RECESSION NOTWITHSTANDING THE LEVEL OF UNPAID OVERTIME DECREASED COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, BUT REMAINS STILL HIGH

Despite during 2009 the number of people regularly working unpaid overtime has reduced of 168.000 people, the number of people working unpaid overtime in the UK remains pretty high at 5,07 million. Free work performed by employees has been considered worth £ 27,4 billion.
Is estimated that people, working unpaid overtime, produced additional weekly work for an average of 7 hours and 12 minute, which should have increased their personal income of £ 5.402 a year.

A survey carried out over a panel of 1.663 employees reveals that 58% of them are working more unpaid overtime hours than ever, 71% even affirming working during lunch break, and 44% stating to leave, very often, their desks in the late evening.

The top of the table of the overworking towns list in the UK and the average hours overtime per week shows:
1. Sheffield - 6.4 hours
2. London - 6.1 hours
3. Nottingham - 5.7 hours
4. Bristol - 5.3 hours
5. Edinburgh - 5 hours
6. Manchester - 4.9 hours
7. Slough - 4.6 hours
8. Glasgow - 4.6 hours
9. Newcastle - 4.3 hours
10. Walsall - 4.2 hours

Recession has forced employers to reduce staff or the number of hours worked by them, which are amongst the main reasons accounting for the increase of unpaid overtime. In many cases, employee’s availability and sacrifice has been crucial to keep organisations afloat and has definitely contributed to save many jobs. Many employees report a lack of recognition for their efforts from their employers, possibly taking for granted their efforts in a period dominated by hardships. Employees, nonetheless, were expected and would have been much more motivated by their employers gratitude.

Many people are still working additional unpaid hours and not always because of recession related reasons. This is contributing to cause stress and harm employee’s health. If, in some cases, this phenomenon could be fully understandable, that is in those cases in which employers are struggling to overcome recession, pointless presenteeism should be definitely avoided, in that bad both for staff and organisation.

GOOD SUCCESSION PLANNING AND TALENT RETENTION POLICIES VITAL TO RECOVER AND BE READY FOR THE, HOPEFULLY, INCOMING UPTURN

According to a recent survey, carried out amongst 100 HR Senior Managers, HR Professionals’ top three challenges for 2010 are employee retention, succession planning and supporting and sustaining their business’ leadership.

Whilst employee retention has always been named in previous surveys as one of the top three HR’s priorities, this year’s inclusion of succession planning let it transpire the importance HR recognise to long term growth and stability.

The problem is that 70% of the managers participating in the survey claimed they won’t have additional resources to support business leadership, 32% are expected their budget will be reduced this year, whilst a measly 18% are expected their budged will be raised. A considerable 50%, if anything, consider their budget will remain stable.

Whilst succession planning could represent the basis for a firm having the talent assuring its future growth, strategic succession planning could couple this aim, with retention and development of organisation’s best talents. Many HR Professionals, in fact, are showing a certain degree of concern in retention terms, considering the next economic recovery. So that, best talents need to be engaged and motivated before they even consider to leave.

HR Managers also stressed the importance of good software tools very useful to implement better performance management and improve succession and career plans.

Organisations that will be successful on retaining talent and deliver appropriate succession planning, will be the ones which will recover better and in a shorter period of time.