When recruiting, it is the Branch/Club responsibility to ensure that an organisation meets its legal and social responsibilities towards its employees with respect to terms and conditions of employment, quality of working life, the promotion of a healthy and safe working environment and systems of work, and equal opportunity for all.
DISCLOSURE: Surf Life Saving Queensland does not act as an advisory body on Human Resource nor can the organisation consult on Human Resource issues.
The Recruitment Process
It is important to spend time on the recruitment process as this will enable you to employ the employee that is best suited to the role and to the organisation. There are three main phases to the recruitment process which will be explained below, with an example that can be referred to.
1. Identifying a Gap
The first step in the recruitment process is identifying a gap that may exist within the organisation, with the need to employ. The gap may simply be identified by an employee leaving the organisation, or increased workloads. Within the Surf Lifesaving Club environment the employee most commonly required will be the Administrator, however depending on the size of the Club and the operations more staff may be required. Once the gap has been identified it is important that a role description is developed.
2. Role Description
A role description simply outlines the employee’s role, the tasks that will be required of them, and the expectations that the organisation has as outcomes from those tasks and who the employee reports to. The role description is a valuable document as it outlined the expectations and requirements the organisation has of the employee, and it allows the employee to understand what they need to achieve (the Key Performance Indicators).
With the inclusion of who the employee reports to, it ensures that there is no confusion or conflict when a situation arises or when performance needs to be managed.
3. Advertising
The advertisement of the role is one of the most important aspects of the recruitment process. The advertisement phase, if done correctly can target the specific group that is desired for the role, as well as exposing the organisation to the larger environment. When developing the advertisement specific information needs to be included in a way that will appeal to the target audience as well as communicating the key requirements for the role.
There are a number of avenues available for the role to be advertised through, including the Club website, local newspaper, SEEK, sports people, LinkedIN and other print or social media sites.
During the advertisement process communication is the key. Make sure that you have a good response time for applicants wanting further information, and sending a quick email acknowledging you have received their application.
Refer to SLSQ Governance Manual for further information and requirements on recruitment.
Interview Process
Once the job advertisement has been closed all of the applications will need to be sorted through to identify the top candidates for the role. Once the top candidates have been selected, they will need to be notified and asked to come in for an interview. Once the interviews have been scheduled, an interview panel will need to be selected.
1. Interview Panel
The interview panel could consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary and an independent person. The purpose of the independent panel member is to ensure that there is consistency with the interviews and there is no conflict of interest.
2. Interview Questions
There are a number of questions that need to be asked during the interview of potential employees. This part of the interview process is very important as this is how you find out all of the information, but it also needs to be treated with care to ensure that assumptions are not being drawn and questions are asked with the utmost care.
During an interview, some questions can be classed as discrimination. If a candidate feels that they did not get the position because they were discriminated against on the basis of gender, race, marital status, sexual preference, religion, age or any other ground for discrimination (as outlined in the Anti-Discrimination policy) they may take legal action against SLSQ. By being open about the position and asking the right questions it is possible to get the necessary information without discriminating, use the following table as a guide:
| What You Can’t Ask: | Ask Instead: |
| Are you an Australian citizen? | Are you authorised to work in Australia? |
| What is your native tongue? | What languages do you read, speak or write fluently? |
| How old are you? | Do you have a Tax File Number to be eligible for work? |
| When will you retire? | What are your long-term career goals? |
| Do you have children? Can you get a baby sitter on short notice? |
Are you available to work overtime on occasion? Can you travel? Will you be able to travel or work overtime on short notice? |
| If you get pregnant, will you continue to work after maternity leave? | What are your long-term career goals? |
| Do you have any disabilities? | Are you able to perform the specific duties of this position? |
| Have you had any recent or past illnesses or operations? | Are you able to perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodations? |
| How far is your commute? | Are you able to start work at 8am? |
The following questions are also discriminatory and should not be relevant to any position:
- Are you married?
- Do you follow any religion? Do you go to church?
- Are you gay?
- We have always had men/women in this position; do you think you will be able to do as good a job as a man/woman?
Refer to SLSQ Governance Manual for further information and requirements on interviewing.
Hiring
Once the interviews have been conducted and the right employee for the organisation has been identified an offer needs to be made to the candidate. The hiring process needs to be conducted with the utmost professionalism as all of the processes need to be completed in the correct manner.
1. Contract
The contact is the most valuable document for the employee and the organisation. The contract is a legally binding document that outlines the requirements of the employee during their employment with the organisation. The contract will need to include information on the hours of work, employment award and award rate, place of work and any tools of trade.
2. Letter of Appointment
The letter of appointment should be sent to the employee once they have accepted the position and the contract has been signed. This is also an opportunity for an email notification to be sent to the executive committee and the organisations members informing them of the appointment of the new employee.
3. Employee Information Pack
An employee information pack should be sent to the employee prior to the commencement date. The employee pack should contain information on the organisation, organisational policies and procedures, details on the key members that the employee will be interacting with, personal details for including details of the next of kin and emergency details, tax form and bank details. Another copy of the role description and a signed copy of the employment contract should also be included.
Professional Development
Professional development allows an employee to continue to develop their skills and knowledge within their field of work. This is increasingly important within the lifesaving environment as it is continually changing and developing with new policies, procedures and tools and systems. There are a number of external courses that can be completed by Club/ Branch administrators such as administration conferences, compliance workshops and sporting organisation forums. SLSQ also offers professional development opportunities for volunteers and staff members, which are in conjunction with the training and support that the Branches offer Clubs. Professional development opportunities offered by SLSQ include Surfguard training, Administration workshops, governance workshops and the State Conference.
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