SIXTY-FIVE per cent of working Australians always (or nearly always) go to work when they are sick, according to a survey of 461 employees. It also found that 19 per cent often go to work when they feel sick
SIXTY-FIVE per cent of working Australians always (or nearly always) go to work when they are sick, according to a survey of 461 employees. It also found that 19 per cent often go to work when they feel sick, while workers who take a sick day from work:
Stay in bed all day 70%
Relax with partner or family 32%
Catch up on household chores 30%
Furthermore, 46 per cent of people feel guilty when they take the day off work, even though 86 per cent feel genuinely ill when they take sick leave.
Source: CareerOne
Aussie bosses prefer to buy local
ONLY 10 per cent of employers are prepared to look overseas for potential new staff, while 60 per cent would only search outside Australia if they were unable to source a suitable local applicant. A survey of Australian business professionals also found that 65 per cent would consider hiring overseas only if there was a shortage of qualified people locally and just 27 per cent would look overseas in a bid to add fresh ideas and cultural diversity to their workplace.
Source: Beilby
Executives work on working on
FORTY-FOUR per cent of executives plan to continue working past the age of 64, with 15 per cent planning to work past 70. A study of almost 2,000 global executives also found the most common ages they planned to retire are:
Between 64-69 29%
Between 60-64 28%
Between 55-59 19%
Furthermore, 41 per cent believe their employers are concerned about the potential for losing critical knowledge as baby boomers retire, while just 21 per cent say their company is actively taking steps to retain critical knowledge that might otherwise be lost as boomers retire.
Source: Korn/Ferry
Management holds balance of union power
FIFTY-FOUR per cent of workers across NSW believe that management has more power than unions, while only 25 per cent are dissatisfied with unions’performance. A poll of 1,000 union and non-union workers who earn less than $60,000 found that more than 50 per cent believe they are working harder than ever before and not expecting any relief, while a third believe the number of hours they are working puts stress on their home life.
Source: Unions NSW
Breast is best even at work
NINETY per cent of Australian businesses do not have facilities for female employees to breastfeed their babies at work, according to a survey of more than 1,000 people. However, 33 per cent of law firms report that they provide facilities in their work environments for breastfeeding while 21 per cent of those in the HR sector would happily provide facilities if needed. The sales/marketing, engineering/ manufacturing and construction industries were the most unfriendly for lactating mothers.
Source: Talent2
Dressing theprofessional part
EIGHTY-ONE per cent of employees believe a person’s work attire affects their professional image while 46 per cent think a wardrobe significantly impacts how someone is perceived on the job. A US survey of 972 workers found that 35 per cent weren’t too convinced either way when it came to attire and perceived professionalism, while only 9 per cent felt that the two bore no relation.
Source: OfficeTeam
US: Workers snap up paid time off
FORTY-TWO per cent of US employers offer a paid time-off bank that combines vacation days with at least one other category of time off, such as sick days, personal days and floating or fixed holidays. A survey of 536 organisations found that 86 per cent of all paid time-off plans include time for incidental absence/sick days, while 70 per cent permit use of some or all of the days under such plans for reasons other than an employee’s own illness, such as the care of an immediate family member or other personal emergency.
Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting and Marsh
Business travel on the move
SIXTY-THREE per cent of executives and professionals travel interstate or internationally as part of their jobs, a survey of more than 1,000 Australians has found. More than one quarter spend two to three days a month away from home, while many executives and professionals believe that work-related travel:
Could be reduced to improve quality of life 82%
Isn’t a perk of the job 68%
Impacts negatively on family/personal life 55%
The survey also found that more than 20 per cent spend at least one day away traveling while a further 11 per cent are away from home for one week a month.
Source: Talent2
Nursing shortage critical overseas
EIGHTY-FIVE per cent of US health care organisations are struggling to recruit registered nurses, including critical care, medical/surgical and emergency nurses. A survey of 297 companies found that 61 per cent are also having difficulty retaining them, while 74 per cent are experiencing problems recruiting critical-skill employees in general, compared to only 41 per cent of companies in other industries.
Source: Watson Wyatt
Outplacement raises remaining morale
FORTY-TWO per cent of retrenched workers going through outplacement feel more favourable toward their previous employers, a US survey of more than 2,500 workers has found. An additional 53 per cent of those going through outplacement would recommend their former employers to friends, while the job-finding skills that retrenched employees need most in outplacement are:
Networking 49%
Uncovering job leads 48%
Targeting employers 39%
Source: Right Management Consultants
