SecsintheCity

Get your pension the easy way - from your employer

If you are of working age and you haven’t got round to starting a pension, now is the time to act. Pension enrolment doesn’t have to be hard. The government has introduced a new law designed to help people save more for their retirement. It now requires all employers to enrol their workers into a workplace pension scheme if they’re not already in one.

You can choose to opt out but the sooner you start saving for retirement the better because your pension pot builds up over time. What’s more, if you stay in, your employer will contribute to your pension as will the government through tax relief[1]. This means more money goes into your pension pot than just what you put in. 

 

         

 

To find out what pension enrolment means for you, and the benefits of staying enrolled, visit: www.gov.uk/workplacepension

Office Workers’ Green Efforts Being Frustrated by Colleagues says Avery

Study shows that ‘working together’ and ‘leading by example’ are key factors in improving green practices at work  

Over half of office workers in the UK feel that their efforts to be environmentally-friendly can sometimes be let down by colleagues, a national study has found.  

A OnePoll survey of 1,000 office workers, commissioned as part of Avery Green Office Week, revealed that fifty-five percent of people say they work with colleagues who either disregard green working practices or are deliberately wasteful.  Forgetting to recycle, needlessly throwing away paper and leaving computers switched on overnight are just some of the top green bugbears identified by workers. 

May 13th – 17th sees Avery launch the fifth Green Office Week, with the study highlighting the importance of tackling such issues by collectively working together to champion greener ways of working. Forty percent of office workers say they are more likely to be environmentally-friendly in the office if they are surrounded by colleagues who are passionate about green issues. Green Office Week aims to build on this and unite office workers across the country, empowering them to take simple, practical steps to help make workplaces more sustainable. 

‘Leading by Example’ Key to a Greener Office

The study found that how individuals encourage green behaviour is crucial in affecting how likely work colleagues are to respond to change in a positive way. Forty-four percent of workers say that colleagues who promote green practices can have a tendency to make them feel guilty, with forty percent of those saying that this tactic can get ‘annoying.’ Instead of making individuals feel guilty when they forget to recycle or turn off the lights, sixty percent of office workers say that a far better way to encourage others to be green is to lead by example – stating that actions speak louder than words. Other positive strategies identified include helping people to understand the cost benefits of reducing waste and making green behaviour part of everyone’s job descriptions. 

Green Office Week 2013 comes at a time when, despite the global economic uncertainty, only 12% of office workers feel that the environment is now less of a priority for their business, with 42% stating the financial crisis has actually increased the need for their workplace to be greener and more resource efficient. 66% of office workers also say they are more likely to purchase a product if it is environmentally-friendly, with 61% saying they would feel happier if their workplace was seen to be more environmentally-friendly. 

Here to help, Green Office Week provides tips and inspiration encouraging office workers to think about the small, positive steps they can make towards creating a more sustainable working environment. The week also highlights some of the innovative solutions that can help us all to be greener at work, such as Avery Recycled Labels and Recycled Dividers, the Avery DTR Eco desktop accessory range and unique BlockOUT™ Labels that allow files, envelopes, and packaging to be re-used rather than thrown away. With most of these products part of the Avery Rewards promotion too, there’s never been a better time to be green! 

To find out more and to get involved with Green Office Week 2013, simply register at greenofficeweek.eu or visit the Green Office Week twitter feed @greenofficeweek.

 

  

 

 

Notes to editors

 

Green Office Week aims to empower workers across the UK to change their office practices for the better, helping them to find greener ways of working.  Taking place on May 13-17^th 2013, the week aims to unite offices around the country, raising awareness of the issues and offering practical help and advice to office workers looking to make a difference.  For more information, log onto www.greenofficeweek.eu.  

 

Avery Dennison Office and Consumer Products markets products under the well-known Avery brand name and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of self-adhesive labels and paper products for laser, inkjet and multifunction printers, labelling software, index dividers and a wide range of other products for both consumer and commercial markets.  Avery Dennison Office and Consumer Products Europe, a business unit of Avery Dennison Corporation, has manufacturing operations in UK and Germany and sales and marketing offices in more than ten countries across Europe.  For more information about Avery products, consumers can visit www.avery.eu. Avery and all other Avery brands and product names are trademarks of Avery Dennison Corporation.

 

 

 

 

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To find a new PA opportunity, search and apply for your ideal role on SecsintheCity 

Get Hired at Hamptons on SecsintheCity

 

 

Hamptons International is a leading residential property company in the UK, working across local, national and international markets, delivering unrivalled customer service through the commitment and inspiration of its staff. They are well established, running for over 140 years with 85 offices selling mid to high end properties (our average house sale price is £800k-£1million) Hamptons International have won Silver awards for Best Large Agency, Best for Innovation, Best for Marketing & Best for New Homes.

 

"By attracting the very best staff, we deliver the very best service. At Hamptons International we pride ourselves on attracting and retaining the very best people. We are continuing to expand our branch network in 2012, and we're looking for Managers, Negotiators, Property Managers and Administrators to join our teams. If you can demonstrate your success, are motivated, energetic and passionate about property, we'd like to hear from you."  

- Hamptons International

 

If you’re looking for a new role as an administrator, PA, EA or Secretary, SecsintheCity offers the best selection of roles from leading employers and recruiters across all key sectors, including real estate and we've got a fantastic new client amon our latest employers is Hamptons International. 

 

The details of the role they are currently looking to fill are below. 

 

Job: Sales / Lettings Administrators – Central London

Hamptons International, a leading UK real estate agency with an extensive portfolio of UK and international property, are seeking experienced, motivated and friendly Administrators to work in our Sales and Lettings offices in Central London.

Applicants MUST have worked within Real Estate agency before in a similar role.

The successful candidate will be kept busy dealing with everything from preparing tenancy agreements / sales documents, general administration duties through to negotiating deals; so a great way to expand on your lettings and sales knowledge.

 

The successful applicants will have:

 

• Previous experience in a similar role in a Real Estate Agency environment

• Good MS Word, Excel, & Outlook skills

• Excellent standard of communication and extremely customer focus

• Strong administration and organisational skills

• Ability to work well in a team environment. 

• High accuracy and attention to detail. 

 

If you would like to join an international company with fantastic training and excellent career progression opportunities please apply here. 

What PAs and Secretaries say about the sector's recruitment process

 

75% of secretarial specialists are turned off by a long hiring process, according to the latest Insight Series Whitepaper recruitment specialists Robert Walters. In terms of specific timescales, 81% - if successful – expect to receive a job offer within four weeks of first applying for the role. But two-thirds (67%) of employers say an average recruitment process takes longer than this in practise. 

The Whitepaper, “Managing Your Employer Brand Throughout the Recruitment Process”, also shows a number of additional preferences among secretarial professionals when searching for jobs. These include:

• 84% expect a response to an initial job application within six days
• 76% expect a job offer after two interviews or fewer
• 85% say receiving enough information about the role at interview has a strong influence on their decision whether to accept a job offer
• 89% think meeting members of the team they will be working with (in addition to the line manager) during the interview process is important
• 90% have applied for a job and not received a response
• 60% have been for a job interview and not received any feedback
• 90% of secretarial professionals would also discuss their experiences of a recruitment process with friends and/or colleagues

 

Danika Jarmer, Head of Secretarial and Support Recruitment at Robert Walters, comments:

“Our survey results highlight a number of common preferences among secretarial professional seeking new jobs. In particular, the majority of candidates like the recruitment process to move quickly and – because of this – employers that are indecisive and/or do not communicate frequently with applicants are likely to miss out on the best talent. 

“The fact that 90% also talk about their experiences when applying for jobs shows the importance of employers managing their hiring strategies effectively. With secretarial professionals frequently networking with each other, word can spread quickly – so companies that don’t move quickly through the recruitment process can also damage their reputation in the marketplace.” 

If you're looking for a new PA, EA or Secretarial opportunity, browse the latest opportunities from Robert Walters on SecsintheCity 

 

About the Robert Walters Insight Series

The whitepaper, Managing Your Brand Throughout the Recruitment Process, is the first in the Robert Walters Insight Series. The findings are based on research conducted by Robert Walters in September 2012, with the statistics based on the survey responses of 1,306 job seekers and 250 hiring managers. Of these responses, 123 of these job seekers were secretarial professionals and 51 of these hiring managers routinely recruit secretarial professionals. 

The Insight Series is a range of thought-leading whitepapers aimed at assisting employers in their recruitment strategies and helping them to address key talent management issues.

 

About Robert Walters

Robert Walters is a leading international recruitment consultancy, with a network of 51 offices spanning 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Continental Europe, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South Africa and South America. For more information, visit www.robertwalters.co.uk.  

Get your pension the easy way - from your employer

If you are of working age and you haven’t got round to starting a pension, now is the time to act. Pension enrolment doesn’t have to be hard. The government has introduced a new law designed to help people save more for their retirement. It now requires all employers to enrol their workers into a workplace pension scheme if they’re not already in one.

 

You can choose to opt out but the sooner you start saving for retirement the better because your pension pot builds up over time. What’s more, if you stay in, your employer will contribute to your pension as will the government through tax relief[1]. This means more money goes into your pension pot than just what you put in.  

  

To find out what pension enrolment means for you, and the benefits of staying enrolled, click here

Online calculators:

Future wallet

An online tool that helps you work out how much money you may need in later life. It lets you compare this to your present situation.

State Pension calculator

The State Pension profiler uses information provided to quickly estimate how much basic State Pension you may get. It's based on National Insurance contributions to date. It will also tell you the earliest you may get it. 

Pension calculator

Pension Calculator from the Money Advice Service and Association of British Insurers.

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[1] The government takes tax off your income. You can see this on your payslip.  Tax relief means some of the money that would have gone to the government in the form of tax now goes into your pension pot instead.