THIRTY per cent of America’s fastest-growing private companies expect to benefit from provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, according to a US survey of 341 CEOs
THIRTY per cent of America’s fastest-growing private companies expect to benefit from provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, according to a US survey of 341 CEOs. A further 31 per cent said the Act had an impact on their business, while CEOs are improving their control documentation and testing, updating governance procedures and strengthening their code of conduct or ethics via:
Improving control documentation and testing 64%
Updating governance procedures 53%
Strengthening code of conduct/ethics 50%
A further 35 per cent are adopting best practices procedures while 22 per cent are updating or adding whistleblower policies.
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers
Bringing English classes to work
SEVENTY-SIX per cent of US companies do not have any formal programs to teach non-native employees English, according to a survey of 449 HR professionals. Further, 19 per cent of companies offer language programs for English speakers and 20 per cent of companies offer language programs for non-native English-speakers.
Source: Workforce
Sole parent workers on the rise
NINETEEN per cent of all families are headed by a sole parent and 87 per cent of these are women, recent research into Australian families has found. Further, sole parents in Australia have:
Been widowed 7%
Never married 27%
Divorced or separated 64%
The number of sole parents entering the workforce is also expected to increase dramatically amid skills shortages and impending changes in federal legislation.
Source: Diversity@work
Rise of the Mr Mom
THIRTY-SEVEN per cent of working dads in the US would consider the option of changing jobs for better work/life balance even if this involved a pay cut. A further 49 per cent would give up their breadwinner role to spend more time with their families if their spouse or partner earned enough to support their families. More than a third currently spend less than two hours with their children after work and half report missing a significant event in their children’s lives due to work during the past year.
Source: HRLook
Sick with the guilt of work
FIFTY-SIX per cent of workers aged between 25 and 39 will turn up for work regardless of how ill they feel. A further 20 per cent say that when they do take a sickie, they feel guilty all day, while almost one third of male workers waited until their colds become unbearable before seeking a remedy and 18 per cent still went to work.
Source: Guardian Pharmacies
Boards want technology bosses
FORTY-TWO per cent of executives believe CIOs definitely have a role to play on a company’s board of directors. A survey of 2,043 global executives also found 34 per cent were highly likely to consider working for a technology company for their next position while 7 per cent were unlikely to do so.
Source: Korn/Ferry International
Missing without a trace
EIGHTY-ONE per cent of Canadian companies would have difficulty producing five years of data related to disability absences. Further, a study of 77 organisations found 38 per cent attributed this to a lack of available resources, such as technology (85 per cent), people (70 per cent) and data (47 per cent).
Source: Hewitt Associates
Organisations fail the teamwork test
FIFTY-FOUR per cent of employees feel that their company has an atmosphere that encourages cooperation and the sharing of ideas and resources according to current research. A global survey of more than 400 organisations also found 49 per cent of employees believe their company has a generally cooperative atmosphere, while just 33 per cent of believe the level of communication between departments within their organisation is acceptable.
Source: Hay Group
Blog on!
SIXTY-ONE per cent of Australian marketing, technology and media professionals believe blogs are important in cultivating relationships between their organisations and their customers. A survey of 1,200 such professionals also found they believe blogs are a good marketing vehicle:
For informal customer communication 67%
For fast marketing communication 64%
To test public opinion 42%
The research also found 64 per cent of Australian marketers read blogs yet only 20 per cent of Australian corporations have a business blog.
Source: HotHouse
UK workers putting in the hard yards
MORE than 25 per cent of employees in the UK put in a 45 hour working week, and report some negative impact on their health as a consequence. More than 40 per cent also report a negative impact on their relationships while many also indicated their job performance had suffered as a result. Those working the longest hours were private sector male workers aged 30-49 with children.
Source: CIPD
Salary sacrificing not such a burden
TWENTY-EIGHT per cent of females and 27 per cent of males would sacrifice some of their salary if they were given extra holidays. Furthermore, working females in Australia would like:
Reduced working hours 25%
A laptop to work on at home 17%
To salary sacrifice for company provided childcare 16%
However, only 17 per cent of males would like reduced working hours and 16 per cent said a gym was the one thing they would give up some pay for.
Source: LinkMe.com.au
