In case you missed it: Dec. 16
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Pause the holiday music. We interrupt your festive hustle and bustle with this edition of In Case You Missed It. Before you drop another hint to your family about that new smartphone or tablet, take a moment to catch up on the recent workforce news:
Acquisitions, acquisitions, acquisitions!
There has been a lot of activity and consolidation in the HR software space these past two weeks. We heard three major acquisitions announced in rapid succession. First, SAP announced it was acquiring SuccessFactors. Then, SuccessFactors revealed the acquisition Jobs2Web. And just this morning, Salesforce announced the acquisition of Rypple. Why now? And what does this mean for consumers of HR technology?
The Wall Street Journal: No Vacation or Bonus? Workers say OK
According to a survey by staffing company Randstad US, workers will go to great lengths to hold onto their jobs, due to a concern for their career in the current economy. In fact, two-thirds of workers surveyed said they would make sacrifices, such as working longer hours or losing vacation time. And almost one-fourth said they would give up eligibility for an annual bonus, all in an effort to keep their job.
The survey found that workers tend to draw the line at relocating, taking a pay cut, or a demotion: Only 16 percent of workers were willing to move for work or work for less compensation, and just 11 percent would accept a demotion.
On a brighter note, there is encouraging news surrounding holiday perks this year, as compared to 2010.
The Hiring Site: Office Holiday Cheer Outlook: More Merry, More Bright for 2011
A CareerBuilder survey of hiring managers and human resource professionals found that 40 percent of employers plan to give their employees holiday bonuses this year, up from 33 percent in 2010. Among that group, 73 percent are planning to give the same amount as last year, 14 percent plan to give more, and 13 percent plan to bestow less.
Fifty-eight percent of employers are planning a holiday party for their employees this year (up from 52 percent in 2010). And 30 percent of employers plan to give holiday gifts, a slim (but sill heartening) one percentage point higher than 2010.
Finally, recent reports show that some additional “gifts” many employees will receive from their employers in 2012 might take the form of increased training or education.
The Wall Street Journal: Fine-Tuning the Perfect Employee
Companies are ramping up training and educational programs for in-house staff and new hires due to a lack of skilled labor. According to the American Society for Training and Development, U.S. employers spent 36 percent more on learning and development in 2010 than in 2009, and direct expenditures for learning rose to 2.7 percent of payroll in 2010 from 2.3 percent in 2006. Organizations that previously cut training programs or partnerships with colleges and universities when the recession hit are reverting back to technical training initiatives, given the challenge of finding experienced workers.
The increased investment in employees, however, should not come without an uptick in employee engagement.
And for now, we’ll let you get back to dropping those gifting hints. After all, you’re going to need that new tablet to keep up with mobile recruiting strategies in the new year.
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