HRviews

An interesting article by Alan Norton. And I agree with him that “perception is reality”. Especially in large corporations, you get to work with so many individuals however you do not get the chance to get to know them necessarily, so perception rules.

http://www.globalknowledge.com/articles/generic.asp?pageid=2851&country=United+States

According to The Times, the document points out: ‘An impeccable appearance can procure interior peace and a feeling of security’. Something lost in the translation, eh ? Perhaps, but then a UBS spokesperson told the newspaper: ‘A correct appearance is part of banking custom’.

Anyway, The Times says that apparently only grey, black or navy-colored suits may be worn in the office, women are restricted to wearing seven pieces of jewellery (men three), and the ladies are required to wear flesh-tinted bras ‘to remain invisible under the blouse’, with make-up not being applied to neck areas.

Oh, and women will also have to wear a white blouse that ‘must neither be tight on the bosom, nor gape open, because that gives a negligent appearance’.

And The Wall Street Journal has some other excerpts from the crazy code:

Do’s
For women

• Wear your jacket buttoned

• When sitting, the buttons should be unfastened

• Make sure to touch up hair regrowth regularly if you color your hair

For men:

• Store your suit on a large hanger with rounded shoulders to preserve the shape of the garment

• Schedule barber appointments every four weeks to maintain your haircut shape

Don’ts (men and / or women)

• Eating garlic and onions

• Smoking or spending time in smoke-filled places

• Wearing short-sleeved shirts or cuff links

• Wearing socks that are too short, showing your skin while sitting

• Allowing underwear to be seen

• Touching up perfume during or after lunch break

• Using tie knots that don’t match your face shape and / or body shape

One banker told Here Is The City: ‘Just when people stopped laughing at UBS over the once-parlous state of the bank, Zurich has made the firm a laughing stock once again. What planet they are on over there ?’.

The Swiss Federation of Trade Unions aren’t too impressed either, describing the dress code as ‘unreasonable and illegal’.

Sources – The Times, The Wall Street Journal

It’s almost the end of the year. Although you might think that most of us had already enjoyed at least one longer vacation by now, it looks like it is no quite so. Have you taken your vacation? Why not? It might be that you are one of the 49.4 millions Americans who are “vacation deprived.” According to an annual survey conducted by Expedia, about one-third of employed U.S. adults, or 34%, do not use all their allotted vacation days. That’s up from 31% last year. And it’s not like the time off isn’t needed.

Expedia has been conducting this survey for 8 years, and during all this time, the U.S. has had the dubious distinction of being the country with the largest vacation deficit, averaging only 13 vacation days per year, some of which go unused. This year however, workers in Japan win the distinction for being the most likely to leave vacation days on the table with 92% reporting they will not use all earned vacation days. So clearly, some nations choose to work too much.

Country – Vacation days / average unused vacation days:
France 38 / 2
Italy 31 / 6
Spain 30 / 3
Germany 27 / 2
Austria 27 / 4
Great Britain 26 / 2
New Zealand 21 / 3
Canada 19 / 2
Australia 19 / 3
Japan 15 / 7
U.S. 13 / 3

As for me, I happen to work for an organization who runs the ‘use it or loose it’ policy for vacation. Thus the employees are strongly encouraged to take their vacation before the end of the year. Exceptions apply however they require higher up approvals.