Current issue Newswire
|
Most Quebec workers would not trade places with their boss, survey finds |
|
|
|
|
Written by Workplace Staff
|
|
Monday, 03 May 2010 |
According to a survey conducted for the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés to mark Workers' Day, most employees don't seem to be envious of their superiors. In fact, over half the respondents (53 per cent) said they wouldn't trade places with their boss if given the opportunity.
The survey also indicated that 62 per cent of women wouldn't want their boss's job, compared with 46 per cent of their male counterparts.
What's more, only 27 per cent of all respondents said they wouldn't hesitate to trade places with their boss, while 19 per cent would do so after some hesitation.
"These findings sound the alarm for managers. Succession problems are tricky and often neglected in many organizations. Management needs to come up with sound strategies to prepare the next generation. This is a crucial issue for organizations' survival and their future," explainsFlorent Francoeur, CHRP, Ordre president and CEO.
Workers put off by long work hours
The CROP-CRHA poll also explores the reasons why workers would refuse a promotion.
Long work hours seem to be an obstacle when Quebec employees are offered an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder. Some 42 per cent gave this as the main reason they would refuse a promotion, followed by a heavier workload (14 per cent) and having to manage a team or human resources (13 per cent).
"Obviously, not every employee is interested in or has the ability to hold a management position. But the survey shows that it's time for some companies to change their culture of long work hours. Employees don't necessarily perform better just because they spend more time at the office. Performance is measured by outcomes," concludes Francoeur.
The CROP-CRHA survey results are available at www.portailrh.org/presse. (in French only)
The Ordre des conseillers en resources humaines agréés is the primary reference organization in its field in Quebec.
|
|
|
Managers often not equipped to discuss career development with staff |
|
|
|
|
Written by Laurie Blake
|
|
Monday, 03 May 2010 |
Thirty-seven per cent of workers never engage in career discussions with their managers, according to a survey of nearly 700 employees by Right Management. Moreover, a further 30 per cent have such a discussion just once a year.
Right Management surveyed individuals across North America and asked: “How often do you engage in career discussions with your manager?” They responded:
- Never 37.34%
- Once a year 30.01%
- Twice a year 17.42%
- Every three months 15.23%
Conversations on careers and development are frequently a low priority, observes Liz Grant, vice president and national practice leader career management for Right Management. “With so many competing pressures and responsibilities, as well as constant change due to market realities, career management can end up on the back burner for both managers and individuals.”
“While managers might express the importance of employees managing their own careers, the research shows that this concept is unsupported by real action,” says Grant. “Individuals need to take responsibility for managing their own career. Unfortunately, many are not equipped with the information or opportunity to have meaningful career discussions with their managers.”
According to Grant, managers have a key role to play in reaching out to employees. “Career planning can be a great first step in getting employees more broadly engaged. But managers need to be equipped with the tools to discuss career opportunities and create an environment where employees feel valued and want to grow in their roles. If successful, the outcome will be greater job satisfaction, commitment, and even advocacy – all essential for a healthy bottom line.”
Grant suggests that to make these discussions more comfortable for employees, career planning needs to be embedded into the organization’s culture. Career planning needs to be a highly visible, formal process but, unfortunately, many managers are not equipped with the right knowledge and tools, or fully supported by their organizations to conduct these discussions.
“There may be untapped resources among an organization’s employees that are never realized because these discussions don’t take place,” Grant notes.
Right Management is the talent and career management expert within Manpower, a global leader in employment services. Right Management helps clients win in the changing world of work by designing and executing workforce solutions that align talent strategy with business strategy. Our expertise spans Talent Assessment, Leader Development, Organizational Effectiveness, Employee Engagement, and Workforce Transition and Outplacement. With offices in over 50 countries, Right Management partners with companies of all sizes. More than 80% of Fortune 500 companies are currently working with us to help them grow talent, reduce costs and accelerate performance.
|
|
|
Companies' expectations for relocation volumes and budgets are optimistic |
|
|
| Atlas Van Lines' survey shows one in five firms expect relocation volumes to increase in 2010 |
|
Written by Workplace Staff
|
|
Monday, 19 April 2010 |
Despite the current economic recession, businesses are optimistic about the volumes and budgets for future corporate relocations, according to Atlas Van Lines' 43rd annual Corporate Relocation Survey. More than one in five firms surveyed expect relocation volumes to increase in 2010, a great improvement over last year, when more than half of surveyed firms predicted a decrease in relocations.
Other positive signs include the majority of firms indicating they expect their overall financial performances to improve compared to 2009. With guarded optimism, most responding firms expect stability or even improvement in both the U.S. economy and real estate market.
The Atlas survey – the only survey of its kind – has for 43 years explored trends in how corporations move existing employees or newly hired staff. Most survey respondents work in human resources/personnel or relocation services departments for service, manufacturing, wholesale/retail, financial or government organizations, and more than half work for international companies. There is information in the survey on the number of people moved within Canada as well as between one country and Canada, plus the frequency of Canada as a destination for international transfers.
"These survey results are a possible early sign of a recovery for the relocation industry, and they indicate that companies are finding ways to contain costs while retaining employee incentives," says Jack Griffin, president and COO of Atlas Van Lines. "But the best news is that firms are predicting a brighter future both for themselves and the overall economy."
Here's a closer look at developing trends in corporate relocation:
Employees more willing to relocate
Employees appear to have been a little more willing to relocate in 2009 than they were the previous year. More than half (56 per cent) of responding firms saw employees decline relocations compared to 65 per cent in 2008. For the second year in a row, housing/mortgage concerns surpassed family issues/ties as the number one reason for refusing relocation. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents cited housing concerns, including worries about selling a home, as the reason for declining relocation.
However, 66 per cent of firms responding offered employees incentives to encourage relocations, with relocation bonuses, loss-on-sale protection, cost-of-living adjustments and extended duplicate/temporary housing benefits rounding out the top four methods used. In 2009, extending duplicate/temporary housing benefits jumped to the most popular perk, with 69 per cent of firms offering this incentive. So successful were these incentives that 90 per cent of companies said they "almost always" or "frequently" convinced an employee to relocate. Forty-five per cent of companies also help an employee's spouse find work in a new location.
Economy, not lack of local talent, impacting moves
For the first time since 2003, a lack of qualified people locally was not the biggest influence on relocation. Instead, more than half (53 per cent) of companies cited economic conditions as the biggest influence on relocations, with just 31 per cent citing a lack of qualified people locally. And 37 per cent say declining an opportunity that involves relocation can hinder an employee's career.
A more encouraging outlook for 2010
Responding firms indicated the number of employees relocated and relocating budgets significantly decreased compared to 2008. Forty-two per cent said they moved fewer employees last year, compared to just one-fourth experiencing declines in relocation volumes in 2008. Additionally, over a third saw decreases in relocation budgets last year (compared to 19 per cent in 2008); while only 18 per cent indicated budgets increased. The percentages of firms expecting increases in relocation volumes and budgets in 2010 are roughly twice that of last year.
Internationally, relocation volume expectations improved slightly overall compared to the previous year. Nearly two-thirds of firms expect international relocation volumes to remain stable.
Survey fast facts
- Eighty-two per cent of firms have a formal relocation policy.
- Relocations were almost equally split between transferees and new hires in 2009.
- Males age 36-40 were the most frequently relocated employee in 2009; only 17 per cent of relocations involved female employees.
- Forty-five per cent of relocations involved employees with children; 60 per cent of those relocated were homeowners.
- One-quarter of responding firms give employees one week or less to accept a relocation offer.
- More than three-fourths of companies reimburse moving companies to pack all items; 29 per cent will even reimburse the cost of moving pets.
- The Midwest was the top destination of transfers (36 per cent) followed by the South (28 per cent) and the Northeast (27 per cent).
- Among international relocations, the most frequent destinations were Europe (47 per cent) followed by Asia/Pacific Rim (36 per cent).
- Over the past two years the percentages of firms using full, lump sum (relocation allotment) or partial reimbursement for new hires have become nearly identical.
Nearly 300 corporate relocation professionals completed the online survey between January 11 and February 26. Respondents must have relocation responsibility and work for a company that has either relocated employees within the past two years or plans to relocate employees this year. Half of the companies surveyed this year relocate employees between countries.
For complete survey results, visit www.atlasworldgroup.com/survey.
Atlas Van Lines is the largest subsidiary of Atlas World Group, an Evansville, Ind.-based company. Visit www.atlasworldgroup.com for more information on the company and Atlas agents.
|
|
|
Executives say it takes more than a month to fill accounting positions |
|
|
|
|
Written by Workplace Staff
|
|
Monday, 19 April 2010 |
For already-stretched accounting departments, waiting over a month for help may seem like an eternity. Yet, a recent survey found it typically takes even longer than that for employers to hire for open positions. Chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said it takes an average of five weeks to fill a staff-level role and six weeks to bring a new manager on board.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Finance & Accounting, the world's first and largest specialized financial recruitment service. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on interviews with more than 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.
CFOs were asked, "On average, how many weeks does it typically take to hire for an open staff-level accounting or finance position?" The mean response was five weeks.
CFOs also were asked, "On average, how many weeks does it typically take to hire for an open management-level accounting or finance position?" The mean response was six weeks.
"As the economy rebounds, employers need to ensure they have adequate staffing levels to take advantage of emerging business opportunities," says Kathryn Bolt, president of Robert Half International's Canadian operations. "Over time, companies running with teams that are too lean risk overextending and burning out their employees."
According to Bolt, having a nimble hiring process in place is critical to securing top talent. "The most sought-after professionals always have options and companies need to move quickly to attract and retain the market's top candidates."
Robert Half Finance & Accounting offers managers four tips to make the hiring process as efficient as possible:
1. Stay front and centre. Don't delegate the hiring process. You know
best what you want in an employee. Avoid delays or, worse, potential
hiring mistakes by remaining closely involved in the process from
beginning to end.
2. Stick to the game plan. Before resumes start coming in, develop a
method for evaluating them consistently. Using the job description as
a base, make note of key criteria you're looking for from applicants,
and search for those same attributes in each resume you receive.
3. Get help. Specialized recruiters can help you pinpoint your needs.
And their networks provide access to people you might not locate on
your own, including professionals who may not be actively looking but
would make a change for the right opportunity.
4. Don't delay. When you identify strong applicants, don't
procrastinate. Top performers are in demand in any market. By moving
too slowly, you risk losing your first choice - and extending the
hiring process.
Founded in 1948, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, a division of Robert Half International, has more than 365 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.roberthalf.ca. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/roberthalffa.
|
|
|
Canadian satisfaction with employers among the world's highest |
|
|
| Randstad releases the results of its quarterly work survey |
|
Written by Workplace Staff
|
|
Monday, 19 April 2010 |
In a period of economic recovery, 35 per cent of Canadian employees are "very satisfied" with their current employer, according to the latest Randstad quarterly work survey. Among the 23 countries surveyed, only Denmark and Norway achieved a higher satisfaction level with 36 per cent. By comparison, six per cent of Chinese employees and seven per cent of Japanese employees reported being "very satisfied" with their employer. The United Kingdom had a rate of 20 per cent, Australia 24 and the United States 31.
The survey also reveals that 78 per cent of Canadian workers say they are not looking for another job, another finding that will please companies.
Randstad's quarterly work survey, which records worker confidence and expectations about the likelihood of changing jobs during the next six months, offers a clear and precise understanding of the feelings of employees in the labour market and key trends.
Satisfaction highest among 18 to 24 year olds
In Canada, it is employees aged 18 to 24 who show the highest satisfaction rating with 47 per cent of those surveyed saying they are "very satisfied" with their employer. Conversely, satisfaction is lowest with workers aged 25 to 34 years with 23 per cent.
Proportion of employees very satisfied with their employer by age group:
18 to 24 years: 47%
25 to 34 years: 23%
35 to 44 years: 27%
45 to 54 years: 45%
55 to 64 years: 41%
Employees regain confidence
While the results of this survey are very encouraging for Canadian companies, it is nevertheless important to note that employees are regaining confidence in the labour market. In fact, 67 per cent of Canadian employees surveyed say they are confident that in the current economic climate they would be able to get a comparable new job.
First introduced in the Netherlands in 2003 and more recently in Germany, the Randstad work survey now extends to 23 countries around the world, in Europe, Asia and America. Published four times a year, the survey reveals local and global trends related to worker mobility.
This quantitative study was conducted among people aged 18 to 65 who work at least 24 hours per week in paid employment (excluding self-employed) and who were asked to answer a questionnaire online. The minimum sample is 400 interviews per country, using Survey Sampling International. The first wave of interviews was conducted between January 21 and February 9, 2010.
Randstad Canada is Canada's largest provider of staffing and human resource services in the country. For more information, visit www.randstad.ca.
|
|
| | << Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
| | Results 37 - 45 of 278 |
|
|
|
