This is surely a year in which nothing has come easy.

I think it is a testimony to the resilience of the HR profession and the Australian economy that despite the bumps in the road that we have seen so much continued support for professional recognition.

I am very pleased that we have been able to carry on our sponsorships – which support the recognition of excellence in the HR profession and I am also very pleased that we have been able to grab a sliver of recognition in the recent Human Capital Awards - where we won a silver award.

Wishing you all well, as we work towards the end of the calendar year - let me take this relatively early opportunity to wish you a happy and peaceful holiday season – and a prosperous and safe new year.

Regards,

David Owens
Managing Director

A sincere vote of thanks to all the wonderful people who have put time into giving presentations at this years HR Network Groups. The events have proved very popular and been well attended throughout.

We have 5 HR Network Groups running in 2010 with 3 in Sydney, 1 in Brisbane and 1 in Melbourne, each running events throughout the year. Our recently revamped website www.hrnetworkgroup.com.au will soon carry details of next year’s programs.

Keep tabs on next year’s event schedules by using the “Add This” button on the website toolbar.

HR Partners is pleased to continue recognising excellence in HR Leadership and would like to congratulate Michael Sommerton of Inchcape Australia on his great achievement for winning the HR Partners Award for Best HR Leader 2009.

We also extend our congratulations to all finalists of this Award.

Michael Sommerton
HR Director
Inchcape Australia Limited

“Winner of best HR Leader at this year's HR Leader Awards”

Congratulations on winning the award for best HR Leader at this years HR Leader awards in Melbourne.

Firstly not everyone has heard of Inchcape Australia - can you please tell us a little about the business?

We are the leading provider of automotive services globally with 13000 people operating in nearly 30 countries. In Australia and NZ we import and distribute Subaru, and we also partner with Subaru as well as VW, Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi to retail their products.  In addition, we have a very successful national vehicle and parts logistics company, AutoNexus. Our core purpose is to 'Create the Ultimate Customer Experience for our Brand Partners' and everything we do as a business is geared towards making sure our customers are delighted with the experience they have with us.

In your acceptance speech you thanked your CEO- how important was the CEO to your win and what strategies do you employ to ensure you and the CEO work together successfully?

I have been fortunate to work with a very supportive and people focussed CEO over the past 4 years at Inchcape. As all good Heads of HR would know, it is difficult to achieve the right outcomes unless you have your CEO, as well your fellow executive team, understand and value the HR agenda. There is a significant difference to the way HR operates at Inchcape - that is we do not use passive terms like 'business partner' to describe what we do or who we are. Rather, we are drivers of business success just as much as any operational manager. We can demonstrate a straight line between what we do as HR practitioners and the bottom line performance of the business. This gives us a credible platform to deliver the right business performance.

What qualities do you believe the judges saw in you to enable you to clinch this win?

I'd like to think they recognised the fact that it has been an extremely challenging year in the automotive industry. The industry lost 20% of its business almost overnight and we were faced with having to make some very tough decisions 12 months ago with the onset of the GFC. Having had to make the tough calls on headcount, costs, recruitment and salary freezes, we never lost sight of what would bring us through the crisis - a total commitment to our core strategy of Customer 1st. A great testimony to how well management and HR at Inchcape responded was the significant increase in our Gallup people engagement scores. So despite these challenges our people are more engaged to the business which was a really pleasing outcome.

You have had a great career thus far in the HR Profession - how did you get to the position you are in today?

I have a great passion for making the business work better and I think the HR function is a great platform to achieve this. It is critical for any HR practitioner to understand how the business makes money and the drivers of revenue and cost as this gives credibility. Most important however, is the need for a HR head to really understand the needs of customers and develop and implement a strategy that, in Inchcape's case, is aligned with achieving the ultimate customer experience.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Never worry about the things you can't control!

Fiona Webster
National Manager - Outplacement & Career Coaching
Randstad - Sydney

People in jobs now have survived a rollercoaster year. Some are relieved to be employed, others are managing one day at a time till Christmas arrives, many are close to burnout. While restructures have given many a chance to shine with new roles and responsibilities; people generally are carrying the workload of colleagues before them, managing with thinly spread resources and stress. Job security and what is coming next are pertinent questions. Relationships are key. Optimism, high physical and mental energy are important, as is positive self-esteem and self-confidence. Coach your troops to manage through uncertainty till better times emerge.

At Randstad HR Solutions we support individuals, teams and organisations to adjust to the new world of work - dealing with change, managing stress, planning their careers and building resilience through challenging times. For further information, call Fiona Webster, National Manager, Career Coaching and Outplacement on 02 9346 9576.

"In 2007, the Year Digby Morgan acquired HR Partners, the business won the highly recommended award in the annual Human Capital Magazine’s awards for Australia’s top service provider in HR recruitment. Last year, 2008, HR Partners was awarded Bronze. This year HR Partners has been awarded the Silver Medal, and the team in Australia is delighted that we have progressively polled better results in each of the last three years polls”.

“It is a wonderful acknowledgement of the quality of the work being done by our teams in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, we are doing very well in a tough market, clearly next year, we have everything to play for and we are looking to win Gold in 2010 and gain further ground for our reputation in HR Recruitment”.

David Owens
Managing Director – HR Partners

Neil Mirtle
Consultant
HR Partners (Sydney)

I have been with the same organisation for four years in two different generalist roles and due to some internal changes I have been offered a more senior position based in the Regional APAC head office. I am looking for some guidance around what factors I should be considering when making my decision?

Firstly, well done! You have obviously performed well to merit a third promotion in four years. International experience is often a great addition to a CV, but of course this decision should be taken, like any other career move, after a thorough deliberation process.

With this decision you’ll no doubt want to evaluate both your professional and personal motivations as there are benefits, and sometimes sacrifices, to be made in each of these areas. For the purpose of this question I will concentrate on the professional benefits and practicalities of this move.

Despite our current market here in Australia being reasonably strong on a global scale, there will always be good opportunities in the wider Asia pacific region for talented HR professionals. The majority of global organisations such as those in the IT, FMCG, finance and pharmaceutical sectors will operate a regional structure where a regional HR lead role is seen as a more senior promotion. However to determine the exact specification of your role you will need to research and network thoroughly.

Networking is always an essential aspect of any job search. Speak to trusted contacts to find out how the regional office performs, how it is regarded in the market and if this suits your working style. Networking will also help you determine what the strategic direction of the regional office is and what role HR plays in that vision. Ask who your manager reports into and if there are HR leaders on the senior leadership teams. A full understanding of the ‘internal changes’ you mention would be key to your decision.

You will also need to assess your current skill set and then find out what local knowledge and resources are available to you once you are in the role. Ask if you have other HR peers or reports who can guide you through the differences in employment law and ER, IR policies. A key benefit here might be that you now have access to a wider range of resources and subject matter experts enabling you to operate at a more strategic level.

One of the key considerations in relocating is how to value an expatriate package. This can include an increased wage, relocation allowance, subsidised short and long term accommodation and depending on the country, a tax free component to your salary. When assessing your ‘offer’ you should again research and network to assess your market rate. Consult industry specific salary surveys and advertising boards to give yourself an estimate of the local salary level for your industry.

Be sure to understand your visa limitations as well, particularly in case there are future changes to either your career or the company. You should consult an immigration specialist in addition to the local governmental websites.

Your longer term career potential is also likely to be a main driver in this move. If you were to take up this new role you should look at the career benefit and succession planning possibilities that come with service in the region, and I recommend asking how long the company foresees you in this role.

To summarise, you should weigh up the benefits of the new role in the same way you would if you were considering a move locally, but take into account the practicalities and planning involved with relocation. Building your profile in a regional, as opposed to local, role will improve the ‘stage’ to which you can showcase your talents and enable you to add value at a more senior management level. Succession planning at this stage in your career can one day enable you to move into a position with even more responsibility, both in the sense of your role remit and geographies covered. If you do decide to move then your experience will be enhanced by the diversity - I wish you the best of luck in your decision!