Talent management has become a top priority for organizations, highlighting that the optimization of talent in the workforce directly affects everyday operations and in turn drives the bottom line. The ASTD-i4cp Talent Management Practices and Opportunities Study found that 19.9% of organizations reported that they manage talent effectively to a high or very high degree, with an additional one fifth admitting that their companies were effective users of talent to only a small extent or not at all. Talent management is anticipated to grow: over 80% of participants predict a growth in the next three years.

What does the talent management puzzle look like?

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Tags: talent management

Categories: 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

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

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

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

The 2009 State of the Industry Report revealed that workplace learning and performance has withstood the challenges of the difficult economy. Although investment in training was stable in 2008, organizations achieved positive outcomes and successfully contributed to their employees’ development with more formal learning opportunities while using fewer resources.

Although many organizations were forced to cut costs wherever possible, workplace learning and performance did not suffer disproportionately to any significant degree. Investment in employee learning and development remained steady through the end of 2008. Although the average annual learning expenditure per employee fell from $1,110 in 2007 to $1,068 in 2008 – a 3.8 percent decrease – it was not large by any means. The commitment to learning is also evident from the figure for average learning expenditure as a percentage of payroll: it increased from 2.15 percent in 2007 to 2.24 percent in 2008.

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Tags: state of the industry report

Categories: Research

Melbourne, FL (PRWEB) -- Social networking in the workplace is a major dilemma for today's businesses. The question is: "Does it help or hurt the organization?"

Although the general issue is always the same, the specific challenges vary. They range from productivity losses, to legal risks, to bandwidth drains and security problems. And even more specifically, these challenges are associated with various types of sites that employees often visit for personal reasons. A few years ago, pornography sites presented the greatest challenge, while today social networking sites seem to be 'number one' with Facebook being the most popular.

A survey conducted by Nucleus Research showed that 77 percent of workers who have a Facebook account use it during work hours. Of those who use Facebook at work, 87% said they could not define a clear business reason for accessing the site, and some reported using it as much as two hours per day.

Wavecrest Computing has been helping businesses and other organizations deal with Internet usage issues for more than twelve years. In general, these entities all face the same challenge, i.e., how can the organization maximize the benefits of social networking access while minimizing the risks of personal surfing at work?

Wavecrest Computing discusses these issues in their white paper "Social Networking or Social Not-Working?" They address the question "To what extent, if any, should workers be permitted to engage in social networking 'on the job,' and why?" and offer recommendations, such as a "well-designed Web-use policy."  

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Tags: social networking, workplace, productivity, security

Categories: News | Research

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) -- Senior management respect for worker contribution has been found to be the top leadership factor promoting engagement, according to a global survey of 28,000 employees in 15 countries by Right Management. Other senior leadership behaviors that correlate highest with employee engagement include implementing and communicating organization strategy. Right Management is the talent and career management expert within Manpower, the global leader in employment services.

Right Management analyzed dozens of leadership practices and behaviors in order to determine which are most strongly related to employee engagement. Those with the highest correlations are:

1.    Senior leaders value employees
2.    Senior leaders have the capability to make my organization successful
3.    Senior leaders effectively implement my organization's strategy
4.    Senior leaders effectively communicate my organization's strategy to employees

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Tags: employee engagement, leadership, talent management, career development

Categories: News | Research

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) -- With the economy cautiously turning the corner, senior leaders are focused on hiring and developing talent, according to a survey of more than 450 senior executives on LinkedIn® by Right Management. 94 percent of executives said talent management is a top priority for 2010. Right Management is the talent and career management expert within Manpower, the global leader in employment services.

The findings present good news for employees and job seekers. Employers are preparing themselves for growth opportunities as the economy rebounds and are looking for ways to enhance performance and productivity. One-third of the senior executive respondents will be hiring new talent in 2010, while 36 percent will focus on developing current talent. Twenty percent reported that increasing employee engagement is a top priority. Career development opportunities and efforts to increase engagement typically improve retention, which may explain why only 4 percent of senior leaders indicated they would be focusing efforts on retention.

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Tags: talent management, employee retention, career development, executives, new economy

Categories: News | Research