Tauranga City Libraries will hold two seminars aimed at empowering business owners and managers as part of its Business @ the Library programme.

One seminar is all about retaining superstar employees and the other is about managing staff performance.

Latest statistics from the ministry of business, innovation and employment show a tighter labour market, with many businesses looking to increase the number of employees, however, they are finding it hard to attract the right and suitably qualified person.

Tani Hansen, a human resource specialist with Everest Group, who will be facilitating the seminars says it is important that businesses need to spend time strategizing.

'With employment growth expected to remain solid over the next two to three years, it's important for business owners to have effective performance management processes in place and invest in strategies that will help retain their superstar employees”

'Anyone who has employees will be familiar with performance management in one form or another, whether they realise it or not.

Forty one per cent of businesses reported that finding skilled workers became harder over the March quarter, compared to 33 per cent in March 2016, a long-run average of 18 per cent.

This pattern is also evident locally, with a recent Priority One survey showing that while optimism is high among Western Bay business owners, over half of the employers surveyed said that attracting staff with the necessary skills is a major barrier to growth.

'Performance management can take place on a formal level, such as an annual review, or informally through day to day feedback and suggestions. Like a sporting team, it's important that each employee understands the part they play in the final result, and is coached to be able to carry out their job as effectively as possible,” says Tani.

'Employers who provide feedback and areas for improvement can help employees develop and learn new skills that can be useful in their career development, which can increase staff retention and employee satisfaction.

'Rewarding and acknowledging staff members for their efforts and achievements can also lead to improved staff morale, greater company loyalty and reduced staff turnover”.

The Managing Employee Performance seminarwill be held onWednesday, August 30 at 5.30pm and the How to Retain Superstars seminaronWednesday, September 13 at 5.30pm at the Tauranga Library.

Business @ the Library presentations are free and open for anyone to attend. Phone 577-7177 or visit Business @ the Library to register.