Reveille and Hyperbole

cfactor announced a  strategic partnership with eHRMS Consulting  based in Phoenix, Arizona, to implement enhanced self-service functionality for Automatic Data Processing ("ADP") Enterprise HRMS system clients. The partnership combines cfactor workplace automation solutions for employee/manager self-service, process automation, workflow, and reporting with the comprehensive consulting and implementation services of eHRMS.

ClearStar.net a Background Screening Software provider, teams with NetSuite a leading CRM provider to offer web based Back-end and Front-end automated business operations. ClearStar.net announced an Alliance with NetSuite to streamline efficiency in client service and support, in addition to incorporate data sharing for clients who elect to use the NetSuite CRM solution.

HR-XML Consortium Certifies More Than a Dozen Leading HR Solution Providers BrassRing, CareerBuilder.com, ClearStar.net, eWork Enterprise, ExecuTRACK Software Group, First Advantage Corporation, Jobpartners, Manpower Inc., MrTed, Oracle, Peopleclick, Recruitmax, Resume Mirror, and SHL were Awarded Certification

Paid Time Off Banks: Survey Suggests They're Working  Here's some good news for those considering a switch to paid time off (PTO) banks: A new HR21 survey shows that HR people are happy with them.  More than 90% of HR managers of those who've tried PTO banks said they're a good recruiting and retention tool.

As human resources (HR) achieves a higher level of recognition by corporate America, a new breed of practitioners is emerging armed with business degrees and focused on the bottom line. The challenge for marketing professionals lies in pinpointing solid prospects and reaching the actual decision-makers, says a new white paper called Marketing and Selling in the Human Resource Marketplace: Winning Strategies and Tactics

You are invited to participate in this global survey of large and mid-sized companies engaged in and considering HRO. Just click on this link to provide your input in this important survey. Here's your chance to weigh in on the fast-growing HRO market and all that it offers to companies seeking to realign their business processes. The survey is completely confidential, so feel confident to share your information.

The  "Top Ten Trends Shaping the Fast Growing Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market" report, written in conjunction with 2005 HRO Thought Leader of the Year Joe Vales, a member of Pinstripe's advisory board, was recently published by the Shared Services and Business Process Outsourcing Association (SBPOA) and is featured in the SBPOA's Thinking Points thought leadership channel at www.sharedexpertise.org.

Deck Chairs
Al Smith, Cox Ohio Publishing's vice president of circulation, has been promoted to vice president of circulation for Cox Newspapers in Atlanta....



You Should Know
Bahrain:

• Bahrain labour Ministry sets up unit to monitor manpower agencies The Bahrain Labour Ministry has set up a new unit to monitor manpower agencies in the wake of an increase in the number of frauds by recruitment agents, who rip-off unsuspecting jobseekers from India and other labour exporting countries. (WebIndia123)

Canada:

• White guys not likely to land jobs at Public Works A massive federal government department is under fire for a "racist" new hiring policy that rejects candidates based on sex and skin colour.  David Marshall, Deputy Minister of Public Works Canada, issued a memo Friday outlining "special measures" to ensure a more diverse workplace.  Under the new policy, outside applicants must be women, visible minorities, aboriginals or people with disabilities - but able-bodied white males need not apply.  One job seeker, an experienced, well-educated Caucasian male, called the policy "offensive."  "It's racist and discriminatory," he said. "It's not possible to discriminate in favour of someone on the basis of race without unfairly discriminating against someone else because of their race." (EdmontonSun)

Global:

• Talent Acquisition and Staffing Services to Experience Robust Growth Through 2009, IDC Finds According to a newly released IDC study, the market for talent acquisition and staffing services demonstrated solid growth in 2004, and early indications reveal that this trend is continuing through 2005. The study revealed that total market spending on recruiting and staffing services in 2004 grew 10.8% over 2003. IDC forecasts that worldwide recruiting and staffing services spending will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3 percent during the 2005-2009 forecast period. The comprehensive study also analyzes emerging market trends and technologies and examines the performance of over 40 staffing and talent-related vendors. (DMReview.com)
   
• Meet the People Who Make Things Happen  What's it like to work for Microsoft? One way to find out is to attend a Microsoft recruiting event, where you'll have an opportunity to talk with a Microsoft recruiter — to get to know our company and our employees up close and personal, to learn about new technologies on the horizon, and to explore career opportunities.  At Microsoft, we're excited to be part of a technology industry that is fundamental to the way people live, work, and play. We're also dedicated to supporting the industry and the partners and developers that comprise it, and to creating opportunities for our customers. (Microsoft)
   
• Ten Myths of Services Globalization—Part I  When considering the impact of offshore outsourcing, examine the real facts and you will find benefits for both domestic and overseas markets.  In this column and the one that follows next month, I'll discuss 10 of the most common myths surrounding the globalization of services, including HRO. While the trend toward offshoring HR and other business processes has plenty of momentum on its own, nevertheless it's important for future growth to dispel the misperceptions that many people still hold about offshoring. (HRO)

India:

• India Inc goes on a hiring spree   In yet another hurrah for the India story, Corporate India is aggressively widening its employee base, just as salaries have seen an unprecedented boom.  A study of the top 100 Indian corporates conducted by this newspaper reveals that India Inc has added 1,03,423 employees to 5,44,969 between March 2004 and March 2005 — an increase of 23.42 per cent.  Sunrise companies have outshone the rest in adding employees though brick and mortar companies too are in the fray. IT major Infosys leads the pack having added 8,801 employees, as textile major Mahavir Spinning (6,500), tobacco giant ITC Ltd (6,500), aluminium firm Hindalco (6,012), IT company Satyam (5,132) and ICICI Bank (4,391) too saw high additions. (Indian Express)
   
• Information Technology firms hit campuses in hiring frenzy  The rush for fresh talent and increased competition from multinationals is driving Indian IT companies farther and wider in their search for human resources. Faced with the humungous task of finding heads for a net addition upwards of 10,000 during the current quarter alone, some of Tier I companies have been visiting more Tier II and even Tier III campuses, something they were loath to doing not very long back. (DNA)
   
• Indian techies strike it rich on home turf  Till recently, Malaysia and Singapore were hot destinations for techies, second only to the United States and Europe. But with wages soaring right here in India, IT hubs like Chennai and Bangalore have become hot destinations offering a heady mix of better quality of life at a lower cost of living.  Salaries for code writers with experience in building applications on enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions of German software maker SAP and US-firm Oracle are shooting up more rapidly in India than in other countries.  "SAP and Oracle applications have become a critical resource in India and firms are struggling to get good talent. Hence salaries have shot up," HR firm TVA Infotech Ltd CEO Gautam Sinha said. (DNA)
   
  
  
• Job market booms for non-ITians  HYDERABAD: If you are a non-ITian and in search of a job, here is some thing to cheer about.  Perhaps for the first time in the recent past, the job market in the country is kind to talented people who hold degrees in non-information technology disciplines. (EconomicTimes)
  
  
  

Japan:

• Guiding Japan/ Hiring top-notch foreigners is key to firms' global success Japanese companies have been struggling to unearth new management approaches in a difficult new business environment: one in which high growth can no longer be expected and the low birthrate is cutting into the young workforce. In such a gloomy situation, firms cannot simply rely on traditional management methods such as a commitment to lifetime employment. (asahi.com)
  
  

Malaysia:

• New rule for hiring foreigners  Employers wanting to bring in foreign workers will soon be required to obtain approval from the Labour Department.  This was decided by the government-employer-union tripartite National Labour Advisory Council, the country's highest platform to discuss labour issues, at a meeting yesterday.  Confirming this today, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said the decision was reached because the Government wanted to safeguard the interests of locals and because of security. (New Sunday Times)

Sri Lanka:

• Employment opportunities at the door step of job seekers In an attempt to minimize the unemployment and skills mismatch, JobsNet a combined effort by the Ministry of Labour, Ceylon Chamber of Commercie and the International Labour Organization is organizing job fairs in various parts of the country. (Asiantribune.com)

UAE:

• Govt, pvt firms urged to set up nurseries at work places In a move aimed at checking child abuse cases by maids, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has urged all government and private institutions to establish nurseries to take care of the children of their women employees. (Khaleej Times)

UK:

• Nursing crisis looms, says RCN  Britain is facing a mass exodus of nurses. Hospital staff who came from overseas several years ago to help out the NHS are now being lured to other countries where wages are much higher.
  The warning has been made by the Royal College of Nursing which has discovered that half of the foreign nurses in Britain are now considering jobs in other countries. (Guardian)
   
• Retirement at 67 and death at 69? No fear!  PENSION funds are the first refuge of the scoundrel. From Robert Maxwell to Gordon Brown they have proved an irresistible honeypot, brimming with cash which no-one will miss because few understand how the system works.  Being left to guard such bounty can be an overpowering temptation. Maxwell siphoned £400m from Mirror Group pension fund and in 1997, Brown set up a new tax device which skims £5bn a year from UK pension fund shareholdings.  Now, with pension reform on the agenda, there is a real opportunity for workers to keep their savings free from the two institutions that they should trust the least: the government and their employer. (Scotsman.com)

Ukraine:

• Yekhanurov has appealed businessman to think of their retirement benefit  Prime-Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov appeals businessman to stop paying out wages "in envelopes" (pay envelopes help them to avoid taxation).  According to the press-service of the prime-minister, with such an appeal Yekhanurov addressed to "the national business elite and entrepreneurs of Ukraine".  "I ask you to demonstrate public conscience and to legalize real incomes of your employees. It is extremely  important to pay full-scale official wage instead of secret pay envelopes", reads the appeal. (Pravda)

US:

• Readership vs. circulation: What's the story? This newspaper sold nearly 30,000 fewer copies each day in the past six months than it did in the same period a year ago. It fell from third to fourth place among Florida's largest-circulating dailies.  The Sentinel announced Wednesday that it plans to eliminate an unspecified number of jobs and revamp its content.  Any idiot could see that the sky was falling.  Then, just as the meteor known as the newspaper industry was about to crash to Earth, a caped crusader in the form of the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) swooped in to save the day. More people read the Sentinel each day, it announced, than any other newspaper in the state! (Orlando Sentinel)
   
• Recruiters cite litany of mistakes they've seen on résumés A résumé is not an ad for the personals section of the newspaper.  But the guy who sent this résumé to job recruiter Jon Reed didn't seem to know the difference:  "Makes a strong and commanding presence — tall (6-feet-4, 235 pounds), athletic, sophisticated and mature," he wrote. (Seattle Times)
   
• Pillars of employment are crumbling  History may show that the 20th century really ended in the fall of 2005.  Although it's tidiest to say the 21st century began on 1-1-00 and most precise to say 1-1-01, historians, fond as they are of dramatic social shifts, may record the true dawn of the new era as 10-17-05, the day the United Auto Workers made major concessions to General Motors. With this act, a profound social shift in employer/employee relations is complete.  Employment in the 20th century was built on three great pillars — a secure retirement, health care and a guaranteed job. Today, those pillars are dust. (Scranton Times)
   
• More good product You've probably read the headlines that Knight-Ridder, the parent company for this newspaper and 31 other dailies around the country, is up for sale. A sale prompted by major stockholders. The investors feel the company is under performing and that its stock price doesn't reflect the actual worth of the company. They want a better return on investment and they feel they will get a higher return when the company is sold in whole or in part. This just adds to the dismal news coming from the entire newspaper industry. Circulation has been trending down for years. Advertising, where newspapers make most of their money, isn't growing as fast as investors want it to. But before the gloom and doom troops march in, I must tell you that newspapers, including this one, are very profitable. Most companies would die for the newspaper industry's profit margins, that on average, are more than 20 percent. Some, like The Telegraph's are above average. (Macon Telegraph)
   
• Season's greetings or job farewells? Midway through the fourth quarter, we're deep into a perilous time for U.S. workers: job-cutting season.  For seven of the past nine years, American companies have announced more layoffs in the last three months of the year than during any other time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Almost a third of the workers cut are released during this period.  How come? It's the season of charity, office parties and general good will, right?  "For those organizations that need to, trimming their payrolls before the beginning of a new year to enable them to get a fresh start has become more commonplace," said Annie Stevens, a managing partner for ClearRock, a Boston-based executive-and career-development firm. (TimesDispatch)
   
• Business recruiters prowling California Magic Johnson isn't playing for the Lakers, "The Cosby Show" isn't back on the air and houses in Los Angeles County aren't selling for less than $100,000. The calendar says 2005, not 1990, but in one respect at least, we're heading back to the future.  California's business climate is looking shaky enough that recruiters from all over the country are once again trying to lure state-based companies into relocating.  "They're back," said Jack Kyser, senior vice president and chief economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. "The Legislature is sitting up there in Sacramento trying to improve things for working families, but where are those families going to find jobs?" (Whittier Daily)
   
• Fresno's Brain Drain Has Left the Town Smarting Young people with good educations are leaving the struggling southern San Joaquin Valley in a search for better prospects elsewhere.  George Raney is a mix of pride and chagrin as he talks about his four grown children here in his cluttered office at the local university. Smart kids, one and all, they did everything a parent could ask: Earned good grades, graduated from college, found careers that make them happy.  They also broke their father's heart. The crime? Putting Fresno in the rearview mirror at the earliest possible moment and never looking back. (LATimes)
   
• Skills Shortage"—Or Immigration Overreach? From Gates to Greenspan, business leaders say a mismatch between the skills of American workers and the needs of employers puts our ability to compete internationally at risk. And the growing U.S. income inequality is often blamed on this shortage of skilled workers and a glut of incompetents.  But University of Wisconsin sociologist Michael J. Handel begs to disagree. In his new book Worker Skills and Job Requirements: Is There a Mismatch?, he offers proof that American workers are as competent as those in other advanced nations. (VDARE)
   
• Oil and gas companies dig deep for workers Brian Barclay, working on a gas drilling rig in Rifle, Colo., makes a 275-mile commute every week to get to work. A former soldier, Barclay says of his job that the pay is good and "it's better than getting shot at." Brian Barclay makes a 275-mile commute every week to work near this dusty little town, drawn by a natural-gas boom that has added trucks, cranes and hundreds of people to the rocky landscape.  Asked why he travels so far for work, the former soldier grinned and answered: "The money, and it's better than getting shot at."  The natural-gas industry has swamped parts of the Rockies with workers and equipment. But despite the surge in population, the energy industry is desperate for labor in the high deserts of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. (Seattle Times)
   
• GAO says the USAjobs job goes to Monster  The Government Accountability Office may finally have ended the two-year saga surrounding the refurbishing of the USAJobs.gov Web site.  Earlier this month, GAO rejected a second protest by Symplicity Corp. of Arlington, Va., of the Office of Personnel Management's contract award to Monster Government Solutions of Maynard, Mass., to run the government's online employment portal.  GAO had upheld Symplicity's January protest of the original award to Monster. But OPM decided against recompeting the contract until the House Government Reform Committee threatened to withhold future project funding. (Government Computer News)
   
• Aging workforce creatively replaced  A shortage of young workers is prompting the state to look in different places to replenish an aging state workforce — and that includes the penitentiary.  Programs to match up people holding police records with job openings are nothing new. But with fewer young people coming up through the ranks to take over from workers nearing retirement, it's time to take a closer look, said Larry Sudlow, the Department of Employment and Training's regional manager for Rutland and Bennington counties.  "Employers tend to lump the corrections population together as unemployable, but many of them make good employees with a little help," he said Wednesday. (TimesArgus)
   
• Temp agency settles bias case for $500,000 The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has reached a settlement with a temporary employment agency and two of its business clients, whom the agency accused of discrimination.  Under the agreement, SPS Temporaries, Whiting Door Manufacturing, and Jamestown Container will pay a combined $585,000 to compensate victims of the alleged discrimination. SPS Temporaries will pay $500,000 of that total, the EEOC said Thursday. (Buffalo News)
  
  

Survey Sez:
 

COMPANIES TRYING TO RETAIN EMPLOYEES AS THEY TAKE FLIGHT FOR NEW CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Three-quarters of Employees Looking for New Jobs, Says New Survey

Seventy-six percent of employees are looking for new employment opportunities, according to the 2005 U.S. Job Recovery and Retention Survey released today by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and CareerJournal.com (http://www.careerjournal.com/). Sixty-five percent of HR professionals indicated that they were concerned about the voluntary resignations at their organizations. To prevent a mass exodus, nearly half of the organizations surveyed are implementing special retention processes to keep their employees.



The percentage of organizations implementing special retention processes had increased to 49% in 2005 compared with 35% in 2004. HR professionals have found that competitive salary, career-development opportunities, promoting qualified employees and flexible work schedules are among the best employee-retention strategies. Although salary increases often are perceived as the most valuable incentive for employees to stay with their current jobs, they also are among the most difficult to provide because although the economy is improving, organizations are still somewhat cautious to increase spending.



"The loss of talent has many implications for a company, especially when the organization's core, middle-management-level employees leave in large numbers," says Tony Lee, publisher, CareerJournal.com. "HR professionals are challenged with creatively engaging the people in their organizations, which will be a difficult task since more than three-quarters of employees are either actively or passively engaged in a job search."

"Offering competitive salaries for the market is important to employees, however, compensation alone is not sufficient for a complete retention strategy," said Susan R. Meisinger, SPHR, president and CEO of SHRM. "Career-development opportunities and work/life balance are important for today's employee, and employers must consider these types of issues in their retention practices if they want to develop successful organizations."

There are many strategies other than financial incentives that organizations can employ to keep their employees. Creating programs that help employees see their potential for growth within an organization, working with managers to develop career paths for nonmanagement-level employees, creating a more favorable work environment, and implementing better work/life practices such as flextime and telecommuting can have an impact on reducing employee turnover rates.

In the survey, employees and HR professionals agreed on the top reasons employees left their organizations: better compensation elsewhere (41% of employees, 50% of HR professionals); career opportunity elsewhere (34% of employees, 51% of HR professionals); and dissatisfaction with potential for career development at organization (25% of employees, 31% of HR professionals). About one-quarter (23%) of employees stated that being ready for a new experience was an important reason to begin or increase the intensity of their job search.



SHRM and CareerJournal.com conducted the survey to determine opinions about job recovery and the effectiveness of retention strategies from the perspective of both HR professionals and employees. The survey questions were emailed to randomly selected SHRM members—yielding 435 responses from HR professionals—and a convenience sample of CareerJournal.com visitors who comprise the employee sample, bearing 465 responses.

Coming Soon

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 Register	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 More Info Register
Strategic Research Institute's Beyond Blogs & Social Networks conference, December 1-2, 2005 Jersey City, NJ $1,495 Register	HR,com Presents: Online advertising and emails - What's working and how to best use this medium Free Webinar December 8, 2005 11:30 AM ET More Info
OnRec presents: Digital Content Forum Feb 02, 2006 Cafe Royal, London More Info £175 plus VAT Register
Human Capital Summit Conference April 5-7, 2006, Chicago Marriott Downtown Hotel Register $1195	IHRIM: HRMStrategies 2006 April 9-12, 2006 Washington, DC $1,265 More Info Register
2006 EREC 21-22 June 2006 ExCel London, UK Register	HR.com's Employers of Excellence Conference 2006 October 25 - 27, 2006 Red Rock Resort Las Vegas, Nevada Register

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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