Highest Unemployment Figures Since 1998

It’s all over the news today so we could go without acknowledging these latest figures due out today which are expected to show that unemployment has hit 1.8 million. People claiming Job-Seekers allowance are said to be around 1million. Yesterday it was reported that across the country 5000 jobs were being cut from some key industry players;

- Virgin Media are to axe around 2,200 jobs by 2012 under a sweeping restructure
- Yellow Pages directories firm Yell said it expected to shed another 1,300 jobs over the coming year.
- Psion announced more than 200 job cuts
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plan to close a factory with the loss of 620 jobs

Yahoo! News reported that “experts are now warning that unemployment could soar to 2.7 million by next year - the highest figure for more than a decade.”

It is worrying when you read these stories and I personally know quite a few people that have been made redundant or face the threat of redundancies. All we can say is keep smiling and do your best to keep your job – read our article ‘How to Keep Your Job in the Credit Crunch’

If you do loose your job then please visit Simply HR Jobs for the latest jobs in Human Resources.

Presenteeism on the Rise, Stay at HOME if your are ILL!

Sickness itself seems to have been effected by the credit crunch. 'Presenteeism', coming to work when you are ill, has been rising since the onset of the current economic downturn. Workers feel that they should be seen to be going the extra mile and coming into work when you are ill showing your commitment to the role and the company.

The problem is that coming in to work when you are ill can have repercussions for both the ill employee and the rest of the workforce. You could make yourself worse resulting in a long period of time off and also you could infect other members of the work force, something your boss will not be pleased with!

So our advice - you really stay at home when you are not well. This article sums it up nicely.

HR Companies Successful in the Credit Crunch

The credit crunch has had a surprisingly positive effect for companies offering outsourced HR advice. The pressure on small businesses is forcing many of them to consider making staff redundancies and they are turning to professional HR firms for advice and guidance. It will be interesting to see if HR firms are in such high demand when the economy starts to improve again.

This article in the Coventry telegraph sums it up neatly.

Bar Humbug!

According to Peninsula Business Services/Employment Law christmas is cancelled this year – well at least in terms of office parties!

Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula, speaking to The Recruiter Magazine said: “The economic downturn has forced a lot of companies to cull their Christmas celebrations. With the economic conditions the way they are, firms just cannot warrant spending money on a Christmas party. These events represent a considerable cost to any firm, whether they employ five people or 50, and many employers consider this another process in tightening their belt and making their company more cost efficient. Firms who have been forced to make people redundant may also consider spending money on a Christmas party inappropriate, as well as detrimental to the streamlining plan they are implementing in their business.”

What are your thoughts? Is your firm holding a xmas party? Do they pay or do the employees pay?

Flexible Working

This is a hot topic that is regularly debated but with the current state of the economy the % of people working from home has risen dramatically over the last few years.
Read a couple of articles we found;

“Employers are offering more work flexibility than ever before”

“Flexible Working”

We, at Simply HR Jobs, are currently in the process of conducting our own survey and there is a question included about the most important work benefits – if you are a registered job-seeker of www.simplyhrjobs.co.co.uk then please do take our survey now.

There are just 10 questions to complete and then give your email address which will automatically be entered into our draw (ends 30th November 2008) to win a Wii Console.

"Majority of Employers Happy to Lose at Least One Staff Member"

In the october 08 issue of The Recruitment Consultant, we read this little gem;

92 per cent of employers would change at least one member of staff, given the chance while 17 per cent of that figure said they would happily change their whole team according to research!

Only 8 per cent of employers were completely satisfied with every member of staff according to the survey of over 870 UK bosses conducted by www.Skillbase.com.

The poll also found that 86 per cent of employers felt at least one member of staff acted completely differently to how they acted during the interview; 62 per cent of which felt employees had exaggerated and / or lied on their C.V. about their knowledge and experience.

74 per cent of the business managers surveyed claimed that at lease one member of staff appeared unmotivated and unsatisfied at work and felt this affected their performance.

Sam Fianu, co-Founder of Skillbase.com commented : “As someone who has always been passionate about my work and careful when recruiting members of staff, I find it worrying that so many people are clearly unhappy with their job and so many employers are unsatisfied with members of staff.”

Interesting stuff - what are your thoughts? Any similar reflections in your company?

Interview With Marie Haywood, HR Manager At Ellis Jones Solicitors

We recently interviewed Marie Haywood @ Ellis Jones Solicitors. Here is a snippet of her interview;

"I am very passionate about H.R. and it having a positive impact on the business and staff. I encourage our managers to know their employees, recognize and work with people's strengths and weaknesses and celebrate their differences. Working in a service orientated business means that the people are your main asset so it is important to ensure that they are engaged. I think you need assertiveness, resilience and tenacity in this role. You need to be able to have the confidence of the Partners and the trust of the staff. It is important to react quickly to situations in order that people do not lose faith in your ability to get the task done whatever it is. It is about delivering a service and delivering it well. As in all H.R. roles, you need to be a good mediator and be incredibly diplomatic and remain calm in sometimes adverse situations."

Read the Full interview with Marie on SimplyHRJobs.co.uk/Careers