Management Blog

Fasting keeps jetlag at bay: study

Avoiding meals or snacks during long haul flights may help travellers avoid the painful side effects of jetlag, according to a new study.

Harvard University researchers say not eating until arrival at a destination is the key to allowing the body to adjust to a new time zone, BBC reports.

It's claimed that when the body isn't given food its natural 'feeding clock' overrides the light-based 'time clock', as a result the body is tricked into avoiding jetlag altogether.

No holidays for Aussies

A new survey by online travel company Expedia has found Australian workers are the least likely in the world to use all their annual leave entitlements, Smart Company reports.

Expedia claims 32 per cent of Australians are refusing to use their leave due to the credit crunch while 34 per cent said they couldn't afford to take time off work.

Psychologists say the survey results are a worrying trend as continually delaying a holiday can negatively impact on an individual's health.

Directors are still keen on marketing

Australian company directors are planning to increase marketing budgets in the near future despite sluggish economic conditions, Marketing Magazine reports.

Of the company directors surveyed, 94 per cent said they had no intention of slashing their marketing budgets, while 49 per cent said they planned to increase spending in the area.

Nearly 30 per cent of respondents said that increasing their marketing spend was necessary to maintain an awareness of their company's brand.

In addition, 14 per cent said a budget increase was a tactic that would keep them ahead of any competitors who had decided to reduce their marketing output in response to the slowing economy.

The long and short of healthy sleep

Sleep is an area of growing interest for scientists. And for good reason. Time reports that either too much or too little doesn't just affect personal productivity; it can also be a matter of life and death.

Recent studies indicate people who sleep between 6.5 hours and 7.5 hour live the longest; while those who sleep 8 hours or more, or less than 6.5 hours may have a reduced lifespan.

The article also claims very short or very long amounts of sleep are associated with a number of illnesses including depression, obesity and diabetes.

Scientists say it is important to publicise the revised healthy sleeping range as it may help people realise they are not insomniacs if they don't sleep for 8 hours – the traditional measure of a good night's sleep.

Do Not Call Register a big hit

The Federal Government's Do Not Call Register has been such a success that telemarketers soon won't have any householders left to call, Smart Company reports.

Figures indicate that 2.4 million telephone numbers have signed up for the Do Not Call Register since the service came into being in May last year.

However, the telemarketing industry is taking a positive view of the development with Rob Edwards, of the Australian Direct Marketing Association, saying he expected higher registration numbers.   

The Association says that if No Do Call Register figures continue to grow telemarketers will instead begin going door to door in a bid to engage in a personalised dialogue with consumers.

Say hello to the scuppies

What happens when you combine a hippie and a yuppie? You get a scuppie. No it's not a joke, it's the name given to Socially Conscious Upwardly Mobile Persons, news.com.au reports.

Like hippies, scuppies are passionate about the environment; and like yuppies they care deeply about their lifestyle and bank balance.

According to the article, scuppies are willing to spend up big on any goods that don't involve an environmental, social or human cost; for example, Starbucks is fine as long as the coffee is fair trade.

Despite criticism by hardcore eco-warriors, it's claimed the scuppie phenomena is growing quickly as a result of high profile advocates like Leonardo DiCaprio and Bono.

US employers call for 'love contracts'

A number of American employers are asking co-workers who develop romantic relationships to sign 'love contracts', CareerOne reports.

Citing US employment lawyer Stephen Tedesco, the article claims employers are insisting on the contracts in a bid to curb claims of sexual harassment.

The arrangements are said to benefit employers by documenting the relationship (thereby avoiding claims of sexual harassment down the track) and to help define how the couple will conduct themselves.

Workplace experts say the contracts are like "pre-nups for co-workers" so everyone knows the rules if the couple breaks up.

'Sickie bonus' popular in NT

Northern Territory employers are so concerned about the region's skills shortage many are offering to pay workers not to take sick leave.

Speaking to news.com.au, the Territory Construction Association's Graham Kemp says the so-called 'sickie bonus' is now a widespread practice, particularly in the building industry.

The article claims many workers are being paid a bonus of up to $100 a week to avoid taking a sickie.

In addition, many Territory employers are paying in-demand tradesmen above award wages in a bid to retain their services.

Part timers swell in numbers

A Productivity Commission report suggests Australia has the largest number of part-time workers in the developed world, The Age reports.

And not only are our companies happy to employ part timers, they're also prepared to pay them well: the study found the nation's casual workforce is amongst the world's best paid.

The study suggests part time pay loadings were in excess of 90 per cent of full time rates in Australia, a figure considerably lower in other OECD countries.

Cutting the cost of commuting

With petrol prices continuing to increase a growing number of US companies are supporting initiatives that ease the cost of the daily commute, Inc magazine reports.

According to the article, the programs include:

1. Carpooling 2.0 - when commuters organise car pools via online coworker networks

2. Bike sharing - some employers are allow staff borrow 'company bikes' to ride to and from work

3. No Fridays - a small number of US firms are allowing their staff to work longer days so they can take a full day off work in lieu

4. Telecommuting - nearly 30 million Americans now work from home at least one day a week

5. Walking - trendhunters say job hunters may soon prefer to work close to their homes to conserve resources