August / September 2009 edition of Corporate Citizenships Briefing, Issue 107.
When Private Eye features a spoof newspaper article the name of the fictitious journalist raises a chuckle: Polly Filler, the yummy-mummy columnist; Lunchtime O’Booze, the music correspondent and, a particular favourite, Phil Space.
At first glance I thought that the CIPD employee survey story was a Phil Space special. “Redundancies leave employees hacked off SHOCK”. No, you don’t say. Reading the source document a more interesting story unpacks itself, mainly in the CIPD adviser’s comments.
He is full of gloomy predictions, (he runs the prophet Jeremiah a close second for gloom). Not only are employees fed up now but: “Many disillusioned employees will vote with their feet and leave as soon as the labour market picks up.” Hmmm. ‘Not proven’, for he proffers no historic evidence to support his assertion.
His jeremiad continues claiming lack of trust in senior management is “largely due to the lack of meaningful consultation and effective communication during major change such as redundancy programmes and restructuring”. So, if only management had talked more effectively to workers as they sacked their colleagues confidence would have been maintained? A likely story.
He concludes with rewards for failure. Financial rewards for failing chief executives and directors: “are contributing to a deep-seated sense of unfairness”. Here the results of the survey, the adviser’s opinion and everyday experience coalesce.
For thirty years Britain has traded equality for growth, job security for increased overall-prosperity. Yet a sense of fair play remains. Nothing undermines this new deal more than a belief that bosses share in the good times but insulate themselves from the bad. Given that at the moment it would seem “There is no alternative”, the likelihood is that the flexible labour system will remain, private sector unionisation will not increase but that employee relations will be affected by sourness, sullenness and cynicism for years to come.
Survey reveals gender barrier is stopping women reaching the top
According to a survey by Co-operative Asset Management and commissioned by The Observer in August, female representation at board level in UK businesses stands at 8.8%, renewing calls to make flexible working a business imperative. The survey found that 90% of top firms have an equality policy – but only 3% of them have a woman as chief executive. Women occupy just 34 of the 970 executive director positions at companies in the FTSE 350 index. When it comes to non-executive director posts which do not involve any management power, women fare slightly better although they still only occupy only 204 of the 1,772 jobs available. As a result of this work, the Co-operative intends in future to consider gender and diversity when it is assessing companies from an ethical, social and governance perspective. Contact: The Guardian www.guardian.co.uk
Employee survey highlights fundamental lack of trust in UK senior management
According to a survey by YouGov for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development released on August 7, the damaging impact of redundancies on staff morale, combined with a fundamental lack of trust in senior management, threaten to undermine the performance of companies just as they are preparing to capitalise on early signs of economic recovery. The survey of 3,000 employees found that 70% of employees report that redundancies have damaged their morale, with 22% of employees so unhappy as a result of how redundancies are being handled that they are looking to change jobs as soon as the labour market improves. Employees believe that frequent and honest communications (53%), more meaningful consultation (35%) and giving employees greater voice in the workplace (30%) would have the greatest impact on improving trust. Contact: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development www.cipd.org.uk
China leads in global green jobs race
According to a report by The Climate Group published on August 20, China is winning a global race to create “green collar” jobs, six months after countries worldwide launched $500 billion spending plans to drive a low carbon economy. Following the economic downturn, both the United States and Europe aim to spur jobs in a green push to fight climate change and boost energy security, but China may leapfrog both this year in new wind power. The report, ‘China’s Clean Revolution II: China’s opportunity for a low carbon future’ found that Chinese businesses are amongst the top producers of electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels and energy efficient appliances and is now expanding to cover new industries including geothermal power. Findings of the report include; the energy intensity of the Chinese economy has fallen by over 60% since 1980, and internationally, mainland China supplies 30% of the world’s solar PV technology. Contact: The Climate Group www.theclimategroup.org
Unemployed graduates offered paid volunteer work abroad
Graduates struggling to find UK jobs will be paid to volunteer abroad according to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award for Volunteering Overseas scheme, launched on July 30, will pay for 500 young people from low income families to visit Borneo, India, Costa Rica or Nicaragua over the next year. They will spend 10 weeks abroad, working on community and environmental projects such as building schools. Raleigh International projects usually cost £3,000 per person. Participants in this scheme will need to raise £1,000 themselves to covers flights and kit as well as take care of the appropriate vaccinations. The bursary will be open to recent graduates aged 24 or under; who will need to prove that an overseas expedition would be beyond their financial means without assistance. Contact: Raleigh International www.raleighinternational.org
Workplace bullying charity Andrea Adams Trust closes
A workplace bullying charity has shut down after 15 years because of a lack of funding. The Andrea Adams Trust, which was established in 1997, closed on Friday 31 July after its funding arrangements became unsustainable and is in the process of closing down its charitable status. However, the Training and Consultancy services offered by the trust will continue. In May, the charity was forced to scrap a £65,000-per-year national awareness campaign to ban bullying at work after some of the UK’s largest companies ignored pleas to provide funding. Contact: Andrew Adams Trust www.andreaadamstrust.org
Microsoft pledges to help 500,000 find work
On September 9, Microsoft announced the Britain Works’ campaign, which aims to cut the UK’s rapidly lengthening dole queues by providing a new national apprenticeship scheme, targeted skills and employability training, including free IT skills training, and a new job matching service. Microsoft plan to persuade the thousands of small businesses it works with to employ jobseekers and will work with JobCentre Plus and the Work Foundation as well as a number of charities, NGOs and local government. Microsoft claims that the scheme could help as many as 500,000 people return to work by 2012, based on a three-year pilot programme it ran in the West Midlands, where it helped train 28,000 jobseekers. Contact: Microsoft www.microsoft.com/uk
Employment campaign for young people backed by top HR directors
Leading HR directors have thrown their weight behind the government’s Backing Young Britain campaign, urging employers to invest in 16 to 24-year-olds despite the tough economic climate. Gordon Brown launched the scheme in the first week of September, aimed at creating 85,000 work opportunities for young people. So far, 150 employers have signed up to the scheme, including Morrisons, which has pledged to train all 40,000 of its 16 to 24-year-old retail employees to NVQ Level 2 by spring 2011. A number of apprenticeships from firms such as Centrica and Royal Mail have also been outlined. Other employers backing the campaign include Microsoft, Bovis Lendlease, Pfizer and Phones4U. Contact: Department for Business Innovation and Skills www.bis.gov.uk
Health and wellbeing rises up business agenda
Research by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) on employers’ current thinking on wellbeing has found that investment in health and wellbeing had actually become more important during the recession, not less, for more than half of employers polled.
According to the snapshot research ‘Is well-being still important at work? Employers’ views on recession, the new fit note and priorities for the year ahead’ released on 3 August, employers’ health and wellbeing priorities included closer communication with staff about health and wellbeing, being better equipped to deal with mental health issues and having more developed stress management provision in place. Contact: The Institute for Employment Studies www.employment-studies.co.uk
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