COST OF UK WORKPLACE ABSENCE TOPS £13BN - NEW CBI SURVEY

The cost of staff absence to the UK economy rose to over £13bn in 2005 - and 66 million days were lost across the public services at a cost of £3.4bn to the taxpayer - according to a new survey of over 400 organisations.

The latest annual CBI / AXA Absence Survey, published today (Monday), reveals that absence levels were 30 per cent higher across public sector organisations than in the private sector.

If the public sector reduced its absence to average private sector levels £1.1bn of taxpayers' money would be saved - enough to pay for nearly 60,000 extra nurses a year1.

The total number of days lost through absence across the UK economy fell in 2005 by 4 million to 164 million days. This is the lowest level since the survey began in 1987.

However, based on the current rate of change in the public sector - from 8.9 days in 2002 to 8.5 days in this year's survey - it would take 30 years for it to reduce its absence rates to the average 6 days lost per employee in the private sector.

The survey suggests that a ‘culture of absenteeism’ still exists in too many workplaces. As many as 13 per cent of days lost to sickness in 2005 were considered non-genuine by employers - in other words staff 'pulling sickies' - at a cost to the economy of £1.2bn.

Nearly three quarters (73%) of employers believed that unauthorised absence could be linked to Mondays and Fridays and almost two-thirds (64%) thought staff may be taking unauthorised extensions to holidays. Forty per cent considered special events, like the forthcoming World Cup, were a likely cause of unwarranted absence.

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Encore’s ‘3 Peaks challenge’ supports Huntingtons Disease

Encore’s nominated corporate charity The Huntingtons Disease Association received £5,000 as a result of a sponsored climb of mainland Great Britain’s three biggest peaks. Chris Hockey, Ian Briers (Directors), Phil Tilt, Gary Carr and Stuart Bentley combined energies to scale Ben Nevis, Scafel Pike and Snowden in an amazing 24hours.

The money raised will go towards The HDA (Huntington's Disease Association) and Mill Lodge in Kegworth who offer support to over 75 HD sufferers and over a thousand people who fit into the 50% at risk category.

‘This was the achievement of a life time and I’m proud that we have been able to raise so much money through sponsorship.’ Said Director and team Encore organizer, Chris Hockey. ‘At times we thought we would never do it but the challenge of the deadline raised our game and we did it in 23 hours and 10 minutes – a great result and something I’ll never forget.’

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Beach shirt civil servant loses dress code appeal

A civil servant protested over a ruling ordering male employees to wear smart dress at a job centre by arriving for work in Hawaiian shirts and clashing ties, a tribunal was told yesterday.

He said that female employees were able to wear what they liked at the Jobcentre Plus office in Weymouth, Dorset, and some arrived for work in skimpy and revealing outfits, showing tattoos, piercings and bare midriffs.

David Hallet, his manager, gave him repeated warnings about his style of dress. While complying with the letter of the code he was not complying with the spirit, Mr Hallet told an employment tribunal in Southampton, where Mr Akers claimed unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination against the Department for Work and Pensions. He described Mr Akers's outfits as "controversial" and inappropriate for the workplace.

The tribunal dismissed Mr Akers's claims, and pointed out that women were also expected to dress smartly, even if they did not have to wear a tie.

Mr Akers, who was ordered to pay £3,000 costs, said afterwards: "I still feel that I am right."

Source The Daily Telegraph

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Age Discrimination...4 months to go

This is the first of our monthly checklists leading up to implementation of the Age Regulations on 1 October 2006.

There is much to do, but here are some reminders.

Have you....

• completed specific training for all HR staff?
• planned or started specific training for managers?
• completed a thorough review and planned revision of employment contracts and all related policies, in particular notice periods and redundancy schemes?
• identified all other procedures and practices, formal or informal, which may be non-compliant and amended them?
• planned or held meetings with your pensions trustees, advertising and recruitment consultants, insurance providers, suppliers of benefits packages and other relevant third parties to discuss compliance?
• planned or started consultation meetings with employees and/or their representatives to discuss possible contractual changes?

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TV chef's tip: scrap waiters' pay

Antony Worrall Thompson, the celebrity chef, said that the employment of foreign workers with poor English and no silver-service skills was driving down standards throughout the catering industry.

He said that abolishing the minimum wage and forcing waiters to survive on tips, as in the United States, would help to ensure that the gastronomy was matched by the service.

"The service here, frankly, is s***," Mr Worrall Thompson said. “We can hold our heads really high as far as food goes but the service is appalling.

"Lots of people from Eastern Europe and elsewhere work in restaurants without having the level of English or the skills they should have."

In an interview with Square Meal magazine he said that waiters needed to be more enthusiastic about their jobs, adding: "One solution would be to get rid of the minimum wage, so waiters relied on their tips like the old days."

Source: The Times

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It's easier to axe British jobs, admits GM's European chief

General Motors provoked a wildcat strike at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant on Merseyside yesterday by saying it would be easier to cut jobs there because of the robustness of the UK labour market.

The comments by the president of GM Europe, Carl-Peter Forster, intensified fears that the company has already decided to cut production at the plant with 1,000 job losses, even though negotiations between management and unions are still taking place.

Union officials described the walkout, which halted production of the Astra model, as a "spontaneous" reaction to Mr Forster's "extremely unhelpful" remarks. Roger Maddison, national officer of Amicus, said: "The unions have put various proposals to the company to prevent job cuts at Ellesmere Port which the company are considering. This is an emotional reaction from a loyal and highly productive workforce who are understandably fearful for their jobs and the future of the plant.

"We would have expected better from such a senior executive of the company."

Mr Forster's remarks were made on Wednesday night at the official opening of a new design centre in Russelsheim, Germany. He said that the union proposal to spread the job cuts across the three plants in Europe which make the Astra would "just delay a real solution". He said it would be simpler to make the cuts at Ellesmere Port because the workers there would have a better chance of finding new jobs.

"We know, thank God, that the English labour market is more able to absorb workers than that, for example, in Germany or Belgium," he said.

The full article can be read here

Source Independent Newspapers

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Issue 26– June 2006

Welcome to the June issue of Encore enews.

With only 4 months to go before the latest round of employment related legislation– The Age Discrimination Act, we publish a quick and easy check list for employers.

And two startling views on employment with TV chef, Anthony Worrall Thompson telling us why workers should rely purely on tips and the president of GM Europe, Carl-Peter Forster, explaining why it is easier to cut UK jobs because of the robustness of our labour market.

Greg Latham

Managing Director