Catalyst’s research found that women are not as proactive as men in their career strategies. It attributed this partly to a women’s natural inclination to be modest about her achievements, but also to the historic gender pay gap: in spite of equal opportunities legislation, men continue to outpace women in terms of both pay/compensation and career advancement. According to Peninah Thomson, chief executive of the Mentoring Foundation:

“Women are more likely to tell you three good reasons why they’re not ready for promotion, whereas a man will give you ten good reasons why you should promote him, even if they are of equal ability.”

Yet Catalyst discovered that when women are told how good they are, they actually start to thrive. The problem is that few women actually receive this praise and see little incentive in putting themselves forward for more responsible roles. The research organisation believes that some of these problems could be addressed by increasing the number of mentoring opportunities in the sector. Ms Thomson argued that without self-promotion, women will remain stuck further down the chain, rather than finding themselves in senior positions. However, she was keen to add:

“[Women] should understand that self-promotion is not about puffing yourself up, but stating the truth about your achievements with poise and confidence,” adding that they must work to “assume authority” rather than wait to be given responsibility if they are to climb up the career ladder.

The Catalyst report found that women do negotiate pay when changing jobs, but are paid more over the years if they stay in the same job having proved their performance. The issue has become increasingly important as major FTSE 100 businesses have raised difficulties about fulfilling Lord Davies’ recommendations to appoint more women to their boards as there are not enough willing female candidates out there.

The importance of professional networking and mentoring

The Catalyst report recommended that women should network, if they wished to advance in their chosen career. It has since received support for this suggestion from other organisations.

Speaking at the recent Silicon Valley Comes to The UK event, Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, said that young people starting their career in technology jobs should take advantage of networking.

The report also thoroughly recommended that women should seek out a mentor if they wished to move up the career ladder. Any help and guidance they could receive from others who had faced similar problems and challenges would not only help them overcome their reluctance to promote their potential, but also teach strategies that could help them achieve their goals. Women’s and equalities minister, Theresa May, has supported the idea of a mentoring service for women with the announcement that she will recruit 5,000 mentors to help female entrepreneurs through a women’s business council.

Speaking in an interview by Adage, the chief strategy officer at MediaCom, Sue Unerman, said mentors, whether they are chosen or accidentally fall into the role are essential in the newsroom, and that having people to learn from is vital for the future wellbeing of the industry:

“Having a mentor is essential to everyone’s career development. Sometimes, a mentor will be one organised by your employers in a structured programme. Sometimes, a mentor will be an “accidental mentor” – someone you’ve come across who has taught you something that no formal process can teach you,” Unerman noted.

She believes the mentoring relationship will give both parties a new and fresh perspective on their respective careers, and possibly even on their lives:

“It will hone listening skills. It will create new challenges for both. Sometimes, people get stuck because they need someone to believe in them, and mentoring is great at delivering this to both participants. Sometimes you get stuck and you need a new technique to solve a problem.”

However she is also keen to stress that the mentoring relationship will only work if it is based on a marriage of equals: in other words on an adult relationship where the relative status and experience of each participant is irrelevant. The idea that the mentoring should be based on a similar relationship to that of parent/child is nonsensical and will not work. If people envisage a mentee sitting at the feet of the mentor and waiting expectantly for words of wisdom, then they really have no conception about what mentoring really is.

Unerman’s sentiments were echoed by Dave Jonett, the president of Aegis Media. He believes that the career development of staff should be multi-dimensional in order to maximise the development and refinement of everyone’s capabilities. He envisages a mentoring system where there will be some basic training, as well as some more-tailored training, and possibly even some highly specialised training to develop particular capabilities. However, what underpins all of this is the one-to-one mentoring relationship:

“In my view, the mentor’s role is to impart wisdom, provide expertise, share knowledge, enhance their education, enhance their careers and build their networks … but it should be so much more. I think the best mentors become a guide to how to holistically succeed at work.”

However the mentoring benefits don’t stop there. Jonett believes that the mentor can also gain considerably from the mentoring programme. Both parties get time to reflect on their work, make sense of the things that are going on day to day and help each other in tackling these issues. If the relationship develops well, there will be a trusting environment to explore all the trials and tribulations that we face in our day jobs.

This article about media mentoring was submitted by Mentor Match Me

Competition in the industry is now fierce: journalists stand or fall by the quality of the news stories they manage to gather, knowing that should they fail to meet expectations, then there are countless other qualified individuals waiting to take their place. The pressure is such that there’s absolutely no room for passengers. New recruits are thrown in the deep end, and whether they sink or swim is largely down to individual ability and determination. However, editors and senior journalists are now increasingly waking up to the fact that they owe a duty of care to these new recruits. Talent, however polished it may appear, needs to be nurtured and mentored; consequently a number of publications have now put in place media mentoring systems to alleviate the problem. They understand that giving a helping hand to new starters is not only good for the individual concerned, but also the mentor, and is vital for the continued success of the media industry itself.

So how can media mentoring benefit mentors?

Mentors learn more about their craft

It’s easy for experienced journalists to take what they do for granted. They know how to gather a news story, and after a while they do this without thinking. When they are asked to explain how they go about their duties and determine what works and what doesn’t, the they are forced to break the job down into its constituent parts if they hope to be able to explain the process. The process often forces mentors to re-evaluate some of the practices that they’ve always taken for granted and to question whether the same sets of rules apply now time has moved on. The flow of information isn’t a one way street either: mentors also find that they learn from the journalists they are coaching. Many of the new recruits can teach some of the older hacks the tricks and tools of the social media.

Mentors learn new things about themselves

Mentors will know what new recruits will need to do to be successful, having once been in a similar position themselves. They’ll know when to push a mentee, and when to hold back and offer a consoling shoulder. They’ll also know when to be patient and when to be forthright. However, years in the industry will have taught them that a measured approach is the mark of a good journalist, so they won’t necessarily still be assertive as they once were. Sometimes urgency is called for in the business, particularly when deadlines loom. Some mentors are necessarily as good as they once may have been at giving clear and concise instructions. Being part of the mentoring programme forces them to take stock and improve the way they communicate and become assertive once more.

Mentors can pass on knowledge and create a legacy

There’s no greater joy than watching someone you’ve mentored and coached going on to forge a successful career. It can prove to be a source of pride for mentors knowing that they’ve done a job well. However, as laudable as this altruistic motivation is, there is also a selfish side to mentoring too. Anyone who can help an individual to find his or her feet in industry will tend to feel that they’ve created a legacy; or a sense of permanence if you’d prefer, which will continue to thrive and prosper. News stories will come and go, but successful protégés live on.

What are the drawbacks of media mentoring?

Mentors quickly learn about their own flaws

Patience is the key to successful mentoring. It’s often tempting to jump in with both feet and criticise if a mentee doesn’t do what a mentor believes they should have done. However, an essential quality of a good mentor is patience and understanding. Part of the mentoring process is to let the student make their own mistakes, and then be there to guide and help the student identify where they may have gone wrong. A mentor cannot get frustrated or angry: this is wholly counter-productive and sends the wrong message to the mentee.

Mentors can never know everything

No one can be the font of all knowledge, no matter how experienced they may be. Life is a learning process. Mentors will be approached by students wanting answers to specific questions or needing advice about how to deal with a particular issue, but sometimes they won’t have the answer. There’s no sin in that. That’s why it’s important to have as wide a network of mentors as possible. If one doesn’t know the answer, another may, or collectively they’ll figure it out. Some experienced journalists are loath to be mentors because they feel they may prove to be inadequate and not have all the necessary knowledge. This should never put them off. None of us knows the answer to every problem: we’re all still learning.

This article about media mentoring was submitted by Mentor Match Me

But, why speed mentoring? Why not stick to the more traditional approach of one-to-one mentoring instead? Well, the answer was purely practical. It was a question of numbers and logistics. Good mentoring plays an important role in helping women achieve more. With the right mentor, women can receive the additional advice and training they need to seize whatever opportunities come their way and to make the best of their abilities. The problem is that in spite of the push towards greater sexual equality, women still lag way behind men when it comes to being offered these opportunities. Women account for 52 percent of the world’s population, but sadly the number of available opportunities is not proportionate. More women desperately need help and advice which can help to remove barriers and unlock potential, so speed mentoring gave the women’s leaders the best opportunity to reach the greatest numbers.

WOW’s speed mentoring framework was very straightforward. Every mentee got 15 minutes with four different mentors drawn from a wide range of professions: journalists, geo-scientists, army colonels, directors, entrepreneurs, chief executives, DJs, architects, surgeons, barristers, and academics were amongst the 165 women who gave up their time. The speed mentoring process was meant to replicate that of speed dating and be fun, social and stimulating, but it was also envisaged that it could potentially change lives by building professional networks, unexpected friendships and lasing relationships. However, the problem with any scheme like this is that it can by nature be superficial. Doing anything at speed will mean that there is never sufficient time to go into problems in details and address the really fundamental issues like bullying, marginalisation and casual sexism that can for some women seriously hinder all hope of personal progress.

To address those issues, WOW has set up a scheme called Cascade Mentoring. Many young women will find they face similar problems in the workplace. By sharing these problems with others in similar situations, and with a woman mentor who is prepared to be frank and open about her own hopes, fears and experiences, young aspiring women can find the experience enormously encouraging and enlightening. These sessions create peer to peer support and comradeship. Younger women discover their aspirations are being taken seriously and their doubts, dilemmas and conflicts around work and life are recognised. They lose that sense of isolation and get a reality check on problems they might have assumed to be their fault rather than the stuff of office politics or personalities and power clashes.

The ‘cascade’ effect comes from enabling the original mentees to become mentors themselves. Some now lead sessions helping the next generation. WOW wants to encourage hundreds of women to engage with both schemes as mentors or mentees, but is keen to stress that there is a fundamental fact that should not be overlooked: women need the opportunities to go with this mentoring. Women can occasionally be over mentored, but they are frequently under sponsored. WOW believes there’s no point giving all this advice and guidance unless women get a chance to put advice into action.

This article about personal mentoring was submitted by Mentor Match Me

Research into the career progression of UK employees undertaken by Race for Opportunity in 2011, which looked specifically at the alarmingly variable rates of career progression between white individuals and BAME representatives, revealed the training and mentoring programmes are far more accessible to the former, but not the latter. This was particularly noticeable at lower and middle management level, where minorities were significantly under-represented. Race for Opportunity is now calling for diversity to be reflected across all sectors and at all levels of the business community. For any significant changes to be made, organisations need to ensure that BAME individuals in the lower and middle levels of businesses have the skills, training and mentoring support to progress and achieve their ambitions.

Race for Opportunity understands that lower and middle level managers predominantly focus on targets and how their teams meet these targets. What the organisation is suggesting is that these managers should also be looking at the broader picture, and focusing more on the aspirations and motivations of the individuals within these teams. It believes many, who currently consider themselves good line managers, may be surprised and challenged by some of the feedback they receive. The aspirations and ambitions of the BAME workforce are no different to those of white employees, yet nearly half of BAME employees felt they had no other choice but to leave their current employment if they were ever going to progress up the career ladder. Many reasons for this were suggested, but the critical factors appeared to be that a high percentage felt they lacked support form their line managers and that they were offered fewer training opportunities and access to mentoring schemes.

The research also looked in general at what employees want from their employers. Surprisingly, it was found that gender, race, religion, location and ethnicity played no part in the equation. Employee demands are quite simple: to feel valued, to receive appropriate and adequate training and mentoring, and to take home a proper level of pay. None of these demands are excessive, but most are easy to deliver and could make a substantial difference to all the members of the workforce.
Race for Opportunity is in effect asking all managers when considering their training budgets and mentoring programmes for2012, to do two simple things. To be brave enough to challenge any unconscious bias and preconceptions within themselves and their organisations, and also to look across their organisation’s structures as a whole, and establish whether BAME individuals are equally represented at all levels and on existing training or mentoring schemes. Otherwise it fears that businesses risk losing a motivated and knowledgeable tranche of the workforce. Increase training and mentoring opportunities are essential for the retention of top talent.

This article about career mentoring was submitted by Mentor Match Me

Roller racking systems save space, yet also gives instant accessibility to all the goods and products stocked by a business. This is vital for retail environments and industrial premises where speedy access to goods is of paramount importance. The advantage of roller racking systems is that they are located on tracks that move along the floor space. This means that there is only ever the need for one access aisle. Whenever an item is required all that needs to be done is to identify where the particular item is, and move the roller racking units apart using a pull handle. This then creates an access aisle adjacent to the shelving bay where the item is located.

There are two different types of mechanisms for creating the aisles: pull handles can either be hand-operated or powered by electric motors with push button controls. Roll-aside shelving is especially useful in smaller offices or in awkwardly shaped spaces like corridors or alcoves. Because the mobile shelving system is mounted on low-profile mobile bases and tracks, access to the storage units behind is gained by simply rolling the units aside.

Properly installed roller racking can transform any industrial or retail business and make it far more efficient. Roller racking will not only ensure that a business uses its available space as effectively as possible, but it will also enable the business to increase its stockroom capacity and ensure that damage to stock is minimised by reducing the number of write-offs. What’s more, roller racking systems will also double the sales floor area and make stock recognition and stock-taking easier and clearer.

This article about roller racking and storage solutions was submitted by Monarch Shelving

One of the key elements of the government’s ICT strategy was the Public Service Network. The Cabinet Office maintains that the PSN will substantially reduce the cost of communication services across UK Government and enable new, joined-up and shared public services. The PSN aims to provide a single logical network and marketplace for public sector communications, bringing suppliers and customers together to substantially reduce costs. It will become the platform for public service providers to operate, share and deliver services across traditional departmental and regional boundaries, in more cost-effective and innovative ways.

Two national PSN frameworks have been established by (GPS) for connectivity and additional services. They will provide a simple and cost-effective way for the public sector to obtain and industry to supply PSN-assured services that will not only offer best value and commercial transparency but provide standardised services across the public sector, enabling more flexibility in the way government buys and shares telecommunications services.

Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, spoke last week about how market participation in the procurement process had been every bit as strong as had been hoped. At the meeting he announced a list of successful suppliers chosen by the government to supply IT services for the Public Service Network. Mr Maude stated that this announcement was a major milestone in the government’s ICT Strategy, and re-affirmed that the PSN-compliant services and systems already in use in both local and central government had already produced savings of £64.2 million for the taxpayer in 2011/12 alone:

“The goal of the Government’s ICT Strategy is to ensure we can deliver smarter, more cost-effective, modern public services. With the award of the PSN Services Framework, following the PSN Connectivity Framework in April, we have passed a major milestone by establishing a competitive ICT marketplace at the heart of the public sector.”

“The PSN will drive savings and efficiencies by removing duplicate network connections, providing simpler procurement and greater competition, and allowing public sector employees to work in more flexible, user-focused ways.”

Twenty-nine suppliers have been named on the new framework being established by Government Procurement Service (GPS), offering services that range from CCTV and physical security monitoring, to video- and teleconferencing systems, call/contact centre services, mobile services (Voice, SMS, Data), messaging services, and secure gateways.

PSN Programme Director, Craig Eblett, added:

“The PSN Services Framework, together with the PSN Connectivity Framework, provides the public sector with the preferred route to market for all PSN networks and telecommunications spend. A fair and open PSN marketplace is now in place, and there is strong demand from public sector organisations to access it. I’d like to congratulate all the successful suppliers and wish them well as they compete for work under the framework.”

The successful PSN Service suppliers are:

2e2 UK Ltd
Airwave Solutions
Azzurri Communications Ltd
British Telecommunications plc
Cable & Wireless Worldwide
Capita Business Services Ltd
Cassidian UK
CSC Computer Sciences Ltd
Computacenter (UK) Ltd
Daisy Communications Ltd
Easynet Global Services
Everything Everywhere Ltd
Freedom Communications (UK) Ltd
Fujitsu
Global Crossing (Level 3)
Icom Holdings Ltd
KCOM Group plc
Logicalis UK Ltd
NextiraOne UK Ltd
PageOne Communications Ltd
Phoenix IT Group Ltd
Siemens Communications
Specialist Computer Centre
Telefónica UK Ltd
telent Technology Services Ltd
Thales UK Ltd
Uniworld Communications Ltd
Virgin Media Business Ltd
Vodafone Ltd

This article about government ICT strategy was submitted by Whitehall Media

Why is hosted VoIP so effective?

A Hosted VoIP system lets small businesses take advantage of the latest communications technologies and extends communications beyond the limits of your physical phone. You can make and receive calls from a variety of different computing platforms like a laptop or tablet computer using a Softphone client, you can reduce or eliminate long distance calling costs with low-cost Internet-based calling, and you can communicate with remote employees and mobile workers just like they are in the same office. There is no need for expensive on-premise equipment, and you won’t have to administer the package yourself. The system can be instantly configured, and you can use either your mobile phone or a conventional phone to stay connected via your office extension anywhere you go. The office functionality travels with you.

Is VoIP call quality as good as fixed line communications?

There have been vast improvements in cloud computing and virtualization technology recently, and these have resulted in dramatically improved call quality and better service reliability. What’s more, they have also led to price reductions, undercutting the cost of monthly expenditure for a comparative traditional business phone system by at least 70%. These factors have made the business case for deploying a Hosted VoIP phone system even more compelling, especially in today’s cost-conscious business environment.

Businesses of all sizes are now moving to Internet-based phone systems. This is because Hosted VoIP is:

Affordable

Hosted VoIP in the Cloud doesn’t require up-front investment and is far less expensive to deploy and maintain than conventional business phone systems or on-premise IP PBXs. The return on investment of most Hosted systems is measured in months not years.

Reliable and High Quality

Hosted VoIP systems are extremely reliable and the call-quality rivals, even surpasses, the conventional old PSTN based telephone line systems of most carriers. High-Definition Audio phones are readily available in a VoIP environment but not in the traditional phone systems on the market today.

Easy to Set Up and Use

Hosted VoIP PBXs are very easy to set up, particularly for today’s mobile workforce which needs powerful business calling and “customizable follow me” features at the user’s fingertips. Even a non-technical administrator or business manager can set up a Hosted VoIP system in a matter of minutes and make all Hosted PBX and Call Centre configurations, additions and changes online.

Fully Featured

Today’s most popular VoIP systems include features such as conference calling, call logs, answering rules, call forwarding to any phone, voicemail to email, call screening, and software to have additional extensions on the PBX for your employees’ smartphone and computer.

This article was submitted by think 7

The ICT Strategy to which he referred is part of a wide-ranging programme of reform to make government cheaper, more efficient and provide improved public services: the programme managed to deliver savings of £3.75 billion in 2010/11 and is currently on target to deliver around a further saving of £5 billion in 2011/12. The government’s commitment to efficiency and value for money, Mr Maude claimed, is clearly demonstrated by the recent deals signed by the Procurement Service with the major IT suppliers Capgemini and Oracle: these deals will deliver savings of £200m and £75m respectively by 2015.

Mr Maude also stated that the other notable successes of the first year of the new strategy – establishing the CIO Delivery Board which is responsible for driving implementation of the strategy across government, launching the Public Services Network procurements and awarding the PSN Connectivity Framework agreements, and launching the Government Digital Service in an attempt to establish a single government domain, GOV.UK, will lead to further savings and efficiencies over the remainder of the current parliament.

The announcement follows a report published by the Cabinet Office at the end of May which claimed that the creation of CloudStore, the online marketplace for cloud ICT services, was one of the principal achievements of the first year of the implementation of the Government’s ICT Strategy, Mr Maude put this success down to the significant advantages offered by the new G-Cloud framework: it introduces a number of features which he believes will promote innovation and make it more accessible to SMEs, such as open procedures with no lengthy pre-qualification questionnaire, less stringent requirements of financial history, simplified mandatory questions and specifications, and the provision of services on standard terms.

The second phase of the G-Cloud framework will be launched because of the overwhelming response generated by the first tender. Over 600 expressions of interest were received: the Government Procurement Service subsequently awarded framework agreements to around 250 suppliers, of which around three-quarters are SMEs. Speaking at the launch of the second phase of the G-Cloud framework, Mr Maude stated:

“We are reforming the way the public sector uses ICT so that it is cheaper, more transparent, more innovative and flexible – with more opportunities for SMEs to enter the marketplace. Today’s report on the first year of implementing the ICT Strategy confirms that we are making significant progress and are prepared to meet the challenges ahead.”

“Our ICT Strategy is all about the public sector avoiding the expense and inefficiency of developing different systems and duplicating services that cannot be shared. This off-the-shelf, pay-as-you-go approach is a great example, and G-Cloud services typify the cheaper more agile model for government IT that our ICT Strategy is making positive strides towards.”

This article about central government business and technology was submitted by Whitehall Media

Some local authorities have been clamping down on those who leave litter and have been giving these miscreants on-the-spot fines. The fines are meant to deter future indiscretions, and have proved to be quite a success judging by the statistics released by the authorities. The City of London made its own concerted effort last summer to stamp out littering and the thoughtless disposal of used cigarette butts and packets. It sent a team of officers out on to the streets and issued on-the-spot fines to anyone caught carelessly disposing of used cigarettes. In spite of the success of the project, the initiative was scrapped after only a few weeks when funds ran out. However, subsequent campaigns have been successfully run in both Liverpool and Manchester, and it appears that many major towns and cities are considering campaigns of their own.

Dropping any form of litter is both anti-social and selfishly irresponsible. What littering is effectively saying is that we’re either too busy or can’t be bothered to find a bin for our rubbish, so we’ll simply throw it on the ground and expect somebody else to dispose of it. That’s bad enough in itself, but the particular problem with cigarette stubs is that they’re not biodegradable. Unless someone picks them up they will just sit there indefinitely. Environmental campaigners now believe that the harmful residual chemicals that remain in cigarette butts will eventually be washed down into river and water courses, and could potential present a significant threat to our wildlife and fish.

So what’s the answer to the problem of littering particularly with regard to discarded cigarette stubs? Well, the obvious answer is that if you do smoke, then stop if at all possible as it is better for your health. If you can’t stop, then make sure you dispose of your used cigarette stubs responsibly and don’t throw them on the ground. There is, however, one other alternative for those who smoke, and that’s to use an electronic cigarette. Electronic cigarettes don’t produce the same amount of waste as traditional cigarettes and are unlikely to be thrown away casually. The good news is, if you choose to use smokeless cigarettes, you’ll not only be protecting your health but you could potentially be safeguarding the environment.

This article about electronic cigarettes was submitted by Freshcig