The Growth Process

The Growth Process Allows Owner’s to Self-Manage Human Resources, Training & Recruitment.

The importance of the sales and marketing process (Growth) which enables the `buy in’ of training (and implementation of new employment contracts) to the store and its employees. These are the key stages in chronological order:

1. Re-Organising Human Resources within the Store

• Setting up systems and procedures

  • Reporting and tracking on training

  • Rosters

  • Recruitment and performance reviews

• Implementing formal employment arrangements

  • Articulation of the employment arrangement

  • AWA or Certified Agreement

  • Job Description

  • Pay Rates Incentive Scheme

• Establishing store policies and procedures to incorporate into training

• Commitment of store and all employees to training

2. Allowing for all Employees to Undertake a Store Specific Government Funded Retail Skills Training Program which Generates $$ - RTO Training.

3. Self Management of HR and Training by the Store

• Able to recruit, employ and train employees under their own steam

• Will purchase company offered training

  • At this stage will know the level of employee skill capability and gaps

  • Will have a money surplus to commit to further training

The Sales and Marketing Process:

Without a commitment to the sales and marketing process it is very likely that attempts to implement employment contract changes, conduct training, including government funded training, within a store (and training to all eligible employees >12 hours per week) will fail. These are the steps that we undertake to ensure that we get maximum `buy in’ from employees within the store;

1. Head Office Procedure.

# Initially involves an awareness campaign promoted through regional meetings (gathering of owners/managers).

• A  direct mail piece is sent to owners prior to outline the presentation and to get them to bring details of employees with them to the meeting

• The presentation outlines the HR and Training program and encourages employers to undertake a `training needs analysis’ meeting

• Growth visits the stores, in that region, over the next few days

• Gather breakdown of employees by store (employment hours and type), with birth date and start date.

2. Store Needs Analysis Meeting Procedure.

# A training needs analysis meeting is conducted, in store, with the store owner/manager.

• The HR and Training program is outlined to the owner

• A review is then conducted of all employees covered in the `Employee Report’

• We then examine the `state’ of employment contracts, job descriptions and policies & procedures handbook

• A strategy is developed for the implementation of employment contracts.

• The next step briefing session (signing up employees) is outlined and scheduled

• A revenue projection of likely return to the store is discussed (to include cash flow)

• Other training needs (apart from RTO program) are also identified

3. Educate, Inform & Enrol Employees Procedure.

# A briefing session is conducted, in store, to activate all employees into the training program

• The training program is outlined to employees, in small groups, and how it is going to be run

• Growth outlines the benefits for the store and employees

• Growth outlines its role as effectively the `HR and Training department’ for that store.

• The RTO trainer and the NAC representative is there to talk about their roles and to enrol each employee into the program

• After the Briefing Session the contracts are signed by the employer and the training is rostered into monthly sessions (normally same day of month and scheduled for the next 10 months)

4. Implementation Process.

# All the respective suppliers are briefed (trainers, solicitors, account managers, and HR specialists) with action plans developed.

• Implement store specific policies & procedures handbook.

5. Training Process.

# Training program is handed over to RTO

• The RTO reports back to Growth with Training Progress Report at end of each training session and puts it on the internet for the owner to view.

• Enables us to see the progress of each employee by skill

• Enables us to see employees behind on training and provide `catch up’ training.

• Growth tailors training program to make it brand & site’ specific and supplies modules to trainers.

• The RTO also provides Growth with a monthly `Training Planner’, outlining scheduled training for all stores within the brand.

6. Human Resources and Employment Contract Process.

# Growth returns to the store and conducts employee signing of policies and procedures handbook and employment contracts where required.

• Gather employee report by store

• Review Roster

• Evaluate employment mix, current agreements and future of individuals

• Prioritise EC by individual

• Develop roll out strategy by store

• Meeting with store manager to discuss strategy and how to deal with changes to specific individuals conditions/pay

• Develop incentive scheme, which is discussed at general meeting

• General meeting to advise of changes and implementation date - to also sign policies and procedures handbook

• Implementation Interviews - Casuals in a group, F/T & P/T on individual basis and changes/terminations also on individual basis

• Contracts are signed with job description, rate of pay schedule (if appropriate) and incentive scheme (if appropriate). Contracts lodged by Enterprise Initiatives

• Set up individual files for each employee

• Develop new worker employment kit and templates

• Performance review process implemented and dates targeted.

7. Reporting, Management and Measurement.

# Growth is involved with the on-going management of the Training program and other Human Resources requirements.

• Requests employee funding status report from NAC and then provides to owner.

• Works with RTO to ensure that funding is collected on time

• Growth reviews the revenue projection and talks to owner about other training programs

• Addresses other HR requirements such as recruitment, performance reviews, incentive schemes, etc

• Growth prepares the workplace in order for it to self-manage its own HR, Recruitment and Training needs moving forward.

• Reports are sent, on a weekly basis, to head office on the progress at each store.

• Measurements will be made on all elements of Human Resources program.

8. Implementation of Other Training

# Through the process of reporting and measurement Growth is able to identify and implement other tailored training programs.

• Advanced Selling Skills

• Customer Service Skills

• Management Skills

• Tailored short courses

What is the 3 Stage Process to Enabling Self Managed HR and Training?

• Growth – ensures that the base or platform is right in order for training to begin and be effective to all employees. It procures, educates, markets, informs, empowers, fixes, implements, sets benchmarks, budgets, rosters, measures and reports.

• RTO – when trainees have been `properly’ prepared for training it is time for the training to begin. The RTO ensures that the base skills of retail are taught and that employees have a skill level cognizant to that required by the owner. The RTO helps brand, re-inforce, up-skill, further explain and activate learning.

• Company Training – after the RTO has trained and HR systems implemented the owner should be in a position to self manage. This means that the owner will be open to the use of company driven training programs and will have no concerns about undertaking that training.

Why Training and Effective Human Resources?

• Growth provides the outsourced HR service where a small to medium size enterprise (SME) lacks the funds or specialist knowledge needed to attract, retain and develop staff.

• Consumer patterns have changed and businesses need to keep up to date.

• Competition is tougher, therefore business needs to up-skill its people and keep its good employees (not lose them to competitors).

• The business world is a very litigious place these days and you can’t just hope that it won’t happen to you.

• Strong workplace agreements clearly articulate the employment expectation and protect the employer from potential litigious situations.

• An owner needs to be in control of the employee productivity and performance. The employees, and not the employer control most stores.

• Stores will fail if the commitment to its business is not there by the employees.

• If you don’t run the people side of your store as a business then this will be the part that takes you out of business.

Why the Traditional Registered Training Organisation Approach to Government Funded Training Doesn’t Work.

• Not enough employees qualify for funding and typically the owner will only `risk’ the new employees. RTO’s only train funded employees.

• Employees may have had previous bad experience so when they are asked if they want to be trained they say no.

• Employers have no experience in running these programs or training in general.

• Training only works on the back of HR and if all staff are doing it together.

• An RTO is not working on getting the culture right to enable training to occur.

• RTO’s only do the training, they are not able to manage the program for you.

• RTO’s don’t track skill development and will walk away from business once the program is complete (regardless of success or failure).

• RTO’s typically are not good at the `selling in’ process.