It seems that, despite the rapid approach of Christmas, there is much doom and gloom in the workplace. One survey reveals that working mothers are disengaged and stuck in a career rut; while another suggests employees across the board feel over-worked and under-valued in today’s tough economic climate. Worse still, for those trying to enter the labour market, it appears that there is still endemic racial discrimination.
None of this can be good for responsible organisations. The old adage that “charity begins at home” can easily be applied in this situation. Above all else, the way a company treats its employees – and its prospective and potential employees – will speak volumes about its attitude towards corporate responsibility.
This is not an area where half measures are acceptable. Standards of conduct on such issues as compensation, benefits, health and safety, diversity, work-life balance, freedom of association and employee training and development require constant care and attention. If a company gets it wrong in any of these aspects of employee relations, they risk creating a disgruntled workforce who by their words and actions can dismantle all the other good works a company does.
However, it should not be forgotten that this is a two-way street. Employees can also be the most powerful advocate for a company if they feel engaged in making a positive contribution the broader success of the business, society and the environment. The finding from Kelly Services is indicative of much other research – people do want to work for a company with a strong ethical reputation. CR practitioners should be working hard with their HR colleagues to make sure this is at the cornerstone of the way all people are treated.
Disengaged workers look to pastures new
UK employees have stretched themselves to the limit to get their organisations through the recession, yet employee engagement is significantly below normal, research by Hay Group revealed on October 26. As the economy improves, some UK organisations will face a talent exodus of disengaged employees, overstretched and under-rewarded in the recession, the research warns. ‘The Loyalty Deficit’ which surveyed 1000 front line employees also reveals how some employers have broken an unwritten ‘contract’ with staff, jeopardising loyalty, commitment and ultimately firms’ ability to rebound out of recession. Two thirds (65%) of employees are currently working over and above contracted hours and the average amount of unpaid overtime workers are currently clocking up is six hours per week – almost an extra day. Seven out of ten (70%), claim that overwork is having a negative impact on their relationships and family life, whilst a similar proportion (76%) complain it is affecting their general health and wellbeing. Contact: Hay Group www.haygroup.com
Government research shows racial discrimination in recruitment
New sanctions on employers could be on the cards after the government published research on October 19 that revealed widespread racial discrimination in recruitment procedures. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) study showed discrimination occurred for those applying for jobs with a name suggesting they were from an ethnic minority, rather than white British. For every nine applications sent by a white applicant, an equally good applicant with an ethnic minority name had to send sixteen to obtain a positive response. Three applications were sent to 987 advertised job vacancies at private, public and voluntary sector employers of varying sizes. Contact: Department for Work and Pensions www.dwp.gov.uk
BT and Deloitte among winners at race equality awards
BT, Deloitte, and MITIE were among the winners at the annual Race of Opportunity awards, on October 21, for their commitment to race equality in the workplace. The 2009 BiTC award categories celebrate various diversity practices from mentoring to supply chain diversity. MITIE’s Real Apprentice employability scheme, which won the recruitment award, targets young people from areas of high unemployment, such as Tower Hamlets in East London, and places them on a two week pre-placement training course, followed by a 10 week full time work experience programme. Supported by a site mentor and manager, every apprentice learns site technical skills and soft skills essential in employment. Presenting the awards, work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Race for Opportunity awards are a valuable way to showcase good business practices that are helping to drive forward diversity and equality in the workplace. Contact: BiTC www.bitc.org.uk
Ethical and environmental policies serve as a magnet in attracting employees
In choosing where to work, employees have a strong preference for employers with a reputation for good ethical and environmental practices, according to the latest findings from an international workplace survey, released on October 28. The survey, carried out by Kelly Services, found nearly 90% of employees across all age generations gravitate to organizations considered ethically and environmentally responsible, with baby boomers (aged 48-65) more discerning than their younger colleagues amongst Gen Y (aged 18-29) and Gen X (aged 30-47). More than half of all workers are prepared to accept a pay cut or a demotion in order to work for an organization with a sound corporate reputation. In fact, concern about ethical behaviour outweighs concern about the environment across all generations when deciding where to work. The Kelly Global Workforce Index obtained the views of nearly 100,000 people in 34 countries. Contact: Kelly Services http://www.kellyservices.ca
Employers guarantee facilities for cyclists
More than 70 major public and private sector employers have pledged to implement a new “cycle to work” guarantee in a bid to transform the numbers of employees cycling to work in London. By signing up to the new ‘Cycle to Work Guarantee’ on October 28, employers are committing to provide their staff with safe bike storage, changing facilities and access to the Government’s tax break scheme – ‘Cycle to Work’. Transport secretary Andrew Adonis said “If proper facilities were more widely available, I believe far more people would cycle to work. At present only 3% do so. We could double or treble that figure with proper bike storage and changing facilities and safe cycle routes – and that’s my aim.” Contact: Department for Transport www.dft.gov.uk/
Fathers struggling to balance work and family
Many British fathers are working long hours, struggling to balance work and family and fear that requesting flexible working will damage their careers, a new report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found. The report, launched on October 20, claims that new fathers should be given better paid paternity leave and extra parental leave. The Commission found that 45% of men fail to take two weeks’ paternity leave after the birth of their child with the most common reason provided being because they can’t afford to. Two in five men fear that asking for flexible working arrangements would result in their commitment to their job being questioned and would negatively affect their chances of a promotion. The equalities watchdog points to an opportunity for employers to gain a competitive advantage in recruitment, as two in three fathers consider the availability of flexible working to be important when looking for a new job. Contact: Equality and Human Rights Commission www.equalityhumanrights.com
One in ten UK men unemployed by 2010
Analysis by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, released on October 13, shows that the number of men unemployed has increased by almost 50% during the recession, the number of women unemployed by 33.4%, with unemployment rates rising by 3% and 1.6% respectively. The deterioration in the labour market position of men has been felt particularly acutely by young men and black men. At present 1 in 5 18-24 year old men are unemployed and almost 1 in 5 black men are unemployed; more than double the unemployment rate for white British men. The rise in unemployment for black men during the recession has been greater than for white British men and men from other ethnic minority groups. The male unemployment rate is forecast to rise above 10% by the start of 2010 before peaking at around 11% (1.9 million). Although depressingly high, the peak in the male unemployment rate should be less than the 12.4% and 12.8% peaks following the 1980s and 1990s recessions respectively. Contact: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development www.cipd.co.uk
IFC and Global Reporting Initiative launch guide on gender and reporting
On October 27, the International Finance Corporation and the Global Reporting Initiative launched a practitioner’s guide to help organizations worldwide create opportunities for women, adopt best practices in sustainability reporting, and improve companies’ bottom lines. Unveiled at the CSR Asia Summit 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ‘Embedding Gender in Sustainability Reporting’ demonstrates the value of creating business opportunities for women, provides guidance on improving gender management through sustainability reporting, and helps improve the quality and scope of gender reporting. The publication complements the GRI’s innovative Sustainability Reporting Framework, the most widely used and recognized global framework for nonfinancial reporting. Contact: International Finance Corporation www.ifc.org
Reverse mentoring to be expanded across Dell
Dell recently conducted a six month reverse mentoring programme, and plans to expand it across Dell’s operations globally. Unlike traditional mentoring, where a senior person will mentor a junior colleague, in reverse mentoring, a senior leader is mentored by a more junior colleague who, from a diversity and inclusion perspective, is different from him/her in some way, and who has a different experience of the organisation as a result. Dell’s pilot saw women in management roles mentor some of the most senior men across the organization, giving them an insight into the female perception of the world of work and the daily challenges they face. Dell calls this approach ‘inclusive leadership,’ and believes it will create a
greater demand for feminine traits such as intuition, collaboration and empathy – whilst providing a more relevant culture for both genders to thrive in. Contact: Dell www.dell.com
Women believe their careers were damaged by having children
Most working women believe that having a family has negatively affected their career, new research has revealed. A survey of 174 women undertaken by Talking Talent, ‘Fears, feelings and friction: Maternity leave and the workplace’ revealed that 77% felt their career progression had been adversely affected by having children, with half stating that employers need to show a greater understanding of what having a family involves. The research showed that prior to embarking on maternity leave, 96% of women were engaged in their role, while 43% stated their engagement at work decreased after having children. More than half of the women were also concerned that they would be viewed differently or negatively by their colleagues on returning to work. Contact: Talking Talent www.talking-talent.com
Government must take action to make the UK workforce ‘climate ready’
As the Government prepares to publish its plans for overhauling the UK skills system before the end of the year, new research published on November 2 by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr), warns that unless the Government takes action to make the UK workforce ‘climate ready’, we may not be equipped to compete in a low carbon global economy. ‘The future’s green; jobs and the UK low carbon transition’ stresses that as a priority, the new skills strategy must ensure that existing work-based training includes additional training on low carbon skills, so that every part of the UK workforce is equipped to compete in a low carbon economy. Contact: Institute for Public Policy Research www.ippr.org
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