Former Yahoo CEO Scott Thomson left the company this week after it was revealed that a qualification listed in his official company bio had never been awarded.

It reminded me of the CE of Maori TV, John Davy, back in 2002 whose qualifications were found to be false. And former NZ Immigration Service boss Mary Anne Thompson in 2010.

CV fraud is more common than you would think. Even in New Zealand. Many employers are complacent about checking the details listed on candidate CV’s and this is exactly what some candidates are betting on. If certain experience or qualifications are essential to the position you are hiring for, then you should be verifying them as part of your recruitment process.
 

The most effective method of verifying work experience and qualifications is to contact the employers and education institutions directly. This is a standard step in our outsourced recruitment process and has uncovered a few fraudulent candidates. It is disappointing for a client to learn that a preferred candidate is not all they presented themselves to be, but better to find that out sooner rather than later!

Your application form should include a declaration from the candidate that the information they have provided is true and accurate. That way, if you discover some forgery later down the track you may have some recourse through the disciplinary process.
 

Picture from businessweek.com

One of my pro-bono clients is The Anchorage. It is a charitable organization and relies on the goodwill of others to support its mission to meet the needs of people.  If you would like to donate items or your time to help others then please contact Tracey Pomare, Manager, The Anchorage, 132 High Street, Lower Hutt, Ph 586 3255, Email manager@theanchorage.org.nz.

I recently asked Tracey for a wish list of donated items and here's what she gave me:

• Board games – monopoly etc
• Parking garage – for matchbox cars
• Pirate ship – for pirate figures
• Castle – for knights figures
• Baby swing
• Indoor slide set – like a mini slide
• Plastic storage boxes with wheels at the bottom
• Crawling tunnel – the collapsible kind made of tent material?
• Ride on car
• Balls – all sizes
• Trikes
• Indoor jumping bouncy castle – the small kind
• Mini Trampoline 

Some more info about The Anchorage:

It's a place in the Heart of the Hutt CBD where people can go to stop, relax, rest, meet their friends or do business in a comfortable and modern environment.  Children are most welcome.  It is free and open for the whole community whether you are a senior citizen, a business person, a mother, whomever you are come as you are.

The Anchorage , located at 132 High Street (Opposite Cash Converters), is open Monday to Friday 10am-3pm.  The name is a boating term, which in essence means to go to a safe place and stop for a while. 

The Hutt CBD has undergone a shift in retail shopping in recent years and one of the goals is to increase the retail shopping experience in High Street, Queens Drive , Dudley Street , Daly Street and other connecting streets.

So to increase activity and encourage a sense of community, The Anchorage has several offerings;

1)       A place where people can go to in the Heart of the Hutt, that is free, warm, modern and comfortable

2)       Has a wireless internet connection, so you can bring your laptop if you wish, and the modern environment is great to do business in. 

3)       The venue can also be hired out and there is a commercial kitchen available.

4)       A collective group of people who are keen to increase retail activity

5)       Drop n Shop

The Drop n Shop is where people drop their children off at a safe and fun play environment for a couple of hours so they can shop, go to the doctor, dentist, gym or hairdresser etc, or just have lunch and time out for themselves.  Open from Tuesday to Saturday 10am-2pm, for children 5 and under, costs $5 per hour for a maximum of 2 hours.  They will be having fun with Fairy Princesses who will sing, dance, play and entertain the children.  There are toys galore for the children and arts and crafts activities.  Staff are fully police vetted and have loads of experience in working with children.

Ideas are coming in thick and fast about ways to connect businesses and shoppers, mothers and the elderly, to make shopping in the Hutt an event, rather than just a pit stop on the way to other places!  If you’d like to know more or have any ideas give Tracey, the Anchorage Manager, a call.

Check out our facebook page for more pictures of The Anchorage.

This week I am down with the flu :( So my productivity is significantly less than normal but I'm mastering new skills - like the art of checking emails whilst hugging a hot water bottle.

Coincidentally I just read an article about fit notes - that is, medical certificates that focus on what work an employee IS able to do whilst recovering from an illness or injury. Apparently these have been on the rise in the UK and Europe. This is long overdue here in my opinion. I am often requesting medical certificates on behalf of employer's who have employees on extended sick leave. Obtaining useful medical information and recommendations from a GP or Specialist for the purposes of ascertaining alternative duties, flexible working options, and the possibility of return to work is like getting blood out of a stone. It often takes several written requests to get anything more than "I've seen John. He has xyz condition. He will be off work for some time".

It seems that most in the New Zealand medical professional have a simplistic view of fitness for work - it's either yes or no. UK Doctors seem to recognise that there is a continuum, so they use another option: they can say the employee "may be fit for work" and may include some comments which will help employers understand how they are affected by the employee’s health condition. If appropriate, they may also suggest one or more common ways for employers to aid the return to work.

Around the world it is recognised that work itself can be therapeutic, aiding the recovery process. The goal is to get people back to work more quickly to improve the chances that they will eventually resume their normal duties. ACC promotes this approach. So why are our Doctor's certificates so unsupportive?

The 'fit note' is one UK/European trend I hope arrives in New Zealand soon.

Now, where's my Vitamin C?

For the second year running Red Balloon's Employee Engagement Capability research has shown that workplace culture is still king when it comes to creating and maintaining a happy (and productive) workforce.

The research found that Training & Development Programs, Paid Parental Leave, Time off for study and flexible working arrangements are now all employee expectations, not extras as they once were. The activities that significantly boost engagement are Coaching & Buddy Programs, Company lunches and nights out and Time off for volunteering.

You can download your FREE copy of the report here

It was an accident that could happen in any organisation – one of Britain’s largest insurance companies accidently sent an email sacking all 1300 of their employees!

Read article here