Long-term partnerships are key in supplying casuals to the packaging industry, according to workforce management firm APG Workforce.
PG Workforce CEO Glenn Redman says it is imperative that his team works closely with clients to understand not just their business but their industry.
“Our business started out as a straightforward labour hire supplier, but we’ve evolved alongside our clients in the packaging industry and many others to provide strategic workforce management.
“We take away the headaches from our clients in managing their non-permanent staff. This includes managing the onboarding process and inductions, medicals, police checks, strength and agility testing, full candidate screening, and interviewing. Once placed, ongoing site management continues, including handling all queries, as well as conducting toolbox talks and WHS site audits,” Redman says.
“For example, at a local site of one of the world's largest paper, packaging, and recycling companies we placed an account manager on-site to deal with any issues the casual staff had when they arrived for work or even during their shift. Our client tells us this was invaluable and improved production.”
The non-permanent roles at this company include quality tradespeople, semi-skilled roles, process workers, warehouse roles such as forklift drivers, and administration roles.
The NSW state operations manager of the company says APG Workforce’s management model extends beyond supplying a casual workforce.
“The implementation of a timekeeping system on-site for their casual workforce has been a recent addition. There were no issues identified during the implementation process and this has minimised the time it takes for my managers to review, approve and submit timesheets on a weekly basis,” the manager says.
“The customised reporting which is made available to site by early Monday afternoon has been a valuable addition to the service delivered to [us]. From a safety perspective, the regular APG Workforce toolbox meetings, onsite presence and engagement has been of the highest order and is aligned to [our] business and philosophy.”
For APG Workforce, it is not a set-and-forget relationship.
“We seek continuous improvement throughout all operations and roll out innovative initiatives across all sites,” Redman says.
“Also, we manage day to day operations to take the problems away from our clients. It doesn’t always go as smoothly as we might like but we’re there to fix the problems.”
Like many businesses, APG Workforce had to adapt during the Covid pandemic, which saw interviews and parts of induction occurring online for the first time. Prior to the pandemic, most interviews would take place face-to-face, so APG has had to adapt its processes to meet the client’s needs.
“We have an after-hours care team that provides ongoing support outside of regular branch hours. This team is an extension of the recruitment/account management team to provide seamless support to our workforce,” Redman says.
APG Workforce candidates can provide confidential feedback via boxes placed on client sites.
All APG Workforce candidates participate in reviews with their account manager so they are aware of their progress, are accountable, and can be acknowledged for their contribution regularly.
