EXPATRIATION OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES OF MULTINATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Πολύ ενδιαφέρον άρθρο από ένα πολύ καλό έλληνα επιστήμονα που έχουμε την τιμή να τον έχουμε στο ΟΠΑ.

HR priorities shift towards engagement

The economic downturn has forced HR to change its priorities, with organisational performance and employee engagement now at the top of the list, according to new research.

A survey by employee engagement specialists TalentDrain found that a third (30 per cent) of HR departments have changed their strategy as a result of the economic downturn. Over half (56 per cent) are putting less focus on recruitment and almost three-quarters (72 per cent) have increased their emphasis on organisational performance.

The change of focus was often linked to reduced budgets, with 38 per cent of the 336 HR departments surveyed having cut their budget by more than 5 per cent. Some 13 per cent had reduced their workforce budget by more than 25 per cent.

Ron Eldridge, director of TalentDrain and author of the report, said: “The new strategic focus, even for organisations that have not cut their HR budgets, seems to be around identifying, engaging and retaining those employees who are high performers, while more proactively managing any areas of underperformance.”

Another recent survey highlighted the need for HR to refocus on employee engagement in the downturn. According to the 2009 Best Companies to Work For survey only 37 per cent of employees in three-star accredited companies – the top award for engagement – are worried about the impact of the current economic climate on their organisation’s future. The proportion grows to two-thirds of staff in companies that did not achieve the accreditation and over half in firms with one star.

Jonathan Austin, chief executive of Best Companies, said: “Those employees who feel involved and committed to their organisation feel more confident about their organisation’s future in these uncertain times – putting their companies in the best position to survive the recession.”

Of the 795 organisations that applied for Best Companies accreditation this year, 639 made the grade. Three-star status was given to 55 firms – including Nando’s, Pannone LLP and Office Angels.

Ευχαριστούμε την κα Θάλεια Βούρου για την αποστολή του άρθρου

Η Google χάνει τα πρωτεία του καλύτερου εργασιακού περιβάλλοντος

Η εταιρεία NetApp της Σίλικον Βάλει εκθρόνισε τη Google από την πρώτη θέση της λίστας του περιοδικού Fortune με τις αμερικανικές επιχειρήσεις που προσφέρουν το καλύτερο εργασιακό περιβάλλον.

Στο Τοπ 100 για το 2009 που πρόκειται να δημοσιευθεί στις 2 Φεβρουαρίου, η Google έχει κατρακυλήσει στην τέταρτη θέση. Στην τρίτη θέση βρίσκεται η μεσιτική εταιρεία Edward Jones, με έδρα το Σεντ Λιούις, και στη δεύτερη η συμβουλευτική εταιρεία Boston Consulting στη Βοστόνη.

Η Google, διάσημη για τις γενναιόδωρες παροχές προς τους εργαζόμενούς της, παρέμενε στην πρώτη θέση από το 2007, όταν εκθρόνισε την εταιρεία βιοτεχνολογίας Genentech.

Η πτώση της μεγάλης μηχανής αναζήτησης ίσως συνδέεται με τις πρόσφατες απολύσεις συμβασιούχων εργαζόμενων και τις περικοπές παροχών όπως τα δωρεάν απογευματικά σνακ και η ετήσια εκδρομή για σκι, σχολιάζει το Γαλλικό Πρακτορείο Ειδήσεων.

Περισσότερα στο www.in.gr

How HR can green up your company

Ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον άρθρο για τους τρόπους που η Διεύθυνση Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού μιας εταιρείας μπορεί να βοηθήσει στην μάχη υπέρ του περιβάλλοντος.

Νέα έρευνα του ΟΠΑ σε θέματα HRM

Νέα έρευνα ξεκινάει στο ΟΠΑ στον χώρο της ΔΑΔ. Στόχος της έρευνας είναι η διερεύνηση του τρόπου που οι ομάδες εργάζονται αποτελεσματικά μέσα σε μια επιχείρηση και των συνθηκών που επιτρέπουν στις ομάδες να παράγουν καινοτόμες ιδέες. Η καινοτομία, απαραίτητο συστατικό για την επιτυχία μιας επιχείρησης, αναφέρεται στην σκόπιμη εισαγωγή και εφαρμογή μέσα σε ένα επάγγελμα, σε μια ομάδα, ή σε μια επιχείρηση ιδεών, μεθόδων, προϊόντων, ή διαδικασιών, που είναι καινούργια για το επάγγελμα, την ομάδα ή την επιχείρηση, και έχουν σχεδιαστεί προκειμένου να ωφελήσουν το επάγγελμα, την ομάδα ή την επιχείρηση.

Στόχος της έρευνας είναι να μελετήσει το ρόλο των ατομικών διαφορών, και των διαδικασιών της ομάδας στην καινοτομική συμπεριφορά του ατόμου μέσα στην ομάδα, καθώς επίσης και την επίδρασή τους στην καινοτομία και την απόδοση της ομάδας.

Περισσότερες πληροφορίες για την έρευνα μπορείτε να βρείτε εδώ.

Search engine offers free social reference checks

Yasni, a people search engine that enables hiring managers to check an applicant’s online reputation and social references, has announced that the searches can be performed at no cost.

According to a company press release, in addition to collecting professional information through resources such as LinkedIn and Jigsaw, as well as criminal records through criminalsearches.com, yasni provides details about social behavior by returning social networking profiles, including MySpace and Facebook, blog postings, photos, online shopping wish lists and more.

Steffen Ruehl, the founder and CEO of yasni, came up with the idea while working as head of marketing for two online career sites in Europe, JobScout24 and JobPilot, now a part of Monster.com. “It became clear to me that an easy-to-use, one-stop resource that provided free, thorough results about an individual would be very helpful to employers,” Ruehl said. “Since our launch just one year ago, yasni has become the leader in the worldwide people search market and background checks on job applicants is one of our most popular searches.”

What Can Human Resources Do to Give Hope During Layoffs

Just about every industry and employer is feeling the crunch of the dwindling economy, and knows that they will have to lay off employees, if they haven't already. A new Watson Wyatt study shows that 26 said they already have laid off, and 25 percent stated they would have a hiring freeze over the next 12 months. With this many companies already planning on job cuts and downsizing, its probably safe to assume that those numbers will increase. The most important thing to remember is that whenever you do make those cuts, its going to be a very difficult time for your employees. Helping them be prepared will make things go much more smooth.

Περισσότερα εδώ.

Remember to Talk to Them: Five Essentials For Communicating with Employees During Tough Times

There's a lot going on to make people nervous about the economy, their jobs and their futures. During difficult times, employers need to remember to communicate with their employees. The absolute worst thing employers can do at a time like this is to remain quiet. Uncertain times are just when companies should be communicating more--and putting their executives and leadership in visible positions, talking openly with employees.

The following five are essential strategies for communicating with employees during tough times:

Περισσότερα εδώ.

The Year of the CFO

Interesting, yet debatable...

From The World in 2009 print edition / by Lucy Kellaway

One in five UK workers could face the next decade in low-paid jobs

The UK is at risk of seeing one-fifth of its workforce being stuck in low-paid jobs for the next decade unless the government acts immediately, a report claims.

Nice Work If You Can Get It, by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), predicts that employers will have around 7.4 million low-skilled jobs in 2020 unless ministers persuade them to invest more in upskilling. In 2006, there were 7.4 million jobs that required no qualifications for entry.

Lisa Harker, the IPPR’s co-director, warned the government must not ignore low-paid workers as it stems the tide of job losses caused by the recession.

“Government investment is needed now to strengthen career ladders, improve workplace performance and make sure the welfare system is focused on helping people stay and progress in work,” said Harker.

“Although unemployment looks set to rise dramatically over the next 12 months, we should not forget the millions of low-paid workers doing vital work across the country,” she said.

The report concluded that the government’s drive to bolster workforce skills would do little to combat the problem of low pay unless businesses were pushed to invest more in higher-value markets, and reward skills.

Goodbye, Mr. Foster--A True Story About an Employee Who Was Too Good

Have you ever encountered such a behaviour, as a professional, in your lifetime career?

I cannot imagine a job description that limits the degrees of high customer service. If the story is true to content, then the poor hero was disciplined for going above and beyond the call of duty.

The Interactive Job Description—New Recruiting Tool

Just see how the job descriptions, although a piece of boring workload to do, are extremely useful for making the proper selection.

Nine in ten are suffering from work-related stress

Nine in 10 employees are under stress at work, according to a survey.

E-learning provider SkillSoft found that 92% of 3,000 respondents to a poll carried out in November were experiencing workplace stress.