By Sarah Winwood
Director & HR Consultant | UPP HR
At the GIQ Green Expo, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with many members about their current HR and workforce challenges. Common themes emerged around managing transient and young workforces, motivating employees in harsh climates, retaining good staff in repetitive manual labour roles, and creating career pathways in small to medium-sized businesses. So, my hope is for this article is to get your creative juices flowing about the never-ending strategies to address those key topics, and also provide some practical strategies to make managing a workforce, a little easier. Sometimes, even modest HR investments can yield significant returns.
Offer retention (stay) bonuses to incentivise consistent seasonal participation. In 2024, Australia’s voluntary turnover rate reached 8.9%, with staff replacement and training costs starting from $20,000. That makes well-structured retention bonuses a cost-effective alternative. For example, if you pay a $1,500 bonus and avoid replacement costs upwards of $20,000, that maths tells us the retention bonus would still yield over twelve times the ROI compared to the cost.
But first, ask your team: ‘What’s one thing that could make your workday better?’ Do this before implementing any initiatives. Often, a small, inexpensive change, like providing basic breakfast items for backpacker staff before shifts and having those breakfast options available for lunch if someone runs out of time to make their lunch, can often be the deciding factor between someone turning up for work or calling in ‘sick’. One size doesn’t fit all; tailor small perks to what individuals actually value.
Use low-cost tactics like micro-recognition, brief team huddles, and improvements to basic working conditions (e.g., hydration stations, zooper doopers, cooling gear). A 1% improvement in retention can significantly reduce training costs, freeing up budget and delivering meaningful ROI, even for small businesses.
Ask Your Team First: Staff may suggest simple comfort-focused adjustments, like better gloves, more comfortable shoes, or on-site coffee options, those costs aren’t great, but can have the potential to greatly increase morale and attendance.
Invest in staff through training, feedback systems, and career progression pathways. An AHRI (Australian Human Resources Institute) study found the most effective retention strategies in Australia include training and development (73%), flexible work (65%), and performance feedback systems (60%).
Ask Your Team First: Even in repetitive work, staff often know what would make their job more satisfying. By collecting ideas, like varying daily tasks, offering a say in scheduling, or adding small recognition perks, you can boost engagement without significant cost.
Build connection through daily huddles, ‘culture captains’, recognition boards, and rotating light morale-boosting tasks. Engagement and a positive environment have been shown to reduce turnover by up to 50% in some industries.
Ask Your Team First: Culture thrives when it reflects the people in it. Give employees a voice on what small rituals, treats, or team-building activities they’d genuinely enjoy. The team building activities don’t need to be entire day away from usual task activities either, they can be fun and silly little (safe) games played while doing the day-to-day tasks but that build connection and share laughter.
Set honest job previews, rapid feedback loops (e.g., 30-day check-ins), and team lead/manager training in recognition. Talent management research commonly suggests that timely and caring management, especially right from the start can drastically improve retention.
Ask Your Team First: Entry-level staff may highlight surprising ‘quick wins’ to make work easier, such as clearer signage, lighter tools, or basic pantry items, which can be a minimal cost, or option when it comes time to replace existing aged tools.
Introduce simple job tiers (e.g., Nursery Worker Level 1–3) or task-based leadership roles, plus regular check-ins about growth. In 2018, AHRI found 63% of employees left due to lack of career progression, doubling from 2015.
Ask Your Team First: Even when promotions aren’t possible, staff can guide you on which projects, responsibilities, or skill-building opportunities would keep them feeling valued and challenged.
The simplest and most cost-effective retention strategy often starts with one question: ‘What’s one thing that could make your job better?’ When paired with targeted HR initiatives, these conversations can dramatically improve retention, motivation, and operational resilience, proving that in people management, the small things are often the big things.
GIQ Nurture and Thrive Members – if you need HR help, get in touch with a qualified and experienced HR expert for free and unlimited general advice. Book this service.
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