Beyond Consulting employees keep in touch with Work and Family grant

Fresh Ideas funding recipient – Beyond Consulting and VG Steel

Beyond Consulting had been undertaking training and development work for V G Steel employees on Palm Island and decided to apply for a Fresh Ideas for Work and Family grant to support its staff working away from home.

‘Homesickness was a factor for some, and for others it was the anxiety of other family members at home, including children, not coping so well with the separation,’ said company director Suzanne Kenney.
 
Beyond Consulting, a small company of four employees, was successful in its application for a Fresh Ideas for Work and Family grant and used its $6242 funding to purchase three laptops, video-conferencing and other software, as well as training services.

The benefits of the company’s new family-friendly work arrangements have been twofold. Staff are able to stay in regular contact with their families by using phone and video-conferencing while they are at Beyond Consulting offices in Sydney, and also improve their technical skills.

The funding has also provided the unexpected benefit of assisting one worker, Gary, to make the transition from being a Community Development Employment Project participant, to a full-time employee.

From Palm Island, Gary was able to use phone and video-conferencing to keep in touch with his young daughter and other family members during visits to Sydney for pre-employment training in late 2009.

‘It was very important for me to have access to the phone and video-conferencing so that my daughter could hear my voice and I could hear hers,’ Gary said.

‘It helped me to keep in touch with my family and also concentrate on my work when I knew they were okay.’

Suzanne said employees have reported increasing confidence in their ability to use new technologies, and greater job satisfaction as a result of being able to work in more flexible ways.

‘More time will be needed to see the full benefits of this program in our workplace, but so far it has been very worthwhile,’ Suzanne said.