What would you like to grow?CareerJuly 2011

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We started a conversation

2July 2011

We started a conversation about growth, and Australians responded across a range of topics.

We asked what you wanted for the future, what plans you had and what your hopes were.

One of the topics important to a lot of people who joined the conversation was something that impacted our everyday lives:

Career

PwC

What is it about careers?

3July 2011

It was about “my career and the bigger picture”

Australians became more aware of the big picture and how it impacted them. Individuals, organisations and communities actively looked to the future and are seeking to redefine their role within it.

PwC

Empowering the individual to be more successful

4July 2011

Australians want to be more in charge of their career, and be successful in their career.

Individuals wanted:

•To be in higher, decision making roles

•Autonomy: essentially being their own boss

•To grow their current skills to open more doors

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What were people saying about career success?

5July 2011

I want to grow a business of my own this year. I’ve just planted the seeds by leaving full time permanent work. Now to start nurturing the idea into a reality. Lots of water. Lots of nutrients. Lots of attentions. By: Anonymous // Date: 09/01/2011

I’d like to grow my photography business in terms of clients, revenues and reputation. By: Ina // Date: 02/11/2010

I would like to develop knowledge and skills planning a career outside the health system, in the community for people with dementia and earn a living doing it! By: Julie // Date: 09/10/2010

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What were people saying about career success?

6July 2011

Grow my entrepreneurial abilities and instinct so that I can grow my business and my life, so as to become absolutely amazing!By: Abbie // Date: 27/10/2010

To have my own business, a café and to be very successful.By: Leo // Date: 06/10/2010

I would like to grow my business by making a sustainable difference to the lives of all my stakeholders. I would like to grow the capacity of people to subjugate self interest in favour of the greater good. By: Neil Slonim // Date: 23/09/2010

Growth means growing my business, getting bigger, having more confidence and security. Even happiness and holidays!By: Looks // Date: 29/09/2010

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What is it about talent?

7July 2011

Talent was discussed from both an organisation and an individuals point of view:

•Organisations want to retain the talented people who work for them.

•Individuals want to increase their own opportunities to be recognised.

Another topic of conversation was around ‘Talent’.

PwC

What did we hear around growing talent?

8July 2011

What can private businesses do to attract and retain talented people?By: PwC // Date: 28/10/2010

Organisations need to reinforce the importance of finding a work life balance. Working overtime shouldbe the exception rather than the norm. After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!By: Mark // Date: 29/10/2010

Isn’t it funny how these talent conversations only come up at certain times – post GFC when there are more jobs around and during performance times so managers can tell their managers they are looking after the ‘talent’.By: Mandy // Date: 17/11/2010

PwC

What did we hear around growing talent?

9July 2011

Support staff’s other life goals to help achieve work life balance – sponsor and subsidise the time they wish to spend with charities or other good will associations so that the invididual as well as the company can give back to the community. We all benefit, and we all feel better.By: Helen Michael // Date: 04/11/2010

It is the intrinsic rewards that will truly motivate and retain employees interest. Emotional engagement through social networks (like Facebook but for the enterprise) can facilitate this. This can motivate through recognition, passion, or community drivers. These are very powerful. By: Nicholas Jones // Date: 15/11/2010

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What did we hear around growing talent?

10July 2011

Good wages, good work conditions and chances to make a career inside the company.By: Cote // Date: 14/11/2010

Treat me like a person rather than just another cog in the machineBy: Tia // Date: 01/11/2010

Organisations need to take an honest look at the organisation from an employee’s perspective and then run a gap analysis against the current employment promise. Question the status quo, ie is longer employee tenure what the business really needs to succeed or would new blood serve better?By: Richard // Date: 15/11/2010

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What did we hear around growing talent?

11July 2011

Business needs to provide clear career paths for the workforce. By offering on the job learning – but also access to external education opportunities.By: Kaz // Date: 01/11/2010

I’d like the awareness by employers to grow so that flexibility and work like balance isn’t just for those employees with kids.

By: Sarah // Date: 08/11/2010

Improve recruitment processes. Australia tends to be myopic in that only people with direct experience are considered for roles & people with strong transferrable skills are rejected. We need to be less risk averse!By: Veena Vather // Date: 09/11/2010

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What did we learn?

12July 2011

People simply wanted to be happy with what they do.

And all of us wanted career progression and financial rewards.

What else was discussed when people focused on their career?

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What did we learn?

13July 2011

The topic was and continues to be a major focus for us as a nation.

What’s interesting was the different aspects of our careers are what we felt was most important.

We saw strong focus, even post the GFC, of what people want from an employer, and what they won’t consider anymore.

We learnt from these career conversations that:

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What do you think?

14July 2011

• Do we as a nation focus too much on careers, or too little?

• Should the focus instead be on other aspects of our lives like health, wellbeing or happiness?

• And, how has what Australians want from a career changed in the past years, and how will they continue to change in the coming years?

• Is a rewarding career as important to you as family, your health or other part of your life?

• What do you want most out of your career?

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© 2011 PricewaterhouseCoopers. All rights reserved. In this document, “PwC” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers a partnership formed in Australia, which is a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each member firm of which is a separate legal entity.

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