IT skills are holding back small and medium sized businesses from progressing to the next stage in flexible working, according to a report commissioned by BT.
It found 74% of SMEs offered flexible working, but an inability to set up virtual office spaces that employees could access from remote was holding back the flexible working revolution.
Although most of the companies have the technology they need to implement remote working, they don’t invest in training staff to use it, the survey found.
"Our research shows that many SMEs are operating their IT systems on a low-tech and low-skill basis," said Dr Frank Shaw, foresight director at the Centre for Future Studies.
Three quarters of SMEs do not provide specific training for remote workers and 88 per cent of managers have not been trained in how to manage remote workers and are unaware of their IT requirements.
Read more
Yummy mummy image ‘making women feel inadequate’
Celebrity ‘yummy mummies’ who squeeze into their size zero jeans the day after giving birth are making other mothers feel inadequate, a report says.
A survey for Netmums and YouGov found that 70% of women felt under pressure to balance a successful job, the family and look great.
Over eighty per cent thought they had to look good for their partner and 37% felt pressured to be a successful career woman. Victoria Beckham was voted the most unrealistic role model for women.
Mothers also felt under pressure to be green and more than 75% were worried about the food they fed to their children. Some 67% felt they were seen as a mother rather than as a woman.
Read more
Parents are worried that there is something wrong with modern childhood and felt lack of family time was a major cause, according to new research.
Read more
Parents very worried about modern childhood
Parents are worried that there is something wrong with modern childhood and felt lack of family time was a major cause, according to new research.
The research into children's wellbeing for the Department for Children, Schools and Families found that parents believed they were having to work hard because of the expense of living in the UK. Many dreamt of escaping to a Mediterranean country.
Their worries included bullying at school, feeling powerless to get their children the kind of education they wanted and violence. They felt they had to choose between overparenting or giving up and letting their children be disrespectful to them.
The report concluded that there was "an extraordinary level of dissatisfaction" among parents about childhood.
In another announcement, the children’s author Jacqueline Wilson expressed concerns that children were growing up too soon. The Guardian also reported this week that fewer parents are getting their first choice secondary school, although most are getting one of their three selections.
Read more
Read more
Post this entry to:
del.icio.us
|
Digg
|
Newsvine
|
Reddit
