CWU meets with Telstra on workforce management
The CWU has met with Telstra to discuss the development of a new workforce management framework for the company.
According to Telstra, the aim of the system will be to allow it to better track the activities, skills and experience of its employees as well as to identify skill gaps and future skill needs.
It will, Telstra hopes “help us work smarter, make better use of our people’s skills, and provide better career opportunities.”
In the CWU’s view, any development which allows Telstra to better plan and coordinate its internal workforce development policies is to be welcomed.
It is a source of ongoing frustration to the CWU to see skilled staff who should be regarded as an asset to the company being made redundant rather than being retrained and redeployed.
There is also a clear need for Telstra to identify the new areas of work that are emerging for telcos and to ensure it understands the workforce issues raised by its ongoing transition from a plain old telephone company to a multi-product digital service provider.
But the CWU also believes that Telstra needs to take stock of the impact of its outsourcing and offshoring practices on the company’s capabilities. The issue here is not only the redeployment of those made redundant. It is the consequences of such decisions on Telstra’s performance, especially in the area of customer service.
Telstra continues to be in denial on this subject but it should be a key issue for the company’s workforce planners along with the retention and development of its current staff which the CWU, of course, strongly supports.
