We currently face a tough market to attract employees and retaining staff is crucial.  It is important that you cast the net as widely as possible but to do so successfully it is important to take stock of what your current staffing looks like and whether any changes might be needed to ensure your workplace is welcoming to all.

Most business owners and managers will be driven to create a workplace that is welcoming.  To achieve this it is important to reflect on how you would ensure this is the case for someone who is in one way or the other different to the majority of your employees.  This could include gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity, family situation, neurodivergence, disability to mention a few.  Whilst, hopefully, no one would set out to make some-one feel uncomfortable or unwelcome – workplace norms that have developed over time may unintentionally have this effect.

As we continue through 2022, there appears to be no quick fix to the staffing shortage that has plagued Central Otago and beyond in recent years, with post-pandemic staffing levels leaving many businesses teetering on the brink of survival.

In today’s age we’ve become accustomed to seeing “staff wanted” adverts for workplaces that claim to be dynamic, enthusiastic, and energetic environments. Many of them are fabulous businesses however, these very words make us think of younger people, they’re not typically associated with anyone over the age of 50.