Experian's research showed that SMEs typically have more female directors, though the gap is narrowing. This year, 50 per cent of small companies had female directors, compared to 40 per cent of larger companies with 250 employees or more. In 2007, these figures were 48 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.

This blog post by Penny de Valk, CEO of Cedar originally posted at the Huffington Post looks at why SMEs are ahead in terms of female directors and offers some New Year's resolutions for businesses big and small who want to get the best from their gender diverse workforce

They’ve made it to the top – so why do so many leaders feel not being full time still holds them back?

'Relaxed working conditions' and 'less office politics': the reasons why women prefer a male boss, says study

Britain’s workforce is heading for a well-being meltdown, according to research from global professional services firm, Towers Watson.

This article by the Office for National Statistics summarises some recent workplace and employment related stats and trends

This article first published in The Telegraph says that employers are more likely to hire people they fancy, researchers claim, as they find 'leisure pursuits, background and self-presentation' are more important than skills.

Andrew Mounteny from Aspen takes a lighthearted look at some application clangers to help us all recognize what candidates should avoid when applying for new jobs.

 

Fairplace are delighted to sponsor the HR Manager of the Year category at the HR Network Awards.  The awards, the largest and most prestigious HR awards in Scotland are designed to recognise, acknoweldge and reward the champions of the Scottish HR profession.

Congratulations to Fiona Cameron who was awarded HR Manager of the Year.

Employers that fail to have career conversations with staff are risking damage to business productivity and staff motivation, according to new research. A Fairplace survey, carried out by YouGov, suggests that almost two in five British workers (39%) have never had a career conversation with their line manager. As a result, over a quarter (26%) of workers have no long-term career plan, and only one in ten (11%) feel they have the opportunity for long-term development within their current organisation. Workers are also reluctant about talking to their boss about their career, with 26% of respondents saying that they would not want to discuss career development with their manager. This figure increased to 41% among 18-24 year olds, suggesting that employers are failing to create an open and honest workplace culture.

Penny de Valk, CEO of Fairplace talks in The Guardian about the value of team players in the job market and how you can communicate and develop your ability to work in a group