Is the worst of the economy situation behind us?



No, say senior executives in a recent survey by Deloitte. In fact they say that there will be more layoffs — and harder ones at that.



“It is a true sign of the times as austerity measures now outrank efforts to increase sales and serve customers as top priorities for these executives,” said Jeff Schwartz, principal, Human Capital, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Even these companies’ most skilled employees have begun to feel the pain of the weakened economy, and their managers are struggling with how best to align their workforces with the reality of what many expect to be a prolonged downturn.”



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Archive for the ‘HR Universe’ Category





1 VOTES





Wednesday Links: Success in HR, Employee Assistance, Applicants

KnowHR reveals the secrets to success in human resources.



A Girl’s Guide to Project Management asks what you are worth …



HR Thoughts talks employee assistance programs.



The HR Capitalist writes about the right mix of interviews to applicants for positions.



Posted by S. Caron, May 6th, 2009





Posted in: HR Universe, No Comments »









1 VOTES





Des Moines Gets New Business Center

There is a new fully-furnished and equipped business center in Des Moines. The Regus Group has opened the center at Promenade Plaza North in the West Glen Town Center. The business center is a cost-reducing place where companies can work without incurring the costs and risks of obtaining their own office space.



“Companies struggling with the cost of office space as well as changing space requirements can now turn to Regus for help,” said Jeff Doughman, Midwest Region Vice President for Regus. “Our recession-busting solutions enable our clients — which range from individuals and start-ups to large corporations — to eliminate up-front the capital expenditures related to technology, furnishing and staffing an office while reducing on-going facilities expenses by up to 60 percent. At the same time, our flexible agreements dramatically reduce business risk.” The net result: Regus lets companies establish an office quickly and more affordably; boost their financial health by reinvesting the savings; and scale their offices up or down as needs dictate.



There are videoconferencing studios onsite, which can help reduce travel costs and make face-to-face meetings possible.



“The sophisticated, main street environment of West Glen Town Center is ideal for individuals that want to work closer to where they live while ensuring easy access to anywhere in the Des Moines metropolitan area,” said Doughman. “In addition to its great location, West Glen offers one of the best environments in which to do business in the city - so we’re extremely pleased to be a part of the rapid growth that West Des Moines is experiencing. Helping businesses cost-effectively establish a presence in a highly sought-after address like West Glen Town Center is something we take a great deal of pride in.”



Posted by S. Caron, May 6th, 2009





Posted in: HR Universe, No Comments »









1 VOTES





Is The Worst Behind Us? Execs Say No.

Is the worst of the economy situation behind us?



No, say senior executives in a recent survey by Deloitte. In fact they say that there will be more layoffs — and harder ones at that.



“It is a true sign of the times as austerity measures now outrank efforts to increase sales and serve customers as top priorities for these executives,” said Jeff Schwartz, principal, Human Capital, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Even these companies’ most skilled employees have begun to feel the pain of the weakened economy, and their managers are struggling with how best to align their workforces with the reality of what many expect to be a prolonged downturn.”



Deloitte reports in “Managing Talent in a Turbulent Economy: Navigating a Course Through Rough Waters,” about talent management in these troubled economic conditions.



The findings include:



– Cutbacks and layoffs dominate the corporate talent agenda — Nearly

half (47 percent) of the 397 international executives questioned

reported layoffs over the last three months, markedly more than those

who had predicted layoffs (38 percent) in our January study. Of the

companies surveyed that experienced layoffs in the last quarter, 71

percent expect more layoffs in the coming quarter.

– Workforce reductions get deeper and more difficult to make –

Forty-three percent of executives surveyed list “role necessity” as a

key factor in making decisions about workforce reductions — a 17

percentage point drop from January. Additionally, past and current

performance is no guarantee of job security with less than half of

managers surveyed (45 percent) reporting this is a top factor.

– Layoff survivors are also feeling the impact — By strong margins,

executives surveyed reported that over the next 12 months their

companies are more likely to decrease rather than increase

compensation levels (25 percent to 15 percent), benefit levels and

packages (32 percent to 14 percent) and discretionary perks such as

subsidized food and parking (39 percent to 12 percent). Corporate

bonuses are also being pared back, with more than a third (35 percent)

reporting they expect bonuses to decrease this year.



– The intersection between risk and talent remains a critical issue for

all organizations surveyed — By a 2:1 margin compared to total

respondents, executives surveyed in CFO/Treasurer/Comptroller roles

were more likely to disagree that employees in their firms knew how to

identify fraud and other behaviors that could endanger their

companies.