Tech issues top office frustration list

Technical problems including email and internet failures have been voted the most stressful office issue for workers.

Some 31 per cent of office staff find internet and emails breaking down the most annoying occurrence, according to a study of 800 respondents by ECigaretteDirect.co.uk.

An unrealistic workload came in second with almost a fifth (18 per cent) of people finding that there aren't enough hours in the day to get through their tasks.

Fourteen per cent say that a bad commute is the most stressful part of their working day, coming third in the poll.

A spokesperson from ECigaretteDirect.co.uk says, 'Many of us don’t realise how stressful the office environment can be as it just melts into the fabric of everyday life.

'However, it’s no surprise that internet malfunctions came top of the list. In today’s technology-driven age so much of what we do is reliant on being online we often feel lost and frustrated without it.'

Other items on the list which were found to cause maximum office frustration included compiling end-of-year accounts (11 per cent) and people being late for meetings (9 per cent).

A brave 8 per cent went out on a limb to identify their boss as the most annoying thing about going to work, with 6 per cent citing demanding clients as the main reason behind their working frustrations.

Perhaps surprisingly, a lack of office equipment and a shortage of tea and coffee polled relatively low on the list with only 1 and 2 per cent respectively stating them their main office gripe.

17 May 2012 | 10:14 am BST

Apprenticeships proving effective for SMEs

Britain’s apprentices are getting promoted, improving their confidence and taking on more responsibility in the workplace, according to a report.

The Apprentice Learner Survey of 5,000 apprentices reveals that almost nine in ten apprentices (89 per cent) are ‘satisfied’.

One third of individuals who had finished their apprenticeship had received a promotion (32 per cent), and of those in work, three quarters report taking on more responsibility in their job (75 per cent).

Eight out of ten apprentices believe that their apprenticeship has improved their ability to do their job, provided them with sector-relevant skills and knowledge, and improved their career prospects.

Apprenticeships also seem to equip individuals with the confidence they need to fulfil their aspirations, with almost nine in ten (87 per cent) strongly agreeing that they are more confident about their own abilities as a result of undertaking the apprenticeship.

Some 88 per cent of employers are satisfied with the relevance of the training and 85 per cent satisfied with the quality of the training issued by their provider.

Nearly half (47 per cent) had already recommended apprenticeships to other employers.

Skills minister John Hayes says, ‘I am delighted by these impressive survey results. We are succeeding in making apprenticeships a gold standard option for ambitious young people and sending a crystal clear message that technical excellence is as essential and highly valued as academic prowess.’

A further report examining the net financial benefits of training to employers has been published.

The study assesses the amount that employers themselves invest in apprenticeships. This ranges from £39,000 per apprenticeship (level 2 and 3 combined) in engineering to around £3,000-£4,000 in retail or hospitality.

The study also looks at the time it takes for an employer to recoup their investment where the apprentice is a new recruit, which averages at around one to two years.

15 May 2012 | 12:31 pm BST

SME revenue fall a ‘blip’

Small business domestic turnover decreased by 7 per cent between Q4 2011 and Q1 2012, research finds.

Export turnover for the same period is also down by 9 per cent, confirming a slow start to the year, according to a quarterly study by ABN AMRO Commercial Finance.

However, year-on-year export turnover is still up 68 per cent on Q1 2011.

Peter Brinsley, international manager at ABN AMRO says, ‘These disappointing recent results are reflective of a challenging trading environment and echo the economic picture as the UK falls ‘technically’ back into recession.

‘Short-term paralysis fuelled by continuing speculation of a double-dip recession should now be at an end and small businesses should interpret these figures as a blip and not a trend. Export turnover is still up significantly on 2011 overall and there are growth opportunities available, particularly for bold and agile small and medium-sized businesses.’

Despite quarterly performance falling in Q1, some sectors are still up on the same period in 2011, indicating that they are holding on to performance gains built up over the last few years.

Turnover fell, or remained stagnant, across all sectors between Q4 2011 and Q1 2012. The recruitment sector has seen the largest contraction in turnover in this period (11 per cent).

However, turnover grew slightly year-on-year in the services (1 per cent), engineering (0.5 per cent) and recruitment (1 per cent) sectors.  

The manufacturing and distribution sectors have seen consistent turnover decline with a fall of 5 and 6 per cent year-on-year respectively.

Brinsley adds, ‘It’s encouraging to see the services sector holding up in the medium-term yet it’s certainly worrying to see manufacturing and distribution performance falling and this has no doubt contributed to us entering the double-dip.

Despite shaky performance, invoice payment times have actually improved for domestic and export customers.

Export payment times fell from 63 days to 60 between Q4 and Q1, while in the domestic market, this decreased on average by 1.5 days.

15 May 2012 | 11:02 am BST

Calls to address sickness absence

The government is being urged to reinvigorate its efforts to tackle sickness absence.

Manufacturers’ organisation EEF made the call on the back of publication of the EEF/Westfield Health 2012 annual sickness absence report, which includes the UK’s largest private sector business survey of sickness absence.

The overall sickness absence rate remains unchanged from 2010 (2.2 per cent), while the average working days lost to absence has shown a marginal increase from five days per employee to 5.1 days.

The issue of presenteeism is now being discussed significantly with 55 per cent of companies expressing concerns in regard to short-term illness and unmotivated employees. However, only 5 per cent of companies currently monitor the cost of presenteeism.

EEF chief medical adviser, Professor Sayeed Khan says, ‘With our economy still suffering from weak growth we need to pull every possible lever to improve our economic performance. This includes helping employees to return to health and work as soon as possible.

‘There are now signs that the wins to reduce short-term absence are being exhausted and we need a fresh approach from government to address the more deep-rooted problems such as stress and back pain.’

Khan adds that the government must now implement the fit note culture, through the training of all doctors and support companies that invest in rehabilitation, with companies needing to ensure the fit note works for them.

Almost 60 per cent of companies say the fit note has made no difference to their business, a statistic that the EEF believes emphasises that more effort needs to be made to 'embed' this culture if it is to succeed, including the introduction of the electronic fit note as soon as possible in 2012.

14 May 2012 | 12:09 pm BST

Jobs outlook promising for SMEs

The short-term jobs outlook has ‘turned positive’ for the first time in more than a year, research finds.

A report of 1,000 employers by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows the net employment balance, which measures the difference between the proportion of employers that intend to increase total staffing levels and those that intend to decrease in the first quarter of 2012, has risen to +6 from -8 since the winter 2011/12 quarter. This is the report’s first positive figure for more than a year.

However, the institute warns that optimism should be tempered by employers’ continued caution about the medium term, which taken together with recent weak economic data, suggests a high risk that many employers may find it necessary to reassess staffing levels before the year is out.

The survey’s 12-month balance, which gives a longer-term perspective on the net effect of recruitment and redundancy intentions, has risen to +3 from -6.

The private sector is driving much of the upturn, with the net employment balance for the private sector rising to +25 compared with +10 three months ago. Meanwhile, the net employment balance for the public sector (-32) is at its least negative since the winter 2009/10 report – and compares to -49 last quarter.

The continuing pressure that employers face to cut costs is evidenced by an increase in the proportion of organisations that are intending to offshore jobs to other parts of the world in the 12 months to March 2013, from 6 per cent to 8 per cent. Eight out of ten (79 per cent) employers cite cost cutting as the main reason for offshoring jobs.

Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the CIPD says, ‘The jobs market is desperately seeking good news, so this latest set of positive figures is very welcome. However, any short-term jobs recovery may not be sustained because of the zigzagging economic backdrop.

‘News of a double-dip recession may cause some employers to reassess current staffing levels, especially while labour costs are rising and productivity is falling. The current economic situation facing recruiters looks unusually difficult to read, which may lead to swings in confidence for the rest of the year.’

14 May 2012 | 10:04 am BST