Despite the research around mentoring as a succession planning tool (HRR533), fewer than one in four employees think it will improve their skills, Kelly Group research has found.

The international survey of more than 120,000 people, including over 5,500 Australians, examined employee preferences for skill acquisition and development.

Australian respondents led the pack with 64% reporting they were planning to increase their skills in the future. This compared to 60% of Canadians, 57% of Americans and 47% of Brits.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they would undertake L&D for a promotion within their current employer. However, around half said new skills would also allow them to move to a new employer and 45% said new skills would allow them to move to a new sector.

Special assignments get thumbs down

Kelly Services ANZ MD Kelly Colfer said the results highlighted how important L&D is to an employee and organisation.

“Training and professional development are not only essential to building workplace productivity, they also play an important role in the retention of employees,” she said.

Learning skills on the job was preferred by the vast majority (78%) of Australians. Professional certification found favour with 32%, however job rotation and special assignments was least favoured, with only 12% of respondents believing the approach would improve their professional skills. Colfer said the results “highlighted a considerable gap between the preferences of Australian employees to learn on the job and their experience of workplace training”.

“To get the real benefits of training – both in terms of productivity and staff retention – employers need to focus on how successful the training programmes are in their workplace, and consider providing additional support or bringing in experts to help better engage their staff,” she said.

Areas identified as needing additional learning and development included leadership; innovation and bilingual language skills. 45% of respondents said learning Mandarin Chinese would be advantageous to their careers.

“This survey reinforces how important it is to continue to invest in training – particularly on the job – in order to not only support the development of the business but also maintain employee morale, performance and retention,” she said.

Nearly half of all respondents said they were giving their employer six months to deliver innovative ways to engage talent and develop people in meaningful ways or they would start looking for new opportunities.

Google, Facebook and Apple topped the list of companies employees and employers identified as innovative and progressive. However, only 37% regarded their own employer as innovative.

More than half said they would feel more positive about their employer if they used innovative work practices and 49% said they would be encouraged to apply for a job which used innovative recruitment methods. Topping the wish list for innovative work practices for talent management was creating online professional communities and online talent communities.

Change resistance biggest barrier

Resistance to change was perceived to be a bigger barrier to innovation than cost. However, 27% of respondents doubted their organisation had the experience to be innovative.

Professionals in emerging market countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China placed higher importance on innovation, with 85% reporting it was important for staff development. This compared to 67% of respondents in developed nations like the UK.

Futurestep Australia’s head of assessment Kim Severinsen said the disparity was probably due to prevalence of “invention and innovation” in the former as “traditional hierarchies and structure aren’t necessarily in place in those nations”.

Futurestep India MD Rao Yadavilli said age differences were also playing a significant role. He said 80% of Indian employees were aged 30 or younger which was creating “a real opportunity to leverage emerging technologies both to connect and engage with talent pools”.

More than just innovative recruitment practices, 76% of respondents also wanted to see their employer engaging staff and retaining staff with innovative practices. Of those, nearly half said they would feel more motivated to perform if their employer demonstrated innovation. Only 4% of respondents said they “experienced innovation”.

Futurestep VP of HR Adam Mesh said employers needed to not look purely at the bottom line of innovation. He said the flow on effects of innovation, including increased engagement and productivity, needed to be included in any cost-benefit assessment. “When people hear the word innovative, they don’t think cost savings or doing the same thing for less money. But you need to offset [cost] against the performance and productivity gains of being innovative. That 80% of candidates say innovative methods motivate to perform better is testament to the power – and potential ROI – of innovation,” he said.

We have responded to ongoing change with timely and useful commentary book titles along the way, some of which are now included in the 2013 Mid-Year Sale (until 28 June), including:

Independent Work Contracts by Joellen Riley
Pub: Aug 2007. Now $31.98 incl gst (60% discount from $79.95 rpp; saving of $47.97)

Independent Work Contracts published shortly after the Independent Contractors Act was introduced. Riley’s text explains the regulatory environment for independent contractors, and outlines the range of laws that govern these kinds of working arrangements. The Independent Contractors Act draws on the older common law tests to distinguish genuinely independent work contracts from employment relationships. These tests, and the ‘sham’ contractor provisions that were a feature of the Workplace Relations Act are explained in Part I. Readers interested in the subsequent development of these provisions should note their treatment in Ch 3, Pt 3-1, Div 6 of the Fair Work Act.

The Independent Contractors Act - which includes a Part on unfair contracts review – is explained and annotated in Part II. Most importantly, Part III explains how other commercial law rules and principles (including contract law, Trade Practices, and tax rules) apply to these kinds of contracts.

You may also be interested in other titles from our workplace relations list included in the Mid-Year Sale:

The Modern Contract of Employment  by Ian Neil SC & David Chin
Pub: July 2012.  
Book or eBook: $156 incl gst (20% disc from $195rrp; saving of $39)
eBook + Book: $202.80 incl gst (20% disc from $253.50rrp; saving of $50.70)

Parental Leave: A User-Friendly Guide by Erin McCarthy, Elise Jenkin & Andrew Stewart
Pub: Nov 2011.
Now $71.96 (20% discount from $89.95 rrp; saving of $17.99)

Navigating the Fair Work Laws by Forsyth, Gostencnik, Roche & Parker
Pub: Nov 2010.
Now $52 incl gst (60% discount from $130 rpp; saving of $78)

Transition to Forward with Fairness  by Forsyth, Creighton, Gostencnik & Sharard
Pub: July 2008.
Now $27.98 incl gst (60% discount from $69.95 rrp; saving of $41.97)

For legislation with key section annotations –

Fair Work Legislation 2012
General Editors: Rinaldi, Lambropoulos & Millar
Current to 23 July 2012, published in Aug 2012
Now $56 incl gst for book or eBook; $72.80 incl gst for book + eBook.

And coming soon: Fair Work Legislation 2013 with 1 July currency, due out in August, now available for pre-order.

Professor Peter McDonald, deputy director of ANU’s Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), told HRR the GFC had forced some older workers to remain in employment in order to maintain their standard of living and boost their retirement income.

However, he said the “shift from blue collar to white collar work” was also contributing to the greying workforce, where the physical need to retire was no longer imperative.

McDonald said data from the 2006 and 2011 censuses revealed a 10% spike in the employment rate for women aged 55 to 64. He said the change was partly due to factors such as women taking time out of the workforce to raise children but that there had also been a social shift.

“Once upon a time women were satisfied to rely on the aged care pension or live off their husband’s superannuation, now they want to maintain their standard of living,” he said.

McDonald said the research showed older workers who had been out of the workforce found it “harder to get back in” but employers were favouring “skills over cost” and were working hard to create environments where older employees “stay in their jobs”.

He said most employers were looking for a mix of ages across their organisation. “Employers have found that younger workers complement older workers, potentially increasing productivity,” he said.

“Younger workers are more technologically skilled, but older workers have more experience.”

He said despite the growing ‘grey ceiling’ younger workers should not experience any stalls to their careers. “Employers are interested in recruiting the best skills, so there shouldn’t be any side effects,” he said.

He said despite older workers staying in employment due to economic factors caused by the GFC, they got “more enjoyment out of work”.

“Older workers have lives that may be more work defined,” he said. “You’re not seeing the same level of sea-change and tree-change in baby boomers as you have previously,” he said.

Since the WorkChoices reforms, there has been a lot of focus on the legislative framework of workplace relations law and Thomson Reuters’ publishing has reflected that to a large extent. However, the contract of employment at common law is of fundamental importance, as Neil & Chin’s The Modern Contract of Employment demonstrates.

The Modern Contract of Employment is included in our Mid-Year Sale at a 20% discount for all formats (until 28 June 2013).

“(T)his book’s objectives and what it achieves are not modest.
To the contrary, the book deals with a fundamental, but constantly overlooked area, which in my experience is crucial to successful, practical engagement with any aspect of employment law.
Reading the book, it struck me that it fills a real gap for those who are daily dealing with the difficult human problems which employment law deals with. I commend it, because it deals succinctly and intelligibly with the crucial questions which the law of contract raised for employment and related fields.
… (T)his is not only an important book for students, practitioners and judges, but also a really valuable tool for legislators and their advisers, as well as the drafters of legislation.”

From Justice Monika Schmidt‘s speech at the launch of The Modern Contract of Employment , 6 September 2012. To read her speech in full, click here.
 

“A new book in the employment law area is always welcome. The Modern Contract of Employment by Sydney barristers, Ian Neil SC and David Chin, is particularly welcome. … (T)he focus of this book is the modern issues confronting the contract of employment. A focus of this kind follows the important English text written by Professor  Mark  Freedland, entitled The Personal Employment Contract… I predict that this book will be as influential as Freedland’s book is in England and other common law jurisdictions.”

Jeffrey Phillips SC, General Editor of Thomson Reuters’  Workplace Review, reviewed The Modern Contract of Employment in that publication [(2012) 3 WR 127]. To read the review in full, click here.

Mid-Year Sale prices
Book: $156 incl gst (20% discount from $195rrp; saving of $39)
eBook: $156 incl gst (20% discount from $195rrp; saving of $39)
eBook + Book: $202.80 incl gst (20% discount from $253.50rrp; saving of $50.70)

Leading employment law experts, Ian Neil SC and David Chin of the NSW Bar offer an elegant and substantial Australian text dealing with the modern contract of employment. Set to become the authoritative Australian reference to the contract of employment, it draws on jurisprudential developments in the United Kingdom and the United States over the last 25 years. Written by practitioners for practitioners, it sets out what the Australian law is and where to find it.

The authors’ sharp, clear and incisive analysis will be valued, made accessible for barristers, solicitors, academics and students by a succinct and expository style. Focusing specifically on the law of employment contracts, it offers in-depth analysis of the modern common law of the contract of employment, written in a succinct way that aims to provide answers, not more questions. Specific chapters on difficult areas such as the Fiduciary Obligation of Loyalty, and Mutual Trust and Confidence are critical reading for practitioners.

Law as at 31 March 2012, with some comment on the subsequent case, Shaw v New South Wales [2012] NSWCA 102

Table of Contents
Identifying a contract of employment; Identifying the employer; Formation; Variation; Express terms; Implied terms; Mutual trust and confidence; The fiduciary obligation of loyalty; Confidential information; Suspension; Termination; Restraints of trade; Collective agreements; Contractual remedies; Index.

Transition to Forward with Fairness by Forsyth, Creighton, Gostencnik & Sharard and Navigating the Fair Work Laws  by Forsyth, Gostencnik, Roche & Parker are two of those titles which offer clear and comprehensive discussion of the Rudd-Gillard workplace laws, the framework which will continue after September’s election whether Labor remains in government or the Coalition steps into power with its policy to “improve” the Fair Work laws.

Both these titles are in our Mid-Year Sale with a 60% discount until 28 June 2013.

Navigating the Fair Work Laws by Forsyth, Gostencnik, Roche & Parker
Pub: Nov 2010. Now $52 incl gst(60% discount from $130 rpp; saving of $78)

Navigating the Fair Work Laws is a comprehensive guide to the key aspects of the system, making it a useful tool for legal, IR and HR practitioners and students. Written by experts drawing on practitioner and academic experience, this book assists those already involved in workplace relations by combining a topic-based approach with detailed cross-referencing to relevant legislation and case law. Its clear structure and writing style makes it a valuable aide to a system that can be both technical and complex.

Contents: The national workplace relations system; Institutions, dispute resolution and compliance processes; National employment standards; Modern awards; Processes for making and approval of enterprise agreements; Collective / good faith bargaining; Industrial action; General protections; Union right of entry and demarcation disputes; Unfair dismissal and unlawful termination; Workplace restructuring and redundancies, GEERS and executive remuneration; Regulation of the building and construction industry.

Law stated as at: 1 September 2010

Transition to Forward with Fairness  by Forsyth, Creighton, Gostencnik & Sharard
Pub: July 2008. Now $27.98 incl gst (60% discount from $69.95 rrp; saving of $41.97) 

After the 2007 election, the hallmarks of the new government’s IR policy were the phasing out of AWAs and reform of unfair dismissal laws, key elements of the Howard Government’s WorkChoices policy. The legislation which achieved these and other changes was the Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Act 2008.

Transition to Forward with Fairness: Labor’s Reform Agenda by Anthony Forsyth, Breen Creighton, Val Gostencnik and Tim Sharard is a practical guide to these significant transitional arrangements, the full implementation of which was not complete until early 2010.

This book, published in 2008, has ongoing relevance as a useful guide to a turbulent phase of workplace relations change. Law, IR and HR practitioners and students will continue to find its clear discussion of complex legislation and policy change very helpful when dealing with the law of that period. Law stated as at 16 June 2008.

Contents: Introduction; Abolition of Australian Workplace Agreements; Individual Transitional Employment Agreements; Collective Agreements; No Disadvantage Test; Modern Awards; National Employment Standards; Other Measures To Implement Forward with Fairness.

Thomson Reuters has recently made the 2013 edition of this title available for pre-order (currency date: 1 July 2013).

However, we know that there are times when it is helpful to be able to refer to an older version of the legislation. Fair Work Legislation 2012 is included in this year’s Mid-Year Sale at a 60% discount on all formats, making it a great time to acquire this historical snapshot for your library. The 2012 edition was the first to include key section annotations, building on the reliable and easy-to-use compilation of substantive and procedural legislation that we have been publishing for IR / employment and HR practitioners for more than five years.

Mid-Year Sale prices (avail to 28 June 2013)

Book:  $56.00 incl gst (60% discount from rrp; saving of $84)

eBook: $56.00 incl gst (60% discount from rrp; saving of $84)

eBook + Book: $72.80 incl gst (60% discount from rrp; saving of $109.20)

Erin McCarthy, Elise Jenkin, Professor Andrew Stewart
Pub: November 2011.

Mid Year Sale Price: $71.96 (20% discount from $89.95 rrp; saving of $17.99 available to 28 June 2013)

This practical guide covers parental leave entitlements and procedures under the Fair Work Act 2009 and Paid Parental Leave Act 2010.

The relationships between these two pieces of federal legislation and the rights and obligations they create are complex. Increasingly, as employees take up the governmental paid scheme, employers and HR managers will have to deal with challenging issues such as employees maintaining contact with the workplace while on leave and rights to return to work. This is in addition to the ‘paymaster’ function which became the responsibility of employers as of 1 July 2011.

Parental Leave: A User-Friendly Guide by Erin McCarthy, Elise Jenkin and Andrew Stewart of Piper Alderman follows the course of a parental leave application. Using a clear layout, bullet points and case studies, it brings together the issues that come up under different pieces of legislation to help IR/HR practitioners and union/ employer advisors meet the needs of clients and employees. Academics will also appreciate the analysis of parental leave and its development in the context of the Australian workplace relations system.

Read a Q&A with Erin McCarthy, ALB Magazine December 2011.

Contents: Sources of Parental Leave Entitlements; The Major Entitlements; Eligibility; How Parental Leave May Be Structured; Making and Dealing with Applications; Starting Parental Leave; Payment During Leave; Other Obligations During the Leave Period; Replacement Workers; Varying or Ending Parental Leave; Returning to Work; Key Points for Workers; Key Points for Employers.

Unveiled by Sir Richard Branson in Sydney on May 10 the collaboration will give TI contractors a complimentary induction membership to Virgin Active’s network of health clubs.

TI managing director Richard Earl told the invite-only audience despite an increasingly mobile and global workforce, contractors were not well catered for by either recruiters or employers.

He said a “massive contingent workforce was becoming increasingly disconnected and remote” which would only further add to reduced productivity and talent shortages.

As a result, TI introduced a concept designed to “revolutionise” the recruitment. Earl said TI was “determined to be the ones who make the difference” to contractors as he unveiled its “transit lounge” and benefits package.

Earl said the transit lounge was a “virtual concierge” service for all IT consultants. It offered not only recruitment services, but also peer networking and logistics help for relocating candidates. He said it would “connect the disconnected” and help ensure a stocked talent pipeline.

“We will know exactly who the contractors are, where they are and when they are ready to move,” he said.

He said it would facilitate global job opportunities and create a “global IT army”.

Earl said the concept was the first for the recruitment market, and would dramatically change the “transaction approach” to recruitment, providing rewards for contractor longevity and repeat business.

In launching the initiative, Branson commended Earl’s vision to do things differently. “A lot of individuals spend too much time flapping about not making decisions – sometimes you have to say ‘screw it, let’s do it’,” he said.