The top New Year’s resolution for managers this year is to put their team’s development first, ahead of traditional priorities such as networking or spending more time with customers and clients, figures released by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) reveal.

CMI’s Future Forecast survey results make it clear that  leaders recognise the importance of looking inwards and that putting staff back at the heart of their organisations will enhance their chances of a speedy post-recession recovery. Just under half (45 per cent), for example, have pledged to support the development of their team’s skills and 22 per cent also intend to provide ‘more prompt’ support to boost performance.

As well as focusing on staff through skills development, the survey of 1,337 managers found that more than a quarter (27 per cent) have resolved to acknowledge the efforts of their staff and say ‘thank you’ more often. Just under a fifth (18 per cent) also said they will spend more time with their teams.

Commenting on the findings, Ruth Spellman, CMI chief executive, says: “The recent financial crisis has shaken UK organisations to the core. We now know that a combination of reckless capitalism combined with a disregard for the potential consequences of greed – as demonstrated by outlandish bonuses and unrestrained borrowing – helped to fuel the meltdown. It is very encouraging, therefore, to hear that UK managers are enthusiastic about learning lessons from what has passed and putting the development and needs of their employees over and above other considerations.

“By investing in the development of staff through training and development, and acknowledging their achievements, employers have a better chance of taking advantage of the upturn and it is evident that managers are taking this on board. Looking inwards will also help to minimise the potential for a ‘brain drain’, whereby staff feel unappreciated and look elsewhere for employment once the job market improves.”

The results show that there are three key barriers which will make it hard for managers to keep their resolutions for the New Year; lack of time (75 per cent), reduced budgets (42 per cent) and a reduced workforce (33 per cent). To help overcome this, CMI is recommending that employers offer support to managers and emphasise the benefits of focusing inwards, thus motivating them to keep their resolutions despite the tough conditions.

Commenting on the Government’s Jobs White Paper published yesterday (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, “The new better off in work guarantee shows the Government has recognised that some people moving off benefits into very low paid work do not bring home any more money. They are right to try to correct this.

‘The promise of 100,000 new jobs, apprenticeships and training places is good news for nearly one million young people at risk of long-term unemployment.

‘In the 1980s, young people who lost their jobs were left on the scrapheap, and over two million of them were unable to find work even after the recession had ended. Today’s commitment shows that the Government has learnt those lessons and is taking this jobs crisis seriously.

‘With long-term unemployment still going up rapidly, making the Youth Guarantee available after six months is also a welcome and necessary investment.

‘However, the Government must continue to offer job and training guarantees to all those at risk of lengthy periods of joblessness.”

Members who use the social networking website Facebook may already have seen the pop-up alert about their privacy settings. However, the Teachers’ Support Network is advising users to review what aspects of their profile are accessible by Google and other search engines.

The Network says that “Teachers, like anyone else, can derive enjoyment from using social networks, but may want to optimise their profiles to keep students, colleagues and supervisors from seeing everything.”

The six trades unions representing members in English FE collges have reached agreement with the Association of Colleges on guidelines for updated local grievance and disciplinary procedures. These take account of new arrangements for dealing with grievances and disciplinary problems following repeal of the statutory dispute procedures.

David Green, AMiE Director of Employment Services said, “These new guidelines  give us a workable framework for resolving individual problems in local colleges. “

Copies of the new agreements, together with the recently agreed guidelines for regulating working time,  can be downloaded from the AMiE website.

Commenting on the Chancellor’s pre-budget report, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of AMiE partner the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:

“Overall this is a good pre-budget report.  There are a lot of measures we like.  However, some measures may be highly damaging to public services and education.

“We are deeply unhappy about capping all public sector pay at one per cent for two years because it is too blunt a measure, and will affect the majority on low salaries as much as the few who are highly paid, and is far too long when even the government is forecasting inflation will be three per cent in two years time.

“Instead of funding internships for unemployed undergraduates the money would be better spent on retraining courses.

“It seems perverse to allow bankers to be untaxed on bonuses of up to £25,000 when everyone else is fully taxed on their £25,000 salary including first year teachers.

“We support guarantees for all 16 and 17 year olds to be in education or training by 2010.

“We are pleased the Government has sensibly cut the amount of time for under 24s to be unemployed to six months before being guaranteed work or training.”

Fforwm, the organisation representing FE colleges in Wales has tabled a 2.3% pay rise for 2009-10 in response to the joint union claim. However, because the organisation says they have no mandate to negotiate on national terms and conditions, the offer has for now at least, been rejected by the joint union side while they seek a form of words from Fforwm that would allow both sides to discuss, in a positive manner, what model terms and conditions could look like in the sector.

A commitment to negotiate national terms and conditions is something the joint unions have been seeking for some time but so far, without success. However, the Welsh Assembly Government appears to be positive about talks regarding national conditions of service so political pressure may yet bring about a solution. With this in mind the joint unions are seeking a meeting with the minister, John Griffiths.

AMiE Wales Officer, Brian Thornton said, “The pay offer is welcome, but with discussions on national conditions of service promised by Fforwm following the Webb report; and with support for this from the minister, we need to make progress on this issue as well. The school sector has the protection of national conditions of service – we seek parity with this sector.”

Fforwm have conducted their own research on conditions of service across Wales and the unions have asked them to share the results. Brian added, “With the transformation agenda underway there are a number of advantages to having common terms and conditions, not least when colleges merge.”

All the English NJF unions other than UCU have now accepted the Association of Colleges (AoC) final offer of a 1.5% pay increase from 1 August. UCU delegates attending a special conference to consider the offer said that it fell short of the pay award given to school teachers and so could not be accepted. They will now ballot members on taking industrial action.

The AoC have subsequently advised colleges of the position and in a briefing to principals say that this is their final recommendation. It remains to be seen whether colleges now implement the award or whether they await the outcome of the UCU ballot.

The unions accepting the offer are ACM, ATL, Unison, Unite and GMB.

Maternity Action has produced an information sheet on women’s rights to continue breastfeeding on return to work.  This outlines women’s options for continuing breastfeeding on their return to work, their legal rights and how to negotiate with their employer.  It includes contact details for organisations which can provide further assistance.

The information sheet provides invaluable help for women contemplating the return to work and those already negotiating with their employer.

Unions, voluntary organisations, statutory organisations and others are welcome to use and distribute the information sheet, which is available to download from the Maternity Action website: www.maternityaction.org.uk

Delegates to next weeks Trades Union Congress being held in Liverpool will be told that the concept of  demand led learning is government sleight of hand. AMiE partner ACM will argue that demand for learning is not the same as need for learning, and that for those who are disadvantaged and lack skills, public subsidy is necessary to turn need into demand.

The congress will be urged to call on government to give colleges the flexibility and discretion to respond to local needs.

Tom Wilson, the recently appointed director of the TUC’s UnionLearn, previews the congress on FENews.co.uk.

From 1 October 2009, the limit on a week’s pay for the purposes of calculating a statutory redundancy payment will rise from £350 to £380.

This increase will also apply to a wide range of employment tribunal awards – calculated using a week’s pay.

As this change is taking place in October rather than  February 2010, there will be no change to the limit on a week’s pay next year.

Any non-contractual redudancy pay calculations where notice is given on or after 1 October will need to reflect the new rates.