THIRTY-THREE per cent of Australians fear for their job security more as a result of the government’s industrial relations reforms
THIRTY-THREE per cent of Australians now fear for their job security more as a result of the government’s industrial relations reforms. A survey of 1,960 workers found 41 per cent of those in blue collar jobs feared getting the sack because of the reforms. In a state by state breakdown, results showed workers from the following states feared losing their jobs the most:
South Australia 40%
Western Australian 37%
Queensland 34%
Closely behind were NSW (31 per cent), Victoria (30 per cent) and Tasmania (20 per cent). Overall, nearly 20 per cent of workers were unlikely to leave their current job for a new one as a result of WorkChoices.
Source: Talent2
Meetings a waste of time
MORE THAN 82 per cent of Australian workers believe most of their work meetings are unnecessary or unproductive. According to a global survey of more than 2,000 workers, Australians reported they felt they were wasting time in at least half of their meetings because they were unstructured and resulted in no defined actions – costing organisations thousands of dollars every year. On a global scale, the survey found 81 per cent of workers around the world also believe the meetings they attend most of the time are not well planned and do not result in defined outcomes.
Source: Robert Walters
HR outside of business
FORTY-SIX per cent of HR managers believe they could help their business achieve its goals. Of the 100 HR managers surveyed, 54 per cent also claimed they felt isolated from the business as a whole. Results showed that the majority of HR professionals felt their main responsibilities were diversity (88 per cent), health and safety (64 per cent) and performance and absence management (64 per cent). Meanwhile, only 3 per cent of HR respondents said they had ultimate responsibility for staff motivation.
Source: Adecco and Tarlo Lyons
UK: middle management has thick skin
MIDDLE MANAGERS have been found to be the most resilient group at work, a UK study has found. According to the survey of 2,000 managers, supervisors and foremen, those at the top of the ladder, such as CEOs, presidents and COOs, reported having lower levels in their abilities to accept criticism (65 per cent) while executives were slightly higher at 72 per cent.
Source: PsyMax Solutions
Drug usage high at work
MORE THAN 250,000 Australian workers have admitted to using illegal drugs in the workplace, with almost 20 per cent claiming they use drugs for recreational purposes. A study of 30,000 Australian workers found that 17 per cent use illegal substances such as marijuana, amphetamines, ecstasy and cocaine. Workers in the following industries claimed to use drugs the most outside of work:
Hospitality 31%
Construction 24%
Retail 21%
When it came to workers under the influence of drugs at work, the hospitality industry again rated as most likely at 8 per cent, followed by construction workers (4 per cent) and transport workers (3 per cent).
Source: National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, FlindersUniversity, Melbourne
Wealth earns respect
TWENTY per cent of Australians believe money makes a person. A survey of 1,960 Australians revealed that 17 per cent of workers find wealthy people more attractive. When it came to the idea that money earns respect, 25 per cent of CEOs said they would admire and respect their superiors more if they earned more, compared to only 11 per cent of administration and clerical workers. Overall, 13 per cent of workers said they would respect their boss more if they were wealthy.
Source: Talent2
