SEND STAFF HOME TO WORK!
Businesses must change their attitudes about people working from home and use the internet to connect employees through "telework", the Minister for Broadband and Communications Stephen Conroy has announced.
The federal minister said Australia is lagging behind other developed countries in harnessing the internet for business and needs to catch up. Australian statistics are indeed at odds compared to other nations, with the ABS recording that 6% of employees from Australia have a degree of telework arrangements with their employer. Read how this compares with other countries...
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Workplace skill shortages - is your organisation being caught short?
The latest L.E.A.D. Survey pinpoints the extent of the skills shortage problem – around two-thirds of organisational leaders, managers and employees can identify skills shortages in their own workplaces. That's two in every three workplaces operating with a workforce that does not have the right mix of skills to function effectively!
Disturbingly, beyond the expected shortage in technical skills related to specific industries and sectors, two of the top six areas of skills shortage relate to leadership and management – two areas that are often under-resourced in terms of ongoing learning and development…and two areas that are often considered of secondary importance in the hunt for skilled personnel. Read more...
Disturbingly, beyond the expected shortage in technical skills related to specific industries and sectors, two of the top six areas of skills shortage relate to leadership and management – two areas that are often under-resourced in terms of ongoing learning and development…and two areas that are often considered of secondary importance in the hunt for skilled personnel. Read more...
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Making Work/Life Flexibility Work
A recent survey by the Flex+Strategy Group on work/life flexibility revealed:
Are your employees seeking work-life flexibility? While having flexibility in when, where and how you work is increasingly becoming the norm at companies of all sizes, a new study, the Work+Life Fit Reality Check, reveals there are still some roadblocks in the way.
Read more...
- Eleven percent of respondents said that their use of work-life flexibility increased and 76 percent said it stayed the same during the recession.
- Sixty-six percent believe employee health, morale and productivity suffer as a result of having no work-life flexibility.
- Those who worried about making less money due to improved work-life flexibility decreased from 45 percent in 2006 to 21 percent this year.
Are your employees seeking work-life flexibility? While having flexibility in when, where and how you work is increasingly becoming the norm at companies of all sizes, a new study, the Work+Life Fit Reality Check, reveals there are still some roadblocks in the way.
Read more...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Paid Parental Leave - 1 July 2011, what Employers need to know
As of 1 July 2011, employers will now be responsible for the administration of paid parental leave payments to employees under the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010.
You must provide Parental Leave Pay to an eligible employee who:
You must provide Parental Leave Pay to an eligible employee who:
- has a child born or adopted from 1 July 2011
- has worked for you for at least 12 months prior to the expected date of birth or adoption
- will be your employee for their Paid Parental Leave period
- is an Australian-based employee, and
- is expected to receive at least eight weeks of Parental Leave Pay.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Understanding why women decide not to return to work
A UK study and report conducted by an executive search agency and employment law firm in April 2007 revealed that organisations continue to struggle to retain top female talent despite 39 weeks statutory maternity pay, additional maternity leave benefits and extended worker’s rights in applying for flexible working arrangements, (introduced under the UK’s Work and Families Act.) organisations continue to struggle to retain top female talent. It seems that employers need to do more than just comply with regulatory requirements to entice women on maternity leave back to work.
These findings send and important message to organisations that to simply offer paid parental leave will not be enough to secure mums and dads to return to work following parental leave; a real concern for businesses already suffering from general labour shortages.
What must organisations do to attract parents back to work and keep them? The 2007 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Community (HREOC) report on work life balance suggests that ‘flexibility in the workplace’ is the fundamental component in enabling workers to meet the ever increasing demands of work and family life.
Where should employers focus their efforts to best support the needs of their employees, without compromising business productivity?
Rather than trying to guess what improvements need to be made, mums@work suggest that employers go direct to the source. Ask mums and dads what assistance is most beneficial to them first and implement flexible work and parental leave policies after.
Mums@work Director, Emma Walsh states that “company’s can fail to implement feasible flexible work solutions, and risk losing its parental workforce unless they have a deeper understanding of the common issues working parents actually face, not only when they return to their job but on an ongoing basis as they juggle the demands of work and raising a family”.
For organisations to understand the needs of its working parents, employers must be prepared to openly discuss and negotiate practical return to work options that can are realistic for both parties.
This is not always easy given we live and work in an ever changing environment; what might be agreeable today, won’t be suitable tomorrow. Organisations are constantly evolving to adapt to the diversifying needs of their consumers and clients. Walsh suggests that “employers need to recognise and respond to its employees as clients and work together to continually find agreeable working solutions, otherwise they risk losing irreplaceable, valuable talent”.
As parents struggle to meet the rising costs of child care, hold down two jobs (the one at work and at home) organisations need to be prepared not only to offer paid incentives to return to work but also proactively assist employees in developing a practical return to work plan.
These findings send and important message to organisations that to simply offer paid parental leave will not be enough to secure mums and dads to return to work following parental leave; a real concern for businesses already suffering from general labour shortages.
What must organisations do to attract parents back to work and keep them? The 2007 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Community (HREOC) report on work life balance suggests that ‘flexibility in the workplace’ is the fundamental component in enabling workers to meet the ever increasing demands of work and family life.
Where should employers focus their efforts to best support the needs of their employees, without compromising business productivity?
Rather than trying to guess what improvements need to be made, mums@work suggest that employers go direct to the source. Ask mums and dads what assistance is most beneficial to them first and implement flexible work and parental leave policies after.
Mums@work Director, Emma Walsh states that “company’s can fail to implement feasible flexible work solutions, and risk losing its parental workforce unless they have a deeper understanding of the common issues working parents actually face, not only when they return to their job but on an ongoing basis as they juggle the demands of work and raising a family”.
For organisations to understand the needs of its working parents, employers must be prepared to openly discuss and negotiate practical return to work options that can are realistic for both parties.
This is not always easy given we live and work in an ever changing environment; what might be agreeable today, won’t be suitable tomorrow. Organisations are constantly evolving to adapt to the diversifying needs of their consumers and clients. Walsh suggests that “employers need to recognise and respond to its employees as clients and work together to continually find agreeable working solutions, otherwise they risk losing irreplaceable, valuable talent”.
As parents struggle to meet the rising costs of child care, hold down two jobs (the one at work and at home) organisations need to be prepared not only to offer paid incentives to return to work but also proactively assist employees in developing a practical return to work plan.
Book our Stay-in-touch service now to give your working parents the tools they need to return to work.
Workaholics now in pursuit of leisure - feature in Sydney Morning Herald
CATRIONA POLLARD worked herself sick. Until this year, 12-hour days and working weekends were the norm for the 42-year-old, who runs her own public relations firm. Managing staff, running a small business and meeting constant deadlines took its toll.
''The most significant thing I did was change my attitude towards work,'' she says. ''I still work long hours, but I also make time to nurture myself," says Pollard.
''Today both parents are walking out the door to work in the morning, there is no one staying home to care for family members and run the household. What we need to address that is good public policy and social systems and significant change in workplaces.''
The need for changes across the board is recognised by Emma Walsh, who set up mums@work about four years ago, a service providing return-to-work guidance for parents.
Read the whole article...
''The most significant thing I did was change my attitude towards work,'' she says. ''I still work long hours, but I also make time to nurture myself," says Pollard.
''Today both parents are walking out the door to work in the morning, there is no one staying home to care for family members and run the household. What we need to address that is good public policy and social systems and significant change in workplaces.''
The need for changes across the board is recognised by Emma Walsh, who set up mums@work about four years ago, a service providing return-to-work guidance for parents.
Read the whole article...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Parents Talking Career Choices to their Children!
Parents Talking Career Choices is a brochure that offers strategies for parents and carers to discuss the options available for further study and employment after school with their teenage children. It includes practical advice on how to help young people explore the wide range of job pathways and where to go for further information.
Read more...
Read more...
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