Our Partnerships Manager, Kirsten Karbowiak, attended APSCo's inaugural full-day conference on 19 May 2021 in Sydney.
Aptly named Emerge 2021, the conference showcased some of the industry’s leading experts speaking on key topics impacting recruitment. Here are some of the insights and ideas Kirsten garnered from the lively panel discussions, key note presentations, and peer-to-peer networking at the end of the day.
Brianna Cattanach, Principle Consultant on the Gallagher Workplace Risk Team, spoke about insurance. She highlighted the coming increase in Workers Compensation insurance costs in the new financial year, especially in NSW, where professional services claims are the highest in the industry. While these claims occur at a low frequency, the average claim is around $ 230,000. Premiums go up if your company has had previous claims, which makes self-managing your insurances worth considering if your business has a no-claim history (and so qualifies for lower premiums). If you can demonstrate your business is a lower risk and that you have great contractor management processes in place, you have a good chance of keeping your premiums lower than most.
Will Marshall, Senior Associate (Employment and IR) at Gadens, spoke about the importance of including a restraint of trade clause with cascading provisions to protect your business IP. During the Q&A, a recruiter mentioned losing one of their contractors to another client who was on the same panel - a perfect example of why owning the relationship with your contractors is so important.
At Platinum WFM, we couldn't agree more! There is no need to allow your back-office solution to take over the relationship with your contractors - a great contractor management system facilitates the practical requirements of your relationship, like contracting, onboarding and reporting, without turning your contractor into their asset. Our goal is to free your time up to focus on building strong relationships with both clients and contractors.
Ian Maas, Director and owner of Bidsmith, spoke about tendering for opportunities and how small recruitment companies can stand out when pitching for business. At Platinum WFM, we believe that when you outsource your back-office solution to us, you become equipped to perform at the level of a much bigger organisation, with professional touch points for both your clients and contractors. With us, you are not pitching as a lone entrepreneur but as a serious contender supported by Platinum's team of administrators and IT specialists.
Mike Beeley, CEO of Lightbox Communications, spoke about the massive talent shortage currently being experienced in Australia. He put this statement in perspective, saying that this shortage is the worst it has been in 100 years. When the talent pool dries up, the recruiters who have the strongest relationships with their contractors are the ones who come out best. Simply put, if you don't build strong relationships with your pool of talent, your business could be at risk of losing it.
We understand this pressure, which is why Platinum WFM's Contractor Care Team backs you up with a help centre and service desk to deliver complete technical support and assistance to your contractors. Does your back-office system support your relationships with contractors and clients?
Connect with our Partnerships BDM, Kirsten Karbowiak at kirsten@platinumwfm.com.au to discuss how Platinum WFM can strengthen your business in the year ahead, whether that is minimising your Reporting and Governance risks, or helping you rapidly scale up your capacity for tenders.
What an excellent day for all the attendees, and a sumptuous cocktail event to wrap up Conference with quality networking. Well done, APSCo!