Internet Excitement: Senior Managers Lack Interest

Companies are having a tough time persuading their senior managers to take advantage of online training. According to studies, 90% of managers have Internet access, but most don’t find the time to participate in e-learning or other Internet-based training.

About 67% say they spent 30 minutes or less last year using intranets or e-learning to solve business issues. Slightly more than half (54%) have capitalised on available online management resources.

Time constraints and lack of engagement are stumbling blocks. 46% say they have “too many distractions” to use computer-based learning, while 20% claim the learning content “fails to engage them.” The conclusions were drawn from responses of nearly 1,000 managers.

In a separate survey, however, consulting firm McKinsey & Co. reports that executives see the value of advanced Internet technologies that promote self-paced learning and collaboration.

These tools include items such as peer-to-peer networking, blogs, podcasts and social networking. According to McKinsey, half of the 2,847 executives surveyed “are pleased with the results of their investments in Internet technologies” made during the past five years. Three-quarters of companies plan to either increase or at least maintain their investments in so-called Web 2.0 technologies.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

What Generation Gap? The Young & The Old Have Similar Career Objectives

Staffing firm Robert Half International is throwing cold water on the widely held perception that Generation Y workers have different concerns and wants from those of older workers.

According to research by Half and Yahoo HotJobs, younger employees “share many of the same concerns as more tenured workers when it comes to saving for retirement, finding a solid health care plan and achieving work/life balance.”

Where the divide apparently surfaces is in what these newcomers expect from company leaders. In fact, they rated “working with a boss they respect and can learn from as the most important aspect of their work environment, ahead of having a nice office space, a short commute or working for a socially responsible company.”

About 60 percent of Gen Y’ers also expect to have meaningful interaction with their managers “at least once a day.”

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

How To Get Promoted

A study at Stanford Business School examined the qualities that companies look for in promoting young managers toward senior executive positions, particularly the position of Chief Executive Officer.

The study concluded that the two most important qualities required for great success were, first, the ability to put together and function as part of a team. Since all work is ultimately done by teams, and the managers' output is the output of the team, the ability to select team members, set objectives, delegate responsibility and finally, get the job done, was central to success in management.

The second quality was found to be the ability to function well under pressure, especially in a crisis. Keeping your cool in a crisis means to practice patience and self-control under difficult or disappointing circumstances.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

Blogs? What Are They?

A blog is essentially a web-based journal. Because it’s web-based (known as a a web log, hence the name blog), it can also include photos and multimedia which allows its readers to add notes and comments to what they read. In essence, a blog can be classified as a “building block”!

Our cyberspace is full of blogs and for every blog that is out there, there are most likely numerous other blogs out there talking about the same topic. The terminology for this is “blogosphere”. But not all blogs stand alone. They can include clips from and links to outside content and other blogs.

Blogging gives you the ability to comment on other people’s writing and allows you to share your thoughts freely.

Many bloggers include extensive links to other blogs—or a “blogroll”— on their sites. You can find a blog that interests you and then explore similar blogs that are also listed . Bloggers often love to share news from their friends’ blogs, or talk about their partner’s or children’s’ blogs, which may deal with completely different subjects.

Blogging is a great way to learn more, directly from specialists, about specific subjects, or to converse online with people who share your interests. But you should use common sense when posting, and be cautious about anyone you or your children meet online.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

SYDNEY Events: Catch Them If You Can

Australian Chamber Orchestra
February 9th-March 19th 2008
In a busy 2008 schedule that will include trips to Europe and Asia, the Australian Chamber Orchestra comes to Sydney as the city wakes up after the summer holidays. Australia’s leading chamber-music ensemble kicks off the year with two programmes at the Sydney Opera House and the City Recital Hall under the direction of Richard Tognetti, the lead violinist.
The first features Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 19” played by Melvyn Tan, a British pianist, and “Strung Out”, a piece for strings by Roger Smalley, a British-born composer from Western Australia. The second programme has works by Elgar and Vaughan Williams, with Katie Noonan, a renowned Australian vocalist, performing English songs ranging from the 17th century to the Beatles.

City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney. Tel: +61 (02) 8256 2222. For programme details, see the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s website.

Open-air Cinema
Until February 16th 2008
Sydney has two outdoor cinemas running this summer, both of which are worth visiting as much for their atmosphere as for the films. The most popular is the Open Air Cinema at Mrs Macquarie’s Point, facing Sydney Harbour off the Royal Botanic Gardens. The programme mixes recent releases (such as “Michael Clayton” and “Atonement”) with previews of forthcoming features (“The Savages” and “3.10 to Yuma”). Web pre-sales have sold out, but about 50 tickets are held for sale at the gate each day from 6.30pm; it is worth joining the queue. There is a bar with drinks and good food on the premises.

You should have better luck booking ahead for the Moonlight Cinema in Centennial Park. Here you'll find a less ritzy location with a more adventurous programme, including a repertoire of classics (“2001: A Space Odyssy”, “Thelma and Louise” and “Casablanca”, among others). Bring a picnic. This cinema closes on March 9th.

Films at both cinemas start at sunset, around 8.30pm. See the Open Air Cinema's website, and the Moonlight Cinema's website.

Opera Australia Summer Season
December 31st 2007-March 29th 2008
Opera Australia, the country’s leading opera company, kicks off its summer season with a New Year’s Eve concert of selections from its repertoire. Consider splashing out on dinner beforehand or a party in the foyer afterwards, and expect excellent views of midnight fireworks over Sydney Harbour. The season closes with a rare performance of “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, conducted by Richard Hickox, the company’s music director, to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Ralph Vaughan Williams, the opera’s composer.

In between, there are new productions of Bizet’s “Carmen”, directed by Francesca Zambello, and Richard Strauss’s “Arabella”. For something a little different, take a picnic and a cushion to the Domain on February 2nd for the free, open-air performance of Puccini’s “La bohème”.
Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. Tel: +61 (02) 9250 7111. Box office: +61 (02) 9318 8200. See Opera Australia's website.

Sydney Festival
January 5th-26th 2008
In January many Sydneysiders escape the city for their summer holidays. But the Sydney Festival provides a good reason to stay. This year Fergus Linehan, the director since 2004, has added an opening night party of music and dance, which will wend through the central streets. Other highlights include appearances by Brian Wilson (co-founder of the Beach Boys), the National Theatre of Scotland and Spain's Compania Nacional de Danza.

After its sell-out debut in 2006, the Spiegeltent—a travelling tent—returns to Hyde Park to host risqué performances by La Clique, a cabaret and vaudeville company. The festival has two big open-air concerts in the Domain, both of them free. January 12th sees a jazz evening featuring the Spanish Harlem Orchestra of New York conducted by Oscar Hernandez. On the 19th the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer, performs an ensemble of classical and contemporary works. Arrive with a picnic a few hours before the 8pm starting time, as the best spots on the grass are snapped up quickly.

For programme details and bookings, see the Sydney Festival website. Telephone bookings: +61 (02) 1300 888 412.

Sidney Nolan: A New Retrospective
private collection (c) The Trustees of the Sidney Nolan Trust photograph Jenni Carter
Until February 3rd 2008

Sidney Nolan (1917-1992) is probably Australia’s most internationally renowned artist. Unashamedly modern in his approach, he drew his inspiration from the ancient landscapes of the outback. At a time when many dismissed it as harsh and barren, Mr Nolan saw this landscape as “the real Australia: old, dignified and coherent”. Starting with his earliest abstract works from the 1930s, and finishing with a spray-painted self-portrait completed in 1986, this exhibition of 117 works spans Mr Nolan’s visits to Antarctica, Africa and China.

Its essence, though, is the series of images for which he remains famous: of Burke and Wills, two ill-fated 19th-century explorers, and Ned Kelly, an outlaw whose gang was pursued by Mr Nolan’s grandfather, a policeman. They were the characters, he once said, whose stories helped him to interpret the outback. And do not miss the epic “Riverbend” series, depicting the Goulburn river in Victoria, where Mr Nolan spent part of his childhood. The exhibition is the centrepiece of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’s summer season.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Rd, The Domain, Sydney. Tel: +61 (0)2 9225 1744. Open: daily, 10am-5pm. Admission: A$12. See also the gallery's website.

Tough Men, Hard Times: Policing the Depression
Courtesy of Michael Cannon
Until February 10th 2008

This fascinating exhibition explores the political conflicts that rocked Sydney during the Great Depression. By 1932, more than one-third of Australia's workforce was unemployed; violent clashes erupted in Sydney between police and members of the Unemployed Workers Union, a communist-backed body. The New Guard, a paramilitary group with quasi-fascist leanings, attracted about 40,000 members in response to its claims that a Soviet-backed working-class uprising was imminent.

The exhibition presents the story of the 1930s by examining Sydney's police at the time. The force infiltrated both sides, and even uncovered an alleged New Guard plot to overthrow the government of New South Wales. The archival newspaper and film images of Depression-era Sydney are riveting, and provide a sobering contrast to the booming city of today.

Justice and Police Museum, Cnr Phillip St/Albert St, Circular Quay, Sydney. Tel: +61 (02) 9252 1144. Admission: A$8. Open: Sat-Sun 10am-5pm. See the museum's website.

The Photographs of August Sander
November 17th 2007-February 3rd 2008

There could hardly be a stronger contrast to the vibrant colours of Sidney Nolan's paintings than this concurrent exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW). It contains 155 photographs by August Sander, a German who documented life in the early 20th century using the faces of farmers, artisans and families around Cologne, where he lived.

The portraits tend to be austere and posed rather than spontaneous, and most predate the 1930s. The Nazi authorities’ disapproval of the social realism in Sander’s approach had a chilling effect on his output afterwards. The exhibition is drawn from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, which boasts the largest collection of Sander photographs outside Germany.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Rd, The Domain, Sydney. Tel: +61 (0)2 9225 1744. Open: daily, 10am-5pm. Admission: free. See also the gallery's website.

Convict Hulks: Life on the Prison Ships
SJ Jones collection, State Library of Victoria
Success, a convict hulk, at Hobart (c.1894)
Until July 26th 2009

This revealing exhibition charts the human stories behind Britain’s policy of using hulks, or old and unseaworthy ships, as floating prisons in the 18th and 19th centuries. The system, pioneered in London as a solution for Britain’s overflowing prisons, was farmed out to colonies such as New South Wales, Tasmania, Gibraltar and Bermuda. Most of the displays here concentrate on Bermuda, which between 1824 and 1863 received some 9,000 convicts, 2,000 of whom died in captivity. Look out for objects recovered by divers in 1982 from the Dromedary, a sunken convict hulk. They include pipes, rings and gaming boards that convicts made from bone, shell and metal to sell in exchange for tobacco, alcohol and food. The exhibition fits comfortably in the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, which sits in Sydney’s most historic convict building.

Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Queens Square, Macquarie St, Sydney. Tel: +61 (02) 8239 2311. Open: daily 9.30am-5pm. See also the museum's website.

Simon Turner simon@marquetteturner.com.au

That Sinking Feeling: Depression Saps Workers

Mental illness takes a bigger toll on business than physical woes, and disability absences are twice as long when triggered by depression.

If your bottom line has you feeling blue, don’t let that feeling get out of hand, or the bottom line could really suffer.

That’s because while workers with behavioral health problems—a phrase that encompasses substance abuse and mental health problems—are a small percentage of the overall workforce, they are responsible for a large percentage of overall health expenditures.

Marquette Turner has found studies in the US that indicate, for example, that roughly 6 percent of the U.S. workforce is depressed at any given time. But according to Sibson Consulting in Chicago, behavioral health issues cause 217 million missed workdays annually, account for 7.6 percent of total health care dollars, and are the fifth leading cause of short-term disability and, ultimately, the third leading cause of long-term disability.

Studies also show that 29 percent of health- and productivity-related expenditures are a result of employee absence and disability caused by physical health problems, while 47 percent are caused by mental health conditions.

Lost productivity from behavioral health problems can be staggering. For example, a 2006 Aetna analysis of claims found that disability absences doubled in length when the cause was depression. In a study of employers—including large private employers and governmental entities—OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions found that the average annual cost of lost productivity due to depression was $5 million per company.

Just letting employees know what benefits exist and encouraging them to utilize them is a good strategy. Firms should also analyze who is prescribing antidepressants and encourage employees to go to mental health professionals instead of general practitioners, Donahue says.
Antidepressants are often prescribed by general practitioners, but studies show that a combination of medicine and psychiatric therapy is the most effective treatment. Going to a mental health professional and getting therapy along with medication is more likely to result in better treatment, she says.

Employees who are depressed have higher medical utilization rates, so medical plan costs are higher. Depression becomes the costliest behavioral health-related issue for employers because when the high prevalence of depression among employees is factored together with medical, pharmaceutical and workplace productivity costs, the total cost to the employer is huge.

Employers should have a systematic program for treating depression. Training managers and organizational leaders to identify depression is also critical because workers may not recognize that they are depressed, she says.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

Expensive Things Makes You Feel Good: FACT!

EVERYONE loves a bargain. But retailers know that people will sometimes turn their noses up at a cheap version of a more expensive item, even if the two are essentially the same.

That suggests something is at work in the mind of the consumer beyond simple appreciation of a product's intrinsic qualities.

The something in question is expectation, according to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Antonio Rangel of the California Institute of Technology and reported by The Economist. Dr Rangel and his colleagues found that if people are told a wine is expensive while they are drinking it, they really do think it tastes nicer than a cheap one, rather than merely saying that they do.


Dr Rangel came to this conclusion by scanning the brains of 20 volunteers while giving them sips of wine. He used a trick called functional magnetic-resonance imaging, which can detect changes in the blood flow in parts of the brain that correspond to increased mental activity. He looked in particular at the activity of the medial orbitofrontal cortex. This is an area of the brain that previous experiments have shown is responsible for registering pleasant experiences.

Dr Rangel gave his volunteers sips of what he said were five different wines made from cabernet sauvignon grapes, priced at between $5 and $90 a bottle. He told each of them the price of the wine in question as he did so. Except, of course, that he was fibbing. He actually used only three wines. He served up two of them twice at different prices.


What is truth?
The scanner showed that the activity of the medial orbitofrontal cortices of the volunteers increased in line with the stated price of the wine. For example, when one of the wines was said to cost $10 a bottle it was rated less than half as good as when people were told it cost $90 a bottle, its true retail price. Moreover, when the team carried out a follow-up blind tasting without price information they got different results. The volunteers reported differences between the three “real” wines but not between the same wines when served twice.


Nor was the effect confined to everyday drinkers. When Dr Rangel repeated the experiment on members of the Stanford University wine club he got similar results. All of which raises the question of what is going on.

There are at least two possibilities. The point of learning is to improve an individual's chances of surviving and reproducing: if the experience and opinions of others can be harnessed to that end, so much the better. Dr Rangel suspects that what he has found is a mechanism for learning quickly what has helped others in the past, and thus for allowing choices about what is nice and what is nasty to be made speedily and efficiently. In modern society, price is probably a good proxy for such collective wisdom.

However, goods can be desirable for a reason other than survival value. Many of the things for which high price is an enhancement are purchased in order to show off, as any male confronted with the wine list in a fancy restaurant knows. Indeed, conspicuous consumption and waste are an important part of social display. Deployed properly, they bring the rewards of status and better mating opportunities. For this to work, though, it helps if the displaying individual really believes that what he is buying is not only more expensive than the alternative, but better, too. Truly enjoying something simply because it is exclusive thus makes evolutionary sense.

Besides its role in giving cachet to wine, this may be the explanation for the sort of modern art that leaves the man in the street cold. Art collecting is a high-status activity par excellence. Many lowlier mortals regard it as pretentious. If Dr Rangel is right, though, pretence may not be the true explanation. The collector who has paid millions for a plain-coloured canvas or a pickled sheep probably really does think it is beautiful.

Whichever explanation is correct (and both might be), Dr Rangel's research also has implications for retailers, marketing firms and luxury-goods producers. It suggests that a successful marketing campaign can not only make people more interested in a product, but also, truly, make them enjoy it more.



Simon Turner simon@marquetteturner.com.au

Taming the Lion: 100 Secret Strategies for Investing Success - by Richard Farleigh

BOOK REVIEW

A former economist and a chess player, Richard Farleigh saw investment and trading as a form of gambling. But gradually he came to believe that market prices are predictable and recognised the many opportunities the markets could offer.

In Taming the Lion, Farleigh shares the unconventional philosophies he has developed over the years. The book will take you through the 100 strategies Farleigh has developed to enable consistent success in the markets.

rrp: $29.95
ISBN: 978 0 731404 63 6

Simon Turner simon@marquetteturner.com.au

Karōshi: Death from Overwork

Karōshi (過労死), which can be translated quite literally from Japanese as "death from overwork", is occupational sudden death. The major medical causes of karōshi deaths are heart attack and stroke due to stress.

The first case of karōshi was reported in 1969 with the death from a stroke of a 29-year-old male worker in the shipping department of Japan's largest newspaper company. It was not until the latter part of the 1980s, during the Bubble Economy, however, when several high-ranking business executives who were still in their prime years suddenly died without any previous sign of illness, that the media began picking up on what appeared to be a new phenomenon.

This new phenomenon was quickly labeled karōshi and was immediately seen as a new and serious menace for people in the work force. In 1987, as public concern increased, the Japanese Ministry of Labour began to publish statistics on karōshi.

Usually, Japan's rise from the devastation of World War II to economic prominence in the post-war decades has been regarded as the trigger for what has been called a new epidemic. It was recognized that employees cannot work for up to twelve or more hours a day, six or seven days a week, year after year, without suffering physically as well as mentally.

A recent measurement found that a Japanese worker has approximately two hours overtime a day on average. In almost all cases, the overtime is unpaid. The recent international expansion of Japanese multinationals has also led to an export of the Karōshi culture to countries such as China, Korea and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, death-by-overwork lawsuits have been on the rise in Japan, with the deceased person's relatives demanding compensation payments. However, before compensation can be awarded, the labour inspection office must acknowledge that the death was work-related. As this may take many years in detailed and time-consuming judicial hearings, many do not demand payment.

Japanese courts have even awarded damages to relatives in cases of work overload induced stress or depression ending with the suicide of the employee when the Labour Standards Inspection Office rejected the plea for compensation. The practice of "voluntary" undocumented unpaid overtime (sabisu-zangyo) is also reported as leading to karōshi incidents.

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour published relevant statistics in 2007: about 355 workers fell severely ill or died from overwork in the year to March, the highest figure on record and 7.6 percent up from the previous year. Of the total, 147 people died, many from strokes or heart attacks. Separately, another 819 workers contended they became mentally ill due to overwork, with 205 cases given compensation, according to the ministry data released on Wednesday. Mentally troubled workers killed themselves or attempted to do so in 176 cases.

Simon Turner: simon@marquetteturner.com.au

TOXIC: When the Workplace Turns Sour

Question:

Many complain about poor workplace behaviors of others. Although not illegal, these behaviors are unhealthy and unproductive. Some of those that I work with do not seem capable of getting along with each other, and it’s harming our ability to work efficiently. What can I do to address these behaviors and improve this toxic work environment?

Answer:

The first step is to create a clear list of the exact behaviors you have in mind. Until people know what is and what isn’t OK at work, your workplace will continue to put up with employees’ differing standards.

For some, asking for a date is cute and flirtatious. For others, it’s awkward and insulting. For some, terms like “stupid” are playful, while others find it demeaning and unprofessional.

Your team should meet with people who had complained of a toxic work environment and ask them to share the details of what other's are saying and doing. From these interviews then develop a detailed list of inappropriate behaviors.

What may seem menial and rather obvious can produce spectacular results. After turning the list into a formal code of conduct, ask each team member to agree to the code and then start holding people accountable to the new standard. So, start by clarifying the new rules.

At the personal level, deal with each abusive interaction as it happens. Hold what we have come to call a “crucial conversation.” Start by assuming the other person isn’t fully aware of the impact of their actions. Instead of becoming upset, ask yourself: Why would a reasonable, rational and decent person do what they just did? Now you won’t be angry and won’t start the discussion on the wrong foot.

Next, describe the problem, starting with the facts: “Here’s what just happened” as opposed to what you want to see happen. For example: “You raised your voice and called me incompetent. I was hoping we could keep our conversations free from labels or a harsh tone.” Then stop and check for the other person’s point of view. “Is that what just happened, or did I miss something?”

If the person agrees but seems unaffected, explain the consequences of their actions—how it made you feel and the effects on your relationship. If they still remain unaffected, explain that you’ll have to call in an authority figure. Of course, this won’t be necessary as long as you start the discussion with a clear and unemotional description of the problem. When you keep a professional tone, the other person is likely to respond in kind and you’ll engage in a healthy discussion of the problem.

You are right to be concerned about a toxic work environment. Everybody deserves a workplace filled with civility and respect.

Christine Watson: christine@marquetteturner.com.au

No Act: Keeping the Cirque de Soleil Show on the Road

If the logistics of mounting Cirque du Soleil’s signature big tent productions seem daunting, so is the behind-the-scenes maneuvering to keep entertainers and other employees properly insured and protected.


That task continues to grow as the privately held Montreal entertainment enterprise adds to its eight touring troupes, five resident shows and related projects.



Coordinating benefits for Cirque du Soleil can be as complicated as the somersaults performed by acrobats in the troupe’s giant spinning German Wheel act.

How can an employer provide health insurance for workers who travel 100 percent of the time? How should it calculate risk for employees whose daily routines include fireworks, martial arts and hanging from ropes 50 feet off the ground?

It’s all in a day’s work for Hélène Thibault, a senior benefits manager for the avant-garde circus. Her background as an accredited actuary makes her especially well suited to the job. It’s not the usual career path for actuaries, the highly trained professionals who use math, statistics and finance theory to calculate the business impacts of risk. But it’s one Thibault, 30, enjoys. It brings imagination to a profession that’s typically black and white.

"Cirque du Soleil is a creative company, so working in benefits can’t be that straightforward," she says. "We need to be creative and adapt to everything the company is doing. We always work in the gray areas."


On the road
In her role as senior benefits manager, Thibault is responsible for planning health care coverage for a majority of Cirque du Soleil’s approximately 4,000 employees. She is one of 70 employees on Cirque du Soleil’s HR team in Montreal, and her charges include 1,600 employees in Montreal and 1,000 permanent expatriates—the performing artists and support personnel who travel continuously around the world. Thibault and her team of four assistants were also responsible for developing and financing a health insurance plan for Cirque du Soleil employees in Las Vegas and Orlando, Florida, where the company stages permanent shows at hotels. A stateside HR staff administers it, however.

With such a diverse global workforce, one-size-fits-all benefits are out of the question. Expats pose particular problems because they change addresses—and often countries—every six to eight weeks. One of the first things Thibault did after joining Cirque du Soleil in October 2006 was reorganize the company’s health insurance coverage. Until then, the company had used one carrier for its U.S. employees and a second for everyone else. But the setup caused problems.

For a venture as risky as a circus, Cirque du Soleil’s accident rate isn’t out of the norm, Thibault says. "For sure we have some accidents. Things happen, but probably not as much as people think," she says.

In one such case in mid-November 2007, two performers in the circus’ Zumanity show at the New York New York hotel in Las Vegas were hurt during an aerial performance and taken to a local hospital. One performer was released the next day and the other was still being treated for undisclosed injuries two weeks later. At the time, a spokeswoman said all company emergency procedures had been followed.

Cirque du Soleil’s workers’ comp program is partially self-insured. Each year, Thibault uses historical claims data and other factors to calculate how much the company will pay per workers’ comp claim, a number the company doesn’t disclose. Anything over that amount is covered by outside workers’ comp insurance, also from Cigna.

Cirque du Soleil hasn’t encountered a major disaster, but there have been scares. When Hurricane Katrina devastated Biloxi, Mississippi, in fall 2005, Cirque du Soleil was in the final stages of prepping for a six-month show that was to open there the following February. In a short time, the company came up with a Plan B and sent the show to South America instead, Thibault says.

In the event that a show can’t go on, the circus carries cancellation insurance. Since joining the company, Thibault has also begun planning for other catastrophes. For example, she has used computer models to calculate how many days of work the company’s employees would miss in the event of a worldwide outbreak of the flu or another pandemic. "I don’t think anyone else in the HR department could have built that," she says.

Repeat After Me: "I Can Do It"

According to psychologists, repeating the words “I Can Do It” is the way to overcome any fear of failure that may be holding you back from achieving your goals and dreams.

By repeatedly talking to yourself , enthusiastically saying the words, “I Can Do It, I Can Do It, I Can do It”, you will get the message into your subconscious mind, which will then lower any fears you may have and helps to build your self confidence. To motivate yourself, reaffirm what you want, and talk to yourself with positive, uplifting words – it makes you feel good!

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

The Stress of I.T.

Technology professionals seem to be happy with their jobs, but they are also extremely stressed and likely to recommend careers in other fields to their friends, according to a new report from Dice.com.

The Dice Tech Appeal Index measures a person’s inclination to recommend the information technology field to others as opposed to another industry. Some 1,000 individuals were surveyed, including 565 adults currently working in IT.

For IT companies, there is good news in the survey. Ninety-one percent of survey participants say they are somewhat or very satisfied in their current job. What’s more, 92 percent of respondents note they intend to stay in the IT field for at least the next six months.

The bad news is that despite the general satisfaction with their jobs, IT professionals are more inclined to recommend a career in other industries to their friends than they were a year ago. Recommending jobs in financial services went up by almost 10 percentage points to 56 percent, as it did for media and entertainment, which moved to 44 percent from 34 percent.

“Although the satisfaction and loyalty levels of IT professionals continue to be strong, we're seeing evidence of possible retention issues over the long term,” said Scot Melland, chairman, president and CEO of Dice Holdings Inc., parent company of New York-based Dice, in a release.

One key culprit may be work-related anxiety. The study found that 91 percent of respondents associate the work with stress—mostly due to workload, dealing with clients and pace of the job.

The fear of exporting work overseas also weighs on the minds of IT professionals. Forty-six percent of survey participants say they are somewhat or very concerned about offshoring, an increase from 39 percent a year ago.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

When Writing is Wrong

Studies now show there is a glaring deficiency in reading and writing among new entrants in the workforce, and that is troubling employers who are being forced to invest in additional training—or simply look for skilled workers offshore—for one of the most fundamental job skills in the 21st century economy.

Studies are showing that today’s workforce is “woefully ill-prepared” for the demands of the workplace.

The decline in reading and writing skills has demonstrable social, economic, cultural, and civic implications. Workers who cannot read and write well earn less and have higher unemployment rates. Employers, meanwhile, must spend more time and money on what is considered a basic skill.

Even among recent graduates, new employees are frequently unable to write effectie business communication, read analytically or solve problems.

It’s nice that they are reading e-mails and reading comics, but if they can’t turn it into a communication tool, that is where the breakdown happens on the employer side.

Literacy levels today are similar to those in 1970, but the economy has changed drastically since then. Workers today need to be able to read and analyze complex, often very technical material, like manuals for car mechanics, to succeed in most jobs.

Jobs that don’t have much in the way of skills have moved out of the country or are not living-wage jobs. That means even jobs that are considered low skill, require workers to read at a reasonably high level.

Schools are not demanding students to read what the workforce is demanding them to read and the problems come down to basic errors in grammar, spelling and tone that can nonetheless be disastrous for a company and its image.

If you can’t make sure an e-mail is grammatically correct, what else are you cutting corners on? Companies invest millions of dollars in their image and it can be undone in a matter of minutes by one sloppy e-mail.

Christine Watson christine@marquetteturner.com.au

Ease Yourself Into 2008

Christmas and new year celebrations have come and gone, as have the decorations, family, and hopefully any hang-overs!

Now it’s time to get back into it, and it wouldn't be so surprising if there's more than a few people out there who are not exactly jumping out of bed in the mornings to hurry off to work, after seeing what a good couple of days or weeks off feels like!

Here are our tips to ease yourself back into work life, if you’re feeling a little less than enthused.

Be measured

If you spent a lazy week on a beach in Queensland, jumped on a plane, and were at work bright and early the next morning, no wonder you’re feeling a little worse for wear! Or, if you just had to go to every late night party on offer over the Christmas break, and then expected to be able to turn your body clock around in the blink of an eye, I’m sure you had another think coming!

Recognise that you over-indulged and lived completely differently from normal – hey, it’s called a holiday! – and take your time getting back into your everyday life. Perhaps try to keep your working hours shorter for the first week. Ultimately, however, don't punish or expect too much from yourself.

Engage yourself.

Find a project that you can get into straight away. Something a little bit exciting or different from your normal work routine. If you have something to work on, and an end result to look forward to, it can make taking your mind off other things a lot easier.

See the lessons.

It's hardly surprising if you rediscovered how nice it is to enjoy taking time off. Let this be a lesson for you. In your first spare five minutes, sit down with your diary and work out when you’re going to take your next real break. Let’s face it – if you wait too long before planning your next holiday, you’ll lose interest and just not do it at all!

And, most of all, remember that being at work is what enables you to afford to take holidays in the first place! So, get set for a fantastic 2008, put everything into your work, and most importantly ensure that you aim for balance.

Simon Turner simon@marquetteturner.com.au

Kick Your 2008 Goals

Many of us are probably thinking about what we could have or should have done differently last year.

What worked, what didn’t and what we now want to do that is different from last year. Typically we all want to be more financially successful, happier and healthier. Often we look at the possibilities of starting a business or seeking a new job.

Most friends will encourage you in your decisions. Others may offer their thoughts and opinions.

Before making any decisions about the changes you are about to make, always remember to explore every opportunity and obtain as much information as you can, talk to as many people as you can and be open to all ideas.

Friends can be and are often well meaning, however, remember they have no emotional or financial involvement. Marquette Turner advises you to focus on what you want to achieve then listen to yourself - trust your inner voice - it is usually right.

Christine Watson

christine@marquetteturner.com.au

Be Your Own Best Friend

Many people believe they are “what they do”. We are made up of a combination of “ingredients” that is who we are – unique and remarkable and different from anyone else.

We have all shared a variety of experiences which have been negative as well as positive. We have all been educated and learned from the varying work and activities we have involved ourselves in, as well as the people we deal with daily. We are also made up by how we treat ourselves.

Did you know that we speak to ourselves all the time. Some days we can direct around 20,000 words at ourselves and most of these words are negative words. We tend to feed our minds with negative dialogue. How long do you think you would keep a friend if this is how you spoke to them all the time?

Marquette Turner is here to remind you that you are your own best friend, so talk nicely to yourself. Say kind things to yourself about yourself. Believe in you. You will be amazed at the difference it makes to the person you know best – you.

Christine Watson
christine@marquetteturner.com.au