Adecco’s share price recently improved by more than 15 per cent
Adecco’s share price recently improved by more than 15 per cent, following an announcement that it “has so far found no evidence demonstrating any major misappropriations or irregularities that would be financially significant to the company as a whole. Instances of local misappropriations and irregularities – mainly at branch-level – have been identified in certain countries.” Adecco’s board believed these instances would be financially insignificant to the company as a whole, and said demand for its services thus far remained healthy. The company also announced that former Australian-based Adecco CEO Ray Roe would head up its North American operations.
Australia day HR honours
Ann Sherry, chief executive of Westpac New Zealand was recently admitted to the Order of Australia as an Officer in the General Division for “promotion of corporate management policies and practices that embrace gender equity, social justice, and work and family partnerships” (see next edition for a full feature on Ann Sherry). Professor Roger Collins from the Australian Graduate School of Management was admitted to the Order of Australia as a Member in the General Division for “service to education, particularly in the fields of organisational behaviour and human resource management”. Jonathan Hamberger, the Federal Employment Advocate, won a Public Service Medal in the honours for “outstanding public service by contributing to the improvement of Australian workplaces, particularly through the implementation of workplace agreements”.
Recruitment and selection certificate launched
The Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA) recently partnered with the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT) to develop a ‘Certificate in Recruitment and Selection’. The new qualification is designed to develop knowledge, understanding and skill in all areas of recruitment and selection, and will replace the RCSA’s current Human Resource Entry Level Program (ELP) in Australia. The program will be offered in all regions throughout Australia through either: a three-day workshop over a period of three weeks; flexible learning by correspondence, and online learning (available late 2004).
2004 Best Employers study kicks off
Registrations for Hewitt Associates’ 2004 Best Employers study recently opened. For the past three years Hewitt has partnered with The Australian Graduate School of Management and Fairfax to identify Australia’s best employers through the study, and the 2004 study will also take in entries from New Zealand. Organisations are assessed through a brief CEO questionnaire, a ‘People Practices Inventory’ (PPI) and an employee opinion survey distributed to a sample of randomly selected staff. Registrations close on 27 February 2004, with more information at www.bestemployersanz.com.
ANZ opens recruitment centre doors
ANZ Bank will be opening its new national recruitment centre in February as part of sweeping changes to its existing recruitment processes. The bank will utilise recruitment management consultants Alexander Mann to assist in running the internal recruitment centre, with the support of external suppliers such as Drake, Hays Personnel, Staff & Executive Resources and Hudson Global Resources. The system, similar to that adopted by Suncorp, was driven by both the bank’s procurement and HR departments. John McFarlane, ANZ CEO, is also supporting the revamp as a means to improving the bank’s attraction and retention processes.
Workforce faces demographic threat: UK
The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently reported that Britain is likely to suffer from labour shortages and a depressed economy due to low fertility rates and an ageing population. While the trend is likely to affect other leading developed countries, the problem is likely to be worse in the UK because there are too many groups of unemployed people. Unless the government takes action, the WEF has predicted a 66 per cent rise in old age dependency rates between 2000 and 2030, along with an increase in the total dependency ratio of more than 27 per cent. The WEF said the solution was to encourage older workers to defer their retirement.
