Transcript
Ivy Jensen
Welcome to Talking Water with GMW where we discuss all things water. Today we are joined by one of our HR business partnering managers Marnie Rowden. Marnie talks about the range of careers available at GMW and the opportunities and benefits of working for Australia's largest rural water corporation. We have episodes on a range of topics on our website, so there is plenty more to listen to when you are finished with this one.
Ivy Jensen
Thanks for joining us, Marnie. I really appreciate it. Now, I wanted to start off just talking about you a little bit because you have a very fascinating history in the military. Can you explain a little bit about that?
Marnie Rowden
Oh, I would love to. So I actually started my career in the Navy. I think I went a bit out of the box because I joined the Navy as what's known as a marine technician, electrical, so it was a technical role. There were not many women who actually joined the Navy in technical roles, women typically joined in admin, stores, logistics, all of those sorts of things. And I decided I wanted to join in a more technical role that was going to, I guess, teach me some skills that I never had the opportunity to learn prior.
So I joined the Navy in 1996. Women had only just started going to sea in 1992, so women didn't tend to sort of join the technical roles. So when I joined the Navy, I was the only female in my class who did the technical training and then when I left and joined HMAS Anzac, I was the only female in a department of about 35.
It was a bit overwhelming, to be perfectly honest, and you had to work really hard. So you had to be had to prove that you could do the job just as well as the boys could do, and I did that and it didn't take me very long at all to really earn the respect and the trust of the rest of the department. and I have to say to this day, I'm still friends with all of them. We were very close and we looked out for one another and we had a lot of fun. I'd have to say that probably the ten years that I spent doing that really did set me up for, I think where I've actually ended up today in my career.
Ivy Jensen
Absolutely. Now, you've obviously brought all those values and those excellent skills with you to GMW. So, how did you come to join our organization and how have found your experience so far?
Marnie Rowden
So we were living in Melbourne and we did a bit of a tree change I guess, or river change, to regional New South Wales quite a few years ago.
So I had to really look for a brand new career, leaving Melbourne and packing up and moving regionally. So for a while I was just doing some various roles and then I saw this role advertised, at GMW and I had heard lots of great things about GMW as far as being a very flexible employer, particularly through COVID. So I thought this is a fantastic opportunity, one that doesn't come up very often. So I applied and I was really fortunate to have been the successful applicant for the role. I loved working at GMW and I always enjoy coming to work. I look forward to what the day brings. I think everyone at Goulburn Murray Water is incredibly supportive and I think with such a flexible and encouraging employer, I really think that every day that I've had here has always been a great one. I really enjoy working here and I certainly hope that I can stay with my work for many years to come.
Ivy Jensen
Well, we're certainly very lucky to have you, you're an amazing person. So you're one of our HR business partnering managers., can you just explain to our listeners what that involves?
Marnie Rowden
It's quite a varied role. It's a very broad role. So I support a lot of the senior leadership team and managers, teammates, coordinators and employees with all matters HR. So whether that might be any grievances or leave requests, any employee members that we might have, I support managers and all of the employees with those sorts of inquiries. I partner with the senior leadership team. So that involves sitting there and looking at workforce planning, coming up with some good strategies to tackle any big things that might be coming up with regards to roster changes or anything like that. So it's a very broad but very diverse role. No day is the same. I always say there's never a dull moment in high. You don't know what is around the corner.
But also in my role, I look at that the payroll function and the learning and development function. So I've got a great team in my development team and a great team in payroll.
Ivy Jensen
I can imagine you never have a dull moment because HR is all about people and people and everyone is different. So you're always dealing with different people, aren't you?
Marnie Rowden
Yeah. GMW is a massive organization. I think it employs roughly 500 staff, and contractors on top of that. So I think the challenge is that because we are very spread out - we have employees from Wangaratta all the way up to Mildura and then they're very spread out across the north, east, north west region - it's trying to find enough resources to be able to support the business objective, which is we deliver water. So that can be challenging at times; making sure that we've got enough people in the right positions to be able to fulfill that requirement. So that is always a challenge and high challenge.
And also we're competing a lot with other regional organizations. So I think we've got some very specialised roles within all GMW, and you can't get just out of the box people to come in to perform roles. So we need to really look after the people that we have so we don't lose them to other water agencies around the region because everyone's looking for great people to be on their team.
Ivy Jensen
What would you say is some of the benefits of working at GMW?
Marnie Rowden
First thing that comes to mind is flexibility. We are an incredibly flexible employer with regards to hybrid working, work life balance, and supporting employees who do need to have that flexibility with working around children and school drop offs, things like that. I think the flexibility for us, to me, we are an employer that promotes equity across all divisions with very much looking for getting that right. Equity balance between male or female, we support all abilities so anyone can apply. We encourage everyone to apply for roles. We have the right processes in place to support people with all abilities to join us as well. So I think not only are we flexible, we're incredibly inclusive. We offer diversity, employment opportunities and what that can bring. So we look after our employees.
Ivy Jensen
Yeah, I know personally I've had that experience too, and we've got some great employee networks that really support that diversity and inclusion, don't we?
Marnie Rowden
Absolutely. I think some of the new networks have just sort of started to take off now this year, particularly, you know, the Parents and Carers Network, where it gives parents and carers the opportunity to be able to come together and discuss and brainstorm and soundboard challenges that they might be having as a parent and carer, plus trying to juggle full time work or part time work that I can then come back to the business with some really great suggestions and potential ideas of how that can be better supported in the workplace.
Ivy Jensen
I think that's fantastic. As well as the benefits of working for GMW, we've got the benefits of working in regional Victoria. What would you tell people who are interested in applying about this area and what it's like to live and work here?
Marnie Rowden
Oh, don't hesitate. Do it. The benefits of working in regional Victoria is that there is no traffic. Traveling is just easy to get around. The lifestyle is very relaxed. It is all about lifestyle. When you move regionally, this fabulous opportunity and I tell lots of people, I think because it's regional, there's fabulous opportunities. Once you move regionally, everything's a bit cheaper than what it is in capital cities or in the metro areas. Personally, my experience from coming from 9 to 5, sitting in traffic gridlock, high pressure frustrations, to moving regionally, it's just a breath of fresh air and it's just a much nicer, easier lifestyle with great employment opportunities.
And you don't have to see a peak hour traffic to get to work in the morning, in the afternoon, pop on an audiobook, listen to music, and before you know it. I think the worst thing you might get stuck behind a caravan every now and then.
Ivy Jensen
Yeah, right now. I love living where I do. It's just beautiful. So if anyone is interested in applying for a career at GMW, what should they do?
Marnie Rowden
They can visit our website and navigate through the careers tab and we have all of our vacancies listed on the careers tab. And then I just need to follow the instructions, which would be to submit an application form to a role that is that interests them, submit their CV, and then we would certainly love to get in for a chat. It's a very simple process.
Ivy Jensen
To learn more and to view any vacant positions. Head to www.gmwater.com/careers