Canada - B.C. Improves Foreign Credential Recognition Programs

British Columbia Economic Development Minister Colin Hansen has announced CDN$1 million in funding to improve international credential recognition programs in the province.

B.C. Improves Foreign Credential Recognition Programs

UK - Jackie Orme New CIPD CEO

Jackie Orme is now Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development - the leading professional body for all those involved in the management and development of people in the UK and Ireland.

CIPD

USA - Aging Workforces

A survey by the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) found that almost a third of small-business owners are creating 'knowledge transfer' plans - transferring key knowledge from older to younger workers - as a means of
coping with the retirement of millions of baby boomers.

Aging Workforces

USA - Time Management Produces Results

Time management is an ongoing favorite in the corporate trainer's armory of courses while training in delegation skills appears to be neglected.

A survey of 330 companies by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) last year found that while 53% of respondents had a 'somewhat high' or 'high' degree of concern about their employees' time-management skills and 46% were similarly concerned about delegation skills, only 28% of businesses offered delegation training compared to 49% that provided time management courses.

Time Management Produces Results

Australia - Ban on new AWAs

Unions have welcomed the ban on new AWAs following the passage of The Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Bill through Parliament.


Ban On New Australian Workplace Agreements

Australia - Mature Age Workers Key To Skills Shortage

Wile the hospitality and travel sectors are continuing to experience difficulties in recruiting skilled staff, the solution may lie with mature-age workers - the over 50's - according to TMS Asia-Pacific.

Mature Age Workers Key To Skills Shortage

NZ - Males Dominate Top Jobs

New Zealand's businesses are dominated by male senior managers, according to a survey conducted by Hays, the specialist recruitment company.

Males Dominate Top Jobs

Canada - BC Government Policies 'Impact Women'

Still Waiting For Justice: Provincial policies and gender equality in BC 2001-2008', a report released by the B.C. Federation of Labour concludes that the Gordon Campbell government's policies have unfairly impacted women.

B.C. Government Policies Have Negative Effect On Women

UK - Stress And Coronary Heart Disease

How work stress can lead to coronary heart disease.

Danger of the desk

USA/Canada - Finding Talent & Immigration Laws

Two-thirds of HR professionals in North America (USA - 66%, Canada - 65%) believe that tougher national immigration policies force their organizations to devote more resources to recruiting and retaining local talent.

Finding Talent Increasingly Difficult

USA - Impressive Titles Are More Than Cheap Rewards

More and more organizations are doling out impressive-sounding job titles, many including superlatives such as 'chief'. One reason is to stop key executives from leaving, according to Michael Jalbert, president of MRINetwork, a major search and recruitment organization. But titles such as chief marketing officer, chief innovation officer, and chief risk officer also mark the extra responsibilities that CEOs are delegating to senior staff.

Impressive Titles Are More Than Cheap Rewards

USA - Few Organizations Define Diversity

While organizations tend to believe that diversity in the workplace is important, only 30% have an agreed definition of 'diversity', according to a recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) report.

Few Organizations Define Diversity

USA - Teleworking Feds Survey

While 96% of 664 Federal employees surveyed could be teleworking, only 20% are currently doing so.

Teleworking Feds Could Save $5 billion In Commuting Costs

Canada - Employees' Aspirations

Canadians are most attracted by jobs in the government and entertainment sectors according to a new workplace survey conducted by Ipsos Reid for RBC. Conversely, the least desirable employment opportunities are in the accounting, financial services and trade sectors.

Canadian Employees' Aspirations

UK - IiP May Contribute 'Little If Anything'

A significant number of minority groups are disadvantaged with regard to training provision in workplaces with Investors in People (IiP) accreditation compared to those without the award.

IiP May Contribute 'Little If Anything'

USA - 'Surface Diversity'

Research by the non-profit RAND Corporation has found that companies recognized for their commitment to diversity may demonstrate best practice as identified in existing literature but do not always achieve a high degree of diversity in reality.

Companies Opt For Surface Diversity

NZ - HRINZ HR Awards

The Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ) has announced the winners of the 2007/08 HRINZ HR Awards at a black tie gala dinner and award presentation in Wellington last week.

HRINZ HR Awards

NZ - More Jobs For Older Employees

Workers aged 65 years and above were the employment group with the highest increase in both filled jobs and average mean quarterly earnings in the five years up to December 2006, according to Statistics New Zealand.

More Jobs For Older Employees

Pacific - Solomon Islands Women Taking the Lead

A recent visit by international gender experts from Australia's international development agency, AusAID, noted that women working within the Solomon Islands Prison Service were very active in promoting policies so that men and women are treated equally.

Solomon Islands Women Taking the Lead

UK - Unpaid Overtime

People working in the media sector such as journalists, public relations officers, photographers and broadcasters are giving away an average of £5,884 a year in unpaid overtime, according to a TUC analysis of official statistics.


Media Professionals Donate £6K In Unpaid Overtime

Australia - Industrial Relations Bills

The Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Bill 2008 was introduced into the Australian Federal Parliament on February 13 by Julia Gillard, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.


Industrial Relations Bills

Canada - B.C. Project Aims To Offset Employee Shortages

Launch of a two-year pilot project aimed at foreign workers, intended to offset serious employee shortages in tourism/hospitality and trucking.

B.C. Project Aims To Offset Employee Shortages

Revised Bestseller Book Selections

New book selections are available at:

Computing Books

Entrepreneurship

Management Books

International HR Articles

A new index page has been created listing articles with a focus on international human resource management. See:

International HR Articles

Canada - B.C. Signs Worker Agreement With Philippines To Address Skills Shortage

The British Columbia provincial goverment has signed a memorandum of understanding
with the Philippine government aimed at reducing the shortage of skilled workers in B.C.

B.C. Signs Worker Agreement With Philippines To Address Skills Shortage

UK - CIPD launches People Management Award 2008

The search is on for innovative solutions and outstanding achievement in the field of people management and development, as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and People Management Magazine invite organisations to enter the 2008 People Management Award.

CIPD launches People Management Award 2008

UK - Apprentices Pay

The Government should increase the minimum pay rate for apprentices to improve the quality of training and tackle apprenticeship dropout rates, says a new TUC report out today (Saturday).

TUC calls for pay increase to tackle apprenticeship 'quality divide'

USA - Appearance-based discrimination

A survey of people in a range of industries across the US found that 85 per cent of respondents believe that tattoos and body piercings reduce the chance of getting employment.

Appearance-based discrimination

HR Changes Can Increase Stress

Research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of its Future of work programme has found that teamworking and other contemporary employment practices can put as much strain on a woman's family relationships as working an extra 120 hours a year.

HR Changes Can Increase Stress

Canada - Top CEO Pay

Canadian employees may be surprised to know that the 100 best paid CEOs in Canada pocketed the national average wage of $38,998 by 10:33 am January 2nd.

Santa Claus All Year For Top CEOs

USA - Tech Recruitment Trends For 2008

Polachi, a major provider of Access Executive Search services, has published its top trend predictions for executive recruiting for this year.

Tech Recruitment Trends For 2008

USA - Human Capital Institute National Summit

The Human Capital Institute (HCI), a professional association and educator advancing the science of strategic talent management, announced today that it will hold its third annual National Human Capital Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, Monday, March 10, through Wednesday, March 12, with a Benefit Golf Tournament on Sunday, March 9.

Human Capital Institute to Hold Third Annual National Summit March 9-12

UK - Gloomy Prognosis For 2008

The CIPD's outlook for UK employment pronounces 2008 to be the 'worst year for jobs in a decade'. CIPD forecasts a reduction in public sector jobs.

Gloomy Prognosis For 2008

USA - Most Senior Employees Never Stop Working

A recent poll of executives and professionals by MRINetwork, a major international search and recruitment organization found that the majority rarely stop working. Typically, they worked evenings, weekends, and during their commute. Many believed that their employers were responsible for creating the situations that lead to overwork.

Most Senior Employees Never Stop Working

UK - 2008 May Be A Rocky Year, Says TUC

Full text of TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber's New Year message to trade union members:

2008 May Be A Rocky Year, Says TUC

USA - Talent Scouting

The Human Capital Institute (HCI), a global professional association and educator in talent management strategies, and PeopleFilter Technology, a provider of leading-edge
recruiting technology solutions, announced today that the two organizations will jointly launch the "Talent Scouting" education and research track.

Human Capital Institute and PeopleFilter to Launch 'Talent Scouting' Initiatives

Global - UN Youth Report

While today's youth are the best educated generation in history, they face a number of obstacles in an increasingly globalized world - foremost among them finding decent work - which affect their transition to adulthood, according to a new United Nations report released today.

Finding Decent Work An Obstacle For Today's Youth

UK - After Office

What Happens To Unemployed Politicians?

After Office

USA - Abuse At Work

Recent research by Wayne Hochwarter, a professor of management at Florida State University, and associate Samantha Engelhardt investigated differences in employees' responses to abusive supervisors.

The researchers highlight the importance of "basic civility" and effective communication when addressing many workplace problems.

Abuse At Work

Communication Skills Books

A selection of the best Communication Skills Books:

The Best Communication Skills Books

Corporate Communications Books

A new page of some of the best books on the subject of corporate communications:

Corporate Communications Books

USA - Career Technical Education

California's GetREAL coalition say that an expansion of career technical education (CTE) would help reduce crime and the state's 'unacceptably high' drop out rate.

Investing In Career Technical Education To Reduce Crime and Drop Out Rate

USA - Top Office Party Blunders

How to turn your company party into a career disaster.

Top Office Party Blunders

UK - Temp Staffing Producing Skill Gap

The TUC contends that agency temps who are on long-term working assignments are running the risk of being excluded from permanent jobs because of a skills divide in the workplace.

Temping Creating A Skill Gap According To TUC

UK - ACAS Contributes To Economy

An independent study report shows that Acas is a highly cost-effective organization returning £16 for every pound invested in the employment relations service.

ACAS Contributes To Economy

UK - 21st Century Skills

The UK Government has announced a major expansion in skills investment for England of over £ll billion for each of the next three years. By 2010/11, total spending on learning and skills will increase to £12.3 billion a year. This compares with the £6.5 billion spent in 2001/02.

21st Century Skills

UK - Incentive Schemes Diluted By Too Many Performance Measures

A study by Watson Wyatt concludes that the effectiveness of sales incentive plans can be diluted by too many performance measures.

Incentive Schemes Diluted By Too Many Performance Measures

HR Outsourcing To Increase In 2008

While HR outsourcing has remained relatively flat since 2005, it is expected to increase in 2008, according to the Everest Research Institute's annual Human Resources Outsourcing (HRO) market study.

HR Outsourcing To Increase In 2008

USA - Perception Of Consultant Quality Trails That Of Permanent Staff

A recent survey finds that hiring managers are twice as likely to rate their permanent staff as 'excellent' than they rate consultants.

Perception Of Consultant Quality Trails That Of Permanent Staff

UK - December Conferences

(CIPD) Managing Change at Work conference - 4-5 December 2007, The Hurlingham club, London.

(NACRO) Filling Your Vacancies - 6th December 2007, Guildford College, Stoke Park, Guildford, GU1 2EZ. Free breakfast meeting for businesses looking for new and effective ways to fill their vacancies.

More information on the HRM Guide UK Events page.

Work-related Stress And Coronary Heart Disease

Chronic job strain after a first heart attack may double the risk of suffering a second one.

Work-related Stress And Coronary Heart Disease

USA - California Workplace Injuries Down

Overall workplace injuries and accidents declined from 5.1 per 100 full-time workers in 2005 to 4.8 per 100 full-time workers in 2006, according to Len Welsh, the DIR’s Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).

Downward Trend in California Workplace Injuries and Accidents Continued in 2006

USA - Expense Management

Infor has announced general availability of Infor Expense Management 7.0, the latest version of its travel and expense management solution, which includes enhancements that reduce administrative costs, decrease errors and minimize occurrences of fraud. New capabilities in Expense Management 7.0 include expanded options for mobile approval, which enables managers to quickly sign-off on employees’ expense reports through their mobile devices, a new portal user interface with enhanced personalization options, additional business rules and background processes to help companies enforce travel policy compliance, web-based HTML timesheets and new configuration options.

Infor Helps Companies Manage Employee Expenses

USA - Leadership Development Inadequate

Leadership development deficiencies are threatening the future performance of major global businesses, according to results announced in Corporate University Xchange’s latest study on leadership. 97% of study participants are concerned about leadership strength, and 73% say current leadership ability is not sufficient to support company growth initiatives.


CorpU Study Cites Inadequate Leadership Development as Threat to Business Growth

UK - Flexi Time Manager

A new online product which is set to revolutionise the way that flexible working is recorded and calculated is launched today (Monday 29 October 2007). Flexi Time Manager is an online database that provides a cost effective and self-contained administration system for recording and calculating flexitime. Designed to help small and medium sized businesses introduce or extend flexible working for staff, the system can be accessed at a mere 54 pence per employee per week (£30 per employee, per year) and does not require specialist software or hardware, just an internet connection. For firms that already operate flexible working, Flexi Time Manager will ease the administrative burden associated with calculating employee flexi time. Employee hours are input by the user at any time and their data is then automatically calculated, totalling the working time, flexi credit or debit and flexi carry forward.

New Web Based System - Flexi Time Manager - Provides a Cost Effective and Time Efficient Solution for SMEs to Administer Flexible Working

USA - Work Life Balance Award

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) today announced Betty Purkey as the recipient of the 2007 SWE Work Life Balance Award. Purkey is being recognized for launching a successful work/life balance effort and expanding it to a robust and comprehensive program that is credited with achieving a low voluntary turnover rate and a high percentage of female executives.

Society of Women Engineers Honors Betty Purkey with 2007 Work Life Balance Award

USA - Succession Planning

Top-level financial executives are leaving their jobs at a higher rate than other employees, according to a new compensation survey conducted by Crowe Chizek and Company LLC - and the timing couldn’t be worse for the banking industry.

Growing Departures of Top Banking Executives Spur the Need for Succession Planning

USA - Motivation Incentives

The total market for incentive travel, motivational meetings, and special events was $77.1 billion in 2006, according to the 2007 Industry Profile Study: The Market for Incentive Travel, Motivational Meetings, and Special Events in the United States recently released by the Incentive Research Foundation. According to the study, 66 percent of companies in the U.S. used one or more of these business initiatives in 2006 with $13.4 billion spent on incentive travel, $25.9 billion spent on motivational meetings, and $37.8 billion spent on special events.

U.S. Economy Gets Huge Boost From Motivation Initiatives

USA/UK - Evolution EAP

Workplace Options today announced that its U.K. division, Employee Advisory Resource, will offer Evolution EAP. This new offering will redefine Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) by exceeding current industry benchmarks for service and quality.

Available in the U.K. and internationally in January, Evolution EAP will be the most comprehensive EAP ever offered. It will give organizations access to traditional EAP services such as short-term counseling and legal and financial advice, but also adds access to a wide range of specialist group therapies and individual clinical interventions. These new services will be provided by the Priory Group, Europe's leading independent provider of specialist mental health care services.

Workplace Options Announces Evolution EAP

USA - Halloween

According to a new survey released by Vault.com Inc., 37% of employees say they celebrate Halloween with their co-workers, and 27% dress up in costume.

Over 25% of Workers in Disguise This Halloween, Says Vault

USA - Workplace Health

When it comes to our personal health, weight management continues to dominate our concerns, according to the latest online poll conducted by LifeCare®, Inc., provider of comprehensive specialty care services and a longtime leader in the work/life industry. Forty-nine percent of respondents cited weight management as their primary concern, with general health coming in second at just 18 percent. The poll was posted on LifeCare's private web site during the month of September and open to employees of its 1,500 client organizations. Here are the full results of the poll:

Latest online poll conducted by LifeCare®, Inc., shows weight management outweighs all other health concerns.

USA - Is Your Workplace "Phat" or "Fat"?

Employees Reveal How Their Workplace Affects Their Waistline ...

Is Your Workplace "Phat" or "Fat"?

USA - Employer Satisfaction

A survey commissioned in metropolitan Atlanta by American InterContinental University (AIU) has found that local employers believe today’s job seekers are better equipped for productive employment than their equivalents in the past.

Atlanta Survey Finds Positive Views About Today’s Job Candidates

USA - Helping Depressed Employees

Employees with significant depression who participated in a program including a telephone outreach and care management service demonstrated fewer symptoms, improved work productivity and greater job retention than those receiving standard care.

Helping Depressed Employees

USA - Employers Can Help Reduce Obesity

A telephone survey of American adults (1018 men and 1045 women) in full-time employment has found that many could eat more healthily and be more active while at work and employers could help reverse current trends by promoting health and wellness in the workplace.

Employers Can Help Reduce Obesity

USA - Sacking By Email

A recent survey found that 10 per cent of respondents said their organization had used email to sack or layoff employees and 17 per cent said emails had been used to avoid other difficult communications.

Sacking By Email

USA - Financial Incentives

Jeffrey Pfeffer said organizations can be misguided if they use incentive pay based on the belief "that if employees were just compensated appropriately, virtually every organizational and management problem could be solved."

Financial Incentives May Not Motivate

NZ - 10 Minutes To Judge A Job Seeker

"The interview begins the moment the job seeker arrives, so applicants need to project enthusiasm and confidence consistently from the start. The opening minutes of the conversation set the tone and direction for the rest of the interview. You do not get a second chance to make a good first impression, so it is vital to prepare especially well for the first few interview questions, even if they may seem casual and not related to work at first."

10 Minutes To Judge A Job Seeker

Global - Distinguishing Top Companies For Leaders

By having the right leadership practices and processes in place, maintaining a strict focus on critical talent at all levels, and having a continuous desire to improve, Global Top Companies have cultures that cultivate and nurture their talent, and a reputation for doing it well.

Distinguishing Top Companies For Leaders

UK - Public Sector Management

Research for The Work Foundation has found that public sector managers lack confidence in their own leadership skills and underestimate their achievements compared to ratings given by their line managers and other colleagues.

Public Sector Managers Lack Confidence

UK/Europe - Managing People

A survey of 137 major European employers conducted by the international HR consultancy Cubiks found that most managers take on responsibility for managing people because they want greater involvement in company decision-making and not because they are fundamentally interested in managing and developing teams.

Managers More Interested In Power Than People

Australia - Employee Communication

If you are involved in employee communication then you already know that one of the most important aspects of employee communication today is measurement. But so much of that measurement is focused on whether employees access the tools organizations use to communicate with them.


Employee Communication: 5 Ways To Measure The Impact On Business Outcomes

UK - Virtual leaders show how to lead the way in the future

Recent research into the evolution of leadership in the current high tech business environment has found a new fertile ground in the world of computer gaming. The findings are intriguing and offer considerable opportunities in the identification and training of future leaders in organizations.

Leadership in 2012: Virtual leaders show how to lead the way in the future

USA - Corporate Culture And Change

A new study considers the "tug of war" that can occur over innovation and argues that knowledge about past initiatives and the business culture of a target group are essential when promoting organizational change.

Corporate Culture And Change

UK - The Knowledge Economy

A report by Neil Lee at The Work Foundation uses data from the UK Competitiveness Index to examine job distribution from 1995-2005 in the "knowledge economy" - industries such as financial services, research and development, IT, communications and advertising.

The report concludes that perpetuation of the north-south divide is demonstrated by limited job creation in this sector outside London and the south east where "the numbers of high-skill, high-pay, high-productivity jobs have made the region the powerhouse of national economic performance". The report warns that other urban areas risk being left behind.

The Knowledge Economy

USA - Work And Sleep

Research from the University of Pennsylvania published in SLEEP has found that work time is the largest influence on how long an individual sleeps on both work and leisure days. The more hours worked the less sleep achieved.

Work And Sleep

UK - Musculoskeletal Disorders

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), a group of over 200 conditions including arthritis, back pain and damage to joints, muscles and tendons are by far the most prevalent cause of work-related illness in the UK affecting twice as many people as stress.


Musculoskeletal Disorders

Canada - Longer Hours For Finance Managers

Research on behalf of staffing services firm Robert Half International has found that more than half the finance managers surveyed report working longer hours than two years ago, but with considerable variation between countries.

Longer Hours For Finance Managers

Australia - Young Workers Unfairly Dismissed

Research by the Faculty of Business at Queensland University of Technology investigated more than 1200 complaints of unfair dismissal made to the Young Workers Advisory Service by 15 to 24-year-olds and found that almost one in five was sacked for being sick, injured or for responding to family problems.

Young Workers Unfairly Dismissed

UK - Sick Certification Study

A new Merseyside study has found that more certified intermediate sick leave (6-28 weeks) is given by male GPs to male patients compared to that given by female GPs to female patients.

Sick Certification Study

USA - HR/Business Alignment Tool

An integrated, web-based service that assesses, benchmarks, and determines how HR executives can improve the effectiveness of their HR Function and their HR Staff.

The Corporate Leadership Council Launches First HR Business Alignment Tool (HR BAT) for Chief Human Resource Officers to Increase the HR Function’s Business Impact

Job-hunting - Handwritten Notes

Personalized letters are an effective way of getting noticed when looking for work in a world dominated by electronic communications.

Handwritten Notes

Singapore - Candidate Mentoring Program

TMS Asia-Pacific, ipac financial planning Singapore, COMO Group and Club 21 today unveiled a world recruitment industry first with the launch in Singapore of a new and very unique candidate mentoring concept - StarLife.

TMS, ipac, COMO and Club 21 launch combined candidate mentoring program

USA - Achieving Brand Integrity

A new book by Gregg Lederman questions why so many organizations fail to fully invest in their people by focusing on strategic tools such as mission statements at the expense of developing a performance-based work culture.

Achieving Brand Integrity

USA - Employee Benefits Report

As companies grapple with competing objectives - managing benefits costs while attracting and retaining skilled talent - the link between employee benefits strategies and business and financial goals is expected to increase by 2012, according to Employee Benefits: 2007 & Beyond, a new report released today by Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) that explores current and future employee needs and how employers plan to respond to those needs. The report highlights employers' need to improve the perceived value of the benefits programs and services they provide as their employees become increasingly demanding.

Employers Struggle To Deliver Competitive Benefits Programs Consistent with Employees' Increasing Reliance on Workplace Services, According to Prudential Report

UK - Drugs And Alcohol Misuse

Two fifths of UK employers consider alcohol misuse to be a significant cause of absenteeism and lost productivity according to new research and a third also believe that drug misuse has similarly negative consequences.

CIPD Survey Highlights Drug And Alcohol Misuse

New Zealand’s Tight Job Market Creates New Training Challenges For Hospitality Industry

Two recent reports from the Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI) highlight the growth of the hospitality industry and its future skill and training needs.


New Zealand’s Tight Job Market Creates New Training Challenges For Hospitality Industry

Australia - Unemployment

Unemployment at 4.3%

Seasonally adjusted, the number of people in employment also rose by 31,900 to 10,513,300 in August.

Canada - Internal Candidates For CEO

Selecting a new CEO is one of the most important roles for a corporate board of directors. However, there is a tendency to overlook high-potential internal candidates.

Internal Candidates For CEO

USA - HR Struggling To Keep Up In High-Growth Companies

Two-thirds of respondents to a new survey by the Human Resource Planning Society (HRPS) and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) concluded that HR is not responding quickly enough to strategic growth challenges and a similar percentage felt the emphasis on organizational growth is changing the meaning of "strategic HR."

HR Struggling To Keep Up In High-Growth Companies

USA - Employee Work Perceptions Predict Organizational Success

Employees' perceptions of work conditions have a significant impact on the performance of their organizations, according to research from Gallup, Inc.


Employee Work Perceptions Predict Organizational Success

USA - Career Development Programs

Research from the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) in conjunction with HR.com has found that 60 per cent of 382 companies surveyed have a career development program in place and 41 per cent use in-house coaches and/or mentors.

Career Development Programs

UK- Internal Communication Can Improve Organizational Cohesion And Performance

Recent research from the Work Foundation calls for increased recognition of the potential of internal communications (IC) to improve organizational cohesion and performance.


Internal Communication Can Improve Organizational Cohesion And Performance

UK - Measuring Human Capital

A recent CIPD report suggests that the majority of employers are failing to provide relevant information about their human capital thereby denying potential investors and other stakeholders the opportunity to fully assess the likely impact on future performance.


Measuring Human Capital

USA - Competition For Top Employees Increasing

The Compensation Data 2007 survey shows that competition for top employees is increasing with 96.1 per cent of organizations actively recruiting, voluntary turnover at 12.3 per cent for all industries, and total turnover at 18.3 per cent.

Competition For Top Employees Increasing

USA - Talent Management - A 'Vague Concept'

"Talent management" is a vague concept for many organizations, according to a recent survey of 524 business professionals by the Institute for Corporate Productivity i4cp).

Talent Management - A 'Vague Concept'

USA - Wasting Time At Work

The third annual survey of over 2000 employees across all job levels by Salary.com found that over 63 per cent of respondents admitted to wasting time at work and the average amount was 1.7 hours out of a typical 8.5 hour day.

Wasting Time At Work

USA - Latinos Suffer Less Work/Life Conflict

A study by Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Centro Latino published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that recent Latino immigrants employed in low-wage, non-professional jobs reported infrequent conflict between work and family.

Latinos Suffer Less Work/Life Conflict

USA - International Executive Equity Awards

A recent survey has shown that many US companies are seeking to remain globally competitive by significantly decreasing the size of their equity awards to non-US executives, a significant change in compensation strategy.

International Executive Equity Awards

US/UK - Employee Fraud

Recent research has found that more than half of 40 major financial institutions surveyed in the United States and the United Kingdom have been the victims of organized crime, 85 per cent have experienced employee fraud and 65 per cent consider this an increasing problem.

Employee Fraud

Canada - A Third Don't Take Their Vacation Time

A recent on-line survey by Monster.ca found that less than two-thirds of Canadians intend to take as much vacation time as they are entitled to this summer and a significant number will check in with their employers while on holiday.

A Third Don't Take Their Vacation Time

Australia - New ACTU Secretary

The new Secretary of the ACTU, Jeff Lawrence, took office today vowing to stand up for working Australians and to intensify the campaign against the Howard Government's WorkChoices IR laws.

Jeff Lawrence takes over as ACTU Secretary & vows to intensify campaign against WorkChoices IR laws

UK - Applicant lies

Job applicants to the nation’s banks and financial institutions are less likely to lie on their job applications compared to a year earlier, according to research released today by pre-employment screening firm Powerchex.

Financial Services Industry Cleans Up Its Act

The Nation’s financial institutions may be exposing themselves to potential fraud when hiring temporary workers; a recent survey shows. The survey, which was conducted by City pre-employment screening firm Powerchex, reveals that 89% of undisclosed criminal records were found on the CVs of temporary employees.

Who is watching the temps?

USA - FMLA Implementation

A recent report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has found that nearly 40 per cent of human resource professionals have experienced problems with implementation of the Family and Medical Leave Act 1993 (FMLA).

FMLA Implementation

UK/India - Offshoring

A study by Katerina Rüdiger for The Work Foundation suggests that perceived threats to UK employment from offshoring to developing countries such as India have been exaggerated.

Offshoring

UK - Management Consultants - What Do They Do?

Research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) challenges the notion that management consultants play a vital role as expert outsiders in disseminating new approaches within organizations.

Management Consultants - What Do They Do?

UK - Working Life Under Labour

A recent report from The Work Foundation suggests that the Labour government merits "7 out of 10" for its impact on working life during the last 10 years.

Working Life Under Labour

Canada - Human Rights Protection For First Nations

The new Canadian government intends to move two amendments to Bill C-44 that calls for the repeal of section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. This has prevented First Nations, mainly living on reserves, from full protection under an Act that has been in force for 30 years.

Human Rights Protection For First Nations

USA - Misclassifying Independent Contractors

Call for urgent clarification and guidance to assist employers through a multiplicity of confusing statutory and agency regulations when classifying workers as employees or independent contractors.

Misclassifying Independent Contractors

Australia - Professional Recruitment Services

TMS Asia-Pacific CEO Gary Marshall said Australia's travel industry staffing crisis showed no signs of resolving and professional recruitment services had an essential part to play in the war for talent.


Professional Recruitment Services

USA - Gender Stereotyping

A new survey has found that gender stereotyping continues to be a key barrier to the advancement of women in corporate leadership and leaves women leaders with limited and conflicting options.

Gender Stereotyping A Key Barrier

International Call Centre Study

A recent international study of nearly 2500 call centres has challenged many assumptions about management and employment practices in this sector.


Global - International Call Centre Study

UK - Online Recruitment

Online recruitment has the virtue of being available to candidates and employers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 52 weeks a year. It is always on and easily adjustable to meet changing requirements. Now McDonalds uses Peopleclick's High Volume to automate its hiring processes.

Online Recruitment

USA - Vacation Entitlement Survey

The summer vacation season is here and a new survey shows that there has been little change in the number of vacation days offered to exempt employees since 2005.

Vacation Entitlement Survey

USA - Employee Benefits Survey

The Society for Human Resources Management's annual benefit survey found little difference between the employee benefits on offer in 2007 and the previous year with only a slight reduction in the percentage of organizations offering some financial and compensation benefits.

Employee Benefit Survey

UK - Migrants Boost Labour Market

A newly published TUC study concludes that the massive inflow of migrants to the UK is a significant benefit to the UK economy citing Treasury estimates that migrant workers are responsible for around 10% of economic growth.

Migrants Boost Labour Market

USA - Black & Veatch Launches New Management Succession Planning Service to Address Aging Workforce Challenges

Electric and water utilities are faced with the prospect of losing up to 60 percent of their top management and other key workers to retirement by 2010. To help address this challenge, Black & Veatch’s Enterprise Management Solutions consulting division (EMS) announced today at the Edison Electric Institute’s Annual Convention that it is partnering with executive recruiting firm Mycoff, Fry & Prouse in offering a Management Succession Planning Service.


Black & Veatch Launches New Management Succession Planning Service to Address Aging Workforce Challenges

UK - Annual Leave Extended to Bank Holidays

The Government has announced that companies will no longer be able to deduct public (bank) holidays from their workers' annual leave entitlements.

Annual Leave Extended to Bank Holidays

USA - Recruitment Practices

A recent survey finds that 75 per cent of 180 organizations responding either use or plan to use psychological assessment for executive selection and development. Over half (58.3 per cent) currently use such methods, a further 16.7 per cent are considering their implementation.

Recruitment Practices

UK - Geoff Armstrong to Retire

Geoff Armstrong to stand down as Director General of the CIPD in June 2008

Geoff Armstrong will have held the post for 16 years, having seen membership more than double to almost 130,000 members including 47,000 fully chartered members.

USA - Recruitment Outsourcing

According to a recent survey conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp - formerly HRI), more than a third (34.4%) of companies surveyed have outsourced portions of their recruiting function, compared with 15.4% in 2005. The positions leading the way in third-party sourcing are executives (56.5%) and experienced professionals (43.5%). The least-outsourced function is supervisors, at 14.5%.


More than one-third of organizations today report outsourcing portions of the recruitment function, compared with slightly more than 15% two years ago.

Australia - Council workers face loss of penalty rates, overtime pay

Thousands of Council workers are facing the loss of weekend penalty rates, overtime pay and public holidays as their employers launch a concerted bid to bring Council employees under the Howard Government’s new IR laws it has been revealed today.

Council workers face loss of penalty rates, overtime pay

USA - HRsmart Announces Significant First Quarter Revenue Growth

HRsmart, a leading global provider of talent management technology solutions and one of the fastest growing and most profitable firms in the industry, announced today a more than 70-percent increase in revenue for the first quarter 2007 in year-over-year sales.

HRsmart Announces Significant First Quarter Revenue Growth

UK - Racism spirals out of control in UK

In light of the recent Celebrity Big Brother race row it's no surprise that 8 out of 10 of us think racism is a problem in British society. Yet in an age where the UK is striving for multiculturalism, over half of us think racism is getting worse, not better.

Racism spirals out of control in UK

UK - Holiday Entitlement

Several million of the UK's hard-working employees should soon be enjoying more leisure time with their family and friends thanks to Government plans to increase the legal minimum holiday entitlement for all UK workers, says the TUC today (Wednesday).

Don't make workers wait too long for extra holiday, says TUC

Australia - Workplace Health

With up to 50% of workers claiming that occupational stress leads to absenteeism, and 41% saying it causes poor work performance, employers are beginning to recognise the need for a workplace which is mentally as well as physically healthy, and goes beyond the basic OH&S requirements.

Do you have a mentally and physically healthy workplace?

UK Facing Skills Crisis

55% of employers in a new survey are finding it more difficult to recruit skilled workers now compared to five years ago.

UK Facing Skills Crisis

UK - National Minimum Wage

The Government has announced that the adult minimum wage rate will rise to £5.52 from £5.35 an hour in October.

National Minimum Wage Increases

USA - Hiring and Orientation Programs Neglected

A study of human resources practices at 50 large US companies by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm, has found that the importance of hiring and orientation programs is often neglected in the achievement of corporate goals and employee motivation.

Hiring and Orientation Programs Neglected

More UK Jobs Created Than Destroyed

New research from the Globalisation and Economic Policy Centre at The University of Nottingham has found that 1 in 7 private sector jobs are lost in the UK each year but more are created than destroyed. Based on 1997–2005 data from Customs and Excise (VAT registered businesses) and the Inland Revenue (PAYE registered businesses), the first comprehensive survey into this topic found that 2.65 million British private sector jobs are destroyed annually, and 2.76 million created (the equivalent of 51 000 lost and 53 000 created each week).

More UK Jobs Created Than Destroyed

USA - 'Bad Apples' at Work

A study from the University of Washington Business School published in Research in Organizational Behavior examines how negative behaviour by one person in an organization can impact on teams and groups. Researchers describe these individuals as "bad apples" acting like a virus within teams, with the capacity to “upset or spoil the whole apple cart”.

'Bad Apples' at Work

UK - HR Systems Still Disappointing

A survey by PMP Research commissioned by the Evaluation Centre found that one-third of companies feel that their HR and payroll IT systems either do not meet their requirements adequately or fail to do so completely.

HR Systems Still Disappointing

UK - Intranet Policy Management Could Lead to Litigation

Research by NETconsent has found that nearly 50 per cent of UK organizations could be vulnerable to litigation by primarily using the intranet to manage corporate policies.

Intranet Policy Management Could Lead to Litigation

UK - Alarming Performance Gap at Middle Management Level

A survey by management consultancy Hay Group has concluded that underperforming middle managers are costing British business £220 billion a year in lost productivity.

Alarming Performance Gap at Middle Management Level

Latin America - New Hewitt Study

Hewitt Associates Study Reveals Salary Increases Are on Pace With Inflation, But Many Companies Favor Variable Pay to Reward and Retain in Latin American countries.

Latin American Companies Starting to Identify Top Employees and Differentiate Pay as Competition for Talent Increases

USA - Paid Leave Comparisons

A comparison of public policies for working families in 173 countries shows that while the US performs well in protecting individual employees from workplace discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, and disability it is less effective in supporting family life.

Paid Leave Comparisons

USA - Affirmative Action

New research finds that affirmative action is still a highly contentious issue in American society with people typically opposing it either because they regard it as inherently unfair or simply because they are racist.

Affirmative Action

NZ - Outsourcing About More Than Cost

A report from IT services company Unisys predicts that the predominant trend in outsourcing for 2007 will be the expectation that service providers can deliver more than improved processes and cost limitation.

Outsourcing About More Than Cost

UK - Staff Fraud Guidance

CIFAS, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have launched free guidance to help employers understand the threats
associated with fraud and help HR professionals manage the risks.

Growth in staff fraud prompts new guidance from CIPD and CIFAS to help businesses

UK - Winter pay outcome in the balance as recruitment difficulties worsen

The latest CIPD/KPMG quarterly Labour Market Outlook survey finds that a majority of employers expect to award staff pay rises of less than 3.5% in the busy winter pay round. But with recruitment difficulties expected to worsen at a time when employees are looking to match the recent spike in price inflation, at least 1 in 5 employers appear to be keeping their pay options open.

Winter pay outcome in the balance as recruitment difficulties worsen

Canada - Manage Workers Individually

A recent study from The Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA) argues against categorizing employees by age stereotypes while acknowledging the need for different HR approaches to managing Boomers and Gen Xers in some areas.


Manage Workers Individually

UK - More Women Studying Engineering - But Not For Career

Although the number of women studying engineering has increased, many use it as a route to other careers.

More Women Studying Engineering - But Not For Career

USA - Advantages of Working for Small Businesses

Despite Perceived Pay Differential, Employees Cite Work/Life Balance, Lack of Politics and Culture as Reasons to Stay at Small Companies

Survey Reveals Advantages of Working for Small Businesses Outweigh Smaller Paychecks

Asia-Pacific Talent Crisis

A survey by ISR, a global employee research and consultancy firm, has found that organizations across Asia-Pacific risk losing their most talented people.

Asia-Pacific Talent Crisis

USA - Maximize Earning Potential with a Strong Resume

A good resume can make a world of difference when it comes to negotiating salary with a new employer.

Maximize Earning Potential with a Strong Resume

USA - Managing Time Off

US companies are potentially losing millions of dollars in payroll expenses and productivity because they fail to effectively manage employees' time off.

Managing Time Off

USA - Leadership and Assertiveness

Being perceived as having too much or too little assertiveness may be the most common weakness in aspiring business leaders, resulting in them appearing less effective than those with an optimal mid-range level.

Leadership and Assertiveness

New Zealand Leads on Incentive-Based Pay

A survey by global recruitment firm Robert Half International has found that New Zealand employers are leading the way in incentive-based pay for finance professionals.

New Zealand Leads on Incentive-Based Pay

NZ - Recruitment in 2007

A report from specialist recruiter Hays anticipates that the 2007 New Zealand recruitment market will be characterized by tighter conditions, customization of careers to suit individual employees and a more positive attitude towards mature candidates.


Recruitment in 2007

UK - Women Missing From Top Jobs

Sex and Power: Who Runs Britain? 2007 is the last annual survey of senior women in the public and private sectors before the EOC is disbanded in autumn 2007 after 30 years.

Women Missing From Top Jobs