On the first day of harvest in Griffith this month, 100% of the Acclaimed Workforce scheduled for their first shift presented at work on time and ready to go, no replacements required.

If we’re being honest, this is something we celebrated, because there are many reasons this is not always possible - illness, injury and last-minute caring responsibilities are the most common, although in reality hangovers and over sleeping can also be a factor.

Alison Bright, Account Manager at Acclaimed Workforce in Griffith, talks us through some of the risks specific to seasonal workers, and the five actions Acclaimed Workforce undertake in regional areas to overcome them.

Who are Australia’s seasonal workers and are the risks?

The demographics of seasonal workers in regional areas differ from those in outer city areas. The biggest challenge is scaling up the workforce for short periods of time, and housing people while this takes place.

It is important to note that seasonals workers are varied and have many different backgrounds. However, as Alison explains, three predominant groups undertake seasonal work in Griffith, which are reflective of many regional hubs:

• Young locals - either entering the workforce or returning from the previous year
• Locals scaling back towards retirement
• Travellers often referred to as backpackers

There are unique reasons why these groups can be challenging. For young and new workers, the risks are higher, particularly in the first 90 days. In fact, in Australia one in five people injured in the workplace are under 25.

Those scaling back to retirement create different risks, namely for people who haven’t worked in physical jobs for a while. Often jobs related to vintage and harvest have physical components and those who haven’t undertaken physical work are at greater risk of injury.

Finally, for international travellers in particular, there are a few key employment risks. Firstly work rights and restrictions, as they must have a valid visa, generally work and holiday visa (subclass 462) or working holiday visa (subclass 417), although some student visas may apply also. Secondly, language barriers (including those unique country colloquialisms) and differing safety standards can create risks that is important to be aware of.

Strategies to successfully resource seasonal work

1.     Invite everyone to apply

Alison says she hears so many stories from seasonal workers about poor treatment by employers and recruiters, being turned away before they have an opportunity to talk about their capabilities. Where there is no available work, this is obviously necessary.  However, when there is not, Alison and her team give everyone a chance. “My approach is rather than turning walk in applicants away, inviting them to come in for an initial screening interview. “It’s amazing how being friendly can ease people’s nervousness. We have engaged many exceptional workers with this approach.”  

2.     Ensure your recruitment processes reduce risk

We’ve highlighted many risks above, so it is essential to combat these in the recruitment process and beyond. “It will be subject to the role,” says Alison, “But a few examples include functional capacity testing (physicality), drug and alcohol tests and work rights checks, which includes citing passports and ongoing monitoring of visas. Depending on client recruitments, we also may conduct formal medical assessments as well.”

We also conduct an online safety and EEO induction and ensure on-site inductions take place. According to Alison, this is essential as a starting point, but it needs to be consistently reinforced.

3. Be transparent about the recruitment process and expectations

For many the recruitment process can be surprising, and for employees entering the workplace for the first time, or working in Australia for the first, behavioural expectations may not be obvious. It is therefore necessary to help people understand the process, key expectations and demands of shift work.

In some circumstances, applicants may choose to opt out because they are unable to meet these requirements, whether that be the physical components of the job, or random drug and alcohol testing. The length or reliability requirements of the work may not suit others, particularly if they are travelling. Alison explains this establishes not only the commitment of an applicant, but the baseline for performance discussions if necessary.

4. Focus on communication and relationship building

This is a strategy Alison is very passionate about. Providing high level customer service and building relationships with workers helps identify potential issues, so they can be resolved before becoming a problem,” Alison says.

It also helps her to better understand the worker experience, and reinforce communicating concerns, reporting hazards, incidences and injuries. Acclaimed Workforce maintains contact with reliable workers and reaches out before the next season to confirm their return.

5. Encourage and reward safety initiatives

All of our workers are encouraged to report hazards, incidences and injuries. “We also recommend reporting near misses or very minor incidences,” says Alison, “so we can determine whether this is a potential risk and put preventative measures in place.”

Injuries during a season can not only put workers at risk, but it can spike organisational Workcover premiums in the future, so being proactive is important. Alison says, “Acclaimed Workforce has a reward and recognition program in place to acknowledge not only exceptional work, but proactive approaches to safety to reinforce its importance.”