Record rate of absenteeism in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan posted the highest absenteeism rate in the country among employees who are unionized or members of a collective agreement, according to a report from Statistics Canada. In 2011, 11 days of absence due to sickness or disability were recorded per person concerned, on average. This figure rose to 14 days for health care and social assistance services employees and was down to 6 days for professional, scientific and technical services employees. Saskatchewan was followed by New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec (10.8 days of absence last year).
Social media – the challenges
According to a survey by Creative Group, 27% of executives believe that the main obstacle in the use of social media is evaluating the success of their efforts, including calculating the return on investment. Measuring the effectiveness of these tools and determining with certainty which are the most profitable is difficult indeed. 19% of respondents cited the difficulty finding personnel qualified to implement and manage a social media program. Among other concerns, gaining the support of management and the lack of budget for launching initiatives on these tools were cited by 17% and 14% of respondents respectively.
Companies not preparing for layoffs before year end
As part of a Manpower study involving 15,000 companies in 41 countries, Right Management conducted a survey of 1,140 Canadian companies on their plans for the coming months. It revealed that 82% of them are not planning for layoffs before the end of 2012, compared to 78% of employers worldwide. The explanation is that most companies have already taken all the necessary actions over the last two or three years and have already reduced their workforce to a level that seems satisfactory to them until the end of the year. It remains to be seen if this relative optimism will continue into 2013.
Men and women have different priorities
7,000 Canadians were interviewed by ICMA International and Randstad Canada as part of a study on what professionals look for in a potential employer. While long term job security leads in the minds of both men and women, the survey concluded that other criteria vary. Women put more emphasis on flexibility (49% more important than for men), accessibility (28% more important), a pleasant work environment (23% more important), an attractive salary (19% more important) and a good balance between professional and private life (17% more important). Meanwhile, men cited career prospects first (86% more important than women), financial health of the company (42% more important), high performing management (37% more important) and good training (17% more important).