News

•  Edwina Stuckey
•  16th Oct 2022

Quiet Quitting - Why are we talking about it??Quiet quitting is the popularly growing trend of staying in the same job with the same pay but taking a step back and not going above and beyond. It means setting boundaries such as not working after hours or taking on responsibilities outside of the job description. Individuals are taking this approach to prevent burnout and in quiet protest to organisations asking more of employees, requiring additional hours, effort and responsibilities without additional compensation, reward or recognition. Other factors contributing to this phenomenon include poor management and misalignment to an organisation’s culture. While it’s hardly a new concept for employees to be disengaged or ‘bludge’ at work, quiet quitting is now being talked about and highlighted for various reasons. The pandemic and life in lockdown have provided an opportunity for individuals to re-evaluate their wants and needs, at a time when, after an initial lack of jobs available in the market, there was then a surplus, meaning the power balance shifted to employees. The mammoth weight of juggling work and home-schooling kids without any opportunity to socialise and partake in hobbies and generally let off steam proved too much. For some, this meant getting a pet or jumping on the sourdough baking bandwagon. But for many, this meant changing jobs, as work was one thing they had the ability to take control of and change to suit their circumstances. ‘The Great Resignation’ saw a mass exodus of employees from jobs no longer matching their priorities in terms of environment, values, and work-life balance. It’s been very challenging for organisations to backfill these resignations as well as hire for new roles after the initial pause in recruitment activity during the pandemic. Because of the severe shortage of candidates available in the market, salaries have had to inflate to meet demand. Organisations have had to spend up to bring in new talent, creating an imbalance with incumbents often being paid less for the same role; being subjected to a ‘loyalty tax’. Is quiet quitting a good option? What does it achieve?The benefit and appeal if quiet quitting is understandable in the short term. However, more often than not, it may be a convenient or ‘band-aid’ solution, but not actually serve the individual or address the reasons for quiet quitting in the first place. Delivering on basic job requirements and removing the pressure to go above and beyond may remove a mental load that allows burnt out employees to catch their breath after an unimaginably difficult few years. In the longer term however, it would be more beneficial to address the issues bringing about the feelings of discontent in case something can be shifted. Things like negotiating a compressed work schedule, taking ownership of an initiative, finding an area to upskill or offloading certain tasks all could be options that improve circumstances and re-motivate. Quiet quitters are not advancing in terms of gaining experience and are likely to be looked over for promotions or other internal opportunities if their attitude and reduced effort levels are picked up on. It may be the comfortable option to stay in a role they can do with their eyes closed and coast by, but it’s not challenging them, upskilling them, or engaging them and it’s holding them back from reaching their potential. Changing roles and finding a new opportunity that better aligns with their priorities may be a better option.. ​What can be done to prevent a culture of quiet quitting?  Employees are an organisation’s most valuable resource. Leaders should be wary of employee disengagement and low productivity levels as it can spread and create a negative culture. There are certain steps that can be taken that will help to make employees feel respected, improve retention and remotivate quiet quitters. This is particularly important in the current tight labour market where they are facing inflated costs to rehire, as well as losing significant corporate knowledge that each employee holds. So, what can be done to prevent quiet quitting?Don’t take advantage of loyal employees - recognise their contributions. Employees are generally happy to go the extra mile when they feel their work is recognised, impactful and feel that their efforts are rewarded with development opportunities and more interesting work. Employees should feel incentivised and trust that with strong performance comes new opportunity.Communicate! Look for signs of burnout or overwhelm and make sure there is open communication with managers where they can speak up if support is needed. Consider implementing an Employee Assistance Program that provides access to professional assistance for personal or work-related issues.As workplaces become more virtual, it’s important to take measures to foster a collaborative culture and create opportunities for employees to socialise and form connections. This could include things like formal or informal mentoring or coaching, cross-functional projects, wellness challenges, shared interest groups and charity team building activities.Non-financial benefits such as compressed schedules, hybrid working environment/working from home, and flexible hours are benefits that are really important to individuals and make them feel trusted and respected.Although quiet quitting might be just a new spin on a well-established trend, the spotlight that it is shining on the employee/employer relationship should be taken seriously by leaders who have the opportunity to develop a dynamic workplace environment. For employees, the motivation to quiet quit may be just a symptom of a larger issue with their current role, and the recent talent shortage means there is ample opportunity to move into a role that better fits their priorities in the workplace. Edwina is a Senior Consultant at Parity specialising in Marketing, Communications & Digital across financial services. Having experience working across financial services recruitment in Tokyo, she is known for building strong relationships with her clients. She is a sushi addict, our resident Uno champion, and amateur writer. When she's not at home with her baby (and fur baby), she is probably exploring the neighbourhood or catching up with friends.Parity Consulting works with clients who embrace diverse and inclusive environments and empower their teams to bring their authentic whole self to work. We encourage people with different beliefs, abilities, backgrounds and life experiences to contact us. Contact Edwina directly at estuckey@parityconsulting.com.au or +61 405 381 550.

•  Agnes Villanyi
•  7th Oct 2022

These 17 things will change everything for you on LinkedIn!Christmas break is fast approaching and our minds may already be in holiday mode, daydreaming about what we will do during our well-earned break when the offices are closed and cocktail glasses and swimmers are out.For those who fear that they’ll get bored during this time, fear no more. This time of the year is great for reflecting on your career achievements throughout the year and getting a career action plan together for the new year. Every year is a new beginning with which new opportunities and possibilities may arise – opportunities that you will want to be prepared for when they pop up!So, let’s talk about your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn was created for connecting, networking, and engaging with others in a professional environment. A well-written and up-to-date LinkedIn profile will certainly assist you in finding (and being found!) future opportunities; as such you should utilise it in your arsenal of personal branding tools.The most important thing about LinkedIn is that you want to be found! Once that Recruiter, Hiring Manager, ex-colleague etc. finds you, you want them to see the best version of you.  So, here are a few tips from a Senior Consultant who spends half of her day on LinkedIn:1. Career Snapshot Your LinkedIn profile provides more of an overview of your professional career and does not need to be as detailed as your resume, but it does have to be accurate i.e. job titles/roles, companies, dates in particular roles/companies, achievements etc;2. Key Responsibilities Including your key responsibilities and functions under each role will give the reader a better understanding of what you ACTUALLY DO – because we all know a title can mean different things across industries and companies!3. Highlight your achievements People often wonder if they should highlight their achievements on their LinkedIn profiles. The answer is a resounding yes. Here are some reasons why you should proudly showcase your accolades:1. It shows that you’re competent and capable.2. It demonstrates that you’re an authority in your field.3. It proves that you’re a valuable asset to any company or organisation.4. Your profile photo LinkedIn was created for connecting, networking, and engaging with others on a professional level; so, ensure the LinkedIn image you use is appropriate for your role and industry! People prefer to connect with faces, so do make the effort to include a recent photo of yourself that is clear and does not include others in the photo – it helps to show warmth and some personality.5. HeadlineA well-crafted headline can help you stand out from the rest and make a good impression. There are a few things to keep in mind when writing your headline. Accuracy is key - make sure that your headline accurately reflects your current situation and what you do. Brevity is important - try to keep your headline under 120 characters so that it's easy for people to read and digest.Use keywords wisely - consider using keywords that are relevant to your industry or profession.6.  ‘About’ section This is your opportunity to show some personality as well as giving your audience an overview of your professional self.  With a limit of 2,000 characters, it is important to curate this section carefully - whether you choose to focus on your current role, highlight your biggest achievements or a summary of your entire career; this is your chance to put your best self forward.  Remember that this section is like a first impression, so make it a great one (and remember to include a call to action for professionals (and recruiters) on how you would like them to get in touch)!7. Connect and Engage Use LinkedIn for the purpose it was created i.e. connect and engage with professionals in your industry and your area/s of expertise and interest. Making connections is a fundamental goal of LinkedIn, as is engaging with like-minded professionals – create a dialogue and show your interest. Make sure your connections are aligned with your values, your network, and your industry, and offer up introductions between aligned connections and they will return the favor.8. Joining Groups LinkedIn Groups are also a great way to connect with like-minded professionals.  Take the time to research which groups may be relevant to your role/industry/interests.  Once you have joined a group, follow some simple best practice tips: Contribute and keep it relevantKeep it professionalEngage and listen (remember it is better to be ‘interested’ than ‘interesting’)Don’t spam - avoid adding links to your own services/products. This is a clear LinkedIn rule across all groups. 9. Recommendations Recommendations from people you have worked with either in the past or present, can make a positive impact on your online presence. LinkedIn recommendations are structured in such a way that a recommendation must come from someone you are connected to, and have had dealings with (either as a colleague, employee, manager, mentor, client, etc). They are viewed similarly to references and are a good indicator of a person’s performance. Request a minimum of 1 recommendation per month and be strategic with who you ask for a recommendation, personalise your recommendation requests, and give more recommendations than you receive.10. Endorsements Endorsements give YOU the opportunity to list your skills and YOUR CONNECTIONS the opportunity to endorse you for those skills. Manage the order of your skills, endorsements, and recommendations that appear – give light to more relevant and pertinent ones.  Remember, LinkedIn also gives you the opportunity to give endorsements to your connections.11. Concise and Accurate Information on EducationYour education information is one of the things potential employers will look at, so it's important to make sure it's accurate and short. Remember to list the name of the school, the degree you earned, and any relevant honors or awards. If you have any additional coursework or certifications that are relevant to your industry, be sure to include those too.Make sure to keep your education information updated as you continue to gain new skills and credentials.12. Be active Write and publish articles or blog posts about topics that you have expertise in, or topics you have a particular interest in; join professional groups for networking and engage with others by commenting on articles/posts of interest.13. Customized LinkedIn Profile URLWhen you create a customised LinkedIn Profile URL, you'll replace the long series of digits that appear in your current web address with something simpler and more memorable like www.linkedin.com/johnsmith. You can also choose to add a custom word, phrase, or area of your specialisation after your name (like "product-recruitment" or "specialist-recruiter") to further personalise your profile and help people know what you do.14. Content Always post appropriate and original content (appropriate to you, your role, your expertise, etc), and use videos, images, and pictures wherever possible. Consistency is important when interacting on LinkedIn – post/interact at least every 3 days.15. Add your volunteer work Volunteering and social responsibility demonstrate that you are willing to give back to your community and it also shows the areas of interest to you. Plus, volunteering can help you develop new skills and it can also help you meet new people with different life experiences.16. Use industry-specific keywordsUse industry-specific keywords to optimise your LinkedIn profile so that people who are looking for your skills will find you. If you know someone who works in the industry you want to work in, ask them what keywords they use on their profiles. That way, when someone searches for those keywords, your profile will show up at the top of the list.17. Let recruiters know you’re open Lastly, if you are actively looking for new opportunities you can turn the “Open Candidate” option on, for better visibility for recruiters. Consider getting one of the LinkedIn Premium plans – with features such as InMail, seeing more profiles when you search, access to premium search filters and the ability to view expanded profiles, and more.Once the New Year has passed and you are back in the office, if you are open to new roles, this is a great time to get in touch with your specialist recruiter – have a conversation about what you are looking for – it is a great opportunity for your recruiter to fully understand your career direction, experience, and skill-set. This ensures you get the process started early on, without the danger of not being able to find the time, or missing out on those early roles that need to be filled quickly.

•  Victoria Butt
•  5th Oct 2022

Webrover’s founder and Managing Director is Saxon Huggins and we like his business a lot here at Parity Consulting. Webrover extracts, transforms & loads any data (we used it for job adverts) from the web into their clients’ systems. This automation saves them time & intelligence helping them target customers more effectively.Webrover and Saxon have a few things in common...They both make the recruitment/talent acquisition industry better;While contributing more than you expect;And they are both super easy to be around.We have posted our FY2023 Salary Guide & Insights recently and Webrover’s intelligence made all the difference, providing us with job advert volumes in the disciplines of Product, Pricing, Marketing, Digital and Data. The system was super intuitive to use, and I was delighted with the data I could draw upon.​Saxon describes Webrover as an organisation focused on Innovation, Results, Purpose. They are passionate about helping clients to save time and make money by using data to power their business intelligently and automatically. Saxon is a serial entrepreneur and incredible family man. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is:​“Don't bite off more than you can chew, there's time, prioritise yourself & family & make sure work supports them.”​When asking Saxon about the future of work, I received an answer quite different to the normal. It was refreshing to hear Saxon believes in the ‘sustainable collective’ rather than the ‘individual’. He is passionate about conserving natural resources and promoting society’s innovation rather than encouraging people to pursue individual gains.​Saxon and his team at Webrover partner with Parity Consulting to provide mutual value to our joint customers and clients. It’s a respectful partnership based on trust and communication.If you have not come across Webrover or Saxon Huggins, please connect with him HERE.www.webrover.com​Victoria is an Executive Search Specialist, entrepreneur, Founder and Managing Director of Parity Consulting; a thought leader, wife and mother, blogger, and a wine snob! She believes in life by design and is blessed to have found her career home in the training & recruitment industry, founding Parity Consulting on the belief that the candidate and client must be equal within the hiring process.Parity Consulting works with clients who embrace diverse and inclusive environments and empower their teams to bring their authentic whole self to work. We encourage people with different beliefs, abilities, backgrounds and life experiences to contact us.Feel free to reach out to Victoria Butt on +61 402 418 326 or vbutt@parityconsulting.com.au​