Our first year has looked a little like this:
- A complete rebrand?from GD’s Labour Hire to Left Field, including a complete office fit out.
- Digitised the brand?including (but not limited to) – social media, email content, online recruitment processes and applicant tracking system.
- Became a paperless office?including – digital rostering, paperless filing system and digital and interactive forms and assessments for employees and clients.
- Improvement of PPE gear?by sourcing, testing and upgrading various safety gloves and upgrading to stronger and sharper knives with brightly coloured handles so they can easily be seen on site.
- Became StaffSure Certified?so we could proudly stand as a legitimate, fair and ethical labour hire company.
- Introduced an Applicant Tracking System?almost immediately to work alongside our online applications process.
- Decided to let go of the maintenance and chemical spraying?side of the business and just solely focus all of our resources in helping our growers harvest, pack, process and plant their crops whilst the growing pressure was felt by all to source workers.
- Stayed loyal to clients during Covid?– we promised our growers that our focus was on them, and that we wouldn’t be accepting any new clients that would take away resources from them.
- Worked (and continue to work) really hard on our staff culture?by significantly increasing communication, being scrupulous with our recruitment process and becoming more sociable (think crew BBQs, awards and incentives).
- Refined and improved the induction training?by digitising our inductions which includes photographs and video footage to show more detail, better preparing workers before going out on the field.
- Increased worker training?by offering workers courses and training to improve their skillset and safety practices.
- Attended conferences, expos and virtual job fairs?to upskill and increase brand exposure and awareness.
- Grew from a solo team?of one?at head office, to a team of three.
- Moved from a single phone messaging system?to a remote text messaging system?across a variety of platforms, accessible from multiple devices from any location in the world. We also added an office number and phone alongside the mobile service.
- Creation of a crew database?detailing specific skills, client preferences, cross skill abilities and more.
- Improved tracking of employee hours?– and created weekly reports for our clients.
- Introduced tablets into our induction process?which enables employees to complete their paperwork digitally and therefore quicker and easier. This also enabled (and continues to enable) employees to complete forms remotely from their devices when needed.
- Featured multiple times in print and online media?to help raise and put the spotlight on our grower’s struggles over the last 12 months.
- Launched our website?– literally?launched today! We are super proud of the outcome.
- Met with multiple politicians?on behalf of growers?to share concerns about worker shortages and clarification regarding the timing and requirements of the proposed ASEAN Visa.
- And finally, we had a major office move and upgrade?to accommodate our current and future growth; moving from Stony Rise Road, right into the heart of town in Steele Street, Devonport – we now have multiple offices, a tailored training and induction room and a brighter, more vibrant working space.
Our plan now is to take what we have achieved over the last 12 months and take it all to the next level. In the last 12 months we decisively laid low by concentrating on strengthening our foundations behind the scenes with very little disruption to the outside, but as you can see there was an enormous amount of work going on behind closed doors.
The next 12 months will look a lot different from the outside.
