With unemployment stubbornly hovering at 9.5% despite 7 consecutive months of private payroll growth, companies and executive search firms recruiting top talent are increasingly relying on their own network and database to avoid the high volume of unqualified responses generated by public job postings.

The top three sources recruiters rely on to find executive candidates include:

1. Networking (44%);
2. Internal Database (21%); and
3. Research (14%).

So remember, often it’s not what you know, but who you know – and be careful what you put on your facebook and social networking pages – your future employer may be looking!

Almost one in three young professionals do not trust their employer, according to the latest research from recruitment consultants Badenoch & Clark.

When asked whether they trust their employer to deliver accurate information on business performance, 32.2 per cent of 16 – 24 yr olds revealed that they refuse to believe either ‘most’ or ‘any’ of what they are told by their employer.

Worrying for the bossses, but perhaps another reason to install a mentally healthy culture within our organisations to boost both confidence of staff and motivation.

Mental health policies in the workplace, along with family friendly policies, are often the last policies to be implemented by companies who are already snowed under with legislation. However, interesting point raised by ”Management Today” that asks the question should David Cameron take his entitlement to paternity leave, following the birth of another child. In some ways it would be great to see Cameron take his full entitlement. You couldn’t get a clearer sign from the Government that it’s serious about coming up with family-friendly policies – and that it’s fully embracing the world of 21st century work, with men playing an ever-greater role in child-raising. Equally, if he doesn’t take it, it might encourage some employers to see it as an optional extra (’if it’s good enough for the Prime Minister…’). Read more at http://bit.ly/au7ZRY

As many as a third of businesses could be blaming the recession for increased staff turnover when in reality it is their lack of communication and poor company culture that is pushing their employees towards the door, claims a leading performance culture consultancy Q4 Solutions.

Q4 Solutions claims that many businesses are ‘burying their heads in the sand’ as staff continue to leave in their droves and are failing to take steps to improve culture and communications with their employees.

Having worked with a number of the world’s leading brands for over a decade, Q4 Solutions predicts that the number of businesses facing this situation could be in the region of 20-30%. Read more on this at: http://bit.ly/92KnhD

Recent reports regarding Foxconn, a Chinese company that manufactures iPads, iPhones, and computers. are alarming: 13 attempted employee suicides resulting in 10 deaths in less than a year. Clearly, Foxconn has a mental health crisis on its hands. It is encouraging that chief executive Terry Gou has acknowledged the problem and is taking steps to prevent more deaths. His willingness to hire psychiatrists and mental health counselors to meet with employees, for example, is a step in the right direction.

Last week, Forbes Magazine announced a definitive list of words that you shouldn’t say at work. The magazine lists a number of words, including ’try’ and ’if’, and phrases such as ’I don’t know’ and ’I’ll get back to you’, that should instantly be removed from our vocabulary.

The point of the article, written by a psychotherapist and business consultant, is to highlight ‘weasel’ words and make those of us who use them feel suitably ashamed and embarrassed. Read more on this at http://bit.ly/cPyNcM and share your weasel words or your views on this topic with Digital FEAT

With the right help, people experiencing mental health problems can, and do, stay at work. Time to Challenge can offer support to those who feel they have been discriminated against due to a mental health problem either at work or when looking for work. Get in touch to find out if they can help with your case: http://bit.ly/b36YsE

The national helpline number for Working Health Services is 0800 019 2211. Working Health Services is a new initiative to help people off sick to get back to work quickly and to try to stop people going off sick. Callers will be directed to their local area (OHSAS in Fife).

Has the recession trapped me in a job I hate?

Sometimes, being miserable in a job acts on people as a spur: they become determined and decisive and actively set about finding something else. But sometimes it has the opposite effect: the misery infects their whole attitude to life and they become depressed and defeatist.

This second response is the deadly one. Drive and energy drain away, to be replaced by pessimism. There are always plenty of excuses to be found for doing nothing – so time drifts by, ambition turns to apathy and personal performance goes into a steady decline. This is the classic vicious spiral.

If you’re in a job you dislike, you must be careful, therefore, not to use the recession as your excuse for doing nothing. If you’ve been unhappy for a while, then that’s long enough.

But once you have made the decision to jump, do think a little more carefully where that jump might take you. Researching is an excellent thing to do when you’re pursuing some existing, instinctive sense of direction, but it’s unlikely to provide it. Check that your next career choice doesn’t just tick all the rational boxes but fills you with real enthusiasm too and don’t make it too vague.

Just because you’ve had enough of your current job, don’t just disown any existing qualifications or skills – capitalise on these and highlight them to potential employers, particularly if you’re considering a transition to a whole new career.

If you’ve moved careers, share your experiences and knowledge with us at Digital FEAT and help others with their journeys.

The mental health charity, Mind has released research which exposes the full extent of the problem of workplace stress in the UK. With almost 20% of employees surveyed admitting to calling in sick because of unmanageable stress levels, this is a problem that should be at the top of every manager’s agenda. Lisa Wynn, director and executive coach at Corporate Potential believes that this problem has always been an issue for businesses, but as this research shows it is increasing at an alarming rate. Read more from Lisa at http://bit.ly/b9ePBH and share your experiences with us at Digital FEAT

Nine out of ten employers have no plans in place to help manage staff absence during the forthcoming World Cup, according to a poll by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). In view of these results, the CIPD has produced a guide for employers – The World Cup and Absence Management. The guidance suggests different approaches that employers can consider to help employees enjoy the matches that are important to them without compromising the needs of the business. Read more at http://bit.ly/dq6iwP

According to a survey I read from the Regus Group of 11,000 companies worldwide, 58% of American employees report that stress levels have increased greatly. The sources of that stress: about 40% say it’s because of their employer’s greater focus on profitability, while over 38% report it’s because they fear losing their jobs — or the employer going bust.

I feel more companies should take heed of this – the economic situation has caused all kinds of problems for company owners, directors and managers – but don’t forget about the workforce – they are suffering too and have little or no control over their situation.

EDUAPPS is a website where you can download FREE software to assist people with sensory, cognitive and physical difficulties – its a range of e-learning solutions to support reading, writing, and planning on computers. These are the sorts of programs that usually cost £100s of pounds which employers have to buy to make reasonable adjustments for employees, which can put businesses off employing people with disabilities as a result. The software can be downloaded onto a pen drive and then be used on any computer that accepts pen drives so is totally portable.

For further information visit: http://bit.ly/a3Hcst

Five steps to a stress-free working life according to ”Management Today” – visit http://www.bit.ly/cPutbT for the details

I read a survey somewhere recently that said around half of private sector managers don’t believe mental health is an issue in their workplaces? Looking at all the stats – such as 1 in 4 people experience a problem every year – are these bosses serious? If I can find the survey, I’ll post further details of it!