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8/1/04

Workplace
Loyalty still runs high at US companies

Despite recent headlines about corporate wrongdoing, many workers and human resource professionals believe the companies they work for are trustworthy, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management and CareerJournal.com.

The survey of 370 HR professionals and 407 employees shows that loyalty remains high among workers despite charges of financial mischief at Enron Corp., WorldCom, and other big US corporations. The survey found that 70 percent of the employees and 72 percent of the HR professionals believe their organizations are extremely or moderately trustworthy. The society, based in Alexandria, Va., has 185,000 members.

Just 11 percent of the employees and 5 percent of the HR professionals described leadership at the companies they work for as untrustworthy. Twenty percent of the workers and 23 percent of the HR professionals said their corporate leaders were only mildly trustworthy.

Many of the workers said they were loyal to their employers, an important factor in helping to maintain a stable and committed workforce. Of those polled, 77 percent of the HR professionals and 71 percent of the workers described themselves as extremely or moderately loyal. Twenty-two percent of the HR professionals said they believed workers at their organization were extremely loyal. Only 6 percent of employees polled said they were not loyal to the firms they work for.

Susan R. Meisinger, the society's president and chief executive, said companies should make building trust a priority.

Meisinger said companies could improve loyalty by putting ethical policies in place and making corporate leaders accountable to ethical standards. ''Employees who perceive that their leaders are ethical have a greater level of job satisfaction and feel more valued as workers,'' said Meisinger. Unfortunately, she said, many of those polled felt their corporate leaders were not doing enough to lift ethical practices. For example, only 45 percent of the HR professionals and 27 percent of the employees strongly agreed their employers' leadership was ethical.

--DIANE E. LEWIS

Employment
As economy improves, IT firms think retention

Some IT companies are worried about keeping top employees when the economy posts a strong rebound. A national poll of 1,400 chief information officers reveals that 58 percent believe retention will be a critical concern in the future, particularly when the US economy gains significant strength. The poll was commissioned by Robert Half Technology, a staffing company.

When asked whether retention will be more important for their companies as the economy improves, 25 percent said it would be, 33 percent said it would be somewhat more important, 36 percent expected no change, 5 percent said that it would be somewhat less important.

Katherine Spencer Lee, the executive director of Robert Half Technology, said companies should move now to ensure strong retention because high turnover could result in lost productivity, more recruiting expenses, and the loss of valued intellectual capital.

She advises that companies show IT professionals they are appreciated by providing training opportunities, increasing compensation, and demonstrating their ideas are important.

In addition, said Lee, managers should show they value their employees' expertise by giving workers the chance to make strategic decisions. Employers should also be willing to offer praise when workers' or teams make significant accomplishments.

''A competitive compensation and benefits package sends the message to employees that you place a fair value on their work.'' Lee may have a point. Accenture, the outsourcing firm, reports in a 2004 survey of 508 employees in a variety of industries that a raise can make a difference to potential job hoppers.

Fifty-eight percent said having more opportunities for advancement would keep them on the job, and 30 percent said they would stay if they had a different boss. Twenty-seven percent said getting better training would induce them to stay.

--DIANE E. LEWIS

Executive suite
Number of women in training falls short

The number of women in training programs designed to groom employees for the executive suite is not as high as it should be, given women's participation in the workforce.

A survey of 1,780 human resource and training professionals by Novations/J. Howard Associates, a Boston consulting firm, reveals that women are still not fully represented in training programs that can help them get ahead on the job.

In all, 36 percent said that women are underrepresented in leadership programs compared to the total number of women on their organizations' payrolls. Thirty-two percent said a proportionate number of women receive leadership training, 18 percent said more women are receiving leadership training at their companies than men, and 13 percent said they do not have leadership training programs. ''Being selected for such programs is an indication that others see what women see -- that they are capable of leadership,'' said Audra Bohannon, senior vice president of Novations/J. Howard.

--DIANE E. LEWIS

Hiring
Most firms don't see much election impact

The outcome of the 2004 presidential election won't have an impact on most employers' hiring plans.

Those are the findings of a recent poll conducted by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago outplacement firm. The company, which tracks workplace trends, polled 160 human resource executives from various industries about the impact of election results. Of those surveyed, 57 percent said their companies' hiring or recruiting plans will remain the same regardless of the election's outcome. Forty-three percent said the results could change their hiring plans.

Chief execuitve John Challenger said the re-election of President George W. Bush could positively affect the automotive, financial services, timber, pharmaceutical, and, tobacco industries. If Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry of Massachusetts becomes president, the healthcare, education, government, home building, and insurance sectors could benefit, he said.

''A Kerry presidency would likely put a halt to education voucher programs and instead use the money to improve public schools, creating jobs for teachers, school builders, computer makers, and text book publishers,'' said Challenger.

''A Bush re-election could benefit the financial industry if the administration continues to push for ... private retirement savings accounts, which would expand opportunities for investment firms.''

--DIANE E. LEWIS

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