USA - InteliStaf Healthcare and ShiftWise Form Licensing and Co-Marketing Relationship

Web-based Supplemental Staffing Management System Reduces Administrative Costs

InteliStaf Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare staffing companies in the U.S., and ShiftWise, the nation's leading provider of online healthcare staffing management services, have formed a new licensing and co-marketing relationship. As a ShiftWise Affiliate Vendor, InteliStaf Healthcare will now have the ability to implement the ShiftWise Web-based staffing management service as part of an overall vendor management solution for its premier customers.

InteliStaf Healthcare and ShiftWise Form Licensing and Co-Marketing Relationship

USA - Unicru Launches Frontline Long-Term Care Assessment

Evaluation Helps Facility Managers Screen in Quality Staff While Screening out Potentially Bad Hires

Unicru(R) Inc. introduced today an addition to the Unicru Solution for Healthcare: the Frontline Long-Term Care Assessment. The tool is designed to predict the performance factors critical for success in care-giving and facility support positions.

Unicru Launches Frontline Long-Term Care Assessment

USA - Unused Vacation

Americans currently neglect an average of 4 vacation days per year (compared with 1.8 in 2002) and wish they could take more of their available paid vacation days.


Overworked Americans Can't Use Up Their Vacation

Canada - Canadian Students Rank their Top IDEAL Employers(TM) in Universum's first Survey in Canada

Ernst&Young, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte in the top 4. Followed by Microsoft, L'Oreal Google, Air Canada and BMW.

These are some of the key findings of the Undergraduate IDEAL Employer(TM) Survey Canada Edition conducted by Universum, global employer branding leader, where 3,465 students from 27 undergraduate institutions in Canada ranked their IDEAL Employers(TM) and answered questions about salary, career goals, IDEAL Employer(TM)characteristics, decision drivers, preferred cities and websites.

Canadian Students Rank their Top IDEAL Employers(TM) in Universum's first Survey in Canada

USA - Recruitment Survey

A new survey finds that recruiting costs have risen and efficiency has decreased despite a growth in organizations applying New Quality measurement from 2% of participating organizations to 40%. Moreover, it appears that applicants are increasingly unhappy with the recruitment and retention practices they encounter.

Applicants Unhappy With Recruiting Practices

UK - Agency nurse wins employment rights case

Nottingham agency nurse, Sheila Ncube represented by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has won a landmark employment rights case, which has far-reaching implications for anybody who is temporary worker for an agency.

Agency nurse wins employment rights case

UK - Hot Workers' Dress Code

The TUC is today (Tuesday) launching its 'cool work' campaign as it urges employers in the UK to follow the lead of Japanese businesses and relax dress codes as the temperature rises.

Last year, in an attempt to reduce energy use, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took off his tie and urged his country's workforce to leave their jackets and ties at home so that their employers could turn down the air conditioning or do away with it all together during their hot, humid summer.

The TUC believes that the best way for staff to keep cool inside when it's hot outside is for employees to be able to sport more casual attire in the office, perhaps coming in jacket and tie-less, or wearing shorts.

Hot workers urged to adopt cool Japanese summer dress code

Australia - Employment Situation

Unemployment stays at 4.9%

Seasonally adjusted, the number of people in employment also rose by 52,000 to 10,194,200 in June.

UK - Employment Situation

Unemployment rate rises again to 5.4% with increasing signs of employment slowdown.

Employment Statistics

South Africa/USA - Edcon deploys Human Capital Management platform

Softscape, the industry pioneer in people management technology, today announced that Edgars Consolidated Stores Ltd (Edcon), the leading clothing, footwear and textiles retailing group in South Africa, has deployed Softscape's Human Capital Management (HCM) platform, Softscape Apex(TM), to enable its strategic people management initiatives. Edcon can now more effectively manage their hiring activities, processing thousands of candidates each year.


Edcon, South Africa's Largest Credit Retailer, Improves HR Operations with Softscape's Human Capital Management Platform

UK/USA - Hewitt Outsources HR for Centrica

Under a seven-and-a-half-year contract (including a six-month transition period), Hewitt will provide a full range of HR BPO services, including workforce administration, payroll, customer service, reward management, performance management and succession planning to 30,000 Centrica employees in the UK.

Hewitt Associates to Provide HR BPO Services to UK's Centrica

USA - Employment Situation

Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nonfarm payroll employment rose by 121,000 in June, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6%.

US unemployment stays at 4.6%

Australia - Individual Contracts

There is more evidence today of employees copping substantial pay cuts and losing basic conditions like award sick leave entitlements under the Howard Government's new AWA individual contracts, according to ACTU.

More Evidence Of Pay Cuts And Lost Conditions For Workers on AWAs

China - Employee Pension Program

Lenovo Group announced the establishment of a supplemental retirement plan for its employees in China. Lenovo is the first Chinese company to register its corporate pension program with China's Ministry of Labor & Social Security and one of the first in China's IT industry to establish a corporate pension program for its employees.

Lenovo Establishes Supplemental Retirement Plan for China Employees

Australia - Australians More Ambitious Than Most

Results from a Robert Half Finance & Accounting International Workplace Survey show that thirty-eight per cent of Australian finance managers aspire to lead their company.


Australians More Ambitious Than Most

USA - Blended Learning, Zoologic Custom Courseware

Zoologic worked with NYLIM to create a custom curriculum of online courses to provide core training on investment types and fundamental investment principles. Upon completion of the curriculum, the goal was to blend Zoologic online courses seamlessly with a series of classroom training days, which was part of an overall in-house Investment Literacy Program designed by NYLIM.

New York Life Investment Management Increases Employee Skills Using Zoologic Courseware

Mergers and Acquisitions 2006

According to global M&A tracker FactSet Mergerstat, M&A spending worldwide reached over US$1.3 trillion through June 28 as a surge in mega-deals pushed the market ahead of last year's total of US$839.7 billion for the same period.

FactSet Mergerstat Release: Global M&A Wrap Up for the First Half of 2006

USA - Wellness

ValueOptions announced today the launch of an integrated cardiovascular/behavioral health initiative for its corporate customers. Titled "Heart and Mind Connections," the new training guide provides information, support and tools for applying a behavioral approach to preventing and managing heart disease, the number one killer of Americans and a leading cause of disability.

ValueOptions Links a Healthy Heart to Sound Mental Health

UK - Route to the top favours male, 50-something accountants

Finance is still the best route to the top, at least for internally-promoted FTSE CEOs, but international experience is increasingly important.

Route To The Top Favours Male, 50-something, Oxbridge-educated Accountants

Canada -Employee Engagement Check

Companies today don’t want just any energy from their employees - they want intelligent energy marked by focus, flow, passion and purpose. Think about your own personal energy level. Now put it together with the energy levels of those you work with and it begins to produce organizational energy.

Juice Check Engagement Tool Helps Avoid Employee Energy Crisis at Work

UK (Wales) - Discrimination at Work

Stonewall Cymru and the Wales TUC are launching an updated version of 'Discrimination at work - it's so over', an employee guide to the 2003 employment regulations relating to sexual orientation in the workplace.

Stonewall Cymru and the Wales TUC work together to protect lesbian, gay and bisexual employees

Governments Should Be More Dynamic

New reports from the OECD say that if countries want to improve living standards and keep welfare systems functioning they urgently need to get more people into paid employment.

Governments Should Be More Dynamic

USA - Negativity and Blogging

One of the easiest ways for disgruntled employees to turn negativity into a dangerous weapon is to create a weblog or 'blog'.

Managing Workplace Negativity - Negativity and Blogging

Australia - WA & NSW Pay Awards

Award wage workers in NSW and WA have today won a $20 a week pay rise from their State Industrial Relations Commissions despite the Federal Government arguing that no increase at all should be awarded to low-paid workers in NSW and WA. (ACTU)

$20 Pay Increase for NSW & WA Workers Sets Benchmark for 'Low Pay'Commission

New Zealand - Holiday Entitlement

Minimum annual leave entitlements will rise to four weeks in 2007. What is the likelihood of an increase to five weeks for people already entitled to four weeks?

Five Weeks Holidays Still A Dream

HR And Training Not Delivering Skilled Workforces

Recent international research conducted for Accenture shows that most senior executives surveyed consider that their workforces lack the skills needed by their companies to achieve market leadership, and even critical functions are not performing as well as they should. Moreover, only 11% of respondents said they were very satisfied with the performance of their human resource (HR) function with marginally fewer (10%) rating their training function very highly.


HR And Training Not Delivering Skilled Workforces

Mergers And Acquisitions Failing To Achieve Value

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) continue apace but many deals fail to create expected value, according to a recent survey by Accenture and the Economist Intelligence Unit. More ...

Mergers And Acquisitions Failing To Achieve Value

New Zealand - Temporary Pacific Island Workers

The Pacific Cooperation Foundation (PCF) has welcomed comments by Phil Goff, NZ Trade and Defence Minister, that New Zealand is now committed to looking at potential temporary labour schemes for Pacific Islanders.

Pacific Island Temporary Labour Schemes

UK - HR and IT

Results from a study by talent management solutions company Taleo, show a significant disconnect between HR's strategic functions, including talent acquisition and workforce planning, and IT ability to support these business initiatives.

HR Poorly Supported By IT Systems

UK - Outsourcing Threatens Lives

Thousands of lives are being threatened because of the 'dangerous practice' of sending medical notes overseas for typing, according to speakers at the UNISON annual conference.

Outsourcing Medical Records Threatens Lives

UK - Offshoring

A fifth of employees in the UK worry about their jobs because of the risk of 'offshoring' to low-cost countries such as India or China, according to new research from consultants Watson Wyatt.

Offshoring Worries But Does Not Demotivate Employees

Canada - New Brunswick Call Centres

New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord announced this week that Illinois-based Virtual-Agent Services (VAS) has established a customer-contact centre in the Town of Nackawic, its 15th centre in the province. It is expected that the new centre will create up to 50 jobs within its first year of operation.

Boost For New Brunswick Contact-Centre Industry

New Zealand - UK Poaching Social Workers

Commenting on reports that British organizations are offering up to NZ$110,000 to attract social workers from New Zealand, National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins says she fears many frontline social workers will be tempted by the offers of big pay cheques in the UK and also Australia when the profession here is facing a staffing crisis.

UK Poaching Kiwi Social Workers

USA - Overachieving Execs

Business executives are showing a dramatic boost in their achievement drives, according to a new study by Hay Group's McClelland Center for Research and Innovation. In fact, they are overachieving to the point of harming not only their own careers, but also the organizations they lead.

Overachieving Execs

Canada - Labour Shortage

A survey by Hewitt Associates, a global HR services company, has found that big and small organizations in all industries throughout Canada are finding it challenging to attract and retain workers.

Employers Struggling To Find And Keep Employees

UK - World Cup 'Sickies'

Amicus has attracted the wrath of business owners following widely-cited reports in the media that it has encouraged World Cup 'sickies'. Meanwhile employees are spending more time on World Cup websites.

World Cup 'Sickies'

USA - Performance Management

Information Builders, the enterprise business intelligence (BI) standard of choice for organizations around the world, announced that the company has been named a leader in the Ventana Research 2006 Performance Management Vendor and Product Scorecard report. Ventana Research, the leading performance management research and advisory services firm, evaluated more than 20 vendors over a three-month period to offer enterprises the tools necessary to evaluate when selecting a partner for enabling performance management. Information Builders was cited for empowering executives with the understanding required to make strategic business decisions based on their organization's business performance.

Ventana Research Names Information Builders a Leader in Enabling Performance Management

USA - 'Fatherpreneurs'

Entrepreneurs with families are not the absent fathers they're often thought to be, according to Business.com's recent survey conducted in time for Father's Day, June 18. The survey is a snapshot of today's business owners with children that Business.com is calling "fatherpreneurs."

A Happy Father's Day Surprise: Business.com Survey Reveals New Generation of 'Fatherpreneurs' Who Seek to Balance Family and Work

USA - MBA Careers

Many young MBAs who go into investment banking might just owe their career to happenstance as much as their die-hard allegiance to Wall Street, according to research released in Stanford Knowledgebase.

Stanford Business School Research: Are Wall Street Careers Just the Luck of the Draw?

UK - Employment Situation

Unemployment rate rises again to 5.3% but the number of people in work is the highest figure on record.

Employment Statistics

UK - Performance Management Systems

Most organizations have lost sight of the fact that performance management systems should aim to enhance performance by motivating staff.


Performance Management Systems Fail To Motivate

UK - Sexual Harassment

New guidelines released by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) are designed to help employers combat the ongoing problem of sexual harassment in the workplace. On the eve of the twentieth anniversary of Jean Porcelli's landmark case that established sexual harassment as a form of harassment under the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA) it remains all too common, says the EOC.

Sexual harassment is no joke

USA - Pilot Age Restrictions

Thousands of pilot jobs in this country will soon be outsourced to foreign airlines with the apparent consent of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the nation’s largest pilot union. Industry observers say that these job transfers will occur due to the union’s support for an FAA regulation that prohibits American pilots from flying for American companies past the age of 60 (the "Age 60 rule"). In contrast to ALPA’s stated position, a significant number of ALPA’s own members along with pilots at Southwest, JetBlue, Air Tran, and the British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) are actively lobbying to change the age limit. In March, the International Civil Aviation Organization voted to establish age 65 as the new international standard.

America’s Most Experienced Pilots...The Next Wave of Outsourcing

Global - Learning Management

HRsmart, Inc, a leading global talent management solution provider, announces its launch of the latest in learning management technology.

HRsmart Launches Latest Version Of Its Learning Management Solution

USA - Staffing Software Partnership

TempWorks Software, an innovative developer of leading software solutions designed for the staffing industry, today announced its recently formed partnership with Metro Software Consultants, Inc., the developer of the staffing software solution, TempPak. The arrangement enables Metro Software to offer the TempWorks fully integrated software solution and its additional web service applications to its customers as an alternative solution or upgrade to current TempPak offerings.

TempWorks Software and Metro Software Consultants, Inc. Form Strategic Partnership

Australia - Employment Situation

Unemployment falls to 4.9%

Seasonally adjusted, the number of people in employment also rose by 56,000 to 10,142,200 in May.

Global - Union Rights Report

115 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers' rights in 2005, while more than 1,600 were subjected to violent assaults and some 9,000 arrested, according to the ICFTU's Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights violations, published today.

Brutal Suppression of Workers' Rights Detailed in Worldwide Report

Australia - Wage Freeze

"Today marks twelve months since workers on federal awards last won a pay increase ($17 a week) and under the Howard Government's new IR laws they will now have to wait indefinitely for their next wage rise," ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said today.

A Federal Government 'wage freeze' for more than 1.6 million low paid workers starts today, 7 June 2006, says the ACTU.

UK - Strike Activity

Today's figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing a sharp rise in the proportion of total working days lost to labour disputes in the public sector during this decade indicates that there is more to good employment relations than improvements in job prospects and pay conditions alone, comments Dr John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Increase in strike activity highlights public sector paradox, as unrest coincides with jobs and pay boom

UK - Working Time Opt-out

The UK Government is right to stand firm over the UK opt-out from the Working Time Directive, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Stand firm on Working Time Directive opt-out, CIPD urges government

Australia/NZ - TMS Asia-Pacific acquires Travel Personnel Limited New Zealand

Australia-based International travel and hospitality management specialist TMS Asia-Pacific (TMS) has acquired Auckland-based Travel Personnel Limited New Zealand.

TMS Asia-Pacific acquires Travel Personnel Limited New Zealand

USA - Rebuiding HR's Image

Some HR departments are lucky enough to have a good reputation within the organization. However, there are the unfortunate circumstances where the previous HR Leader or the entire HR department has a bad reputation within the organization. What is an HR Leader supposed to do to rebuild the department's image?

Rebuilding The HR Department Image

USA - Call Center Training Program

Signature Worldwide, a leading provider of training outsourcing and business-building solutions to the hospitality industry, was contracted by The Grand America Hotel to develop a call center training program for The Grand America and Little America Hotels, two of the group’s AAA award-winning properties.

Lessons from Signature Worldwide Employee Training Program Translate to Additional Customers

Australia - Industrial Relations

Australian workers will continue to be exposed to Cowra-style dismissals (where workers are sacked and moved onto lower wages or replaced with cheaper contract, casual or foreign 'guest' workers) unless the Federal Government repeals the controversial 'Cowra clauses' from its new industrial relations laws the ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said today.

ACTU Calls on IR Minister to Protect Workers and Repeal 'Cowra Clauses'

Australia - Quarter Work Some Time At Home

24% (2.2 million) of employees worked some of their main job hours at home in November 2005, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Quarter Of Employees Work Some Time At Home

UK - Pensions Reactions

Ministers can be proud of a document that looks like it can be the foundation of a new pensions settlement, say TUC.

Welcome for progressive pensions White Paper

Today's pensions White Paper represents a sensible compromise that should help to address the timebomb created by a pension system that was not keeping pace with changing demographics, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

Sensible compromise will tackle pensions timebomb

USA - Alumni Network

Experience, Inc. today announced the national rollout of its alumni recruiting service, directly connecting corporate recruiters with more than 400,000 graduates of the world's top colleges and universities. The first company to offer the breadth of a nationwide alumni network, Experience links recruiters with a college-educated pool of active and passive candidates. Unlike active job seekers, passive candidates would consider a career move if the right opportunity came along, but aren't likely to post their resumes to online job boards. Until now, this made recruiting passive candidates a challenge.

Recruiters Reach the Best Passive Candidates through Nationwide Alumni Network

UK - Sexual Harassment

A new action plan to prevent and deal with sexual harassment in the Armed Forces was today agreed by the Ministry of Defence and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) following research to clarify its extent. Extensive research carried out by independent consultants into the nature and extent of sexual harassment in the Armed Forces, including a survey of all Service women and a series of focus groups, was completed by the MOD as part of the first phase of its Agreement with the EOC.

MOD And EOC Sign New Action Plan To Address Sexual Harassment In The Armed Forces

UK - Pensions Settlement

"A bold new pensions settlement designed to enable people to plan ahead and save more for their retirement was set out today in the Government's White Paper on pensions reform."

Full DWP press release:
Historic Settlement For Pensions Challenge

New Zealand - New Research Centre

Gainful employment is central to most people's lives. A new AUT University-based research centre will investigate exactly what our working culture means for New Zealand.

New national research centre to study work

UK - Time Wasting at Work

Bad habits at work lengthen the working day - and men waste the most time at work.

Employees waste two hours a day on IT misuse

New Zealand - Kiwisaver

Suggestions that the long-awaited KiwiSaver workplace superannuation scheme should be delayed because it could lead to industrial problems are nonsense, says the country's largest union.

Workers won't tolerate delaying KiwiSaver

New Zealand - Minimum Wage

Maori would be most adversely affected by a rise in the minimum wage, says an AUT senior economics lecturer.

Rise In Minimum Wage Could Hurt Maori

UK - World Cup Matches and Discrimination

Employers who let employees watch the World Cup during work time could be laying themselves open to discrimination claims, according to some specialist lawyers.

World Cup Matches, Employees and Discrimination

Women's Careers Determined By Culture Not Biology

The diversity of today's workforce is a challenge to information-technology organizations with "one-size-fits-all" policies, especially when it comes to women employees, according to recent research.

Women's Careers Determined By Culture Not Biology

Canada - Health and Safety Fine

Lear Corporation Canada Ltd., a Kitchener, Ont.-based supplier of automotive interior systems, was fined $125,000 today for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in serious injuries to an employee at the company's plant in Windsor.

Lear Corporation Canada Ltd. fined $125,000 for health and safety violation

UK -Landmark Ruling Against HSE

The Court of Appeal has made a landmark ruling against the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which attempted to argue that employers should still be required to take reasonable steps against unforeseeable risks and that negligent actions by employees are irrelevant to an employer's guilt.

Appeal Court Rules Against Health and Safety Executive

New Zealand - Job Growth

Job growth in the year to March 2005 was fastest in Waikato (up 4.4 percent) and Bay of Plenty (up 4.3 percent), Statistics New Zealand said today.

Job Growth Fastest in Waikato and Bay of Plenty

New Zealand - Business Regulations

"The Labour-led government is committed to a regulatory environment that promotes economic growth, business confidence, globally competitive firms and social well-being."


Charting a dynamic course for quality regulation

The Government's review of business regulation is doomed from the start thanks to the refusal to do anything about the Holidays Act, says National's Associate Labour & Industrial Relations spokeswoman, Paula Bennett.

Business regulation review doomed from start

"The Council of Trade Unions is not opposed to improving the quality of our regulatory environment, but New Zealand is already judged the easiest country in the world to do business, with a comparably light regulatory framework," CTU president Ross Wilson said.

Regulations Review Risks Diversion from Real Challenge

The urgency of the review of business regulations proposed by Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel is a welcome sign that Government recognizes that compliance costs are holding back business and the economy, said Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett.

Easing Business Compliance Burden Will Help Economy

UK - Public Service Employee Involvement

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Hilary Armstrong and TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber shared their vision for better public services as they launched Drive for Change, a web-based toolkit aimed at getting employees more involved in improving the public services they deliver.

Employee involvement key to public services reform

Canada - Occupational Lung Problems

Exposure to lung irritants early in a young employee's career may result in increased lung problems in later years.

Early Exposure To Lung Irritants May Cause Later Problems

Childhood Cancer Survivors Face Higher Unemployment Risk

A new review shows that adults with a history of childhood cancer are more likely to be unemployed than the general population.

Childhood Cancer Survivors Face Higher Unemployment Risk

Canada (Ontario) - Workers In Confined Spaces

The McGuinty government has updated and strengthened protection for workers in potentially dangerous confined spaces, Minister of Labour Steve Peters announced today.

(Ontario) Government Enhancing Protection For Workers In Confined Spaces

UK - Safety Inspections

Safety inspections in the UK have plummeted to a new low, increasing the chances of workers being killed, made ill or injured by their jobs, according to new figures published today (Friday) by the TUC.

UK workplace safety inspections now at a new low

USA - Human Capital Institute and SkillSurvey Announce Agreement

The Human Capital Institute (HCI), a global professional association and educator in talent management strategies, and SkillSurvey, a leading provider of online reference checks, announced today that SkillSurvey will support HCI initiatives as a global underwriter, helping bring the latest human capital education, metrics, and tools to leading corporations.

Human Capital Institute and SkillSurvey Announce Agreement

UK - Employment Situation

Unemployment rate rises again to 5.2% but the number of people in work is the highest figure on record.

Employment Statistics

Australia - Employment Statistics

Unemployment increases to 5.1%

Seasonally adjusted, the number of people in employment also fell by 3,200 to 10,078,900 in April.

USA - Employment Situation

Unemployment remains at 4.7%

Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 138,000 in April, and the unemployment rate remained at 4.7%.

Effective Cover Letter Techniques

Applying for a new job, or a new career, can be a major task if you are not prepared with knowledge about yourself and techniques for revealing the best information about yourself when you are applying through the mail for a new position. Sending your resume off through the mail can often seem like you are blindly putting yourself "out there" for everyone to look at and review. But if you use the information in this article, you can create a cover letter to accompany your resume, one that will get you in the door for an interview. Taking that step from mailing your resume to actually getting an interview is one that many people find difficult, but it does not have to be.

Effective Cover Letter Techniques

UK - Work Wise Week

Just as Britain led the way with industrialisation in the 19th century, we are looking to lead the world in changing the work culture in the 21st. An initiative which aims to make the UK the most progressive economy in the world was today (3 May) launched at the QEII Conference Centre in London.

Work Wise UK Launched: DTI, CBI And TUC Support Campaign

Australia - Slashing Pay

Major employers Spotless Services Australia and the Coles-Myer company have moved to take advantage of the Howard Government's new industrial relations laws by slashing workers' take-home pay by up to $160 a week, according to the ACTU.

New Move By Major Employers To Slash Take-Home Pay Of Workers

Australia - Industrial Relations Laws

The ACTU is asking the Howard Government to repeal sections of the new industrial relations laws banning workplace agreements from giving employees leave to attend health and safety training or meetings provided by unions.


New IR Laws Will Hurt Workplace Health And Safety, say ACTU

USA - Background Screening

HireRight Inc. hasannounced the Extended Workforce Screening Solution, the industry's first robust software solution for managing the background screening of vendor and partner employees, temporary employees and independent contractors who have access to a company's facilities, data, personnel and information systems. Most large enterprises today screen full-time employees, but these other categories of the workforce generally do not undergo the same security procedures, representing a major security gap.

HireRight Introduces Industry's First Extended Workforce Screening Solution

USA - Social Style

A new research study shows the workplace benefits of interpersonal skills training as seen by actual training participants. This study of 500 recent training participants looks at the impact of Social Style on common workplace problems such as communication breakdowns, low morale, conflict and negative performance. Social Style is TRACOM’s model for effective interpersonal behavior.

New Research Study: Participants See Benefits of Interpersonal Skills Training

Canada - Smoke-Free Ontario

Today marks the start of the one-month countdown to May 31, the day the Smoke-Free Ontario Act becomes law.

Countdown to a Smoke-Free Ontario

Canada - Hoarding Knowledge

Has a colleague ever ignored you when you asked for information? Did you have the feeling that they were deliberately avoiding you or were only pretending to be ignorant? Recent research suggests that you may have been right.

Hoarding Knowledge

USA - Interactive Media

NAS Recruitment Communications has been awarded five top honors by The Horizon Interactive Awards, a prestigious international competition that rewards the most talented developers of interactive media and recognizes outstanding achievement among interactive media producers.


NAS Recruitment Communications Walks Away With Multiple Horizon Interactive Awards

UK - TUC May Day Speech

May Day is the day when the labour movement across the world celebrates the core values that we stand for and the dignity and justice at work to which all workers should be entitled.

Brendan Barber speaks at May Day march and rally

Canada (Ontario) - Workplace Safety

The McGuinty government's workplace health and safety strategy is producing dramatic results by preventing the human cost of workplace injuries and avoiding costs for businesses, Labour Minister Steve Peters announced today.

McGuinty Government On The Side Of Working Families And Businesses

UK - Laughing Gurus

Amended April 29 2006 - The use of humour is one key to the success of management gurus. Researchers Dr Tim Clark and Dr David Greatbatch, authors of Management Speak: Why We Listen to What Management Gurus Tell Us, analysed the techniques used by world-famous gurus such as Tom Peters, Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Gary Hamel. They found that successful gurus employ skilful communication techniques, ecijmrcspecially humour, to promote their sometimes uncomfortable messages.

Laughing gurus

USA - Job Boom

In sector after sector, from health care to advertising to retail to accounting - the pent-up demand for workers that has been slowly building for the last four years is now boiling over. Currently there are approximately 2.6 million people leaving their jobs each month - the same level as in the pre 9/11 economy - while job openings have increased by almost half a million positions since last summer, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Business 2.0's May issue cover story, entitled "The Next Job Boom," the magazine reports how an unusual convergence of economic factors has made this moment the best time to look for a job since the most dizzying days of the dotcom boom, and waves of workers are delivering their take-this-job-and-shove-it speeches and bailing out for more rewarding, less spirit-crushing work.

Business 2.0: The Next Job Boom; Everyone is out Looking

USA - SHRM Conference

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) will hold its 58th Annual Conference and Exposition, June 25-28, 2006, in Washington, D.C. The conference, to be held at the Washington Convention Center, will attract more than 10,000 human resource professionals from around the world and will include more than 150 concurrent sessions on crucial human resource issues. In addition, The HRM Marketplace Exposition(R) will feature human resource information, products and services from more than 800 companies.

SHRM Conference Expanding HR Professionals Workplace Knowledge

Canada - Dr. Leaetta Hough Joins Talent Technology Corporation Advisory Board

Talent Technology Corporation (TTC), providers of award-winning recruitment, quality of hire, and other human capital software solutions, today announced the addition of Leaetta Hough, Ph.D. to its Advisory Board. Dr. Hough will assume her position immediately, as she concludes her one-year term as President of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), the more than six-thousand member international professional association which focuses on applying psychological research and practice in the workplace.

Dr. Leaetta Hough Joins Talent Technology Corporation Advisory Board

UK - Union Recognition

Today's annual TUC Trade Union Trends 'Focus on Recognition' survey shows that the number of agreements signed with employers has fallen despite a trebling of the number of trade union campaigns for recognition deals.

Union Recognition Deals Tougher to Secure

Canada - Coaching Excellence

The International Coach Federation - GTA Chapter announced the winners of the 2006 Prism Award. This award celebrates organizations that have created excellence and enhanced business performance through their commitment to coaching as a leadership strategy.

Business Excellence Through Coaching: PRISM Award Winners

USA - Adequate Pensions

The vast majority of CPAs serving as corporate CEOs, CFOs, Controllers and in other executive positions believe American companies can't continue providing pensions that adequately cover their employees' retirement years, according to the results of a new survey by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Executive Suite Says U.S. Companies Can't Continue Offering Adequate Pensions, AICPA Survey Reveals

USA - Nissan Relocation

Nissan North America, Inc., released updated information related to the pending relocation of its headquarters operations from California to Nasville, Tenn.

Nissan Releases Relocation Update

USA - Outsourcing Megadeals

As companies attempt to implement more multisourcing agreements, the number of megadeals awarded to a single service provider has declined, according to Gartner, Inc. Megadeals are characterized as being worth more than $1 billion. In 2005, 11 outsourcing megadeals were awarded, a decline from 12 in 2004 and 16 in 2003.

Gartner Says Fewer Outsourcing Megadeals Were Signed in 2005, but Market Will Continue to Grow

USA - Groups Perform Better Than The Best Individuals At Solving Complex Problems

Groups of three, four, or five perform better on complex problem solving than the best of an equivalent number of individuals, says a new study appearing in the April issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). This finding may transfer to scientific research teams and classroom problem solving and offer new ways for students to study and improve academic performance, according to the study authors.

Groups Perform Better Than The Best Individuals At Solving Complex Problems

Macao, China - Ambitious recruitment program in multiple Asian languages

Venetian Macau has picked First Advantage Hiring Management Systems (HMS) to automate its recruiting process for the Sands Macao, a one-million-square-foot casino and entertainment complex. First Advantage will also handle its integrated resort The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, under construction at the Cotai Strip, in Macao, China.

Ambitious recruitment program in multiple Asian languages

UK - Teacher with sight loss receives £196,000 damages

Gaynor Meikle, a secondary school teacher who faced discrimination at work from Nottinghamshire County Council because of her sight loss, has received £196,000 in compensation.

Teacher with sight loss receives £196,000 damages

Australia - Employers Still Not Making Full Use Of Older Talent

Fewer than than one in two Australian employers are making the effort to attract and retain 'mature age' employees despite the skills shortage and rapidly ageing workforce, according to a recent Hudson Report survey.

Employers Still Not Making Full Use Of Older Talent

UK - Students Choose Courses With An Eye To The Future

A recent study by the University of the West of England (UWE) shows that students are increasingly becoming 'job market savvy' and picking more university subjects with specific employment prospects.

Students Choose Courses With An Eye To The Future

USA - Living Longer, Working Longer

People in developed countries are living longer and many are working well past traditional retirement age. Some are even returning to work after "retiring" and/or opting for "portfolios" of paid and volunteer positions.

Living Longer, Working Longer

USA - Good Grades Not Enough

A Purdue University associate professor says that seniors majoring in hospitality and tourism management are reaping the benefits of industry experience and being active in the community.

Good Grades Not Enough

USA - Time Management

In today's choice-challenged environment, the absence of time management skills can leave you feeling overwhelmed in your everyday life.

End Procrastination: Throw Away Your To Do List and Learn Good Time Management Techniques

UK - Outsourcing Saves 15%

Claims of 60% savings through outsourcing are massively exaggerated according to a study by TPI, a leading sourcing advisory firm. TPI's study examined outsourcing contracts awarded between 2003 and 2005 and found that savings net of severance pay, professional fees and governance costs averaged 15%. The savings ranged between 39% at the top end and 10% at the bottom. 15% was also the average level of savings anticipated when contracts were first let.

Outsourcing Saves 15%

USA - The Fourth Best Job In America

The Fourth Best Job In America

That's 'human resources manager' - in case you're wondering - according to the Money magazine and Salary.com list of 50 Best Jobs in America.

USA - 2005 CEO Compensation Survey

A new study that shows CEO compensation varied significantly by firm performance in 2005 among technology industry firms. The study illustrates that CEOs of high performing firms received a median cash compensation increase of 21.3% (including base salary and bonus), while delivering a 35.9% median shareholder return. In contrast, CEOs of low performing firms received a median pay decrease of 14.7% (including base salary and bonus), delivering a -21.7% median shareholder return. Overall in the industry, CEO cash compensation was up 3.7% to $1.723M.

2005 CEO Compensation Varies Significantly by Firm Performance

UK - Award-winning Personality Test

The Facet5 Five Factor personality test, developed by Norman Buckley and published by ConsultingTools, has been put through its paces at the British Psychological Society’s Psychological Testing Centre, passing with flying colours. The rigorous testing took 18 months to complete.

Facet5 Personality Test Recognised by BPS

UK - Sir Alan Sugar’s Management Style Not Sweet Enough for Fifty Lessons

Fifty Lessons, the digital media company that captures the business lessons of world class leaders, takes a stand against the boardroom style of BBC 2’s Apprentice boss and Amstrad founder Sir Alan Sugar.

You're Fired! Apprentice Boardroom Does Not Represent Britain's Enlightened Leaders

Asian Businesses Prefer Locals To Expats

A new report from the Conference Board finds that major Asia-Pacific companies are searching more intensively for executives living in the region, rather than relying on expatriate executives brought in from other parts of the world.

Asian Businesses Prefer Locals To Expats

Canada - Smart Retention Strategies

A recent survey finds that today's businesses are taking active steps to persuade valued employees to stay - and they don't involve a ball and chain.

Smart Retention Strategies for IT

UK - Ealing Council 'Two Ticks' For Disability Employment

Ealing Council has won the right to continue using the ‘two ticks’ disability symbol following an annual review by Jobcentre Plus. The symbol recognises employers who are committed to the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees.

Ealing Council retains ‘two ticks’ for its disability employment practices

USA - Recruiting Services for Smaller Companies

With Retiring Baby Boomers Set to Leave a Huge Void in the Workplace, and Unemployment at Record Lows, the Hunt for Top Talent Grows More Challenging

Hyrian Launches Recruiting Services for Mid-Market, Brings Fortune 500-Level Service to Smaller Companies

UK - CIPD Comments on Employment

Today's figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing higher unemployment on both measures used by government, fewer job vacancies, and static underlying earnings growth confirm that the UK labour market cooled further at the start of 2006. There was however a welcome increase in the number of people in paid work, but this was due almost entirely to more temporary jobs and self-employment, which suggests that employers remain cautious about hiring, says the CIPD's Chief Economist John Philpott.

Sharp rise in temporary jobs and self-employment as labour market continues to cool

Canada - New HRPAO CEO

The Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario (HRPAO) is pleased to announce the appointment of William (Bill) Greenhalgh as the Association's Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Greenhalgh brings a rich business background to Canada's leading association for human resource professionals. He has created and implemented business-altering strategies and consistently achieved record growth profit and revenue across varied industries including electronics, entertainment, publishing and business services.

Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario Announces New CEO - Bill Greenhalgh

Europe - Female Recruitment

Today, as part of its staff policy of equal opportunities for women and men, the Commission will adopt its female recruitment targets for 2006.

Equal opportunities policy: recruiting more women to positions of responsibility

New Zealand - Female Participation

2005 figures released by the Tertiary Education Commission show that 45,000 women took part in formal learning through an Industry Training Organisations in 2005. This compares with 37,000 in 2004, and comes within a context of a record 161,676 participants in industry training.

Female Participation Soars in Industry Training

UK - Employment Statistics

Unemployment rate rises marginally to 5.1% but the number of people in work is the highest figure on record.

Employment Statistics

UK - HR Career Management

Changes to the structure and responsibilities of the HR function in many large organisations have created issues regarding career paths and staff development, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Paradoxically, the creation of higher level, more strategic and demonstrably value adding roles in the function has increased the challenges in developing staff to fill them.

HR career management: Practising what we preach?

USA - Chronic Pain at Work

Chronic pain, which is any physical discomfort lasting for at least six months, affects up to 50 million Americans, most of whom work full time. Common forms of chronic pain include headaches, backaches, arthritis, respiratory conditions, and ailments caused by sports injuries or other traumas, such as car accidents.

Chronic pain hurts both workers and employers, says FSU professor

UK - Emotional Intelligence

hy-phen Workforce Management Solutions, an industry-leading recruitment solutions provider, has been using Emotional Intelligence to predict the potential of graduates for one of its leading clients.

Emotional Intelligence Used to Recruit IT, Business and Financial Graduates in 2006

USA - Diversity Decision Making

New research from Tufts University indicates that diverse groups perform better than homogenous groups when it comes to decision making and that this is due largely to dramatic differences in the way whites behave in diverse groups--changes that occur even before group members begin to interact.

Diversity improves group decision making in unexpected ways, according to Tufts University research

Canada - Unemployment Situation

Statistics Canada reports that the unemployment rate fell by 0.1% to 6.3% in March, the lowest level in 32 years.


Unemployment down 0.1% to 6.3%

USA - California Pregnancy Leave

Only one in three working women who qualify for pregnancy leave in California take advantage of the employee benefit, according to a new study by researchers at University of California, Berkeley. Those who do cite medical necessity, physical discomfort and stress or fatigue as the reason for taking time off from work before their baby is born.

Few women take pregnancy leave in California, study finds

USA - Supervisors and Employees

Even model employees can become negative and unproductive if their bosses are rude or mean-spirited, according to a new University of Florida study.

Gossiping, pilfering, backstabbing and long lunch breaks become the norm not just for workplace malcontents but even for exemplary employees who feel put down by their supervisors, said Timothy Judge, a UF management professor who led the research.

UF study: Even good employees act up if supervisors mistreat them

New Zealand - Cheating Employers

Some unscrupulous business owners are trying to cheat employees out of their minimum wage rise by taking away other allowances, the Green Party says.

Cheating employers should be ashamed

USA - Pension Rules

Corporate America wants to send a clear message to Congress: Toughen pension rules while leveling the playing field. That is a key finding from a Grant Thornton LLP survey of senior finance executives at public and private U.S. companies of all sizes.

Senior Finance Executives Want Stronger Pension Rules Than Congress

UK - Black and Asian Women

Black and Asian women are more likely to be out of work, have more problems finding a suitable job, and when they do, often have to settle for work for which they are over-qualified, according to a report published today (Friday) by the TUC.

Black and Asian women face 'double whammy' of discrimination at work

USA - Employment Situation

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 211,000, following a gain of 225,000 in February. The unemployment rate dropped marginally unchanged in March to 4.7 percent."


Unemployment returns to 4.7%.

USA - Great Support Staff

Behind nearly every great leader is an equally great support staff, which is why many managers take time to recognize their assistants during Administrative Professionals Week (April 23-29, 2006). In a recent research study published by OfficeTeam in collaboration with the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), 87 percent of managers said they believe they do an excellent job of recognizing their administrative staff's contributions -- 76 percent of administrative professionals polled agreed. Both groups also were in sync when weighing in on topics such as work/life balance and the increasing complexity of the administrative role.

Making It Click: Study Reveals Strong Ties Between Support Staff and Their Managers

USA - Diversity Business Case

Global Lead Management Consulting, an international advisory firm specializing in workplace diversity, launched today The Phoenix Principles: Leveraging Inclusion to Transform Your Organization, a new book aimed at helping business leaders transform themselves and their organizations to produce a greater return on investment through innovative inclusion practices.

Global Lead's New Book Outlines Business Case for Diversity

UK - Mistrust of Pensions Saving

More than two thirds (68%) of Britons are no longer relying on their pension to finance their future, a new report reveals today.

Mistrust of Pensions Continues to Deepen

New Zealand - Health &Safety Penalties

It has always been difficult for employers to defend health and safety prosecutions brought by the Department of Labour, and now the penalties charged upon conviction are increasing markedly.

That's according to Grant Nicholson, Senior Associate at Kensington Swan and leader of the firm's Health and Safety practice.

Health and Safety penalties 'increasing markedly'

New Zealand - Accountants Work-Life Balance

The 2006 Hudson Remuneration Survey has revealed that New Zealand Chartered Accountants are not as money-oriented as the stereotype suggests.

Money Comes Distant Third On Accountants Wish-List

Australia - Unemployment falls to 5%

Seasonally adjusted, the number of people in employment also rose by 27,000 to 10,085,300 in March.


Unemployment falls to 5.0%

Canada - Shareholder Scrutiny

A growing movement to force corporations to disclose exactly how much they pay their executives is a knee jerk reaction to high profile corporate scandals a finance expert says.

Shareholder scrutiny drives disclosure of executive pay packages, McMaster expert says

Australia - Nurses, Midwives Study

University of Queensland (UQ) researchers are undertaking the largest and only longitudinal study of nurses and midwives ever attempted in the world. Despite being the largest single health professional group in Australia, Dr Turner said very little detailed research had been done on workforce trends over time within the nursing and midwifery professions and there are no previous longitudinal studies.

Nurses and midwives come under microscope in unique e-cohort study

Worldwide Talent Management Market

Yankee Group today announced that the worldwide talent management market is experiencing exponential growth and will reach more than $4.0 billion in revenue by 2009. In 2005, many leading vendors experienced growth rates of 50% to 100%, with some vendors adding more than 100 new clients. This growing market reflects how the enterprise market is changing. As the need for developing competitive human capital increases, the market will remain strong. New service delivery models, including on-demand software delivery and the continued adoption of HR outsourcing, are also key contributors to market success.

Yankee Group Forecasts Worldwide Talent Management Market Will Surpass $2.3 Billion in 2006

USA - Employment Eligibility Verification

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) today released the results of their survey of thousands of their members that finds 76 percent saying that using an electronic employment eligibility verification system would be a "minimal burden" or "not a burden." The most important provision of the House-passed immigration and border security legislation (H.R. 4437) addresses the job magnet that lures immigrants to the U.S. illegally. The House bill makes mandatory a system currently voluntary that allows employers to verify whether an employee is legally eligible to work. Critics of this provision have asserted that this system would hit small businesses the hardest.

76 Percent of Small Business Owners Believe Employment Eligibility Verification System to Have Minimal or No Burden on Them

USA - Pay For Performance Report

Many HR professionals cite a disconnect between tracking employee performance and compensation, and visibility into employee data. A new Aberdeen research report 'The Pay-for-Performance Benchmark Report', finds that technology-enabled Pay for Performance programs integrate both performance tracking and compensation management, providing overall visibility in employee value and contributing to corporate success.

Strategic Job Alignment and Performance Data Automation are Keys to Successful Pay for Performance

UK - CIPD Pensions Response

A 3% employer contribution towards pensions under a National Pension Savings Scheme (NPSS) would not lead to a cancellation or levelling down of existing pension arrangements, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
(CIPD).

CIPD research shows that Turner proposals would not lead to a cancellation or levelling down of pension arrangements

UK - Red Tape Deters Recruitment

Between them, small businesses in the UK are spending half a billion (500,000,000) hours each year meeting the demands of government regulations and paperwork, according to the latest NatWest/SERTeam Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain. Over a half of small businesses say that the burden of red tape has affected their employment levels.

Red Tape Deters Recruitment

UK - CIPD 2007 Events

The two largest events organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) are both set to undergo changes in 2007, it was announced today.

HRD and Harrogate 2007: CIPD announces significant changes

The 21st Century Chief Human Resource Officer

A new report from Deloitte Consulting states that the modern CHRO is required increasingly to act as both strategist and steward. CHROs are 'leaders who not only manage the HR function and operations team, but also collaborate directly with the CEO and board of directors on a range of critical business issues.'

The 21st Century Chief Human Resource Officer

Mergers and Acquisitions

Contrasting strongly with findings from the past 20 years, the current round of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals tend to be financially successful and generate more shareholder value, according to a new study.

New Views on Mergers and Acquisitions

USA - HR Technology Survey

HR self-service offers many advantages in terms of cost and efficiency but many human resource executives are still concentrating on routine transactions and are not reaping the benefits of available technology.

HR Executives Still Not Making the Most of HR Technology

Canada - HR Toolkit Welcomed

IPMA-Canada is supporting the release of Human Resource Recruitment and Best Talent Retention Tool Kit for the Public Sector, a report published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. IPMA-Canada considers that this report will interest all HR professionals, especially those providing service in the public sector with responsibility for the management of human resources.

IPMA-Canada welcomes HR toolkit report

New Zealand - Few Women at the Top

Women are making only glacial progress in board appointments to top New Zealand companies, according to a new report, The New Zealand Census of Women's Participation 2006, released by the Human Rights Commission and the Centre for Women and Leadership at Massey University.

The report shows that women have only 46 of the 645 directorships in the top 100 companies. Just two companies have gender parity on their boards. New Zealand is lagging well behind similar countries such as Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA for gender balance at board level.

'Glacial progress' for women at the top