Get the information to make strategic HR decisions. From Salary Surveys to Pre-written IT Job Descriptions and Executive Compensation Research, InfoEdge has the human resources research and strategic HR guidance you need to navigate top HR challenges. For Human Resources research related to the Information Technology industry you can stay up to date with the latest Information Technology Trends with the IT Spending, Staffing and Technology Trends report.
Total Employment Costs
Interestingly, high levels of annual base salary do not necessarily imply higher levels of total employment
costs, particularly when we talk of taxation rates, employer contribution levels and the benefits provided (or
not) in the respective countries. For instance, although base pay levels are higher in Germany than in Belgium,
employer social security contribution rates are higher in Belgium, leading to higher employment costs
there.
Employment costs around the world are much higher than what one may suspect. Findings show that in
some countries where one would expect to find low labour costs, including low-wage countries such as
Brazil, the Czech Republic and Hungary, non-salary employment costs of approximately 30% of pay for an HR
Manager boost the total cost of remuneration. Countries with among the lowest employer costs expressed as
a percentage of pay are sometimes seen as welfare states (Australia, Canada, Denmark and the United Kingdom).
A true comparison of labour costs would require that we further take into consideration case-by-case elements,
such as age, length of service, experience and qualification. The findings presented here aim to convey
estimates and averages, as well as to explode some stereotypes related to labour costs.
from Total Employment Costs: What It Really Costs to Pay Your Employees (ME-2617)
Talent Management
The "war for talent" is not over - it’s just entering a new phase. The new economy is
fundamentally about competing on knowledge. The collapse of the U.S. stock market bubble
does not change this reality. Indeed, the volatile business environment has increased the
importance of talent management. The most critical talent management challenge remains as
it was before - not recruiting and retention, but how to motivate and leverage workers to
perform at extraordinary levels.
Most competency models fall short. Progressive business leaders recognize the link
between their people management approaches and business performance. But the most
prevalent approach to aligning talent management with business strategy - competency
models - often fails to meet the goal. Well-implemented competency management is very
valuable; however, most competency models exercises tend toward the extremes. They
generate either short lists of generic and vague skills statements (customer-focused, resultsoriented
and so on) or lengthy lists of detailed skill requirements that are unwieldy and
impractical to implement.
from Talent Management in the New Economy: Cool Companies, Warm Relationships, Hot Performance (CG-4917)
Leveraging IT in HR
Cost reduction is at the heart of many a business case, in HR as elsewhere in the corporation, and
cost-reduction is among the most frequently cited corporate HR priorities. However, HR cost
reduction alone will not make the case for investment in HR systems, for two reasons:
- When you dig under the covers of the typical case for reducing cost within the HR budget,
you will likely be underwhelmed by the long-term benefit. HR’s functional budget typically
represents only a small percentage of the corporation’s overall costs (in many cases 1% or
less of revenue). In all but the most bloated and inefficient HR organizations, even high
percentage cuts in the HR budget will barely hit the bottom line of the company.
- The levels of investment both to renovate HR systems and processes are likely too high to be
offset by cost reductions within HR and its systems operations.
Meanwhile, cost reduction alone is not only an insufficient business driver, it’s a dangerous one.
Cost-cutting in core HR systems and processes can weaken the corporation’s entire structure.
Thus, the decision to invest in HR systems must be made as a business case. It’s more important
to look for cost reductions for business units (e.g., the savings associated with better employee
retention) than for the HR organization. It’s essential to position HR systems as an investment on
behalf of the performance of the entire enterprise, not just HR. And a prerequisite may be
overcoming purely cost-oriented thinking in evaluating IT investments.
from Leveraging Information Technology in HR (CG-4902)
Online Job Hunting
ExecuNet, the executive job search and recruitment network,
surveyed executives in 2006 to find which sources they rely on
most to find job interviews. Networking contacts led to nearly
twice as many job interviews for executives as Internet job
postings. Digging deeper, ExecuNet found that only 19% of
executives rated their own network as excellent or very good,
while 29% described it as poor or weak. Networking is often falsely
construed as requiring that a person contact strangers and ask for
help. The most effective networks, according to ExecuNet, are
"built on a foundation of mutually beneficial interactions."
ExecuNet also surveyed search firms and found that that they were
nearly six times as likely to identify candidates for executive
positions through networking than from Internet job postings.
Some 70% of corporate human resources professionals told
ExecuNet that they do not post executive positions worth total
annual compensation above $200,000 on their company Web sites.
from Career Planning and Job Hunting Online (EM-2258)
|