SIXTY-ONE per cent of small businesses have difficulty in recruiting skilled staff, according to a survey of 600 Australian small businesses
SIXTY-ONE per cent of small businesses have difficulty in recruiting skilled staff, according to a survey of 600 Australian small businesses. It found that their main challenges are a lack of:
Skilled people 17%
Trained apprentices 13%
Work ethics amongst employees 10%
Small businesses also believe employees are attracted to larger businesses for better pay (27 per cent), more job security and tenure (20 per cent), greater benefits and perks (16 per cent) and enhanced career paths (14 per cent).
Source: CPA
Honesty the best policy for happy workers
FORTY per cent of Australian employees believe their workplace culture doesn’t support open and honest communication with their boss, according to a survey of 1,000 employees. It also found that 37 per cent don’t trust their boss to keep personal matters confidential and 57 per cent wouldn’t tell their boss they were thinking of leaving until the day they resigned, while 93 per cent indicated they would work harder for their boss if they shared an open relationship.
Source: Talent2
Fraud alive and kicking across the Australia–New Zealand region
THIRTY-NINE per cent of companies believe that fraud is a major problem for business generally, but only 63 per cent of major frauds are reported to the police. A survey of 491 Australian and New Zealand organisations also found that 22 per cent of organisations believe that unethical behaviour is driven by a lack of senior management commitment to ethical conduct, while unethical behaviours experienced by organisations include:
Unauthorised use of corporate equipment 17%
False claims for sick leave 14%
Disclosure of confidential information 12%
Source: KPMG
Line managing performance management
NINETY-FIVE per cent of employers in the UK believe performance management is essential to the management of organisational culture. Furthermore, 87 per cent of British organisations operate a formal performance management process, 75 per cent believe performance management motivates individuals, 62 per cent use objective setting and personal development plans and 61 per cent of line managers believe that performance management is effective.
Source: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Dressing to effect in the workplace
EIGHTY-FOUR per cent of people believe that what they wear impacts on their success at work, according to a survey of 917 Australians. It also found that the 18 to 24-year-old age group are more likely to believe that what they wear will affect their success at work and socially, while overall 90 per cent of people felt what they wear affects their success in social situations, compared to 71 per cent who believe it impacts on their success in relationships.
Source: Sportscraft
Occupational hazards of shiftwork
TWO-THIRDS of workers on rotating shifts suffer from sleep disruptions and fatigue, while shiftworkers are up to five times more likely to develop gastrointestinal disorders such as peptic ulcers and heartburn. Additionally, 92 per cent of shiftworkers’partners anticipate negative effects such as loneliness and lone family responsibilities, while 86 per cent anticipate that shiftwork would lessen the worker’s involvement in family life.
Source: University of South Australia Centre for Sleep Research
Variable pay plans revised for workers: US
FORTY-NINE per cent of companies have revised variable pay plans for non-executive workers in the past year, according to a survey of 242 US organisations. It found that the most common revisions were to performance measures that bonuses are based upon (68 per cent), followed by increasing goals employees are expected to achieve to earn an award (46 per cent), while 27 per cent increased the size of target awards employees receive for achieving goals.
Source: Watson Wyatt
Please boss, can I have some more?
FIFTY-EIGHT per cent of employers expect graduates to work up to 50 hours per week, but only 26 per cent of school leavers, 44 per cent of college students and 45 per cent of university students expect to work these hours. A study of 680 students and 100 employers also found that employers see overtime as part of the job, with just 8 per cent paying extra wages. However students expected additional pay depending on whether they were from:
University 78%
School 76%
College 65%
Additionally, if given a choice between working back and being with family or friends, 77 per cent of employers expect graduates to be committed to their careers, but only 60 per cent of college students, 42 per cent of university students and 44 per cent of school students would choose work.
Source: APM Training Institute
Australians among world’s top workers
TWENTY per cent of Australian workers spend 50 hours or more a week at work, which has increased from 15 per cent over the past decade. An international study on excessive working hours in industrialised countries also found that 28 per cent of Japanese workers put in 49 hours or more a week, while fewer than 10 per cent of European employees work more than 50 hours a week – the exception being the UK where 15 per cent of the workforce put in such hours.
Source: International Labor Organisation
Career support begins at home
SEVENTY-FIVE per cent of Australians use their partner or significant other as their primary source for job advice and 89 per cent regularly receive career support from their partner or family. A study of 1,000 employees also found that additional sources of career support for employees include:
Friends 74%
Colleagues 59%
Parents 44%
Source: Talent2
