September 09 Newsletter

Temp of the Month

Once again we are so pleased to have such lovely comments about our temps. This month the winner is Megan Michelle and this is what her employer had to say about her: “Megan is THE BEST temp that we have been sent by Beaumont Consulting. She is a delight to work with and her positive attitude in a pressure cooker environment is commendable.Megan takes pride in her job and extends herself beyond the scope of the role willingly. She loves learning new skills and has attracted positive comments from permanent staff members and colleagues.” Brilliant, thanks so much Megan.

We would also like to say thank you to Brendan Spratt. Brendan has worked with Beaumont for just a short amount of time but has made a great impression. Brendan has displayed great initiative and always goes above and beyond the expectations of his role. Thanks Brendan, we look forward to working with you again in the future.

Finally, we must say a MASSIVE thank you to Dee Nguyen. Dee has taken on countless assignments for us over the last 6 months and has impressed every time! She is flexible, quick thinking, happy and confident and is a pleasure to work with. We have now placed Dee in a permanent role; she will be greatly missed by the City Temp Team but we wish her all the luck in the world in her new role and can’t wait to hear how she gets on, keep in touch Dee!

soft

Soft economy keeps lid on wages expectations

A Melbourne Institute Wages report released in August found total pay rose 4.1 per cent in the 12 months to August, up 0.8 percentage points from the last survey in May. Basic hourly rates for wages - which omits bonuses and overtime pay - also rose by 4.1 per cent in the year to August.

Melbourne Institute research fellow Edda Claus said the soft jobs market continued to dampen prospects for growth in wages over the coming year. "As observed in the 12 months to May 2009, total pay and hourly wage rates have again risen at similar rates," Dr Claus said in a statement. "This is consistent with a continued dull labour market."

The report said the same growth rate in total pay and basic hourly wages suggested less overtime and bonuses were being paid in the softer economic conditions. Respondents said they expected their pay to grow by 3.2 per cent during the next 12 months, up from 2.6 per cent posted in the May survey. "This is also consistent with weak employment growth," the report said.

The survey of 1200 households revealed the Australian Capital Territory had the strongest growth in total pay, up 6.4 per cent in the year to August, while Victoria had the weakest increase, 2.4 per cent.
Australia's unemployment rate was 5.7 per cent in July, steady from June.

Understanding money

The Australian Government has an excellent website to help with your personal finances. Visit www.understandingmoney.gov.au, which has some really useful ideas and resources to help you take control of your money.

With information and guidance on topics like budgeting, saving money, controlling debt and protecting your finances. The website also has a very comprehensive downloadable budget planner, essential for anyone who wants to get on top of their finances - Definitely worth a visit!!

9 ways to improve your relationship with your boss

It's always a good idea to improve your relationship with your boss. A number of Managers were surveyed and came up with the following pet peeves!

Don't ask questions you can answer
"I must get one hundred questions a day - the majority are those that employees can answer themselves. They're just being lazy." Yes, it's comforting to ask your boss when you lack confidence or feel you need their approval but, next time, ask yourself first: "Will they be able to answer this any better than I can?" In most cases, probably not. You know your job better than anyone else, be resourceful and think things through first.
Solutions, not problems
"It annoys me when people come to me with problems and expect a solution."Don't go to your boss with a problem if you haven't spent at least 10 minutes thinking of possible solutions. It will impress your boss if you go to them with a tricky issue and then suggest ways to resolve it.
Never apologise
"I love it when people take responsibility for their mistakes."There's a right way to do this. Next time you make a mistake, try this: "I think this project could have been better." or "In retrospect, I think I should have done it differently." or "Next time I would..." Your boss will be impressed and focus on what you've learned rather than what you've done wrong.
Don't get emotional
"I cringe at some emails that get sent by people on my team."Don't ever send an email in a moment of anger or frustration. It's tempting to reply immediately after reading an email that angers or upsets you. Write your response immediately, but don't send it. Wait at least half an hour, then re-read the original email and your response. Nine times out of ten, you will have calmed down and can send a much more constructive and considered response. Your boss will admire your diplomacy.
Go beyond the call of duty
"My pet peeve is when people say 'It's not my job.' We all get asked to do things that aren't strictly in our job description."Take on new challenges. Sometimes, the best way to find your calling is by trying new things. You may well learn something new and your boss will be impressed by your 'team spirit', and remember that you pitched in to help.
Don't insult his/her intelligence
"When people send me a text message saying they're too ill to come into work, it's so obvious that they're lying."There's a right and a wrong way to pull a sickie. Sending an email, text message or calling in sick to the HR Manager is a sure sign that you're lying. Next time, call your boss directly.
Ask for and give feedback
"I love it when someone from my team gives me feedback on something I've done."Communication works both ways and we all respond well to positive feedback. If there's something that your boss does that you like, tell him/her. Something as simple as saying "I appreciated your support in that meeting" will make her sit up and take notice of how his/her actions affect you. Positive feedback will reinforce the behaviour and will improve your working relationship with your boss.
Stop whingeing
"There's always one person who complains about everything. It drives me and everyone else mad." We all need to let off some steam every now and then, but your colleagues and boss will notice if you're always the instigator. Like the boy who cried wolf, how will your boss ever know when there's a real problem? Your boss will respect you more if you pick and choose your battles and steer clear of 'group whingeing'.
Be proactive
"I take note of people who actually follow through with their ideas." We all have lots of suggestions on how to improve things at work or ideas for new projects. It's no use sending your boss a list of ideas, it's likely that none of them will actually happen unless you also take responsibility. Pick one or two of the best ideas and follow through with them. Your boss will not only admire your innovative thinking, but the initiative you've taken to make them happen

stand

Stand up!

A recent Australian study has found that too much sitting down has health repercussions.

After conducting a study, University of Queensland researchers came to the conclusion that excessive inactivity has a negative effect on levels of both blood pressure and blood sugar, which in turn can lead to heart attacks, cancer and type 2 diabetes.

The amount of television that people watched was found to be related to blood cholesterol and blood glucose, even after taking into consideration the effect of their physical activity levels and the effect they may have experienced from being overweight or obese. This means that even active people who also spend long periods of time in a sedentary position could suffer health problems as a consequence.

Did you know that many Australians spend between 22 and 23 hours each day either sitting or lying down? No wonder our backs ache and no wonder we’re getting larger.

By standing up for part of the day you will improve your:
• back health,
• energy expenditure,
• alertness,
• overall health,
• posture,
• circulation, and
• core strength
So whenever you can, STAND UP and move around.

Try these 3 examples next week and see how much better you will feel:
• When talking on the telephone get off your chair and stroll while you chat.
• Don’t use intranet – go and speak to the other human in your office!
• Move the printer away from your desk so you have to get up to retrieve those documents.

Thanks to Heidi for the great advice. Heidi is the Director of Jump Start Outdor Training. Visit the website to find out more.

sep

Whats on

4th Sydney Latin American Film Festival – 2nd – 13th Sep

Comedy Night – Autism Spectrum Australia – 2nd Sep

Animania Festival 09 – 5th - 6th Sep

Fathers Day – 6th Sep

National Blood Donor Week - 7th Sep – 13th Sep

Festival of the Winds - 13th Sep

Second hand Saturday – 19th Sep

Italian Film Festival – 23rd Sep – 12th Oct

City of Sydney Spring Cycle – 27th Sep