While leaders and managers everywhere strive to
improve productivity in order to control costs and
increase profits, on-the-job stress is leaving
organizations with nothing to show for their efforts
despite having the best laid plans and intentions.
Lower productivity and absenteeism is not only a
symptom reserved for the low-pay, low-skilled hourly
worker either. Executives alone cost American industry
more than $10 billion annually through lost workdays,
hospitalization and early death caused by stress.
Employees stressing out on the job
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stress is said to be responsible for more than half of
the 550,000,000 workdays lost every year, just from
absenteeism not stress related illness. This accounts
for the absence of one million workers a day
estimated to miss work due to stress problems.
8% - layoff fears
Forty percent of employee turnover is due to job
stress. The cost of job stress to businesses is
estimated at $200 billion per year. A recent Integra
Realty Resource survey found that 12 percent of
employees have called in sick, as a result of stress.
In a 2000 poll by the American Psychological
Association, two-thirds of both men and women say
work has a significant impact on their stress level, and
one in four has called in sick or had taken a "mental
health day" as a result of work stress.
Read more in this month's issue of Labor Storm Alert.
Consultant's session offers tips to weather stormy labor market
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ira Wolfe was the breakfast keynote speaker at the
Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and opened
a business conference, "Building on the Skill of Allen
County's Present and Future Workforce" on March 7,
2003. Below is an excerpt and link to an article
published in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette on March 4.
The perfect storm, as moviegoers know, results from
the rare but devastating combination of climatic forces
that create the worst possible weather conditions.
Ira Wolfe, a Leola, Pa.-based consultant, is warning
employers of factors threatening to create what he
calls "The Perfect Labor Storm."
To read the full article in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, click here.
Test Your Interviewing IQ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How do you compare? Last week's average score was
80 percent.
Interviewing is still the most commonly used
selection tool even though the traditional interview is
only 7% effective. Take this test and determine how
well you know the ins and outs of effective interviewing.
Click here to test your Interviewing IQ.
At risk for burnout?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn how Managing for Success reports can identify, assess and help employees manage stress.
2nd Workshop Added in Atlanta - Just a few seats left for Stop Guessing, Start Knowing Seminars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HRD Press and Training House is pleased to announce a
a FREE half-day seminar: Stop Guessing, Start
Knowing.
How to Accurately Assess Personality and
Competencies. The seminar will be presented in Atlanta
(GA) on April 9 and Lancaster (PA) on April 30, from
8:30 AM to Noon.
New! Afternoon session added in Atlanta - 1:30 PM
to 5:00 PM.
Consultant? Contact us about TotalView and Job
Analysis Certification scheduled for April 10-12 and May
1-3.
Attendance is limited to the first 20 participants and is
FREE to HR and sales managers, COO, CFO, CEO, plant
managers, and general managers. To register for this
seminar, click on the link below.
Yes, register me today for the Stop Guessing, Start Knowing Seminar.
Job stress strains employer budgets
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
According to the Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine, health care expenditures are
nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels
of stress.
Workers' comp payments for job stress, have risen
steeply in the last 20 years and may even bankrupt the
system in some states. Employers in California have
paid out almost $1 billion for job stress legal and
medical. Job stress lawsuit payoffs average 4 times the
amount of regular injury claims - and 9 out of 10 suits
are successful!
Don't miss this month's issue of Labor Storm Alert
What Makes A Good Employee?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good hires are not happening by accident or luck
anymore. In this slow economy, employers are finding a
large pool of available workers. But finding a qualified
employee is a challenge that's bigger than ever.
Read more from the column written by Ira S. Wolfe and
published in the Business and Legal Reports e-zine on
February 26, 2003.
Click here to read "What is a good employee"
Small Improvements Reap Big $$$$
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HRBenchmarks recently showed the cost of turnover for
one Fortune 500 company.Total compensation (wages
and benefits) for average employee was $50,025;
Annual turnover rate for full-time employees was 23.8
percent; estimated turnover cost per full-time vacancy
was $12,506; the annual cost of turnover - $119 million.
By increasing (or decreasing) the turnover rate by
just one percentage point, $5 million per year would be
added (or subtracted) to the bottom line.
A must-hear keynote!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fifty-one percent of our workforce will be over 70 in 30
years and the number of employees under age 40 is
insufficient to replace them.
Hear from one of the nation's leading workforce experts
on why America's competitive advantage is being
threatened by an aging population, rising health care
costs, skilled labor shortages and more.
To schedule Ira Wolfe for your next association, chamber or business meeting, click here and type "speaker" in the comment box.
JANUS Competencies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Janus, the ancient Roman god with two faces, was
originally considered to be the benevolent creator and
god of gods. He later came to represent change and
transition, such as the progression of past to future or
one vision or condition to another. Janus was chosen
as the ideal symbol for this performance management
system because it, also, is about looking back and
looking forward.
Janus is designed around a core set of thirty-six
generic competencies that apply-to some extent-to
all job roles. Examples of competencies identified and
assessed using the Janus System, include:
and 29 more.
To order your Janus competencies including descriptions and development recommendations, click here
NOW OPEN! The SPS Bookstore
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Situational Leader by Dr. Paul Hersey. Only $19.95
The Situational Leader is more than a story. It is the
compelling summary of key behavioral science concepts
and the Situational Leader® model.
The book will help you effectively:
*Develop the skills required when leading people
*Diagnose the competency and commitment of others
*Differentiate influence styles
*Select appropriate leader behaviors
and more.
Visit the SPS bookstore and order The Situational Leader.
Managing Generation Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They're blunt. They're savvy. They're contradictory.
Self-confident and optimistic. Independent
and goal-oriented. Masters of the Internet and PC.
Young adults who believe education is cool, integrity is
admirable, and parents are role models.
They're the children of Baby Boomers and the
upbeat younger siblings of Gen X. They are the 29
million young adults born between 1978 and 1984
streaming into the workplace whose presence will
continue to grow each year for the next ten years.
They are Generation Y.
Discover the Gen Y traits that pose the
greatest challenges to managers as well as the best
practices you can implement now to keep these
upbeat, techno-savvy workers focused and motivated.
To order Managing Generation Y, click here.
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: iwolfe@super-solutions.com
voice: 717.656.4632
web: http://www.super-solutions.com
