A round-up of HR-related stories in bank holiday Monday’s newspapers.
The Daily Mail reported that calling a female colleague “love” is almost guaranteed to annoy her. The survey, by research site onepoll.com of 3,000 workers, found that 75% of female respondents think pet names are unacceptable in the office, while another one in four said such names made them angry. A quarter of women polled said they think the use of pet names is unprofessional. The top 10 most hated pet names are:
1. Love
2. Darlin’
3. Babe
4. Mate
5. Hun
6. Kiddo
7. Chick
8. Dear
9. Poppet
10. Pet
Another survey, by TK Maxx, revealed that women who display cleavage at job interviews can blow their chances of success. Another turn off, reports the Daily Mail, is a black bra worn underneath a white top. As for men, they can stymie their job prospects by attending interviews dressed in badly ironed shirts or high-waisted trousers. TK Maxx interviewed 2,000 employers for the survey which also found bosses make a hiring decision in the first 90 seconds of an interview.
The Guardian reported that the Unite trade union is hoping to meet British Airways for further peace talks next week after accusing the airline of turning down its latest attempt to end a long-running industrial dispute with cabin crew. Unite’s joint general secretary, Tony Woodley, wrote to 11,000 BA flight attendants after the carrier told staff that it was “focused” on trying to resolve the dispute in talks hosted by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.
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The Guardian also reported that thousands of foreign domestic workers are living as slaves in Britain, being abused sexually, physically and psychologically by employers, according to a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation that was aired Sunday night. More than 15,000 migrant workers come to Britain every year to earn money to send back to their families. But, according the investigation, many endure conditions that campaigners say mount to modern-day slavery.
Finally, Labour ministers walked away from their election defeat with pension pots topping £5 million, said The Daily Mail. It reported that those who stepped down as MPs also received a one-off £20,000 golden goodbye. Parliamentary accounts reveal that former Chancellor Alistair Darling has a pension pot worth £443,000. With his MPs’ pension added, he will get £57,000 per year on retirement.
