Shaun McCarthy, Human Synergistics Australia

Are you riding the engagement wave? The theory is that an organisation with 'high' employee engagement might outperform those with 'low' employee engagement, all else being equal (Wikipedia). But engagement levels are really just one small piece of the puzzle, what is missing is in the detail. Employee engagement is in actual fact one of many outcomes of culture. It is not wrong to look at engagement - an individual level outcome of culture…

Time is money.



It's a statement you've probably heard many times. This is because largely, it is true. Regardless of our age or how much money we have or anything else superficial, we all have access to exactly the same amount of time each day, each week and each month as every other person.



One of the most common reasons/justifications/excuses I hear from recruiters as to why they don't consistently tackle important activities (eg prospect calling, staying in touch…

If you were to ask me “Ben, what's one of the most paramount things you have ever learnt?” I would say “to cultivate the art of mindfulness and practicing being present as a way of living”. Mindfulness, I believe, is no longer an ancient eastern idea derived from Buddhist anapanasati but rather something critical to every human being and often…

A few weeks ago I wrote about what hiring managers really think about recruiters, but how would those views change if they were removed from the recruitment process entirely?

One company trialling such a scheme is Flight Centre, which recently slashed its time-to-fill metric after removing hiring managers from volume recruitment.

Our recruitment news publication…

Shaun McCarthy, Human Synergistics Australia



We are very excited to announce the release of our new book Why Culture & Leadership Matter, Proving the People-Performance Connection. In this book I take us more deeply into the specific changes in Individual Thinking, Behaviours, Strategies, Approaches and Organisational Practices that our diagnostic tools help facilitate every day. Most importantly, we have quantified the relationship between changes in thinking,…

Learning, the concept that has been in existence and set in motion ever since the moment of Creation, is the essence and vigour of fruitful and meaningful existence. This can be conveniently carried forward to reflect an Organisation. An organisation is no exception whatsoever to the need and requirement of Continual Learning. Hence this concept is, must be, will be omnipresent in every organisation that is, want to be, can be one that is growing, fruitfully so.



This extension of…

Employment and Industrial Relations Specialist, HR Business Direction

It’s Safe Work Month and I’m proud to be part of the generation which recognised the importance of safety at work to both employer and…

For any industry to survive it needs to be continually improving. Certainly this is true in the gardening world, where new plant varieties are introduced every year along with advances in fertiliser and gadgets to help gardeners make their job easier. Without this focus on innovation the industry would be in serious trouble.

A study by DDI and the Conference Board quoted in this …

Corinne Canter, Senior Consultant Human Synergistics Australia



I recently had an Aha! around a distinction between the Constructive style, Achievement and the more Aggressive styles of Perfectionistic and Competitive. I am making a distinction from the other two Aggressive styles of Oppositional and Power because both Perfectionistic and Competitive, although Aggressive styles, sit either entirely or partially in the satisfaction part of the Circumplex. This is…

Not everyone who graduates from college is ready to start a successful career. Your classes may provide you with useful theoretical knowledge, but you also need to work on developing practical skills…

My mentee (who is a HR operative) asked me about seeking a one-on-one with her boss. He has an aversion to such meetings which is a great surprise to me as they should occur frequently and naturally with both parties being entirely comfortable with them for reason of their value.

She was brave enough to do the initiating - a good start. I said to her that given some ambivalence from the boss he was likely to not really value the meeting and to not prepare for it. I reflected upon my…

Driving an HR analytics program with limited resources can be a difficult task, especially for large organisations with thousands of employees.

Ahead of Workforce Metrics and Analytics 2014, I caught up with Michael Gillett, Manager – Workforce Metrics & Analytics at Australia Post, to discuss how his team is using data to support both workforce and business…

Do you have a project or idea on the horizon but are waiting for that spark of motivation to ignite?

Maybe you have a goal sitting in the pipeline and it seems monstrous, overwhelming or quite complex and from the outset you fidget, delay or ignore it…

Procrastination in the pursuit of motivation towards our goals, ideas and ambitions…

I often get asked the question: "What makes an expat relocation successful?" or "How can people to settle into their new home quickly?"

Part of the answer is quite simple -- regardless of where you're moving to or from. The secret is mostly in the planning and preparation -- getting organized. Thorough research is crucial. More importantly, though, is knowing what to expect: Get your bearings, speak to people who have had the experience, make an effort to understand the culture. Too…

The recent RCSA International Conference held in Queenstown had a variety of industry speakers and one of the most interesting was Barry Asin, the President of Staffing Industry Analysts who, as the name suggests, compile data and undertake research on the staffing (recruitment) industry on a global basis. 

In this blog,…

It is Safe Work Month this month and as part of showing our support in encouraging people to get involved in and concentrate on safety to reduce death, injury and disease.  I thought I would continue with the Health & Safety theme and write about – A different approach to safety.

I have recently written about the fact that there is so much more to compliance and just last week about not being rewarded (by regulatory bodies) –…

Do you ever have those conversations with people and you feel like you just can't get through to them? Maybe you have consistently under performing employees, despite persistent encouragement… Teams that cooperate but don't collaborate…

What is important to understand here is the crucial factor of rapport. Whether…

All businesses face challenges using the 457 visa programme including implementation, compliance, and keeping up with the frequent legal changes. One major challenge for large organisations and corporate groups is how to deal with the corporate structure.

Organisations composed of multiple…