Case studies
Examples
Case studies - Retention
Case study - Work/life balance
La Casa Del Formaggio, a small family-owned business manufacturing a range of Italian cheeses, decided to draft its first Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA) with the help of the Workplace Authority (formally known as the Office for the Employment Advocate or OEA). The OEA had a work/life balance project in place that helped small and medium sized businesses increase productivity and employee satisfaction, as well as reducing absenteeism and staff turnover.
As part of its AWA La Casa Del Formaggio formalised a variety of ad-hoc arrangements that were already in place to introduce work/life balance options including:
- flexibility in working hours for both staff and the business,
- flexible working arrangements (including compressed working hours),
- access to a telephone for emergencies,
- discretionary leave arrangements,
- staff consultation processes.
Although La Casa found there was apprehension at first, there has since been a very high acceptance of the AWAs by its staff.
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Case study - Mature age worker success story
Clancy’s Pies, a small home-style pie manufacturer, has reaped the benefits of employing mature age workers in innovative ways. This company, which has grown from a staff of two to 70 since it opened its doors five years ago, has a reputation for giving disadvantaged jobseekers an opportunity to join the workforce. This includes the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities and people who are mature aged. Clancy’s has 26 people over the age of 45. Its oldest worker is 72 and its youngest is 16.
A couple of years ago a mature age jobseeker approached Clancy’s for work and was hired as an ‘odd jobs’ man. He would turn up regularly and was reliable in his performance, so when Clancy’s no longer had any odd jobs for him, he asked whether he could work in the factory. This man was given the role of company cleaner and subsequently moved on to become one of the cooks, working successfully until he was no longer able to do any heavy lifting. At this point they moved him into the packing area.
Today, he runs the packing area and has eight people reporting to him. He has a healthy and positive attitude about life and his versatility has made him a valued employee at Clancy’s Pies. He has been with the company for more than two years and is aged 61.
Another employee at Clancy’s who had retired from the hotel industry aged 65 had, after four years of ‘enjoying’ retirement, become bored. He was known to the manager at Clancy’s and was approached to join the team. He now works 25 hours a week, turns up punctually every day, hasn’t clocked in a single sick day since he started, loves his work, and is highly productive. He is 72 and has no plans to retire.
Companies such as Clancy’s Pies have realised that mature age workers are a valuable source of talent and bring experience, commitment and versatility to their roles. Why not reap the benefits of reduced absenteeism and greater commitment that mature age workers can provide, by taking a leaf out of Clancy’s book?
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Case studies - Flexible work practices
Case study - Flexible working options
IBM Australia Pty Ltd has created a culture of being supportive of mature age workers and retaining a successful mature age workforce, thereby building on its reputation as an employer of choice.
Implementing the following flexible employment practices has resulted in the retention of experienced workers for longer, while maintaining high levels of productivity and a positive environment for all workers.
- occasional and full-time telecommuting from home,
- part-time opportunities,
- job share opportunities,
- self-funded leave,
- volunteer leave,
- emergency services leave,
- leave of absence,
- personal work/life leave,
- flexible working week,
- individualised work schedules.
Retirement practices include:
- service recognition,
- retirement team functions,
- quarter Century Club,
- ad hoc retiree programme (bringing retirees back to IBM).
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Case Study - Phased retirement
ANZ Bank has implemented a ‘Career Extension Program’ which seeks to retain mature age workers who are thinking of retiring by giving them access to options other than full retirement from work.
This initiative offers flexibility to mature age staff members so they can consider staying with ANZ beyond the traditional retirement age in a way that works for them as well as the business.
ANZ has a number of options to help mature age employees to reassess their careers, including:
- part-time work,
- job-sharing,
- mentoring/coaching roles,
- working from home,
- purchased leave,
- career breaks,
- ‘lifestyle’ leave.
ANZ also offers an Alumni programme which keeps the door open to retired employees and those enjoying a break from the workforce.
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Case studies - Training and development
Case study - Mature age apprentice
Sandra Buckles attributes her late but successful career change to the diligence and persistence of her current employer, Pennie Targenza, owner and manager of Country Flowers, a gift and florist shop in Yarrawonga, a rural town on the Murray River.
‘If it weren’t for Pennie’s foresight and her dogged belief in me, I probably wouldn’t have ever considered an apprenticeship at this stage of my life,’ said Sandra. Pennie recognised Sandra’s keen eye for colour and perspective, together with her gentle touch and attention to detail, which is so important when working with flowers. These, combined with a work ethic developed over 40 years of solid employment, meant that Sandra was an opportunity waiting to happen.
Sandra had worked for a number of years at Albury Hospital, initially as a residential carer, then within the hospital’s mental health unit, and then as the executive assistant for the director of the hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine. ‘I really enjoyed my time with the Albury Hospital and had no real intention of leaving the health industry, at least within the foreseeable future.’
However, in 1994, Sandra was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. As the disease progressed, the 200-kilometre round trip from home to work each day began taking its toll and eventually Sandra needed to give up the position and seek work closer to home.
After one serious bout of the illness Sandra completed a short course in floristry. It was after this that Pennie offered her a trial at Country Flowers, and this became the turning point in what could have otherwise been a sad story. Aware of Sandra’s disability, Pennie suggested she shorten her work hours to better manage the condition. As a consequence Sandra currently works one day on, one day off, throughout the week.
Pennie also wanted to ensure that Sandra’s disability did not prevent her from undertaking further training, particularly in light of her very evident aptitudes and abilities, so she convinced her newest staff member to take on a New Apprenticeship. Eager to make the most of the break being given to her, Sandra started her New Apprenticeship in Certificate 3 Floristry in March 2005.
‘I don’t see age or disability being a barrier to starting afresh, whether it’s a new town, new relationship or new career,’ the spirited 57 year old said. ‘I’m really very excited by the prospect of getting my teeth into a brand new career again, even though I’ll be in my early 60s when I finally qualify as a florist.’
For more information on apprenticeships please go to Skills for the Future 
and Australian Apprenticeships
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Case studies - Safe and healthy work environment
Case study - OHS changes for older workers
Zylotech is a technology hardware and equipment company based in Sydney, whose principal activities are developing, purchasing and reselling digital video surveillance and communication products, including remote terrestrial and acoustic surveillance.
The company employs 16 full-time staff made up of managers, sales, technical and administrative staff, with an additional two workers employed on a casual basis.
Grant Pollock is the Production Manager and is responsible for the assembly and testing of products, and sourcing products. Grant, at 62 years of age, is the oldest employee in the company. Grant is a technical hardware specialist who has worked for Zylotech for two years. Grant has had a chronic low back condition for over 25 years but says that he has "learned to live with it" and has a range of strategies that he employs to manage it.
Zylotech has made a number of low cost and simple changes to their workplace to accommodate Grant’s needs. These changes have not only helped Grant to continue working but have benefited all of Zylotech’s workers.
Task Design
At Zylotech there are a range of tools and equipment that employees in the technical area need to use. Grant, for example, uses a drill press but found that it was too low. This meant that he was working in a bent posture, which was uncomfortable. A simple low-cost solution was to raise the drill press by bolting it to steel supports. This was then bolted to the floor to ensure it was stable. All workers found this modification useful and beneficial.
Another low-cost, low-tech adjustment to reduce manual handling was the introduction of trolleys for the assembly of computer servers. The trolley allows the server to be moved to other parts of the workplace and minimises the lifting and carrying of equipment that can weigh up to 30 kilos. Other manual handling equipment, such as a mobile crane, is available for transporting heavy proto-types and other equipment in the workshop.
Work Environment
While Zylotech has task lighting in some work areas, Grant identified that lighting levels in other workshop areas caused some difficulties for him. Higher levels of lighting were installed which, once again, met Grant’s needs and benefited all workers.
At Zylotech noise levels are generally low and well within the levels expected in office environments, however Grant has difficulties hearing co-workers if they speak to him at a distance. As this was not a concern for other workers, Grant has managed this by educating his co-workers to move closer or physically attract his attention rather than speaking to him from a distance.
Work Design
Zylotech recognises the physical demands that may be placed on workers in various jobs within the organisation and includes these in job descriptions.
Zylotech’s everyday work practices enable workers to structure their work day in a flexible manner. This includes flexible starting and finishing times, and self-structuring of the work day.
There is a weekly planning meeting in the technical area that involves all employees and sets priorities for current work projects. This allows people to plan and structure their working week. It also means that Grant can easily implement the strategies he uses to manage his back condition such as self-pacing, varying work tasks, taking short rest breaks when necessary and changing posture/position as required.
Dr Maher Magrabi (Zylotech’s Engineering Manager) believes that "mature age workers have the industry experience and are not as rash in their design decisions as some younger workers. From an OHS perspective, they tend to be more OHS aware as well and will point out that something is an OHS concern. Certainly we have benefited a lot from having mature age workers within our team, particularly the design team having Grant as a point of consult has been invaluable to making design decisions and quickly checking with him for his input. Normally because of his years and years of experience, he will think of something or other that he can bring up as an example or a good idea or bad idea. The other thing which is useful is the network and contacts that mature age workers bring with them. The technical team can rely on Grant to access his extensive network when we need it."
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Examples - Recruitment
Example - Sample Ad
Below is an example of an online job advertisement that features all the requirements of the job and is designed to attract the best possible candidate:
ASSISTANT MANAGER - Building materials business
Fibreglass, polycarbonate and ventilators
You are a practical and proactive professional, with a track record in sales and distribution.
In this role you will be responsible for assisting the manager in sales, administration and finance operations of the business, so you must have experience developing and implementing project plans and managing budgets.
You should also be self-motivated, with strong leadership skills, an ability to work in a hands-on manner and a desire to succeed. The successful applicant will:
- possess highly developed written and verbal communication skills;
- have a high level of attention to detail;
- be able to work autonomously;
- use their initiative;
- be reliable, flexible and committed.
Significant career development opportunities exist within the organisation and we are willing to consider alternative working hours (part-time, job-share etc) for the right person.
We are an age positive employer and people of all ages are encouraged to apply.
Submit your résumé to: [name]
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Example - Employee referral programme
Many businesses offer an incentive such as a weekend away or a monetary award for a successful referral. For example, a staff member who has successfully recommended a new employee could earn $200 after the successful candidate has been employed for 90 days. From a business point of view, this is a lot less than the cost of employing someone through an employment agency.
Businesses can introduce an employee referral programme by:
- posting information in lunchrooms,
- sending email notifications about job openings to all levels of the business,
- placing reminders in staff pay slips and circulating an internal newsletter,
- posting successful employee referrals so that fellow staff members can do the same.
Employee referral implementation tips
Here are a few ideas on how to introduce an employee referral programme.
- Make the programme simple in order to lessen administrative headaches.
- Make sure staff know how their candidates should prepare themselves.
- Follow every referral with a response, telling the staff member that their referral was appreciated.
- Create a form that staff can submit when they refer candidates, making sure it is stamped with the date and time. This validates the referral when it is time to pay the bonus, which could be up to three months after the start date.
- Develop a corresponding spreadsheet for tracking all employee referrals. The actual reward should not be paid until the referred employee completes a minimum of 30 to 90 days of successful employment.
Employee referral programmes are also a key part of an employer branding programme ensuring that your company maintains its position as an employer of choice. Further information on employer branding can be found in the workforce planning section.
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Examples - Training and development
Example - employee recognition programme
Employee recognition programmes can be divided according to levels of accomplishment and achievement, for example:
1st level: The first level of award can recognise a superb job on a project, task or activity, including outstanding support of day-to-day operations, or for suggestions leading to the improvement of workflow or customer service.
2nd level: The second level of award could be intended to recognise a sustained outstanding contribution above and beyond standard job requirements, or to recognise suggestions leading to improvements in the work process or in customer service.
3rd level: The third and highest level of award could recognise a major or extraordinary achievement requiring maximum effort – one that significantly improved customer service and productivity and is unlikely to repeat itself.
Each level might be rewarded incrementally by cash, leave with pay or products and services of value to staff.
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