Avoiding the crunch at crunch time

By Julie Sloan
(this paper formed the basis of a speech to the Public Libraries Conference in Adelaide in August 2007.)

Abstract: Libraries and Information Service Providers (LIS) are vulnerable in the current war for talent. They need to work collaboratively to develop accurate workforce data so they can retain and recruit the required workforce. In South Australia, the issue has a level of urgency above other States as the demographic is skewed to older workers. Organisations need to develop smart workforce strategies to retain and recruit employees. They should be cautious about any quick fix approach. Sustainable workforce development is not achievable by making decisions on anecdotal data. Libraries need to make sure their data on workforce demand and supply is accurate and robust. It is critical that accountability for workforce planning is taken by the senior leadership within organisations.

Australian business operates within a dynamic and complex economic, legislative and industrial environment.

Businesses also face a raft of challenges arising from globalisation and the shift in Australia's population demographics.

Not only do they need to accommodate an increasingly diverse and mobile workforce, they also need to plan for an ageing workforce.

As a consequence, it is critical that businesses implement workforce planning initiatives so they can access accurate workforce intelligence. This is essential for demand and supply forecasting.

But these issues are not exclusive to business. Organisations such as libraries and other information services providers throughout the country also face 'crunch time'.

Crunch time will occur when the number of people exiting the labour market is greater than the number entering the labour market.

Crunch time in the Australian labour market is conservatively considered to be at 2016 - or slightly earlier in South Australia due to the older age demographics of the State - but employers are strongly advised to have workforce planning initiatives in place by 2009 as initial impact will be felt by as early as 2010 in many industries.

But the good news is many libraries and information providers are well on the way to developing accurate workforce data. While there's a good foundation, this sector is still vulnerable in the current and projected competitive labour market.

It's vulnerable to being lost under the umbrella of workforce development strategies established for other stronger and more visual workforces such as Local Government, education and peak professional bodies.

There's a critical need to be collectively ready for crunch time and to take responsibility for sector workforce development.

Libraries need to understand and remember the differences between the workforce demand and supply - the workforce we have/haven't got, and workforce development strategies - what we need to do to retain and recruit the required workforce.

What we know about the sector in South Australia
In South Australia, there are 340,000 jobs expected to be created within eight years - 91 per cent of these jobs will be caused by retirements. Three hundred and sixty of these job openings will be for librarians - 0.1 per cent.

How will employers compete in the war for talent? Currently there are 870 librarians in South Australia; taking into account retirement indicators, labour market projections indicate the following job openings for librarians in South Australia:

Working collectively you need to know - not anecdotally, but quantified, how these numbers equate nationally. Where will these jobs be in South Australia? What are the capabilities required to undertake these jobs? What is the current and projected supply source - by location, region, nationally? What are the alternative supply sources? What opportunities and barriers are there around job design and re-design to ensure a better match between demand and available supply?

Libraries and information service providers as a profession are well ahead in regard to macro workforce planning data.

But the sector must move collaboratively - and with urgency - to gather and manage the impact of micro workforce planning issues such as -

• Impact on retention of increasing work demands and changing role of LIS workforce;
   

• Working life intentions of current workforce and potential to extent transition to retirement to retain required skills;
   

• Impact of ageism, work related fatigue and bullying on retention of the current workforce and attraction of required workforce;
   

• Demand for job redesign - accuracy/relevance of: job title, responsibilities, training and accreditation;
   

• Community understanding of and impact on role and responsibility of LIS workers;
   

• Opportunities and barriers to sector led change.

Strategic workforce development needs to be managed at all levels - professional associations, peak bodies, regional organisations and in the current workforce.

It needs to be undertaken with other stakeholders, including those not traditionally associated with the librarian and information services professions including:

• young people;
   

• disengaged workforce (indigenous, newly settled migrant/refugee population, women with school age or older children and people with disabilities);
   

• second and third career workforce - such as people who have always had an interest in LIS as an employment option, but who have not until later in life had the opportunity to pursue it;
   

• pre-retirees;
  

• LIS alumni;
   

• Volunteer workforce - more than 35 per cent of the volunteer workforce is interested in securing paid work for between six to 10 hours per week. The research also indicates high qualification profiles in some of the volunteer workforce - indicating they may have all or some of the skills and capabilities required to work in LIS sector and may be a major supply source.

The answers to successful workforce development are with the current and future workforce. Make sure the signposts you put up about the LIS profession are accurate, relevant and noticed by the right people.

The pressure points for the LIS workforce
My research - benchmarked against other relevant data - has identified other trends in the workplace that are causing concern. This data includes LIS workers.

In the last 12 months research from five JSM client groups representing more than 2000 workers indicates that between seven per cent and 17 per cent had experienced workplace bullying in the last six months; and between 13% - 25% had witnessed workplace bullying in the last six months.

This is supported by SA Government workforce data, which indicates 22 per cent experienced and 37 per cent witnessed bullying in the last 12 months and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees this figure was 31 per cent who experienced bullying and 51 per cent who witnessed.

Close to 20 per cent of employees participating in workforce planning projects have reported work related fatigue. This fatigue is reported as being directly related to lack of resources to engage additional staff (even relief staff) and caused by overload - increasing service demands without additional staff or funds to undertake the work.

The issue is not about age.

It is not just older workers who are reporting fatigue directly related to lack of labour supply to assist with overload and taking leave. Workers as young as 25 who have been "fast tracked" into middle management positions are also regularly reporting work related fatigue with many indicating this is one of the key reasons they are not interested in remaining with their employers -more so than the usual Gen Y arguments currently being pushed.

Five per cent of workers participating in workforce planning projects have reported they have personally experience ageism at work. Sixteen per cent reported witnessing ageism at work and 30 per cent of these people are middle and senior managers.

This includes comments such as:

"My younger colleagues are constantly saying "when you fall off the perch we will be waiting to take your chair".

"My department manager is younger than most of the workers in our workgroup and often making jokes about age and our whole division being defined as the 'seniors corner'...because we are all located together because of our specialist technical skills...it gets to you after a while."

Is ageism being driven by Gen Y? How does this impact on retention and recruitment of skilled workers? The question is how relevant is workplace bullying, work related fatigue and ageism to retention and recruitment of the LIS labour supply.

I think it is important to recognise the growing 'culture' around ageism in the work force. It needs to be stopped and regulated/legislated consistent with other EEO issues.

As libraries begin to manage their projected labour supply gaps they need to remember workforce planning is not just about headcount.

They should be cautious about any quick fix approach. Sustainable workforce development is not achievable by making decisions on anecdotal data. Libraries need to make sure their foundation data on workforce demand and supply is accurate.

Workforce engagement (including contractors and if relevant, unpaid workforce including volunteers) is an essential element and they need to understand the difference between critical job groups (actual labour market shortage) and hard to fill job groups (skills available, but not enough people interested in working in these jobs.)

They should establish supply templates relevant to the LIS sector and incorporate critical time frames and demand projections. Supply templates should be straight forward and include who you have, who you need, when you need them, where you need them, risk assessment if you cannot attract them.

Target supply and engage the disengaged workforce.

Think job re-design - the current and projected labour market creates wonderful opportunities for job re-design - simply ask the questions - is LIS still relevant to the community as a job title? What does it mean? Can it be called something different to attract a new diversity of potential employees? Can the job be split to better match the labour supply i.e. components requiring training and accreditation, components requiring different attributes and capabilities - will this broaden our supply source?

Review the job to match available supply rather than putting all your energy into the highly competitive job market.

They should also consider opportunities for regional workforce planning including:

• Collaboration with a diverse range of regional industries;

• Shared workforces;

• Mobile workforces for critical job groups;

• Career pathways;

• Working arrangements;

• Shared training;

• Actual and supported flexibility;

• Reward and recognition; and

• Mapping and monitoring.

Finally, workforce planning is a strategic task and it is essential that responsibility is accepted at the most senior level of an organisation, enterprise or association.

References and Links referred to in this paper:

• www.workforceinfoservice.sa.gov.au
   

• National Skills Shortage for Local Government 'New Ways of thinking - doing business differently' - National Local Government Skills Shortage Steering Committee.
   

• Library workforce planning in Australia: A focus on learning, strengthening and moving the profession forward - Hallam Gillian C. (2007)
   

• Planning A Future Workforce: An Australia McCarthy Jenny (2005)
   

• The JSM website www.workforceplanning.com.au offers further subject links.

Copyright © 2007-2008 Julie Sloan Management Pty Ltd.