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February Newsletter, 2022
A warm welcome to our first newsletter for 2022.
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Thank you to all our valued members for their support in 2021 and we look forward to a productive 2022 serving our members with guidance, expertise and support.
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We will continue to provide our services to our members, and this will include from time to time dealing with and supporting our members through complex matters to ensure that you have the peace of mind knowing that we are there to support you when things become difficult.
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Thank you to all those members who participated in our annual survey and we have a very good response which aids us in our endeavor for continuous improvement and guides us in the development of our service delivery model.
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A reminder please for those who have yet to renew their membership that renewals are due for 2022.
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I honestly believe that our membership is incredibly good value for money and the survey results overwhelmingly suggest the same belief from our members.
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This edition continues to provide a number of informative and valuable topics for our members to meet and support their operational demands including new articles on finance, HR, safety, recruitment and governance.
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We are also continuing our theme of providing some interactive activities for our members including recipes, coloring in and other activities with an Easter theme for the approaching holidays.
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We have all had a challenging and difficult time in 2021 with the COVID19 Pandemic and a large proportion of our time last year was spent guiding and supporting our members during this difficult time and it would appear that this challenge will continue in to 2022 so we are ready and able to assist to all your concerns and inquiries.
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I can attest that our Board, Management and team are energized, focused and ready to face any challenges our members face this year and as I have always said we view being a member of CMSolutions as being part of our family and we strive to provide a personal service which is only possible from an organisation that truly understands your industry.
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CMSolutions: Your trusted partner, providing the safety net in the tough times and peace of mind at all times.
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2022 Membership
It's that time of year again! Please get in contact if you have to make any changes to your Membership or would like more information. When paying through the bank please quote your invoice number.
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You can download our 2022 Membership Renewal form HERE
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We would like to congratulate Ferny Grove State School P&C on being the lucky winner of our $200 Coles Voucher, as a result of entering our Member Survey competition.
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Upcoming Public Holidays
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The following are the declared public holidays over the Easter break and Anzac day 2022
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Friday, 15th April - Good Friday
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Saturday, 16th April - Easter Saturday
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Sunday, 17th April - Easter Sunday
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Monday, 18th April - Easter Monday
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Monday, 25th April - Anzac Day
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CMSolutions staff Member Profile - Neale
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Responsible for Financial Services, Neale is a qualified Accountant and CPA and has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 40 years. Neale held senior roles with C&K Association before joining CMSolutions. He has specialist knowledge and experience with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander services, Community childcare and Kindergartens & P&Cs.
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This means that there is not much that Neale does not know about managing the finances or governance of non-profit organisations. As a father Neale enjoys spending quality time with his family and grandchildren. He has recently spent a bit of time attending and cheering on his granddaughter at her swim club meets and swimming competitions. He also enjoys the movies and exploring QLD.
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From 1 January 2022, an educator will need to hold an Early Childhood Teacher (ECT) qualification on the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) approved list as well as being registered with the relevant Teacher Registration Scheme in your State to be considered qualified.
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Some Registration Schemes (such as Queensland) offer the ability for an ECT to become “Provisionally Registered” for a period of 12 months with steps available to become fully Registered. Remember, qualifications are only part of the requirements now, under the new regime “Registration” as a Teacher is also mandatory unless your service is able to get an “Exemption” from your State Department of Education.
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What is Single Touch Payroll Phase 2?
In the 2019–20 Budget, the Government announced that Single Touch Payroll (STP) would be expanded to include additional information.
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The expansion of STP, also known as STP Phase 2, will reduce reporting burden for employers who need to report information about their employees to multiple government agencies. It will also help Services Australia’s customers, who may be your employees, get the right payment at the right time.
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The mandatory start date for Phase 2 reporting is 1 January 2022.
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The major software suppliers MYOB and XERO have time extensions for implementation of phase 2.
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Find out more information HERE
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Recruitment Mistakes Part 2 - Kevin Prendergast, CEO
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Recruitment is one of the most challenging activities within Human Resources, In part 1 in our last newsletter we spoke about a number of potential errors including not understanding the position, expecting a smooth recruitment process, failing to keep candidates informed and poor communications, rejecting overqualified candidates and waiting for the ideal candidate.
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This time we will discuss a few more recruitment mistakes to be aware of and also please register for our upcoming Recruitment Webinar.
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1. Asking the wrong and or inappropriate interview questions.
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Be very careful that you do not ask inappropriate or discriminatory questions which may be well intended but think carefully as how that particular question would be received by the candidate. You only get the opportunity to ask a certain number of questions, any wasted or irrelevant questions may affect your judgement on the suitability of a particular candidate. Ensure that there is somewhat of a consistency in questions for each candidate to ensure a balanced scorecard approach.
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Ask yourself if the questions enable you to judge if the candidate can do the inherent requirement of the role and be careful of similar or repeat type questions which more than likely the candidate has already answered in a previous question.
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Too may time Interview panelists may say to a candidate “You have probably already answered this one” so have replacement and or alternative questions available if this occurs.
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Never underestimate the importance of Behavioral Interview Techniques in your process.
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2. Remuneration is not the only factor
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Remuneration is extremely important for a candidate to properly consider for the role on offer. Ensure that the salary on offer is fair and reasonable based on the requirements, qualifications, skills and experience required for the role. However, it is not the only thing that is important. Training and Development Opportunities, Mentoring, Future Career Opportunities, Organisational Culture, working from home, family friendly workplace practices and potential for Career development may just be as important to some candidates as the remuneration on offer so don’t dismiss these other factors when discussing the benefits of the role.
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3. Expecting an Instant Success
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It takes time for a person to become familiar with your organisation and with the role itself regardless of previous experience and expertise. A new start can take up to three months to become fully productive in a new role so we must have patience with our new candidates to allow them to become fully integrated into your organisation. Providing proper internal training and a thorough induction process is just as important as the interview procedure itself. A new candidate can be nervous and apprehensive about their new role so take the time to provide guidance and direction preferably in the form of an employee mentoring program. Ensure they are properly welcomed to the team and supported in their endeavors. Open communication, regular contact and catch up meetings are vital in the initial employment stages.
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4. Speed in the recruitment process
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Hiring quickly can be very detrimental. Think of long-term benefits and goals rather than a quick fix. Sometimes the pressure of operations require us to recruit quickly to fill an urgent need however consider an interim temporary solution whilst taking the time to select an appropriate permanent candidate. Balance must be sought in the recruitment process to ensure that you obtain the right candidate.
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We have over 40 years of experience in recruitment, we offer a number of services to assist our clients and we are highly skilled, experienced and most importantly we understand your sector and the importance of selecting the right candidates.
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Please consider using CMSolutions for all your recruitment needs, concentrate on your clients and service delivery models and leave the recruitment work to us.
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If you have any specific questions that you would like addressed in our upcoming recruitment webinar then please send them to me prior to the webinar and they will answered during the session, hope to see you then.
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If you require assistance with any of your recruitment needs, then please contact me as below.
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kevinp@cmsolutions.org.au
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Also please register for our upcoming free Members only Recruitment Webinar on 27th April 2022 at 11am
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Advertisement - Industry Partner
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Your future matters most to us
Your super is your money and your future, so make it matter. NGS Super is a fund for people like you and your staff, with most of our members working in education and care roles. We know that your work leaves little time to care for yourself — but that’s why we’re here. With low fees, strong returns and responsible investing, NGS Super is about creating a brighter future for all.
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As an Industry SuperFund, all our profits go back to our members. We also offer accessible tools, advice and education to support you through every stage of your journey.
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Achieving strong returns to grow your retirement funds is our number one priority, and we do that without sacrificing the future of our planet. We take pride in our responsible investing principles and have set a target of 2030 to create a carbon neutral investment portfolio.
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Like you, caring is more than our job; it’s our passion. Find out how NGS can take care of your future by visiting ngssuper.com.au/carers
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Our Helpline is available Monday to Friday, 8am–8pm (AEST/AEDT) on 1300 133 177.
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Handover Checklist for Outgoing Executive
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As the new year has just begun, outgoing committees should ensure that all their hard work is not lost. You can do this by making sure the handover process is performed correctly. Use our Handover Checklist to ensure all relevant information has been provided to the new executive committee.
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It is also recommended that the prospective committee member shadow the outgoing committee, attend committee meetings and work together on all tasks remaining for their term.
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If you need assistance with your handover contact the CMSolutions team.
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The importance of Learning and Development
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The importance of Learning and Development for your people is often forgotten in the busy times that we face concentrating on service delivery but at this time it is more important than ever that your employees and volunteers receive adequate opportunities to increase their skill set to meet the ever-increasing demands of their roles.
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In some surveys up to 90% of people believe that future learning and development opportunities are a major factor that a person considers when applying for a role and also when making that difficult decision to remain in a role. Therefore, the potential to take advantage of training and development is vital not only for employee and volunteer recruitment but also for retention of your most valuable asset being your people. An employee or volunteer feels appreciated that the organisation is investing time and money into their development leads to increased morale and engagement.
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2. Improves productivity within the workplace
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By providing your people with learning and development opportunities this can lead to real savings in the productivity of your people and you can obtain a real return on investment. Research indicates that trained employees and volunteers have a much clear understanding of their roles and are more productive than those people that do not receive training. Some surveys and studied have indicated that this increase can be up to 20% which justifies the expenditure in your learning and development program.
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3. Improved relationship with your customers
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Increasing your engagement with your clients and customers is vital to ensure that your service delivery model is operating at maximum efficiency. When your employees and volunteers receive regular, relevant and up to date training they are better equipped to service your clients and they understand the organisations mission and values which leads directly to cultural alignment.
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Community Management Solutions have several staff with extensive experience in facilitating training sessions for staff and volunteers and this experience is supported by formal qualifications in adult learning. We can deliver face to face learning for your people at your location and we are very excited about some new learning and development initiatives that are coming soon to provide our members with more resources to help with all your training needs.
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Policies: What do we need?
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What policies an organisation should have in place depends on the nature of the business.
CMSolutions recommends the following policies are key to have in place in the workplace:
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If your organisation does not have these policies in place, contact CMSolutions for assistance on 07 3852 5177.
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CMSolutions' Bookkeeping & Payroll Service
Recently we have had more and more members asking us to help with aspects of financial management.
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Our tailor made solutions take the pressure off Treasurers (making it easier to recruit and keep one) and allows committees to breathe easy, knowing all the right processes are being followed.
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Whether you need timesheets and pays processed, full bookkeeping and accounting services, or BAS and committee reports, we can deliver a cost-effective and personalised service!
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Call our Finance Team today on 07 3852 5177 to get a quote
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Tips for Smart Rostering
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1. Know your Award or Agreement. The more you understand your relevant workplace instrument, the easier it is to make good rostering decisions. You will want to look out for:
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- Overtime provisions – How many hours can an employee work a day and a week.
- Meal Breaks – how long can an employee work before they must have a meal break
- Split Shift provisions.
- Shift and Weekend Allowances
2. Get creative. If you think your roster is perfect now, why not try getting creative. You do not have to implement any changes but coming up with multiple options could enlighten you to some improvements to your current structure.
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3. Know your staffing costs. This will link closely with tip one. You should be aware of each staff members pay rates, including who is casual and permanent. Compare this with a budget or aim for your wages. It may not always be smart to accept additional business if the staffing costs outweigh the increase in sales/income.
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4. Review excessive wages. If there are occasions where excessive wages occur it is a good idea to review these and identify if changes need to be made. For example, if employees frequently do overtime, identify why this is occurring. Do you need more staff or is there a particular client who needs extra time/care?
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For more information contact one of our Employment Relations Advisors on 07 3852 5177.
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Advertisement - Industry Partner
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Termination During Probation
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Is your new employee, just not working out?
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Find out what steps you can take to help this process run smoothly HERE
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Important Action Item:
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Check the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has your Organisation's correct bank details and updated contact details in regard to your BAS/IAS in case you need to talk to the ATO.
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MyGovID and RAM
MyGovID and Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) has replaced AUSkey as from the end of March 2020.
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This provides you and your Community Organisation a new, secure and simple way to access government online services, and are required to access certain stimulus packages
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WATCH OUT FOR SCAMMERS!!
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At CMS we recently heard of a local organisation that was scammed out of over $40,000. The scammers claimed the organisation needed to update their bank details, from what looked to be a legitimate email address.
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Check out what Westpac suggest with business email scams HERE
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Update your committee details here
to ensure you don't miss our correspondence
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CMSolutions are advocates for Mental Health and have partnered with Acacia EAP to ensure our members can access a service to support their staff.
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| For more information, call 1300 364 273 and mention you are a CMSolutions Member. |
| Other Resources Available: |
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