Jon Avnaim

Responsible for driving key strategic HR initiatives aimed at scaling support and embedding 'best practice' methods to enrich the employee experience and optimise outcomes for both employees and clients at AMES Australia. I collaborate closely with HR Business Partners to ensure the high-quality execution of these plans. Additionally, I am accountable for the streamlined delivery of services through our Payroll Services, HR Information Systems, and HR Solutions teams, ensuring efficiency and reliability.

Key Achievements

• Led integration of AMES Australia’s new Payroll/HRIS system, streamlining processes with the launch of comprehensive Employee Self Service platform, encompassing modules for WHS, Learning and Development, Recruitment, and Performance Management.
• Pioneered adoption of innovative employee engagement survey tool, leveraging conversational engagement, text analytics, chatbot technology, and AI to gauge real-time employee sentiment. This initiative significantly enhanced participation and improved engagement metrics.

Responsibilities

• Champion AMES Australia employee experience through engaging initiatives that bolster recruitment, retention, and professional development.
• Provide comprehensive HR Shared Services in recruitment, learning, payroll, and employee relations, ensuring customer-focused approach.
• Interpret and provide advice to Managers regarding Industrial Awards, Enterprise Agreements and HR Policies.
• Diagnose business challenges, translating them into actionable HR solutions and strategies.
• Offer management guidance on performance and compliance matters, ensuring adherence to legal and organizational standards.
• Lead workforce planning and analytics, aligning with AMES Australia's strategic goals and supporting achievement of key performance indicators.

The Business Transformation committee was established as a result of a large-scale organisational change. The Business Transformation affected over 300 employees.

Key Achievements

• Directed major business transformation, achieving significant productivity enhancements within stringent deadlines. This involved overhauling existing operating models and instituting innovative work practices.
• Played a pivotal role in partnering with leadership to bolster employee performance. Collaborated with the Learning & Development Team to create essential training materials, facilitating nationwide management upskilling.
• Successfully developed and executed comprehensive Business Transition Strategy, incorporating risk assessment, a detailed Human Resources Plan—encompassing workforce data analysis, communication strategies, redeployment, and exit procedures—and integrated Stakeholder Communication Plan, which collectively informed key decisions affecting workforce, financial planning, IT systems, and facilities management.

Led a team of HR professionals, overseeing the seamless execution of daily and strategic HR operations across multiple service areas. Ensured that our practices remained in strict alignment with legal standards, contributing to the organization's reputation for excellence in talent management, performance metrics, payroll and benefits, collective bargaining, and compliance. My role was pivotal in driving initiatives like robust recruitment processes, nurturing employee relations, and cultivating leadership potential within the workforce.

Key Achievements

• Led implementation of EACH's new Payroll/HRIS System and its Employee Self-Service modules, steering the organisation through a significant change in information security, work practices, and technology adoption.
• Conducted comprehensive training needs analysis, enhancing compliance and efficiency, and introduced 48-hour HR request turnaround, streamlining operations.
• Enhanced HR service delivery through implementation of a business partner model, improving support for leadership and staff, and led organisational-wide staff engagement survey, achieving notable increase in participation.
• Implemented and analyzed HR Scorecard to bolster organisational effectiveness and continuously updated HR policies to maintain best practices.
• Transformed annual performance review process with a digital solution, achieving 53% increase in completion rate and facilitated successful service restructures, optimising team alignment and staff integration.
• Elevated HR team performance by fostering a strength-based environment and provided essential HR & IR advice to line managers, mitigating risk and supporting staffing decisions.
• Defined business rules for EACH's Payroll/HRIS system to ensure fair remuneration and utilized workforce metrics to drive strategic HR initiatives, contributing to organisation's goals.

ekit stands at the forefront of integrated communications, offering mobile and Internet services tailored for the global traveller. The extensive network boasts over 400 travel partners worldwide, reinforcing their successful collaborations with premier travel brands such as Flight Centre, Student Flights, Rail Plus, InMotion, STA Travel, DER Tours, Trafalgar Tours, Contiki, and Camp America.

Up until February 2006, ekit's dedication to customer service was anchored by a 24-hour Call Centre in Australia. With strategic expansion to Boston, USA, I played a critical role in the transition, overseeing the planning and setup, and ensuring seamless implementation. My responsibilities included managing new staff and delivering effective HR and employee relations strategies to foster a robust service framework.

Key Achievements

• Successfully led expansion of the Call Centre to Boston, USA, achieving $2 million in cost savings through strategic HR advice and solutions, while simultaneously enhancing employee effectiveness, morale, and productivity.
• Implemented comprehensive suite of HR policies, procedures, and systems, resulting in improved organizational development practices, enhanced employee life cycle management, and increased internal client satisfaction with delivered services, following a thorough review and audit of HR activities.