Flexible hours motivate employees

Telecommuting 26%

A further 72 per cent believe length of experience carries the carry most weight when it comes to salary rises, followed by managerial responsibilities and level of education at 48 per cent.

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting

Cash incentives to go into trades

NINETY-TWO per cent of CEOs and company directors believe the government should offer cash incentives to encourage more people to learn trades rather than going to university. A survey of more than 1,200 Australians also found that only 68 per cent of blue collar workers and 60 per cent of employees in general supported such a move.

Source: Talent2

Employees caught in web of addiction

FIFTY-TWO per cent of employees who use the internet at work for personal reasons would rather give up their morning coffee than internet access at work, according to a US survey of 500 employees and 354 IT executives. It also found that 50 per cent of employees who access the internet at work do so for both work and personal tasks, with the most popular non work-related websites providing:

News 81%

Personal email 61%

Online banking 58%

The survey also found that 23 per cent of men who access the internet at work said they had visited a porn site on company time, while only 12 per cent of their female counterparts had done so.

Source: Websense

Corporate governance trips up business

FORTY-SEVEN per cent of mid-sized Australian businesses believe corporate governance and increased compliance responsibilities are affecting their ability to make decisions. A survey of 307 CEOs and CFOs from such businesses also found 46 per cent said increased cost was the main reason compliance/corporate governance impeded decision-making, while 22 per cent put it down to extra time required to deal with compliance/ corporate governance.

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Work’s positive parenting competencies

SEVENTY per cent of Australian parents feel that working makes them more competent and 49 per cent believe it has a positive impact on their children, according to a survey of more than 10,000 families. It also found that 37 per cent feel that working had neither a positive nor a negative effect on children, while up to 40 per cent of parents would like to work less hours.

Source: Department of Family and Community Services

Now hiring: the downfall of print

THIRTY-EIGHT per cent of HR professionals in the US use a mix of media, including print, the internet, TV, radio and billboards, for recruitment advertisements. A survey of 627 HR practitioners found that 23 per cent do not advertise in print publications anymore while only 9 per cent advertise only in print media.

Source: Workforce

Making the hard decisions

FIFTY-NINE per cent of executives and senior managers are uncomfortable with making decisions in the course of their careers, with one of the most challenging being managing or dismissing staff who are not performing. In seeking advice about such issues, many turn to internal HR or IR departments (40 per cent) or seek external recruitment or legal advice (30 per cent).

Source: Beilby

Aussies fear offshoring threat

THIRTY-NINE per cent of Australian employees believe outsourcing is just an excuse to downsize a business, according to a survey of more than 1,200 workers. It also found that 76 per cent of CEOs believe outsourcing is a cost issue and look for the best financial option globally while 41 per cent of employees believe payroll is a standard company function that should be outsourced, followed by IT at 39 per cent.

Source: Talent2

Financial services leads employer stakes

ONE THIRD of accounting and finance professionals believe financial services is the most attractive industry to work in, while other popular industries include government, consulting, health/medical, advertising/media and hospitality/tourism. A survey of 5,000 such professionals also found the most popular methods of seeking work with preferred employers include:

Recruitment agencies 30%

Word of mouth 18%

Employer websites 3%

Furthermore, 58 per cent intend to remain working for a preferred employer for more than four years, while the four top organisations preferred by accounting and finance professionals are Suncorp, Qantas, Macquarie Bank and BHP.

Source: Select Professional

US: To be Oprah’s PA for a day

FIFTY-SIX per cent of employees have been employed in a position that entailed administrative responsibilities like word processing, data entry, spreadsheet management, filing, switchboard or receptionist duties. A US survey of 2,000 workers also found that women (66 per cent) are more likely than men (45 per cent) to have an administrative background and 28 per cent would like to be Oprah Winfrey’s assistant for a day.

Source: Manpower

Companies fall down in succession stakes

FIFTY per cent of recruiters believe that lack of preparation is the most common succession planning mistake that organisations make, according to a global survey of 201 recruitment consultants. It also found that another succession planning mistake identified by recruiters was a lack of formal evaluation processes (27 per cent), while an organisation’s succession planning needs to be driven by:

A succession planning committee 43%

Board of directors 41%

The incumbent CEO 11%

Source: Korn/Ferry International