Don’t mention the “r” word

The latest headlines do little to improve the general comfort level of sector employees or their employers, come to that. With the British Chambers of Commerce suggesting that 300,000 UK jobs will be lost by 2011, others have put the figure very much higher. Retail will be badly affected as will the High Street banking, financial services, restaurant and estate agency sectors. What to do ?

• ° Transform yourself into one of those rare breed of indispensable & priceless “can do” types.
• ° Seek savings in all areas of the business you are involved in and make sure that your efforts to reduce costs are recognised and adopted by others

° Distance yourself from those who are known time wasters and/or trouble makers – all they are interested in protecting is themselves

• ° Work to earn the respect of your colleagues at all levels of the business – this is no time for petty rifts but a time to show your loyalty to the business, to its directors, and to your hardworking colleagues
• ° Be sure to work on raising your profile where it counts and be seen as someone who can be counted on to deliver

If your employer is forced to make redundancies or make changes to your contractual terms then consider your position carefully. Would you, for example, fare better if you or your team offered to reduce working hours and salary for an agreed term rather than lose your jobs completely ? Might you be in the kind of role which lends itself to migration to self employed consultancy – enabling your employer to benefit from continuity on commercial terms whilst also freeing you to go after new contracts and develop your own business ? Have you been thinking about moving on or retiring anyway ? Might it work better for all parties if you volunteered yourself for redundancy thereby saving the job of someone who really needs it …?

Tough times call for serious thinking but can often be the catalyst for positive change. Think outside the box …

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Students – ready, willing and able to work... but not just in pubs and shops

The Fifth Annual Student Living Index released today by NatWest bank indicates a record number of students are now taking part-time jobs to pay their way through their education in an effort to stem the tide of debt. “So what?” you say, “Why shouldn’t students work and contribute to the cost of their education?”

Of course they should be able to make some sort of contribution to the costs of a higher education but surely not only by toiling at basic minimum wage rates? The latest crop of students is facing higher debts than ever before and is no longer funded by government grants. According to the NUS the average student debt for students graduating after a three year course is currently £20,000 and this is set to rise as the cost of living continues to increase.

Thousands of students are now benefiting from a new website studentgems.com which matches their skills with the needs of businesses and individuals. Through studentgems students are earning at a significantly higher hourly rate and gaining valuable work experience at the same time. The site allows them to fit jobs around their timetable so their studies are not adversely affected and they are no longer stuck with traditional student jobs such as cleaning and waiting on tables.

The beneficiaries are the businesses and individuals who are using the site to tap into the student market and have discovered a pool of immense talent. Radrie Cole, whose business Taxi Medicals needed a new website, used studentgems to find a student for the job and commented “He was so efficient and fast that I could hardly keep up... he is 19 years old!” The student in question is Brannan Coady, who was delighted with the feedback from another satisfied customer. He said “Studentgems has enabled me to rapidly increase my customer base and now provides over 80% of my new customers. Before I found studentgems I was forced to have a part time job to pay my fees, but I am now able to dedicate my time and effort into my customers’ website and logo designs - whilst making a lot more money!”

Lisa Simpson from London wanted some coaching for her children in a range of activities from piano to athletics to singing. She said “I have hired two gems, Charlotte and Chris, in the past week. Both have been remarkable for their skill, enthusiasm, reliability and communication. I have been very impressed by the vast skill sets offered through studentgems and my own experience leads me to have a high degree of confidence in the quality individuals choosing to use the site.”

Since launching in September 2007 studentgems has seen a rapid increase in the number of registered site users and now has over 10,000 people using the site. Director and co-founder Joanna Ward said “There is no doubt that our students are highly talented and can offer a wide range of skills. They are part of ‘Generation Y’ or ‘Boomlets’ (children of Baby Boomers) and are the first to experience such high levels of debt. Characteristically they are self-confident, determined and entrepreneurial; hardly the stereotypical image of a student and it is important for peoples’ perceptions to be brought up-to-date. We have seen first-hand how techno-savvy and talented these students are and witnessed their commitment to the commercial world.”

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Research Reveals Businesses See Almost Half of Absences as Non-Genuine

Nottingham, 23 July 2008 – UK business leaders believe that half of the lost working days due to sickness are not genuine, while some staff still look on a paid sick leave allowance as an extension of their annual holiday entitlement, reveals new independent research released today.

The survey, Absence Management – ten years on, commissioned by HR and payroll software provider MidlandHR and people solutions provider FirstCare, polled 164 senior UK business people on how their organisations manage absence. Many of the questions in the new report were first asked in a MidlandHR survey ten years ago – and there has been little improvement since 1998.

In fact, some attitudes are marginally worse. Today, more than two-thirds of respondents (69%) say they think some people abuse sick leave – treating it as additional holiday – up by 1% compared with 68% ten years ago. Even so, nearly a quarter of those questioned don’t seem particularly concerned because they see tracking absence as unimportant – a worrying trend compared to ten years ago when just 2% would have agreed. This could indicate that companies are merely playing lip service to absence monitoring. The public sector seems to see absence monitoring as less important than the private sector with 79% of the latter citing tracking sickness as quite or very important compared to 63% in the public sector.

Commenting on the research, Lawrence Knowles, managing director, MidlandHR said: “It is surprising that such a relatively large number of those questioned see tracking absence as unimportant, especially in light of the high number of suspected non-genuine absences. Clearly sickness is as much an issue now as it was ten years ago and this research highlights a need for organisations to get their houses in order and start to properly track and assess absence levels, so that they can accurately ascertain the impact sickness is really having on their business.”

Conversely, nine in ten (90%) agree it is in the best interests of staff that sickness is recorded (compared to 98% ten years ago) and 87% agree tracking sickness is important when evaluating workforce efficiency.
Only just over half have quite or very high confidence in the accuracy of their absence monitoring system with the public sector having less confidence than the private sector and large organisations less confidence than SMEs. Ten years ago 94% stated their sickness leave records were fairly or very accurate. However, in terms of monitoring sickness, an encouraging 30% monitor it all the time (compared to 21% ten years ago) and a further 43% monitor it either quite or very frequently.

Aaron Ross, managing director, FirstCare comments: “The survey indicates that managers believe up to 50% of absences are for non-genuine reasons. This is in stark contrast to the more conservative figure of 13% suggested by the CBI survey. The difference could be explained as only companies with accurate methods of recording absence are able to complete the CBI survey.

“Either way, organisations must be careful not to become complacent about absence monitoring and underestimate the effect it can have on a business’ productivity and profitability. The value of accurate, real time reports should not be underestimated and are the solid foundation necessary to gain a true picture of the root causes of absence within an organisation. Without these reports it is not possible to take a proactive approach to managing absence problem areas and it also makes calculating absence associated costs difficult.”

Claudia Kellermann/ Alex Moorhouse

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Royal Mail Unveils Reasons for Relocating Regional Hub to Swindon

Swindon, United Kingdom – As part of an on-going restructure to meet the challenges of full competition in the postal market and modernise the business, the Royal Mail is investing £20 million to create a state-of-the-art Mail Centre to serve its customers in the Thames Valley area. To identify the most cost-effective solution, the Royal Mail compared and evaluated sorting offices at Reading, Oxford and Swindon and decided to expand Swindon’s sorting office, increasing its workforce from 400 to 900 by June 2009. These decisions were not taken lightly. Having announced the closure of Reading and Oxford, Royal Mail project managers revealed three key factors underpinning the decision to relocate to Swindon These were:

1. Swindon’s excellent logistical connections
2. Available development land
3. New housing developments offering staff a good choice at reasonable cost

With the postal market fully open to competition from 1 January 2006 and with 1 in five letters now handled by competitors, Royal Mail is making significant investments in new technology, infrastructure and its employees. Transporting vast quantities of mail meant the key objectives were to reduce operational costs and to improve the speed of postal delivery.

Although some post travels by air, most travels by road. The M4, M5 corridors mean that vehicles get further from Swindon in one hour than they can from the other two locations. With rising fuel costs, Swindon’s pivotal location has already proved crucial as it minimises the diesel fuel bill!

In spite of relentless growth of the internet over the last fifteen years, the volume of direct mail nationally has grown steadily. It only dipped 3.2% in the last year. The Royal Mail planned for growth and the new mail centre will have the biggest mail volumes in Europe with 1 million items outbound daily, and 2.5 million items inward bound for distribution.

The new Swindon sorting office will double in size to 20,000 m2 (3 or 4 football pitches**). Tried and tested new equipment will increase the transit speed of items from 25,000 items an hour, to 35,000 items an hour. Finding a site big enough for state-of-the-art equipment was a key relocation factor. Of the three towns, Swindon first attracted attention because it had development land available at a reasonable cost per square foot. Having selected Swindon, The Royal Mail explored several sites but eventually settled on expanding their existing facilities at Dorcan. (When they moved into Swindon in 1974, The Royal Mail had the foresight to earmark a large plot of land and only developed part of the site).

The recruitment bill is a significant factor in company relocation and the cost of housing in Swindon is lower than Reading and Oxford. It is hoped this differential will persuade more staff at all levels to relocate. The North Swindon development is 10,000 new homes, and with other new housing developments underway, Swindon offers a wide selection of modern housing.

Royal Mail’s Commercial Manager, Matthew Lawlor says ‘We are in a fully competitive postal market now and need to improve efficiencies. These projects are imperative and we must manage transition, rather then react to it. Our staff can embrace a better quality of life as they may be able to have a lower mortgage or an extra bedroom. And if we need more staff, Swindon has a large workforce with compatible skills, in distribution for example.’

According to Bill Cotton, Swindon Borough Council’s Director of Economic and Cultural Development, ‘New employment opportunities are a real boost for the town and we are delighted that The Royal Mail recognises Swindon’s importance as a logistical hub. A recent survey by international property agency, Knight Frank, concluded that Swindon is well-placed to weather the current economic climate because of its strategic location. Companies settling here make sound, long-term decisions to invest in an area earmarked for economic growth and we look forward to supporting new arrivals to the town in whatever way we can.’See www.maketheconnection.co.uk or call for details

Finally, Matthew Lawlor observes that ‘Just as The Oracle at Reading lifted the town’s reputation and made property prices rise, Swindon’s £1 billion town centre regeneration will make it a more attractive place to work and live. Once staff realise Swindon is set for growth and may be a good bet for investment, we think they’ll look more favourably upon relocation.’ -ends- Word count 714

FACTS & FIGURES

**The size of an average football pitch is 7297.5 m2 meaning the extended facility is 3 football pitches. The minimum dimensions of a football pitch are 4050 m2 making it the size of 4 football pitches.

* Average house prices for a post 1960 semi detached three bedroom

Oxford - £280,000
Reading - £215,000
Swindon - £176,000
Source - Valuation Office Agency

Swindon’s Economic Performance Indicators

• GVA - Highest gross value added per head of any UK town (the equivalent of gdp at town/regional level). Swindon’s GVA is more than 50% higher than the UK average. Third highest in terms of regions.

• Employment rate at 79% is higher than both the SW (77.7%) and the UK (74.2%)

• Swindon has a higher proportion of people in working age group (63.6%) compared to SW (59.9) and UK (62.1).

Swindon is located:

• one hour to London Paddington by train
• an hour’s drive to Heathrow and Bristol airports
• 90 minutes drive to Central London, Birmingham and Southampton
• 40 minutes to Reading, Bristol, Cheltenham, Oxford and Bath

For further details contact:

Rhona Jack
Blue Click PR Ltd.

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Lancaster to succeed Dugdale as new Chair of The Catalogue Exchange

During the Catalogue Exchange Annual Summit on 3rd of June. Mark Dugdale the retiring Chairperson announced his successor, Alison Lancaster Marketing Director of Charles Tyrwhitt.

Alison was unanimously elected by the current advisory board. Alison has an impeccable catalogue pedigree and was a significant contributor to the foundation and establishment of Debenhams Direct and, more recently, John Lewis Direct. She has also become something of a leading light in online marketing and multi channel retailing and her enthusiasm, energy and passion for our industry is well known to everyone who knows her.

Alison said, after the meeting, “I am very excited in taking the chair of CatEx from Mark and look forward to working with all members in driving the Exchange forward to meet our objectives and deliver excellent value for money. We have an ambitious forward development plan and need the support of all of our members to make it happen and raise the profile of our industry. I’m sure that everyone will want to join me in thanking Mark for the hard work, dedication and sense of humour that he has brought to the Exchange over the last two years, which has seen it develop from a fledgling organisation into a credible and respected trade body”.

Editor’s Note

The Catalogue Exchange is a not for profit trade body established to represent the interests of businesses at all stages of development in the catalogue, home shopping and retail sector. Member companies include John Lewis Direct, Suttons Consumer Products, MandM Direct, OKA, Scotts of Stow, Lands’ End, Boden, Charles Tyrwhitt, Hotel Chocolat, Sainsbury’s, The Folio Society, Direct Wines, Damart, Harrods, Early Learning Group, Long Tall Sally, JD Williams, Screwfix Direct, and many others.

Membership enquiries:
sam@catalogueexchange.co.uk
Tel: 01271-855545;

Press enquiries
monica@catalogueexchange.co.uk
Tel: 01271-855545

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Holidaying with your PDA? Top tips for stressed out executives this Summer

We all know it’s normal for executives to start the day extremely early, to work well over the standard 40-hour week - often working on weekends and whilst on holiday, but does this make for the most productive business or are we just adhering to the cult of overwork?

Dominic Turnbull, a senior consultant at The McLane Group offers the following advice:
“It's vital people value their own emotional, mental and physical wellbeing and take time away from the office to truly relax. Rather than worrying about emails and deadlines, workers should take a well-deserved holiday and then return to the office feeling refreshed, replenished and ready for business."

It’s a fact - the UK has the longest working hours in Europe meaning that thousands of us feel unable to switch off when away from the office. It's incredibly important that people acknowledge we need a break and that our families and home life should have an equal share of our time.

By spending time outside of work not only replenish spent energy whether it is emotional, intellectual or physical, it actually makes you more efficient at work. We all know that for most leaders and employees, the first 40 hours they work each week are worth much more to the company than the next 20 hours. But those extra hours spent at work can damage your personal life…which in turn becomes damaging to the company. So what should you do before you go on holiday to help with a stress-free break and a more productive employee!

Top 10 Tips for a Stress-Free Summer for UK Executives
Before you leave work, look at your workspace and say to yourself ‘you are complete’...then leave
Spend 30 minutes on your own at work at the end of the final day in reflection mode in order to ‘complete’ that session of work and get into holiday mode before you arrive home
Create a “Whilst I am away list” and arrange to do a suitable handover to a colleague the day before you leave
Make sure that your partner is aware that you aim to have a stress-free holiday away from the office with as little interruption as possible
If impossible to be completely out of touch with the office then set aside 30 mins before breakfast to answer any urgent e-mails and calls
Make sure your boss is confident that your absence won’t create a fracture in the business – he/she should be assured and happy on your last day
Empower key subordinates to make difficult decisions in your absence
Put systems in place to ensure all clients have alternative contact details so you don’t get bugged when you’re away - set up auto reply on Microsoft office and make sure you leave trusted colleagues email/telephone contact details
Don’t talk shop when you’re away – your partner will get tired of hearing about it - love your time with your partner and family
Book one extra day on holiday at home when you return

The McLane Goup – Company Background
Formed in 1996, The McLane Group is a consultancy specialising in people, transformation and breakthrough performance. The company works with leaders and teams in some of the world’s top organisations, delivering company-wide programmes and personalised executive coaching. They deliver and implement major changes in blue chip multi-nationals and have worked closely with ITV, Unilever plc – Worldwide, ICI – UK, Abbey National – UK, Hostess Frito Lay – Canada, IBM – USA, Sweden & Italy, Black & Decker – UK, Iveco Ford Truck, Quest International – Worldwide, Campbells Soups – Canada and Gerber Foods – USA. They are currently working closely with Unilever, IBM, Bakemark and Alliance Boots to name a few.

Dominic Turnbull, Managing Director and Consultant At The McLane Group will be available for interview to advise on top tips for stressed out executives this Summer. More information can be found at: www.mclanegroup.co.uk.

For press information, please contact
Natalie Whitlock at Full Portion Media
0845 225 1500

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RESEARCH INDICATES EMPLOYEE SECURITY AWARENESS REMAINS LOW ACROSS UK BUSINESSES

Chessington, Surrey, UK – 30th June 2008 – The security division of value-added distributor, Bell Micro today released findings from an independent research report which suggests that UK businesses are still failing to implement internal security procedures despite growing awareness of the potential consequences.

The research indicated that despite an increase in mail filters and firewalls, a high proportion of respondents still receive unwanted emails from apparently reputable sources, such as banks (63%), which typically represent phishing attacks. Even more surprising was that when asked about password protocols, 56% believed colleagues passwords commonly reflected either the names of family members or favourite sports teams (41%), all of which can easily be gleaned from social networking sites - which 41% of respondents are permitted to visit by their respective companies.

“The areas of concern that become apparent from this research unfortunately seem to point to staff as the weak link in the security chain,” said Steve Browell, General Manager of Bell Micro’s Security Division. “There is still too much reliance on non-random password protection, which can easily be hacked by identifying personal information freely distributed on social networking sites - despite the readily available solutions that are on the market and already protecting against these issues.”

A staggering 73% of respondents to the survey were also willing to confirm their mother’s maiden name to researchers - a prime example of sharing personal information that is traditionally used as a password, or prompt, when accessing online accounts – or is often used as a password.


The research was carried out by Dynamic Markets (www.dynamicmarkets.co.uk) on behalf of Bell Micro at Infosecurity Europe 2008. Among the 94 interviewees, 88% were IT professionals.

Steve Browell is a veteran of the security industry, previously holding the Executive General Manager role at Vistorm for nine years, where he was responsible for the vendor portfolio, identifying services opportunities and delivering sales and marketing initiatives that drove consistent growth.

Bell Micro enjoyed growth in excess of 20% in 2007 and is seeking to make further investments in its security business in 2008 to enhance a growing reputation as a security specialist throughout Europe.


Gary Marshall

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CIOs and the challenge of organisational leadership development

New research reveals the gulf between vision and capability to deliver

30th June 2008, London, UK – CIOs have a clear vision for their IS organisation but lack confidence in the ability of their department to deliver the plans, new research revealed today. CIO Connect, the networking organisation representing the majority of CIOs at the UK’s top 250 FTSE companies, carried out the research to understand the development challenges facing today’s IS organisations.

More than 83% of CIOs said they had excellent or good clarity of vision for their IS organisations but only 58% felt they had the same clarity of plans to deliver the vision and only 45% reported they were in an excellent or good position to deliver on the plans.

The commitment to training and development was clear with 100% of CIOs stating it was important to have plans in place for both the CIO and their team and 68% reporting that their teams had benefited from previous development programmes. However, the gulf between intention and action became clear when just 52% rated their existing plans as very good or good and 14% said they were inadequate.

CIOs believed that the most critical elements in delivering the IS organisation’s vision were building a team with excellent leadership capabilities (79%), good relationships with other parts of the business (79%) and a leadership team that functions as an effective team (68%). This was backed-up with 79% of CIOs voting that having an adequate budget was also very important.

CIO’s believe the priorities for development in their team should be the next generation of CIOs (53%) followed by those taking on leadership roles for the first time (35%). When it came to their direct reports, the CIOs felt their number one development need was the ability to improve results delivery (52%).

None of the 28 CIOs questioned believed they were a priority for development, with 62% saying they were the lowest priority level. However, when they did consider their own development needs, 46% believed influencing their senior boardroom colleagues and building commitment to IS across the organisation was the priority for their personal development.

“Our research identifies an important issue for many of the respondents that whilst clear on direction there is a lack of confidence in the ability of the IS team to deliver on that vision,” commented Alistair Russell, CIO Connect Development Director. “Also, given that the behaviour modelled by the leader has a very powerful influence, it was worrying to see so many CIOs putting themselves at the bottom of the priority list when it came to leadership development. In our experience, the Vanguard CIOs recognise that there is a clear link between an IS strategic vision, training and development and a high performing CIO team. Our profession must embrace this philosophy and put it into practice if we are to deliver on the potential of the opportunity that we have.”

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WORKERS TARGETED BY HELP CAMPAIGN

With many European governments having now imposed workplace-smoking bans the ‘HELP – For a life without’ tobacco campaign has launched an initiative focusing on helping employees to fight the need for nicotine.

The ‘HELP at Work’ initiative is focused on highlighting the dangers of smoking to workers, informing them of the risks and providing information and advice to help them to quit or avoid starting.

Working in conjunction with HR departments the ‘HELP at Work’ initiative visits large businesses with its road show and spends a day providing workers with free Carbon Monoxide tests, help and advice on how to quit and a variety of promotional items.

The Carbon Monoxide tests are very successful in highlighting the impact of smoking on the lungs and play an important role in encouraging people to quit.

The ‘Help at Work’ initiative has already started and so far 100 companies across Europe have enthusiastically embraced the scheme as part of their own staff welfare programmes. In the UK companies such as law firm Denton Wilde Sapte have already participated in the ‘HELP at Work’ initiative.

One HR Director of a visited company said, “The introduction of workplace smoking bans across most of Europe is a good step forward however it has raised other issues of concern to employers. The fact that smokers seem to get extra breaks and take more time for these can be a cause of discontent amongst some workers. In addition, business management should also be concerned about the public perception of their business if their employees stand outside to smoke, leaving cigarette butts everywhere. By encouraging and helping staff to give up smoking the individual workers benefit, but so does the business!”

The ‘HELP at Work’ initiative is looking to cooperate with more European businesses. Anyone interested in getting their business involved and organise a CO-test day can contact the HELP team in the UK.

Contact Naomi van Moppes on 020 8789 2587

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Commute To Fitness - Cycle to work and reap the benefits

Commute to Fitness - Cycle to work and reap the benefits

Fed up with overcrowded public transport or bored of sitting in traffic? Why not ride to work and reap the benefits.

London - Tuesday 22nd January 2008

Evans Cycles, the UK’s largest specialist cycle retailer, gives you a few reasons why cycling to work could be more beneficial to you than you think.

The list of why cycling is better is endless. It’s clear that by bike you’re more environmentally friendly, save time and money especially through the busy streets of the countries major cities. With the government announcing a £140 million cycling plan for the next three years, it is going to make travelling by bike so much easier.

Cycling is low intensity and as hard as you want it to be. You can choose a long or short route depending on how confident you feel and what you want to achieve. If you don’t like revealing all at the swimming pool, or find that running is too intense then cycling can beat all that. Steady pace cycling burns fat and has the added value of taking you from A to B.

“Cycling to work has many more health benefits than you think” says Claire Beaumont, Evans Cycles’ fitness expert. ”We all think of it as an alternative mode of transport but the workout you get from riding helps keep you fit without realising it and is so much better for your wellbeing especially this time of year when everyone is coughing and sneezing on public transport”.

Can help weight loss

When you cycle a simple bit of mathematics happens, you eat food to put energy in the body, you then burn energy from food to power your body to cycle. There is then a negative energy intake and you lose weight, or if you didn’t want to slim down then it means you can have an extra cream cake at the weekend!

Feel better

What is also great about cycling is that although your using energy and tire the body in the long term the feeling of well being will make you feel more energised because exercise takes you out of your daily routine, helps you focus on what your body is doing and take you away from things happening from day to day.

Defence against Coughs and Colds

A regular bit of cycling is a way to boost your immune system, after moderate exercise of about an hour your body will recognise this and release more bacteria fighting cells into the blood stream over time the levels of cells from the immune system will rise to a new baseline which means the body becomes more effective at fighting infection compared to someone who is sedentary.

How Much?

Government guidelines recommend that adults should to at least 30minutes of activity everyday and cycling is an easy way to get this recommendation into your daily routine. Ideally 1 hour of cycling is great for your body it doesn’t have to be strenuous and not done all in one block, how about a cycle to the shops.

No gym fees

A decent bike, that won’t fall apart after a month of riding, will set you back about £300. Mountain bikes, road bikes, hybrid or folding bikes are now more affordable than ever. £30 gets you a comfortable, lightweight helmet that passes all relevant safety standards. Waterproof jackets with reflective strips that combine comfort, practicality and safety start from around £50. With winter gloves from around £20 you can have all the gear you need to get started for around £400, that’s usually less than a year’s gym membership!

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Ditch widening participation in favour of ‘better-informed career choices’ says Growing Ambitions social entrepreneur

University is not the answer for everyone. Yesterday's National Audit Office report bemoans the low numbers of ‘white working class’ children going to university despite the £392m recently spent on widening participation.

The NAO report states that people from a lower socio-economic background make up one half of the population of England. It says there is an incomplete picture on which initiatives to widen participation work. Some believe the biggest concern is the inadequate advice and guidance for people who have the ability to progress to higher education but think university is not for them.

“Whilst many consider ‘widening participation’ laudable in principle, I advocate ditching the concept of ‘widening participation’ in favour of enabling all young people to make ‘better-informed career choices, make the best choice for them. To start with they need to know what career choices are available, what jobs there really are out there – from drain surgery to brain surgery,” says Sally Davis, MD of Growing Ambitions

Growing Ambitions helps young people make informed choices about their lives. It does this by providing a matchmaking service between business, employees and young people.

“People are individuals and have different talents, skills and aspirations that is what we need to cater for. Not everyone is academic nor wants to go to university and therefore this should not be a benchmark of success. There needs to be more funds put into helping young people make ‘informed choices’”, says Sally Davis.

Growing Ambitions is a non-profit making organisation that provides a service introducing career speakers from every workplace into schools, colleges and universities UK-wide to talk about their jobs and help young people make good choices for them. People keen to volunteer a half-hour talk can sign up on the website – with no long-term commitment.

Sally Davis
MD Growing Ambitions

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New survey finds war for talent surviving the credit crunch

A new survey of over 900 employees and nearly 300 employers has found that businesses across the UK are still finding it difficult to recruit and retain staff, despite the economic downturn.

The survey, part of an annual programme carried out by recruitment specialist, Ochre House, found that less than 60% of respondents had been in their job less than two years and as many as 68% planned to change employer within the next six months. The most common reason cited for a move was pay (39%), followed by their employer’s culture and ethics (28%). 26% were considering leaving their job because of a lack of training.

These figures from individuals tie in closely with the results from employers. Whilst staff turnover rates were running around 30% per annum in the 2007 poll, organisations now reported that they had jumped to as much as 42%.

“Our surveys over the past five years have shown that career cycles among younger workers, the ‘Generation Y’ aged between 21 and 28, have been getting shorter all the time,” says Ochre House director, Jennie Emerson. “However we’re now seeing that this is spreading to staff of all ages as the old idea of long term loyalty to a company dies out. Organisations need to understand what really motivates their workforce and to adopt a clearly defined strategy for both recruitment and retention.

“This will be particularly important given the fact the survey found most businesses optimistic about the future,” she continues. Although over 70% expected that the UK economy would grow at a slower rate in 2008, less than 10% expected a recession and nearly 45% predicted that their own business would expand over the course of the year. However with 80% planning to increase salaries by less than 4% in 2008, addressing ‘softer’ issues such as work/life balance will be vital if this is to happen. “Employers will need to create an environment that gives their people the flexibility and variety they seek, together with the training and development to succeed and the autonomy to get on with it.”

Lowri Gray
BlueSky PR

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Could Achievement Amnesia cost you your next job?

73% of recruiters reject jobseekers who forget workplace achievements on CVs

London, 24th June 2008: A failure to recall a history of workplace achievements on CVs is preventing people securing the jobs they want, and even leading some applicants to receive below market-rate salaries, according to research released today by iProfile.org

The research, based on interviews with 1,000 jobseekers and 200 employers, showed that employers consider an up-to-date and relevant list of specific work-based achievements to be one of the most important factors in their recruitment decisions.

Three quarters (73%) said they have rejected candidates for interviews due to vague CVs with an absence of relevant achievements. And the majority of employers (51%) said that “were applicants to effectively sell their existing achievements on CVs, they could demand starting salaries of 5% or higher”. Nearly a quarter (24%) said applicants could demand an increase of 15%. The latter represents an increase of over £3,300 on the average British salary of £22,000.

According to the research www.iprofile.org/Career-Advice , jobseekers tend to focus on listing general responsibilities rather than their own personal achievements on their resumes. It suggests that they are not necessarily lacking in achievements to include but, instead, are unable to recall them when it matters – a symptom it dubs ‘Achievement Amnesia’.

It also shows that CVs are usually written in a rush, with 71% taking two hours or less to write it and 79% of applicants saying they only write CVs when actually looking for a position. As a result, a third (32%) said they weren’t confident they could recall useful achievements more than six months old and nearly another third (28%) couldn’t recall those more than 18 months old. Perhaps just as worryingly, the majority of candidates appear to spend a disproportionate amount of time making their CV stand out with creative designs (36%) – despite the fact most employers and recruitment agencies don’t think such embellishments are important.

Achievement Amnesia is a common – and potentially costly – problem, according to CV specialist, Karl Gregory, from iProfile.org: “Most people think a quirky CV style or generic responsibilities are what employers are looking for, but the research shows that actually the specific achievements of individuals are what make the difference. We work with some of the biggest recruiters in the UK and they tell us that candidates regularly undersell their achievements - addressing this issue could significantly boost people’s chances of getting through to the interview stage, as well as getting the salary they deserve.”

The report argues that jobseekers must begin keeping an ongoing record of achievements during the periods when they are not actively seeking work if they are to avoid underselling themselves when they begin interviewing. Gregory concludes: “There are now tools available online that let people record and structure their achievements as they happen so that your CV grows with you. They also allow you to keep track of all your professional training and qualifications so that people can be in the strongest negotiating position possible when they apply for vacancies. These tools also allow people to share this information quickly with potential employers in an online format that is welcomed.”

A full version of “Underselling in CVs”, published by iProfile and including tips on how to best structure your CV for maximum impact, is available to download from iProfile’s Career Advice section.

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WAHMs (Work at Home Mums) GET BOOST FROM NEW TAX ALLOWANCES ON

1,400 home businesses are started every week in the UK and ‘mum’ businesses contribute an estimated £4.4billion to the economy, and now HMRC are putting their weight behind the growing trend, with new tax breaks for people working at home.

New guidance in HMRC manuals, published on their website, contain examples of the level and nature of home expenses that can be claimed. There are two areas of particular interest: specific expenses and mixed use of premises.

A new element is termed ‘fixed costs’ and includes mortgage interest, Council tax and home insurance, and for the first time HMRC are allowing a proportion of these costs to be claimed against the income of your business if certain criteria are met, such as:

• The area of your home is used exclusively for business purposes for a prescribed amount of time - say, 9am to 3pm, which basically means that if you sit at the kitchen table working you won’t qualify for the additional deductions.

• The amount you claim has to be reasonable in relation to your business - so you can’t claim that you work 20 hours a day.

Apart from these two provisos, you will now be able to claim a percentage of the total cost of running the home. Work at Home guru, Claire Burdett, founder of Funky Angel a web site for work at home mums and dads and their families said,

“This is news to celebrate over, because it is a firm indication that the powers that be are getting behind the WAH trend in the UK and beginning to try and help. The rise in fuel prices, job insecurity, the credit crunch and an increasing sense of a loss of community are all pushing increasing amounts of mums, dads and other members of the family to decide to work from home.”

Funky Angel has been at the forefront of working at home trend, having been launched by Claire Burdett in 2003, following her divorce when she couldn’t find the information and support she needed to help her set up a home business around her two young children.

As Claire says,

“I believe in a whole life approach to business, concentrating on the achieving the best life/family/work balance we can, with an emphasis on building networks and relationships as well as making more than enough money because I don’t think families, or anyone, should have to struggle financially.”

We think every family has a right to have enough money and resources, that every child has the right to have a parent on hand when they need it, and that every parent has the right to have the time and energy to raise their child in the way they want to while still having enough money to live on – they should also have the opportunity to use their skills and intellect in a way that is best for them and their family. We believe working at home meets all those criteria and is the way forward for the UK, where fragmented communities have been causing so much concern.

However, we don't actually believe the propaganda that the modern family is failing, and we don't subscribe to the nonsense that mothers are always to blame. We think the modern family is doing just great and that parents have never done a better job, but that they could do with some support and assistance. This move by HMRC is timely and very welcome.”

Helen Moore Associate
Helen Moore

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Bosses ask the strangest things

PAs reveal their top weird requests

“I had to make tea to match a particular colour from a dulux colour chart.” So says the creator of PAs, a new BBC comedy drama which will focus on the lives of personal assistants within the investment banking sector.

While this may seem extreme, research undertaken on behalf of Crone Corkill, the office support recruiter, has found that some PAs are asked to undertake tasks which could be considered well beyond the call of duty. Their top favourites were:

• Buying clothing for my boss’ girlfriend
• Making coffee but only being allowed to serve it at ‘drinking’ temperature
• Picking my boss’ kids up from school
• Helping with my boss’ kids homework
• Being asked only to wear black as its more professional
• Posing as my gay boss’ wife at a client function
• Replacing my boss’ daughters hamster which died when she was on holiday
• Being asked to place an advert for my replacement when I didn’t know I was leaving!

“While hopefully these sorts of tasks are not commonplace, they do demonstrate that some PAs have become critical to the lives of their bosses,” says Tracy Durrant, Managing Director of Crone Corkill. “Since Crone Corkill opened its doors in 1977, the role of the PA has changed beyond all recognition. While historically it is true to say that they may have once acted as gatekeepers and unofficial concierges, today the role is much more strategic and responsibilities can cover a multitude of different areas - from office management to marketing - from HR to PR. And despite the gloomy economic predictions, we are still seeing a real war for talent - those employers who recognise the true worth of their PAs will be the ones who ultimately win that war.”

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Recruitment SMEs could be losing up to 4% of turnover a year through poor back office management

Despite the need to keep costs under control in the current economic climate new research suggests that SMEs in the recruitment sector could be losing up to £350,000 a year through poor back office management. The survey of 117 companies across the UK also found that the amount of savings had no direct correlation to the size of the company.

“We were astonished to find how much variety there was in terms of efficiency in SMEs” says Daniel McPherson; company CEO of InTIME, back office solutions specialist. “For example we found one company with an annual turnover of nearly £100m would be able to save up to £200,000. However, another company with an annual turnover of only £10m could save in excess of £250,000. With costs currently under pressure it is commercial suicide for organisations to be throwing away as much as 4% of their turnover”.

The survey highlighted that companies are wasting money by not having online systems in place which improve streamlining of pay and bill systems, online payslips and automated reporting. Without them, not just admin staff, but also consulting staff are wasting time chasing timesheet authorisation and sales opportunities are lost.

“It’s always a worthwhile investment to assess where your business could be saving money, especially the way the economy is at the moment” continues Daniel. “We want organisations to be aware that now is a good time to analyse business losses and get the savings they deserve”.

Lowri Gray
BlueSky PR

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As redundancies reach a 7 year high a leading employment lawyer warns employers to follow the rules when it comes to making staff redundant

The Chartered Management Institute has recently published the concerning news that the UK is experiencing a 7 year high in redundancies with 3% of UK managers becoming redundant. This is the highest rate of UK redundancies since 2001 when the figure topped 3.7%. In response to this and due to the bleak economic outlook, Richard Green, Partner and Head of the Employment Department at leading Worcester and Birmingham-based law firm Harrison Clark LLP, urges employers to be extra vigilant in their approach to the redundancy process. Failure to follow correct procedures when dealing with redundancies could make a dismissal automatically unfair and lead to an influx of successful unfair dismissal claims.

As the economy continues to bite at the finances of companies both small and large this situation needs to be avoided and Richard Green advises employers to take thorough legal advice prior to commencing a redundancy process.

Mr Green states,

“Such advice would cover the need for objective fair selection criteria, a proper consultation process prior to any decisions being made and the consideration of available alternative positions within the organisation concerned. Provided the process is properly handled in accordance with such legal requirements, the impact of a difficult time for all concerned can be minimised and the event of costly tribunals avoided.”

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IT Salaries rise by 4.1% report IT recruitment agency, CV Screen

A comprehensive study by the IT Recruitment specialist CV Screen has found that Permanent IT Salaries in the UK have risen by 4.1% over the last 12 months.

The in depth analysis of the IT Jobs market which monitored over 11,000 advertised positions in the UK during Q1 2008 has concluded that the average advertised salary for an IT professional in the UK is now £34,217.

CV Screen’s Matthew Iveson commented “The continued high demand for IT professionals has continued to put upward pressure on IT Salaries.”

“There are certain technical skills where there is still a considerable war for talent with candidates with strong skills in areas such as .Net, C# and PHP inundated with opportunities” continued Iveson.

With regards to the outlook for salaries in 2008, Iveson commented “The IT Jobs market is holding up well in spite of the wider economic problems. It is likely that as a result of the rising costs of living in the UK that more candidates will seek to move for financial reasons, thus putting further upward pressure on IT salaries.”

About CV Screen Ltd

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Better the devil you know? Not for secretarial staff

Less than a third would work for an ex-employer

A snapshot survey of 128 secretarial staff on behalf of office support recruiter la crème has found that less than a third (31%) would consider working for an ex employer. This is despite recent research that says that ‘boomerang hiring’ - as it is known - is on the increase.

“Obviously in a skill short market, employers are looking at new and different ways of filling their vacancies and ex-employees are a logical pool of potential talent,” says Jo Stuteley Director of la crème, but it can be risky, particularly if their original reasons for leaving have not really been addressed”

Of the secretarial staff questioned, just under a quarter (23%) had worked for the same employer more than once but this was often on a temporary basis. Of those that had returned to a permanent job with the same employer, sentiment was mixed: “I found it difficult for my team to take me seriously as they saw me as indecisive – it made returning a complete disaster and I only stayed a couple of months”, said one respondent while another commented: “It was ok – and good to be back with my old team - but in the end it was really a comfort zone and my reasons for leaving in the first place – a lack of career development opportunities- soon resurfaced.”

Stuteley’s advice to employers is to examine anyone’s reasons for leaving through detailed exit interviews. “It’s really important to ascertain whether this is an issue that can be addressed – if it can, it’s going to help retention rates – and you may end up keeping your best staff rather than trying to rehire them.

Sam Woodward
BlueSky PR

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The Internet Savvy Set Job-Seeking Trend

London, UK - 3 April 2008 - Almost half of UK job-seekers will turn to the Internet when applying for positions, according to a new survey from Taleo, the leading provider of on demand talent management solutions (NASDAQ: TLEO).

The survey, conducted by Taleo Research, showed that 43% of workers used online tools, such as applying online or sending a CV by email, to apply for their most recent job. Described by Taleo as “Internet Identifiers,” the survey found this group leading the way in how today’s workers prefer to apply for jobs.

According to the study, job-seekers can be broken down into three main groups, based on how they apply for jobs:

· Internet Identifiers (43%) – Internet savvy job-seekers who actively hunt for jobs by applying online, sending their CV via email to prospects or signing up to an online job board or business networking website

· Hands Off Hunters (38%) – traditional job-seekers who rely on head hunters, recruitment agencies and personal contacts to find new jobs

· Traditional Targeters (19%) – more traditional job-seekers, who prefer to actively apply for jobs through the post

The Taleo study interviewed 120 employees of working age from a range of sectors including business, public services, sales and marketing, media, retail, tourism, IT and skilled trades people, asking them about their job application habits. Other key findings indicate:

· Speed is key – Over half (53%) of respondents who applied for their current or most recent job using online facilities preferred these methods due to the fast response time. Other important factors favouring online job searching included it being less time consuming (24%) and the ability to apply for many jobs at one time (13%).

· Word of mouth – Word of mouth is still the most common means for hearing about jobs with nearly a third (27%) hearing about their current or most recent job through “the grapevine.” Using recruitment agencies was also a common method, with 19% of employers hearing about their jobs via an agency

· Online hunting – Almost half (48%) of generation ‘Y’ (16-30 year olds) were classed as “Internet Identifiers” when applying for positions.
· Call a friend – Experienced job-seekers (46-65 year olds) were the most significant users of personal contacts and referrals in order to get jobs, with 11% using this method.

“Online search and application techniques are now the most prevalent methods with both active and passive candidates, which suggests that candidates are proactively taking charge of their search for employment,” said Neil Hudspith, SVP, International, for Taleo. “Increasingly we are seeing more candidates applying for positions through company websites. This also has the benefit of enabling candidates to become part of a company’s ongoing searchable talent pool, even if their initial application is not successful.”

Hudspith continued, “With the recent popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook, and the increased growth of business social networking sites such as Jobster or LinkedIn, this dynamic is set to change even further. Business networking sites will become a valuable way of sourcing passive candidates that companies find difficult to reach today.”

Online recruitment allows organisations to manage their talent pools and recruitment process more effectively. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 71% of companies using the Internet to recruit do so to reduce recruitment costs, while 41% use it to increase the speed of hiring (CIPD 2007).

However, a recent white paper by Taleo Research, ‘Career Site Recruiting in the FTSE 100 Companies: A Missed Opportunity’, showed that just under half (49 per cent) of FTSE 100 companies still rely on emailed or physical CV’s as the basis of their process.

“The prevalence of online recruitment shows that there is now little competitive edge in merely having a career section on your website,” said Hudspith. “Companies need a fast, candidate-friendly online hiring process to gain an advantage over competitors. Clearly, this is still an area of improvement for many companies.”


James Warnette / Lorna Thompson
Taleo Press Office

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Jobseekers Give Credit Crunch Hype The Brush Off, New Survey Reveals

April 14th, 2008, London, UK – Attitudes towards job prospects across industry sectors remain positive despite reports of a labour market slowdown. This is according to a new quarterly survey, carried out by The Hotonline Network, the UK's largest network of specialist job sites.

The ‘Job Pulse’ survey, a glance at job seeker confidence levels across multiple industries including retail, secretarial and IT, found that 84% of the 1,685 candidates questioned feel that they are more likely or just as likely to find a job in 2008 as they were in 2007. Other findings include:

Credit crunch fatigue - media hype surrounding the credit crunch has failed to knock the confidence levels of 59% of jobseekers who say that they do not feel under additional pressure to perform in order to hold down their job

Itchy feet – 77% of those questioned intend to change jobs within the next three months, 12% are yet to make up their minds, whilst 11% plan to stay put

Money matters – money is the key motivator for employees considering a career move, with 31% citing a ‘high salary’ as the biggest reason, followed by quicker career progression (17%) and job instability in their current role (13%) as the reason

High hopes - 40% expect to achieve a promotion within the next year. 8% hope to do this within their current company and 32%, within a new one

Andy Baker, Group Director of Trinity Mirror Digital Recruitment which owns The Hotonline Network comments:

“Whilst reports show that certain industry sectors have felt the effects of the credit crunch over the last few months, this doesn’t mean there are less jobs around and our survey shows jobseekers are remaining confident about their career prospects for 2008. In fact we experienced a 21% increase in the number of job vacancies posted across our network of specialist sites between December and February, showing that the online market remains strong.”

Ablett/Susie Loughnane

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Computers In Personnel launches voice recognition system to help companies cut the cost of absence

Menswear retailer Moss Bros has seen a sharp increase in demand for ties, as customers react to the looming threat of redundancy by smartening up their wardrobe.

Chief Executive Philip Mountford said that while general trading conditions remained challenging, tie sales were growing at the fastest pace for more than five years.

He said: ”It always happens near to a recession. As things get tough people start to worry about their appearance. Perception is always important in an interview and we are seeing a lot more people buying ties.”

Steve Hawkes, Retail Correspondent,
The Times

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Computers In Personnel launches voice recognition system to help companies cut the cost of absence

Absence Manager automatically alerts managers, captures individual absence records and provides data for trend and cause analysis

Marlow, UK – June 18th 2008 – Computers In Personnel today launched Absence Manager, an intelligent software system that uses voice recognition technology to help managers tackle the practical problems and high costs associated with employee absence.

Many organisations struggle to capture absence information and keep accurate records, relying on manual systems that are frequently inaccurate or inconsistent. As a result, managers often don’t find out quickly enough when one of their team members is absent from work, HR departments find it hard to identify and tackle individuals with repeat absence problems, and it’s difficult for organisations to analyse absence trends and dig into root causes. With absence estimated by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development to average £659 per employee per year – or almost £330,000 per year for a 500-employee company - the need for more effective absence management systems is overwhelming.

With Absence Manager, employees simply telephone an automated system at any time of day or night to report their first day of absence. Call details are logged and alerts are automatically sent to relevant contacts, triggering the company’s employee support systems and allowing managers to act swiftly if they need to find short-term replacements.

This real-time data capture enables organisations to capture an absence quickly, ensures that the relevant and appropriate notifications are raised, and triggers interventions at the required stage of an absence. This might mean arranging contact from an occupational health specialist for an absent employee after a specific period of absence or prompt an organisation to make an insurance claim in the case of some long-term absence issues. And because all of the captured absence information is stored in digital form on a secure web-based system, it’s easy for HR managers to access up-to-date employee records, generate reports and analyse absence trends across the organisation. Absence Manager also calculates the cost of absence, giving HR and senior management better visibility into the true implications of each absence episode.

“Absence management is a serious and difficult to manage issue, and taking a more informed approach can directly impact the bottom line,” comments Chris Berry, managing director of Computers In Personnel. “Absence Manager enables the early capture and notification of absence and supports any managerial, or other, follow up contact with absent employees.“

Organisations can get up and running quickly with Absence Manager because it is a web-based service, which means it’s accessed over the internet and no software or hardware installation is required at the customer site. The system integrates directly with CIP’s web HR portal, Ciphr.

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Computers In Personnel launches voice recognition system to help companies cut the cost of absence

Absence Manager automatically alerts managers, captures individual absence records and provides data for trend and cause analysis

Marlow, UK – June 18th 2008 – Computers In Personnel today launched Absence Manager, an intelligent software system that uses voice recognition technology to help managers tackle the practical problems and high costs associated with employee absence.

Many organisations struggle to capture absence information and keep accurate records, relying on manual systems that are frequently inaccurate or inconsistent. As a result, managers often don’t find out quickly enough when one of their team members is absent from work, HR departments find it hard to identify and tackle individuals with repeat absence problems, and it’s difficult for organisations to analyse absence trends and dig into root causes. With absence estimated by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development to average £659 per employee per year – or almost £330,000 per year for a 500-employee company - the need for more effective absence management systems is overwhelming.

With Absence Manager, employees simply telephone an automated system at any time of day or night to report their first day of absence. Call details are logged and alerts are automatically sent to relevant contacts, triggering the company’s employee support systems and allowing managers to act swiftly if they need to find short-term replacements.

This real-time data capture enables organisations to capture an absence quickly, ensures that the relevant and appropriate notifications are raised, and triggers interventions at the required stage of an absence. This might mean arranging contact from an occupational health specialist for an absent employee after a specific period of absence or prompt an organisation to make an insurance claim in the case of some long-term absence issues. And because all of the captured absence information is stored in digital form on a secure web-based system, it’s easy for HR managers to access up-to-date employee records, generate reports and analyse absence trends across the organisation. Absence Manager also calculates the cost of absence, giving HR and senior management better visibility into the true implications of each absence episode.

“Absence management is a serious and difficult to manage issue, and taking a more informed approach can directly impact the bottom line,” comments Chris Berry, managing director of Computers In Personnel. “Absence Manager enables the early capture and notification of absence and supports any managerial, or other, follow up contact with absent employees.“

Organisations can get up and running quickly with Absence Manager because it is a web-based service, which means it’s accessed over the internet and no software or hardware installation is required at the customer site. The system integrates directly with CIP’s web HR portal, Ciphr.

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TOTAL TALENT MANAGEMENT KEY TO BECOMING A LEADER IN HR STRATEGY

For immediate release: (March 17 2008) - Leading sourcing advisory firm EquaTerra and Human Resource Executive® magazine today announced the results of a comprehensive joint study to assess what “strategic HR” actually means to HR professionals. The study also explored how talent management and alternative service delivery models, such as outsourcing, can enable strategic HR.

The study surveyed approximately 450 HR leaders, in both Europe and North America, 29 per cent of whom were vice presidents of HR and 53 per cent of whom were HR directors or managers. The two organisations jointly conducted a similar study in 2005.

Becoming a leader in “total talent management”, (recruiting, performance, learning, succession planning), was deemed the most critical thing HR organisations could do to become more strategic, as cited by 72 per cent of respondents. 79 per cent of study participants also said that total talent management was the activity that contributed the most to making HR strategic.

Stan Lepeak, EquaTerra’s Managing Director of Research explained, “Improving total talent management will be key for organisations and their HR groups over the next five years, as competitive differentiation and success typically hinges on talent capabilities. One process that shows potential in helping HR groups improve their talent management capability is the use of alternative service delivery models.”

Additionally, 58 per cent of respondents felt their organisation’s executive management viewed HR as a strategic asset, and just 18 per cent indicated it was viewed as a cost centre. Although these are relatively positive numbers, the levels have changed little from those found in responses to the 2005 study, and depict that 40 per cent of HR groups believe they are not viewed as strategic.

’Because the answer to what makes HR strategic depends on whose opinion is being asked, EquaTerra encourages HR leaders to define what strategic means, not only in the context of their department’s current situation, but also in the eyes of key stakeholders and decision makers within the overall corporation.’ continued Lepeak

The study also found that the use of alternative HR service delivery models was not viewed as especially important in enabling HR transformation. The deployment of shared services scored a 3.1 on a 1- 5 scale (where 1 was not at all important and 5 was very important to making HR more strategic). Outsourcing supporting HR information technology applications and systems received a 2.8, and HR business process outsourcing scored a 2.3. It is important to note, however, that the use of alternative service delivery models, such as, shared services and outsourcing was more common and more highly regarded among respondents from larger organisations, and those in the commercial sector than those in the public sector.

One sub-set of study results, published in the March 17, 2008 edition of Human Resource Executive® magazine, is available by going to: www.hrexecutive.com, or by sending an e-mail to: research@equaterra.com.

An EquaTerra podcast ‘Outsourcing’s Role in Making HR More Strategic’ can be accessed by going to http://equaterra.com/KR/podcasts
/outsourcings-role-in-making.... Full study results will be examined in detail during an EquaTerra webcast to be held on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 1600 (GMT). For further information on the webcast, please contact: Allison.Norman@equaterra.com.

For more information, or to speak to an EquaTerra spokesperson please contact:

Sarah Beyrath
Public Relations Manager (EU)

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SICKNESS AND ABSENCE

Staff sickness and absence from work are costing UK businesses £13 billion a year, with employees taking an average eight days’ sick leave per annum which according to the Department of Work and Pensions equates to a total of 175 million working days being lost every year.

It is a situation which is creating a huge dent on industry productivity and one which human resources managers across the country say is increasingly one of their main causes for concern.

In a recent survey by Youmanage, creators of a unique innovative online HR toolkit, 75 per cent of HR personnel said they believed line managers needed more support and guidance when managing levels of absence and sickness in their departments.

Youmanage commissioned the survey as part of a project to assess key HR challenges facing line managers, and to identify areas for improvement. The results confirmed their belief that if line managers had the necessary tools they would be able to monitor and deal with situations before they became a major issue.

Phil Brown, Managing Director of Youmanage, said the level of sickness and absence in the UK was significantly increasing and would continue to do so as it was not being dealt with in the right way.

He said: “It is an accepted fact that companies with a well managed and highly motivated workforce do not have these high levels of sickness.

“However there are many businesses who are suffering from increased numbers of lost days which in turn have an effect on productivity and ultimately the bottom line.

“The simple fact is that if the necessary processes are not in place for line managers to follow lost days through sickness and absenteeism can go unnoticed for a considerable period of time which can be hugely damaging to a business or a department.

“However we believe that if businesses are equipped with the right tools, which not only enable them to keep proper records, but will also proactively alert them to potential issues with individual employees and give them guidance on how to handle those issues, then they will be able to address the problem of sickness and absenteeism and keep it to a minimum, enabling the business to run more smoothly and efficiently.”

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Too much focus on service delivery sabotaging effectiveness of HR departments say UK HR chiefs

A new survey of HR heads at 102 organisations across the UK has found that 83% believe HR departments can have more effect on the commercial performance of their employers but that 81% felt they were being held back by a focus on day-to-day service delivery. Yet almost two-thirds remain hesitant about outsourcing in this area because it is regarded as being ‘too important’.

The poll found that HR directors believe they could achieve more for their businesses in five main areas – leadership development (94% of respondents), retention (93%), attraction(91%), productivity (90%) and growth (86%). Yet well over half felt that they had been unable to address these areas because of insufficient backing from their CEOs or boards. As one HR director from a major UK retailer put it, “There is still a disconnect between the board’s vision for our people and actual investment. As things tighten in the market we are once again in the unenviable position of having to rationalise in HR, which will stop us realising core people goals for the business even in the short term.”

“We found most heads of HR admitting that their departments were currently spending the bulk of their time on recruitment and basic HR services,” say Damien Stork of recruitment process outsourcing firm, Ochre House, which commissioned the research. “However it was clear that they actually wanted to reduce this commitment and redeploy resources to workforce planning and leadership development.”

The three major barriers to redeploying resources into these more strategic areas were defined as inadequate systems and processes, insufficient resources and current levels of skills in the department. Perhaps as a direct result of this, a significant proportion of respondents either already had outsourced or were considering outsourcing in specific areas such as recruitment (51%) and training and development (42%).

“Despite a definite inclination to outsource the more ‘transactional’ aspects of HR, as many as 64% of respondents remained hesitant because they believed they were ‘too important’ to the business,” says Ochre House’s Damien Stork. “However less than 20% were deterred by a perception that outsourcing was more expensive than using internal resources. Given this, the tightening budgets that go hand in hand with an economic downturn may well lead to many more organisations making the outsourcing leap over the next twelve months."

Lowri Gray
BlueSky PR

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Speak to young people about your job - inspire them with great career ideas!

Growing Ambitions needs you . . . whatever your job, whatever your business, whatever work you do. Because young people want to hear from people who are doing the jobs they are interested in.

"I set up Growing Ambitions because my son didn't have the career advice I thought he needed. He told me that he wanted to be able to talk to someone in the job about what they did. He wanted some real information before he made a career choice. And he was right." said Sally Davis, Managing Director, Growing Ambitions.

Wherever you are in the UK there are young people in schools, colleges and universities keen to hear learn from you about the work you do or the business you own. And it doesn't require a total commitment - just one half-hour session in a school/college close to you or your business - talking about your education, training and day job. You can opt to speak near your home or workplace, or both.

Growing Ambitions is a not-for-profit, online initiative putting careers advisers UK-wide in touch with volunteer workplace speakers they need. People from all walks of life, all age groups and doing a variety of jobs can volunteer because it is those people who make up our workforce and business community. (This is great public relations for yourself and your business. Register for free as a Partner on the website, and let others see that you are supporting the initiative.)

To take part all you need to do is go to Growing Ambitions click 'Offer to Speak' and complete the registration screen - this is a free service to speakers. To get a speaking time and date that fits with your working schedule simply tick the 'flexible' Speaking Slot option, then a Careers Adviser will contact you and agree a time to suit. Why not give it a try? You will be under no obligation or long-term commitment when registering.

For further information see Growing Ambitions or contact Sally Davis, Managing Director (tel. no. 023 9266 1600 alternatively email sallyd@growingambitions.org who will be pleased to answer any of your questions.

ENDS

For further media information contact:

Sue Hunter, PR Manager,

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Learning and Development: how clued up are we?

Learning and Development: how clued up are we?

Customers are incredibly important in any industry and so understanding their needs is vital. Obvious? Yes! Yet what a customer sees as important when choosing a learning and development provider is not always fully understood. It is for this reason why Righttrack Consultancy, a learning and development specialist with over 20 years’ experience has conducted its fifth annual satisfaction survey. The survey asks learning and development departments what is important to ensure that an organisation’s development expectations are met and ideally exceeded.

Over the past five years, respondents have been asked to rank importance on a diverse range of criteria when considering selecting a training provider. The criteria range from price, to past industry experience, to a provider’s client list. The top five selection criteria have remained relatively constant over the past 5 years, and 2008 is no exception as the rankings below shows:
(All scores out of 5, last year's position in brackets )

1. Proposal’s match to your requirements - 4.86 (1)
2. Quality of learning and development - 4.82 (2)
3. Capability of provider - 4.50 (3)
4. Price / value for money - 4.45 (5)
5. Degree of customisation - 4.45 (11)

The top five aspects are not industry secrets as it is common knowledge that many organisations are favouring bespoke learning solutions from well-established external training providers and as such are choosing development solutions that match their learning requirements.

Although price is still an important aspect when selecting an external provider, thankfully the days when training providers were selected based solely on price are long gone. This finding is supported with the importance respondents placed on the quality of the learning and development and the capability of the training provider. However, price is likely to play a slightly larger role while there is still business uncertainty.

As the table shows, one of the greatest movers in this year’s results is the increase in importance placed on the degree of customisation. More and more organisations are demanding programmes that are relevant and focused around their organisation. Learning and development is becoming a popular way of showing loyalty and rewarding employees by investing in their skills and so ensuring that the development energises and motivates employees has become a top priority, hence the need for customisation.

The importance of investing in learning and development for organisations is constantly growing and a key reason behind this is largely due to the skills gap, which has resulted in organisations recruiting candidates with perceived potential, as candidates who directly possess both the skills and experience required are in short supply.

Understanding what customers want is a basic business principle and in an intangible service market, meeting customers’ needs is imperative for training providers to be successful. Righttrack has always put the customer at the heart of all its business, hence why they receive at least 4/5 for the following:

• Capability of Righttrack
• Trainers’ Experience
• Quality of Learning and Development
• Creativity and Innovation
• Overall Rating

Ensuring that learning needs are exceeded is not just beneficial to the individual and the organisation but to the UK economy as a whole – a skilled workforce is a successful one.


Gemma Middleton, Marketing Coordinator

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New jail threat to directors over health and safety

With now around 30 million blogs existing on the World Wide Web, and recent research showing that the majority of bloggers are unaware of their legal position when posting online, employment lawyers at Glovers solicitors are warning both employees and employers to be aware of the problems that blogs may cause.

“There seems to be some uncertainty as to what employers can object to as far as an employee’s blog is concerned” says Sikin Andela, employment lawyer and partner at Glovers. An employee of Waterstones was dismissed in 2005 for gross misconduct and bringing his employer into disrepute as a result of his blog, which contained derogatory nicknames for both the company and the employee’s boss. However the dismissal was successfully appealed.

Andela advises employers to have a clear policy on blogging. “This can be incorporated into an existing internet policy within a contract of employment or employee handbook and should provide a clear definition of blogging and what content will be deemed as unacceptable to the employer. The question of whether employees are authorised to access personal blogs during work hours should also be addressed, because employers may be liable for the act of their employee if it is carried out in the course of their employment. Most importantly, it should also set out the consequences which employees will face, should they fall foul of the policy.”

Andela says that individuals using a blog should exercise caution when posting comments online, and in particular, those which relate to their employer and the nature of their employment. “It is important to bear in mind that an employee has an implied duty of mutual trust and confidence towards their employers” she adds. “Any confidential information which is revealed on a blog, or comments which could be deemed to be defamatory, impact negatively on the employer and could mean that an employee is acting in breach of this duty.”

Sam Woodward
BlueSky PR

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