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2/27/05 EXECUTIVE SUITE Spring is on the way, and some executives are getting restless. They're sprucing up their resumes, updating their professional networks, yearning for travel, or daydreaming about launching a business venture of their own. A new survey of 2,700 US executives by Korn/Ferry reveals that more than one-third are seriously considering leaving their jobs for new challenges in the coming months. Additionally, 37 percent would consider working overseas. "As the economy continues to improve, we find that executives are increasingly willing to take some career risk and tackle new challenges," said Bob Damon, the president of the North American region for Korn/Ferry. Damon said his firm is seeing increased demand for executives to work in emerging nations like India and China - and he's seeing more US executives who would readily take those jobs. The results are based on recent polls with different groups of executives, ranging in number from just over 2,000 to more than 4,000. According to Korn/Ferry, employers who thought they could count on top executive leadership for six or seven years might want to reconsider: Forty-two percent of 2,091 respondents said the minimum acceptable amount of time to stay at one company was five years. Close to half said two years. Two percent said less than a year, and 4 percent pointed to over seven years. When asked how many companies they had worked for, 56 percent said four to seven. Thirty-one percent said two to three. The findings show that, overall, the average amount of time an executive spends at a single company has decreased, reported Korn/Ferry. On the whole, many executives indicated they would return to work for a former boss, suggesting that the separation was tension free. When more than 4,000 executives were asked if they would work for a past employer, 74 percent said they would or likely would. Only 4 percent said "absolutely not." The findings follow an earlier report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas indicating that 92 chief executives left jobs in January, many of them due to retirement. According to the Chicago outplacement firm, the turnover was the highest in four years. WORKPLACE A software firm in Greater Boston will share its good luck with employees by taking them to Puerto Rico. Waltham's BladeLogic is sending 56 employees and their spouses or partners on an all-expenses paid trip to San Juan. The group is scheduled to leave Boston for San Juan on Thursday and will return Sunday. BladeLogic employees will stay at the Wyndham El San Juan Resort & Casino, said company spokesman Tedd Rodman. With spouses and partners, the number of people going on the trip will total 110. What prompted the company's benevolence? The firm significantly increased revenues between 2003 and 2004. "We set a very aggressive revenue goal for 2004, and we not only met this goal, but we exceeded it by 25 percent," said Dev Ittycheria, chief executive of BladeLogic. "The trip is just one of the ways we reward the hard work of our employees." BladeLogic makes data center automation software that helps clients manage all of their information technology operations. Founded in 2001, it has 100 clients. They include AT&T, General Electric Co., Time Warner Inc., and Virgin Mobile USA LLC. The company was recently named a leading vendor in its market by Forrester Research in Cambridge, beating out bigger firms like IBM, BMC, and Hewlett-Packard, said Rodman. WAGES Here's one way women can begin to close the wage gap: Nontraditional jobs. A new report by The Women's Union in Boston reveals that work as a carpenter, electrician, or corrections officer are among those jobs that can given low-wage Massachusetts women a chance to advance while earning solid wages. The report, "Achieving Success in the New Economy: Which Jobs Help Women Reach Economic Sufficiency in Massachusetts," lists 25 jobs that are in demand and do not require years of training. Some require just an associate's degree or on-the-job training. Of the jobs listed, 18 are considered nontraditional occupations for women. "These jobs typically have higher wages, better benefits and are more likely to have established career ladders that lead to economic self-sufficiency," said the report. Susan Crandall, director of research and innovation at The Women's Union, said the organization's list does not include jobs that require a bachelor's degree. The findings came on the heels of other reports concerning the gap between the wages of men and women. Warren Farrell, a member of the board of directors of the National Organization for Women, attributes the lag to several factors, including the jobs women hold. Other factors include work environment, education and training, work hours, and travel and relocation. The Women's Union, an advocacy group founded in 1877, focuses on helping low-wage women and their families achieve self-sufficiency through training, education, and public policy. The group has developed a self-sufficiency standard to measure how much it costs to raise a family of three. It determined that a Worcester family of three composed of one adult, a preschool, and a school-age child require an annual income of at least $40,598 to be self-sufficient. Of the Massachusetts jobs listed in the report, 95 percent of the high-demand positions that pay more than $40,598 per year require math, science, or computer skills. One-third are in nursing, which is experiencing a nationwide shortage. Crandall said the organization's goal hopes that by releasing the study it can help training groups prepare low-skilled women for entry-level jobs with career ladders. "The next step is to give end users an idea of the kind of jobs in demand, and who the employers are that might be interested in hiring them if they receive the appropriate training," said Crandall. The following is a list of some jobs, salaries, degree requirements and the number of openings in Massachusetts:
Diane E. Lewis can be reached at .
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