Tag: work

Missing workers threaten notebook shortage

Posted on October 8, 2013 by - News

chinaflagA shortage of workers in China could cause a shortage in notebook shipments for the month of October, according to a report.

As the holiday season approaches, it is expected, according to sources in the supply chain, that a wider gap could occur later in the month.

China’s National Day holidays has seen factory workers go back to their home towns, but it’s suggested many never came back.

Unfulfilled September orders, Digitimes reports, were postponed to October, but client orders in October are similarly as short as September. Suppliers are struggling to meet demand.

 

Brits hate their jobs

Posted on June 10, 2013 by - News

officegervaisA survey of professional adults in the UK has revealed that just 10 percent are satisfied with their jobs.

The study, commissioned by Peer 1 Hosting, asked 1,300 professionals about their job satisfaction. Over a third of those surveyed – at 36 percent – believed they could be at least twice as effective at their job if their employer recognised their full potential.

Just one in seven respondents believed their employer properly nurtured their potential and talents – and only one in five felt inspired by their company. Not only are employees unhappy, but the majority did not agree that customers were “very happy with the products or services that they receive”.

The prime motivation for almost half of those surveyed as not money. The majority wanted their talent recognised and nurtured through personal development and training – at 87 percent.

Asked to describe, in 140 characters or less, chief problems with their organisations, responses included ineffective management that does not listen to staff and head office imposing its own, out of touch policies. Others said the workload is getting bigger – with longer hours – as well as citing lack of opportunities, salary, and funding.

IT workers in particular were outspoken about the financial gains relating to personal growth and training. Overall, employees in smaller organisations felt more satisfied.

Young Londoners working in the financial sector were found to be most dissatisfied with their job, while 16-24 year olds working in professional services in Northern Ireland appreciated their job the most.

EMEA MD of Peer 1, Dominic Monkhouse, said it’s vital for companies to nurture individual employees to help them realise their own ambitions – “this then becomes a virtuous circle, unlocking potential and productivity while also making the working environment one that staff value,” he said.

 

Microsoft exec: uproot work status quo

Posted on June 10, 2013 by - News

brokenworkA top Microsoft UK exec has claimed in a new book that the current status quo for work is totally broken – and that the way forward for productivity relies in harnessing advances in technology and flexibility, rather than the traditions of hierarchy.

Chief envisioning officer of Microsoft UK, Dave Coplin, said “the future of work must be based on being open, on focusing on results, not process and on empowerment, not hierarchy”.

He backs up his point quoting a YouGov survey that said almost half of all British office workers have a manager that judges performance by the number of processes completed. Almost a third said their company doesn’t support flexible working at all.

Coplin’s book claims businesses are thoroughly entrenched in the old guard of management and dismiss new ways to collaborate. Employees, Coplin argues, are “not liberated to work creatively” nor are they trusted to set their own processes.

There is a block on progressive work policies and this appears to be management and the accepting of the status quo. Workers don’t feel engaged at the office, Coplin says, and are unable to utilise advances in communications properly.

“The massive risk here is that in a world defined by its processes and not its outcomes, working smarter is not an option and the only feasible other alternative is simply to work harder,” Coplin claims, adding that businesses should use collaboration and flexible working if they want to make the most of their employees.

Otherwise workers are simply being stifled by the monotonous daily grind. Coplin’s book, “Business Reimagined – Why work isn’t working and what you can do about it”, argues that businesses operating with an open mind will reap the rewards. Competitive advantage, Coplin says, will lie with those who can adapt to a changing world and increase collaboration.

Permanent IT rolls down 12 percent

Posted on February 18, 2013 by - News

ukflagThe Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has said that despite some relief in unemployment from the Office for National Statistics, in IT, permanent rolls have plunged more than 12 percent while temporary vacancies dropped almost seven percent.

The body said that year on year, to December 2012, there has been a fall of almost ten percent in permanent and temporary vacancies. IT professionals, if they can find the work, are increasingly doing temporary assignments, at 6.5 percent growth year on year.

Chief exec of APSCo, Ann Swain, said in a statement that the wider economic picture isn’t helping. Employers themselves don’t have the cash nor confidence to invest in permanent hires.

“However,” Swain pointed out, “recent data from the PMI Index has revealed that the services sector, which accounts for more than three quarters of economic output, has returned to growth”.

This, Swain said, makes her “bullish” about the first quarter of 2013 “from a hiring perspective”.

A skills shortage has been looming as well, according to a 2012 report from eSkills UK.  Employers were, at the time, looking for ICT managers, strategy, and planning professionals, as well as technical skills in SQL, C, C#, .NET and Java. But APSCo’s point is that with the uncertain economic backdrop, even companies who need permanent workers are worried that they will not be able to afford them.