IN BRIEF australian news
Salaries set to soar in 2011 Organisations are digging deep to attract and retain top talent. Findings from Aon Hewitt’s 2010/2011 Salary Increase Report identify an overall increase in salary budgeting that reflects the stronger than expected recovery of the Australian economy. The study, which surveyed 210 organisations across Australia, found an average salary budget increase of 3.8% in 2010, higher than the 2009 prediction of 3.4%. The report predicts the average increase will continue – reaching 4.2% in 2011, surpassing the long-term average of 4.0%. “The driving force behind this growth is the desire to attract and retain talented employees in an increasingly tight job market,” said Tim Powell, CEO human capital – South East Asia and the Pacific at Aon Hewitt. The report suggests that the diminishing need to control compensation costs is another factor influencing salary increases. As the economy recovers, measures such as variable bonus reductions and salary freezes are becoming less relevant.
EO awards set benchmarks
A Brisbane law firm that set a new benchmark for paid parental leave in Australia, a CEO that boosted the number of women in leadership positions, and an organisation that tackled pay equity head-on by redesigning jobs, were among the winners of the 2010 EOWA Business Achievement Awards. These awards showcase individuals and organisations that are supporting and advancing women in business. In her address, EOWA acting director, Mairi Steele, said: “The organisations profiled today at the 10th EOWA Business Achievement Awards represent the way forward for EO in Australian businesses… They will secure the best and brightest staff.” Among the winners were: Paul Hitchcock of Corporate Express Australia (Leading CEO for the Advancement of Women); Kate McCormack of Mercy Health (Diversity Leader for the Advancement of Women); and Griffith University (Leading Organisation for the Advancement of Women >800 staff).
Learning opportunities below employee expectations One in two Australians are likely to either change their career or look to professional training in 2011 according to a new study released by Upskilled. More than 14% want a complete change of career and despite 29% seeing professional training as the solution to improving their career progression, one in four Australians have never been offered the chance to undertake training by their workplace. The gender divide is still showing no signs of improvement with males making up a majority of those who have participated in paid training. For many, training is seen as unaffordable with 46% citing this as the main barrier, in addition to longer working hours (21%) and course locations being too inaccessible (15%). Other findings include: almost 1 in 5 women (17%) are looking for a career change in 2011 compared to only 10% of men; 14% would never consider training to further their career; and only one in four Australians said their work organises training for them internally.
Social media changing the game for employers
Employers that take disciplinary action against an employee for posting damaging or inappropriate comments on social media sites such as Facebook can face legal – and potentially costly – ramifications if they do so without following basic workplace laws and procedures. According to Jenny Inness, senior associate at Harmers Workplace Lawyers, employers should first consider whether the employee’s conduct is sufficiently connected to the employment relationship before taking action in response to erring employees in the digital sphere. She added that an employer is permitted to take action against an employee (including dismissal) because of their ‘after hours’ (or ‘private’) activities if the conduct is connected with the relationship of employment and has serious enough implications for the employer. “It’s becoming increasingly common for employees to use social media sites to criticise their place of work, or a colleague, or boast about things like going to the beach on a day when they have called in sick,” Inness said. “While an employee’s actions may be inappropriate, and potentially damaging to a company’s reputation, employers must still follow basic workplace rules before taking disciplinary action,” she said. Inness suggested that all employers should have a social media policy that clearly articulates what is acceptable behaviour in relation to employees’ social media engagement and clearly explain the impact this behaviour might have on their organisations.
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Fast fact: In the
Australian Financial Review’s 12th annual survey of executive salaries in 2010, just five of the top 250 of Australia’s highest paid CEOs and executive chairmen are women.