The continued importance of employee engagement and rewarding talent during the recession has been emphasised by a recent poll of around 950 workers, commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).  Researchers found that one in three UK employees (33%) say that they have not felt valued by their employer during the recession and would leave for another job if they could.    The polls findings suggest that those employers who have failed to reward and appreciate their employees suring the recession will see an exedous of talent as the economy recovers.    The poll also reveals that only 7% of those questioned did not understand how their role fits within the big picture of the organisation they work for; 41% of those who said their employer had shown appreciation for them in the downturn said they had no plans to leave as a consequence of this loyalty.   Recent research also revealed that the way an employer shows appreciation is important.  Some rewards are considered more valuable than others:  the rewards which scored highest were cash bonuses (90%), gift vouchers (89%) and extra annual leave (89%).  Gifts, such as a free MP3 player, digital camera or similar technology gift were valued by 80% of employees, whereas only 67% would appreciate being fast-tracked for promotion.  Traditional perks such as a work-sponsored drink or lunch with their colleagues were valued by 62%. The challenge for any employer who finds itself unable to offer pay rises this year will be to think creatively about the lower cost rewards you can offer.  Think about the behaviours youd like to encourage amongst your staff and how you might recognise and reward those behaviours.  What works for one workforce will not necessarily work for another and any reward strategy should take into account the value your staff are likely to place upon particular benefits.

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Recearch finds 33% of UK workers feel undervalued by their employer

The 2009 pre-budget report included a one off 50% Bank Payroll Tax payable by banks and other financial services firms on bonuses exceeding 25,000 awarded to any employee between 12.30pm on 9 December 2009 and 5 April 2010. Treasury officials have estimated that the new levy will apply to a little more than half the bonus pools being set aside for the new year: it will apply only to discretionary awards and not those written into the employees contract. According to the Financial Times, the Treasury is expecting the tax to raise a net figure of more than 1bn which is almost double the estimate given by the Government in the pre-budget report.

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Tax on City Bonuses

New specialist coordinators and dedicated advice lines for small businesses are part of a radical overhaul of support for people with mental health conditions and the Government has now published a new strategy for those with mental health conditions who want to work. Increasing job opportunities for people with mental health conditions and improving the wellbeing of workers is part of the wide-ranging new Government vision to enhance mental health services and boost the wellbeing of the whole population The Perkins review was commissioned by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to examine how employment services can better support people with mental health conditions or disabilities into work. Dr Rachel Perkins has said: People with mental health conditions remain among the most excluded within our society, particularly in the workplace.

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Dealing with mental health issues in the workplace

In March 2009, State Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith announced a record settlement with nine Asian restaurants in New York City which required owner Tsu Yue Wang to pay $2.3 million in minimum and overtime wage underpayments.

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A Dubious Distinction: Department of Labor Settles Record-Setting Enforcement Claim in 2009

With higher eductation funding expected to be a key election battleground, Tom Bewick, the chief executive of the Creative and Cultural Skills Council, has suggested that the Government should charge employers recruiting a university graduate a hire premium of 10% on their first years salary. Mr Bewick estimates the country could raise over 250m each year to invest in higher education by introducing a graduate hire premium collected via the existing PAYE system.    Acknowledging that the introduction of a hire premium might discourage employers from recruiting graduates, Mr Bewick suggests that this might not be such a bad thing.  He points out that recent years have seen a trend of employers recruiting graduates to do jobs that traditionally don’t require a degree, squeezing non-graduates out of many entry-level jobs.

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"Charge recruiters to hire graduates" suggests chief executive of the Creative and Cultural Skills Council

On October 26, 2006, the Department of Labor issued an opinion letter which had a massive impact on California’s IT community. Resolving a long standing dispute, DOL stated that employees who provide computer help desk support are not exempt from overtime under the “administrative” white collar or computer exemptions

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IT Help Desk Employees and the FLSA

As in my post ” More On Healthcare Management By Domain Neutral Generalists “, Roy Poses’ post ” Health Care Leaders: Don’t Know Much About Health Care ” and many others on the topic of ill informed healthcare management ( query link ) at Healthcare Renewal, a common theme is lack of appropriate education and background in many of today’s healthcare leaders. ONC, the Office of the National Coordinator of health IT at HHS, has apparently now defined a taxonomy of health IT leadership in their funding opportunity announcements (FOA’s)

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ONC Defines a Taxonomy of Robust Healthcare IT Leadership

A poll commissioned by the National Childbirth Trust has shown that over a third of women find returning to work following pregnancy difficult or very difficult. Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive of the NCT stated that its time employers got a grip not just of their policies and paper work but how to help their managers talk to and support mums after what is often the most important and life changing event.

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Helping Mums Return to Work

I just heard from a friend at a large computing manufacturer who has been given his layoff notice. It seems the president of this particular manufacturing company has decided that all directors and other executives without direct reports should leave the company

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Individual Contributors, Layoffs and the March Toward Freelance Planet

Many employees who, having accepted a pay freeze this year, were looking forward to receiving a pay rise next year, will have their hopes dashed according to the results of recent survey.  The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash, questioned 240 employers and found 55% expected to freeze pay, 39% planned a modest pay increase and only 4% looked to award an inflation-beating pay rise.

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55% of UK employers plan to freeze pay for another year

I saw a recent report that teenage unemployment was edging over 27%. First, I am wondering with US High School graduation rates nationally at under 70% ( http://www.higheredinfo.org/dbrowser/index.php?measure=23 ) why parents or schools are encouraging students to work. I believe wholeheartedly in experience, but not at the expense of education.

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Teenage Unemployment

More than 340,000 families are members of child voucher schemes, which allow parents to sacrifice up to 243 of their gross salary, in return for electronic vouchers that are paid to registered child carers. This can mean a saving of up to 2400 a year via tax relief on the cost of childcare. The government intends to scrap tax exemptions on childcare vouchers from April 2011, a prospect which has led more than 75,000 people to sign a petition on the Downing Street website asking the government to re-think the issue.

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Elimination of tax relief on childcare vouchers

The employers of unmasked call girl turned bestselling author Belle de Jour are standing by her.  After years of speculation, Belle has revealed her true identity she is Brooke Magnanti, a research scientist who works as a specialist in developmental neurotoxicology and cancer epidemiology.  Dr Magnanti was an impoverished student working on her PhD thesis at Sheffield University when she turned to prostitution as way to earn some cash. Belle de Jours blog, in which she frankly recorded her sexual encounters as a high class escort, led to a six-figure book deal and was later translated into a mainstream television drama, The Secret Diary of a Call Girl, starring Billie Piper

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Employer stands by unmasked Belle de Jour

Congress is considering legislation overturning a recent Supreme Court decision holding that plaintiffs asserting claims of age discrimination under the Age Discrimination and Employment Act of 1967 (“ADEA”) must prove that age was the “but for” cause of the challenged adverse employment action.

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Congress Poised to Overturn Supreme Court’s Recent Case on Age Discrimination

An important amendment to Article 6 of the New York Labor Law is to become effective on October 26, 2009. The amendment affects New York Labor Law section 195, and requires New York employers to advise all new employees in writing of their regular rate of pay and pay day.

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An Important Amendment to Take Effect Under New York Labor Law

On September 10, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which covers New York, Connecticut and Vermont, held that an employer may be held liable for age discrimination based upon the acts of others, including its independent contractors.

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U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit Holds Employer Liable for Age Discrimination Based on its Contractor’s Conduct

On August 26, 2009, the New York State legislature amended the damages provision of New York’s “Payment of Wages” law, set forth in Article 6 of the Labor Law. Among other things, the amendment modifies the standard for recovering the 25% liquidated damages authorized by section 198 of the Labor Law.

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New York Increases Damages Potential for Workers with Amendment to New York Labor Law

The New York City Council has proposed a law that would provide paid sick days to all private sector workers. According to the Department of Justice Office of Domestic Social Development, as of February 2009, 76% of low wage workers and 48% of full-time private sector workers are not paid for sick days.

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New York City Council Considers Paid Sick Leave Bill

The Senate and House are considering legislation to ban employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009 is intended to amend Title VII, which currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex , race , national origin , religious discrimination .

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Congress Considers Legislation Banning Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation

This computer training video shows how to do basic Internet searches to find out information. The video performs searches and takes you to various sites, including development of a resume.

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Searching the Internet–Computer Training