Strategy and Structure Keys to Recruiting for ChCh Rebuild

Christchurch might need thousands of additional tradespeople to work on the rebuild but don’t forget the managers who will be just as key.

Sarcha Feary and Leanne Crozier of Christchurch based Business Strategy, HR and Executive Recruitment company Decipher Group, say much is being reported regarding the thousands of builders, construction workers and tradespeople needed as the rebuild picks up speed but it’s important not to lose sight of the need for good executive level employees who will be required at management level.

“Having the right people in the right management roles can be the difference between having a respected, effective business or one that flounders. Good executive level staff with the right experience will be in demand and businesses who do well in the next 5-10 years will be those who start working towards securing those people now,” says Sarcha Feary.

Crozier and Feary say the costs related to staff turnover, particularly at executive level, can be financially crippling for a business to say nothing of the disruption it can cause.

“Getting it right the first time, having good business plans and strategies, will be well worth the time and effort,” says Leanne Crozier.

Decipher Group says companies working on the rebuild, must plan for the next 3-5 years and beyond, if they want to be best prepared and make the most of the work available.

“In our experience and in general terms, the businesses doing well right now and will do well in the coming months, are those who have planned effectively. We are very busy with business restructuring and executive recruitment right at the moment,” says Crozier.

Decipher Group is also finding that a number of ex-pats are keen to come home and be a part of the rebuild at an executive level.

“They are out there,” says Crozier. “We are finding that people want to come home; want to come to Christchurch and it’s single people, people with families, people who could choose to go anywhere in the world really. It’s not entirely philanthropic. They see real opportunity here and a chance to advance their career while making a difference to a city recovering.”

Decipher Group is busier than ever with a combination of recruitment work and outplacement support, the latter related to business restructuring and redundancy.

“As people have left Christchurch and the economy has slowed, local businesses have been hit by that. There is a fair bit of restructuring going on and in this current economic climate that inevitably means redundancies,” says Feary.

She adds that a massive building boom on the horizon will turn much of that on its head and businesses must be prepared.

“Unforeseen circumstances aside, it’s imperative that businesses plan from a position of strength,” she says. “If you are against the wall, together with all the other stresses for Christchurch businesses related to the earthquake, it’s much harder to plan effectively with less room to move than perhaps if you had done so 6-12 months earlier or when the writing, even if it’s faint, is on the wall.”

Decipher Group is now based in the Hazeldean Business Park, off Lincoln Road in the suburb of Addington, one of the “up and coming” areas of redevelopment in Christchurch. It’s the end of a journey that started after premises they had been looking at in the CBD, were no longer an option following the Feb quake.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Ali Jones 027 247 3112