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Reveille and Hyperbole
Net-Temps, the leading online job board for staffing companies, has added RSS feed capabilities to job searching on its site. RSS feeds can deliver customized searches directly to
jobseekers by way of an RSS reader. This allows for fast and easy access to any jobs posted on Net-Temps.
Recruitmax announced it has earned a ranking on Software Magazine's prestigious Software 500 List. Recruitmax entered the list for the first time in 2005 as number
409 and its dramatic growth of 103% made it the fastest growing and only company to see triple digit growth in the Human Resource Management Systems sector.
TALENThire.com Launches...Offering a new and innovative way for businesses to hire top talent using the "name your price" economic model, strategically position corporate HR as profit centers within their organizations, manage
recruitment vendor relationships through one single point of contact, and provide risk mitigation services during cost cutting initiatives.
You Should Know
China:
- China's migrant worker pool dries up On October 19, a migrant worker who killed four people over 5,000 yuan (about US$625) in wage arrears was executed in China's Ningxia Autonomous Region. His case had been much publicized by the Chinese media. Wang, a migrant worker from neighboring Gansu
province, had worked over a year for a building contractor before quitting and lodging a complaint over withheld wages. Due to the contractor representative's provocation and refusal to pay up, Wang stabbed him and three others to death. (China
Daily)
Global:
- What is Web 2.0? To be blunt, Web 2.0 is not a revolution nor, for that matter, much of an evolution. It is just a new name for age-old business practices. O'Reilly and others use terms like "perpetual beta" to describe concepts that were hot in the 1980s.
"Customer focus", one of the pillars of Total Quality Management (TQM), was the mantra of the 1980s auto industry. To me, Web 2.0 is about one very simple thing: helping people do more online with services that are easy to use. (ISEDb)
- The Antihype Is Thickening Hmmm. More and more of the mainstream Web 1.0 voices (yes they are, and if they don't like it, tough) are lining up against the Web 2.0 moniker. Joel Spolsky is just one of the newest ones: (Corante)
- Tech guru O'Reilly on Web 2.0 In the second segment of a two-part interview, technology guru Tim O'Reilly talks Web 2.0 and mash-ups with the BBC World Service programme Go Digital. (BBC)
India:
- India to be largest global manpower supplier Chidambaram said Indian workforce can contribute towards the development of the country if they are educated and skilled. "The size of our workforce as a proportion of our total population would continue to grow up to 2020 or even 2025 before
it needs to decline giving us the advantage of being the largest supplier of human resources," he said. (Financial Express)
Latvija:
The country's population has fallen by nearly 9,000 since the beginning of the year according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office. The decline was similar in scale to the first nine months of 2004. This year,
Latvia's population fell to below 2.3 million inhabitants. With low fertility rates and large numbers of people leaving for higher wages elsewhere, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have some of the steepest population declines in the European Union. (Baltic
Times)
Malaysia:
- 30,000 grads in unsuitable jobs
Thirty thousand graduates have only casual and temporary work such as being supermarket cashiers and fast food restaurant workers. They are overqualified for such jobs, but a poor grasp of English keeps them from getting
better jobs, Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn said today. These graduates are just over half of the 59,000 surveyed by the Economic Planning Unit recently. The remaining are unemployed. (Sunday
Times)
Survey Sez:
Major Workforce Study Exposes Serious Disconnects Between Employers and Employees
Recent Survey of U.S. Employers and Workers Shows That Few Organizations Have Emergent Mindset, Policies and Structure to Meet Evolving Employment Needs
As a serious talent and worker shortage looms in the U.S., a recent comprehensive study released by Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN), a leading North American staffing and recruiting company, indicates that many employers aren't taking the steps necessary to retain existing employees and attract top talent
from the shrinking worker pool.
Spherion's 2005 Emerging Workforce(R) Study, conducted by Harris Interactive(R), surveyed a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. employers and adult workers to reveal a troubling gap between employers and employees on critical workplace issues such as retention factors, training and development and
work/life balance. The Study also finds that less than one in five employers is well positioned to attract and retain top talent.
According to the latest Spherion(R) Emerging Workforce Study:
-- 60% of workers rate time and flexibility as a very important factor in retention, but only 35% of employers feel the same.
-- Only 49% of employers rate financial compensation as a very important driver of retention, but 69% of workers believe it is.
-- On average, employers only expect 14% of their workforce to leave in the next year, but Spherion data shows that nearly 40% of U.S. workers intend to find a new job in the next 12 months.
-- Less than half (44%) of U.S. workers believe their companies are taking steps to retain them and nearly a third (31%) believe there is a turnover problem at their company already.
-- Only 34% of HR managers mention turnover/retention as a key HR concern.
The following chart clearly shows the significant disconnect between employers and employees on what will keep workers in their current positions:
Drivers of Retention
|
Employer View |
Worker View |
|
1. Management climate (80%) |
1. Financial compensation (69%) |
|
2. Supervisor relationship (80%) |
2. Benefits (68%) |
|
3. Culture & work environment (65%) |
3. Growth & earning potential (64%) |
|
4. Benefits (61%) |
4. Time & flexibility (60%) |
|
5. Growth & earning potential (58%) |
5. Management climate (60%) |
|
6. Training & development (54%) |
6. Supervisor relationship (57%) |
|
7. Financial compensation (49%) |
7. Culture & work environment (54%) |
|
8. Time & flexibility (35%) |
8. Training & development (49%) |
Note: Based on percent indicating "very important" when asked what are the most important drivers of retention
"There's no doubt that talent will be a defining success factor for companies in the years to come and our latest Study sheds light on just how differently employers and employees view key issues in the workplace," said Roy Krause, Spherion president and chief executive officer. "It is imperative that
organizations understand these disconnects and make the right adjustments to their HR strategy and policies to meet the evolving desires of the U.S. workforce. Employers that choose not to react could seriously hamper their ability to compete for top talent, especially as continued demographic and attitudinal
shifts amplify this issue."
Workers Seek Work/Life Balance, But Employers Missing the Mark
One of the biggest disconnects between employers and employees is the importance workers place on their ability to maintain a balance between their professional and private lives. In its previous Study, conducted in 2003, Spherion found that 86% of U.S. workers agreed that work balance and fulfillment was a
top career priority and 96% agreed that an employer was more attractive when it helped them meet family obligations through options like flextime, telecommuting or job sharing. However, it appears that U.S. employers have not significantly responded to that need.
According to the 2005 Study, one-third of workers between the ages of 25 and 39 feel burned out by their job and 28% of all workers say their employers expect them to stay connected to the office outside normal office hours. At the same time, only 24% of employers offer a formal flex-time program, only 12%
offer telecommuting and 11% offer job sharing.
Even more concerning, many companies don't plan to implement work/life balance programs at all. In fact, 61% of all companies stated they don't plan to offer job sharing, 56% don't plan to offer telecommuting and 33% don't plan to offer flextime.
"It is clearly evident that maintaining balance continues to be a top priority for most workers, but technology and increasingly strenuous employer expectations have eroded the concept of traditional office hours, vacations and personal time for many," Krause said. "While today's workers are willing to accept
these changes, employers must be mindful of the flexibility workers seek and offer them ways to maintain the balance between their work and personal lives. Employers that choose to ignore or discount this important issue expose themselves to a greater chance of employee burnout, lower productivity and
eventual turnover."
Emerging Workers Meet the Emerging Workplace
Although the Study highlights potentially serious differences between employers and employees, Spherion did uncover a small percentage of organizations that do understand the changing face of American workers and that are taking the right steps to meet their needs. Previous Emerging Workforce Studies have
identified a new breed of American worker -- confident, self-reliant and distinguished by a set of workplace values and expectations that vary drastically from what managers have previously encountered -- which we have termed emergent workers. This growing group represents nearly one- third (31%) of workers
today and is expected to comprise the majority of all employees in 2007, whereas more traditionally minded workers are expected to dwindle to near extinction.
While the growth of emergent workers has been tracked for nearly a decade, there was no barometer for tracking the changes employers were making to meet the needs of this growing workforce segment. For the first time, the 2005 Emerging Workforce Study was expanded to include data collection from employers,
allowing Spherion to provide a more complete picture of the employment landscape and classify workplaces as emergent, migrating or traditional.
The results were stunning: only 19% of employers are classified as emergent and have the progressive mindset, policies and structure in place to attract and retain top talent and maintain workforce flexibility to easily adjust employee levels as demand warrants. Emergent employers:
-- Embrace management practices such as work/life balance programs, training and development options and regular surveys of employees to identify specific retention drivers
-- Reap benefits such as increased flexibility, cost savings and ability to weather economic fluctuations because they've hired the right mix of full-time and contingent resources
-- Utilize best HR practices which can help them achieve greater financial success and employee growth than more traditional organizations
On the other hand, traditional employers, representing 33% of all employers, may have the greatest disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining talent because of the vast disconnect between management and employees. Contrary to emergent employers, traditional organizations have entirely different
views of retention drivers than that of most U.S. employees, most evident regarding the issues of time and flexibility and opportunities for growth.
The remaining 48% of employers are considered migrating from a traditional to emergent management style. While these organizations have begun to implement some emergent practices, they have a ways to go before becoming ideal employers.
"We applaud the innovative efforts of emergent organizations that have dedicated the time and resources to truly become employers of choice," Krause added. "Not only do such best HR practices help bring top talent into their organizations, but studies have shown that implementing such practices result in
better company growth and employee expansion(1)," Krause added. "While a growing number of companies have sought our assistance in developing and implementing emergent strategies and programs over the past few years, the reluctance or inability of the majority of U.S. companies to adopt emergent qualities is
certainly mystifying, and I hope these findings serve as a wakeup call. Emergent companies will continue to make strides with employees and candidates, while the rest will fall further behind in the battle for talent." Nationwide, one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in the world, is
an example of an emergent employer that takes its work/life balance initiatives and performance management seriously and believes its success is directly connected to the quality and performance of its associates.
"At Nationwide, we understand the value of providing an environment that meets the ongoing needs of our associates," said Bob Puccio, vice president of associate services. "Offering programs and resources that support associates both at work and outside of work goes a long way in building a company that is
great for associates and customers."
Another example of an emergent company is Ernst & Young, one of the world's largest accounting firms. The company has long believed that it can only provide the services its clients expect by giving the highest attention to the growth and satisfaction of its people.
"Our firm and our clients expect a lot from our people," says Maryella Gockel, flexibility strategy leader at Ernst & Young. "In return, to help our people succeed personally and professionally, we trust them to get their work done in a high quality way, when and where it makes sense for teams and
individuals. We also provide programs and tools to help them be successful including flexible work arrangements, telecommuting options, online training programs, and back-up child and adult care."
For additional information on the Emerging Workforce Study and to take surveys to rate yourself and your organization as emergent, migrating or traditional, please visit http://www.spherion.com/emergingworkforce.
Methodology
The 2005 Emerging Workforce(R) Study was conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation and consists of surveys of both U.S. employers and employed adults. Employer Survey: The results of the employer survey are based on 502 telephone and online interviews with senior human resources
executives at U.S. companies conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion between March 21 and April 27, 2005. Companies were selected from a list provided by Dun & Bradstreet and the sample was stratified to ensure a certain number of interviews in each revenue category. The data were weighted by
number of employees so that the total sample reflects the distribution of employees across company size. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points of what they would be if the entire
population of senior human resource executives at U.S. companies had been polled with complete accuracy.
Employee Surveys: Data on U.S. employed adults was gathered from the Harris Interactive QuickQuery(SM) online omnibus conducted monthly by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation. From May through September 2005, each wave of the monthly Spherion Employment Report consisted of several
core questions used to measure employee confidence as well as unique questions designed to measure concepts also examined in the employer survey.
Sample sizes for the monthly Spherion(R) Employment Report vary between 2,500 and 3,100 among U.S. adults 18 or older who are employed. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S.
population of employed adults had been polled with complete accuracy. Sampling error for the various sub-samples is higher and varies. This online sample is not a probability sample.
Coming Soon
HRO World Europe
November14-16, 2005
Conrad Hotel Brussels, Belgium
EUR1,700
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Executive Diversity Career Fair
Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Embassy Suites Hotel,
1900 Diagonal Rd.
Alexandria, VA
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Webcast
Best Practices in Planning and Performance Management – Strategic Financial Planning
Tue, Nov 15, 2005
2:00 P.M. ET
Free
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Better Hires Stay Longer: Pre-employment Assessment - Drivers, Findings, and Next Steps
November 15, 2005
12 p.m. EDT / 11 a.m. CDT
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Webinar: Creating a World Class Onboarding and Employee Engagement Experience
November 15, 2005
2:00PM CST / 3:00PM EST
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Recruiting Strategies with Plantronics:
Finding, Recruiting and Retaining the Talent You Need
Wed, November 16, 2005
11:00 AM Pacific 2:00 PM Eastern
Free
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Managing Contingent Workforce Suppliers/Solutions
Nov. 16-17
Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare
Early Bird Fee: $795
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Request an expanded brochure |
Webinar: Guy Kawasaki and Teresa Shappell
Creating a Portfolio of Leaders to Drive Successful Exits"
November 30, 2005
10:30 a.m. PST / 1:30 p.m. EST
Free
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IHRIM Webinar
The State of Workforce Technologies and Service Delivery Approaches: Insights from the CedarCrestone Survey
December 1, 2005
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. PST 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. EST
$175
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Strategic Research Institute's
Beyond Blogs & Social Networks conference,
December 1-2, 2005
Jersey City, NJ
$1,495
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OnRec presents:
Digital Content Forum
Feb 02, 2006
Cafe Royal, London
More Info
£175 plus VAT
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Human Capital Summit Conference
April 5-7, 2006,
Chicago Marriott Downtown Hotel
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$1195 |
2006 EREC
21-22 June 2006
ExCel
London, UK
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