Industry News
Either Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way
Executives indicate a need for improvement in leadership abilities
amongst peers, according to a survey conducted by Accountemps. More
than 36 percent of respondents rate executive performance as merely
"fair" while only 12 percent rate executive performances
as "excellent." Rita Steel, director of Western operations
at Accountemps, recommends, "New managers should develop a
clearly defined vision for their department and communicate it to
the team." Steel also suggests providing meaningful responsibilities
to employees and producing the necessary resources that will help
instill employee confidence in leadership abilities.
Source: Accountemps, link to: http://www.accountemps.com/PressRoom
CFOs Want Greater Role in Managing Human Capital
A new study shows that despite substantial corporate spending of
36 percent in the area of human capital- including pay, benefits,
training - financial executives report only a 16 percent return
on this huge investment. According to the study conducted by Mercer
Human Resource Consulting, half of the financial executives surveyed
report that investors are beginning to ask about human capital issues.
Results indicate that the changing role of the CFO in managing human
capital demands a corresponding change in the relationship between
the corporate function and HR functions. Financial executives report
a desire to be more involved in human capital decisions Respondents
also state that HR technology is less effective in quantifying the
company's return on human capital investments.
Source: Mercer Human Resources Consulting, link to http://mercerhr.com/pressrelease/details.jhtml;jsessionid=YA2S14WD0SQJ4AAJAADQOCA?idContent=1082835
Workers Have Negative Emotional Connections to Their Work Experience
More than half of employees surveyed report having a negative feeling
regarding their workplace, while a third report "intensely
negative" emotions, according to a study conducted by Towers
Perrin and Gang & Gang. The study indicates that negative emotions
about work relate to higher turnover rates and contribute to workplace
dissatisfaction that can reduce productivity and performance. Negate
sentiments are attributed to excessive workloads, concerns about
management's ability to lead a company successfully, anxiety about
the future, lack of challenges and an insufficient recognition for
the level of contributions provided. Respondents also identified
ideal workplace feelings such as having a sense of self-worth, rewards,
recognition for contributions and evidence that these contribution
lead to business successes.
Source: Towers Perrin, link to: http://www.towers.com/towers_news/press_room/press_room_frame_towers.asp?target=../news/press_top_stories.htm
Economic Downturn, Scandals Give CEOs Appreciation for Internal
Communications Function
37 percent of CEO communication is now focused on face-to-face
time with employees, according to study by PRWeek and Burson-Marsteller.
61 percent of CEOs report that they are spending more time on internal
communication functions than a year ago. 66 percent of respondents
report to have a greater appreciation for corporate communication.
The weakening economy, corporate scandals and increased scrutiny
all contribute to the vital role that communication plays in maintaining
and supporting a company's reputation. Christopher Komisarjevsky,
president and CEO of Burson-Marteller, states, "the CEO must
spend more time talking to the corporation about values and behaviors
that are a part of the brand."
Source: Burson-Marsteller, link to http://www.bm.com/newsroom/pressdec2002.html
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