HR World: August 2014

Got a workplace BFF? Just watch your back if they’re under 25

Would you sell out a friend for the sake of a promotion? The answer probably depends on your age, according to a new global study into workplace relationships.

Based on interviews with 11,500 professionals from 14 countries, the Relationships@Work study published by LinkedIn found that 46 per cent of all those questioned believe friendships with colleagues make them happier at work.

But while millennials (18 to 24-year-olds) are the most enthusiastic age group – saying workplace friends make them feel happy (57 per cent), motivated (50 per cent) and productive (39 per cent) – they are also the most Machiavellian, with 68 per cent saying they’d cast a friendship aside if it got in the way of a promotion.

This is in stark contrast to baby boomers (55 to 65-year-olds), who are both less friendly – only 40 per cent believe socialising with co-workers makes their working environment better compared with 60 per cent of millennials – and less ruthless: 62 per cent would not consider sacrificing a friendship to advance their career.

The study also showed a wide variation in attitudes between countries. More than half (51 per cent) of Indonesian professionals say their closest colleagues understand them better than their friends, compared to just 9 per cent of British workers.

In India, meanwhile, one third of professionals say their closest colleagues understand them better than their partners, giving new meaning to the old expression, “married to your work”.

US workers rebel against toilet tyranny

It’s not often that companies penalise workers for spending too much time doing their business, but one Chicago-based manufacturer is doing just that – not by cracking down on overtime, but by disciplining employees who dawdle in the loo.

According to CNN Money, factory workers at the WaterSaver Faucet Company, a supplier of laboratory equipment, are rebelling against the firm’s policy of monitoring and limiting the amount of time they spend in the toilet.

Since the end of last year, employees have had to use swipe cards to access bathrooms between breaks, and face disciplinary measures for excessive usage. The company defines “excessive” as more than 60 minutes over 10 working days, or six minutes a day.

The workers’ union, Teamsters Local 743, has now filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board claiming WaterSaver was acting unfairly by disciplining 19 workers in June, and describing the policy as an invasion of privacy.

“The company has spreadsheets on every union employee on how long they were in the bathroom,” said Nick Kreitman, the union representative at WaterSaver. “There have been meetings with workers and human resources where the workers had to explain what they were doing in the bathroom.”

WaterSaver’s CEO, Steve Kersten, said the company had no choice but to discipline the workers, claiming 120 hours of production were lost in May due to toilet trips. He believed workers might be spending time on their phones in the loo, though admitted he had no hard evidence.

But according to Kreitman, the policy was clearly unreasonable given the human body can’t perform on cue. He added that since the firm’s 140 employees don’t get paid sick days, many would come into work sick rather than lose a day’s pay, meaning they may have to use the toilet more. Whichever way you looked it, he seemed to imply, it was a bum deal.

Muslim holy month boosts morale at work

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan boosts morale in the workplace, according to 94.5 per cent of professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The Ramadan in the Mena Workplace survey by jobs website Bayt.com – which questioned over 7,000 employees in the region – also showed the month brought workers closer together, with 84.7 per cent saying colleagues socialised more during the period.

On the other hand, more than half (55.4 per cent) claim that co-workers are more short-tempered during Ramadan – unsurprising, perhaps, given the combination of growling stomachs and late nights.

From a performance perspective, three-quarters of respondents (74.7 per cent) say business is slower during Ramadan. According to those questioned, this dip in productivity might be attributed to more people taking holiday (69 per cent) or staying up late (81.1 per cent). As a solution, 90 per cent believe offering special bonuses would increase motivation.

Almost nine out of 10 professionals (86.9 per cent) also confirm that their companies have different working hours during the holy month, with 58 per cent saying that more working hours throughout the period would have a positive impact on performance.

Looking for talent? Don’t forget to check under your nose

Hiring managers in European firms risk missing out on top talent and increasing costs by not paying enough attention to candidates closer to home, according to new research by Cornerstone OnDemand.

The Your Company’s Got Talent! – Internal Recruitment Issues in the European Marketplace survey polled HR professionals from 363 organisations across the UK, France, Germany and Italy, and found that while 77 per cent believe internal recruitment to be critical, 54 per cent do less than a third of their recruiting from their existing employee base.

And although more than 40 per cent believe a career planning system for existing employees is essential, 69 per cent rely primarily on job posting systems to recruit internally.

Barriers to internal recruitment cited by HR professionals include fear of losing top performers (25 per cent), creating internal vacancies (14 per cent) and limiting diversity in the workplace (12 per cent). Despite this, 93 per cent admit that hiring from within has been successful in the past.

“Staff turnover and external recruitment can be prohibitively expensive, costing more than £30,000 on average,” said Vincent Belliveau, senior vice president & general manager EMEA for Cornerstone OnDemand. “Organisations already have a good understanding of the skills and aptitudes of their people, making internal hires a faster, more effective way of recruiting.”

About the author

Rhianon Howells

The former editor of a leading trade magazine, Rhianon Howells has extensive experience of writing for both business and consumer titles, including The Guardian. In addition to writing about HR, she specialises in health, fitness, leisure and hospitality.