Difficult Jobs

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday June 2, 2007

Margot Date

In a period of high employment people are looking beyond money when applying for jobs. They think of ethics, the social standing of a company, any possible damage it does to the environment, its business success or whether its products cause health problems.

Helen Lea, head of human resources for British American Tobacco, which employs 2200 people in Australian and New Zealand, says some people wouldn't want to work for the organisation, or the tobacco industry in general.

"There is something about the industry that would disqualify some people, clearly not everybody, so understanding the dynamics behind that is important," she says. "We do research to understand what kinds of people are amenable to working in the industry."

Lea is leading a session at the Australian Human Resources Institute convention, "The talent challenge in a controversial industry". She says it is not just tobacco that people may have a problem with and there is something for others to learn.

"In a world where employment is full and people have so many choices, they start to make decisions based on higher order factors so I think you will see people who would be uncomfortable working in insurance, or in pharmaceuticals or in petrochemicals.

"I think in every industry you have your challenges and it is important to understand what groups that would exclude so you can target your recruitment initiatives."

A company may advertise a position "blind" through a recruitment agency so candidates have their interest piqued by the job rather than the organisation.

British American Tobacco makes information available on its website and Lea says this is invaluable for people who have questions about it, especially at the interview stage.

"People make very conscious decisions about coming in for an interview. They want to be sure they have answered lots of questions they may have themselves. It would be very rare these days that somebody would not have done some online research about the organisation."

The company was named as a Hewitt Best Employer in 2005. These types of external employee opinion surveys are a good way to see how the company compares with others.

Lea says BAT is "quite a generous organisation" with six months' paid maternity leave, paid paternity leave and bonus and short-term incentives for all employees. There are opportunities to work overseas.

"I think the way to hold on to people is not just about money," she says. "Different things appeal to different people. What is important is that what you promise at the time of an advertisement or the time of recruitment is actually what you deliver over and above the money."

The culture at work, the investment in training and development, the experience people have with their manager and career options all add to the experience at work.

Lea says the organisation has taken a leaf out of the books of others and is now trying to keep in touch with employees who have left. An exit interview is held when people leave and focus groups are held up to a year later.

"When you are in an exit interview it is all very fresh. A few months later you have been able to reflect and you have built the next part of your life and sometimes it is easier to be honest or to be more objective about the situation.

"We try to keep in contact with people because very often they realise they have had a very positive experience with BAT and at some point may want to return. An alumni group is very important and some employers do it very well.

"It is an important resource, people who already know you, people already have skills, capability, often they have gone out, they have had new experiences, they can return with new experiences and be more skilled. Provided they were people that were contributing you would be silly to not consider welcoming them back."

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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