Wednesday 16 December 2009

Association for Coaching 2010 Conference

The Association for Coaching has announced Speakers for Going Global Coaching Conference in London on 11th and 12th March 2010.

The Association for Coaching (AC) has announced the key speakers for its 4th International Coaching conference, “Going Global 2010”. The event will take place over two days, the 11th and & 12th March 2010, at the Victoria Park Plaza, London. Participants can now book online via www.acconference.com, estimated to sell out once again at 500 participants.

Going Global reflects the expansion and progression of the coaching profession worldwide, with an international range of speakers. As the profession increasingly addresses global elements such as diversity, advanced coaching techniques and coaching across cultures, the conference aims to deliver an informative mix of thought-leadership, case studies, workshops, research, networking, theory and practice.

Day one will open with keynote speaker Julio Olalla, a pioneer in Coaching and Transformational Learning. Olalla is highly regarded to be one of the early founders within coaching, and facilitates coach-training throughout the world. He will be comparing the difference between a ‘good’ life and a ‘better’ life and whether we are in danger of becoming trapped in wanting more, better, faster and stronger at a cost to our overall happiness.

Dr. Reuven Bar-On, a professor at the University of Pretoria and at the University of Texas, will provide a keynote talk offering valuable insight into Emotional Intelligence - what it is and how it is measured. He has been working in emotional intelligence (EI) since 1980 and is internationally acclaimed as one of the world’s leading theorists of Emotional Intelligence.

Day two will open with Veera Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of ProcServe. Over the last 10 years she has played a key role in the development of the UK Government’s policies and strategies in the areas of e-commerce. She will examine how the success of an organisation lies in its ability to embrace and channel the diversity of its people, using and in particular its leadership team, and using coaching to draw this out.

A case study on coaching in practice will be provided by Syl Saller, Global Innovation Director for Diageo. Syl Saller will share her views on coaching as an integral part of Diageo’s growth and people strategies and will provide a valuable insight into how coaching is integrated into the company culture.

In addition to the above speakers, workshops are available in the following areas: Executive Coaching; Organisational Coaching; Personal & Business Coaching; Global Coaching - Diversity and Cross Cultural, and Beyond Coaching.

The fourth International Conference for the Association for Coaching is produced for organisations, internal coaches, executive and personal coaches, consultants, trainers and coaching/service providers.

Meanwhile in Dublin, Ireland, "Rewriting The Rules of Leadership and The World of Work" The Association for Coaching Ireland Conference 2009 took place 27 November 2009 – Crowne Plaza Santry Dublin

The conference will radically challenge the way we think about the future world we live in. They debatet how these changes will influence the way that we conduct business. They offered ideas and insights on the opportunities this presents for us to thrive as business leaders and as coaches.

The objective was of this conference was to offer business leaders, HR professionals and Coaches new insights on the need to rewrite the rules of society, business and the world of work.

jml Training & Consultancy are an Organisational Member of The Association for Coaching - More information Here

If you are looking for training services in Ireland find out more Here

Thursday 10 December 2009

Uk's Pre-Budget Report viewpoint from CIPD

The CIPD - The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development which is Europe's largest HR and development professional body with over 135,000 members issued the following Press Release on Wednesday 9th December 09 before the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling made his Pre Budget Report.

Measures to reduce risk of 'job loss' recovery must be priority for Pre-Budget Report

Commenting ahead of this week's pre-budget report statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the CIPD's Chief Economic Adviser, Dr John Philpott, says that fiscal policy must remain expansionary until the economic recovery is strong enough to support sustained growth in employment:

"Although the Chancellor should use the pre-budget report to demonstrate he has a credible medium-term plan for cutting the record fiscal deficit, now is not the time for aggressive austerity measures.

"The Chancellor's immediate priority must instead be to bolster economic confidence and offset the risk that a weak and uncertain recovery will trigger a further bout of redundancies in 2010. A 'job-loss' recovery would not only be a kick in the teeth to millions of workers who have accepted shorter hours or pay cuts in the hope of staying in work but might also cause the economy to fall back into recession.

"In order to bolster confidence the Chancellor should consider delaying the restoration of the rate of VAT to 17.5% until 1 April 2010. Mr Darling should also extend the Job Guarantee for long-term claimants of Job Seekers Allowance aged 18-24 - due to take effect in 2010 - to those aged 50 and over. The Chancellor could offset the cost of these measures by introducing a freeze on the public sector pay bill for all non-military personnel. This would be good for the public finances and make the employment consequences of unaffordable pay awards clearer to public sector managers and unions."

CIPD also calls for the Government to:
- Abandon the increase in employers' NICs planned for 2011
- Freeze National Minimum Wage in real terms in October 2010

The CIPD's Chief Economic Adviser, Dr John Philpot later said on the "People Management blog" Good, bad and ugly Darling in pre-budget report

Making his pre-budget report statement to the House of Commons this lunchtime, the chancellor of the exchequer, Alistair Darling, had the air of a reassuring public school headmaster. We’d all been rather overdoing it on the financial razzle and will have to make amends. But other than the kids with the biggest tuck boxes it’ll be a year before anyone gets caned.

It was one of the chancellor’s better despatch box performances. Sober, serious and almost entirely sensible. Yet while the package he delivered has much to commend it, Darling made one or two glaring policy errors that either he or his successor will have to rectify once the general election is out of the way.

On the positive side, the chancellor was absolutely right to introduce a set of measures that have a neutral impact on the public finances in 2010-11. With the economy not even yet officially out of recession, trimming – let alone slashing– the budget next year runs the risk of economic relapse. Things will look better from 2011 onward – albeit probably not the soar-away growth that Darling forecasts – making the necessary medicine of major spending cuts and hefty tax rises a little harder to bear.

The chancellor should also be congratulated on his one-off windfall tax on bankers’ bonuses. This is fair and will provide the treasury with around £0.5 billion if the banks decide to make big payouts to their staff. That sum helps provide support for groups like the young jobless and unemployed over-50s, who are suffering as a consequence of the financial crisis. Darling also announced some useful measures for small businesses – which are also struggling in the aftermath of recession – and is providing some worthwhile
investment in skills that will enable jobs to be created in emerging sectors, notably those linked to low-carbon technologies.

I was less convinced, however, by the chancellor’s plans for dealing with the fiscal deficit after 2011. It was no surprise that the pre-budget report gave little precise detail of where the spending axe will fall, other than admitting that the overall squeeze will be tight – growth in spending falling from 2.2 per cent next year to just 0.8 per cent a year thereafter. But what he did say indicates that he had made some wrong calls.

For example, limiting public-sector pay rises to 1 per cent for two years from 2011 might seem tough, but it is simply not tough enough. What’s needed is a freeze on the public-sector pay bill. Presumably Darling doesn’t want to alienate the public-sector unions this side of an election. But they won’t be happy anyway and the government would have shown greater mettle by confronting opposition head on.

Yet bad though that decision is, it is nothing compared with the ugliest aspect of the pre-budget report, the additional 0.5 per cent hike in national insurance contributions (NICs) for both employees and employers. This came almost at the end of Darling’s statement and spoiled what would otherwise have been a satisfactory package in the current economic circumstances.

The 0.5 per cent increase in NICs already pencilled in for 2011 was a bad idea – doubling the increase could be a hammer blow to what is likely to be a “jobs-light” recovery. The prospect of an impending increase in employers’ NICs is bound to make organisations think twice about hiring additional staff, even before the hike comes into effect.

While the Chancellor has shown that he recognises the short-run risk to jobs from cutting the fiscal deficit too quickly, he seems to have overlooked the medium-term risk associated with what critics will undoubtedly call his “tax on jobs”. He should reconsider this before his final pre-election budget next spring.

John Philpott is Chief economic adviser, CIPD -Chief economic adviser at the CIPD and visiting professor of economics at the University of Hertfordshire. He has been an adviser to numerous UK and international bodies.

Tuesday 1 December 2009

jml Training now working with Housing Associations for Diversity Awareness Training

2nd December 2009 - A press release from jml Training has just been released entitled "jml Training Staff in Housing Associations on Diversity Awareness"

jml Training and Consultancy have recently added to their portfolio. We have developed a Leading Edge “Diversity and Inclusion” Training” programme for a large Housing Association in the south of England.

The present day nature of the role of Housing Associations is such that Diversity Awareness in delivering services to customers is of central importance. Both customers and staff come from diverse backgrounds, having a diversity of needs, unique to each. One size fits all will not do.

Housing Associations have not only a legal, but also a service-led and moral obligation to respond to the wide social diversity in contemporary Britain.

Diversity is the freedom to be equally valued for our differences, the freedom to come together to create something more than any one of us could have done alone. The jml Training programme explores the rich mix of people we deal with every day and the complexity of meeting such a diverse range of needs. We see diversity as a resource, not a problem.

Ensuring diversity stays as a key organisational priority and does not get squeezed by other demands and requirements is essential. To achieve this requires a style of training that ensures the right leadership for diversity, one that can challenge and change values, beliefs and organisational behaviours and develop positive action initiatives. We have rigorously trained experts in experiential culture change work, highly facilitative & interactive, delivering inspirational, enduring and effective results

Housing Associations provide services to some of the most vulnerable sections of the community. Housing Association households contain higher than average proportions of people who experience discrimination and other social disadvantages. It is possible that discrimination in the housing or job market may be one of the reasons why they need Housing Association accommodation.

The course is being presented by one of jml Training’s highly experienced consultant trainers Irene Clarke who has worked for a major international airline for a number of years. She provided “Leading Edge Corporate Training”, including Diversity & Inclusion, and Customer Service Excellence, both sides of the same coin; treating people as individuals, NOT “do as you would be done by”. Irene was a key team manager, pioneering, developing and leading the largest culture change programme in Europe for the company and is now providing this service for Housing Associations and other organisations from the jml Training client base.

Irene comments “It is fascinating to explore how this type of organization operates and provide them with tools & skills to carry out day to day interactions more effectively, professionally & with compassion. It is exciting to be part of a dynamic change programme that explores the various drivers to attitudinal response with tools to enable participants to choose & change, becoming response-able.

jml Training has been providing “in house” Diversity training since 1997. The company designs and delivers training programmes to local government, universities, councils and companies - both small & multi-national. Established ten years ago, it provides training services in the UK, France, Ireland & Worldwide.

The specialist areas include bespoke Leadership, Team Development, Executive Coaching, Management Development Programmes, Diagnostic Assessment, Diversity & Inclusion, and Customer Service Excellence. More information at http://www.jml-training.com/Diversity.htm

Tuesday 24 November 2009

NHS report on employee wellbeing - highlights need for better absence management

23rd November 2009 - CIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) issued a press release on Monday the 23rd November entitled "CIPD welcomes NHS report on employee wellbeing, but highlights need for better absence management"

Proposals to support employee health and wellbeing in the NHS announced today are welcome, however they miss a trick by not providing any specific recommendations on how to improve absence management policy and practice. This is the view of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) on the launch of the NHS Health and Wellbeing final report.

Ben Willmott, CIPD senior public policy adviser, thinks the report contains positive recommendations that will help to support employee wellbeing and reduce absence levels in the health sector, which are the highest across the public sector at 11 days per employee per year*. He welcomes in particular the recommendation that all NHS bodies should ensure their management practices are in line with the HSE management standards on the control of work-related stress which is a major cause of absence.

Willmott says: "The report recognises that there is no point in providing employees with subsidised gym membership or advice on healthy eating and exercise if they dread coming to work because they have not received adequate training, are bullied by their manager or are drowning under their workload. The CIPD believes that people management skills must be included as a critical element of the development of all professions involved in the delivery of public services."

However, Willmott urges - together with an increased focus on improving people management skills - that all NHS bodies need to review how they manage absence if real progress on reducing employee absence levels is to be sustained across the health and wider public sector.

Willmott continues: "If high employee absence levels in the health sector are to be tackled effectively, NHS employers need to ensure their absence management policies and practices give the right balance between providing support to help employees stay in and return to work and taking consistent and firm action against employees that take advantage of organisations' occupational sick pay schemes.

"In addition all public sector employers should be able to say how much time working time is lost to absence and how much it costs. Unless you have good data on employee absence it is impossible to identify if you have a problem and how to address it."

CIPD research shows:
• Public sector employers are less likely than those in the private sector to discipline or dismiss staff for absence-related reasons than the those in the private sector
• Public sector employers are less likely than private sector employers to take account of employees' absence records as part of performance measures for individuals' appraisals
• Public sector employers provide more generous occupational health sick pay schemes than those in the private sector
• Public sector employers are less likely to restrict sick pay for unacceptable levels of absence

*CIPD 2009 Absence management survey

At jml Training we have trained NHS staff in the past and always welcome enquiries from NHS Trusts around the country. If you require further information please contact us

Thursday 19 November 2009

Equal pay victory for women

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have just sent us their month email newsletter with this press release report.

It is entitled "Women in some jobs who have time off to raise children get pay equality boost after landmark ruling"

Commission welcomes equal pay victory for women at work

Women in some jobs who have time off to raise children received a significant boost today after a landmark case in the Court of Appeal in which the Equality and Human Rights Commission intervened.

Mrs Christine Wilson, an Inspector with the Health and Safety Executive, brought the case against her employer, claiming that its pay agreement with employees linking pay to length of service for up to ten years was unfair.

The Health and Safety Executive’s agreement with its employees meant that three male colleagues on the same level as Mrs Wilson were paid more than her for doing equivalent work.

The Commission argued that linking pay to length of service often disadvantages women who take time out of the workforce to raise children and so do not have the same continuous length of service as men.

The Court agreed with the Commission’s submissions. It found that although employers to not generally have to justify schemes linking length of service to pay, they will have to if there is evidence that this is having a disproportionate impact on women.

Susie Uppal, Director of Legal Enforcement at the Commission, said: 'Women should not be disadvantaged in the workforce because of they take time out for maternity leave or to meet caring responsibilities. Linking pay to length of service often does them a disservice. Direct discrimination, long hours, and a lack of flexible working options are some of the biggest barriers to achieving gender equality in the workplace.'

Research shows that the gender pay gap is narrower in the public sector than in the private sector, (a full-time gap of 13.8 per cent compared with 21.7 per cent) and that far more public sector employers are undertaking pay audits as one way of addressing the issue (43 per cent compared to 23 per cent).

The Commission believes that developing ways for employers to measure and report on their gender pay gap will be a crucial step towards reducing pay inequity by providing greater transparency. It is holding a consultation on how to develop a consistent way to measure the gender pay difference within organisations.

Gender pay gap reporting is intended to be voluntary, but could be made mandatory using a reserve power in the Equality Bill. A future Secretary of State could chose to use that power if progress on closing the pay gap has not been made by 2013.

Source: The Equality and Human Rights Commission 20th October 2009

Who are The Equality and Human Rights Commission?

The Commission is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. It is the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain. It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination, strengthen good relations between people, and promote and protect human rights. The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status, and encourages compliance with the Human Rights Act. It also gives advice and guidance to businesses, the voluntary and public sectors, and to individuals.

Interventions

The UK Parliament has recognised the value of the Commission’s expertise, imposing on it the power to intervene in certain legal proceedings by virtue of section 30 of the Equality Act 2006. The Commission takes a strategic approach when deciding to intervene. It will generally intervene in cases where it can use its expertise to clarify or challenge an important element of the law. The cases generally involve serious matters of public policy or general public concern. The outcome of these cases often has a wide impact as they set precedents to be followed by the lower courts.

Take a look at the jml Training website section Promoting Equal Opportunities in Service Provision

Tuesday 17 November 2009

Coaching Development Coach Training

Participants' Feedback - London Spring 2009

Gráinne Suter of jml Training and Consultancy - Commented


How would you sum up your experience of the whole programme?

Very professionally organised, both prior to and during the course. A valuable and rich learning experience that met all the objectives. Range of learning styles/ material/ methods.

What is your appraisal/evaluation of the trainers?

Very able. Brought different perfections and a breath of experience that facilitated learning. Supportive, encouraging and enabling – trained in a coaching way.

Source: Coaching Development

Government 'faces uphill struggle' to promote effective action on the gender pay gap



The CIPD The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Europe's largest HR and development professional body with over 135,000 members, issued a press release on the 12th November 2009 entitled "Government 'faces uphill struggle' to promote effective action on the gender pay gap, despite today's ASHE results"

With the latest Office for National Statistics showing that the equal pay gap across all measures has narrowed, the CIPD today reports survey evidence of employer practice and attitudes to measuring the gender pay gap in the workplace. The figures show that the equal pay gap between men and women has improved from 12.6% to 12.2% for full-time work, while the equal pay gap between men and women has also narrowed from -3.7% to -2.0% for part-time work.

The CIPD argues that the results strengthen the case for voluntary equal pay reporting given the complexity of the problem, as illustrated by the fact that hourly earnings for women are higher than men's for part-time work.

The autumn 2009 CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey, conducted by IPSOS Mori, finds that fewer than 1 in 5 (18%) private sector employers measure their gender pay gap, the vast majority, and especially smaller employers, considering this unnecessary for their business. In the public sector, where equal pay monitoring is a statutory requirement, 2 in 5 (43%) employers only complete audits to tick the necessary bureaucratic box rather than as part of an underlying effort to advance gender equality.

The survey findings are likely to disappoint the government which has included provisions in its Equality Bill to require private and third sector organisations with more than 250 employees to report on gender pay gaps if too few are doing so voluntarily by 2013.

Dianah Worman, CIPD Diversity Adviser says: "Judging by these survey findings the government faces an uphill struggle in its efforts to change employer attitudes to closing the gender pay gap, which the latest ONS figures will undoubtedly show still remains far too wide.

The bulk of private sector employers appear complacent about the gap - especially smaller employers who won't in any case be affected by the reporting provisions of the Equality Bill - while many public sector employers seem more concerned about complying with their statutory reporting duty than driving genuine gender equality in the workplace. The findings overall suggest that compulsory pay audits are at best a blunt instrument for promoting effective action on closing the gender pay gap and highlight the need for government to instead focus on helping employers in all sectors understand the business benefits of tackling unfair treatment on pay."

Employers that do measure their pay gap report that it provides useful insights and benchmarking data (60%) and helps inform pay reviews before they take place (43%). However, the survey finds that the average cost of conducting a gender pay audit is more than £5,000 - fifty times higher than government estimates.

Ingrid Waterfield, KPMG Head of Reward says: "We would encourage all employers to investigate their pay structures from the perspective of fairness and equality whether or not legislation is introduced to this effect. Equal pay audits can help to tangibly measure the achievement of fairness, and we believe that a fair approach to reward and recognition has a positive impact on employee engagement. Leading businesses examine their pay gaps not because of Government, but because they understand the reputational and legal damage in not getting it right."

The Equality Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will introduce provisions to enforce gender pay reporting on private and third sector organisations of more than 250 employees. The Government says it will not make reporting compulsory until 2013 if voluntary progress is deemed to be insufficient.

The gender pay gap as measured by median hourly pay of full-time employees, excluding overtime, was 12.8% in April 2008. The latest figure, for April 2009, will be published by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday 12 November alongside other results from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).

The cost of reporting on the gender pay gap was estimated to be £5,105 in the CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook. This is higher than the Government's estimation.

Source CIPD

Sunday 25 October 2009

Equality in the workplace: how is the UK doing?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched a new report into how a range of UK organisations have established equality policies encouraging employees from diverse backgrounds to participate fully in the workplace.

The report looks at eight employers – including BT, Asda, the British Library and North Wales Police – to see what policies and practices they have adopted to encourage lesbian, gay, bisexual and older employees and those with differing religions or beliefs to take up recruitment, promotion or advancement opportunities in the workplace. All eight organisations adopted a variety of equality programmes aimed at making employees feel accepted and preventing discrimination based on age, sexual orientation and religion or belief.

The report will be used by the Commission to develop guidance for employers on implementing effective equality policies.

Andrea Murray, Acting Group Director Strategy from the Commission, said: 'This research provides us with an understanding of how effectively implemented equality policies in the workplace can lead to employees from diverse backgrounds feeling confident and able to fully participate in the organisation. We know that workplace integration for employees is important to allow them to progress in their careers. This report will be used to develop guidance to assist employers in positively engaging with staff from diverse backgrounds.'


Download their report: Integration in the workplace (pdf),

Looking for Diversity / Equal Opportunities Training + for your organisation?

Visit Diversity & Inclusion at jml-training for more information

Saturday 24 October 2009

Unmissable offer Train to Gain - Leadership & Management

We have just added "Train to Gain" information to the jml-training.com and midas-training-france.com websites.

As is most important that training programmes continue throughout the current recession, there are grants available off training courses.

An organisational that is interested in having one of the jml Training and Consultancy bespoke "in house" courses can find out more at this page on our website.

The information is provided by Business Link and
with up to £1000 to put towards training to develop leadership skills. It is funded by Train to Gain's Leadership & Management programme which also includes coaching.

You have to ensure that staff are continually trained, despite economic cutbacks and there has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in Training Now

Thursday 15 October 2009

Increase in number of women in work helps curb rise in unemployment

Following the CIPD’s press release “Men not at work - Male employment rate heads toward record low in UK” that was posted on the jml Training blog on the 14th October 09, The CIPD have issued the following press release on the 14th October

Figures published earlier today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a smaller than expected rise in unemployment, with the headline survey based measure of joblessness remaining below 2.5 million in the three months ending in August.John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), says that this is due to a quarterly increase in part-time employment for women which, although good news, further highlights the degree to which men are being much harder hit than women by the recession, as demonstrated by CIPD analysis earlier this week.

Dr Philpott comments: "The latest official jobless figures show that conditions in the UK labour market continue to weaken, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year. This is consistent with independent employer survey evidence, including the CIPD's, and suggests that the jobless total is now crawling rather than rushing toward a peak of around 3 million in 2010.

"The relative improvement in the labour market is due to a rise in part-time and temporary jobs, with employers who need to recruit remaining wary of hiring full-time staff given uncertainty over the strength of economic recovery. Women are the main beneficiaries of a labour market where part-time work is rising while full-time jobs continue to be cut. This explains why the CIPD expects the rate of male unemployment to rise well above 10% in 2010, with the proportion of men in work set to fall to a record low."The shift from full-time jobs for men to part-time jobs for women has also resulted in a further sharp quarterly fall in the total number of hours being worked in the economy. This is a better indicator than headline employment and unemployment of the underlying toll the recession is continuing to take on the labour market. When combined with figures also released today showing a further slowdown in growth in average earnings - especially in the private sector - the fall in hours suggests that working people who manage to stay in work are nonetheless experiencing a big squeeze on their earned income."

Source: CIPD

At jml Training and Consultancy we run specialist “in house” training courses for Women. If you are an employer and would like to find out more on at http://www.jml-training.com/Training_Development_for_Women.htm Remember there has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in training now

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Men not at work - Male employment rate heads toward record low in UK

That is the theme of a press release that has today been issued by the CIPD - Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Apparently 1 in 10 UK men will be unemployed by 2010 as male employment rate heads toward record low. The latest official UK unemployment figures due to be released tomorrow, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) today highlights the impact of the recession on jobs for men and warns that, with a 'jobs light' recovery on the cards, the proportion of men in work is set to fall to a record low.The CIPD's analysis of official statistics, 'Men not at work', finds that:

The male unemployment rate currently stands at 9 per cent (higher than the female unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent). The number of men unemployed has increased by almost 50 per cent during the recession, the number of women unemployed by 33.4 per cent, with unemployment rates rising by 3.0 percentage points and 1.6 percentage points respectively. The deterioration in the labour market position of men has been felt particularly acutely by young men and black men.

At present 1 in 5 18-24 year old men are unemployed and almost 1 in 5 black men are unemployed, more than double the unemployment rate for white British men. The rise in unemployment for black men during the recession has been greater than for white British men and men from other ethnic minority groups.By summer 2009 the employment rate of men of working age had fallen to 75.8 per cent.

Only two years in the post-World War II era (1993 and 1994) have registered a lower proportion of men in work. The low point was 75.0 per cent in the second quarter of 1993 just as the economy began to emerge from recession (the previous low point, following the 1980s recession. was 77.4 per cent in the second quarter of 1983).

The male unemployment rate is forecast to rise above 10 per cent by the start of 2010 before peaking at around 11 per cent (1.9 million). Although depressingly high, the peak in the male unemployment rate should be less than the 12.4 per cent and 12.8 per cent peaks following the 1980s and 1990s recessions respectively.

Dr John Philpott, CIPD's Chief Economist, made this comment: "A focus on the relatively hard impact of the recession on men should not detract from the absolute deterioration in the labour market situation facing both sexes. Indeed, it is likely that the relative position of women will itself deteriorate in the coming decade as real cuts in public expenditure have an adverse impact on public sector employment. However, it is important to highlight the current plight of men in the labour market, not least because once the impact of recession and a 'jobs-light' recovery is fully felt the proportion of UK men in work will probably have fallen to a record low."

Source: CIPD Press Release.

Saturday 26 September 2009

Ruling on the Default Retirement Age in the UK

The CIPD - Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development have issued a Press Release late on the 25th September entitled - "Heyday ruling damaging for business, says CIPD"

This is as a result of the The High Court upholding the law that allows UK employers to force workers to retire at the age of 65. In the UK, a worker can see their employment end at the age of 65 without any redundancy payment - even if they do not want to retire. The judge in the case said there was a compelling case for the compulsory retirement age to rise.

The CIPD says...
Responding to today's High Court ruling on the default retirement age, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is disappointed that the Court has upheld the British Law allowing employers to retire workers against their wishes when they turn 65. The CIPD has consistently called for the removal of the DRA for the pressing economic, social and business reasons.

CIPD Diversity Adviser, Dianah Worman says:

"The ECJ has missed a trick to resolve this issue once and for all. The government itself has admitted that the days of the DRA are numbered. It seems counter-intuitive to drag this decision out even further while thousands of older people will be forced out of work in an already difficult jobs market.

"As the HR body we do not buy the HR argument that businesses can't manage their workforce without the DRA. If you have poor performers in your organisation you should also have the performance management systems to deal with them. You wouldn't wait 25 years to remove a poor performing 40 year-old.

"Additionally, business should recognise that this ruling only states that companies can legally retire staff at 65 if they want to. Many organisations and several government departments have already done away with compulsory retirement ages because they recognise the value of retaining older workers and the CIPD encourages all businesses to follow suit.

"We will continue to push for the removal of the mandatory retirement age, both through the current Equality Bill and when the government conducts its own review next year."

CIPD research conducted earlier this year found that 1 in 5 employers planned to enforce the DRA more rigorously in order to reduce headcount*.

*Labour Market Outlook, Winter 2008/2009 . End of CIPD Release.

According to BBC News: Age Concern and Help the Aged, which challenged the rules, will not appeal because they are expecting this law to change.

Employers welcomed the ruling because as a result of the court's decision, it means that a string of compensation cases brought by people who did not want to retire is doomed to fail. The Government has announced it is bringing forward a review of the compulsory retirement age anyway, by a year to 2010. The charities believe that this will eventually lead to a change in the rules.

At present under the current law, a British employer can dismiss a member of staff without redundancy payments on that employee's 65th birthday, as long as they stick to the correct procedure. The charities believe this is in breach of the EU's Equal Treatment at Work Directive.

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Developing a Learning Organisation - A Programme of Effective Interventions from jml Training & Consultancy

jml Training and Consultancy has designed this programme to provide managers with a practical understanding of how to develop a learning organisation and the skills and confidence to lead in a learning organisation.

What is a Learning Organisation?

A learning organisation is one that learns collectively and develops its ability to be adaptive and responsive to its external environment. The process involves individual, team and organisational learning and the results of learning are used to achieve better results.

The organisation supports continuous employee learning, critical thinking and risk taking with new ideas, learns from mistakes and from experience. It also disseminates new knowledge and information through the organisation to inform day to day activities.

The Learning Organisation may not necessarily invest significantly in formal education or training, but it does ensure that learning at work is captured as a value added resource.

More information Here

Monday 7 September 2009

jml Training and Consultancy have launched three courses for the autumn

There has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in training now.

That is the message we are sending out to employers this week with the launch of three training courses.

Effective Communication for Managers - A team's effectiveness has a direct influence on the success of an organisation. The team manager holds the key to the success of the team. Team managers with an effective communication approach and in possession of a high level of emotional intelligence can create and maintain cohesive and collaborative work place relationships.

Dealing with Difficult People - This programme is designed for all those who are managing staff, managing performance and delivering organisational change. It provides practical strategies and tools to help you confidently manage disagreement and confrontation in the workplace. It is beneficial for all levels of management but is most beneficial when delivered to managers on a similar level.

Developing the Team using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator - Developing a sense of team and getting the best from teams is an ongoing concern for managers. Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used psychometric instrument and was first pioneered as a tool to increase team effectiveness with health care teams in 1974. Since then it has been very successfully applied in a range of different environments.

To find out more take a look at our Press Release - Here

Thursday 27 August 2009

CIPD Law on tour to focus on Equality Bill

Law on tour to focus on Equality Bill CIPD press release 27th August 2009

We have just received this from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The Law on Tour workshops from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) are a 'one stop shop' for the latest on employment law. This autumn's workshops offer a thorough employment law refresher, look at important case law decisions and preview new legislation.

This tour starts on 6 October and will focus particular attention on the Equality Bill to help participants increase their knowledge on:
• protected characteristics• multiple discrimination
• changes to direct and indirect discrimination
• equal pay• positive action• harassment
• disability - the medical model and beyond.

Mike Emmott, Employee Relations Adviser at CIPD says: "The sharp increase in employment tribunals following the swathe of redundancies in the recession should send a clear warning to employers that they simply cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to the law. It's vital that HR professionals are up to speed with legal developments to guide and protect employers - they need to be confident that their practices at work are sound and reflect the latest changes. "The CIPD Law on Tour workshops are designed to help HR professionals understand the legal complexities of perennial employment issues and to prepare them for changes to come. The Equality Bill alone is a major change that will force employers to review their existing equality strategies."

Other Content

Other areas to be covered include a whole raft of employment law also due this year, such as:
• fit notes• additional maternity pay
• additional paternity pay• national minimum wage
• enactment of provisions of Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• amendments to Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

Format

Run by top employment law specialists, the workshops include group discussions, case studies, clear presentations and supporting documentation to ensure that complex legal issues around employment are explored and communicated in what is an enjoyable and productive learning experience.

The Law on Tour workshops will take place at locations in October visit their website for more information.

For more information on The Equality Bill visit our section on the jml Training and Consultancy website here

Tuesday 25 August 2009

Dame Helen Mirren Becomes Scollar Patron


Dame Helen Mirren, internationally acclaimed actress and recent Academy Award winner, has joined Lord Petre, Lord Lieutenant of Essex, as The Scollar Trust’s new patron. The Scollar Trust is Scollar Associates’ parent company. Dame Helen and Lord Petre have both offered their support to Scollar Associates.

Dame Helen has pledged her patronage to help raise the profile of The Scollar Trust which was set up in 2002, to advance education by providing new learning opportunities for children, young people and adults who face difficulties gaining access to education.

Dame Helen said: “Many congratulations to The Scollar Trust on their achievements this year. I am proud to be a patron. This work is very important in its investment in the future of Great Britain. Let's help The Scollar Trust to go from strength to strength.”

Sandra Roberts, CEO of the Trust, said: “We are delighted that Dame Helen and Lord Petre have pledged their names to support our charity. Obviously, they both care a great deal about education. Their support will help raise the profile of our charity and generate funds to ensure that everybody gets the educational opportunities they deserve. We thank them for their generosity and support.”

Scollar Associates is a new company established in summer 2006. Scollar Associates is owned, as a subsidiary company, by The Scollar Trust which is a Social Enterprise Charity organisation. Scollar Associates is a company limited by shares. All of the shares are held by The Scollar Trust. Therefore, any funds generated by Scollar Associates can only be used by the Trust, in the fulfilment of the charity’s aims and not for profit or to generate dividends
for shareholders.

The Scollar Trust, as the parent company, has invested substantially in the development of Scollar Associates and is bringing all its expertise and financial acumen into play to ensure that Scollar Associates is an effective and efficient company.

Scollar Associates is managed by a very experienced Board of Directors comprised of: a senior executive, and educational, financial and Human Resources experts. The two founder Directors, Lorraine O’Reilly and Sandra Roberts, are also Associates, so they really do know the operation from top to bottom.

Gráinne Suter Director of jml Training & Consultancy is an Associate of Scollar Associates

Managerial Associates

Grainne is a highly experienced trainer delivering bespoke learning and development programmes. She has a track record of delivering highly successful training solutions, both nationally and internationally and has worked with a range of companies and authorities on organisational change initiatives.

Grainne has managed a county wide Health Promotion Team and co-ordinated many partnership projects addressing health and social care needs and is experienced in managing the practical difficulties that arise. She has also worked as an Associate Lecturer in the field of Health and Social Care with the Open University.

Having built up an extensive knowledge of equal opportunities in health and social care Grainne has worked on a range of strategic planning and policy development programmes. Much of her work has focussed on the incorporation of the equalities agenda into service provision. Her work includes the design, development and delivery of training in: company culture and change management; leadership development; communications; equal opportunities and diversity management and project management.

Grainne has a particular interest in leadership development and provide coaching to executive directors and senior management teams. She has provide in-house management development programmes at different levels in a range of organisations. She is ably to inspire and build confidence, whilst providing the tools and techniques that enable people to plan, communicate, develop and work in a more effective way.

In addition Grainne has trained and coached parliamentary candidates and party activists at all levels and delivered an accredited training for trainers programme. Grainne holds a joint honours degree in Psychology and Sociology, a Masters in Public and Social Administration and qualifications in management and counselling.

Areas of Expertise:

• Extensive training experience across international, private and public sector
• Design and delivery of organisational change programmes
• Management of partnership projects
• Development of a health care partnerships
• Public sector management development and improvement


More Here

Friday 21 August 2009

Coaching soars in depths of recession



CIPD press release 21st August 2009 The CIPD Coaching at Work conference, London, 24 September, 2009

Research to be launched at the CIPD Coaching at Work conference has found that almost 90% of organisations now use coaching. The Taking the Temperature of Coaching Report, which surveys over 500 companies, finds half (51%) consider coaching as a key part of learning and development and consider it 'crucial to their strategy'. It is being used at all levels to build on good performance (23%), improve poor performance (20%) and it forms part of leadership development (23%).

The event brings together everyone with an interest in, and responsibility for coaching to explore how to best use coaching and mentoring at work, what the pitfalls are and how it can be used to deliver even more.

"It is not surprising that so many are turning to coaching and mentoring to improve performance," says Dr John McGurk, CIPD Adviser, Learning and Talent. "When budgets are tightened, it's a relatively inexpensive way to develop staff and it also has the benefit of being tailored to an organisation's specific needs. As well as this, coaching has great scope to improve employee engagement, empower people and boost morale at a time of great uncertainty.

"At the conference, we'll look at how those using coaching and mentoring can make sure that they really reap the benefits throughout the organisation. It's vital that coaching's impact is measurable and tightly aligned with the business agenda, as well as helping individuals to develop. Otherwise, it runs the risk of being seen as something which only takes place in the executive suite".

Conference sessions include:

- Launch of the Taking the Temperature of Coaching Research, Dr John McGurk, CIPD

- Panel discussion on The merits of different types of workplace coaching with David Clutterbuck, Founder Clutterbuck Associates, Ty Francis, Director Ty Francis Ltd, Jackie Keddy, European Conflict Management Forum and Metropolitan Police Leadership Academy

- The Manager as Coach, Valerie Anderson, Portsmouth Business School and Michael Staunton, VT Group plc

- Coaching for Engagement, Mark Waight, Logica and Vikki Matthews, Nike

- The Search for Excellence - how the NHS Institute selects coaches who are fit-for-purpose Susan Mortlock, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and Dr Caroline Horner, i-coach academy

The Taking the Temperature of Coaching research report will be available to download on the CIPD website on 25 September 2009
• The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has over 135,000 members and is the leading professional institute for those involved in the management and development of people

If you are interested in finding out more about how Coaching can help you as an individual or your organisation visit the special section of the jml Training and Consultancy website here

Challenging the gender pay gap

The Equality and Human Rights Commission August 09 News letter has an article entitled "Challenging the gender pay gap" and related Press Release entitled "Commission consultation opens on gender pay gap reporting" dated 12th Augusut 09

The Commission launched a consultation on 12 August on how private and voluntary sector employers with at least 250 staff can measure and report on their gender pay gap.

Women working full-time currently earn 17.1 per cent less per hour on average than men, with the gap failing to improve in the past three years. The difference in some sectors such as finance, are much wider and the majority of organisations are not aware of their own gender pay gap.

The Commission believes that developing ways for employers to measure and report on their gender pay gap will be a crucial step towards reducing pay inequity by providing greater transparency.

The Commission is working closely with the business sector, including the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and with the Trades Union Congress (TUC), to develop a consistent way to measure the gender pay difference in organisations.

The aim is to empower private and voluntary sector employers to report on a voluntary basis, but the Equality Bill does contain a reserve power which, if a future Secretary of State chose to use, could lead to mandatory reporting if progress has not been made on a voluntary basis by 2013. The Commission has outlined a range of possible approaches and looks forward to receiving input from a wide range or employers.

Andrea Murray the Acting Group Director of Strategy at the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: " There is demand from the public for organisations to build their reputation on transparency and sharing information. The way they reward their staff should be fair, and seen to be fair.

'It is a waste of talent, and it is unjust, that forty years after the Equal Pay Act we still live in a society where for every pound earned by our sons, our daughters will take home less than 85 pence.

'The reasons for the pay gap are complex so the Commission will be gathering views from employers on what could work best for their organisations in terms of measuring and reporting information. In particular, we want to hear from employers who have been monitoring their gender pay gap and have made moves to address it.

'Working with a wide range of employers, we aim to develop a framework which suits different organisational structures and builds on the excellent work that is already in place in many businesses.'

The Commission will also undertake a baseline survey to find out how many business and voluntary employers are already measuring their gender pay gap. The information gathered will be used to measure the rate of improvement over time.

According the Press Release:

*The reporting measures will be used by non-public sector employers with more than 250 employees
The consultation closes on 28 October 2009.
Gender pay gap statistics:

•Women working full-time earn 17.1 per cent less per hour on average (12.8 per cent median) than men working full-time
•The pay gap is even greater for part-time female workers who earn 36.6 per cent per hour (39.9 per cent median) less per hour than men working full-time (part-time male workers also earn 27 per cent less per hour compared to men working full-time)
•Combining full-time and part-time earnings, the overall average gender pay gap for hourly earnings is 21 per cent (22.6 per cent based on median earnings)
•More female than male employees work part-time (41 per cent of women compared to just 11 per cent of men)
•The full-time gender pay gap is wider in the private sector at 21.7 per cent compared to the public sector at 13.8 per cent
•17 per cent of private sector employers and 24 per cent of public sector employers have taken action to close the gender pay gap by completing Equal Pay reviews
•The members of the Commission's stakeholder group on this project include the CBI, the British Chamber of Commerce (the BCC), Business in the Community (BITC), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the EEF, the TUC, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Women's National Commission (WNC).
•The project is also supported by a technical advisory group.
Pay and employee statistics above are from the Commission's analysis of data from the ONS' Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2008 and ONS' Labour Market Statistics Bulletin Historical Supplement 2009. All pay gaps are calculated from mean hourly earnings excluding overtime.

Data on Equal Pay Reviews are from Lorna Adams et al, Equal pay reviews survey 2008 (EHRC, 2008) and the figure for Executive Directorships is from Sealy, R et al, The Female FTSE Report 2008: a decade of delay (Cranfield University School of Management, 2008

For more information on the New Equality bill on the jml-training website Click Here

Friday 14 August 2009

The National Association of Estate Agents on racial discrimination in lettings agencies


4th August 2009

Comments from Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) on racial discrimination in lettings agencies, following the BBC LookNorth Business undercover report:

“NAEA is committed to setting the highest standards for lettings professionals, for the benefit of both the general public and the wider industry.

“NAEA members must comply with our Rules of Conduct. Our Code of Practice for Lettings Agents makes it very clear that any form of discrimination is unacceptable and will not be tolerated: Rule 1e states “You must offer equality of professional service to any person, regardless of their race, religious belief, gender, sexuality, disability or nationality. You must not be involved in any plan or arrangement to discriminate against a person or people because of their race, religious belief, gender, sexuality, disability or nationality.”

“Racial discrimination is appalling behaviour, which may be illegal. A letting agent simply cannot assist a landlord with refusing a tenant due to racial motivations.

“NAEA has asked the BBC to share any information it has that indicates misconduct by NAEA members. NAEA may take disciplinary action, which could lead to membership being withdrawn. Source NAEA

See also:
Diversity and Inclusion at jml-training.com

Wednesday 12 August 2009

Employee survey highlights fundamental lack of trust in UK plc senior management, as redundancy takes toll on the survivors




The damaging impact of redundancies on staff morale, combined with a fundamental lack of trust in senior management, threaten to undermine the performance of companies just as they are preparing to capitalise on early signs of economic recovery.

These are the findings of a survey of 3,000 employees for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

The survey, conducted by YouGov, finds that seven out of ten (70%) employees report that redundancies have damaged their morale, with more than a fifth (22%) of employees so unhappy as a result of how redundancies are being handled that they are looking to change jobs as soon as the labour market improves. A quarter (27%) say they are less motivated as a result of the redundancies, while more than half (51%) feel under greater pressure to perform and prove their worth as a result of the job cuts.

Against this background it is not surprising that the vast majority of employees (81%) believe that senior managers need to restore or improve trust in their leadership, with just a quarter of employees agreeing that they are consulted on important decisions. Employees believe that frequent and honest communications (53%), more meaningful consultation (35%) and giving employees greater voice in the workplace (30%) would have the greatest impact on improving trust.

The survey also reflects public outrage over "rewards for failure". Almost a third (29%) cite not rewarding failing senior managers as key to rebuilding trust, while just over a quarter (27%) of employees believe that senior leadership teams must show they trust their middle and junior managers to make decisions if they are to rebuild the trust felt in them.

Ben Willmott, Senior Public Policy Adviser, CIPD, says:
"The impact of redundancies on the dole queue is well documented. But there could be a nasty hangover for employers too. Survivors of redundancy programmes left 'punch drunk' by the process may not have the levels of motivation and commitment needed for their employers to capitalise on any recovery. Many disillusioned employees will vote with their feet and leave as soon as the labour market picks up.

"Our research highlights a fundamental lack of trust in senior management among many employees, largely due to the lack of meaningful consultation and effective communication during major change such as redundancy programmes and restructuring.

If employers communicate clearly to staff over the challenges facing the business and involve them in the process of change management through effective consultation, employees are much more likely to understand the need for change and to remain motivated and committed to the organisation.

"The survey also highlights the dissatisfaction people feel with the rewarding of failing senior executives. Failing chief executives and directors should not be financially rewarded when they leave organisations when their leadership has contributed to poor business performance. 'Rewards for failure' are contributing to a deep-seated sense of unfairness amongst employees who feel they've been less well treated.

This needs to be addressed if trust in senior leadership teams is to be rebuilt." Source CIPD 7-8-09

For further information on Leadership and Management Development Training Programmes...Click Here

16th June 2008 Gráinne Suter of jml Training and Consultancy made a presentation
"Learning and development" at the Chiltern Branch of the CIPD.

Friday 24 July 2009

There has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in Training Now

The UK is in recession, however business and local Government has to be as efficient as possible at a time like this.

Recessions and downturns in the economy do not last forever and apart from building up a company, University or Government (local or national) department for the future they must also continue their training and development of staff for the present.

Staff have to be motivated and careers paths must be followed. When economies have to be made organisations look at their major expendiure. Some of these expenses like rent and rates can't be cut, however if your business is about to have a rent review, it is probably worthwhile negotiating the rental. There will probably not be a queue of people waiting to take over your premises.

You might decide to freeze salaries, however you still have to attract customers and although you might reduce your advertising budget, you must still continue to advertise as otherwise you won't maintain your customer base.

If you cut back on your management training you will not provide your customers with good service and in the long run will loose business.

You need to keep investing in training, planning for the future and ensuring your staff produce the results at the present time.

"There has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in Training Now".

For information on how we can assist visit our website

Tuesday 7 July 2009

Great Success for the BCC Riviera Summer Party

The BCC Riviera had a great summer party on Saturday 27th June. The event was held at the Royal Beach in Antibes which is a great restaurant offering good quality Italian food just on the water’s edge.
The music was great, however the local Antibes Police did pop in at around 11 pm, instructing the party goers to reduce the decibels a bit.

Around a hundred 'international minds' with bodies dressed entirely in white - representing over 10 nationalities - enjoyed a non-stop flow of great food, drinks, dancing and conversation.
An important part of the evening was also a successful and fun charity draw which raised 800 euros for Association Rêves. It is a soul-touching cause, exemplified by our own donation which is ear-marked to help realize the dream of an eight year old boy from Cannes who has a terminal illness. So in a way we helped maintain a balance between the important realities of life and the need to fully enjoy that same life.

Mission accomplished, the BCC Riviera goes into a summer break and returns in September! All pictures of the Summer party can be found on http://picasaweb.google.com/bccriviera/BCCSummer2009WhiteNightBeachParty.

jml-training.com and jml Property Services are members of the BCC Riviera. The organisation is constantly looking for new members in the business community in the south of France. They have monthly meetings and our website cotedazurrental.com has devoted a page to this organisation. Although original called the "British Chamber of Commerce" as there more and more "international" members (including the French of course) it is now the BCC Riviera.

Find our more here

Sunday 19 April 2009

Change Management Services from jml Training and Consultancy

In an ever changing landscape, it is crucial that organisations are able to adapt and respond to the challenges put in front of them.

Organisations most likely to survive and thrive in the modern environment are those that are able to identify and respond quickly to the need for change, thereby increasing their competitive edge and taking advantage of the opportunities for success.

However, the various skills, processes and competencies required to implement change management are often not part of the organisation's core business competencies and with successful change being dependant on expert implementation, many organisations look to outside consultancies for help

jml Training offer two key services to help your organisation with successful change management:

Change Management Consultancy - Provision of Change Management Consultants to work with your team to identify change requirements and develop & implement strategies for change

Change Management Training and Coaching - Provision of training programmes to enable your management team and staff to become more successful change managers in the longer-term

Please contact jml Training and Consultancy to discuss your training requirements

Friday 10 April 2009

jml Training and Consultancy Recommends First Class Customer Service Training

As a result of the worldwide economic downturn it is even more important that businesses maintain a very high standard of customer service care. If customers are not being looked after properly, they will be lost, whereas with proper customer service there will be repeat business.
Philip Suter of jml Training and Consultancy said, "Last week I had to sort out a problem with some audio visual equipment we use as part of our training programmes. I had to visit two retailers; one a large UK electrical retailer and the other a company selling own brand Japanese merchandise.

In both of these establishments I experienced a very high calibre of customer service, with the sales assistants spending a lot of time trying to solve my problem and not pushing for a new sale. The end result was that I returned to one of the two retailers a day later to buy a new product and again because of some technical problems setting it up, the sales assistant spent plenty of time to explain how to connect it up and make it work as it should."

In both cases these companies had trained their staff well. It means customers will return again and again. However the market is getting much tougher and in many cases there will be no second chance.

jml Training and Consultancy have designed in-house Customer Service Courses

Providing Excellence in Customer Service - that will cover:

Top down approach to customer service
Attitudes to service delivery
Motivating staff to give good customer service
Backroom tasks that improve service to the customer
Organisational systems and procedures to support Customer Service

Communicating with Your Customers - This will develop the essential communication skills necessary for success and covers:
Self-awareness and the impact of behaviour on others
Roles, relationships and communication
Creating a positive impression - using an appropriate behaviour style
Assertive verbal skills for dealing with difficult situations
Using active listening skills
Providing good service in anybody's language
As there are so many people now reliant on using the phone to solve a problem with a product or service, then the correct telephone manner is essential.

The jml Training Improving Telephone Skills in house course will cover:

Initial impressions and building rapport
Effective voice skills
Asking the right questions
Listening for tone
Practical telephone techniques

Philip Suter said "Our training courses are in fact tailor made for an individual client's requirements and if companies are making some employees redundant then the remaining ones have to work very efficiently and keep their customers satisfied and one way to ensure this is by proper customer service training."

Friday 27 February 2009

jml Training and Consultancy is now an Organisational Member of The Association for Coaching

27th February 2009: More and more people are requiring coaching skills when they to apply for jobs .jml Training & Consultancy who have been offering coaching services for many years have recently become Organisational Members of The Association for Coaching.

jml Training and Consultancy have recently become Organisational Members the Association of Coaching.

The Association for Coaching was launched in 2002 with the objective of being the leading membership association for Professional Coaches and Organisations involved in Coaching or related Training and to enable individuals and businesses to develop, expand and achieve their goals.

Gráinne Suter of jml Training and Consultancy said ” We have been coaching individuals working for local Government, politicians, business executives for several years and jml Training Interview Coaching service is designed specifically to help you iron out any current interview concerns whether it be job progression or even entry to University. “

Gráinne went on to say “As a long established training company it is most important that our company is a member of a professional coaching association like the Association for Coaching and we will be able to develop further our coaching products.”

jml Training and Consultancy offers Executive Coaching for people seeking one to one coaching at different stages in their careers. Some people use coaching to help them address challenges in their work. Others because they feel they are not accomplishing all they are capable of, or wish to feel more confident in their work role.

As the company has been involved in a lot of Women’s Development Programmes for local Government, Coaching for Women has been part of the course. It is a particularly useful way for women to identify their particular development needs and increase their confidence.

jml Training and Consultancy uses a structured method to maximise the effectiveness of the coaching. It starts with an introductory session where you identify with the coach the areas you wish to explore. Expectations are clarified and goals and objectives are established. The coach will then work with you to analyse the current position on issues, generate options for change and develop an action plan.

With so many universities now holding difficult interviews prior to entry for specialist subjects and with the downturn of the economy more people are chasing fewer jobs than before. To assist applicants jml training and consultancy has developed an Interview Coaching service specifically designed for a first job, students interviewing for university places or career move or change of job. The two hour, one to one coaching session will be designed specifically to help the applicant iron out any current interview concerns and enable them to make a strong impression at an interview

Company Information:
jml Training and Consultancy is a specialist training company offering "in-house" training courses to Local Government. Universities, Councils and Companies - both small & multi-national. It has been established over ten years and apart from providing training services in the UK, its' trainers also train in France, Ireland & worldwide.
The specialist areas include Training development for women, Diversity and Inclusion, customer service training, Diagnostic Assessment, Leadership, Coaching and Team building and Management Development Programmes more information at http://www.jml-training.com/coaching.htm