EVERY week the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) conducts a poll on its website asking members a topical question, attracting an average of 1000 responses. These are the top five poll results of 2009:

September 21, 2009: the ECJ has ruled workers taken ill on holiday can claim back sick leave. Will you:

• Welcome ruling – 14%
• Trust staff not to take advantage – 30%
• Consider tightening sick pay policies – 56%

October 5, 2009: does your organisation hire applicants who have disclosed a mental health condition?

• Yes – 79%
• No – 21%

October 19, 2009: is there still a business case for offering a pension to your employees?

• Yes – 88%
• No – 6%
• Sometimes – 6%

November 16, 2009: what do you think of the government’s proposal to phase out tax relief on childcare vouchers from 2011?

• Agree – 15%
• Disagree – 85%

December 14, 2009: how much ‘absenteeism’ happened/do you expect the day after workplace Christmas parties?

• None, they are held on Fridays – 49%
• A little – 31%
• A lot – 5%
• We don’t have parties – 15%

To access results throughout 2010, please go to: http://www.cipd.co.uk/news/cipdupdate/_newsletters