Bendigo Regional HR Network Jim Dannock Regional Manager
Bendigo Regional HR Network Jim Dannock Regional Manager December 2020 aigroup. com. au ©The Australian Industry Group
What happened to manufacturing • Initially the impact on manufacturing was mixed • Huge increase in demand particularly in food manufacturing • Medcon – Shepparton 2 mil masks p. a. to 110 mil mask by end of Dec 2020 • Added 8 new machines (normally 2) which were reverse engineered by Foodmach in Echuca • Quite a few businesses qualified for Job. Keeper but this has reduced substantially • Most businesses struggled to look beyond 1 -2 months as to what was happening in their market • Certainly manufacturing was not impacted as much as other sectors, e. g. hospitality • In fact, housing sector seems to be booming with suppliers into the sector expecting record results over the next 12 months (despite low migration) • Challenge is what happens to demand once Job. Keeper/Job. Seeker supplement removed and jobs still lagging aigroup. com. au ©The Australian Industry Group
Key Issues with COVID-19 • Manufacturing has fared fairly well through the COVID-19 pandemic • Responded quickly to make their workplaces ‘COVID Safe’ • Workplace bubbles/temperature testing/ban on unnecessary people/PPE in certain circumstances • Specific industries had certain restrictions – meat and poultry processing which we felt where over the top and unnecessary • Reduction in workforce/surveillance testing/carpooling bans • No infections on site and identified as happening in the private setting • Impacted by the working from home requirement and there is still a period of time yet before all staff return to offices • 25% now/50% 11 January/100% not until at least the end of January 2021 • Difference between CBD, suburbs and regional aigroup. com. au ©The Australian Industry Group
Key Issues with COVID-19 • Very quickly saw a change as to how work is organized including the use of online technology like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. • Will lead to a change in work practices • Option to work from home. • Options are not homogenous and business is trying to get the balance between personal need/preference and productivity • Increasing migration to regional areas to live • Mental health is an issue – with such a big change in working environment there is a higher risk and depends also the resilience of an employee to respond • We have had 3 surveys on what working from home looks like for Ai Group • Not aware of any marked increase in Work. Safe claims aigroup. com. au ©The Australian Industry Group
Key Issues with COVID-19 • Consultation with Government was very different to what we normally experience • Announcement one day, change in Chief Health Officer Directions that night and implemented the next day • Industry understood and accepted the need for the Government to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic but it was very difficult for them to understand why certain actions where taken that impacted them economically e. g. closure of carpet manufacturing/construction site restrictions • Face masks were becoming a health and safety issue especially in un air conditioned factories, so please that requirement has been lifted • Concern that COVID-19 pandemic becomes a reason for the introduction of the Insecure Workers Scheme and its potential spread other sectors and substantial cost to business aigroup. com. au ©The Australian Industry Group
aigroup. com. au ©The Australian Industry Group
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