Saturday, January 23, 2010

Government subsidied training

Anyone looking to complete a course this year should explore the Government funded Productivity Places Program. it is for both job seekers and employees. It does not seem to be means tested. Check out the courses available and the Registered Training Organisations in your area. Courses can be done either online or face-to-face or both. It is extremely flexible to suit parents! I recently signed up to complete a training course. The course would have normally cost me $3,500. Instead it is costing me $400 through the Productivity Places Program.

Look at the following website: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/ProductivityPlaces/Pages/default.aspx

Monday, January 11, 2010

Turn every job interview into a positive experience

Getting a job interview after being out of work for a while can be exciting and frightening at the same time! If you are feeling nervous, start focusing on some simple tasks that will prepare you for the interview. Google the employer and prepare some questions for them about their business activities. Read the job description again – be clear on how your skills match the requirements of the role. Always talk positively about yourself. Try talking about yourself in the mirror and see how many nice things you can say about yourself. Get a new outfit. Looking good and feeling good about yourself go hand in hand.

Above all, make sure you interview the prospective employer about their flexible workplace policies, career advancement opportunities, and how they measure and compensate performance. After all, the job interview is just as much about whether you want to work for them. If the interview is unsuccessful, ask for feedback, and move onto the next challenge. You may receive some useful tips for the next interview.

Monday, January 4, 2010

New parental leave ruling: A game plan for employers

As of 1 January 2010 parents are now entitled to up to 24 months of unpaid parental leave as part of the National Employment Standards. Parents also have the right to request flexibility if they have a child under school age. This is a positive outcome for working parents. Children are the future of this country so it is important that they are loved, nurtured and cared for. It can only create a better society.

Business groups and employers are reacting nervously. What businesses need to understand is that most women return to work within 9 months of giving birth to their child. Some parents may opt to take the extra 12 months, but if the employer offered flexible work arrangements, there is a high chance that the parent would return to work much sooner.

For a business to succeed, you need human resources and productivity. If you know the following, you can become more confident in the recent employment changes for parents:

- Flexible work arrangements is by far the bigger carrot than up to 24 month of parental leave because income is the #1 reason for parents returning to work.
- If you offer flexible work practices, most of the time you will be paid back with loyalty, productivity, and a much happier workplace.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Sharing parental duties - Change the story in 2010

How does your partner rate when it comes to sharing parental responsibilities? If there is inequity in your relationship, start a new years rsolution to change the story.

In over 65 per cent of Australian households, both parents work. Sharing the responsibility of raising children is critical to achieving a satisfying work and family balance. Both parents are responsible for children they bring into the world. If one parent in a two working parent household is solely responsible for child rearing, pick-up and drop-off, cleaning, and preparing meals, in addition to maintaining their career and supporting their family financially, it can create an unsatisfactory, unbalanced home environment.

A good starting point is to write down all the chores and domestic duties that need to be performed throughout the week. Make sure you include the drop-off and pick-up times for the kids at child care or school.

Talk to your partner about how you can divide these responsibilities. If necessary, create a weekly calendar so family members know what their responsibilities are. If the children are old enough, assign chores to them. Other ideas are pre-cooking meals for the week on the weekends, and hiring a cleaner once every two weeks.

Loving and respecting one another’s life challenges and sharing parental responsibilities will create a more happy and harmonious home environment and loving partnership. If this doesn't make sense, seek relationship counselling!

If you are a single parent juggling work and family, you are amazing. If you don’t have a full-time partner to help you, search for networks or associations for single parents in your community. There may be opportunities to assist each other with before and after school care, for example.