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Engaging Hourly Employees
Investment in quality jobs for hourly workers makes good business sense, finds a study conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky and Boston College. Six workplace dimensions, their research indicates, are essential components to employee engagement and customer satisfaction in the retail industry. Supervisor effectiveness is the most powerful driver of these, followed by opportunities for career development, climate of teamwork, job fit and adequate resources to get the job done, schedule satisfaction, and…Training Leaders Encountering Challenges with Business Outcome–based Metrics
As training executives feel the budget burn, they are being forced to defend their value. Training leaders find it challenging to use advanced and business outcome–based metrics to communicate with senior management about the impact and efficiency of their operations, indicate respondents of a joint survey by Training Industry, Inc. and Expertus. Only 23% of the respondents indicate they use these types of metrics, according to findings in the associated report titled Training Efficiency: Optimizing…Nonprofits Urged to Improve Recruiting Practices
Jobseekers in the social sector are a lot determined to build long-term careers in the nonprofit sector, but believe that nonprofit organizations fail to do enough to address obstacles they face, finds a survey of nonprofit jobseekers. More than three-quarters believe nonprofits have to immediately change their recruitment, employment and professional development practices. Mission and cultural fit are the most important factors to nonprofit jobseekers, with 84% of respondents to Commongood Careers’ survey indicating that "work…Global HR Leaders' Perceptions and Attitudes
A clear majority (82%) of global Human Resources leaders believe that the "war for talent" is, and will continued to be, a key and enduring business issue for at least the next 10 years, indicates new research from Resources Global Professionals' study. Even so, most are focusing their current efforts on finding shorter-term solutions, according to the study, which drew on a survey of human resources (HR) executives across eight countries in Europe, North America…Executives See Flexible Work Strategies as Having Positive Impact
They Nevertheless Use the Approach in Limited WaysMore than 75 percent of business executives define flexible work strategies as an alternate time or location arrangement, finds a new poll of 150 such industry leaders at Fortune 1000 firms. But a majority of these companies view flexible work strategies not as par for the course, but as a way to accommodate individuals on a case-by-case basis. Many see…
Energy Sector Faces Recruitment Challenges
Nearly 90% of senior Human Resource executives at 22 top international oil and gas companies believe their industry faces a talent shortage, a new study finds, and they call the problem one of the top five business issues facing their companies. Eighty-eight percent agree the shortage has the potential to impede growth and financial performance. Asked to rank each of the following issues on a scale of 1 to 10, with a 10 representing the greatest…Jobs Hold Steady in U.S Staffing Firms in 2007
Sales in the U.S. temporary and contract staffing industry reached an all-time high in 2007, according to the American Staffing Association. The association estimates that temporary and contract staffing sales reached $73.5 billion last year, a 1.6% increase over 2006 sales. Temporary and contract employment at U.S. staffing firms remained flat over the year, averaging 2.96 million workers per day in both 2006 and 2007. “Even with last year’s growing uncertainty over the economy and…Weichert Relocation Resources Survey Finds Relocation Benefits Key to Attracting Critical New Hires
Nearly three-fifths (78%) of companies are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit critical talent today, finds a survey of 85 North American companies, who in similar numbers (81%) say concern over losing money on the sale of a house is their top recruits' biggest challenge. It is a scenario that is forcing firms to alter the relocation services they offer to attract top talent. "Despite less-than-favorable market conditions, the need to recruit and relocate critical talent…HR Executives Expecting Tight Hiring Market
Despite rising unemployment rates and shrinking corporate payrolls, human resource executives believe it will be more difficult to recruit mid to high-level employees in 2008, a survey of Human Resource executives at small and midsize Fortune 500 firms finds. Nearly all recruiting activities to be more, not less, difficult than last year, those surveyed contend. The one exception will be the filling of entry-level positions, according to these respondents from 25 of the largest U.S.…Finding Skilled Staff: Top Challenge for CIOs and CFOs
Many chief information officers (CIOs) and chief financial officers (CFOs) agree that a top challenge is to find skilled staff, nationwide surveys show. One in five (20%) CFOs, and nearly one in four (24%) CIOs, say so in separate surveys by Robert Half International. For CFOs, the 20% number is up three points from a similar poll in 2003. Meeting customer needs is the second biggest concern, cited by 16% of those that participated in Robert…Entry-Level Hiring Projected to Increase in 2008
More than 62% of new college hires have internship experience, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), and employers offer full-time jobs to nearly two out of three interns. Just over 70% of these offers are accepted, and 31% of these hiring companies say their new college hires are a direct result of the firm's internship program. Employers taking part in NACE's survey cite competition as their biggest challenge…Online is the Place to Be for Recruiters and Jobseekers Alike
Jobseekers really are going online to find jobs—at least in Canada, where one in every three have found their most recent position through online means, according to a new study. Furthermore, Canadians are enjoying the online job search experience more than any other method, says the associated survey, which also explores Canadian jobseekers’ least favorite aspects of the recruitment process. Thirty-two percent of workers in Canada found their most recent job by going online, the survey…HR Managers in the UK Predict Their Challenges for 2008
Retaining the talent within organizations is the number one challenge for senior Human Resources (HR) managers in 2008, according to a new survey. Furthermore, recruiting and hiring are foremost in UK HR managers' minds this year, finds HR Challenges 2008, a survey by Taleo of 209 senior HR managers in the United Kingdom. When asked to select their top HR challenge going into 2008, 30% of HR managers in the UK cite "employee retention" as their…Popular Approaches to Combat Turnover of Front-line Employees
Almost four out of 10 employers report an increase in the turnover of front-line employees in the past six months, finds a survey from Boston-based ClearRock. The resulting situation can be time-consuming. Employers need to reduce the cost of turnover of current workers, particularly those who work on the front lines. With unemployment rising and concerns about a possible recession growing, it is becoming a higher priority for employers to control costs, according to ClearRock,…Work-life Balance Ranks High Among Employees
Work-life balance continues to grow in its importance to job selection and satisfaction. A slight majority (55%) of men have favorable views of how their employers support work-life balance, according a survey by Kenexa Research Institute of 10,000 U.S. workers. A number of others surveys recently conducted among employees in the U.S. and elsewhere shed additional light on the dynamics of work-life balance, and on workers' perceptions around the issue: Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) of employees…Survey Forecasts Employment Trends for 2008
Nearly one-third of employers plan to hire new full-time, permanent employees in 2008, according to a survey from CareerBuilder.com. Although down from two-fifths expected for 2007, as found in the annual Job Forecast last year, the number is still healthy, says CareerBuilder.com's CEO Matt Ferguson. Overall, this year's outlook is slightly less bullish than last year's, but the data nevertheless suggest that companies expect the economy to remain healthy. As a counterbalance to the 32%…Employee Satisfaction Hinges on Senior Managers
Among the six highly industrialized countries, 54% of workers have favorable views of their senior management, research from late last year indicates. Those in India are more likely to rate their senior management favorably, while those in Brazil report the lowest levels of favorability. The research, conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), is based on the analysis of data drawn from a representative sample of workers surveyed in 2007 through WorkTrends, KRI’s annual survey of…Staffing Activity to Increase in 2008
Despite hold-the-line company budgets coupled with recession warnings from many economists, corporate recruiters foresee increased staffing activities in 2008, according to a new poll. Fifty-six percent of recruiters and Human Resource (HR) managers surveyed from the Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco Bay, and Washington, D.C. regions say recruiting and staffing activity will increase in 2008, according to a new poll by JobFox, a job site that allows candidates to create personal brands for their professional lives.…Retaining Employees Who Consider Leaving
A U.S. job market that employs the vast majority of the college-educated professionals out there (97.9% of them in November, to be exact) means retention is a major concern—and it should be. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the annual voluntary turnover rate will be close to 24% for the year 2007. Jobs are just too plentiful for employers to ignore the possibility of their best talent joining the competition. A new survey…College Students and Recent Graduates Optimistic About Their Job Prospects
An erratic stock market, subprime mortgage scandals, and fears of recession seem to be having little effect on college students' and recent graduates' job search expectations. A large majority are quite optimistic about the prospects they face in the job market, according to a new poll. Last month CollegeRecruiter.com asked college students and recent graduates, "If you were to start looking for a new job today, how many months would you expect it to take to…Employers Respond to High Turnover
Responding to a recent survey of 94 organizations in the U.S. with nationwide operations, 37% of employers report an increase in the past six months in the turnover of front-line employees. These are workers salespersons, customer service representatives, and other sales and support staff, all of whom are usually a customer’s first contact with a business. Additionally, 31% of employers report an increase during the same time period in the turnover of workers seen as…Disparity in Perceptions among HR and Business Leaders
Close to three-fifths of business leaders either do not have an established relationship with HR or neglect to consider including HR in the implementation of workforce plans, according to Working Together, Working Apart , a newly released report by Veritude. Furthermore, a large gulf separates the percentage of business leaders who rate HR leaders as well-versed in financial acumen and HR leaders who themselves rate their financial acumen as such. Additionally, business and HR leaders are…Increasing Staff Key to Improving Productivity
Small businesses continue to expand, as are productivity improvements, a recent survey finds. A poll of more than 800 small business owners and managers finds that more than two-fifths of them plan to add new staff or implement improvements to staff training in the next 12 to 24 months. Together, these are the leading methods cited during the third quarter of 2007 for achieving greater productivity in future months, according to the latest Small Business…Leadership Dearth to Leave Growth Strategies at Risk
More than 75% of HR leaders are concerned with their ability to develop future leaders, according to a recent IBM survey of more than 400 HR executives in 40 countries. Findings from the survey pinpoint the importance of the adaptable workforce as a precursor for future organizational success. The associated report, Unlocking the DNA of the Adaptable Workforce, identifies three critical success factors to developing such an adaptable…Jobseekers' Web Pages Reveal Their New Job Wishes
Those looking for new jobs seek advancement opportunities and increases in leadership responsibilities more than anything else. These desires rank higher than salary increases, flexible schedules, and various other factors, according to a study of more than 6,000 jobseekers surveyed by JobFox, an employment website that allows users to create Web pages personally branded for the job search. Incidentally, the percentage of JobFox professionals seeking a career change with a company that is “ecologically-friendly” is a…Recruiting Tops HR Evaluation Criteria
A majority of HR departments are involved in their companies' key strategic business decisions, according to new research by Kennedy Information’s parent company, the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. This fact probably bears on Human Resource (HR) departments' top three priorities for 2007, which, the report finds, are recruitment and retention, strategic planning and management, and cost containment. These closely match with top criteria HR executives use to evaluate their teams. A section of the report,…Companies Contend with Creativity Gap
Creativity and innovation are to be the cornerstones of U.S. competitiveness in coming years, experts agree. In fact, the "creative economy” is a term coined by Richard Florida, an economist and author of Rise of the Creative Class. But, while an overwhelming majority of American workers believe that they are instinctively creative, fewer than two in three think that they are tapping these creative capacities on the job, a new survey finds. The Creativity Survey, commissioned…HR Budgets Grow Significantly
From 2005 to 2006, the median budgeted expense for Human Resource (HR) activities and programs increased by nearly one-quarter, according to HR Department Benchmarks and Analysis 2007, a report by Kennedy Information’s parent company, the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. Actual expenditures increased year over year from 2004 to 2006, and HR budgets as a percentage of overall budgets are at a 10-year high. Furthermore, reporting to upper management is good for HR departments’ budgets, the…HR Staff-to-Employee Ratios Gaining Ground
According to new research by Kennedy Information’s parent company, the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., the ratio of Human Resource staff to every 100 employees in the U.S. was up in 2006 versus 1996. The findings help HR departments to benchmark their own staff-to-employee ratios against those for the entire industry, as well as individual industry sectors. The report, HR Department Benchmarks and Analysis™ 2007, shows that these staff ratios decline as workforce sizes increase, meaning…Women More Satisfied Than Men with Work–Life Balance
Research suggests that women are more positive than men in their perceptions of their company's efforts to help them balance work and life responsibilities. Furthermore, regardless of gender, those who show more favorability toward their organization's efforts to support work–life balance also indicate a much lower intent to leave the organization. Among 10,000 U.S. workers surveyed by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), women who are working in small (100-249 employees) and moderately large (5,000-9,999 employees) companies…Corporate Social Responsibility and Job Seekers’ Decision-Making
A new study shows that a potential employer’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) bears little on a job seeker’s ultimate decision to accept a job offer. Only a small percentage of job seekers have rejected employment at any company because the firm lacked a CSR program. Although 75% of U.S. workers think companies have responsibilities to the community, 70% do not consider a prospective employer’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program very important when it comes…Interviewer Behavior Affects Job Seeker Decision-Making
A new study has found that an interviewer’s behavior can bear considerably, and negatively, on a job seeker’s decision-making process. Furthermore, large discrepancies exist between job seekers’ and staffing directors’ expectations and wants. According to The Selection Forecast 2006-2007, a study by Development Dimensions International (DDI) and Monster, the interviewer influences two-thirds of job seekers’ decision to accept a position. DDI’s press release states that respondents to the DDI–Monster survey comprised 628 staffing directors, 1,250 hiring…Still Popular, Telecommuting Faces Resistance
The results from a survey on telecommuting trends indicate that employers in the U.S. disallow many employees from participating in telecommuting arrangements, with the major reason being that upper management lacks trust in employees and harbors concerns over reduced productivity. Management’s largest concerns, according to the survey, are: 1) Lack of employee productivity; 2) Document safety; 3) Bandwidth issues; and 4) IT infrastructure costs. Additional research supports the notion that employers are resisting remote working…The 2007 Resume Sourcing Survey, an Excerpt
In his 2007 Resume Sourcing Survey, "Searchologist" Jim Stroud identifies some of the most commonly posted file formats, and also some discoveries that may go against popular conventions. Following is an excerpt. So there I was about to perform my 386,542nd search for a passive candidate (more or less) when a question occurred to me. How many resumes are there on the Internet and what percentage of those resumes is relevant to my search? Not knowing…