SEVENTY-NINE PER CENT of Australians don’t get paid for working extra hours
SEVENTY-NINE PER CENT of Australians don’t get paid for working extra hours. A survey of 3,141 workers found that 92 per cent worked overtime in the week before the survey was conducted, while three out of four employees who worked overtime did so as they had no choice but to finish the work. Respondents who said they were least likely to get paid for overtime were:
Professionals 84%
Non-professionals 52%
Contract workers 12%
Respondents who worked overtime worked on average an extra 10.5 hours in one week, and of those who did work overtime and received compensation for their extra work, the most common form of compensation was time off in lieu (61 per cent) while another 44 per cent were paid in cash.
Source: News.com.au
Sick-note culture needs change
FORTY PER CENT of employers rate the way in which GPs work to help people with mental health problems successfully return to work as very poor or fairly poor. A UK study also revealed that 77 per cent of employers feel that a revamped sick-note which included more information on phased return to work would be effective.
Source: CIPD
Big increases for Indian salaries
INDIAN EMPLOYEES received an average salary hike of 15 per cent in 2007, one of the highest increases across 14 Asia-Pacific countries. A survey of over 550 companies across sectors in the Asia-Pacific region found that Vietnam’s booming economy ousted Chinafrom its spot as the third highest salary increase provider in the region. Salaries in China rose by 8.6 per cent, while the Philippines recorded an average overall salary increase of 8.2 percent.
Source: Hewitt Associates
Length of notice
EMPLOYEES RESIGNING in the US, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore and the UK are only obliged to give one week’s notice before leaving their place of work. In Australia however, notice is typically related to the employment status, length of service, age, etc. A survey which outlines the minimum legal requirements for notice periods for employees across 43 countries found varying lengths of notice periods required, from two months in Switzerland and the Czech Republic to none required in Mexico.
Source: Mercer
Europe slow on coaching
SEVENTY-PER CENT of all European Union (EU) coaches are based in UK and Germany. In contrast, only 3-4 per cent of all EU coaches are based in the area of the former communist EU countries, which represent about 20 per cent of the EU population. Overall, coaching is only widely accepted and used as a business tool today in 12 of the 27 EU countries (all Western and Northern Europe).
Source: Bresser Consulting
UK: Two in five employers plan redundancies
THIRTY-EIGHT PER CENT of UK companies intend to make some employees redundant this quarter. One in four employers expecting to make redundancies this quarter report that at least 10 staff will lose their jobs. Thirty-seven per cent expect to make fewer than 10 people redundant, with the remainder uncertain of the numbers likely to be involved.
Source: CIPD/KPMG
Engineers leaving for overseas
FORTY-SEVEN PER CENT of engineers feel that Australia is not offering them enough career opportunities. A survey of engineers across Australiafound that almost two-thirds said they would consider a move overseas for the right career opportunity. The survey also revealed that the use of the web and job boards is having a profound effect in delivering positions directly to engineering candidates.
Source: Australia Wide Personnel
HR wants to keep WorkChoices
ONLY 26 per cent of Australian workers would like to see WorkChoices completely rolled back. A survey of 1,300 workers revealed that 36 per cent would be happy to keep either all or part of the WorkChoices amendments, while 38 per cent felt they were ill-informed about the issue. The level of respondents who favoured a rollback of WorkChoices varied from industry to industry:
Computers/IT 29%
Banking/finance 21%
HR 16%
Those working in HR are the least likely to support a complete rollback of WorkChoices, with 58 per cent saying they would like to keep at least part of the legislation.
Source: Talent2
Employees not educated on bullying
FORTY PER CENT of Australia’s workforce is unaware of vital workplace policies such as OHS and workplace bullying. An online poll revealed that nearly a half of respondents had never received any formal training or guidance with regards to workplace bullying or OHS issues.
Source: Harmers Workplace Lawyers
Australians dissatisfied with their jobs
FORTY-SEVEN PER CENT of Australians are dissatisfied with their job, saying they are not getting paid enough. A recent survey revealed that more than one-quarter of the respondents currently working said they thought about changing their job every day. The main reasons cited were:
Unchallenged 50%
Pay 47%
Poor management 38%
Forty per cent of respondents said that having good relationships with colleagues was most valued when looking for a job.
Source: CareerOne
