Here are five reports well worth a look.

Flexible Workplace
Rubicor’s report on flexible work arrangement in Australian workplaces uncovered surprising insights. The vast majority (86%) of organisations have some form of flexible workplace initiatives in place, yet 57% do not promote the benefits effectively to job seekers.  Employers faltered at selling their EVP effectively.

Hunting the Hunters
CareerOne’s annual report is a comprehensive look at job seekers’ behaviour. Job hunters are segmented (called C1-7 model) into seven groups based on what motivates them to change employers. The report raises the complexity of job seekers’ behaviour and the endless possibilities on how to segment them.

Work Displacement
Macfarlan Lane’s Outplacement Benchmark Report highlights an aspect of talent management that is seldom given much attention. Using the net promoter method, the report finds that 77% of retrenched employees are unlikely to recommend their former employer. Given that workplace tenure in general are getting lower, whether separation is voluntary or not, employers ought to manage exits better.

HR Tech Report
There is a dearth of data on the adoption of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) in Australia. The truth is that almost every organisation currently uses some form of technology to manage their workforce. The challenge for organisations is to figure out which technology will best meet their future needs. Navigo’s HRTech Report is a good start to understand the state of the union.

Diversity Report
RossJuliaRoss’ latest report laments the lack of diversity in workplaces across Australia. Surveying 300 ASX listed companies, the report found that female representation in boards is alarming low with 56% of companies having only between 0-4% female representation. The number of indigenous Australians continues to be abysmally low. (Note: The report is not available online, write to marketing@rossjuliaross.com.au to get a free copy)

Image credit: faby74

It’s a well documented fact that male employees tend to earn better than their female counterparts. Why this anomaly still occurs in 21st century workplaces is a  mystery.

Some interesting results on male and female pay disparity is emerging from the recent study we conducted on high-income executives in Australia. Interestingly, male executives tend to get their pay rise as a result of their performance, while female executives are more likely to get a raise if they change employers or move around departments.

When asked ‘what triggers your pay rise’ (see chart) more men tend to get their raise from activities (such as performance review and promotion) which, generally speaking, involves a modicum of self-promotion and confrontation. Arguably, changing employers, through which 24% of female executives got a raise compared to 19% for male, is less confrontational than asking for a pay rise.

Are women executives less demanding when it comes to asking for a pay rise? Why are more men getting a pay rise as a result of performance review? Does the disparity in how male and female executives get their pay rise contributes to disparity in the amount earned? If so, why?

I will be dissecting more of the subject in Melbourne. Come along.

Thought for the week
“Recession or no recession, corporate and IT leaders continue to see a key role for IT, especially in regard to capturing efficiencies across the enterprise. Many expect IT investments to grow soon.”  – McKinsey Global Survey

Labour Market Data
Effective recruitment planning is hard without data. Here’s the latest labour data from the ABS.

Workplace Safety Resources
A new report (using 2007 data) sheds light on the number of work related fatalities in Australia. Shockingly 453 fatalities occurred, a 9% increase from the previous financial year.   For all things workplace safety and OH&S SafetyatWork blog, written by Kevin Jones, is a must read.

Gartner Magic Quadrant
Gartner released the e-recruitment magic quadrant. Here’s tips on what to do with the information.

Executive Monitor
The Executive Monitor Survey is now closed. The response has been terrific. A total of 1667 participants started the survey and 1333 completed the survey in full. Already the data is revealing interesting information  about high-income earners. The full report will be available for Free in Feb 2010. If you want a copy register here.

A new fascinating study by the Centre for Work + Life (University of South Australia) sheds light on the link between home, work and community. The study is a comprehensive (four separate reports) look at how decisions about work are influenced by what happens at home and the wider community. As Dr Pip Williams, Project manager of the report, says: “Planning decisions about work and housing cannot be expressed independently of each other.”

Some interesting tidbits from the study:

“Not working‟ does not mean that you are not linked to the labour market. Firstly, people currently not in  paid work – for example, new mothers, full-time students or retired grandparents – are in close relationship to people who are in work: their partners, friends and adult children”

Work affects life through more than just having a job‟. For good work, home and community outcomes, people need access to a labour market that has depth: that is, offers a variety of job choices, and preferably some occupational depth and breadth.

The growth in participation in paid work is – by definition – accompanied by growth in commuting. Patterns of travel, concern about time wasted in commuting, the cost, quality and accessibility of public transport, not surprisingly, emerge as important concerns.

What makes a good job?
The report also looked at what makes a good job. 

• A good boss: who listens and responds to request for flexibility;
• Working conditions and policies that make flexibility accessible to workers;
• Good leave arrangements;
• Support for learning and education;
• Work arrangements that fit well with care options;
• Jobs that do not demand long hours, and do not overload workers;
• Partners who do not work long hours;
• Partners who share domestic work and care;
• Being married to a tradesman (who has contained hours) rather than a chef, engineer, manager or IT professional;
• Travelling to work with kids or partner;
• Jobs that do not involve long commutes.

The study is rich in data and offer lot of insights into how decisions about a job is shaped.

Dr. Pip Williams interview on ABC (Podcast)

Average job tenure is seven years in Australia, easily the lowest amongst developed economies.

Why is this so?

The author of a new report – Australia at Work – highlighted various likely factors, but honed in one factor:

“In terms of an employee deciding to leave, the critical determinant will be whether they think they can get a better job elsewhere; and their concept of ‘better’ might relate to, among other things: job security, pay, relations with colleagues, working arrangements, geographical location, use of skills, and development opportunities. Many of these things can be addressed in the employee’s current job if they have a ‘voice’ to bring attention to the issue and have it addressed. Freeman and Medoff’s (1984) ‘exit-voice’ asserts that employees who do not have a ‘voice’ in having their complaints redressed, either by themselves or someone else, end up leaving the workplace altogether.”

For an employee, it’s not surprising, that having a ‘voice’ is important. Being heard is part and parcel of being human. For an employer, no doubt, listening is paramount.

(On another note, low job tenure explains to a degree the high penetration rate of recruitment firms in Australia. The more fluid the labour market, the more the demand for third-party recruiters. Opponents of contingency style of recruitment failed to realised that much of its demand is driven by clients)