O Group

Tasmania’s largest HR group backs call to dust off the welcome mat

Posted on Wednesday, 11 November 2009 | Permalink

A key opportunity for Tasmania lies in the ability of our service industries to create a higher yield. Locals and visitors alike can be encouraged to spend in the State through better service and higher standards of product choice and presentation. The call by the AHA to dedicate a focussed effort on the role of hospitality in key service industries is a welcome addition to the State’s strategic potential.

“The decision to appoint Michelle O’byrne as Minister for Hospitality has been endorsed by the AHA and we support the focus that will bring on the services sector generally , not just the Tourism and Hospitality industry” said O group CEO Andrew Billing.

“Clearly the education and skill of all service workers is at stake here” said Billing. We are in a global market place with plenty of competition so the focus this announcement brings underlines the need to benchmark ourselves not against yesterday’s situation but tomorrow’s challenge – we need to be on the front foot in this state when it comes to great service and great hospitality.

The Ogroup has c 10,000 small business clients, many of whom rely heavily on repeat customers and visitors. “We want to ensure our clients have the best opportunity to grow their business in Tasmania. The recent visitor trends indicate an annual Tasmanian population of c. 1.5 M people and that new level of total customers for the State brings a tremendous boost to the notion of “year round” viability to many innovative and established service activities that our clients have developed in Tasmania.”

“We applaud the AHA for the drive and success to inform the government of this need and the State for the commitment to enable the strategy with the appointment” said Mr Billing.
 

O Group named Employer of Choice in Tasmania

Posted on Wednesday, 11 November 2009 | Permalink

Tasmania’s O group Inc. was added to the Honour roll of Employer’s of Choice in a ceremony lead by Hon. Lisa Singh, MP Minister for Workplace Relations in Hobart Nov 9 2009.

O group is the first Not for Profit (NFP) organisation to receive this award and they join past winners - Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd, SEMF Pty Ltd, Hazell Bros Group Pty Ltd, WHK Group-Tasmania, Fairbrother Group and for 2009 Austal Shipping, Launceston City Council and Sinclair Knight Merz P/L.

O group Inc. is the collaboration of a range of well known, prolific Tasmania NFP businesses and companies including Business & Employment, NGT, Findstaff.biz, Developing Potential Aust, Business Mentor Services Tasmania and Choose Employment. O group has some 160 direct employees and more than a dozen locations across the State providing employment, recruitment, training and business help services. They also provide training to a diverse range of clients on mainland Australia.

CEO Andrew Billing places his staff squarely as the reason the organisation has been well recognised.

“It started as a journey in 2003 when we had chronic staff turnover – from that date to now we have “put our ears on” and listened to staff and even pushed them for feedback, comments, suggestions and engagement. “We do not implement everything but we try to give everything a fair hearing. We also treat staff as individuals when it comes to being able to address their work/life balance needs, which seems at odds with a large employer but clearly, it works for us”. Billing went on to say that the organisation got a signpost result they were on the right track in 2007 when they won a National Work & Family Award in Sydney. “The State EOC award is a tremendous boost to our staff and organisation that strives to achieve more for Tasmanian jobseekers, employers and businesses said Mr Billing.

Enquiries
Exec Manager Corporate Services - Gail Wilson
gail.wilson@ogroup.org.au

For more information on work life balance, visit Balancing Australia www.balancingaustralia.com.au

O Group Successful in Jobs Fund Application

Posted on Wednesday, 30 September 2009 | Permalink

O Group representatives joined with Tasmanian upper house member Senator Nick Sherry and local member for Braddon, Sid Sidebottom to publicly announce success in our Federal Jobs Fund application. The O Group of companies have been granted $1 million to implement their “Community Infrastructure Development Group” project as part of the national Get Communities Working Fund.

This project is collaboration with a range of community Not-for-profits including Youth and Family Focus and the Westbury Community Health Centre. O group will establish four community infrastructure development teams, and offer casual employment over a five day fortnight to improve community infrastructure in Northern Tasmania.

These teams will focus on a number of aged care and civic infrastructure projects already under development. The opportunity to progress up to 100 jobseekers (some of whom may have been recently made redundant), via this subsidised employment opportunity during 2010 is being lauded as an innovative, progressive and exciting prospect for jobseekers across the region. It will also present those jobseekers with a range of “best fit” skills and attributes for other industry sector work such as in construction and allied roles.

O Group Model Proves Successful in Employment Tender Round 2009

Posted on Monday, 28 September 2009 | Permalink

“Tasmania is set to enjoy a new and vital model of collaboration for jobs and training,” said O Group CEO Andrew Billing.

Shortly a new brand, CHOOSE Employment will launch into the Tasmanian market as part of the Australian Governments Job Services Australia release due to start from July 1, 2009.

“The new brand will replace the employment services currently offered by one of our brands Business & Employment and our CHOICE Employment service. Both are employment outcomes focused services and so will sit within the new CHOOSE Employment brand,” said Mr Billing.

O Group Inc. as a not for profit has no shareholders so any surplus is turned back into service delivery. It is the umbrella group for a specific range of jobs, training and business related entities in Tasmania.

We are an existing player with a strong track record based on relevance, based on growth, based on collaboration. “To us the successful tender result is a vote of confidence in our projected business model, something we started more than five years ago,” said Mr Billing.

To be successful in an international field of candidates for this work is a testament to the strength, capability and values of the O group of companies. Our staff have elevated us to this level of capacity over a number of years and we are now in the best position to work with Tasmanians to build or rebuild a future in our State as an employee.

O Group currently has 125 staff and a further 160 employees hosted with Tasmanian businesses.