Travel to business meetings is having a negative effect on the work and personal lives of Australians, with approximately half the normal working year spent in face-to-face meetings and an additional quarter consumed by travel time, according to a recent study
Travel to business meetings is having a negative effect on the work and personal lives of Australians, with approximately half the normal working year spent in face-to-face meetings and an additional quarter consumed by travel time, according to a recent study. A survey of 300 managers and employees commissioned by Microsoft Australia found Australian business people are away from their home town or city for 30 per cent of the working year. Further, nine out of ten travel at least once a year for meetings, and the travel can take up to twice as long as the average face-to-face meeting time. Almost one in five face-to-face meetings was considered ‘avoidable’ by survey respondents.
You can’t have your pizza and eat it too
A computer engineer who lost his job because he ate two of six slices of pepperoni pizza left over after a company meeting has won an internet competition run by Simply Hired for the most outrageous firings. Although the engineer, Jim Garrison, didn’t work in the department that held the meeting where the pizza was served, he thought it would be a waste if it wasn’t eaten. What he didn’t realise was several other employees had already spied the leftover pizza and concocted a grand plan to take it home with them. When Garrison scuttled their cunning plans by eating a third of their stash, the employees reported him to management, who ultimately dismissed him.
Performance not enough to predict leadership potential
The current skills shortage and ageing population mean organisations need to invest more in developing and retaining their internal talent pool for effective succession planning and future business success, according to a global assessment firm. But to do this effectively, organisations must look beyond traditional performance measures such as 360-degree feedback and performance appraisals. Sarah Kearney, MD of SHL Australia, said organisations that rely solely on performance data to predict future success are taking huge risks, as many individuals who perform well in a role fail to succeed when promoted to more senior roles, especially those involving leadership at a strategic level.
MAS National a regional business excellence finalist
Apprenticeship management services provider, MAS National, was recently chosen as a finalist in the regional Victoria business excellence awards held in Ballarat. Nominated in the category of Innovative Training Program, MAS National was one of more than 30 companies and businesses competing in a wide range of categories covering retail, business and community involvement. MAS National was recognised for its ongoing commitment to providing high quality new apprenticeship services to regional businesses. MAS National provides services for government incentives, advice on recruitment and selection of training packages, administration and the establishment of state and national training strategies for business.
CareersMultiList holds inaugural conference
One-hundred-and-forty-five delegates recently attended the inaugural CareersMultiList national conference. Keynote speakers included Kim Lee, HR director for Goodman Fielder; Barry Robinson, president and CEO of Trendwest South Pacific; Anthony Mitchell, managing director of Qantrex; Sue Healy, managing director of Staff & Executive Resources; and Domenic Saporito, managing director of Caden Recruitment. Sponsors included Human Resources magazine, Fairfax (The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age), Webtech IT Solutions, SkillCheck, hma Blaze and Aon Insurance, which provides CML franchisees with discounted insurance.
HRvote.com.au: HR not critical, operations king
Management generally does not see HR as a critical function, because operations is king – despite many of the managers in these areas lacking expertise in HR. This is one opinion recently posted on www.hrvote.com.au, an industry wide voting forum in the form of a free floating opinion market for HR professionals. It works with an online leader board of opinion ‘placards’submitted by HR professionals. All opinion placards compete continuously for votes from all HR professionals and are ranked live for all to see. Any HR professional can float a new opinion placard on any topic and vote for preferred placards at any time. To respond to this opinion or post your own, simply log on to www.hrvote.com.au today.
