Some organisations use staffing to leverage change by employing new selection cri¬teria linked to redesigned jobs and the competencies required to fill them. This way internal candidates who meet the new competency criteria are retained and new recruits are also brought from outside the organisation. This strategy may also be supported by a focus on 'person-organisation fit’. It is a values-driven approach. Proponents of this approach argue that benefits can accrue to both the individual and their employing organisation when there is congruence between their core values.76 These benefits include a positive impact on work adjustment and increased levels of job satisfaction, career success77 and communication among employees.78 In addition, the approach can result in higher levels of organisational performance, employee commitment, loyalty and employee involvement in decision-making.79 New selection criteria, based on rede¬signed roles and state of the art HR competencies were employed at Holden to ensure that the HR function could add value to the organisation and help it achieve its strategic objectives. We should note, however, that external recruitment as a change mechanism can also carry some risks, especially when the positions are low in power. To avoid the risk of newly hired employees trying to operate outside the dominant entrenched culture and facing possible resistance or rejection, or taking on the characteristics of the culture they were recruited to change, organisations need to ensure they hire external recruits in sufficient numbers to allow them to ‘become a powerful constituency for change'80 and ensure that other mechanisms to reinforce the new culture such as the performance management and reward system are in alignment.
Recruitment and selection strategies are also used to change the staffing mix to gain more organisational flexibility and diversity. The organisation may wish to take advan¬tage of opportunities in the market, responding rapidly or using its diverse capabilities, or to avoid a threat in its environment or unanticipated and adverse environmental change.81 Alternatively, the organisation may wish to change its configuration of full¬time versus part-time, casual or contract employees, or working time so as to meet its changing business demands or to provide more job satisfaction by allowing its employees to balance work and life issues.
Or, the organisation may wish to attract a more diverse group of employees, such as workers of a different gender, age or ethnicity. It may wish to ensure equal representation of these groups in senior roles and in roles in which they traditionally have not been employed or are underrepresented, to meet legislative responsibilities, redress inequali¬ties or proactively tap into a wider talent pool to gain up-to-date knowledge or fresh attitudes and values. As part of its platform for change, many companies have recognised that it is critical to attract and promote employees with the potential to deliver the organ¬isation’s goals such as quality, and customer service. Contrary to the recent dominant trend towards casualisation of the workforce, along with the downside of the ‘flexible firm’ (where casual workers can be vulnerable and manipulated), other firms such as Autoliv Australia are providing their casual workforce a pathway to permanent employment.82
Social trends also indicate that, if not addressed, declining growth in the labour force will result in labour shortages, lower levels of participation in training and development for workers as they age, increasing competition for younger workers.'83 Many organisations have recognised that a diverse workforce, including mature aged workers, can be a key aspect of its human capital advantage and are now specifically designing policies to change their age profile and attract and retain mature aged workers. Coles Supermarkets have implemented a diversity strategy to attract a range of employees, including people from the different ethnic groups representing its broad customer base, people with disabilities, older workers and those with varying education qualifications, from school leavers to university graduates. This staffing strategy also links with the company’s aim to grow and develop the business and to compete by delivering quality service through a more committed and sat¬isfied workforce. Autoliv Australia, which employs approximately 850 people from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, has instigated a range of work-life balance measures to attract and retain its predominantly female workforce including early finish on a Friday, a prayer room84, modified hours to accommodate specific start and finish needs, leave without pay for up to six weeks for emergencies, access to all sick leave as carer’s leave, options to pur¬chase extra leave, and access to long service leave after seven years.85
It is also clear that older workers will become critical to the survival and success of Australia’s organisations as the population ages. This effect will require organisations to re-examine their attraction and retention, and learning and development strategies, and determine how best to utilise the talent in their entire workforce to ensure the continued motivation and reward of mature-age staff.86 This approach will require the introduction of a number of practices for combating ageism including commitment from the top for diversity management, that is, work restructure and design to accommodate employees' needs for flexibility, training workforces to enhance the organisational skill set and training managers in understanding all aspects of workplace discrimination and its elim¬ination.87 Many Australian companies have recognised this need and introduced strategies to attract and retain older workers. These organisations include Centrelink, which has introduced a Mature Age Worker Strategy, retailer David Jones where 35 per cent of its employees are over 45, and Westpac which is on its way to achieve its target of hiring 900 mature-age workers for its call centres within three years.88