New year hangovers cloud 2005

Could not wait to find a new job 13%

Source: Talent2

Output more important than 'face time'

NINETY-SIX per cent of Australian employees believe the volume of work they get through is far more important than the hours they spend at work, according to a survey of more than 1,000 workers. It also found that 76 per cent say their employer doesn't mind what hours they put in as long as they get through their workload, while 85 per cent receive no additional pay for additional hours they work and 24 per cent of employers still measure performance based on the length of time their staff spend in the office.

Source: Talent2

Behind the slide in union membership

THIRTY-FIVE per cent of HR professionals in the US believe that the main reason for the decline in union membership is increased levels of cooperation between management and employees. The survey of 523 practitioners also found that other reasons for the decline in union membership included:

Tougher employer tactics 16%

Increased service-sector employment 15%

Lack of union effectiveness 11%

Source: Workforce

Canucks struggle with employee engagement

SEVENTY-THREE per cent of Canadian employees believe there isn't a clear link between their job performance and pay, while only 40 per cent have opportunities for growth, development and advancement, and receive managerial support for career and skills development. A survey of 3,000 Canadian employees also found that while 76 per cent understand their organisations' business goals, 39 per cent don't understand the steps they must take to achieve these goals.

Source: Watson Wyatt

US: 180 trillion leisure hours lost to work

MORE than 180 trillion leisure hours were lost to work throughout the US in 2004, according to a nationwide study of 12,000 American citizens. It found that 96 per cent of the working population contributed to the problem year round, while there was a vast disparity between the US and Europe, where a strong leisure ethic is taught during youth.

Source: Boston University's School of Lifestyle Management

Australians living life in the fast lane

NINETY per cent of Australians believe they are living life at the speed of light and most people think the speed at which they live their everyday lives is a consequence of technological advancement. The survey also found that 70 per cent of Australians believe a fast paced life is a good thing while 97 per cent now embrace technology easily, resulting in an increasing number of people able to do more activities in a shorter space of time.

Source: HotHouse Interactive

Employers monitor workers for wrong reasons

TWENTY-FIVE per cent of American employers have increased employee surveillance as a result of September 11, according to a US survey of 336 HR professionals and 520 employees. It also found that HR professionals were more likely than employees to agree that organisations have the right to monitor the use of mobile phones in the workplace (76 per cent compared with 52 per cent, respectively), and that organisations have the right to search employee desks and offices (49 per cent compared with 23 per cent, respectively).

Source: Society for Human Resource Management/ CareerJournal.com

UK: Public sector HR more strategic

SIXTY-THREE per cent of British public sector boardrooms offer their most senior HR executive a seat on the board, according to a survey of 128 UK organisations. It also found that the typical HR department has one HR practitioner for every 109 employees, while budgets for HR:

Have increased during the past five years 57%

Will increase over the next five years 46%

Have decreased during the past five years 24%

The study also found that 27 per cent of UK organisations have devolved some aspects of HR work to line managers and business units over the past two years.

Source: IRS Employment Review

Greek managers enjoy hefty pay rises

GREEK managers are expected to receive a 5 per cent pay increase this year, compared to just 2 per cent for managers in Switzerland. A survey of management pay trends across countries in Western Europe also found that the average projected increase for a UK manager is 3.5 per cent.It also found that other reasons included an increase in temp jobs and contractor jobs, as well as decreased employee tenure, making it harder for unions to organise (11 per cent) and problems with union leadership (9 per cent).

Source: Workforce

Lack of work experience hamstrings jobseekers

THIRTEEN per cent of Australian jobseekers believe that insufficient work experience is the biggest obstacle to their finding employment, while other factors include too many applicants for available jobs (11 per cent) and being considered too old by employers (11 per cent). Additionally, the most common methods of seeking jobs include:

Browsing newspaper job ads 87%

Applying in person 86%

Registering with Centrelink 56%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics