Posted by Triona Cahalane on Fri, Jan 20, 2012
Interested in working in a successsful Irish company? Have the experience and drive for a position with Softworks?
If so, we are currently looking to fill the role of:
Project Implementation Consultant
This is a customer facing role involving the implementation of the Softworks Workforce Management solution across our customer base.
Working with or as the team leader, you will be responsible for formulating software solutions for new and existing customer. Solutions will take the form of out of the box functionality mixed with custom elements, taking an optimal approach during implementation. Intimate knowledge of the product suite will need to be gained quickly and accurately.
For more information?
Posted by Triona Cahalane on Fri, Jan 13, 2012
We are in the middle of the cold and flu season which is a substantial contributor to workplace absences at this time of the year and according to CareerBuilder, the highest period of employee absenteeism occurs between January and March with 34% using sick days during this period. However, not all is as it seems with some 29% of workers have admitted to using their sick days to spend time with family or for other reasons other than a sore throat. In this recent study by CareerBuilder, they have highlighted a number of outrageous but real excuses used when calling in sick by employees.
These have included:
- Employee’s 12-year-old daughter stole his car and he had no other way to work. Employee didn’t want to report it to the police.
- Employee said bats got in her hair.
- Employee said a refrigerator fell on him.
- Employee was in line at a coffee shop when a truck carrying flour backed up and dumped the flour into her convertible.
- Employee said a deer bit him during hunting season.
- Employee ate too much at a party.
- Employee fell out of bed and broke his nose.
- Employee got a cold from a puppy.
- Employee’s child stuck a mint up his nose and had to go to the ER to remove it.
- Employee hurt his back chasing a beaver.
- Employee got his toe caught in a vent cover.
- Employee had a headache after going to too many garage sales.
- Employee’s brother-in-law was kidnapped by a drug cartel while in Mexico.
- Employee drank anti-freeze by mistake and had to go to the hospital.
- Employee was at a bowling alley and a bucket filled with water crashed through the ceiling and hit her on the head.
Can you add any extra to the list?
Posted by Triona Cahalane on Tue, Jan 10, 2012
The search for a good work/life balance has been ranked the top health issue plaguing UK workers, a survey reveals.
The top health issue afflicting UK workers is the need for an appropriate work/life balance, according to recent research by the Industry Body – Group Risk Development (GRID). The research highlights that employees are more worried about the absence of a good work/life balance (21%) than stress and/or mental health issues (19%) – conditions that are currently cited as the most common causes of workplace absence.
Promisingly, almost one in four employers surveyed saying that they plan to take steps to improve staff work/life balance in 2012 and noted it as a ‘top priority’. However, in comparison, 27% said actively managing workplace stress was a ‘key goal’
"A strong work/life balance is often overlooked as a major health issue to businesses, compared to more direct factors such as dealing with chronic conditions," said Katharine Moxham, a
"But, the economic situation seems to have provided a timely reminder for businesses to take action to rectify unsustainable working practice.spokesperson for GRiD.
"In times of increased economic pressure it is particularly important for employers to consider the impact a long hours culture can have on the wellbeing of their employees and to develop strategies for dealing with the fall out such as, for example, increased stress related absence."
Please click here for more information
Posted by Triona Cahalane on Tue, Dec 13, 2011
Office Christmas Parties have traditionally been a great way to thank employees and celebrate company achievements but can also be a breeding ground for employer liability.
In a recent survey of 3,699 employees by Monster, it was found that one in 10 employees admits to having done something either extremely regrettable at their Office Christmas Party and have been fired due to the incident (4%) or have acted in a way that was somewhat regrettable and damaged their career/reputation (5%).
At the same time 63% have never done anything regrettable at an office party.
UK respondents were the biggest culprits with 9% admitting that they had acted in a way that was extremely regrettable and were fired as a result, followed by respondents in Finland (7%) and The Netherlands (6%).
Meanwhile, 15% of all European respondents answered that they have done something mildly regrettable which caused embarrassment for a few days, followed by Canada (12%) and the US (10%).
Please click here for more information on this article
With the festive season upon us and the office party nights in full swing, we’d be interested to hear what you think? Vote on our Poll now
Posted by Triona Cahalane on Mon, Dec 05, 2011
But four in ten blame ‘overindulgence’ for sick days
A recent survey by Bupa has suggested that excessive staff absence during December is causing a burden on HR departments with many HR officals suspecting that staff illnesses are not as they seem.
71% of HR professionals believe that December absence typically has workload implications for their HR Team. Almost 28% went one step further and said that dealing with extra absence led HR staff to feel more stressed during the Christmas Season. However 42% believe that the true cause of December absences is related to ‘overindulgence’ or ‘illness resulting from overindulgence’. Only 33% were convinced that absence rates were solely the result of an increase in genuine illness at this time of year.
The survey also revealed that half of HR managers regarded the under-30s as the most likely to take time off during December.
Dr Jenny Leeser, clinical director of occupational health at Bupa, said: "The winter months do see an increased rate of absence caused by seasonal illnesses, but the effect of the festive party season on the workplace cannot be ignored either.
Over three quarters (78%) of the companies surveyed have implemented policies to try to reduce December absence rates, with flu jabs (35% per cent), encouraging exercise through gym membership (17 per cent) and questioning staff suspected of taking sickies (33 per cent) popular responses.
For more information on this article please click here for more information on December Absencess Headache for HR
Posted by Triona Cahalane on Thu, Nov 24, 2011
The sickness absence review was published in the UK this week, the first time politicians had commissioned the help of the private sector to sort out the sick leave issue in Britain in the hope of saving £13 billion from the benefits bill.
There were a number of recommendations included in the report but one of the more interesting ones was the introduction of an independent panel who would sign off workers on long-term sick leave. This would eliminate the need for GP’s to sign off those on long term sick leave.
Another finding was that Individuals on long-term leave should be matched with more suitable jobs, rather than be left fall out of work and in term have to claim benefit.
There is also a proposal to change employment law in order to allow companies to dismiss workers on long-term sick leave without the risk of being sued by negotiating a one-off cash settlement.
Welfare reform minister Lord Freud said: "We just don't get adequate help for people early enough when they need it and what we are creating in there is an incubator for lifelong idleness for far too many people."
Click here to read more on this report
Posted by Triona Cahalane on Wed, Nov 23, 2011
Traditionally juggling work and family has been a challenge for countless women. Men were seen as the sole breadwinner for the house with a less involved role than women in terms of childcare. However as Bob Dylan sang ‘the times they are a changin’ and changing they certainly are.
Men are now beginning to experience the increasing struggle of working while needing to care for their children. A role in the past that was the prime responsibility of women. A recent survey in the US by The Better Balance was conducted online with approximately 250 working, largely white- collar professionals, living across 31 states.
A key finding was that nearly 85% of respondents feel under pressure to be both a provider and to engage in their children’s daily lives. A quote by one father highlights this finding:
“It’s next to impossible to travel for work, exceed all of the expectations, and try to be there enough for my child.” — Consultant in the accounting industry and father of one child, age 1.
A solution that was mentioned in the report takes a look at the strong belief these fathers had that both a more flexible working arrangement and government support could help parents to better balance work and life responsibilities. Nearly 70% of working dads in the study said they would personally benefit from more flexible arrangements such as flexible hours and the ability to work from home. Many studies have shown that workplace flexibility can create tangible financial benefits as well as a decrease in employee stress, absenteeism and turnover.
85% of respondents specify that they would be encouraged to take advantage of family-friendly workplace policies by seeing senior leaders set an example or by seeing their male colleagues who use these practices advance in their careers.
Finally, while the majority of the respondents have not experienced penalties in their job for being a parent, some have reported negative treatment and disapproving comments at work about their family responsibilities, noting that such treatment suggests a notable barrier to achieving a family friendly society especially at work.
In conclusion, professional working fathers view themselves as more than just the family breadwinner with the majority citing that balancing work and family causes conflict, pressure and frequent stress. While this report is insightful into how fathers now see their changing role in work and family, this struggle is one that women have had to endure for many years but now it may finally be addressed and hopefully a better work-life balance across the board may be achieved.
Please click here to read report in full.
Posted by Mairead Walsh on Thu, Nov 17, 2011
If you are considering installing an automated time and attendance system or upgrading your current system, grab yourself a copy of our new guide "Selecting an automated time & attendance system - Advice & Tips before you buy.
It won't tell you which system is best (although if pressed we will of course suggest Softworks!) but it will tell you what to look out for when selecting a system.
Find out more about
(1) Best practices when purchasing a system
(2) What to expect from the product & supplier
(3) Questions to ask potential suppliers
(4) Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Taking a little time now to consider what your business might need could save you a lot of time and money further down the road.
You can access the paper here
Posted by Triona Cahalane on Mon, Nov 07, 2011
Join us for a live and interactive FREE webinar on our proven three phased approach to efficient workforce management.
Phase 1 Workforce Profiling: Knowledge of your biggest asset and cost - your people
Phase 2 Maximising Efficiency: Building optimal staffing models, right person, right place, right time at the right cost
Phase 3 Management Control: Building on your success with improved management controls and processes
Date: Wednesday 16th NovemberTime: 3 PM GMT
Presenter: Noel Dooley
Who should attend?
Managers/Senior professionals from areas such as: Finance, Payroll, HR, Operations & IT as well as general senior management. Companies who don't currently use an automated Time & Attendance system, have a legacy system or one that's not delivering a clear return on investment
Why should I attend?
Employee time is one of your company's most valuable and costly resources. Knowledge of employee time results in faster decision making, improved scheduling and better labour cost management, making your company even more productive and competitive
Posted by Triona Cahalane on Thu, Nov 03, 2011
A recent survey from recruitment consultancy firm Robert Walters has suggested that more than half (62%) of Irish employees receive no recognition from employers for working overtime.
“Our survey clearly shows that the days of working 9-5 are long gone, with the majority of Irish professionals working longer hours for no extra remuneration,” said Louise Campbell, managing director of Robert Walters Ireland.
“Employers demand more out of existing staff in a downturn, and many would expect their employees to complete their workload irrespective of standard working hours,” said Campbell.
For more information, please click here to read this article on Employee Overtime