TWO HOURS a day is what Australian office workers are spending online at work. A survey of 158 employees and 159 IT managers at organisations with 50 or more staff revealed that anywhere from one-third to half that time is dedicated to personal internet
TWO HOURS a day is what Australian office workers are spending online at work. A survey of 158 employees and 159 IT managers at organisations with 50 or more staff revealed that anywhere from one-third to half that time is dedicated to personal internet use. The three big online activities that employees can’t ‘live without at work’ are:
Banking and finance 46%
News and sport 39%
Personal email 29%
Also popular are jobs sites, instant messaging, real estate, travel sites and shopping and auctions. A third of survey respondents said they stay at work for half an hour or more each day to make up time for their online habits.
Source:StollzNow
On the job 24/7
SEVENTY-SEVEN PER CENT of workers admit to checking their emails during numerous social occasions, including weddings (15 per cent), birthday parties (14 per cent) and even on dates (5 per cent). According to a study of 3,018 workers, excessive emails and an inability to leave PDAs and BlackBerrys alone are leaving employees jaded and overworked. The survey revealed that 43 per cent check these devices as often as every 10 minutes. A quarter admitted that they couldn’t even resist checking their inbox while on holiday. Sixty-one per cent felt that the pressure to be regularly on-call meant that they spent barely 15 minutes working without interruptions during a typical day.
Source: Leaders in London
One in five plan to never leave work
TWENTY PER CENT of baby boomers plan to never leave paid work. The survey of over 1,500 workers showed that enjoying work (56 per cent) and keeping an active mind (55 per cent) motivated them to stay in the workforce. Income rated as a lower motivation for remaining in paid work (46 per cent). Other factors included feeling valued (46 per cent) and social interactions in the workplace (43 per cent).
Source: Australian Psychological Society
People: assets and liabilities
FIFTY PER CENT of Australian organisations reported an incident of economic crime over the past two years, and most were both committed and detected by employees. A survey of 5,400 companies in 40 countries including Australia revealed that the typical perpetrator of economic crime is male, aged between 31 and 40, and has been in his position with the organisation for an average of 5 years. Survey results also showed that the threat of intellectual property (IP) infringement continues to grow. In Australia, IP theft is now the second most prevalent type of economic crime perpetrated over the past two years, second only to asset misappropriation. Two in five economic crimes reported were detected by people.
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers
Sustainability – action or aspiration
THIRTY-SEVEN PER CENT of UK companies still see the most prominent evidence of their company’s commitment to sustainability in mission statements, speeches, PR activities, and sales and marketing. Only 22 per cent believe that these public statements are matched by “significant”effort made by their organisations internally. The survey also revealed that UK companies are failing to engage their workforce on issues of sustainability and corporate responsibility as three in four (75 per cent) respondents said that their responsibilities did not include specific sustainability goals.
Source: Economist intelligence Unit
Young Aussies ill-prepared for work
SIXTY PER CENT of Australians believe university coursework isn’t developing the applied and social skills employers are looking for. A study of 1,000 Australian workers (70 per cent of which were university graduates) found that most older workers believed many of their young colleagues were deficient in critical skills like work ethic, communication, professionalism, and workload and time management. When asked how well universities are preparing students for the transition from classroom to boardroom, 45 per cent said not well, 42 per cent said average and only 2 per cent said very well. An overwhelming 97 per cent said practical experience is more valuable to an employer than classroom theory.
Source: HR Live
Integrity most important value of leaders
BEING HONEST and showing integrity are the key traits for being a good leader according to an Australia-wide survey. Of the 1,200 Australians surveyed the list of qualities respondents selected as number one traits of a leader included:
Being honest and having integrity 50%
Having a clear vision and direction 20% Being respected by the people they lead 15%
Other key characteristics mentioned were demonstrating social responsibility (7 per cent), being prepared to take risks (3 per cent) and being innovative (3 per cent). Seventy-two per cent said their boss or manager was a good leader.
Source: Newspoll
Salary negotiation nerves still exist
SIXTY-ONE PER CENT of employees do not feel confident negotiating a salary increase with their employer. A survey of 150 respondents revealed that an employee’s confidence negotiating a salary increase fades once they have been with an organisation for a while. The results found that many of the respondents were aware of their worth when initially employed and were more confident when it came negotiating their initial salary package.
Source: Hamilton James & Bruce
CEO turnover a concern
FIFTY-SEVEN PER CENT of CEO appointments come from within the organisation, outnumbering external appointments for the first time in seven years. A survey which analysed CEO departures at ASX 200 companies, compared findings to an annual global CEO turnover study which examined CEO departures among the world’s largest 2,500 listed companies. The CEO turnover rate of 15 per cent in Australia in 2006 was slightly below that of 15.4 per cent in North America and Europe, and above the 14.5 per cent recorded in Japan and 9.9 per cent in the rest of Asia. The survey revealed the reasons for CEO departures as:
Regular transition 46%
Merger related 22%
Boardroom conflict 11%
Source: Booz Allen Hamilton
