November 23, 2011

Asked to rate their bosses, Australia’s employees have delivered a pass mark for their performance, with an average score of 6.5 out of 10.

Only 42 per cent of respondents say that their bosses have done a good job in preparing them for future success, 40 per cent say they have not been well-prepared, and 18 per cent are uncertain.

The findings are part of the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which obtained the views of approximately 97,000 people in 30 countries, including 4,334 in Australia.

57 per cent of respondents would be willing to recommend their current employer to a friend or acquaintance.

Karen Colfer, managing director, Kelly Services Australia, said, “Employees’ views of an organisation carry a lot of credibility and send a clear signal about how people are managed and the best places to work. They have a significant impact on the ability of a business to attract and retain talent.”

Results of the survey in Australia show:
* Both Gen Y (aged 18-29) and Gen X (aged 30-47) agree that Gen X make the best leaders with 46 per cent of Gen X and 41 per cent of Gen Y choosing Gen X as the best leaders. Baby boomers (aged 48-65) strongly believe that their own generation are the superior business managers with 54 per cent of baby boomer respondents choosing baby boomers as the best leaders.
* The most important quality in a good boss is communication style, nominated by 28 per cent, ahead of leadership style at 23 per cent and vision and clear direction at 20 per cent.
* 39 per cent of respondents describe their organisation’s leadership culture as either “empowering” or “inclusive”. 34 per cent describe it as “authoritative” or “oppressive”.
* 48 per cent say that their efforts at work are recognised and rewarded.
* Among those respondents who say they feel rewarded and recognised for their work 69 per cent say this takes the form of being “noticed by management”, while 15 per cent receive bonuses or incentives, and 12 per cent are acknowledged through formal programs.

Colfer said, “Employers are under intense scrutiny from a range of stakeholders, and employees are increasingly making judgements about their effectiveness, and how they rate as desirable places to work.

“Employers need to be aware of this scrutiny and ensure that career development is a priority and that hard work does not go unnoticed.”

For more information about these survey results and other key global findings, please visit the Kelly Global Workforce Index.

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About the Kelly Global Workforce Index™
The Kelly Global Workforce Index is an annual survey revealing opinions about work and the workplace from a generational viewpoint. Approximately 97,000 people from the Americas, APAC and EMEA responded to the 2011 survey with results published on a quarterly basis. Kelly Services was the recipient of a MarCom Platinum Award in 2010 and a Gold Award in 2009 for the Kelly Global Workforce Index in the Research/Study category.

About Kelly Services®
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions.  Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire basis.  Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion.  Visit www.kellyservices.com and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Penny O’Reilly, General Manager, Kelly Services Australia, said, “After the selection process, on-boarding is arguably the single most critical step to ensuring the success of new employees.

“Even the most successful on-boarding programs will not eliminate unwanted turnover but an outstanding on-boarding program can help reduce the volume of new hire turnover, which is costly and time consuming.”

By failing to build an effective on-boarding program into the standard business process, companies lose the perfect opportunity to instil their values and corporate culture, and risk stifling employees’ excitement and enthusiasm.

O’Reilly said, “Unfortunately many companies view the on-boarding process as a necessary evil, an uncomfortable afterthought to the hiring process. Employers need to remember that other than the recruiting period, orientation is the first image an employee has of the company – a picture that will likely stay with the employee throughout his or her tenure.

“A thoughtfully planned and executed on-boarding program helps ease the transition to the workplace. Companies that keep orientation intentional, and even lively, go a long way to tapping the full skill set of the new hire as well as igniting his or her excitement and enthusiasm. It’s well worth the investment of time and resources to get the new employee to be a fully engaged member of the team as soon as possible.”

To reduce employee turnover and help new staff members adopt a great attitude, employees should consider the below nine tips for implementing a successful on-boarding program:

1. Coming attractions. Before the new employee reports on the first day, send them a package that provides an overall picture of the organisation and conveys your excitement about them coming on board. Focus on what each area does and how all the employees are connected, but keep it light.

2. Make it hands-on and face-to-face. If you want to make a good impression on your newly hired employee, start by replacing the company orientation manual with human interaction. On-boarding processes that incorporate human interaction enhance effectiveness, satisfaction and retention – and will help your company realise a valuable return on your investment.

3. Start the program with the most important issues. Everyone is more alert at the beginning of the day or program. This gives you time to fully cover the important issues and considerations.

4. Promote communication. Generation X and Y workers, in particular, seek one-on-one communication with a supervisor who is approachable and appreciative. A hands-on manager or supervisor will help new employees understand what’s expected of them, and where/how they fit into the big picture.

5. Position managers in key on-boarding roles. Managers should play a key role in the new employee’s on-boarding experience. By setting understandable expectations on both sides, employees know what they need to accomplish and, equally important, they also know what to expect from their managers.

6. Don’t overwhelm new employees with too many details or introductions at once. Even the brightest new employee can be overwhelmed with data, information, and new people if they’re presented in ‘machine gun’ fashion. Space out your program to keep it interesting and digestible. Covering policies and procedures, then interjecting an introduction or two, and finally moving to some duties and responsibilities should keep the new employee’s interest and let them better absorb the information.

7. Use a buddy/mentor system. Having an experienced employee serve as an orientation mentor for the new staff member accomplishes a number of positive goals. This action can relieve new employee anxiety, provide a primary source of information after orientation, and offer a ‘buddy’ to help the new employee start their tenure in the right direction.

8. Make it last. Most employees need to know they’re doing a good job, so keep the feedback flowing after the first few weeks on the job. Ongoing meetings with a new employee are a great venue for keeping the lines of communication open.

9. Establish reachable goals. New employees want to contribute to their workplace as quickly as possible. Give them real work that can be completed within the first few weeks. Getting these employees “up and running” as soon as possible gives a new employee a sense of being a valuable and necessary member of the team.

O’Reilly said, “Using these tips helps create a successful new employee on-boarding program by infusing a sense of belonging as well as dispensing critical information to help improve the chances of a high-performing tenure.”

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About Kelly Services
Kelly Services Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA,  KELYB) is a recognised provider of world-class workforce solutions, offering an array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as staffing on a temporary, contract and permanent placement basis. Kelly Services has been leading the recruitment industry for more than 60 years, setting the industry benchmark with unique and innovative recruitment and retention strategies. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, US, Kelly serves clients in all major markets throughout the world, including more than 90 per cent of the Fortune 500®.

According to employment experts Kelly Executive, in these testing economic times, those managers that demonstrate confidence in their team and their own abilities and experience will ultimately have a greater chance of succeeding compared to those who let financial concerns dominate actions.

Sally Charles, General Manager, Kelly Executive said, “In the current economic climate the first action of many leaders is to ‘bunker down’. This approach seldom generates exciting and positive results. Managers can find it challenging to discard ‘survival mode’ in favour of creative market growth action plans.

“Smart employers that remain focused on growing their business will have an opportunity to take business away from those that have chosen a defensive approach.

“Outside the box thinking and high creativity are key factors for generating success in times of uncertainty, and it’s important to remember resources often already exist within the business particularly in the form of people,” Charles said.

Kelly Executive offers the following advice for staying ahead of the game in an unstable economic climate:

* Retain key people – Focus on ensuring you retain key clients and employees. This sends a clear message of stability and maintains a strong base from which you can drive a growth strategy. It also makes sense to focus on growing existing clients first before going to market looking for new clients.

* Generate higher profit margins – It’s difficult to achieve higher margins by raising prices during down economies. Often, increasing cost controls and eliminating unnecessary expenses is key. Be wary of slashing headcount during these times as this will lead to a rapid loss of corporate knowledge and customer relationships.

* Create new income streams – Look to employees for new ideas, instead of relying on your usual methods of idea generation, and tap into the internal skills pool to see of you can use existing employees to extend the business’ reach. Innovative thinking can generate new income stream ideas. Think about complementary products and services, new ways to sell and promote current products, and/or creative pricing that opens new income possibilities.

* Increase and improve performance – Continue to motivate employees, provide feedback, and most importantly lead by example. The right employees will be willing to ‘step-up’ and take on a little extra to help the business through tough times.
“Ultimately, Kelly Executive advises managers to resist the temptation to head into the bunker. Instead leverage internal resources to achieve market growth and stay ahead of the game,” said Charles.

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About Kelly Executive
Kelly Executive is part of Kelly Services Inc. and focuses on recruiting executive and management professionals in either a full-time, contract or part-time capacity across all industries. Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion. Visit: www.kellyexecutive.com.au.

The guide reports on salary ranges for a wide scope of roles and provides commentary on the employment market in each State.

Penny O’Reilly, General Manager, Kelly Services said, “The Australian employment market is undergoing a fundamental shift at present, with employers and employees showing a preference for part-time employees over full-time employees.

“Rising living costs are forcing the baby boomer population to take up part-time work and stay in the workforce longer. Younger workers are proactively looking for a better work/life balance, and ongoing policy uncertainty surrounding Australia’s mining and resources activity is creating a difficult period for businesses.

“The extent of the change and the underlying vulnerability it is creating is being masked by a steady unemployment rate. This means for many organisations the shift is not even on the radar.”

The robust recovery and growth evident in the Australian economy during the last half of 2010 settled during the first half of 2011. This led to many business leaders taking the opportunity to reassess their long-term strategies in light of changing employee attitudes and policy uncertainty at a national level.

Despite Australia’s mining boom continuing to forge ahead, a lack of long term certainty created by the pending carbon tax and falling consumer sentiment means a level of “pessimism” has crept back into the business community.

Employers are once again choosing to take a defensive approach to hiring, shying away from full-time hires, and choosing to hire part-time or temporary employees as a stop-gap while they assess the changing market.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics national unemployment figures between April and June 2011 demonstrate this shift showing that more than 10,000 full-time jobs were lost to the economy across April, May and June 2011 while 21,100 part-time jobs were created.

O’Reilly said, “Although overall hiring intentions have slowed this year compared to 2010, many employers are still looking to hire. Identifying and attracting high quality candidates in a talent short market continues to be a major issue, which means that candidates remain in the position of power to be selective about the roles they consider and more demanding about base salaries and other financial benefits.

“Kelly Services expects that certainty and confidence will begin returning to the market over the last quarter of 2011 and the first half of 2012. During this time demand for permanent hiring will increase sharply as most employers shift back to a more traditional business structure that relies more heavily on permanent staff than temporary staff,” O’Reilly said.

Commentary by State
Australian Capital Territory
* Kelly Services is seeing is remarkably high levels of business confidence in the ACT, evidenced by the robust and bullish hiring attitudes seen in the first quarter of 2011.
* While the public sector heavily underpins the strength of the employment market in the ACT, Kelly Services expects to see higher than usual activity levels within the private sector this year as employers prepare for a predicted growth phase, especially within areas such as IT, accounting and finance.
* The increase in private sector activity in the ACT is predicted to drive the shortage of IT, accounting and administration professionals within the public sector even higher, as public sector talent looks to move into the private arena.
* While the public sector is working hard to streamline employment and promotion processes in a bid to compete with private organisations on the attraction and retention front, talent shortage still continues to loom as a major issue for government.
* 2011 salaries have been inflated slightly as a result of the influx of private sector activity.

New South Wales
* While confidence, along with high level hiring activity returned to the NSW financial sector during 2010, early in 2011 Kelly Services is seeing NSW employers shifting to a more cautious approach to hiring.
* With confidence expected to return to construction, mining and resources on a national scale during the last quarter of 2011, Kelly Services believes the NSW employment market is in a position to regain its traditional strength.
* Kelly Services expects sectors including banking and finance, engineering, construction, property and IT will respond strongly to renewed confidence at a national level.

Queensland
* Without doubt the catastrophic weather events that hit Queensland during the first two months of 2011 had a tremendous impact on the state.
* During this period Kelly Services has seen employers focus 100 per cent of their attention on the rebuild process. In most cases this meant a return to the same defensive, temporary hiring mode employers demonstrated during the GFC.
* Unsurprisingly, Kelly Services expects engineering and construction experts, trades people and project managers will continue to be in demand throughout Queensland into the middle of 2012.
* During the second half of 2011 Kelly Services expects some level of normality to surface in areas of the Queensland market not as severely impacted by the weather including professional services, financial services and IT, it is widely accepted the full recovery process including industries such as mining, resources and tourism will not be complete until well into 2012.

South Australia
* The make-up of the South Australian employment market is changing with South Australia no longer reliant on the manufacturing industry to underpin its employment strength.
* According to Kelly Services this shift is part of a wider growth trend within South Australia that has seen business activity and demand for talent increase across IT, professional services, construction, and engineering.
* Employers in South Australia appear to be taking a cautiously optimistic approach with demand increasing for temporary employees as employers look to meet growth aspirations without the commitment of long-term, permanent employment contracts.
* Kelly Services expects business confidence levels, as well as hiring activity levels to continue growing in South Australian during 2011, with high growth industries such as healthcare and construction expected to dominate the South Australian market for the remainder of 2011.

Victoria
* Kelly Services says business confidence remains high in Victoria with a number of significant and major infrastructure projects scheduled to start and hiring activity levels within the construction, professional services and scientific industries showing signs of continued improvement.
* Despite the ongoing confidence, Kelly Services says Victorian employers look to be maintaining a focus on short-term, temporary and contract hiring, especially in the banking and finance area.
* Kelly Services expects to see a shift to a more permanent focus during the course of 2011 as the long term visibility available to employers becomes apparent.
* The drive for business growth coupled with above average hiring activity within Victoria is expected to continue during 2011, underpinned by high levels of business activity in the financial and professional services sectors, which in turn will increase demand for IT and administrative talent.

Western Australia
* Western Australia continues to be the main driver and overall powerhouse of positivity in the Australian employment market, with significant growth continuing to be recognised across the mining and resources sector.
* Kelly Services is seeing the undeniable strength and continued growth of the WA resources sector has result in flow-on demand for talent in the construction and engineering industry as well as the professional services, financial services, and IT industries as new mines are established and require infrastructure and support.
* Although the WA economy continues to gain momentum, the skills shortage continues to bite at exacerbated levels given the State’s geographical isolation and the volume of multi-billion dollar construction projects currently underway.
* WA wages are predicted to spike sharply again during 2011 with wage growth predictions sitting anywhere between 5 per cent and 20 per cent, depending on the specifics of the role and industry.
* Despite WA-based employers being accustomed to sourcing talent from interstate or overseas. According to Kelly Services, in many cases the talent shortage is the only factor stifling higher activity levels.
* Kelly Services expects that employers will continue to offer well above market average financial incentives and remuneration in order to attract quality talent.

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About the Kelly Services Salary Guide
The Kelly Services 2011 Salary Guide is designed to provide both employers and job seekers with salary information on a wide range of roles, providing the ability to benchmark a role or an individual against other areas of expertise or against the same role in another area of the country.

The Kelly Services 2011 Salary Guide covers both qualified and non-qualified roles in both the professional and industrial sectors and is broken down by areas of specialisation found within Kelly Services (office support, professional support, call centre and industrial). The guide also provides a state by state overview of Australia’s diverse employment market.

About Kelly Services
Kelly Services Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA,  KELYB) is a recognised provider of world-class workforce solutions, offering an array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as staffing on a temporary, contract and permanent placement basis. Kelly Services has been leading the recruitment industry for more than 60 years, setting the industry benchmark with unique and innovative recruitment and retention strategies. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, US, Kelly serves clients in all major markets throughout the world, including more than 90 per cent of the Fortune 500®.

A recent survey of organisations that employ scientific professionals showed almost a third (32 per cent) employ 10 per cent or more of their scientific team on a of temporary or contract basis. More importantly, 19 per cent of those organisations surveyed plan to increase the number of temporary and contract staff during the remainder of 2011.

Paul O’Brien, director, Kelly Scientific Resources Australia, said, “The nature of the workforce is changing. Australia has an ageing population that needs to work longer, and a younger generation that believe in working to live, which means that employees are increasingly demanding temporary and contract positions that meet their current circumstances.

“A large majority of employees no longer want to commit to being at work 38 hours a week on a permanent basis and are looking for flexibility offered by temporary and contract positions. Employers need to be willing to adapt to meet this growing demand.

“The scientific sector is heavily reliant on permanent employees, with only one in ten employees hired on a temporary or contract basis. Kelly Scientific Resources is predicting, based on demographics of the scientific workforce, that in five years, employers will be less reliant on permanent staff and more reliant on temporary and contract employees.

“Kelly Scientific Resources is definitely seeing an increased acceptance of temporary and contract style employment opportunities among the candidates we speak to. Especially among those that work in the chemical, food and beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturing areas as these organisations operate on a 24/7 rotating roster and need scientific support at all times.

“The fact the research shows employers across all sectors are now looking to increase temporary employees in the next six to 12 months is an indication of things to come.”

Kelly Scientific Resources offers the following tips for employers looking to prepare for a more temporary workforce:

1. Change your mindset. Employers need to become more open to the idea of hiring temporary and contract staff in the scientific sector. Having temporary/contract employees provides employers with the opportunity to engage certain skills on demand and offers flexibility in terms of resources and budget.

2. Be proactive. Start planning now for the shift in the market and look at ways to change your business operations and workflow to accommodate temporary staff.

3. Invest time. Take the time to get to know your temporary staff and show them the ropes. It is important not to dismiss them because they will only be a part of your business for a short period. This will create a temporary employee pool that you can draw on when needed that is trained, aware of the culture of your business and that wants to work for you.

4. Re-hire. Keep track of temporary employees that have demonstrated their skills and work ethic. Offering future temporary positions to employees that you have had positive experiences with provides reassurance and reduces training time as the employee is already familiar with the way you work.

5. Investigate the cost savings. Having temporary employees can equate to savings on the bottom line. Less permanent employees’ means less ongoing costs associated with employee benefits.

“Temporary positions are a vital and necessary part of the workforce giving employers and employees flexibility to fill and take positions as required suiting both parties’ needs,” O’Brien said.

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About Kelly Scientific Resources
As a division of Kelly Services, Kelly Scientific Resources has been solely dedicated to and has built considerable expertise in identifying and placing qualified science professionals. All Kelly Scientific consultants have qualifications in science ranging from Diplomas through to PhD level and have experience working within the scientific industry. Kelly Scientific – where scientists recruit scientists.

About Kelly Services
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA,  KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions.  Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire basis.  Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion. Visit www.kellyservices.com.

Penny O’Reilly, General Manager, Kelly Services said, “Reference checking is a vital step in the recruitment process, but employers often don’t consider it to be as important as other stages. By conducting reference checks you can avoid finding out the hard way that a candidate has misrepresented themselves when applying for a position.

“It is crucial that employers verify the information presented on a candidates resume is factual and reference checking is a great way to assess a person’s work ethic, reliability and personality traits.

“Effective reference checking is an art. Unfortunately it’s an art that many hiring managers cannot master, so it is regularly overlooked. The challenge is to get the information you need without overstepping the legal boundaries.

“The increased trend towards using social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to reference check candidates demonstrates the fact that increasingly hiring managers are reluctant to pick up the phone and make personalised reference check calls. Social media should not be used as a substitute to personal conversations with a candidate’s previous manager.”

According to Kelly Services, reference checking is as important to the hiring process as the interview. Reference checking provides employers with an opportunity to ask about issues raised by other referees or identified from other stages of the selection process.

Kelly has developed four tips for conducting a reference check.
1. Only deal with direct managers. When conducting a reference check you have to clearly establish the working relationship between the candidate and the referee. Previous managers and superiors are more likely to answer questions about working habits and capabilities rather than peers who may be friends with that employee.

2. Ask specific questions relating to the skills required for the job. There are four key checks that employers need to focus on when conducting a reference check.
- Performance check. Ask questions like, ‘can you give me an example of the candidate performing x task’?
- Behavioural and reliability check. Ask questions like, ‘can you give me an example of how diligent and reliable the candidate was’?
- Motivational check. Ask questions like, ‘can you give me examples of ways the candidate was looking for new ways to learn and grow’?
- Technical skills check. This gets into the nitty gritty of the job at hand. Make sure you ask questions that will identify that the candidate knows and has certain skills. Where possible, ask for examples to back it up.

3. Avoid offensive questions that could be considered discriminatory. These include questions relating to marital status, physical appearance, sexual preference, family/child care arrangements, or health, unless you can demonstrate that they are an inherent requirement of the position. Any comments or criticisms relating to an applicant’s disability, gender, race, or other potential grounds for discrimination are not relevant and should be disregarded.

4. Don’t ask closed questions. Don’t ask questions where a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer is provided. All answers should follow with a reason why. Employers need to pull the strings further to get more usable and useful information. Listing achievements and different impressions must be followed with a ‘why’.

“Every employer wants to make sure they are hiring the right person for the job, which is why comprehensive reference checking should be carried out appropriately every time,” O’Reilly said.

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About Kelly Services
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA,  KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions.  Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire basis.  Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion. Visit www.kellyservices.com.

Just 12 per cent of respondents say that formal education has been the major driver behind their career development.

Despite this, 95 per cent of respondents rated upgrading qualifications and skills as either extremely important or important to progressing their career.

The findings about career choice and career progression are part of the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which obtained the views of approximately 97,000 people in 30 countries, including 4,334 in Australia.

Karen Colfer, managing director, Kelly Services Australia, said, “Employers are not dismissing formal education but are becoming more interested in experience when making recruitment decisions and evaluating employees for career progression.

“While formal education forms the base of a career, as employees progress in their career life-cycle and gain real world skills and experience the emphasis on formal education reduces proportionally.”

The Kelly Global Workforce Index found that 64 per cent of respondents believe that when looking for a job the best indicator of your talent to a prospective employer is experience, followed by job interview performance at 22 per cent, references at 10 per cent and education at 4 per cent.

Colfer said, “Businesses are still finding their feet after facing tough conditions during the last few years, and as a result are revaluating the way they recruit.

“Tough conditions have meant that businesses were forced to put constraints on training in the workplace and the volume of training has dropped off. This means employers are being presented with a higher number of candidates that have not been engaged in formal education in the past few years.

“As a result employers are shifting their thinking to evaluate the experience of a person first and foremost. Ultimately experience is currently outweighing ongoing formal education when evaluating candidates.

“In a perfect world candidates would have both ongoing formal education and experience but in reality this is not always the case.”

The survey confirmed the common belief that the career-for-life has vanished, with 51 per cent of respondents expecting to switch careers within the next five years.

The main cause, cited by 30 per cent, is the need for improved work-life balance, followed by changing personal interests (28 per cent), and the need for higher income (20 per cent).

Colfer said, “For an earlier generation, a change of career would have been something of a crisis but today it is seen as a reflection of shifts in demand for different skills and occupations, as well as changing personal interests on the part of employees.

“As individuals take greater control of their careers, there is an increased likelihood that employees will move in and out of the workforce for both professional and lifestyle reasons. Employers and employees will both need to adapt to this new workplace reality, where the smooth career pathway will be the exception rather than the rule,” Colfer said.

Key Australian findings include:
* The industry sectors in which employees will face the greatest likelihood of career change are:
o travel/leisure at 63 per cent
o hospitality at 58 per cent
o utilities at 57 per cent
o education at 57 per cent.
* In determining the most important elements in a person’s career, experience or formal education, 86 per cent nominate experience, 12 per cent cite formal education and 2 per cent are undecided.
* 64 per cent believe that when recruiting, the best indicator of a person’s talent is their work experience, 22 per cent believe it is job interview performance, 10 per cent believe it is job references and 4 per cent believe it is education.

For more information about these survey results and other key global findings, please visit the Kelly Global Workforce Index.

-ENDS-

About the Kelly Global Workforce Index™
The Kelly Global Workforce Index is an annual survey revealing opinions about work and the workplace from a generational viewpoint. Approximately 97,000 people from the Americas, APAC and EMEA responded to the 2011 survey with results published on a quarterly basis. Kelly Services was the recipient of a MarCom Platinum Award in 2010 and a Gold Award in 2009 for the Kelly Global Workforce Index in the Research/Study category.

About Kelly Services®
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire basis.  Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion.  Visit www.kellyservices.com and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

There is an enormous appeal for employees to work anywhere, anytime. Mobile devices are removing the process of work from the constraints of an office, which means that employees can work in a way that suits their personal agenda and capabilities. Due to the growing popularity of mobile devices, employees are now able to work away from the office and while this provides greater freedom and flexibility, Australian employees run the risk of working longer hours for no real gain.

The appeal for businesses is that these mobile devices reduce response times, cut costs, improve customer service and can ‘theoretically’ enhance the efficiency and productivity of employees.

While this may be positive for increasing productivity and work-life balance in the short term, Kelly Executive warns of the risk of a long term trend in overworked employees as they are working longer hours and feel obliged to have to log on and stay ‘switched on’ after hours.

Kelly Executive fears that an employee will always be in the work mind frame, which is not the healthiest work-life arrangement.

Sally Charles, General Manager, Kelly Executive said, “Mobile technology lifts productivity but can lengthen working hours for Australian employees. The biggest concern is the potential of overworked or ‘burnt’ out employees. It is possible that employers may abuse the capability of these mobile devices, even inadvertently.

“Employees may become overwhelmed and overworked by technology. Employees may feel that they are unable to escape work and they may begin feeling powerless about the pace of job goals and tasks. Technology offers greater convenience but can potentially fuel the flames of stress that may cause more mistakes. It is crucial that employers communicate the importance of rest and down time outside of work to avoid these issues.”

Employers need to find a happy medium when addressing this issue and understand how to achieve optimal performance from their staff without overstepping the boundaries.

Kelly Executive offers employers the following tips to avoid technology abuse:
* provide constant feedback and the right environment to nurture enthusiasm

* work on providing the most effective tools to increase business skills while at the same time providing leadership that aligns the workers around the companies vision,  with that being – ‘we want you to work hard, but take sufficient breaks and have some down time’

* realise that employees can only reach peak performance when they are given the right kinds of tools to succeed. Employers need to better understand worker capabilities and what drives optimal performance

* recognise when employees are not working at their optimal level due to blurring of work and personal time. When employers notice a change in working habit, it needs to be addressed immediately.

Charles said, “Employees also need to take responsibility for managing their time and prioritising to ensure they are able carry out their job role within designated working hours. There is no question that sometimes work requires us to go above and beyond and be available after hours, but this should be the exception and not the rule.

“Most employers give out mobile devices as a perk and convenience while ensuring adequate client service and accessibility, not with the expectation that employees are always online, which is often misinterpreted. Hence, employees needn’t be afraid to speak up if they feel they are being overworked.”

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About Kelly Executive
Kelly Executive is part of Kelly Services Inc. and focuses on recruiting executive and management professionals in either a full-time, contract or part-time capacity across all industries. Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion.
Visit: www.kellyexecutive.com.au

The findings are part of the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which obtained the views of approximately 97,000 people in 30 countries, including more than 4,000 in Australia.

The survey shows 29 per cent of respondents secured their most recent position through an online job posting, the leading source of jobs. Other methods of securing employment included:

* 21 per cent through recruitment/staffing firms
* 21 per cent through ‘word-of-mouth’
* 13 per cent through direct approaches from employers
* 9 per cent through print advertisements
* 1 per cent through social media outlets.

Karen Colfer, Managing Director, Kelly Services Australia, said, “It is no surprise to see that online job boards remain the dominant channel through which people find work in Australia, however it was interesting to note just how few had actually secured roles through social media outlets.

The survey, conducted from October 2010 through January 2011, shows that while social media is being actively used by 13 per cent of respondents as a job search tool, its success rate in actually helping job seekers secure a job is low – only 1 per cent report they used social media to secure their last role.

Colfer said, “There is no doubt the use of social media as a job seeking tool will increase over time as it becomes more and more engrained in our everyday lives.  Ultimately it has the power to let people target the exact job they want, and even the organisation where they want to work.

“It’s clear that social networking is changing the way that people communicate and engage in conversations about work opportunities. Like any new technology, people are learning that there are positives and negatives, and they need to be careful that they are tapping into the best elements of the Internet when their careers are involved.”

“Our advice to job seekers is to continue proactively managing their ‘digital portfolios’ using their online profiles as a as a ‘digital resume’. Social media is also a valuable search and networking tool so we certainly encourage people to engage through the medium.

Key findings of the survey include:

* 29 per cent of job seekers secured their last role using online job boards, while only one per cent of job seekers secured their last role through social media outlets.
* 25 per cent of respondents are worried that material from their social networking sites could adversely impact their careers.
* When using social media to search for jobs, Facebook is the most popular social media site for Gen Y (aged 18-29) and Gen X (aged 30-47), but LinkedIn is preferred by baby boomers (aged 48-65).
* 27 per cent of Gen Y respondents believe it is essential to be active on social media in order to advance their careers, but only 20 per cent of Gen X and 13 per cent of baby boomers feel the same way.
* 36 per cent of respondents’ employers have social networking policies that regulate use at work.
* Industries where employees are most active in online conversations include travel/leisure (34%), retail (33%) and IT (32%).

For more information about these survey results and other key global findings, please visit the Kelly Global Workforce Index.

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About the Kelly Global Workforce Index™
The Kelly Global Workforce Index is an annual survey revealing opinions about work and the workplace from a generational viewpoint. Approximately 97,000 people from the Americas, APAC and EMEA responded to the 2011 survey with results published on a quarterly basis. Kelly Services was the recipient of a MarCom Platinum Award in 2010 and a Gold Award in 2009 for the Kelly Global Workforce Index in the Research/Study category.

About Kelly Services
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions.  Kelly offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire basis.  Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion.  Visit www.kellyservices.com.au.

With predictions stating up to one million jobs will be created in the environmental sector in Australia by 2030*, Kelly Scientific believes more focus needs to go into skilling the workforce to meet growing demand.

Paul O’Brien, director, Kelly Scientific Resources Australia, said, “The global trend towards businesses being more environmentally aware is well and truly underway.

“Environmental considerations are now part of most business decision-making processes. This trend will naturally increase with time as we continue building awareness, but will be exacerbated by the introduction of policies such as carbon pricing.

“The ultimate result will be an increased demand for scientists and engineers that have environmental credentials,” Mr O’Brien said.

Mr O’Brien said the demand for green jobs in Australia is already high but he expects it to explode over the coming 12 months to two years.

“The volume of environment focused roles being advertised on both generalist job boards as well as specialist scientific job boards is rising steadily and has been for some time.

“The issue is we currently don’t have the volume of expertise in Australia to meet the demand. Employers want to hire people with environmental qualifications and experience in the field, however this industry is so new it is very hard to find people with both.” 

According to Mr O’Brien in order to rectify the current skills gap two things need to happen:

1. Employers need to be prepared to help employees gain experience in this field to help improve the national talent pool.

2. Education leaders need to encourage school leavers to focus their tertiary education in the environmental science area to ensure a long-term pipeline of talent is available.

“Our experience talking to younger candidates indicates that school leavers and university students have recognised the opportunities in the sector and have started to shift their study patterns.  Students are increasingly majoring in environmental studies as opposed to majoring in other scientific areas.

“Kelly Scientific has a dedicated team in place focused on coaching employers through this period by using specialist sourcing strategies, but the bottom line is it is tough to find suitable talent.

“The news is good for environmental professionals currently in the market because we expect employers will be extremely focused on retaining these people.”

-ENDS-

*Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Australian Conservation Foundation report, 2008.

About Kelly Scientific Resources
As a division of Kelly Services, Kelly Scientific Resources has been solely dedicated to and has built considerable expertise in identifying and placing qualified science professionals.  All Kelly Scientific consultants have qualifications in science ranging from Diplomas through to PhD level and have experience working within the scientific industry. Kelly Scientific – where scientists recruit scientists.

About Kelly Services
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:  KELYA,  KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions.  Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire basis.  Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion. Visit www.kellyservices.com.au