New York (PRWEB) -- Improving productivity by keeping employees healthy and working is emerging as the top business objective for employer-sponsored wellness programs around the world. The two exceptions are the United States, where reducing health care cost increases overwhelmingly continues to be the top goal, and Asia, where the most important objective is improving workforce morale.

These are among the latest trends identified by Buck Consultants' third annual global wellness survey, "WORKING WELL: A Global Survey of Health Promotion and Workplace Wellness Strategies," released today. The survey analyzed responses from more than 1,100 organizations representing 10 million employees in 45 countries.

"The heightened global focus on improving productivity is a significant trend," said Barry Hall, a Buck principal who directed the survey. "Business leaders around the world are increasingly recognizing the financial value of healthier workers and the need to better engage employees in reducing their health risks."

Stress is consistently cited as the top health risk driving wellness programs in all areas of the world, except for the United States and Latin America, where lack of exercise and poor nutrition are of top concern.

"Employers in the United States and Latin America seem to lag behind the rest of the world in addressing stress and its related conditions such as depression, anxiety, and fatigue," said Hall. "These are among the most significant drivers of productivity loss and absenteeism, as well as increased health care costs."

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Tags: wellness, benefits, workplace, productivity, morale, health care

Categories: News | Research

Australia could face a shortfall of 1.4 million workers by 2025, according to a new report.

The Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) is presenting its "Workplace Futures Report" to a summit in Melbourne today.

VECCI says the nation's ageing population will impact on skills and older Australians need to be encouraged into the work force.

Spokesman Andrew Rimington says older workers need more flexible options.

"We have seen, for instance, the level of work force participation rate of the aged 55 to 59 age group over the last year increase to a record level during a time of economic downturn," he said.

"The increase of older workers in the work force does create consideration of issues around job re-design and flexible practice, shorter working hours perhaps, part time arrangements."

The VECCI report says Victorian employers could face a shortfall of about 440,000.

The report says Victoria's population will reach to 6.7 million in 15 years, but work force growth will decline, because of the ageing population.

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Tags: australia, generations, older workers, retirement, retention

Categories: International | News | Research

(The Wall Street Journal) -- Many employers and employees don't see eye to eye on what keeps workers happy, a disparity that could spell trouble for businesses as the economy recovers.

Employers consider management climate and workers' relationships with their bosses as most important, but employees cite pay and benefits, according to a survey last winter by Spherion Corp., a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., staffing firm. Respondents included 306 human-resources managers and 2,519 employees at firms of all sizes. Surveys conducted in 2007 and 2005 generated the same top results.

Tucker Callaway, a sales director at CA Inc., says compensation was a big factor in his decision to join the software maker in April. He also cites poor morale and a lack of leadership at his former employer, another technology company.

Mr. Callaway, 34, says CA gave him a 20% raise. "I have a mortgage and two kids, so pay is extremely important," he says.

Workplace experts say many workers have grown frustrated during the recession and might consider leaving as the labor market improves. Employees are less committed to their employers, according to an annual survey by consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc. and WorldatWork, an association of human-resource professionals. Results were based on responses by 1,300 workers at 235 large U.S. firms in May. Commitment dropped most among top performers, according to the survey.

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Tags: retention, morale, new economy, talent management

Categories: News | Research

With the nation's unemployment rate at a 26-year-high of 10.2%, more Americans are hunting for, and landing, work overseas, according to staffing companies and executive search firms.

Jeff Joerres, CEO of Manpower, the No. 1 U.S. staffing company, says about 500 clients are seeking jobs abroad, up from a few dozen six months ago.

"It suddenly looks like there may be better opportunities outside the U.S.," Joerres says. "It is a phenomenon we haven't had before."

While the number of globe-trotting job candidates is still relatively small, the trend reverses a longtime pattern of far more foreign workers seeking jobs in the U.S., Joerres says.

Fifty-four percent of executives said they'd be likely or highly likely to accept a foreign post, according to a survey of 114 executives Friday by talent management company Korn/Ferry. Just 37% of those surveyed in 2005 said they'd go abroad.

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Tags: global workplace, career development, relocation

Categories: News

When it comes to the workplace, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y populations may be more similar than previously thought, according to a Conference Board of Canada study released Monday.

The study, entitled "Winning the Generation Wars: Making the Most of Generational Differences and Similarities in the Workplace," suggests ways to beat negative and inaccurate stereotypes that can dominate the office environment and hinder team performance.

"This research shows each generation includes workers with similar personality types, workplace motivations, and social behaviours. Workers from all three generations want respect, flexibility, fairness, and the opportunity to do interesting and rewarding work," Tim Krywulak, senior research associate on the study, said.

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Tags: canada, workplace, generations, baby boomers, generation x, generation y, diversity

Categories: International | News | Research

(BusinessWeek) -- While they continue to slog through the longest economic downturn in decades, companies are no longer making cost-cutting their primary focus. Innovation is now front and center on the corporate agenda, according to a global survey we recently conducted with 65 senior executives from diverse industries. Executives are adding more breakthrough innovations and business model changes to their portfolio to fuel the growth engine for the recovery.

Yet our survey reveals that companies by and large are having trouble making innovation efforts work. Executives are struggling to find the right combination of business strategy, operational model, and execution to deliver profitable growth.

Why the concern with execution? Currently every aspect of business is fair game for reinvention—revenue and margin models, functional areas, and even the organization itself. The risks are also a lot higher than in the past. With so many moving parts and so much riding on the outcome, it's no wonder executives are anxious that they will miss the target when they execute. As one executive told us: "Management feels very comfortable about our ability to manage costs—we have a good track record. We don't have the same track record for organic growth from innovation." In other words, it's harder to innovate than it used to be.

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Tags: new economy, innovation, productivity, business acumen

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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (PRNewswire) -- With millions of Baby Boomers poised to age out of the workforce, U.S. companies remain unprepared for an imminent talent drain that threatens to alter the national economy, according to a new report by the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College.

Nearly 70 percent of the almost 700 organizations surveyed do not yet know how old their workers are or how many are likely to retire. Forty percent reported that the aging of the workforce will have a detrimental impact on their businesses by 2012.

"The out-migration of a generation of workers will upset the entire balance of the workplace," said co-author Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, director of the Sloan Center on Aging & Work. "U.S. companies need to start planning strategically for workforce sustainability. The current abundance of older worker talent and experience is going to dry up, and businesses will very soon need to fill hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs."

The report -- The Pressures of Talent Management -- examined talent management practices at 696 organizations across the 10 leading sectors of the economy. The companies studied employ more than one million workers combined and represent businesses that account for roughly 85 percent of the jobs and payrolls in the U.S.

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Tags: baby boomers, generations, talent management, retention

Categories: News | Research

Came across this great story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that talks about the value of belonging to associations. The article is targeted at healthcare workers, but the reporter states that professional associations outside your given industry add value to your career too. Laura French's story "Associate with Success" states:

"Training and education is another career track of interest to healthcare professionals. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) has more than 130 chapters in the U.S. as well as members in more than 100 countries. ASTD offers the only certification in the training and development field: Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP). Visit www.astd.org for additional information."

Nice to see a reporter making the connection that professional associations add real value! And the reference to the CPLP credential by a reporter indicates that certification is growing in prominence and recognition.

Tags: astd, cplp, training, development, chapters

Categories: ASTD in the News | Chapters

When it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of training, most organizations admit they could do a better job, according to a new study released by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). The study, Value of Evaluation: Making Training Evaluations More Effective, found that only about one-quarter of respondents agree their organizations get a “solid bang for the buck” from their training evaluation efforts.

The study, conducted in partnership with the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), is based on responses from 704 individuals in high-level positions in business, human resources, and learning. Eighty two percent of respondents worked for companies headquartered in North America, and 40.5 percent were employed by multinational or global organizations. 
 
The study found that the five-level Kirkpatrick/Phillips model of learning evaluation is the most commonly used evaluation tool. Findings show that almost all organizations (92 percent of respondents) use the first level of evaluation which measures participant reaction. The use of the model drops off dramatically with each subsequent level, with very few organizations (17.9 percent of respondents) using Level 5 evaluation—return-on-investment for training. Findings also show that for organizations that effectively evaluate at Level 4, which measures business results, there is a positive correlation with marketplace performance.

Other key findings in the report include:

• The Brinkerhoff Success Case Method is the second most widely used evaluation method. About half of respondents used some version of this method, which highlights individual training success stories to communicate the value of learning.
• There are several barriers to the evaluation of learning including metrics that are seen as too difficult to calculate, isolating training as a factor that affects behaviors and results, and lack of leadership interest in training evaluation information.
• An average of 5.5 percent of training budgets is spent on evaluation, and organizations tend to spend the largest share of their evaluation budgets on Level 1 (reaction) evaluations.

Also included in the report are recommended actions for learning professionals:

• Don’t abandon evaluation. Learn to use metrics well as they are associated with evaluation success and overall organization success.
• Establish clear objectives and goals to be measured from the outset of a training program. For example, if measuring at Level 3 (behavior change) identify and measure the behaviors that should change before and after training.
• Collect data that is meaningful to leaders. Recognize that this type of data is not primarily found in participant reaction (Level 1) evaluations.
• Indentify the key performance indicators to be measured. When evaluating results, focus on metrics such as proficiency and competency levels, customer satisfaction, employee perceptions of training impact, business outcomes, and productivity measures.
• When choosing a Learning Management System, investigate the evaluation tools available with the system.

The report, Value of Evaluation: Making Training Evaluations More Effective, shows conclusively that organizations struggle with evaluating whether their programs meet the business needs of their organizations and whether they are meaningful to employees and business leaders. By delineating what organizations are currently doing, and identifying best practices and recommendations for improvement, ASTD hopes this report will help learning professionals and their organizations become more proficient and strategic when evaluating learning.

To access the full report, go to www.astd.org/content/research.

Tags: astd research, evaluation, roi, kirkpatrick model, phillips model, brinkerfhoff model, training evaluation, level 1, level 3, level 4, level 5, business impact

Categories: ASTD in the News

We’ve focused on the content of The ASTD Leadership Handbook: how to select topics, how to ensure its usefulness, and how to guarantee quality. Let’s turn our attention toward the authors of The Handbook. 

This Special Opportunity

What’s it like to work with the gurus of our profession? Gosh, what can I say? Heady? Exhilarating? Humbling? Daunting? It is for sure all of these. 

To discuss change with John Kotter in his office at Harvard Square; to question Dave Ulrich about “getting results”; to write a note to Jim Collins; to receive a phone call from Frances Hesselbein; to have Ken Blanchard say “yes” to writing a chapter about ethics and integrity; to catch Bill George between books; to receive the first chapter from Len Goodstein; or to have Jack Zenger respond to an email in less than 12 hours. All of these are electrifying moments of this project—and in my life! 

I’ve started reviewing the work of these famous authors, and to say reading their chapters is stimulating is an understatement. Wait until you have an opportunity to read the final product!  

Working With Gurus

How do you manage folks with more important things to do than write a chapter for your book? Jim Kouzes, Bev Kaye, Bill Byham, Cindy McCauley, VADM Lockard, and the other authors—these are busy people with others constantly tugging at them. You need to make it easy for them to give you what you need. Clear guidelines helps. Ensure that they are writing about their specialty. Make the job as easy as falling off a log. Don’t ask them to do mundane tasks that publishing requires. Work with their administrative assistants whenever possible for something like turning color figures to black and white. When you receive a booklist with just the books' names, do the research yourself. Don’t bother them with the details. Create and maintain a communication plan. Touch base regularly and provide information to them as they need it--not in lengthy guidance at the beginning. 

How do you appeal to a guru’s willingness to work on a project? Build pride in the project. You can do this by ensuring they know how much you want them to be a part of the handbook. For example, I can’t imagine having a chapter about change without John Kotter being the author. Can you? I told him just that—and sincerely meant it. 

In the end, how do you work with a guru group? I think three things are important:

• Make it easy and fun.
• Do the mundane for them.
• Ensure that they are proud to be a part of the project.

 In the end, editing this handbook is exciting. It is the best job anyone could have! I am honored and delighted to have such an exhilarating opportunity in my career. 

Next Up: A Sneak Preview of the Table of Contents

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Categories: e-Laine