August 08 Newsletter

Slaves to the mail

There is a rising concern that employees are slaves to emails, making offices less efficient.
Since 1996, the use of email in offices has risen approximately 40 percent per year according to Email Management Solutions. The consulting firm claims that 14.5 hours a week of an employees time is spent sorting through emails.

Try following these 10 tips for managing your mail and communicating more effectively:

1. Be clear and concise.
2. Respond quickly, within four hours if possible.
3. Answer all questions to avoid multiple emails on a single topic.
4. Limit abbreviations and emoticons.
5. Do not contribute to corporate spam by using the cc field extensively.
6. Only use 'Reply to all' when the information is relevant to all.
7. Do not overuse 'urgent' and 'important' flags.
8. Do not request read of delivery receipts.
9. Never discuss confidential information by email.
10. Write subject headings that are relevant.
(Source: www.emailmanagement.com.au)

457

Proposed new laws to reform the 457 visa scheme

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, will introduce new laws to help prevent the exploitation of temporary skilled foreign workers and ensure the wages and conditions of Australian workers are not undercut.

He has recently committed $19.6 million in the 2008-09 Budget to improve the processing and compliance of the temporary skilled migration program. The Bill to amend the Migration Act (1958) is planned for September, and the new measurements will include:

Expanded powers to monitor and investigate employer non-compliance with the 457 visa scheme
A framework for punitive penalties for employers found to be in breach of their obligations
Improved information sharing between government agencies to improve compliance
A redefined sponsorship obligations framework for employers of 457 visa workers and a range of other temporary work visas.

The discussion paper proposes legislation to enable specially appointed officers with investigative powers to enter and search workplaces to determine whether employers are complying with their sponsorship obligations. Employers who provide false or misleading information could face penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of up to $110 000 or both.

The uncapped temporary skilled migration program will exceed 100 000 places in 2007-08 but these temporary visa holders are currently not entitled to a range of government services available to residents and citizens of Australia, such as health and welfare benefits.

The intention of the Bill is to clarify sponsor obligations and provide further fair and transparent mechanisms for temporary workers from overseas.

mat

Maternity leave a lure in returning to work

It seems it doesn’t matter whether they are paid or unpaid: women who have access to some kind of leave after the birth of a child are more likely to return to work than those who do not. A major study has found that most women are likely to return to work after 12 months from giving birth, while the vast majority of maternity schemes are only valid for 12 months.

Two thirds of the 3500 mothers surveyed had access to leave of some kind while 27% had no leave at all. The report found that of those with paid leave, 83% returned to work within 18 months, compared to 77% of women who took unpaid leave returning to work.

The study also found that the most popular age bracket for women to return to work is once their child had reached 18 months old, with 54% of women returning to work by this time.

The study also discovered women who took no leave of any kind had the lowest rates of return. Longer leave also lead to women not returning to the same job or work, mainly due to their confidence declining in their ability to find a job.

pay

NSW pay rise sets bar for the nation

A pay rise of 4 percent was granted to thousands of low paid New South Wales workers as of July 1 by the Industrial Relations Commission.

The boost in the minimum wage of $21.25 per week applies to approx 220,000 workers. The minimum wage for NSW award employees in retail, accommodation, restaurant, property and other services has now gone up to $552.65.

The Rudd Government has remained tight-lipped about its stance on the minimum wage, and is leaving the Howard government’s system in place until 2010. It hopes the states will then join a new national system, under a single tribunal called Fair Work Australia. august

What’s on in August

Beijing Olympics 08-08-08
Friday August 8, the Olympics start.

The Sun-Herald City 2 Surf
Sunday August 10 - entries still open for the 14km event.

Science in the City
Tuesday 5 - Thursday August 14 - hands on science experience school children should attend.

Live Green - Sunday August 17 - an event for your future