February 06 Newsletter

Terrific Temp

Outstanding performance from our temps doesn’t go unnoticed. We truly appreciate their efforts and therefore would like to acknowledge the great work they are doing for us.

Our February Temp of the Month award goes to Fiona Carmady. She has received fantastic feedback with her employers saying she is efficient, calm, has great attendance and she handles every call really well.

Fiona is pictured here whilst on assignment at Network Services. She gets a $100 voucher from the store of her choice.

Part-time mothers want more work

Mothers who work part-time are increasingly wanting more hours, a new study has shown.

The findings by the Australian Institute of Family Studies were published this week in its journal Family Matters.

In a comparison of survey data from 1996 to 2003, mothers with children aged under 5 years and working "minimal" hours (1-14 per week) showed the biggest change in wanting to work longer hours, jumping from 15% to 40%.

The proportion of those working 15-29 hours a week wanting extra hours increased from 5% to 19%, while for those working 30-34 hours, the increase was zero to 13%.

Similar trends were found among part-time female workers with older children (5 to 12 years).

Overall, the latest findings indicate nearly three-quarters of mothers with a child aged under 13 want to be in paid work, regardless of their current employment status.

The study's authors said the results suggest growing demand for "access to high quality and affordable childcare, flexible work hours and part-time work that does not jeopardise the chance of promotion".

Beaumont Consulting are continuously recruiting for more and more role – and we have found that part-time roles are coming up more frequently. If you to are looking for part-time work be sure to visit our website www.beaumontconsulting.com.au to check out any of our current part-time and full-time vacancies.

Article from: Shortlist

15 Excuses for Calling in Sick

It's 6 a.m. and you are about to throw the alarm clock out the window. It's too cold out, you're tired, you had one glass of wine too many last night, you've really got to clean your house, and, most importantly, you haven't had some real bonding time with your couch lately.

"Just call in," you tell yourself. "They can get by one day without me."

So, in your best sick voice, you leave a near-death sounding message for your boss and throw in a cough just to make it believable. Ferris Bueller has nothing on you!

The art of playing hooky
CareerBuilder.com recently took a look at employees who call in sick with bogus excuses. Forty-three percent of workers said they called in sick when they felt well at least once during the last year, up from 35 percent in the 2004 survey.

The most popular motivator for missing work: good, old-fashioned rest. Almost 23 percent of workers said they just wanted to relax and catch up on sleep. Seventeen percent said they just didn't feel like going in, 16 percent attributed it to a doctor's appointment, and 9 percent said they had to catch up on housework and run personal errands.

Three-day weekend or mid-week break?
Thirty-eight percent of workers said they viewed sick days as equivalent to vacation days. The most popular day for calling in sick when feeling well was Wednesday, with 27 percent of workers getting over the mid-week hump by fabricating an excuse. While extended weekend absences were also popular, with 26 percent of workers calling in sick on Monday and 14 percent on Friday, those partaking may have put themselves at more risk of scrutiny.

Your boss is no fool.
Sixty-three percent of hiring managers said they are more suspicious of employees calling in sick on a Monday or Friday. The survey also revealed that some hiring managers were less tolerant of workers playing hooky, with almost one-fourth stating they fired an employee for missing work without a legitimate reason. While the definition of a sick day has evolved, with more employers including mental health and special circumstances in the description, workers should be mindful of company policies and their responsibilities as an employee.

"I was abducted by aliens..."
When asked to share the most unusual excuses workers gave for missing work, hiring managers shared some of their favorite examples:

• "I'm too drunk to drive to work."

• "I accidentally flushed my keys down the toilet."

• "I had to help deliver a baby on my way to work." (Employee was not in the medical profession.)

• "I accidentally drove through the automatic garage door before it opened."

• "My boyfriend's snake got loose and I'm afraid to leave the bedroom until he gets home."

• "I'm too fat to get into my work pants."

• "God didn't wake me." (Employee didn't believe in alarm clocks and thought a higher power would wake her when she was ready.)

• "I cut my fingernails too short, they're bleeding and I have to go to the doctor."

• "The ghosts in my house kept me up all night."

• "I forgot I was getting married today."

• "My cow bit me."

• "My son accidentally fell asleep next to wet cement in our backyard. His foot fell in and we can't get it out."

• "I was watching a guy fixing a septic pump, fell in the hole and hurt myself."

• "I was walking my dog and slipped on a toad in my driveway and hurt my back."

• "My house lock jammed, and I'm locked in."

Article from: CareerBuilder.com

Beaumont Happenings

You’ll be pleased to know that our new peeps - Dan and Justine - have settled in quite nicely and their pictures will be added to our website soon.

Our Chatswood team are making themselves comfortable following a HUGE move to the other side of the building – a whole 25 meters away!

Also, pictured here is a very happy snap of our beloved Bob – make sure you say hi to him next time you are in!

Joke of the month

Some things to ponder;
- Why is there an expiration date on SOUR cream?
- If you keep trying to prove Murphy's Law, will something keep going wrong?
- Why does flammable and inflammable mean the same thing?
- How can someone "draw a blank"?
- Shouldn't there be a shorter word for "monosyllabic"?

Quote of the month

Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade?

Benjamin Franklin