Employee engagement is the new HR buzzword connecting the workforce to the company’s productivity and employee productivity. According to a recent HR Magazine article 0B is the estimated annual cost of disengaged workers for U.S. businesses. Clearly, employers cannot afford to have unengaged employees who have “checked out” only putting in time but not passion or energy into their work. Employee engagement is a key link to customer satisfaction, company reputation and overall stakeholder value.

Good HR procedures are a vital factor in what makes a boutique financial planning firm profitable. Research from Macquarie Practice Consulting’s 2010 Boutique Practice Benchmarking study found that annual business planning and on-going month business performance reviews…

As the economy recovers and workforce expansion rises, concerns about engaging employees and retaining critical talent are top of mind for many organizations, amid continuing cost pressures. Mercer’s 2010 Attraction and Retention Survey found that more than one-quarter (27%) of participating organizations are expanding their overall workforce, while only 3% have instituted broad-based reductions. By comparison, Mercer’s Leading through Unprecedented Times Survey conducted in May 2009 showed fewer firms (12%) indicated they were hiring/expanding overall, while more firms (15%) instituted broad-based reductions. Cautious optimism prevails, however, as almost half (45%) of organizations are hiring to replacement levels only, while another 25% are hiring just for critical areas among select staff reductions.

(pts) - Laut einer Umfrage der NewPlacementAG http://www.NewPlacementAG.de unter Personalmanagern orten diese einen hohen Handlungsbedarf, um der demographischen Entwicklung in Deutschland entgegenzuwirken. Nahezu drei Viertel sind der Auffassung, dass in den Unternehmen zu wenig getan wird, um dem zu erwartenden Mangel an Berufseinsteigern entgegenzuwirken (73,7%) und dass Unternehmen bisher nicht ausreichend Rücksicht auf die Lebensphasen ihrer Mitarbeiter nehmen (72,7%). Auf noch höherem Niveau liegt der Anteil jener, die der Ansicht sind, dass Unternehmen zu wenig sensibilisiert sind, latent drohende Trennungen von Potenzial- und Know-how-Trägern zu vermeiden (75,8%).

The organizations honored as Best Places to Work are vastly different in many ways, but they tend to share an ability to keep their most productive people on board. While there's never a good time to neglect retention, doing so now may prove to be especially costly. With economic conditions beginning to improve, some organizations are looking to increase staffing levels. And as job opportunities proliferate, IT professionals will be more likely to consider moving to a new employer. Businesses that don't address this looming challenge will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.

Mit der Verbesserung der Wirtschaftslage steigt das Selbstbewusstsein der Arbeitskräfte. Die Unternehmen laufen verstärkt Gefahr, talentierte Mitarbeiter zu verlieren. Zu diesem Ergebnis kam die diesjährige Studie „Attraktive Arbeitgeber in Zentral- und Osteuropa" der Personalmanagement-Beratung Hewitt Associates. 123.000 Mitarbeiter und 2.700 Top-Manager gaben dabei ihre Einschätzungen ab. Deutlich wird vor allem, dass Unternehmen künftig vor noch größeren Herausforderungen in Bezug auf Personalbindung und -motivation stehen. Attraktiven Arbeitgebern, die hier bereits gut aufgestellt sind, kann es daher gelingen, sich einen entscheidenden Wettbewerbsvorteil gegenüber anderen Unternehmen zu sichern. Denn ihre Mitarbeiter sind überdurchschnittlich loyal und motiviert. Sie laufen weniger Gefahr, Talente zu verlieren, und sie haben die besten Chancen, neue qualifizierte Mitarbeiter zu finden.

Most business decisions are based on data, whether it be sales forecasts, financial results or manufacturing efficiency. Yet, most companies aren't looking at data to help make informed decisions about the workforce - or if they are, the focus is more often on lagging indicators (what's happened in the past) as opposed to leading indicators (what may happen in the future).

A new study from the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), conducted on behalf of one of its member organizations, revealed that standardizing processes and reducing costs are the most common factors considered when deciding to outsource HR functions. In stark contrast to these overall results, however, high-performance organizations - companies that have outperformed their competitors in profitability, revenue growth, market share and customer satisfaction over the last five years - place these factors among the bottom three considerations when making outsourcing decisions, joined by "improving self service."

Social networking sites – they’re the latest craze to hit the internet, but just how long will it take until the bubble bursts? After all, many employers have already banned Facebook during the hours of 9am-5pm and surely we want our politicians to work on policies rather than updating us with tweets? According to some experts, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, LinkedIn and Twitter are all here to stay. What’s more, there are new sites on the horizon. It seems the only way to beat the social networking phenomenon is to join it! “It’s now clear that social media groups are a reality on the web and have a real impact on day to day life,” says Edouard Dinichert, Head of Media Sales at 24/7 Real Media (WPP Group), France.

Half of senior human resources executives expect their organizations to restructure within the next six months, according to a poll by Right Management. A change in their organization’s leadership is anticipated by one in five of the HR executives. Right Management is the talent and career management expert within Manpower, the global leader in employment services.