Aussie bankers optimistic about 2008

China 56%

Singapore 42%

In comparison, 41 per cent of UK bankers expect business to worsen in 2008, while 32 per cent of US bankers, 36 per cent of French bankers and 35 per cent of German bankers also predict conditions to deteriorate.

Source: eFinancialCareers.com

Australians left wondering with words

FIFTY-ONE PER CENT of Australian workers have been stumped in a job interview by a word they do not know, while 20 per cent have faced the embarrassment of having to ask what a word means during a job interview. A survey has found that a further 60 per cent of Australians admit that they continue with conversation when they don’t know a word, even if they are in the dark for the rest of the conversation.

Source: Ubisoft

UK: Bosses avoid the truth in appraisals

FORTY-FOUR PER CENT of employees in Britain who receive appraisals don’t think their boss is always honest during these sessions, while a further 29 per cent who receive appraisals believe they are a waste of time and 21 per cent have had an appraisal they felt was unfair. A survey of nearly 3,000 employees in the UK also found that a third of employees would prefer to get more regular feedback, while 40 per cent have been surprised at what they heard in their appraisal.

Source: Investors in People

People don’t like parking inspectors

FORTY-SEVEN PER CENT of Australian workers believe the medical profession is the most respected, closely followed by emergency service workers, including police, firefighters and paramedics. A survey 1,000 Australian workers also found that professional sportsmen and women were also held in high regard, while some of the country’s most despised professions included telemarketing reps, taxi drivers, lawyers and real estate agents. Parking inspectors were also in the most-hated profession category.

Source: HR Live

Workers in China admire leaders

ONE-FIFTH OF workers in China are planning to leave their jobs in 2008, according to a survey of 862 employees and 215 HR professionals in China. It also found that out of 20 retention drivers, compensation only came in at number 14 on the list, while three out of the four top factors encouraging employees to stay with an organisation have to do with leadership.

Source: DDI/SHRM

UK workers overstretched by long hours

FORTY PER CENT of British workers claim they work more than 60 hours a week, according to a survey of 1,000 people. It also found that 38 per cent of people worked above average hours, while 75 per cent claimed that work had a negative effect on their free time.

Source: Realbuzz.com

Email takes up most computer time

TWENTY-EIGHT PER CENT of computer users’ time is taken up by email, followed by internet browsing (18 per cent) and word processing (15 per cent). A global survey of nearly 50,000 computer users across 95 organisations in Australasia, Europe, and North America has also found that UK users put the most hours in on the computer (16.8 per week), followed by the US and Australia with 14.5 and 13.6 hours per week respectively. Only 12 per cent of users had average computing use exceeding 20 hours per week.

Source: Wellnomics

Family businesses unprepared for future

ALMOST HALF of family businesses around the world do not have a plan outlining the future ownership of their business, according to a survey of almost 1,500 family businesses across 28 countries. It also found that 42 per cent of firms believe that difficulties recruiting skilled staff will be one of the biggest internal obstacles they face. The survey also found that one quarter of family firms are expected to change hands within the next five years and 51 per cent of these are expected to remain in family hands.

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Shrinking-holiday syndrome plagues business

SEVENTY-FOUR PER CENT of Australian workers have been called into the office during their days off and holidays, a survey of 468 full-time employees has found. Furthermore, 69 per cent of workers have had to be accessible during their days off or while on holidays, while 48 per cent of white-collar workers have felt frustrated because they have not had access to the information they need to work effectively while away from their workplace.

Source: Citrix Online

UK: flexible working gains ground

NINETY-FIVE PER CENT of employers in the UKoffer some form of flexible work for their staff. A survey of 1,462 workplaces across the UK also found that employers offered their workers:

Part-time work 92%

Reduced working hours 74%

Job sharing 59%

The proportion of workplaces providing childcare facilities or other arrangements to help parents combine work with family commitments has more than doubled since 2003, from 8 per cent to 18 per cent.

Source: UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform