small businesses in 2021 were paid late, with 10 percent paid more than a month after they were due. On average, small businesses in Australia are paid 6.4 days late, costing small businesses $1.1 billion per year due to payment delays.

“Late payments create a flow-on effect for small businesses, creating unnecessary accounting complications and threatening owners’ ability to meet their own obligations – such as rent or wages – in time,” said Rachael Powell, Chief Customer Officer, Xero. “While increases in expense costs and seasonal fluctuations in demand are often beyond our control, small businesses and national economies alike can send a clear message that late payments aren’t acceptable, and come together to develop policies and penalties for those who refuse to take the hint.”

In its analysis of Australian small businesses, the report found that:

• Those that received the majority (60-80%) of their payments late experienced 17% more cash flow crunches (where cash outflows exceed inflows) compared with small businesses that were generally paid on time.
• While utilities costs remained relatively stable in 2021, Aussie small businesses have faced sharp increases in rental costs and payroll expenses, which rose 9 percent year-on-year (y/y) and 13 percent y/y respectively in the last quarter of 2021.
• The average Australian small business tends to experience a revenue speed bump in January and February, receiving nearly 20 percent less revenue in each of these months than the other 10 months of the year.

Joseph Lyons, Managing Director, APAC, Xero, said: “Aussie small businesses are facing rising expenses – amid a sharp uptick in rent, energy, fuel and payroll costs that started last year.” “These pressures are unlikely to subside anytime soon, making cash flow stress one of the big issues for small businesses in the coming months. In this climate, it’s more important than ever that we take serious action in cracking down on avoidable late payments and equipping small businesses to build cash reserves for those leaner months.”

Late payments, rising expenses and seasonal slow downs a global issue

Crunch: Cash flow challenges facing small businesses, Part II follows on from Part I, which was aunched in July. The three cash flow red flags identified – late payments, rising expenses and seasonal slowdowns – put ongoing pressure on small businesses in each of the three countries analysed (Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom). Reducing late payments to affect less than 20 percent of invoices could reduce negative cash flow months by up to 17 percent for some businesses.

To minimise and counteract cash flow red flags, the report makes several recommendations, including that small businesses consider adopting online invoice payment options for faster payment; or work with their accountant or bookkeeper to stay on top of government programs that offer payment plans to assist relief for rising costs of small business to smooth out expenses.

“If small businesses and their accounting partners and governments can actively look out for these red flags in their financial data, they’ll find it easier to work together on ways to anticipate cash flow crunches and avoid them with better planning and more timely action,” said Powell.

The report, including the insights and analysis contained within it, was prepared using Xero Small Business Insights data, publicly available data and Accenture estimates for the purpose of informing and developing policies to support small businesses.

The report and its findings was released during Xerocon Sydney, one of the world’s premier events for cloud accounting leaders, where delegates from Xero’s Australia, New Zealand and Asia accounting and bookkeeping and Xero app partner community have gathered at Sydney’s ICC to hear the latest from industry leaders and updates from Xero.

Younger workers are more reluctant than their older colleagues to return to the workplace full-time as employers seek to encourage staff back into the office, the ADP® Research Institute’s People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View reveals.

In Australia, more than half (54%) of 18-24 year olds and nearly two thirds (65%) of 25-34 year olds surveyed would consider looking for another job if their employer insisted on a full-time return to the workplace. This is compared to 46% of the 45-54 age bracket and only 27% of the 55 and over demographic. 

The data suggests that extended COVID lockdowns have heralded a shift in worker habits that is unlikely to be reversed in the long term. Younger employees, according to the report, have vastly shifted expectations and hopes for the workplace of the future, including a greater expectation of flexibility. Travel time and surging travel costs are also acting as further detractors to full-time office work. 

Kylie Baullo, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, ADP, comments: “After experiencing extended lockdowns in many states, remote and flexible working has become an expectation for many Australians. Returning to in-person work full time is a daunting proposition for workers, particularly the younger generations, and companies should consider their future workplace arrangements.”

“Whilst remote work was a necessity during peak COVID waves, businesses must now be more purposeful and conscious of the evolving needs of workers and employers as they navigate future working arrangements – whether that includes a return to office or remote arrangements.      Businesses should consider not only where employees prefer to work, but also how they work most effectively. Engaging and supporting people leaders to align how work is done with where work is done.”     

“This data calls out a strong employee voice. As businesses review how and where work will be done in the future, it is vital to collaborate with their employees. Face-to-face sessions between leaders and employees are helpful to ensure the different needs of generations and other individual scenarios are considered and planned for.”

“Although returning to the workplace presents social and career benefits for young people, this research shows that the majority of workers of this age are opposed to a full time return. Resistance is especially strong in the slightly older 25-34 and 35-44 year old cohorts, who are more likely to have had a taste of office work before the COVID-19 pandemic, and are better able to compare in-office and work-from-home arrangements. With this insight, these cohorts are telling us they are looking for a combination of the ability to work remotely whilst having team days and cross-functional collaboration, and development opportunities in the office.

“To ensure career opportunities are not missed, businesses will need to consider how to entice staff to work in-person, as well as provide a balanced workplace by also meeting the needs and wants of staff through flexible options.”

“The physical office space is more than ever becoming a consideration.  Where people are looking for a workspace that enables and facilitates collaboration and quiet space, a seamless transition between office and remote.”

For more information on ADP’s payroll and HR software solutions, go to au.adp.com.

Tradies to spend big on technology while focusing on combatting mental health challenges

• 60% of construction industry leaders are concerned about their health and wellbeing
• 41% of those concerned named a lack of work-life balance as a primary contributing factor
• More than 80% of construction firms are planning to spend on advanced technology over the next five years

Today, Optus Enterprise and Business has released new research that shows how the construction industry is turning to new technology and is updating business practices to address mental health challenges that are plaguing the industry.

The Optus Business Construction Industry Pulse 2022 report, conducted by ACA Research, found 45% of construction business owners say their employees had issues with mental health and wellbeing during the first two years of the pandemic.

60% of those business decision makers said they were concerned about their own health and wellbeing, with 41% citing a lack of work-life balance as the culprit.

David Coventry, VP Business and Enterprise Customers at Optus, said, “Work-life balance became a real focus for many Australians during the pandemic and we’ve seen priorities change in response to lockdowns and other COVID-19 measures had on our mental health.

“The Optus Business Construction Industry Pulse 2022 reported that 35% of businesses are expecting an increase in their investment in technology over the next 12 months. This is heartening to see considering the positive impact technology can have on helping business leaders get more hours back in their day.”

More than 40% of business owners and decision makers surveyed said they were adapting work practices to ensure they minimise mental health and wellbeing issues, but a concerning 24% said they were doing nothing to manage mental health and wellbeing.

Construction firms of all sizes are planning to spend money on fairly advanced technology over the next five years, whether that’s 3D printing, drones, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, augmented and virtual reality or AI-based applications.

For 60% of the businesses serviced, technology is key to achieving their goals and strategies as a business. Technology has a large role to play also in managing finances, efficiency, suppliers and compliance, helping business owners and workers get more hours back in their day.

Chris Lockwood, National CEO of MATES in Construction, said “MATES, a charity, was created by the Construction Industry to address the problem of suicide in our industry, with workers lost to suicide at six times the rate of workplace accidents and our young workers at even higher risk. The MATES program addresses this through evidence-based workshops and 24/7 helpline support to workers and their families: because every life saved is someone’s son, daughter, husband or father.

“Together, we’ve reduced suicide rates by 8% since the inception of MATES in 2008 and we were recognised in 2021 by World Health Organisation as Global Best Practise in Suicide Prevention.

“The Optus Business Construction Industry Pulse 2022 report highlights the mental health challenges facing workers in the construction industry. Industry working together helps to build awareness that suicide is not an individual problem, it’s bigger than that, we all have a responsibility to look out for each other on site.”

Other top outcomes achieved through technology included better engagement with employees (33%), better engagement with customers (32%) and increased revenue (30%).

For the full FY23 Optus Enterprise and Business Construction Industry Pulse, click here.