Pay rises for IT workers... but what about the rest of us?

According to a report in Contractor UK, pay rises are 'only a matter of time' for IT workers. Apparently, IT directors are concerned about retaining key technical staff, and this could lead to IT departments having to increase pay in 2011. Obviously, they want to hang onto key techies before they're poached by higher-paying competitors, and this is driving pay increases. Retention is a concerning issue for as many as 85% of IT directors - which is good news for contractors who can use this to drive up their daily rate. Although, according to CW Jobs and JobsAdwatch, there may be a 'slowdown in overall IT recruitment activity in the current year." However, software houses and outsourcing consultants used the month of December to add contractors to their teams, and this may be set to grow this year.

Not such good news for council workers, though - they are feeling 'betrayed' over wage freezes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Last year, George Osborne promised that public servants on £21,000 or below would get an extra £250 a year from this April. Now, more than one million workers have been told that, in fact, they won't be receiving this increase. Employers (local authorities etc) say that a £6.5 billion funding gap is to blame, and the Treasury claims that they only meant those directly employed by the government to benefit. The unions have stepped in, with Brian Sutton of GMB saying that Mr Osborne "reneged on a promise to low paid workers." This freeze will hit home helps, social workers, dinner ladies and refuse collectors, to name but a few. Sutton added that local government could have kept this promise. He went on to claim that, with inflation taken into account, this freeze adds up to a paycut for those on low wages, as 70% of council workers earn under £21,000.

Next up to fight for fairer wages are 154,000 agricultural workers across England and Wales. The union Unite told Defra that these workers deserve a decent wage to counter inflation, as well as a public holiday to commemorate Workers' Memorial Day on 28th April. Many farmers and farm workers are struggling to manage on less than the average weekly wage, due to the rising cost of fuel, food and inflation, with 1 in 4 rural families living below the poverty line. Unite say that farming needs to be seen as a professional occupation, yet farmers are struggling to recruit skilled workers. Negotiations begin in June.

So, for those of us lucky enough to be able to negotiate a pay rise - what do we do if we reckon we're worth it?

Well, don't be nice to your boss - a study published last year in the Journal of Organizational Behavior found this definitely doesn't get you a payrise! Those Risk-averse employees, who try to please their employers, are more likely to compromise and cave into management wishes when it comes to negotiation time. Those who never discuss salary at appraisals or interviews hardly ever get a rise. More aggressive employees earn an average of $5000 (£3200) more a year - which works out at an extra $600k (£385k) more over 40 years, based on an annual increase of under 5%. Good news for us girls - women were found to be just as competitive as men, despite earlier indications to the contrary. Those who prepare for the negotiations - who learned about their market value, did their homework on the organisation, and inquired about previous offers - are able to use more competitive strategies and get the rise they want. This was an American report, however, and whether we more modest Brits will ever be able to throw off our self deprecating modesty and demand more money is yet to be seen.

Anyway, I'm off to brush up on my negotiation skills. Alternatively, I could always just get on with the work I'm already being paid for...

Sexism and Sacking - when's a joke just a joke?

There's been such a lot written about the Andy Gray and Richard Keys sexism debacle, so I won't go into the details much. For anyone who has been living on Mars for the past couple of weeks, the scallywags got into a lot of trouble when they made disparaging remarks about a female assistant referee during a private conversation after a game at Sky Sports. It all kicked off from that point, leading to Gray's dismissal and Keys' resignation.

There have been comparisons drawn between these comments and those seen regularly on ITV's Loose Women, with many people feeling that there is not much difference between Gray and Keys' comments, and the usual "men are useless" jokes made by the Loose Women team. Those defending the ladies' sexism say that their comments are made publicly, and in a sense of humour, banter and mockery. So is it worse to make a sexist comment in private? Or is it the same as a broadcastable one? Should we be punished for making a private joke? When will the Thought Police step in?

Sexism is seen as a worrying trend in broadcasting, an industry where women are in the minority. Female broadcasters complain of being treated unfairly, and having had sexist comments directed at them both publicly and privately. Men will be men, sure, but where do we draw the line? Jeremy Clarkson has said that his Top Gear co-star Richard Hammond could, in theory, be sacked for sexism after making a risque joke to a female paramedic whilst being treated in South Africa. He goes on to say that anyone who agrees with this lacks tolerance. Do they? Or is he just a dinosaur who likes to say whatever he wants and anyone who is offended written off as intolerant?

So, what about all this sexism sacking malarky? Fair do's, or political correctness gone mad? Well, it all comes down to the Equality Act 2010, which states that 'harassment or direct discrimination' is wrong in the workplace. Employers are therefore liable if they fail to act upon, and prevent, harassment or sexist behaviour. According to Clarks Legal, legal experts, employers can adopt a zero tolerance policy relating to discrimination, harassment or misconduct (even if there is no complainant, which sounds odd). However, most tend to issue a warning, giving the offender the chance to act upon it. It transpires that, in fact, Andy Gray was given a warning, but blew it by later making an inappropriate comment to a female colleague. According to www.Direct.Gov.uk, there has to be 'fair reason' for dismissal. If sexism counts as harassment, and harassment as misconduct then, yes, it is fair to sack someone for being sexist. The trouble with high profile cases is, however, that they rarely act as a benchmark for other cases. Would an office worker be sacked for making a private, sexist joke to a colleague? Or would it be laughed off by anyone in earshot?

So what does this all mean? Should we get fired for making a joke? Who complains about these things, and why - is it always serious enough to warrant complaint, or do people overreact? Is it better to walk away from a situation, as Keys did, or stand your ground? Andy Gray was given the chance to improve his behaviour, and chose not to, so paid the price for that. All he had to do was apologise and stop being such a sexist pig, and he would have been fine! Although he did receive a nice little payout from Sky, and now works for TalkSport, so hasn't been punished too harshly. It's a difficult one to call, but it seems that the television world is finally coming to terms with the fact that sexism - under the banner of harassment and discrimination - is no longer acceptable and should be punished in line with legal requirements. It's no bad thing, if you ask me, as long as the offence is genuinely covered under the Equality Act and not over-exaggerated in order to make an example of anyone.

But then again, I work for an all-woman company, so the only sexism I have to deal with is against men... and that's different... isn't it?