Over 2 million Australians, or 1 in 4 workers, are classified as casual workers. A spokesperson from the ACTU described the trend in the increase in casual workers, or ‘casualisation’ of the workforce, as “one of the dominant trends in the Australian workplace during the past decade”.
Much has been discussed about workforce casualisation, with varied views on its benefits, challenges, and overall impact on organisations. Casual employment can facilitate flexibility in the organisation and help achieve a better work-to-lifestyle balance for employees. It can be particularly attractive to those who have other commitments, be it study or family, and who cannot or prefer not to commit to full-time work. However, there are some hurdles that organisations should be aware of in relation to hiring a casual workforce.
Overcoming Challenges in Hiring and Managing Casual Workers
One of the biggest hurdles is related to the hiring process. Hiring casual workers often involves less time and budget compared to full-time employees. This can make it challenging to ensure that new hires not only have the right skills and qualifications but also align with the organisation’s values, ethics, and commitment. Proper assessment and tools are essential to build a reliable and engaged casual workforce.
In certain roles, managers supervise casual workers less closely than full-time employees, and organisations often provide them with less stringent performance reviews. They can also tend to feel less a part of and invested in the organisation. For these reasons, employees may become disengaged, and managers must actively monitor their ethical behaviour
RightPeople can help! In addition to our intelligence, cognitive ability and skills tests, we also have a range of tools that can assess how committed your employees are, what their values are and whether they are in line with organisational values, whether they are likely to act ethically and to comply with policies and procedures and how effective their time management skills are. We also have a range of test packages designed for different staff levels, which take the guesswork out of deciding which tests to use.
For a full list of our assessment tools and test packages, visit our website.
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