Snow 'cost employers about £318 million'

Brits missed 51.4 million working hours in the last week as a result of the bad weather, with 19 per cent of respondents to a survey admitting that they were too afraid to drive in the wintry conditions.

The research by Vision Critical for Green Flag has shown that despite the fact that insurance companies have noted a spike in call-outs and emergencies caused by the bad weather, the adverse conditions meant that 18 per cent of British adults were unable to work their necessary hours. This in turn is said to have cost employers roughly £318 million - a figure which assumes all workers to be on the minimum wage.

Many adults took to public transport as an alternative in order to make it to work while avoiding the necessity to drive themselves in the bad conditions.

Miranda Schunke, spokesperson for Green Flag, said: "It is not only the roads that have been frozen in the last week. For millions, work commitments have [also] been put on ice." 

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Posted by Nikki Barrister

Source: The Sales Executive News

29% of SMEs 'see expansion as main priority'

A new survey has revealed that close to a third of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain have said that expansion of their business is their chief goal for 2013.

The latest quarterly SME Risk Index from global insurer Zurich showed that, while 16 per cent said they felt that financial pressure would put them at high risk of going out of business this year, many SMEs had taken valuable steps to ensure that this does not happen.

Retailers, IT and telecoms and construction appeared to be the sectors that are provoking the most concern.

Implementing tighter financial and operational governance controls was the most popular strategy used to ensure an increase in turnover, with almost a third of SMEs admitting to have used this tactic.

Hiring skilled staff to manage operational challenges and reviewing insurance coverage were named as further measures that were taken.

Director of SME at Zurich Richard Coleman said: "A key factor in surviving and achieving growth is being able to strike a careful balance between taking necessary risks on the one hand and then overcoming and preparing for risks on the other."

Aaron Wallis offers Business Development jobs across a wide range of industry sectors. If you are looking to hire a BDM discover unique Sales recruitment services backed by a 12 month rebate scheme.

Posted by Wayne Bly

Source: The Sales Director News

29% of SMEs 'see expansion as main priority'

A new survey has revealed that close to a third of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain have said that expansion of their business is their chief goal for 2013.

The latest quarterly SME Risk Index from global insurer Zurich showed that, while 16 per cent said they felt that financial pressure would put them at high risk of going out of business this year, many SMEs had taken valuable steps to ensure that this does not happen.

Retailers, IT and telecoms and construction appeared to be the sectors that are provoking the most concern.

Implementing tighter financial and operational governance controls was the most popular strategy used to ensure an increase in turnover, with almost a third of SMEs admitting to have used this tactic.

Hiring skilled staff to manage operational challenges and reviewing insurance coverage were named as further measures that were taken.

Director of SME at Zurich Richard Coleman said: "A key factor in surviving and achieving growth is being able to strike a careful balance between taking necessary risks on the one hand and then overcoming and preparing for risks on the other."

Aaron Wallis offers Business Development jobs across a wide range of industry sectors. If you are looking to hire a BDM discover unique Sales recruitment services backed by a 12 month rebate scheme.

Posted by Wayne Bly

Source: The Sales Executive News

Recession 'doesn't mean all doom and gloom in the workplace'

According to the latest Workplace Employment Relations Study released today (January 23rd), while the recession has indeed had a negative impact on many aspects of the economy and the job market, there are still signs of improvement within the workplace.

While the survey revealed that in 90 per cent of workplaces, the senior manager responsible for personnel maintained that the crunch had some sort of negative impact on their place of work, it also reported that levels of job satisfaction have actually increased since the survey was last conducted in 2004.

Furthermore, the report showed that since then managing bodies are communicating more with their employees, there is more training available and staff have more autonomy at work.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady commented on the report, saying: "In such difficult times it is even more important that people have a voice at work," adding that it is good to see that there has been no decline in the number of employee representatives in workplaces.

For all of the latest sales industry news, visit www.aaronwallis.co.uk. If you are looking to hire in your sales team, Aaron Wallis offers the UK’s most inclusive sales recruitment service, which includes skills testing, psychometrics and a 12-month rebate scheme as standard. For sales director jobs, visit www.aaronwallis.co.uk.

Posted by Nikki Barrister

Hat Tip To: Salespeak News