Management Blog

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

Our most admired companies revealed

Two Australian businesses have rated highly in a survey of the world's most admired companies conducted by Forbes magazine, The West Australian reports.

Leading retailer Woolworths was ranked amongst the finalists in the survey's food and drug store category while BHP Billiton was ranked as the third most admired mining company.

In terms of the overall top 20, Apple was named as the world's most admired company. General Electric ranked second while Toyota took out third place in the annual listing.

The survey also looked at employee incentive programs. It found 46 per cent of Australian companies in the 'most admired' table had reward programs for staff in place, which is 10 per cent lower than the international average.

Priming up for the 'Big Leap' interview

Preparing for a job interview that could help you climb the corporate ladder can be a nerve-racking experience. And that's why it pays to be prepared, BusinessWeek argues.

To help you make the most of a 'Big Leap' opportunity the following tips are offered:

Do you homework - get to know both issues involved in the role you're applying for and senior management's key imperatives

Listen up - you want to appear confident but also need to show you can actively listen

Don't criticise - don't whine about former managers; instead provide examples of when you demonstrated people skills

Balancing act - offer an example of when you went out on a limb and it paid off; but also show you're capable of following orders

A tiny tip for rubbish downsizing

Want to encourage staff to do more recycling?

Try giving them a mini garbage bin to place on their desk, an idea that has seen recycling increase by 55 per cent at one US university.

The mini garbage bin – which acts as a reminder for staff to recycle – is just one of many small ideas organisations are using to tackle largesocial problems, Harvard Business's Green blog claims.

According to the blog, workers are sometimes annoyed about having their normal waste paper bins replaced. However, many change their tune when their recycling weak spots are revealed.

Drunken worker numbers revealed

A new study has found nearly 700,000 Australians turned up to work under the influence of alcohol last year, The Herald Sun reports.

The 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey also claims men are three times more likely than women to turn up to work drunk.

Alcohol isn't the only substance making its presence felt in the workplace; it's claimed around 270,000 workers went to work under the influence of illicit drugs.

In some good news the survey found all figures on drug and alcohol use in the workplace were down slightly from the 2004 study.

Women rule in business communication

In a finding that won't surprise at least half of the nation, a new study suggests women are better business communicators than their male counterparties, news.com.au reports.

The Westpac study claims women are much more likely to seek out advice from other business owners, colleagues and family members prior to making financial and business decisions.

Researchers say women are generally more eager to learn from the experiences of others when making decisions than men who are often prone to rely on existing systems and processes.

The survey also indicates women are more adept at creating support networks, an attribute that can be particularly useful when starting a business.