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Case StudiesAustralian Air Express - Sydney, Australia

8 A U S T R A L I A • A S I A • E U R O P E • M I D D L E E A S T • A F R I C A

Australian Air Express (AAE), a joint venture between Qantas Airways Ltd and Australia Post Corporation and Australia’s leading domestic express airfreight linehaul company.

Formed in 1992, Australian air Express provides a range of retail and wholesale cargo services to a national market. Operating in all capital and regional centres, the company operates an extensive fleet of dedicated cargo aircraft and has exclusive access to all Qantas aircraft.

Problem With a separate brand to the parent companies of Qantas and Australia Post, Australian Air Express has traditionally had understated profile in the NSW employment market.

General awareness issues as to what the company does and what the potential career benefits are have greatly effected Australian Air Express’s ability to source and secure quality employees. A narrow band of candidates in which to select from has significantly impacted the company’s ability to retain staff and it effected succession planning.

In addition to the human resources issues that arise from a situation of this nature, the business has suffered from a poor market reputation, faced increased training costs, customer dissatisfaction and has experienced productivity decrease within its sales divisions.

Scope of Work In retaining Logistics Recruitment Solutions, Australian Air Express tasked the organisation with identifying, reviewing and providing solutions to overcome the difficulties facing the business, including implementation.

Logistics Recruitment Solutions was asked to position Australian Air Express as a potential ‘Employer of Choice’ with clear objectives to improve the appeal of quality candidates wishing to develop solid career paths with AAE. We did this by:

Reviewing and identifying current employment market positioning •and brand awareness with the vision to position Australian Air Express as a preferred employer of choice.Researching and drawing parallels to industry identified •Employers of Choice and prepare a business strategy to drive and position Australian Air Express to achieve a stronger awareness and clarity in its market message. Implementing and hosting focus groups across the business with •the aim of identifying business characteristics relating to company values, staff benefits, career appeal and competencies requirements of each job function. Obtain cross section management buy in to the change process.Preparing and documenting a business positioning strategy to •take advantage of the Qantas and Australia Post employment brand appeal.Identifying success characteristics and competency requirement •of key commercial, middle and senior management roles.Reviewing and presenting a tangible method of capturing and •retaining quality staff.Reviewing and identifying the tangible and intangible benefits •of working for Australian Air Express and how to position this message to attract and retain staff. Implementing a recruitment program directly addressing the •immediate staff requirements and leveraging messages identified within the project.Conducting detailed behavioural-based assessments on the NSW •sales team using the results to develop a benchmark for team dynamics and mix.Building position descriptions with relative behavioural •competencies.Conducting market research and salary benchmarking enabling •Australian Air Express to remain competitive within the employment market and to position the company to take advantage of its areas of strengths.Reviewing suitable psychometric and skill based testing systems •for introduction to the recruitment process.

Australian Air ExpressSydney, Australia

OutcomeIn implementing the business strategy and taking the strong brand message to the employment market Australian air Express have significantly improved its ability to attract a higher calibre of candidate, resulting in a broader range of suitable employees and lifting the employment benchmark.

The ‘Employer of Choice’ message delivered in the company’s repositioned brand has achieved an increased candidate application rate, leading to an improved market appeal.

In addition, by marketing the employment benefits of the Australian Air Express the importance of salary package in the eyes of the candidate has decreased. Promotion of the intangible benefits has heightened the candidate’s interest in Australian air Express as a potential employer.The introduction of behavioural and competency based selection to the interview process has greatly increased Senior Management’s awareness of the success characteristics for each key position and improved their recruitment abilities.

This coupled with psychometric testing will achieve cost reductions through decreased staff turnover and improved staff selection. It will with standardisation and simplifying of the recruitment program greatly improve the likelihood of making the right recruitment decision, saving both time and money.