Get social with us

Firstly, I would like to start by saying thank you to all that have been a part of our wonderful Women (and men) Of the West group throughout the year. Our speakers, our webinar attendees, and those that attended our networking function in Emu Plains. I am immensely proud of the little community we have created over the last 3 years, and I am looking forward to seeing what 2023 has in store for us.

As we approach the end of the year, I reflect on the year that has been. It’s been a busy year for many as we transitioned back into the office after lockdowns in 2020 & 2021 and for many of us adapted to the new normal of hybrid work. Hybrid work is here to stay and for many of us this looks different.

Earlier this year we welcomed Nikki Heald and we spoke about networking strategies, which I am certain has come in handy as the year progressed and we were able to get out to more networking events. Karen Tisdell shared ideas on building personal brands on LinkedIn, a valuable tool for both employers and employees in this market. Alison Shamir then joined us again and we spoke of Fear Hacking, where we gained tools to help redirect fear into confident action. And finally, we had Desiree Taylor join us again and we talked about building a resilient immune system. Unfortunately for me following that Webinar my immune system took a hit and we had to cancel the session with James Hare, however, I’m looking forward to circling back to him in the new year to host a webinar around Diversity.

In October we were fortunate enough to get a small group of us together for a breakfast discussion group at Emu Hall in Emu Plains. This event was an enormous success, it was wonderful to see people collaborating again in person and sharing their experiences, ideas, and stories around the hot topics of “Attraction and Attrition.” I look forward to hosting more of these discussion groups across Western Sydney in 2023

The latest ABS data has confirmed what we already know, it is still an employee’s market. Unemployment rate remained at 3.5% in November for the second month in a row. The participation rate also remained steady at 66.7% but monthly hours worked across all sectors rose by 0.4% or by 8 million hours.

SEEK reported job ads fell by 4.9% in November but are 40% higher than in pre pandemic times of October 2019 (I’m not even sure if I remember what that world was like pre Covid😔)

Applications per job ad dropped slightly in November across all states and ACT however Northern Territory saw an increase of 0.5%

In terms of industries, Hospitality and Tourism experienced the biggest decline in Job ads and then only industries to increase job ads month on month were Gov & Defence and Insurance & Super. Accounting & Engineering are two of the industries that have grown in job ad volume in comparison to last year and we are certainly seeing that trend in our team – especially within Accounting.

The key message still is the same as it has been all year, finding talent is difficult and the trend seems to be continuing as we move into the new year. Without doubt a robust, creative, and targeted recruitment methodology for each vacancy is necessary as is a seamless and welcoming onboarding process.

An inspiring podcast from James Clear on how to make habits stick:

 https://open.spotify.com/episode/15sp8FfdTsdXZvdGW7cnkd?si=d427b886de6c4c91&nd=1

Healthy Christmas Recipe from Amy Leahy

PAULENE LOW – Fujitsu General Head of Customer Experience

What have you enjoyed about the women of the west events?

Learning new things that I can use within my team and organisation while seeing things from different perspectives.

What has been your favourite topic to date?

Fear Hacking Presented by Alison Shamir. Discussing fears, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome

Tell me your biggest achievement either professional or personal this year

Volunteering with my daughter at Foodbank, meeting the NSW Premier and being present when they were awarded a $15,000 grant



Being Promoted to Head of Customer Experience, and part of the Collective Leadership Team, contributing to our What Matters most for our Business

What are you goals for 2023?

Continue to promote a customer focused culture within the Company and consider new ways of working to improve our customer experience. Initiate and develop partnerships with our customers, dealers, and agents. Liaise with managers on key issues and provide expert and influential advice. Work to a high standard that exceeds our SLA’s. Continuing my Volunteering journey.  Aligning with the company vision, plan on a page and PRESTO Values to be the best Leader I can be.

If you are looking for some ways to help others during Christmas, here are a few of our favourites that we like to support

https://parrawomensshelter.org.au/

https://www.ozharvest.org/

https://sydneydogsandcatshome.org/

And the little things also matter. Offering a simple helping hand to someone who is struggling in the shops, in the streets, in your area. A smile, a conversation, a helping hand can go a long way and change the course of the day.

Whilst Christmas can be a wonderful time of the year for many, for others Christmas can be a lonely and challenging time.

If you or anyone you know are finding the Christmas season difficult, we encourage you to navigate to the Black Dog Institute website  for some incredible resources or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, available 24/7.

On behalf of the whole Veritas Recruitment team, we sincerely thank you for your support and wish you and your family an incredibly happy healthy and safe festive season.

We very much look forward to partnering with you in 2023!

Keryn Drew



Read more Blogs                 Date published:  20/12/2022                    Author:  Keryn Drew