Bringing a new manager on board can be an exciting experience, but it can also create a tremendous amount of change. To ensure that the experience is positive and effective, it’s critical to develop an onboarding process that reduces the new hire’s learning curve while keeping employees engaged. Unfortunately, most companies tend to spend the majority of their efforts on onboarding new employees and little time on onboarding new managers.

In most cases, this lack of focus on the onboarding experience for managers is due to the belief that anyone who is qualified for a management position already has enough knowledge to be successful in that position. This is not always the case, however. It’s quite a leap to assume that a new manager is fully capable of hitting the ground running. Regardless of how qualified a new manager might be, it’s still important to provide proper onboarding to ensure success.

Leaders provide a critical role in any company, regardless of the industry. Not only does the manager set the tone for the remainder of the organization, but he or she is also responsible for guiding company culture. Whenever someone new joins a company in a leadership position, they have the opportunity to impact that organization with new opinions and ideas. Such a new leader can also be at a disadvantage due to a lack of institutional knowledge and context.

Proper onboarding for managers is crucial for a variety of reasons. For instance, onboarding can play a critical role in retaining talent within the company. When current employees clash with a new manager, there is an increased chance that some of them will decide to leave the organization. Ultimately, this can impact the company’s bottom line, as the cost of replacing current employees can be a costly endeavour.

The first two weeks after a new manager is brought on board can be quite overwhelming, regardless of how experienced or prepared he or she is. Following those two weeks, it’s important to make certain that education plays a central role in the onboarding process. This includes education not just about the services and/or products marketed by the company but also that pertains specifically to management.

Unfortunately, most organizations can find it difficult to find time to fit in training for new managers. This can quickly lead to a gap of information. As time passes, it can become even more difficult to fit in time to ensure managers receive the training they need to perform their jobs at optimum efficiency. Online learning provides a flexible and easy method for scheduling training to meet the needs of new managers.

Below is a list of online training courses specifically designed for new managers. With these courses, managers are able to receive the critical learning they need in a format that fits their limited time schedule. There is no need to remove managers from day-to-day operations.

This course was developed with the goal of providing supervisors and managers with an understanding of how to manage risk in the workplace. Managers will also be introduced to the concept of how they can play a role in the reduction of risk, including identifying hazards, assessing risk, how risk controls should be applied, the importance of consulting with workers, and when a risk management approach is appropriate.

This course was developed to assist managers in learning how to manage the discipline process with procedural fairness. Managers will learn how to manage the discipline process correctly through the use of legal and ethical guidelines. Additionally, managers will learn how to conduct a formal investigation, conduct an employee interview, avoid common mistakes, and make a formal decision.

Managers and supervisors require the support of every team member to be effective leaders and accomplish their objectives. This course helps learners understand the best way to investigate the personal qualities necessary to be effective leaders by motivating and influencing a diverse workforce. Once a manager understands the proper techniques for tapping into the talent of the existing workforce, they will be better prepared to lead their team to greater objectives.

Regardless of the industry, it’s important that a manager has a solid understanding of financial literacy. This course helps managers investigate the topic of financial literacy, including how to correctly record income and expenditures, reporting requirements for taxes, the range of taxes that is applicable to various organizations, and how to understand the topic of cash flow. This course will ensure that managers have a solid handle on the best way to effectively manage the organization’s finances.

How to Conduct Effective Business Meetings

Meetings are frequently an important part of managing an organization or division. When handled properly, meetings can also help boost productivity while giving teams the opportunity to produce new ideas and accomplish objectives. With that said, when meetings are not handled properly, employees can quickly become frustrated and feel that meetings waste their time. This course was designed to assist managers in learning how to conduct effective meetings while accomplishing necessary goals and without wasting valuable time.

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

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Bringing a new manager on board can be an exciting experience, but it can also create a tremendous amount of change. Here's how to set up a first-time manager for success.

Hiring a new manager? Set up a first-time manager for success with online courses

Behind every great system is an organised team. This is especially true in the healthcare industry, where a dedicated human resources team can help effectively recruit employees, train staff, and implement safety measures in the workplace. As such, the importance of human resources in the healthcare industry cannot be overstated, with benefits ranging from providing an orderly, effective facility to giving staff the most accurate and up-to-date training.

When equipped with a high-quality HR management program, hospital staff are more satisfied in their roles while also providing outstanding service to their patients.

Here’s the thing: staff training is one of the most crucial tasks a human resources team can provide for a healthcare facility. Yet, according to Southern Illinois University Carbondale, staff shortages are surging in hospitals as millennials are leaving this sector — primarily due to poor job satisfaction linked to, you guessed it, a lack of training. Not only that, but the World Health Organisation found that 15 million more health workers will be needed by 2030, primarily in lower and middle-income areas. 

According to one report, only 27% of respondents say their organisation is prepared for a nursing shortage to a high or very high extent, while nearly 10% of respondents say their organisation is not at all prepared for a nursing shortage. 

So, what can teams do to overcome these challenges and provide better training for healthcare staff? We’ll take you step-by-step through the importance of training in the healthcare sector, offering concrete ideas to implement better, more effective training. We'll start by emphasising the importance of training in the healthcare sector, before analysing the benefits of training healthcare teams online and the benefits of managing training online.  

Importance of training in the healthcare sector

Imagine starting a new job without knowing the specifics of  exactly what your position entails. You’re left in the dark, grasping at straws to figure out what to do next. In most new jobs, this would be challenging. In a hospital, it would be a nightmare. Where do you even start? Unfortunately, this scenario occurs all too frequently, and it’s incredibly frustrating for employees.

While this would be concerning in most industries, in the healthcare industry, it can quite literally be the difference between life and death. Having accurate, up-to-date knowledge is vital for healthcare workers, as they often work in a faster-paced environment. If staff can’t keep up with the workflow, the facility can’t provide the most effective treatment, thereby putting patients in danger. Plus, the knowledge and experience staff gain in their position can help prepare them for higher-level positions in the future.

As Health Management explains, “because the healthcare industry is continuously evolving, technologies considered best practice today can change drastically in just the span of a decade. That’s why care providers have to regularly keep up with new techniques and technologies and expand their knowledge and skills – which means continuous education is not a nice-to-have but an absolute necessity for any healthcare professional who wants to provide high-quality patient care.” 

According to industry experts, millennials, more than any other age group (40% versus 20% of baby boomers), are less satisfied at their job unless they receive the proper training, feedback, and fulfilment from their work.

Despite this, ATD’s 2019 State of Healthcare Training Report found that, on average, healthcare organisations only spend $602 per employee per year on training. By comparison, Statista finds that the average L&D team spends $1,308 per employee per year for all organisations. To put it another way, healthcare organisations only spend 46% of the global average on employee training, which doesn't make for pretty reading. 

Further, ATD’s report found that healthcare employees use an average of 25.5 learning hours per year. Again, this does not compare favourably with the overall average of 34.1 learning hours per year for all industries. 

Worryingly, this lack of training is leading to significant worker shortages. As of 2017, 90% of hospital leaders were worried about finding clinical staff such as physicians, nurses, and specialists in the next 10 years. Moreover, nearly 20% already faced shortages of nurses, according to a survey by Prudential.

With this in mind, PWC's 2020 Top Health Industry Issues Report found that 45% of healthcare providers said 'having the right talent' was a barrier to their organisation's digital strategies. On the other hand, 26% said that digitally upskilling their existing workforce was a key priority, while 27% said hiring employees with skills to support new capabilities, products, or services was their top priority. 

Finally, a survey of more than 5,000 healthcare professionals by Relias found that 60% of healthcare organisations don't have well-developed methods to evaluate whether training is being put into practice on the job. While this is concerning, it is an improvement from 74% of organisations in 2017. 

Relias' survey also found that only 33% of organisations said all staff receive regular training and education. As a result, 47% said their organisation needed to align all healthcare professionals.

HR teams, healthcare employees, and management must work together to reverse these concerning trends and recognise the importance of ongoing training in the healthcare industry. 

One way to deliver effective training is to train your healthcare team online. Numerous online courses are available to train new and established staff on everything from general workplace subjects to more specific health and medicine topics.

If you need some support training your healthcare team online, Go1 can help. Go1 offers many healthcare-related courses from world-class partners, ranging from our Healthcare Compliance Bundle to Hazard Communication for Healthcare and even Hand and Wrist Anatomy for Healthcare Professionals. And these are only the tip of the iceberg. To access these courses and more, start your free trial today.

Some HR staff may be sceptical when it comes to managing online training for healthcare workers. This initial hesitation is completely understandable. However, we know how busy healthcare staff are and how difficult it can be to organise traditional training sessions. With so many competing priorities, it’s easy to see why many healthcare workers struggle to find free time for training. After all, if you’re faced with a decision between urgent patient care and optional training, it’s obvious which task should take precedence.

Again, to re-emphasise, healthcare employees use an average of 25.5 learning hours per year compared to the overall average of 34.1 learning hours per year for all industries. That works out to be just over 4 minutes per day, and that's including weekends! Offering online training for healthcare staff can ease many of these blockers and frustrations by allowing healthcare workers to access training when, where, and how it suits them. 

The good news is that online training in the healthcare sector is slowly trending in the right direction. According to Relias, 47% of healthcare organisations now use an LMS, up from 39% in 2017. Better yet, 76% of healthcare workers experienced either major or moderate shifts toward online training, while the majority of organisations increased (33%) or maintained (54%) their training spending. Likewise, a study by Panopto found that 2 in 3 physicians use online video training to stay abreast of the latest clinical information. 

Thus, online training has numerous benefits, including:

In an industry where patients’ health and lives are on the line, hospitals can’t physically or ethically afford to hire staff without the necessary skills to perform a number of jobs. 

Deloitte estimates that global skills gaps will leave 2.4 million positions unfilled between 2018 and 2028, causing an economic impact of $2.4 trillion. Similarly, a recent survey by McKinsey found that nine in ten executives say their organisations either face  skill gaps already or expect gaps to develop in the next five years. 

Additionally, 1 in 5 workers admit their professional skills are not up to date, with a further 85% of employees saying they wish their company had offered more new skills  training last year. 

When you walk into a hospital or health care facility, you don't want to take the risk that 1 in every 5 employees has out-of-date skills. As such, closing the skills gap in the healthcare sector is vital. 

The convenient thing about online training is that there are endless options for the skills and information you can present to employees. Once the hospital and human resources staff have sourced the most suitable online training courses, the HR team can focus on other important tasks, such as hiring new staff, providing new employee orientations, or handling claims.

For further insights on how to start closing your skill gaps, see our blogs on identifying your skill gaps and closing the L&D skills gap. 

An excellent form of continuing education

Online training is a fantastic way to ensure staff are up-to-date with the latest hospital safety and healthcare-related rules and regulations. In such a fast-moving industry, this is essential. A crucial component of any individual’s career is continuously upskilling and seeking new knowledge, skills, and perspectives. Online learning can facilitate this.

Effectively managing online training for hospital staff also results in a more effective flow of communication. Now, with a single click, you can send all the necessary training materials to your employees. For instance, our courses on People and Communication Skills and Advanced Communication Skills. 

Additionally, because you can find online healthcare courses created by world-class providers, you can be sure they contain professional, accurate, and easy-to-understand content for the employees you wish to train. All the information is already there, so all that’s left is for each staff member to complete the course.

Better versatility for both HR and hospital staff

With online training, HR and hospital staff can take their learning materials anywhere. Also, since so many self-paced courses are now available, there’s greater flexibility and options to ensure healthcare employees succeed with the courses they take. This point is crucial, as not everyone learns or absorbs information at the same pace. Some people need more time, while others require much less. Everyone has a custom solution that will meet their learning needs.

Online training can also assist employees with:

Overall, there are many benefits to providing quality, versatile online training for your hospital staff. When staff have their personal needs met, they are more likely to excel in their career and provide high-quality care to patients. By equipping staff with flexible online training options, they can continually upskill, stay up-to-date with the latest trends, and, most importantly, provide a higher standard of care. Moreover, you will be better equipped to close impending skills gaps and stave off any looming worker shortages. It's a win-win!

Human Resources are an important component of healthcare organizations. Learn what they do and how they fit into the healthcare industry.

The importance of human resources in the healthcare sector

We’ll take you step-by-step through the importance of training in the healthcare sector, offering concrete ideas to implement better, more effective training. 

If you’re in a manager or team leader role, you’ll need to know how to deal with challenging employee behaviour.

When individual staff members are displaying challenging behaviour at work, it impacts the organisation as a whole. In addition to stress and conflict, it can result in poor team performance, low productivity, and a negative work environment.

If left unchecked, challenging employee behaviour can also lead to higher absenteeism and staff turnover, affecting your company’s reputation and bottom line.

That’s why addressing challenging behaviour should be a top priority for employers and managers.

Challenging employee behaviour is part and parcel of being a manager.

It’s inevitable that at some point, you will find yourself faced with an employee who is difficult to deal with, has trouble working with others, or continually fails to deliver.

Sometimes these team members don’t even mean to be challenging or difficult – they may be experiencing low mental health or have other external factors influencing their behaviour. But you will also come up against individuals who are aware that their actions are negative or obstructive for the team.

Whatever the reason, it's best to deal with challenges sooner, rather than later, before it impacts your team’s performance.

For additional information, be sure to read our article on managing employee conflict. 

So what steps can you take to address difficult or negative behaviour in the workplace?

As we said above, it’s a good idea to try and understand some of the underlying issues that may lead to employees exhibiting challenging behaviours.

You can then find the right strategy to support you in dealing with that specific team member’s behaviour in the workplace.

Remember, a negative employee isn’t just a problem for you – their behaviour affects everyone who’s around it.

If you’re eager to address the issue of challenging behaviour to your team, you may like to use eLearning as a way to thoughtfully introduce and raise the topic.

Using a short online course, such as Skillsoft’s Managing Difficult Behavior, is a great way to engage with staff on this issue. Start your free trial today to access this course and many more. 

Have each individual team member watch and complete the interactive course – they will need to consider certain scenarios and select the best responses, as they move through the course.

There are plenty more courses on the Go1 platform that will help you better understand employee behaviour and give you the confidence you need to address any issues before they get out of hand.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter today to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo now.

If you’re in a manager or team leader role, you’ll need to know how to deal with challenging employee behaviour. Here's everything you need to know.

How to manage challenging employee behaviour

Did you know that millennials look for a strong team culture when they’re searching for a new career and place to work?

No one can deny that teamwork is an important element of success in every walk of life. Whether you’re playing sports or working at a large company, there’s always an advantage to collaborating with other people and supporting each other in any way you can.

A strong team culture is now more important than ever in the business world and a lot of businesses are underestimating just how much it matters.

Millennials that are entering the workforce are looking for more than just a big salary and good vacation time when it comes to a new job. Employees want to join a business that promotes teamwork where they can feel connected to company values, as well as their colleagues.

That’s where you come in. You control the direction of your business and this means you can decide what you want to offer your employees in terms of collaboration opportunities.

That means you want to make sure that your business promotes a strong team culture so that you can attract qualified and experienced talent to your company.

How can you do this? Well, it all really starts with the employees you already have. You’ve got to build your strong team culture from the inside out -that way you can grow.

Now, a lot of people think we’re talking about the physical environment of the workplace. There are theories that believe brightly painting office walls in bold colours can promote creativity and having games in the break room will boost the morale of your employees.

There’s nothing to say that these little things might help some employees. But, one thing’s for sure, it won’t benefit the majority. 

For a real team culture, it all starts with changing the outlook of your employees and the way they view the workplace in their minds and this means the best way you can promote a strong team culture in your business is through training. This way you can develop the right employee mindset and encourage a common outlook on teamwork.

In particular, we’ve got an amazing online e-learning course through Go1 that you’ve got to check out. We strongly feel this is the right starting point for creating a strong team culture.

This course from Go1 is exactly what you need to educate your employees all about the strong team culture you’re building in your business.

The content focuses on how team culture capitalizes on team member’s strengths so that everyone can come together and share knowledge and collaborate successfully.

This e-learning course is around 30 minutes, which makes it perfect for employee training. Plus, you can use exclusive tracking software to see who has completed their training and how they’re progressing with the content.

In addition, there are thousands of other courses through Go1 you can use to build on your strong team culture. This is a great way to maintain the values and culture you are creating for the long haul.

Through a strong team culture, everyone can work together to reach a common goal. This will have a massive impact on productivity where not only is the workload being shared with multiple employees, but it also allows everyone to bring different skills to the table to achieve the best outcome.

When everyone pitches in and there’s good communication in a team, employees will feel like they have the confidence to share ideas, as well as ask questions. This all means that tasks can be completed more efficiently and more effectively, as everyone can brainstorm and support each other.

This then leads to new ideas and innovation in your company. Every boss wants new goals and accomplishments, right?

Of course, where there is a strong team culture, employees can feel accepted and connected with their colleagues. Good working relationships are crucial to good business and somewhere that encourages people working together creates a better environment for everyone.

What’s more, this will mean that employees are more engaged and happier with their career. Your company can enjoy having better employee retention and millennials that are applying to your company can see what benefits you can bring to their life.

Nobody wants to be in an office where its’ dog eats dog and they feel like everyone is in competition again each other – it’s all about building each other up!

So, it’s never too late to start creating a strong team culture in the office. One of the easiest and fastest ways to begin is by choosing online e-learning courses through Go1.

You can leave your employees to learn all about the advantages of a strong team culture and what they can become a part of in your business.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Is your onboarding program giving your new hires the best start in your company?

It can take a lot of time and effort to find the right candidate for the job and there’s nothing worse than watching them leave within the first year of joining your company.

Yet, this is a regular occurrence for businesses that don’t also invest their time and effort into their onboarding program.

Having a great onboarding program is the key to success and will make sure that your new employee gets the best impression of your company.

This first real interaction they have with you will be make or break for your business. Employees will judge your company based on this first experience with you, so make it great!

With an onboarding program that eases them into day-to-day life at your company, this will start off on the right foot and make sure they become a valued member of your team.

It should be focused on integration and education – it’s all about building a future with your new hire.

When a new employee has a good onboarding experience, this can fuel commitment to your business, as well as increase employee satisfaction and future performance. This all leads to a low employee turnover, which is exactly what everyone wants!

This is why you should always make your onboarding program a priority in your business. But, a common question is – how can I structure a successful onboarding program for new hires?

After the recruitment process, it’s important to start your onboarding program as soon as possible. After all, your new hire will be excited and will have a lot of energy they want to put into your company. So, strike the iron while it’s hot!

While your new hire might be leaving a previous employer, this doesn’t stop you making the arrangements for their introduction in advance.

It’s all about getting the ball rolling as soon as possible and building on the enthusiasm that your new hire will have after accepting the job. Once all of the formalities are out the way, you can get down to business.

A lot of employers focus on getting a new employee used to the computers and software they will be working on to start with. But, it’s more important that a new hire is introduced properly to the team they’ll be working in.

Getting on and being friends with your colleagues is a bit part of being happy with your workplace. By providing your new hire with time to get to know everyone, you can give them a good start in your company.

So, it’s important to allow your new hire time to connect before the work really begins. That way they can feel comfortable and if they need help, they know who they can go to.

These little actions make a huge difference to new hires and make them feel welcome and free to integrate with the team without there being any barriers.

Now it’s time to introduce training your employee will need for their new role. Sure, you want to get your new hires up to speed with your business as soon as possible so they can get started, but you’ve got to provide them with training to build the skills that they need first.

Otherwise, they aren’t going to contribute as much as you’d like them to and your new employee will feel overwhelmed and out of their depth.

Online e-learning courses are going to make your onboarding program simple yet effective and since there’s hundreds you can choose from, there’s courses for every sector and industry.

It’s easy to get started and you can leave employees to work through the content at their own pace. With engaging videos and colorful presentations, your new hire can remain focused on their training and learn everything they need to know for their new role.

An onboarding program shouldn’t stop after a few weeks into the job. You should make sure that your onboarding program lasts for at least a few months to make sure that your new hire is a fully integrated member of your team and they are happy with their progress.

Meetings should be arranged to review a new employee’s performance. This gives you a chance to review how they’re doing and identify any areas that will need more work moving forward.

Plus, it gives the employees the chance to raise any of their concerns and you can address them to make sure they are happy in their new role.

The great thing about e-learning courses is that you can monitor your new employee’s performance. You can track their scores and progress, which means you can review it together.

This system also means you can set them new tasks and milestones they can reach before their new performance review.

So, now that you know how to structure your new onboarding program, you can make sure you get the most out of your new hires and make sure they stay for the long term.

Employees want to feel valued and invested in. If you put the time and effort into making sure they feel welcome and have access to training to build their skills, they will reward you with good work to make your business successful.


Kickstart your onboarding program with Go1 Premium today

How to structure your onboarding program to get the most out of your new hires

As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, it’s a reminder to press forward and progress gender parity in the workplace. It’s also a reminder to make sure we continue challenging the issues of discrimination, bias, and sexual harassment.

Over the last twelve months, we’ve seen a lot of media focus and discussion around the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in the workplace.

During this time, many women have come forward to talk about their experiences. And we’ve seen a rise in global activism for women's equality, powered by worldwide movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp.

Today we want to present you with some clear facts about sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as important steps you can take to address this issue within your own sphere of influence.

How prevalent is sexual harassment in Australian workplaces?

Earlier this week, findings from the first ever survey of attitudes to work by Australian women were released to the public, highlighting the facts about sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Australian Women's Working Futures 2017 study, undertaken by researchers at the University of Sydney, has revealed “shocking” levels of sexual harassment within the workplace for Australian women, with one in ten women experiencing sexual harassment in their current jobs.

This figure is even higher for particular groups of women, with 16 per cent of women from ethnically or linguistically diverse backgrounds and 18 per cent of women with a disability reporting sexual harassment. And it's important to remember that these numbers only reflect those women who have reported experiencing sexual harassment – the statistics could actually be much higher, with many instances unreported.

The study also reported that “less than a third of Australian working women feel they are being treated equally” in the workplace. While just 31 per cent of women surveyed believed men and women were treated equally at work, 50 per cent of men felt there was equality in the workplace.

Unfortunately, in 2018, some people are still unsure of what behaviours and actions constitute sexual harassment in the workplace.

They may think of sexual harassment purely in terms of unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate touching, however it can also encompass other more subtle forms of behaviour.

To clear this up: the Australian Human Rights Commission defines sexual harassment as “any unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour, which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.” There are many ways that an individual can be made to feel uncomfortable or intimidated, without physical contact occurring. And they are all potentially damaging.

Unfortunately, in many workplaces, particularly male-dominated work environments, unacceptable actions or comments are often passed off as “jokes” or locker room talk, or just dismissed with a shrug and a “boys will be boys” attitude.

Regardless of whether someone is staring inappropriately, making sexually suggestive comments, telling inappropriate “jokes” or subjecting you to unwelcome physical contact – all of these examples are considered sexual harassment and are behaviours that are completely unacceptable in any work environment.

What can employers do to address sexual harassment?

The key to preventing sexual harassment from occurring within your organisation to have a clear policy on sexual harassment.

This policy must define what sexual harassment is, outlining unacceptable and inappropriate behaviours, as well as the consequences employees will face from those actions. You must make sure that your policy is compliant with all local, state and federal laws.

Developing and promoting this policy will make it clear to every employee that sexual harassment is 100% unacceptable in your organisation – at any time , whether during working hours or at any form of work-related training activities or functions. Get serious about cultivating a zero tolerance work culture, where sexual harassment is neither welcome nor tolerated.

In Australia, employers must create a safe and positive environment for their staff. This means that if you’re an employer or manager, you have a responsibility to look out for inappropriate conduct and to stop it right away. Make sure that you and other managers encourage the prompt reporting of incidents and always act immediately on any complaints that involve sexual harassment.

It’s also important to make sure employees are aware of their rights and are empowered with a clear idea of what constitutes sexual harassment, so they can feel confident in addressing and reporting it. 

What should I do if I see someone being harassed at work?

Even if you’re not in a management position, you have a responsibility to speak up when you see or hear something unacceptable in the workplace.

By speaking out against sexual harassment, and calling out inappropriate behaviour, you can challenge and change the dynamics in your own sphere of influence. You’ll also be encouraging other employees to do the same.

In group environments such as the workplace, sexual harassment can have an unfortunate cumulative effect on other staff who witness the behaviour, serving to reinforce and normalise negative male/female stereotypes – especially if the behaviour is not stopped.

Calling out sexual harassment in the workplace is everyone’s responsibility, so if you see someone being harassed, please have the courage to report it. Committing to progressive action will help women advance and progress towards gender parity in the workforce.

IWD 2018: the facts about sexual harassment in the workplace

On International Women’s Day, it’s important that we take the time to acknowledge and empower women working in traditionally male-dominated industries.

In both the tech and startup industries, there has long been an imbalance of gender, with the number of male employees outweighing women. In 2018, we hope to see more startups and tech companies doing their best to address this gender imbalance.

While we’re seeing global action in addressing diversity, gender parity, and sexual harassment in the workplace, driven in part by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, more work is needed to dismantle the unconscious bias that often exists towards women in male-dominated industries.

We talked to three women about their experiences working within the startup industry, to hear what advice they have for other women entering this space.

Lydia O’Sullivan, Digital Marketing Manager – Go1 

Throughout her marketing career, Lydia has seen first-hand some of the challenges facing women in the workplace, particularly the under-representation of women in leadership and executive roles.

When she moved over to the startup industry, she was quite conscious of the fact that she was entering a traditionally male-dominated environment. However, working with Go1, she’s seen how startups and tech companies can take positive action to address this gender imbalance.

“It’s great to see more women entering the company all the time, and being hired and promoted by Go1. Each month, I look around and see more female employees working in the office than the month before. I can see Go1 consciously working to address gender inequality, doing their best to move towards a more equal and diverse workforce.”

Within her own sphere of influence, Lydia aims to continue to Press for Progress and actively celebrate and support the achievements of women around her.

“It’s important to me that women feel comfortable and welcome in the startup industry. I actively maintain a strong network and regularly support and attend events organised and led by women. 

I also think it’s important to encourage my male friends and colleagues to support these events, so they can become better champions and allies for gender parity.”

Georgia Green, Head of Marketing, APAC & Americas – Head of Marketing, APAC & Americas – Totara 

Georgia knows the importance of having a strong support network of women within the industry.

“My sphere of influence is really these groups of women who work together to press for progress. We act as mentors, sounding boards, and cheerleaders. 

 “We push for gender parity, develop empowerment, challenge stereotypes, and work out how we can influence change or challenge prehistoric beliefs in our workplaces. If all of us can accomplish this, in whatever size, shape or form, then we’re expanding our reach to make change, and that’s a great thing.” 

When asked for her top tip for women who are entering the startup/technology industry, Georgia says:

“I think it’s critical to do your due diligence on an organisation before you jump in head-first. Look at the leadership and board structure; are there women? What’s the ratio? What kind of culture does the organisation have – does it look too blokey?

Use LinkedIn to see how many women work there, do a Google search to find any relevant news, read Glassdoor reviews, talk to former employees and find out what the culture is like, what leadership is like (because tone starts at the top), and make an informed decision. Do your research, determine what’s important to you within an organisation, and find your match.”

Pru Turnell, Associate Director – Kicker Communications

When working in male-dominated environments, Pru believes it creates a strong sense of solidarity between women workers.

“Working in a male-dominated industry is definitely not without its challenges, but working alongside brilliant women in the industry is extremely motivating and powerful. We all tend to stick together and empower each other because we have to stick together.”

Pru’s top tip for women getting into the startup or tech industry?

“The best piece of advice I can give to women just entering the tech industry is to be yourself, own your accomplishments, speak up, and have confidence in who you are. Find a mentor you gel with who is further along in their career than you and you will both learn from each other.”

Pru encourages women to not be deterred by traditionally male-dominated industries.

“If you are hesitating joining the industry because it is underrepresented by women, don’t. There are so many options open to you when you go into a tech career and the more females in startup and tech companies now, the more females we will see in CEO and leadership roles.” 

We thank each of these women for taking the time to talk to us about International Women’s Day and their experiences of working within the startup industry. By creating strong, supportive networks and celebrating women’s achievements, progress can continue to be made in this area.

IWD 2018: Supporting women in the startup industry

We all want to feel part of a work culture that’s positive, supportive and inspiring. Yet many employees are leaving their jobs within the first twelve months of being hired. And for many companies, high staff turnover rates are a significant issue.

There’s nothing worse than going through extensive recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes, only to have your new team member leave within the year.

In fact, according to a survey of over 3,000 respondents across 100 countries by Deloitte, employee retention and engagement is the number one problem that companies face.

So how can you reduce turnover rates and improve staff retention? Here are some important things to know when it comes to solving this issue.

Be Aware of How Staff Turnover is Costing Your Business

High turnover rates aren’t just bad for workplace culture; they’re also bad for your company’s bottom line.

Approximately 45% of companies estimate their total turnover costs (that is, the costs necessary to replace and train a lost employee) to be more than $25,000 per person. From advertising to interviewing candidates and educating new staff, filling an empty position can quickly add up to huge amounts.

In addition to this, your company will be using up important resources – in the way of time, money and effort – to hire and train new staff, that could have been directed elsewhere.

While a certain amount of staff turnover is inevitable, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of turnover in your company. Working to retain your employees is important – you want to hold onto good team members as best you can!

The 2017 Staff Retention Report released by the Institute of Managers and Leaders (IML) reported the top factors that drive staff turnover. The top three factors include:

limited career advancement/progression (58%), and

As an employer, it’s really important to take note of those first two points, as both of these factors are within your power to control. It’s up to you to provide staff with effective professional development training, to help them feel continually challenged, supported and motivated.

Invest Time and Money into Employee Training

By taking the right approach to employee training, you can drastically reduce your rate of staff turnover.

We can see this clearly in the results of a survey by the Australian Human Resources Institute, where 61 per cent of companies reported that training and development was a key strategy for improving engagement and retention.

The IML report also declared that “1 in 10 staff members are voluntarily resigning from their positions after Australian organisations are failing to offer meaningful career development opportunities for employees.”

There’s no doubt that one of the key things employees value is the opportunity to enhance their careers. If they feel that you are appropriately invested in their professional development, they’ll be far more likely to stick around.

This is particularly important when it comes to your training methods for onboarding new employees, as it’s your first chance to make a good impression. An effective, well-considered onboarding process can really help to reduce staff turnover, especially in terms of those employees who are at risk of leaving within the first twelve months.