In a new study commissioned by the European Commission, the use of language skills by SMEs and the impact on business performance was analysed with surprising results. The survey of SMEs, ‘ELAN: Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprise’, found that a significant amount of business is being lost […]
The UK government announced on 29 July 2010 that it plans to scrap the default retirement age of 65 from October 2011. This means that in the future, employers cannot dismiss staff because they have reached the age of 65. The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) has described the new proposal as a “victory” against […]
A self-pronounced key to Colgate-Palmolive’s success is the organisation’s strong emphasis on driving innovation across all functions and activities. While developing innovative new products remains a cornerstone for business, it is equally important to utilise technologies, processes and people to become more efficient to reach new consumers. In order to
Many European countries have launched anonymous application trial programmes over the recent years. The Dutch programme, tested in Nijmegen in 2008, was a subject of national discussion and compared anonymous CVs and application letters with ones detailing name and ethnic background. Belgium’s federal government has hired
DiversityInc’s well-known ranking of the top companies for Diversity is now evaluating Global Diversity programmes. The 2010 and first round of global-diversity research involved 12 countries—Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United Kingdom—focusing on what demographics were measured and what best practices were utilized.
Three women have been selected to fill senior-level positions at the African Development Bank, AfDB president Donald Kaberuka announced last month. Cecilia Akintomide will serve as the first-ever female Secretary-General of the bank, while Hela Cheikhrouhou will head the New Energy, Environment and Climate Change department. Gemina Archer-Davies will direct the Corporate Human Resources Management […]
22% of workers from the EU 27 are affected by stress, the second most frequently reported work-related health problem. Studies suggest that stress is a factor in between 50% and 60% of all lost working days, which represents a huge cost in terms of both human distress and impaired economic performance. 79% of European managers […]
On June 2nd, the Italian House of Deputies began debating a new bill requiring a mandatory four-day paternity leave for all new fathers. If the bill is approved, Italian fathers will be obligated to take four days off immediately after the birth of their new child. The four-day paternity leave would be fully paid by […]
In mid-June, Citigroup held their 7th annual Diversity Week. This is the 3rd year where initiatives have expanded to all countries in EMEA and last year over 250 events took place in 53 countries across EMEA. The theme for 2010 was ‘Reflecting on Unconscious Bias’ where the organisation discussed how prejudice
According to a new report from the European Commission, the economy would benefit by having full representation of both men and women in top positions. The report, “More women in senior positions – key to economic stability and growth,” shows that women continue to be severely under-represented in economic decision-making. In the corporate world, men […]
