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NATIONAL WORK SURVEY REVEALS SHIFTING EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES
WORKOLOGY.com,
the professional social networking site, has unveiled the results of
the 1st national survey of workplace and employee attitudes and
behaviour since the credit crunch began to bite. As part of
its ongoing research into Work Attitudes in Britain, the website
and Populus (the market research company) surveyed more than 1,000
adults in Britain, asking them about their attitudes to work and the
way they perceive the web in a work context.
The results show:-
• Crumbling confidence in large companies;
• Shift in use of web
from consumerism to productivity as the crunch bites;
• Most employees
perceive the web as a trusted way to address work challenges – a
situation that did not exist during the last recession.
In detail: Crumbling confidence:-
- 53% of UK adults no longer trust large corporates to give them the
job security they need;
- When the statistic
is applied to the number of workers in the UK (30 million), then
roughly 15 million people fear for their jobs;
- This is not
surprising given the waves of downsizing in the early ‘90s and
deterioration in final salary pensions which is what made working
for a large corporate secure;
- The baby boomer
generation (who have seen many recessions) are the least likely to
trust large corporates on job security. On average 56% of this
generation have lost confidence in large organisations;
- Men trust large
corporates less than women do (53% vs. 42%);
- Loss of confidence
is wide and evenly spread around the UK, on average 45%.
How people are reacting to this confidence issue:-
- 3 in 5 adults would rather work for themselves as a way of
controlling the way they work;
- Altered trust
ranking. Friends & family, and peers in the same situation, are more
trusted in times of economic uncertainty and for help in starting
out on their own. Large companies, government organisations and life
coaches ranked the lowest.
What role will the web play in the downturn? Shift from
consumerism to productivity:-
- 70% of time on web spent on social networking, buying goods and
services and price comparison sites;
- 42% of users
anticipate they will use the internet more for ‘work-related
reasons’.
What does this mean in terms of employment, productivity and the
web?
- Mervyn King said we have come to the end of the nice decade. In
the nice decade, the web was all about pleasure, leisure and instant
gratification;
- The ‘nice’ decade –
of low unemployment, low inflation, rising incomes - enabled people
to have fun with their money. And the web made this even more so. Empowering a generation, if not generations. But that was against a
backdrop of rising prosperity and living standards;
- Now as that
backdrop changes dramatically, businesses and entrepreneurs need to
ask how will the tool that transformed the last 10 years;
empowering and enabling; be of most commercial use in the next few
years;
- Workology.com is
about harnessing the power of the web to address economic issues. In
particular, use new trends to empower and enable individuals to
fulfil careers outside traditional corporate structures;
- Workology.com is
designed to meet 3 trends:-
a.) desire of new workers to not conform but be their own boss;
b.) economic downturn forcing people into the labour market;
c.) corporates looking to retain people on flexible contracts to
help keep costs (head count down).
Workology.com founder Sam Gyimah said the survey demonstrates that
changing employee attitudes are being reinforced by the economic
situation. He explained:- “We are in a transitional age
where trust in the workplace is moving away from established but
impersonal institutions towards more personal and less formal
relationships. We’ve come to the end of the nice decade
typified by cheap flights, digital music and movies, poking each
other on social networking sites. With the economy slowing we
are likely to see the web change to meet a new set of consumer
demands, which are less about enjoyment and fulfilment and more
about basic productivity”.
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Tunnel drink drive arrests double
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MERSEY Tunnels
Police have arrested 11 people for suspected drink driving following
a summer long operation.
The figure is more
than double last year’s operation [4 arrests] and follows a major
campaign by officers to stamp out drink driving in and around the
Mersey Tunnels.
Officers stepped up patrols during the summer months
and held a series of stop checks.
Councillor Mark Dowd, Chair of Merseytravel, said:- “Every
time someone takes a chance to drive after drinking they are putting
people’s lives at risk, including their own.
We have a
responsibility to all drivers through the tunnels to catch these
idiots, who are thankfully very few and far between when you
consider more than 70,000 people use the tunnels every day.
By upping
patrols and checks we have made more arrests, but it’s important we
catch them, stop them and then prosecute them with the full force of
the law.”
Tunnels officers stopped more than 870 vehicles during the summer
months as part of the anti-drink and drug drive blitz, following
routine and increased tunnel patrols, after minor incidents and the
Tunnel Police’s Operation Nemesis campaign.
As a result 94 drivers were breathalysed. Twenty drivers showed
signs but were within legal limits and 11 arrests were made for
drivers failing or refusing tests. 1 driver failed a roadside
drugs test and was also arrested. All of these drivers are
facing legal action.
Neil Scales, Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel,
said:- “We know that test failure results are low considering
the number of drivers using the tunnels, but one drink driver
through the tunnels is one too many. Our Tunnels Police have
been out in full force but drivers using the tunnels also have an
important role to play as our eyes and ears. We’d ask anyone
spotting a potentially dangerous driver to stop at the tolls and
advise either the Police or our toll staff. We will take immediate
action. The Mersey Tunnels are some of the safest stretches of
road in the UK. A vital element of this is the proactive approach of
our Tunnel Police, whose prime responsibility is to maintain the
safety and security of the tunnels for all of its users.”
Mersey became the Ganges of the North
MORE
than 700 Hindu pilgrims from all over the UK are arived in Liverpool
on Sunday, 14 September 2008, where the River Mersey will become the
Ganges of the North.
The boarded the Royal Daffodil for Ganesh Visagen, a Ceremony of
Immersion performed on a symbol of the Elephant God, Lord Ganesh.
"The River Mersey has been adopted by British Hindus as their
own Holy River Ganges", said Dr. Shiv Pande, secretary of
the Indo British Association in the North, which helped organise the
ceremony.
A similar ceremony was held last year attended by around 300
pilgrims, but even more from the Midlands and the North attend this
year ceremony.
Around 20 coaches will brought the pilgrims to the region.
Many of the pilgrims boarded the 12.30pm and 1.30pm sailings from
Seacombe Ferry Terminal.
Other pilgrims join the 2pm sailing from
Pier Head for the ceremony on board the Royal Daffodil.
Leading civic dignitaries from the region are also attend.
Ganesh is one of the most revered idols in India, and one of the
most popular, because it crosses all religious divides and sects.
He is described as the most colourful of the Gods, being the symbol
of prosperity and the remover of obstacles.
Simultaneous ceremonies, involving
millions of Hindus, have been taking place across India and the rest
of the world. |
