THIRTY per cent of HR and finance managers rate communication skills as the number one competency in qualified graduates, according to a survey of 150 practising professionals in Australia
THIRTY per cent of HR and finance managers rate communication skills as the number one competency in qualified graduates, according to a survey of 150 practising professionals in Australia. It also found that other sought-after attributes include:
An open-minded attitude 27%
Team spirit 14%
IFRS regulation knowledge 9%
The survey also found that, when confronted with two equally strong graduates with relevant degrees, similar profiles and no previous working experience, 51 per cent of Australian HR and finance managers will make their choice based on personality and attitude.
Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting
Aussie workers lose sleep over work
SEVENTY-NINE per cent of Australian workers lose sleep thinking about work or find themselves obsessing about work during their personal time. Furthermore, 55 per cent find it difficult not to work on weekends and evenings, 68 per cent work unnecessarily long hours at their job and 35 per cent classify themselves as workaholics.
Source: Talent2
US: Workers appreciate performance appraisals
SEVENTY-SEVEN per cent of American employees consider performance reviews valuable, while 40 per cent see them as very beneficial, according to a survey of 612 workers. It also found that the feedback from performance reviews was considered:
Somewhat valuable 37%
Not valuable 15%
Questionable 8%
Source: OfficeTeam
Office desks dirtier than toilet seats
OFFICE desks contain nearly 400 times as many microbes as a toilet seat, according to a study of colds and flu in the workplace. It found that the average office desks contains 20, 961 microbes per square inch, while office telephones could harbour up to 25,127 microbes per square inch. This compared with the average toilet seat which contains 49 microbes per square inch.
Source: University of Arizona
UK: Staff pulled up on porn
SEVENTY-ONE per cent of British companies have rapped staff over the knuckles for having inappropriate or illegal images in the workplace within the past 24 months, according to a study of 200 firms. It also found that 54 per cent of managers were unaware of their personal legal liability for illegal and inappropriate images in the workplace, while 66 per cent of companies have out of date acceptable usage policies.
Source: PixAlert/Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Star employees treated with kid gloves
FIFTY-FOUR per cent of HR professionals believe that high-performing employees receive preferential treatment when it comes to harassment, bullying or other transgressions, according to a survey of 462 US HR practitioners. It also found that 32 per cent believed that star employees didn’t receive preferential treatment, while 14 per cent said it depended on particular circumstances.
Source: Workforce
Sex in the city alive and well at work
THIRTY-FIVE per cent of Australian employees believe there is a place for sexuality in business and 30 per cent admit to flirting with a client/customer whilst on the job. Furthermore, 20 per cent have had a sexual relationship with someone they work with (either client or colleague) with another 20 per cent saying that the relationship impacted negatively on their job.
Source: Talent2
HR bogged down in admin
THE first three days of an HR professional’s working week are taken up by administrative tasks such as induction training, data accuracy checking, running reports and admin tasks relating to departing employees. However, admin can be more than halved where HR professionals are able to share their load with line managers and staff through providing them with online access to HR records. But only 13 per cent of professionals, however, got help from line managers and staff.
Source: Snowdrop Systems
Workers’ attitudes toward leaders rebound
FIFTY-ONE per cent of employees have trust and confidence in their senior management, compared to 44 per cent in 2002. A survey of nearly 13,000 American workers also found that confidence in management had also increased in the areas of:
Honesty and integrity 70%
Growing the business 64%
Controlling costs 59%
Employees also felt that the information they receive from management also improved, jumping from 37 per cent in 2002 to 50 per cent in 2004.
Source: Watson Wyatt
ICT contractors looking to relocate overseas
FIFTY-ONE per cent of Australian ICT contractors would relocate overseas for their ideal job, according to a survey of more than 1,000 contractors. It also found that 22 per cent would relocate interstate for an ideal position while 27 per cent would not be prepared to relocate at all.
Source: Candle ICT
Most US employees looking for new jobs
SEVENTY-FIVE per cent of US employees are currently looking for new employment opportunities, while 38 per cent of HR professionals have noticed an increase in turnover over the past year. A US survey of 506 employees and 389 HR professionals also found that the top three reasons employees are looking to leave their current positions are:
Better compensation 43%
Better career opportunities 32%
Dissatisfaction with current job 22%
Furthermore, a quarter of HR professionals are very concerned about voluntary resignations and believe that the top three greatest threats to retention are better compensation elsewhere (25 per cent), burnout (24 per cent) and dissatisfaction with potential for career development (19 per cent).
Source: Society for Human Resource Management/CareerJournal.com
