SIXTY-EIGHT per cent of recruitment firms believe that skills shortages are slowing economic growth, but only 51 per cent feel that skills shortages are putting essential services at risk
SIXTY-EIGHT per cent of recruitment firms believe that skills shortages are slowing economic growth, but only 51 per cent feel that skills shortages are putting essential services at risk. While bolstering technical education is seen as an effective way of solving skills shortages, the survey found that the issue was less important than:
Workplace flexibility 79%
Retaining mature age workers 79%
Increased in-house training 74%
The survey also found that recruiters’ staff turnover in the past six months has risen to 15.5 per cent, while 70 per cent are having trouble finding suitable recruitment staff.
Source: RCSA
The staying power of workmates
SIXTY-FIVE per cent of employees in the UK stay with their current employer because they like the people they work with. A further 39 per cent stay because they find their work challenging and rewarding, while 13 per cent stay because their job pays well and only 6 per cent stay because their company offers good employee benefits.
Source: Sterry Communications
Workers not afraid to blue with the boss
SEVENTY-EIGHT per cent of the Australian workforce argue with their boss when they feel they’ve been wronged, however younger workers (62 per cent) are less willing to take on their boss than older workers (84 per cent). The survey of 1,000 workers also found that the main reasons workers argue with their boss are:
Ethical issues 43%
Boss’ behaviour 32%
Mishandling of a client 29%
Other reasons included excessive workloads (27 per cent), salary disputes (14 per cent) and mistakes on the job (12 per cent).
Source: Talent2
CFOs struggle with strategic technology
EIGHTY-ONE per cent of senior business executives in the US believe their CFOs are a trusted adviser within their organisations, but only 25 per cent believe their organisations’ current business intelligence technology supports the strategic demands of CFOs. A survey of 300 CFOs, chairmen, CEOs, COOs and presidents also found that while 81 per cent expect CFOs to shape strategic directions for the business, only 75 per cent said their business intelligence technology effectively makes the most of revenue opportunities and evaluates performance across the enterprise.
Source: SAS/BetterManagement
Addressing the cause behind bullying’s effect
EIGHTY-THREE per cent of British organisations have an anti-bullying policy in place. However, while 80 per cent of policies contain definitions of intimidating behaviour, only 38 per cent define positive behaviour. Furthermore, while 75 per cent of HR practitioners are trained how to tackle bullying and harassment in the workplace, only 55 per cent of employers train line managers in these techniques.
Source: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Corporate contributions continue to rise: US
TOTAL contributions to charitable causes by the US’largest corporations and foundations have increased by 24 per cent over the past year, according to a survey of 134 of such organisations. It also found that the pharmaceutical industry was the largest industry giver in the US, while support for health and human services was the top priority in corporate contributions by garnering approximately 41 per cent of the US contributions budget.
Source: The Conference Board
The high cost of managing conflict: UK
MANAGING conflict at work, including disciplinary and grievance cases and preparing for employment tribunals, costs the average British employer nearly 448 days of management time every year, according to a survey of nearly 1,200 employers. It also found only 62 per cent of UK employers train employees in conflict management skills and nearly a third amongst these do not train their line managers, while employers that provide mediation training for staff are likely to have significantly less disciplinary cases, averaging 22 cases per year compared to 49 cases per year among organisations that don’t provide such training.
Source: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Slacking off, all in a day’s work
FORTY-THREE per cent of Australian employees regularly waste time at work and 42 per cent believe they could get their work done in less time if they didn’t waste time while on the job. A study of 1,000 workers found that workers most commonly waste their time on:
Personal errands 36%
Personal emails 31%
Personal phone calls 22%
Time-wasting usually stemmed from low motivation, a lack of connection to the job or an inability to effectively manage time during the work day.
Source: Talent2
Free-riding on union benefits
MORE than 60 per cent of Australian non-union workers confess to ‘free riding’, whereby they don’t join unions because they believe they receive the benefits anyway. Furthermore, 75 per cent of employees place high levels of trust in their employer, with job satisfaction (84 per cent), loyalty (82 per cent) and job security (73 per cent) being the most common feelings among employees.
Source: Australian Centre for Research in Employment and Work
Middle manager job-hopping down: US
TWENTY-ONE per cent of middle managers are currently looking for another job – down from 38 per cent who were open to a new position last year, according to a US survey of 217 middle managers. It also found that 67 per cent are satisfied in working for their current employer, while reasons for looking for a new job include:
Better pay or benefits 52%
Better conditions 14%
Better L&D opportunities 13%
The survey also found that managers felt that their employers’ training and development, compensation and prospects for advancement weren’t managed well, at 54 per cent, 51 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively.
Source: Accenture
