News: Performance Management
UK firms urged to 'show leadership' on staff training
22 May 2008
Companies in the UK must "show leadership" in the arena of staff training and corporate rewards, it has been claimed.
Speaking at the annual dinner of the Confederation of British Industry this week, the organisation's president also suggested that the country's economy is strong enough to weather the current financial storm.
"British business has enjoyed a remarkable period of sustained growth - and though it may be slowing it does not look like stopping.
"Industrial and commercial Britain as a whole is in sound financial shape," Martin Broughton told an audience that included the chancellor, Alistair Darling.
Mr Broughton urged the government to avoid treating businesses as the "fall guy" for the credit crunch via more taxes or rushed regulation, and in return said companies must help leaders by leading on issues like climate change, staff training and corporate rewards.
"What business wants from the system of corporate taxation in Britain is clarity, certainty and competitiveness. What we are getting is cost, complexity, and capriciousness," he concluded.
Mr Broughton's comments follow the release of data gathered in the latest National Employer Skills Survey which revealed that bosses in the UK have more faith in employee investment than ever before, spending a record £38.6 billion per year on training their staff.
