Talent

'Don't Touch My Perks': Companies that Eliminate Them Risk Employee Backlash

Earlier this summer, when employees first learned of a Google plan to upgrade and dramatically raise the price of its day care program, they wept. According to Wharton faculty and compensation experts, that reaction shouldn't come as a big surprise. Trying to eliminate any perk, they say, can cause feelings of betrayal, and even retaliation against the company, on the part of employees. With the current economic slump, more 'de-perking' could be on the way.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Wanted: risk-takers for the next decade

Employers may claim to hire for attitude, yet more often than not truly enterprising, creative people get overlooked or branded as "risky". Hat tip: Stephen Garner

Filed under Talent | Send this

If they like the brand, they'll join you

In an age of instant imagery and messaging, protecting an organisation's brand and public image are becoming an increasingly important part of attracting, hiring and keeping top executives. Hat tip: Stephen Garner

Filed under Talent | Send this

Six Signs You Don't Care About Workers

How to gauge whether your company's happy talk about employees being its best asset has any basis in reality.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Older employees are happier than the young with their working lives

Older workers are the happiest employees while those in their thirties are most negative, research suggests.

Filed under Talent | Send this

The Mismatch Problem by Malcolm Gladwell

Do you hire people based on the measuring the wrong variables? (Video )

Filed under Talent | Send this

The Case Against Vacation Policy

IT consulting firm Bluewolf lets employees take as much vacation as they want, whenever they want-as long as they meet their goals.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Hiring Is Hard Work

BusinessWeek Columnists Jack & Suzy Welch talk about lessons recently (re)learned from two job applicants they almost employed. (Audio)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Measure Output, Not Input

What working conditions are ideal for maximum creativity and productivity?

Filed under Talent | Send this

Matching the Right People to the Right Jobs

Your workforce's skills change over time, and so does your business. Getting the right people into the right jobs is key to your company's growth.

Filed under Talent | Send this

For a Good Retirement, Find Work. Good Luck.

Today, the conventional wisdom holds that market forces will soon stimulate demand for older workers. Business executives and consultants talk of a coming shortage of skilled employees as boomers begin to retire in droves... But the demand, some say, may not surface as expected. It is true that the boomer generation is huge, but the domestic work force will continue to grow without them. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Technology worker shortage has businesses, educators worried

Fewer college students are pursuing computer-related degrees at a time when demand is increasing and thousands of baby boomers ...

Filed under Talent | Send this

The war for talent

According to JP Rangaswami, managing director of BT Design, there is a war for talent, and the most open companies will be the winners.

Filed under Talent | Send this

CEO pay chugs up in '07 despite economy

As the American economy slowed to a crawl and stockholders watched their money evaporate, CEO pay still chugged to yet more dizzying heights last year, an Associated Press analysis shows....

Filed under Talent | Send this

Headhunting Goes Cross-Cultural

For global companies, finding executives who have knowledge of markets outside their own is increasingly important.

Filed under Talent | Send this

The Career Employee Bill of Rights by Milo Sindell and Thuy Sindell, Ph.D.

In the past, an employee's relationship with their job was about work life boundaries. Today and in the future, work is and will be an integral expression of who you are. More than ever before, people need resources that will give them a framework to organize their ideas, sources of motivation, skills, and tools and sources of motivation to take control of their job and discover what's in it for them. Enter the Career Employee Bill of Rights. These are not the rights afforded to you by the law. These are your eight inalienable rights, and unfortunately, no one has made it clear that you have these rights. Now it's your time and turn to discover what each of these mean to you and take action to make these rights yours.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Standing Up for Workers' Rights in Japan

Japan’s salarymen have borne the brunt of its economic decline, enduring lower wages, job insecurity and long hours of unpaid overtime. Now, a few are fighting back.(Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

What Do You Make? Job Site Promises Peek at Salaries

11 JUN 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Popular real-estate Web site Zillow.com offers a glimpse of what your friends' and neighbors' homes may be worth. Now, Zillow founder Rich Barton plans to pull back the curtain on another cache of data that many people like to keep quiet: employee salaries. He is launching a job-and-career site, Glassdoor.com, that includes compensation figures for jobs at specific companies, as well as reviews provided anonymously by employees. So far, the site has gathered about 2,000 salary reports and 1,300 employee-written reviews for more than 250 companies, many of them in the high-tech and financial industries. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

High Performers Won't Wait

BusinessWeek's Jack & Suzy Welch say that these days, holding back promising employees until they "pay their dues" is folly. (Audio)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Treat Employees Right in Tough Times

If employees really are your company's most important asset, mass layoffs and salary freezes are a poor way to show it.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Female Workers Break Stereotypes in Karachi

Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep continues his reporting from one of the largest cities in the world as part of our series, "The Urban Frontier." In this segment, we meet two influential women in Karachi, Pakistan. Sabra Khadun supervises men digging a new sewer, and Purveen Rehman works as an architect and leader of a research center. Both women are breaking stereotypes in a male-dominated society. (Audio)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Women vs. men: Who's better at business?

05 JUN 2008 from the Los Angeles Times | Read the full story»

In Leadership and the Sexes: Using Gender Science to Create Success in Business, Michael Gurian and Barbara Annis offer decades of experience so we can decide who is better at what in the business world. But it turns out that it's not a question of better, just different.

Hat tip: Stephen Garner

Filed under Talent | Send this

Caught in the Middle: Why Developing and Retaining Middle Managers Can Be So Challenging

Middle managers are often referred to as the "glue" that holds companies together, bridging the gap between the top management team and lower level workers. They implement strategy and organizational changes, keeping workers engaged during both good times and bad. Yet according to a recent survey of middle managers around the world, 20% report dissatisfaction with their current organization and that same percentage report that they are looking for another job. How do middle managers fare in an uncertain economy, and what should companies be doing to keep them happy?

Filed under Talent | Send this

To Fix Succession Snags, Retain Women

The many-faceted impact of grooming mid-career women for the C-suite.

Filed under Talent | Send this

For CEOs, a reversal of fortunes

23 MAY 2008 from the Los Angeles Times | Read the full story»

For the first time in years, executive paychecks got smaller in 2007. Not small, mind you, but 10% less on average in California. The trend was mirrored nationwide, thanks to increasing investor activism.

Hat tip: Stephen Garner

Filed under Talent | Send this

When the 'Silver Tsunami' Fails to Hit

The Coyne Partnership disputes claims of an impending deluge of retiring baby boomers, and explains how the truth could affect your business.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Companies find benefits in flex-time

More than three-quarters of companies now offer flex-time as a way to keep workers happy while maintaining the corporate bottom line. That's an increase of 10% from a decade ago, a study says. Nancy Marshall Genzer has more.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Don't trust HR to manage your talent

When it comes to talent management, three quarters of firms obediently listen to HR and put all their time and effort into grooming their top performers. But if they are going to have any hope of coping with the twin challenges of an ageing workforce and a new generation of workers with different priorities, they are going to have to change tack - and fast.

Filed under Talent | Send this

America's growing managerial pay gap

More evidence has emerged to suggest that throwing money at workers may not be the best way to get the most out of them. Which is just as well – as the pay gap between managers and employees in the U.S widened sharply last year.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit—And You Should Too

After a week or so in this immersive experience, though, it’s time for what Zappos calls "The Offer." The fast-growing company, which works hard to recruit people to join, says to its newest employees: "If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you’ve worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus." Zappos actually bribes its new employees to quit!

Filed under Talent | Send this

Why Gen Xers Are Unhappy at Work

Corporations really need folks in their 30s to early 40s, but there is a tentative relationship at best between that cohort and Corporate America.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Older Staffers Get Uneasy Embrace

15 MAY 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Americans are working longer, reversing a long trend toward earlier retirement. But the image of companies loyally retaining scarce, seasoned workers is at odds with reality. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

The Slump: It's a Guy Thing

Men, concentrated in the weakest sectors, are losing jobs in this downturn, while women make gains.

Filed under Talent | Send this

How Stay-at-Home Moms Are Filling an Executive Niche

05 MAY 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Lots of employers would like to be able to hire cheap, temporary teams of seasoned pros with experience managing $2 billion investment portfolios, running ad campaigns or earning Ph.D.s in neuroscience. But few know the secret to finding temps of that caliber: Look on playgrounds and at PTA meetings. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Your Employees Are Dying to Be Heard

Poor workplace communication could be costing you business in more ways than you might imagine. Here's what you can do to improve it.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Talent Trumps Resume, Persistence Trumps Talent

I’ve encountered two seemingly contradictory pieces of wisdom about talent that add up to a powerful lesson about sustainable success.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Still suspicious of flexible working

It isn't altruism that persuades organizations to adopt more flexible working patterns. A shrinking talent pool and an increasingly independent workforce mean that flexible working is becoming a key weapon in the battle to attract, retain and engage staff.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Pay Gap Fuels Worker Woes

28 APR 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

The gap between top executive and employee compensation has never been greater. That's triggering lower morale and productivity on some corporate staffs, and making it more difficult to attract and keep talent, even in a slowing economy. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

France says 'take on older staff'

France pushes employers to take on more workers in their 50s, in recognition of its ageing population.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Workers' new worry: 'Reclassification'

IBM employees on Tuesday plan to protest the company's practice of "reclassification," or changing salaried workers to hourly ones. It's a word that's getting a lot of play in corporate America these days. Lisa Napoli reports.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Finding Your Company's Great Thinkers

If you get a little creative, you'll uncover the inventive minds that are already in your midst. Just give them a chance to show themselves.

Filed under Talent | Send this

You Have to Make Them Love Their Jobs

It takes special skills to manage today's highly skilled professionals. They need encouragement and inspiration more than simple direction.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Saudis slow to accept working women

To reduce its dependence on foreign workers, Saudi Arabia's government is hiring more women and encouraging the private sector to do the same. But change isn't coming easily. Kelly McEvers reports from Riyadh.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Does your employer deserve you?

23 APR 2008 from Fortune | Read the full story»

Almost all companies claim that 'people are our greatest asset,' but how many really treat employees that way? A talent-management expert tells how to find one that does.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Working Life (High and Low)

20 APR 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

Stricken with cancer, Jean Capobianco asked for a leave of absence. FedEx terminated her... Patagonia’s headquarters in Ventura, Calif., has storage space for surfboards so employees can take a break and hit the waves. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Recruiting Today: What Are You Promising?

More and more, young talent is looking for companies whose values line up with their own.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Cracks in a Particularly Thick Glass Ceiling

Women in South Korea are slowly changing a corporate culture that lags behind the rest of the country.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Why Aren't There More Women on Boards?

Moving past tokenism and box checking opens doors to more diversity.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Life’s Work: Dilbert the Inquisitor

There is a continuing effort to turn hiring and promoting into a science. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Another Wave of H-1Bs on the Way

With visas set to max out quickly again, tech companies want more. Amid rising joblessness, does America need more skilled foreign workers?

Filed under Talent | Send this

Talent shortage tops HR's list of worries

Skilled workers are in such short supply in America that finding talent is now a greater headache for HR managers than even the spiralling cost of funding healthcare.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Tempt Talent with Creative Recruiting

Companies are going the extra mile to make their pitch resonate with the most desirable prospects: the happily employed.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Deciding Who Leads

How executive recruiters change the course of global business, and how my immersion in the world of top headhunters changed my perspective.

Filed under Talent | Send this

A field guide to underappreciated workplace geniuses

As I continued to deal with people, though, I realized that not only are there employees out there with unappreciated intelligences, some of these people are downright geniuses in a strange kind of way. Their ability to function at high levels in their areas of expertise and complete inability to work and play well with others is worthy of examination by someone much smarter than me.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Mentors Make a Business Better

Your managers may be your biggest asset. Tap their talents to teach new employees, and they'll learn from their protégés along the way.

Filed under Talent | Send this

In Silicon Valley, a Flight to Safety

07 MAR 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Mr. Kher is part of a new flight to safety among tech-industry workers as the economy struggles. In growing numbers, these workers are gravitating to larger companies that they hope can better weather a downturn. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

The future of work. At home, looking after grandma

As the population ages over the next decade, workers will increasingly find themselves having to juggle holding down a job and career with caring for elderly dependents, a demographic challenge that could profoundly change the way we work.

Filed under Talent | Send this

(New Math) x (SEC Rules) + Proxy=Confusion

21 MAR 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Companies are loading proxies with mind-numbing figures and formulas that are supposed to explain executive compensation. The explosion of mathematics was sparked by an SEC request for firms to be more specific about pay packages. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Executives Teach Inmates How to Be Employees

18 MAR 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

As former business executives, Mr. Goldsmith and other GOSO volunteers offer something else that's different: They understand who gets hired and promoted in a variety of industries and can teach inmates how to turn the entry-level jobs they typically get after prison into a career. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Building fast on cheap labor

Dubai's workforce is almost entirely made up of laborers from other countries. They're nothing less than crucial to the city. Stephen Beard reports on the supply of cheap labor that makes Dubai go.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Employee Motivation the Ritz-Carlton Way

The upscale hotelier's staff meetings rely on techniques designed to engage staffers. Here's how you can incorporate them in your own shop.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Outsiders don't make good CEOs

Commentator and management expert Joseph Bower says when it comes to hiring a new CEO, candidates within the corporation are usually better at the job than outsiders.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Global working women on the rise

The number of women in work is on the rise globally, the ILO says, but they find it tougher to get work than men.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Study Shows Perks, Not Pay is Key to Attracting Talented Workers

Deloitte LLP conducted a survey amongst technology and telecommunications workers to help figure out what keys points recruiters and HR should focus on in attracting and retaining talented workers. Outside observers might jump to conclusions and quickly say more money is required. However, the study shows that flexible working schedules and flexible working environments are more persuasive that financial compensation.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Getting to Know Gen Why

An expert talks about how to understand and embrace the "what's in it for me generation" in ways that will make them productive members of your team.

Filed under Talent | Send this

On Work, Talent Wars, and the Power of "Humbition"

In short, today’s young professionals are the beneficiaries of a “war for talent” every bit as fierce as what we saw during the Internet boom of the 1990s. Of course, that original war for talent ended with an economic bloodbath—for over-extended companies as well as the impatient young people they hired. So, in the spirit of learning from history, here’s some advice for both sides in the hopes that this talent boom won’t end with a similar bust.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Third of American workers expect to quit this year

A third of American workers say they will only "probably" still be with their employer by the end of the year, highlighting the deep unhappiness felt by many at what they perceive to be the lack of opportunities offered to them by their managers.

Filed under Talent | Send this

On Diversity, America Isn't Putting Its Money Where Its Mouth Is

FEB 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

At a time when Americans are congratulating themselves for having a diverse field of political candidates, their business leadership still doesn't equally value diverse employees and managers. In fact, progress for women and minorities in terms of both pay and power has stalled or regressed at many of the nation's biggest companies. This inequality shapes perceptions about who can or should be a leader.

Filed under Talent | Send this

'Talent on Demand': Applying Supply Chain Management to People

Failing to manage your company's talent needs, says Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli, "is the equivalent of failing to manage your supply chain." And yet the majority of employers have abysmal track records when it comes to the age-old problem of finding and retaining talent. In a book coming out in April titled, Talent on Demand: Managing Talent in an Age of Uncertainty, Cappelli offers a fundamentally different paradigm for thinking about talent management, one that takes many of its lessons from just-in-time manufacturing.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Yahoo outlines golden parachutes for employees

Yahoo laid out its golden parachute plans for employees, should the Internet search pioneer get taken over in a buyout bid.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Silicon Valley Losing Middle-Wage Jobs

Silicon Valley is in danger of creating its own digital divide; the California high-tech region is losing its middle-class work force at a significant rate. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Youth Movement

With a startling number of young people leaving New England since 1990, colleges, companies, and state officials are trying to provide incentives for them to stay.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Embracing Flex Time Takes Work, Firms Find

Balancing work and home-life is tough, making "flex time" a front-burner issue for many professionals. But companies are finding that changing corporate culture to offer more flexible schedules can be a complicated task. (Audio)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Are H-1B Workers Getting Bilked?

31 JAN 2008 from BusinessWeek | Read the full story»

Overseas companies are accused of underpaying foreigners on work visas—and hurting U.S. wages.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Bush plans to revamp guest-worker rules

The Bush administration has announced plans to overhaul the nation's agricultural guest worker program, making it easier for growers to bring foreign workers to the United States. Dan Grech reports.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Unemployment benefits need overhaul

The Senate is considering whether to lengthen the six-month period in which people can collect unemployment. Commentator Robert Reich says not only should unemployment benefits be extended, they should also be reformed.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Years of irrelevance

Requiring X years of experience on platform Y in your job posting is, well, ignorant. As long as applicants have 6 months to a year of experience, consider it a moot point for comparison. Focus on other things instead that’ll make much more of a difference.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Steal Women Superstars But NOT Men

31 JAN 2008 from Bob Sutton | Read the full story»

Boris has a brand new Harvard Business Review article that amends this finding: His research shows that although male superstars aren't portable, female superstars are portable.

Hat tip: Guy Kawasaki

Filed under Talent | Send this

The Boss Lends a Hand

04 FEB 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Encouraged by a new law, more employers are offering programs to help employees avoid investment blunders. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Give Till It Doesn't Hurt

BusinessWeek columnists Jack and Suzy Welch say that if rewarding your stars with bigger-than-ever-before checks does not come naturally for you...practice, practice, practice. (Audio)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Indian Companies Struggle as Wages Rise

25 JAN 2008 from BusinessWeek | Read the full story»

Despite its massive population, India faces worker shortages in many sectors. Rapid growth means businesses must offer higher wages to keep employees.

Filed under Talent | Send this

NYC Versus Kentucky—One Resists Flexibility, the Other Embraces It. Who Wins?

First, let’s establish that the horses have been let out of the "flexibility barn." Whether we like it or not, flexibility is fundamentally reshaping how and where we live and work. Yet, while some communities are choosing to embrace and leverage this new flexible reality to fuel growth, others are surprisingly resistant.

Filed under Talent | Send this

How Investing in Intangibles -- Like Employee Satisfaction -- Translates into Financial Returns

Contrary to management theories developed in the Industrial Age, employee satisfaction is an important ingredient for financial success, according to a new research paper by Wharton finance professor Alex Edmans. His findings also challenge the importance of short-term financial results and may have implications for investors interested in targeting socially responsible companies. The paper is titled, "Does the Stock Market Fully Value Intangibles? Employee Satisfaction and Equity Prices."

Filed under Talent | Send this

All the work, none of the benefits

Many companies are now hiring freelance workers to toil indefinitely with no promise of future benefits or salaries. Lisa Napoli has the story on what is becoming known as "permalancing."

Filed under Talent | Send this

Stealth Job Site NotchUp Makes Companies Pay To Interview You

The problem with most job sites is that the people companies really want to hire don’t put their resumes on them because they are happy in their current positions. If you are a star manager, chances are your employer knows it and is treating you well so that you don’t even think about leaving... The folks at NotchUp, a stealth startup based in Los Altos, California launching later this month, have a better idea.

Filed under Talent | Send this

In Professor's Model, Diversity = Productivity

08 JAN 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

Rather than ponder moral questions like, "Why can’t we all get along?" Dr. Page asks practical ones like, "How can we all be more productive together?" The answer, he suggests, is in messy, creative organizations and environments with individuals from vastly different backgrounds and life experiences. (Subscription required)

Hat tip: Stephen Garner

Filed under Talent | Send this

Workaholics

A workaholic lives on fear. It's fear that drives him to show up all the time. The best defense, apparently, is a good attendance record. A new class of jobs (and workers) is creating a different sort of worker, though. This is the person who works out of passion and curiosity, not fear.

Filed under Talent | Send this

What It Means to Work Here

10 JAN 2008 from BusinessWeek | Read the full story»

Don't try to be all things to all employees. Instead, concentrate on communicating what it's really like to work at your company and what makes it unique.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Germans Debate Executive Pay

The salaries of German business leaders are usually much lower than those paid in the United States. But recent news of huge paychecks and severance packages for German CEOs trigger a national debate about executive pay. (Audio)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Web companies' dark side: Few jobs

Some of the biggest Internet companies are growing like weeds, serving millions of customers a day and operating globally. But, as commentator Nicholas Carr points out, they tend to employee very few people.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Mandatory sick days gaining strength

More than 40% of private-sector workers, most of whom work in service jobs, don't get paid sick leave. Now some federal, state and municipal lawmakers are considering making paid sick days mandatory. Shia Levitt reports.

Filed under Talent | Send this

From Incentives to Penalties: How Far Should Employers Go to Reduce Workplace Obesity?

This month, more than half of Americans probably made health-related New Year's resolutions, but few are likely to stick to them. Employees at CFI Westgate Resorts in Orlando, Fla., might consider themselves lucky: They have an incentive to get healthy. If they join in the company-wide weight-loss contest and reach their goals, they could win cash prizes or a luxury vacation. Westgate isn't the only employer trying to push employees, especially obese ones, into healthy lifestyles. But using incentives, and in some cases penalties, to change employee behavior raises a host of legal, moral and practical questions, according to Wharton experts and others.

Filed under Talent | Send this

State Your Business

Along with vague mission statements, most companies also lack values with grit. Forget "excellence." Try "Never lose a superstar," say BusinessWeek Columnists Jack & Suzy Welch (Audio)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Conducting Employee Reviews

Employee reviews should benefit both of you. Here's how to make the most of them.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Volunteering as a Benefit

Learn how some companies are offering employee volunteer programs that are motivating and retaining current employees, and attracting new ones.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Why 'noncompete' means 'don't thrive '

To many employers, that's great news: The data clearly show that being able to enforce a noncompete makes your most creative employees less likely to jump ship. But keeping inventors and entrepreneurs frozen in place is detrimental to a region's innovation economy.

Filed under Talent | Send this

A Look at the Hiring Picture For Big Companies in 2008

Retiring baby boomers and the weak U.S. dollar are creating new job opportunities in some surprising sectors.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Title Inflation Swells Corporate America

Employers added a host of new jobs with 'chief' in their titles in 2007. Some, such as chief security officer, reflect changes in the marketplace. But others, like chief beer officer, simply indicate creativity.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Hotelier Finds Happiness Keeps Staff Checked In

17 DEC 2007 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Satisfied workers stay in their jobs longer, and they treat customers better, experts say. By contrast, unhappy workers tend to leave, particularly those in low-skill, low-wage jobs. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

Common Networking Blunders That Can Sabotage a Job Hunt

Everyone knows you must network to find work following a job loss. Too often, however, unemployed people make missteps ...

Filed under Talent | Send this

Taking Time Off From Work Without Fearing a Pink Slip

The law known as FMLA has enabled millions of people to temporarily leave their jobs for personal and family health reasons since it was enacted in 1993.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Where Innovation Comes From

This new study from the Philadelphia Fed finds that human capital is the most important factor in innovation. It's talent that's the real driving force behind innovative clusters of business.

Filed under Talent | Send this

What It's Like for Women At the Top of the Ladder

Six women executives talk about their careers the importance of mentoring and work-life-balance in a recent panel discussion.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Defying Conventional Wisdom: Trading Employees

14 NOV 2007 from Blue Ocean Strategy | Read the full story»

Why is sports the only profession where businesses actively trade employees with their direct competitors? There are frequent transactions between professional teams swapping athletes around. But we never hear, for example, of a high profile, veteran real estate agent being dealt from one agency to another in exchange for a couple of young prospects.

Hat tip: 800-CEO-READ

Filed under Talent | Send this

Many Executive Women Identify With the Scrutiny Clinton's Facing

Hillary Clinton's campaign is stirring strong feelings about what it means to be a woman seeking a position of power, says Carol Hymowitz.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Gender pay gap from graduation to boardroom

Graduates and board directors may be at opposite ends of the career spectrum but one thing unites them: the gender pay gap.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Big Executive of the Tiny Screen

Cyriac Roeding, executive vice president of CBS Mobile, is an unapologetic entrepreneur who isn’t afraid to take a trial-and-error approach to fielding fresh talent. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

One Pay Gap Shrinks, Another Grows

01 NOV 2007 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Women in the workforce are gaining on men in terms of earnings, but the remarkable burst of productivity of the past decade has not been widely shared with middle-class women or men. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

The Feminine Critique

01 NOV 2007 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

[W]e still don’t have a simple straightforward answer as to why there just aren’t enough women in positions of leadership. (Subscription required)

Filed under Talent | Send this

End your tasks, end your job?

As soon as management starts conflating people with tasks, they've guaranteed that the organization is going to get stuck.

Filed under Talent | Send this

In managing workers, it's no longer one size fits all

25 OCT 2007 from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Read the full story»

In today's workplace, younger generations especially are acting, dressing and performing differently than their older colleagues. As a result, managers and co-workers are struggling to deal with each other's idiosyncrasies at work. "We have a new formula in HR," Putzier says. "The more you are worth the more you can be weird."

Filed under Talent | Send this

Otetsudai Networks: Mobile Jobs by GPS

Looking for the freedom and flexibility of part-time work over salaried security, Japanese youth can now turn to Otetsudai Networks for instant daily employment wherever they are.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Blue Card: Don't leave home without it?

In an effort to attract highly skilled immigrant workers, the European Union is proposing its version of the U.S. "green card" visa. It would offer faster approval and employment guarantees. And it has U.S. businesses worried. Dan Grech reports.

Filed under Talent | Send this

Must employers really pay to play?

Authoria CEO Tod Loofbourrow writes that with the U.S. in the middle of a talent crisis, too many companies are being tempted to overpay.

Filed under Talent | Send this

The baby-boomer leadership vacuum

Most HR professionals believe Western businesses are failing to bring on the next generation of leaders, creating a vacuum at the top just when emerging economies are snapping at their heels.

Filed under Talent | Send this

The 'Eldercare Generation' Cares About Continuing to Work: Are Companies Interested in Keeping Them?

When the AARP recently announced its seventh annual "Best Employers for Workers over 50" awards, the winners didn't get there by offering the