Reputation, culture and sustainability are increasingly entwined, according to Sam Mostyn, group executive of Culture & Reputation for IAG Limited. Speaking at a recent event organised by TalkPoint and hosted by Humanagement, she said that sustainability could only be maintained by embedding it within an organisation’s culture over a number of years
Reputation, culture and sustainability are increasingly entwined, according to Sam Mostyn, group executive of Culture & Reputation for IAG Limited. Speaking at a recent event organised by TalkPoint and hosted by Humanagement, she said that sustainability could only be maintained by embedding it within an organisation’s culture over a number of years. She acknowledged this was challenging given that market analysts don’t take culture into account when examining a company’s performance and the short-lived tenure of modern day CEOs. However Mostyn said financials were more of a lag indicator and culture was a better lead indicator and measure of corporate social responsibility moving forward.
Reigns needed for coaching cowboys: UK
Coaching is in danger of being given a bad reputation by cowboy operators entering the market who are inexperienced, have little training and lack the appropriate knowledge and skills, according to a recent Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report. It found a lack of agreed sets of standards, ethics and qualifications in the coaching industry is partly to blame for this. It recommended organisations make sure a coach is suitable for the individual’s and business needs, setting clear expectations to enable monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness. Also, where coaching is carried out in the workplace by line managers, organisations should ensure they are appropriately trained to coach if this is to be effective.
Mental health challenges in the workplace
Mental health problems currently cost Australia $13 billion per year in 6 million work days lost and 12 million days of reduced productivity, according to the Mental Health Council of Australia. SEE (Social Enterprise Endeavour) Change, in conjunction with beyondblue, Mensline Australia and other community organisations, will host a one-day conference on mental health on 12 October in Melbourne and on Thursday 18 November in Sydney. The conference will provide practical initiatives, support and services available for employers and employees. For a conference program and more information about a discount for Human Resources magazine readers please call (03) 9690 8860 or email [email protected].
The CEO take on talent: Asia, US and Europe
CEOs of Asian companies are more concerned with people issues such as stimulating innovation and acquiring top talent, while US and European CEOs are focusing on sustaining top-line growth as their economies recover, according to a recent Conference Board survey of 539 CEOs. Sponsored by Heidrick and Struggles and PeopleSoft, it found that 51 per cent of Asian CEOs report that stimulating innovation is their greatest concern, followed by acquiring talented managers at 47 per cent. Only 34 per cent of European CEOs and 28 per cent of US CEOs cite innovation as their top concern, while 32 per cent of European CEOs and only 22 per cent of US CEOs say availability of talented managers is their greatest concern.
WAIRC rejects option for cashing out annual leave
The Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC) recently rejected a proposed enterprise bargaining agreement clause that would’ve allowed for up to 50 per cent of an employee’s accrued annual leave to be cashed out. Put forward by government departments looking to address the concerns of employees with overdue accumulated annual leave, the WAIRC was concerned that such an arrangement might be used by employees who are under pressure to not take annual leave, and remained unconvinced that employees would benefit from such a provision in the long-term. The Commission concluded that it was the departments’ responsibility to manage their resources and declined to include the provision.
Bonjour laziness: A guide to French corporate culture
A French woman is facing a disciplinary hearing after publishing a book on how to survive French corporate culture without doing any work. Electricity worker Corinne Maier advised her readers to choose really useless jobs as consultants, advisers and experts in her book Bonjour Paresse (Hello Laziness). The best way to avoid having people ask you what you have been doing all day, the book explains, is to arrive with a bundle of files under your arm. Maier concludes by saying: “You don’t have much to lose if you don’t do much at work.” But her bosses at the French electricity board think the book reflects badly on them and are due to question her next month at her disciplinary hearing.
