Analysis: Jobs, salaries stagnate as corporate profits surge
The Dow Jones industrial average rose to within 75 points of a record high last week, marking what has become a "golden age for corporate profit" while millions of Americans are still unable to find work, Nelson Schwartz writes. Corporate profits accounted for 14.2% of national income in the third quarter, the most since 1950. The portion of that income paid to workers was 61.7%, close to the lowest amount since 1966. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(3/3)
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2 places where your recruitment process may be losing value
Those looking to reduce recruitment costs should look at their employee-referral program and their jobs website, Lauren Smith writes. The most common problems with referral programs are that they are too hard to use and that workers are rarely reminded to participate. The biggest problem with jobs websites is that they are ineffective at building relationships with candidates, a problem that is eased if a jobs site is turned into a talent community, Smith writes. Mashable
(3/3)
Job postings can subtly discourage female applicants, research finds
Job descriptions that use words such as "competitive," "dominant" and "challenging" are less appealing to women than are descriptions that use words such as "committed," "cooperative," and "supportive," a study published by the American Psychological Association says. None of the study participants consciously noticed any gender-related influence in the language, the study authors said. ERE.net
(3/1)
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Cybersecurity firm offers employees a new perk each quarter
Cybersecurity firm KEYW offers employees a quarterly perk that changes each time. For the first offering, employees received a $250 gift certificate toward an activity they said they wanted to try, such as skydiving. The most recent offering was an adapted Monopoly game that went to employees along with a note encouraging them to play the game with family members. The Washington Post
(3/1)
Why Aetna loves telecommuters
Yahoo plans to end working from home, but Aetna has steadily extended the practice. Nearly half of the company's 35,000 employees work from home, with 14,500 not allocated space at Aetna's offices. That has allowed the company to cut 2.7 million square feet of office space, saving it about $78 million a year. Reuters
(3/1)
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| Regulatory & Legal Update |
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Transparency is better than cool, says Qualtrics CEO
Transparency isn't just a cool-sounding bit of corporate jargon -- it's a way to ensure that all your workers are pulling in the same direction, Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith says. "We want to be transparent because we want to encourage our people to have all the information to keep them focused on what really matters -- our objectives and how they're going to contribute," Smith says. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(3/2)
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King Richard was a real sweetheart, researchers say
Scientists have studied the pickled heart of Richard I of England, the legendary 12th-century monarch known as "Lionheart," which was found lying around in a French cathedral. Upon opening the small casket, researchers found the heart's dusty remains mingled with a sweet-smelling blend of mercury and herbs -- likely the result of embalmers' efforts to preserve the organ for posterity. Nature (free content)
(2/28), The Daily Beast
(3/3), Reuters
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The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life, and you must accept regret."
-- Henri Frédéric Amiel, Swiss philosopher, poet and critic
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