NFP People Conference Melbourne 2013

Introduction

Passionate people are the fabric of what makes the third sector work and that attracting, training and retaining extraordinary staff and volunteers is more important that ever for NFP (Not For Profit) organisations (Michael Cebon, General Manager and Founder Ethical Jobs).

Snapshot

The conference took place in Melbourne on 27-28 August 2013 with over 30 great speakers from across Australia and beyond presenting to over 200 attendees.

The conference presented the latest trends and forecasts to assist HR managers in making more informed and effective HR decisions.  General topics covered:

• Best practice recruitment
• Leadership & training – prepare staff to take on future leadership roles and access essential training;
• Managing people well – inspire your team to perform and deal with challenges in the workplace
• Health & wellbeing – implement workplace health and wellbeing strategies
• HR’s place in organisational strategy – ideas to improve your organisation’s culture to help keep staff for longer.

Setting the Scene

The Health and Community Services Workforce is predicted to grow by up to 77% over the next 12 years to 2025, according to a new report from the government funded Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council.  But that growth will bring “dire, unprecedented workforce challenges” without urgent action.  The Australian community and health workforce currently accounts for 12% of the country’s entire workforce and employs over 1.35 million workforce throughout Australia.

With Australia’s ageing population, there will be a related increased demand and expectation for demand services;  and recent federal government reforms to promote consumer-directed funding, will drive a marked increase in the demand for care services.  Care services including aged care, mental health, children’s services, disability care and indigenous services will face significant challenges that will not be met if the industry is unable to respond to the changing industry.

Inspirational Conference Speakers – Making an Extra Difference

(Dr) Bob Brown – it is amazing what Bob Brown has achieved in the NFP sector and is a true leader with much to share through his stories.

(Dr) Lois Frankel – an aspiring leader helping women  succeed in work and life.

Chris Kotour – inspirational, challenging speaker and leader in residence from Leadership Victoria. Chris shared her valuable experience and futurist argument of the NFP playing field.

Nick Moraitis – six ways to improve your organisation’s marketing to attract prospective employees. A goldmine full of information.

Kon Karapanagiotidis – no words to describe the achievements of Kon at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre – it is amazing with over 900 volunteers and counting.

Key Takeaways and Trends

My 3 Top Conference Take-aways:

• The urgent action required by CEO’s/Boards/HR Managers to engage and start implementing succession planning;
• Developing women as leaders as 80% of Australia’s community sector workforce are women; and
• Implementing formal programs to reward and recognise the contribution of volunteers across all generations – Gen Y through to Baby Boomers and Builders.

The Future

This conference has provided the conversation from where the NFP can take direction in meeting the challenges of the future.  Looking forward to next years conference which will build upon the success of the 2103 conference.  Bring it on!

Graphics: Ethical Jobs

About the Author. To fulfil his professional and personal career aspirations, Tony Wiggins created ‘The HR Architect’ brand in 2009.  With a well-grounded focus and passion for HR, he thrives on working across his networks as a thought leader in ‘making a difference’ in the HR arena.

Tony Wiggins is the Founder and UX Editor of Saturday Shoutout!!! and The HR Communique.  Tony utilises the blog ‘The HR Architect’ as a social media network and platform that empowers HR professionals to network, assist and support one another, spanning different countries, subcultures and niches.

Contact Tony at thehrarchitect@optusnet.com.au or @tonywiggin on Twitter.