Ryanair has got to be an employer of choice right now; when they aren’t misleading customers with false claims in advertising; or crash landing in Rome, they’re asking their staff to take their clothes off and fellate the top-up tube of a life jacket. It’s okay though; its all for charidee. The firm is once-again selling a children’s charity calendar on flights that shows real Ryanair staff in bikinis posing in various locations around an airport and on-board their planes. The Girls of Ryanair Calendar 2008 will be available on board all flights from Saturday November 17, with money going to Angels Quest, which provides respite care for special needs children. Nice.

Tags: graduate careers with Ryanair, Planes, Trains and Automobiles

It was the swish ceremony for the Green Business Awards this week – hosted by Mock the Week’s Hugh Dennis. On the menu (I guess) was Pea Soup, Carbon-ara, and Petit 4×4s.  Eurostar scooped the coveted award for Best Large Company while furniture maker HJ Berry & Sons picked up the prize for best SME. Other winners included Dalkia (Best Energy Company), The Green Insurance Company (Best Financial Business) and McCain Foods (Best Consumer Goods and Retail Company).

Tags: an ethical graduate placement, graduate opportunities with Green companies, Green businesses

Ladies: we’ve heard of the glass ceiling, well Lloyds TSB and Stonewall have got together to publish a report on The Double-Glazed Ceiling. The report claims that lesbian or bisexual women fear gender discrimination more than gay men in the workplace, which makes them more likely to hide their sexual orientation from colleagues. The research pointed to a lack of openly gay women in UK workplaces. when such role models are important for other lesbians. I know one terrifically inspiring lesbian at KPMG - my old friend Ashley Steel who came out many years ago in what was an all male environment and has made marvellous achievements in the firm. She is well worth listening too. Good to see a big brand like Lloyds TSB catching up too (when they’re not spanking our money down the drain): Their equality and diversity director was quoted as saying that commissioning the report was a way to make “Lloyds TSB a genuinely great place to work for all our lesbian gay and bisexual  staff.” (write your own jokes about deposits and withdrawals).

Tags: Graduate jobs for homosexuals, Sex discrimination in the workplace; lesbians at LLoyds, talking point for job interview

Here’s a nice idea (and bit of PR) from Asda: they had a “local week” in some stores last month showcasing local products and foods as part of the supermarket’s commitment to use local supply hubs and reduce the number of “food miles” products travel to its stores. The scheme also saw the introduction of “barter boards” where people could advertise skills and swap them – from the sublime: a tiler swapped a tiling job with a local decorator who painted his flat in return, to the ridiculous: a musician traded guitar lessons for learning to surf. This little idea proved so successful, the swap-shop might roll out nationwide. All these brands talk about engaging with the community, well here’s one putting it into action.

Tags: Asda community schemes, Food and beverage, Graduate jobs in retail, working with the community

The publication last night of London’s Most Influential People looked even more vapid and self-congratulatory than usual against the backdrop of the credit crunch (an oversight meant I didn’t make the list. Again) Hurrah then for the release of the EnRich list, a search for those who work to enrich the lives of others rather than simply lining their own pockets. Top of the list was an old friend of mine, Martin Murphy. Back when I knew him he was a gambler and boozer but he knocked that on the head and now works with the homeless at London’s House of Barnabas teaching them life skills. Now there’s a recession proof vocation!

Tags: Charities and social care, credit crunch; forum3 jobs, Social Care, Teaching