CANDIDATES THROUGHOUT the land are saying that they are being treated poorly by recruiters and are not being shown the respect they deserve.
CANDIDATES THROUGHOUT the land are saying that they are being treated poorly by recruiters and are not being shown the respect they deserve. According to a survey of 1800 Australian employees, communication in the recruitment process is reaching a critical point with a third of Australian employers and recruiters failing to acknowledge receipt of applications from potential candidates and 47 per cent not calling back on enquiry. The top three things that annoy candidates about recruiters are:
Don’t name employer in job ads 38%
No notice if not successful 44%
No call back 47%
The survey also found that candidates most appreciated being treated with respect, being called back and the recruiter actually trying to understand the needs of the candidate.
Source: LinkMe.com.au
Employers change view on social networking
HIRTY-THREE PER CENT of managers in their 20s and 30s embraced social networks such as MySpace and Facebook as business opportunities, compared with just 16 per cent of managers aged over 40. The survey revealed that there is an increasing amount of bosses more reluctant to block the sites at work, despite initial scepticism about lost work productivity.
Source: KonicaMinolta
Bigger concerns than economic issues
TALENT, SKILL development and staff retention are the greatest challenges this new financial year. A survey of 250 Australian managers from a range of industries also found that, despite concerns about inflation and rising petrol prices, managers are feeling confident about client retention and customer growth.Some concerns were customer retention (10 per cent), direction from senior management (9 per cent), interest rates (7 per cent), petrol prices (7 per cent), reduced customer spending (6 per cent). Bottom of the list of concerns was the new Australian Government (3 per cent).
Source: BNET
Lack of workers in WA
A LACK of skilled workers is restricting growth in some sectors in Western Australia. A survey of 458 West Australian hiring managers revealed that more than one in two (58 per cent) employers intend to increase their staff numbers during the coming quarter, while just 6 per cent intend to decrease their headcount. However, the survey revealed that with an average annual increase in business investment in WA, there is a lack of the required workforce to push the growth further.
Source: Hudson
Local salary demands low compared with Asia
AUSTRALIANS EXPECT only a relatively modest pay rise if they move jobs compared with their Asian counterparts. A recent survey of 3500 professionals has revealed that only a third of the Australian respondents expect a pay rise in excess of 20 per cent, while across Asia more than 55 per cent of employees are holding out for the same increase when moving jobs. Australia was more in line with European markets in terms of expectations of salary increases compared with higher hopes in the United States (49 per cent) and South Africa (72 per cent).
Source: Robert Walters
Decision clarity key to executing strategy
CLEAR DECISION rights and effective information flows have the greatest impact on a company’s ability to successfully execute its strategy. However, senior executives more often rely on reorganising an organisation’s structure when trying to fix lagging performance. The study of 125,000 found that eight of the top ten traits for top-executing organisations relate to either decision-making or information flow, and two to motivational practices. None of the top 10 traits relate to changes in the organisation chart. Of those companies who said they were strong in execution, 71 per cent report that “everyone has a good idea of the decisions/actions for which he or she is responsible.” However, in weak-execution organisations, that figure drops to 32 percent.
Source: Booz Allen Hamilton
Jobs figures welcome news
JULY’S JOBS figures have exceeded market expectations, with employment increasing by 29,800 in June. Full-time employment rose strongly, by 24,000 over the month and part-time employment also increased over the month, up by 5800. This is despite eight interest rate rises in three years, skyrocketing international oil prices and global financial turmoil.
Source: Department Employment and Workplace Relations
Women returning to work early
MANY WOMEN who have no access to paid or unpaid maternity leave return to work a lot earlier after childbirth, a recent survey revealed. The survey of 3573 women, which analysed the timing of mothers’ return to work following childbirth, found women returned to work when their child was:Only 2 per cent of mothers were in paid employment with a child aged less than one month. However the study – which also explored the link between job insecurity and early return to work by mothers – showed a direct correlation with the women who returned before six months and who did not have access to maternity leave.
Source: Australian Institute of Family Studies
Mediation underutilised in workplace
ALMOST SIX in ten organisations have never used mediation to help manage conflict at work. According to a survey of UK organisations, among employers that do use mediation, more than 80 per cent report that it helps improve relationships between employees, 71 per cent believe it reduces stress associated with the use of formal disciplinary or grievance procedures and half say that mediation helps avoid the costs of defending employment tribunal claims.
Source: CIPD
Scout attributes desirable
SIXTY-TWO PER CENT of former scouts believe that being a Scout has helped them be more disciplined and organised in their career. A recent survey found the key Scout attribute of “reliability” was highlighted by 89 per cent of respondents as the most important factor in employability. Respondents who were formerly scouts they cited how it helped them in various ways including:
Better leader of people 52%
Better interpersonal skills 57%
More confidence 60%
Communication skills, responsibility, being a team player, punctuality and respectfulness were also cited as highly valued Scout attributes.
Source: LinkMe.com.au
