In this newsletter we are going to cover:

Living with the flu and COVID  

The recent surge in COVID cases and winter flu has seen many businesses struggle with staff being away. As such, maintaining productivity and/or a high level of service has been a major challenge.

The normal strategy to cope with flu was asking more from the staff that are available (with some overtime, extra shifts etc.) and for business owners putting in extra hours themselves. However, with the COVID surge, associated isolation, and flu combined there is a perfect storm that is resulting in multiple staff being away for extended periods. This is causing businesses to struggle with staff fatigue and burnout for owners.

As there is no immediate relief on the horizon, an alternative strategy should be considered. A change of mindset, to operating within the staff resources that are available and accepting that you will produce less or operate at a lower level for a limited period. This will mean, in reality, that the start of some jobs will be delayed, and other jobs will take longer to complete.

For this strategy to be successful, you need to ensure that you prioritise the right jobs. Talk to your customers and find out what is actually urgent for them. Some of the jobs that were once urgent may no longer be as important, as they will have staff away as well.

For any customers that it will mean a significant delay, talk to them, and provide the best possible information that you can on their job. Like you, your customers would prefer an honest upfront approach rather a broken promise on delivery.

We like many of our clients have been struggling in this area, and we hope that through clear communication and understanding that we will continue to meet your expectations. If you have any concerns around timeframes please talk to the Manager or Partner you work with.

It's OK to be sick!

We have talked about changing strategy to reduce staff fatigue and burnout for business owners. That is only one side of the problem, the other is looking after yourself and staff and accepting that it is OK to be sick. Looking after your staff is critical at any time but is even more so given the difficulties to attract staff with the current low levels of unemployment. (See "Where has everyone gone?" below)

It’s not uncommon to hear people saying that “it is just taking so long to get over it this time”. But allowing your staff all the time they need to recover is key to getting them back and productive. In the present environment you will need to consider not just the current wellbeing of your staff but the possible impact of future infection in the workplace. Because of this managing how staff use their sick leave is a high priority and you should consider:

• It’s in your best interest to have your staff returning to work in good health. Don’t put undue stress on them to return to work before they are well.
• If staff have used their sick leave entitlement, then consider alternative options to manage this. You could offer leave without pay or sick leave in advance. With sick leave in advance, you need to be mindful that unless you get written authorisation to recoup any leave owing, you are not able to deduct this from an employees’ final pay
• Can they work part time?
• Are their options for your staff to do some work at home?
• There is the Covid sick leave scheme available for those who are at home recovering from Covid. If you would like assistance with an application, please do not hesitate to contact your Manager or Partner.

Welcome 2022 Graduates

We have three new accounting graduates that have joined the Polson Higgs team for 2022. Kelsey Clouston (who has already been with us for a year in the Workflow Administrator role), Tess Brais-Laflamme and Wilson Somerville. Read on to find out more about our new team members. 

Kelsey Clouston, Accountant

Kelsey grew up in Dunedin and Central Otago, eventually returning to Dunedin to complete her studies. She graduated in 2021 from the Open Polytechnic with a Bachelor of business, majoring in accounting. Her career with Polson Higgs began as Workflow Administrator in April 2021, but recently she has stepped into a Graduate Accountant role.

Outside of work, Kelsey’s hobbies include reading, music, and digital design. She enjoys spending time with her family and travelling with her husband and two boys. Kelsey also has a love of creating modern projects for her garden – which her husband often ends up completing.

Tess Brais-Laflamme, Accountant

Originally from Canada, Tess now calls Dunedin home. After spending a decade in Australia (originally intended as a gap year), she moved to Dunedin in 2019 to complete her studies and fell in love with Otago. In 2021, she graduated from Otago Polytechnic with a Bachelor of Applied Management, majoring in accounting, and is now a member of the Accounting Solutions team at Polson Higgs.

In her spare time, Tess enjoys exploring Otago, being involved in the community, and working on her art.

Wilson Somerville, Accountant

Dunedin born and raised, Wilson is very excited to have joined the team at Polson Higgs and be starting his career as a graduate accountant in his home town. Wilson graduated from the University of Otago in 2021 with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting.

Away from work, Wilson spends most of his spare time keeping active. He is always a keen starter for any social sports, but his favourite is volleyball. During the winter months he likes to get out of town and up to the slopes for some snowboarding. But he always finds time to relax and enjoy the company of his family and friends.

Where Has Everyone Gone?

It has been a reasonably common question for employers looking for staff in the past few months to ask, “Where has everyone gone?”. The economic experts had predicted unemployment rising, some even talked of it reaching 10%. So the current labour shortages have come as a bit of a surprise to employers.

Why is there “suddenly” a labour shortage?

• Pre-pandemic we were already close to full employment and it was starting to get harder to find good quality candidates.
• The Great Resignation. As life returned to some semblance of normal, post COVID lockdowns, many people decided they didn’t want to return to work at the same job. For some, it was an earlier than planned retirement and for others it was the desire for a change.
• Traditionally, New Zealand has a large migrant workforce, especially in seasonal agriculture (fruit picking), hospitality and tourism. That migrant workforce has mostly left, because of COVID and they are yet to return.
• The borders reopening means Kiwis can once again travel overseas to work. It may be a long-delayed OE or a construction job in Australia. The labour shortage is not just a NZ phenomenon, and there is international competition for Kiwi workers.

The combination of those four factors and strong consumer demand has created the current labour shortage and it won’t ease until those factors change.

Keeping The Team You Have

In a highly competitive labour market, keeping the team you have becomes a key factor for any business. So how do you keep the team you have?

Before we answer that question, it is worthwhile understanding the most common reasons that people will change jobs:

• Remuneration - they do not feel that they are being fairly rewarded for the work that they are doing. This becomes more acute in a period of high inflation, as people feel “poorer” with their decline in purchasing power.
• Opportunity - they do not see any career path or opportunity for advancement.
• Culture / environment - they do not feel comfortable or valued in their work environment.

All three will factor into the decision of an employee to change jobs. No matter how well paid they are, if they can’t see a future or they don’t enjoy the environment, they will eventually leave. So, any plan to retain staff should address all three key areas.

• Is your remuneration at the market rate, how does it compare with your key competitors? Aside from your base rates do you have any additional benefits, and how well are they understood and valued by your team?
• Have you talked to your team members about the opportunities that are available to them? Now is a very good time to check in with them and remind them of the opportunities or career path they are on.
• Do you know how your team really feels about the work culture / environment? When did you last ask or talk to your team about their work environment? It is natural to assume that if no one is complaining then everyone is happy. The obvious risk in this assumption is they will talk to you rather than look for another job.

In the current labour market, it is more important than ever that you have a “Retention Policy” for your business. If you would like to know more about creating a retention policy or if you would like to chat about any other HR matters please do not hesitate to contact Lisa Sintmaartensdyk from the Polson Higgs HR team. 

Audacious And The Young Enterprise Scheme

Jamie Reidie enjoys being part of the entrepreneurial journey, witnessing the passion and innovation of the next generation and seeing their idea's come to fruition. His expertise in this area, and the business start up space, has cemented him as our Polson Higgs “Entrepreneur Partner”. So, for Jamie, June was a bumper month with both the Startup Dunedin Audacious awards and the Young Enterprise Scheme pitch days in our office. 

The month started with Jamie attending the Startup Dunedin's Audacious showcase, where he presented the Polson Higgs Premier Award for Best Business Case to Julia Imo of Wayfinder.
 

Pictured: Julia Imo (left) of Wayfinder and Jamie Reidie (right) of Polson Higgs.

The month ended with a buzz of entrepreneurial excitement in our office, as young entrepreneurs from all over Otago came to pitch their business idea's to a panel of judges, during the annual Young Enterprise Scheme pitch days. 

Pictured below is Sofea from Piller - a local hijab/headscarf brand, committed to diversity, sustainability, and sourcing local 100% New Zealand materials. To find out more about Piller, click on the image below. 

Polson Higgs are excited to be sponsoring both Startup Dunedin Audacious awards and the Young Enterprise Scheme in 2022. Both are great opportunities for our team to be involved with and assist tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.

If you are thinking about a new venture, then talk to your Partner or email Jamie Reidie -our business startup expert.

Staff Conference 

At the start of July, we had our annual staff conference at Fables Hotel Dunedin. The theme for the day was “What problem are we solving” and focused on improving the teams understanding what problems our clients are currently facing.

The day started with a session from Tony Alexander talking about the economic issues that businesses are currently facing. Tony provided a detailed explanation of everything from the rate of inflation and the OCR to the housing market.
 

Pictured from left to right: Ryan Ehlers, Steve Dunbar, Carole Adair, Jamie Reidie, Tony Alexander, Tim Dunn, Henry van Dyk and David Hogue. 

We finished the work sessions with an inspirational talk from That Blind Women | Julie Woods. Julia explained how she had become blind as an adult and she shared her story of how she was forced to adopt a “why not” attitude and embrace opportunities to continue to live a fulfilling life.

If you have a question about anything, please don’t hesitate to ask on info@ph.co.nz.

Stay safe and keep in touch.

Kind regards

Polson Higgs Team

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