Career changes backfire

Over half of senior executives feel their most recent career move has not lived up to expectations, according to research by Hay Management Consultants.

Over half of senior executives feel their most recent career move has not lived up to expectations, according to research by Hay Management Consultants.

The main gripe for 48 per cent of those in a new role was the underperformance of the business. This was followed by disappointment in the performance of their new staff, which one quarter of respondents found lacking. Almost half felt they were "moderately prepared" or "not well prepared" for their new role.

Different language

Know what "people pipeline" or "drive cycletime" mean? These phrases, along with "corporate alliancing", "blue sky ideas" and "human capital" top the list of most hated management jargon.

Recruitment consultancy Office Angels claims one in five employees feel obliged to use "in" phrases such as these, while PR agency Colette Hill Associates adds that this is despite many staff not having a clue what they mean.

Increasing numbers of human resources directors, including Paul Pagliari of Scottish Power, are warning employers that incomprehensible jargon stops companies achieving their objectives.

Enact in haste

The Government should think harder about how it enacts new employment legislation, claims a new survey undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and employment law specialist Hammond Suddards.

Employers from all sectors of the economy reveal they are fed up with having to implement hastily drafted legislation at short notice and with inadequate guidance.

Mike Emmott, CIPD adviser on employee relations, says: "A large minority of respondents, 43 per cent, believes the guidance notes are unclear and lacking in practical examples."