INBOX


Keep up to date with the latest news and views of interest to busy PAs.


Millions ‘wasted’ on CSR initiatives, says report


Many of the world’s 100 most reputable companies have little to show for the millions of dollars they spend on corporate social responsibility initiatives, according to the Reputation Institute’s CSR RepTrak 100 Study. “For companies to win in the reputa-


tion economy, they need customers and stakeholders to trust and support them.,” says institute executive partner Kasper Nielsen. “CSR is a major driver of trust and reputation ... but with 50 to 60 per cent of consumers unsure if the largest companies in the world are good corpo- rate citizens, open and transparent, and are good places to work, it is clear CSR investments are being mismanaged.”


Sixty per cent of 47,000 respondents


across the 15 markets in the study are not sure if companies are good corporate citizens that support causes and protect the environment, while 4 per cent believe that companies cannot be trusted. “You don’t do CSR for the sake of CSR.


You do it as part of your reputation management strategy to drive business growth, customer loyalty and employee alignment” says Nielsen. According to the report,Microsoft has


the best reputation for CSR in the world. Also in the in the report’s top 10 companies are Apple, BMW, Colgate-Palmolive, Daimler, Google, Lego, Sony, The Walt Disney Company andVW.


Bosses breaking overtime laws


Employers in China and India are routinely breaking overtime laws, according to a major new survey of hourly wage earners. Involving 8086 workers around the


world, the research shows that 88 per cent of Chinese people who are paid by the hour think their employers have at some stage violated overtime rules. In India, the figure is 81 per cent. US human resources firm Kronos,


which commissioned the research, said employers must get to grips with over- time issues or risk possible legal action.


What do you think? Are you fairly


compensated for working longer hours than normal? Let us know – email louis@executivepa.asia with “Overtime” in the subject line.


Restroom says it all


According to a national handwashing survey in the US, 83 per cent ofAmericans believe the condition of a workplace restroom is one indicator of howa company values its workforce. It also found that 66 per cent of


employees rate their workplace restroom as excellent or very good. However, about one-third reported


such annoying issues as clogged or un- flushed toilets, bad smells, and empty or jammed toilet paper or towel dispensers. Commissioned by handwashing


10 AUGUST/OCTOBER 2013 | WWW.EXECUTIVEPA.ASIA


product company the Bradley Corpora- tion, they survey shows that good hand hygiene seems to be important to employees. Just 11 per cent of workers say they often see people leave the rest- room without washing their hands. But the survey also shows that most


Americans don’t wash their hands long enough. While 57 per cent of respondents estimate they wash for five to 15 seconds, the Center for Disease Control & Preven- tion recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds.


Social tools encouraged in the workplace


A Microsoft survey shows that the most prevalent social tools in the Indian community are also recognised by workers as most useful and encouraged in the workplace. However, external social networks,


microblogging and internal social networks are restricted by a quarter of Indian organisations, reports The Times of India. Nine out of 10 Indian workers use email,


followed by eight in 10 who use Instant Messaging/video conferencing, and three- quarters who use team sites/intranets. Use of these tools in India tends to be higher than most other markets. Seven out of 10 workers feel that security


concerns are to blame for the restrictions, while six in 10 feel the restrictions are because of loss of productivity. However, 71 per cent of respondents feel that social tools have actually helped boost their productivity, while 70 per cent feel that social tools have increased work- place collaboration, and that their company recognises the value of providing social tools–more so than in most other countries. Conducted for Microsoft by research firm Ipsos, the survey covered 1825 employees.


The art of baking


When it comes to special occasions, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre knows how to put the icing on the cake. To celebrate the Hari Raya Festival inMalaysia, the centre’s five- strong pastry team whipped up a 48kg cake echoing the handcrafted motifs of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. The cake was pre- sented to His Majesty, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah.


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