The New Learning Executive

A recent study has produced a picture of a new breed of learning executive - the Chief Learning Officer (CLO) - that has merged in the past decade. The challenge of running learning like a business and also making learning a critical contributor to organizational success requires a complex skill set. CLOs must run efficient learning functions that are both strategically aligned with and responsive to the needs of their organizations. More at:

The New Learning Executive

Psychopathic organizations

Psychopathic Organizations

Corporate responsibility researchers have found that many large organizations display the criteria psychiatrists use to classify people as psychopaths.

Meetings, meetings

Meetings, don't we hate them? Apparently, there was a doubling (at least) of meetings at work in the second half of the 20th Century. The implications have been little studied but recent research on the link between the experience of meetings and the effects on worker well-being has shown some surprising findings. Read on:

Meetings, meetings

Canada - Brain-drain

Canadian Brains on the Move

A study recently published by the C.D. Howe Institute shows that the slowdown of Canada’s productivity growth and the widening gap between Canadian and US per capita incomes in recent years has led to fresh concerns about a brain drain of highly qualified individuals and entrepreneurs.

Australia - Small Business

Wages Growth Putting Pressure On Profits for Small Businesses

Results from the December 2005 quarter St.George - ACCI Small Business Survey indicates that conditions for small businesses are mixed, with wages growth a significant issue.

Australia - WorkChoices

Controversy rages in Australia at the moment about the imminent changes in the country's Workplace Relations System(s). In a Melbourne speech, Kevin Andrews, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, gave his views on the WorkChoices initiative:

Minister Andrews talks about WorkChoices

Kevin Andrews' explanation of WorkChoices

USA - Employee theft

Jacent Technologies, the leading supplier of voice-ordering platforms for automating inbound telephone calls, today announced that customers are using Jacent(R) Voice Center to effectively track and control employee theft.

Restaurant owners are continuing to lose surprisingly large amounts of revenue to employee theft. Recent industry estimates put a price tag of almost $40 billion annually on employee theft in the US restaurant industry alone. The pizza restaurant industry is particularly hard hit since it is largely a cash business and that opens the door for many ingenious ways for employees to pilfer their employer that are very difficult to detect and prevent. This problem is so serious that The National Restaurant Association estimates that a full 30% of restaurant failures in this country are a direct result of employee theft. Read on:

Jacent(R) Voice Center Plays Key Role in Identifying and Controlling Employee Theft

USA - Brand Equity

New Unit Helps Companies Convert Workforce Contribution to Brand Equity

Application of the employer branding concept by the Boston-based firm of Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB). The firm announced the launch of its Workforce Performance Consulting Unit. The unit helps companies to take a decidedly "brand equity" building approach to managing their human resource as a strategic asset. At a time when data driven insights are crucial for prioritization, the unit relies on its deep roots in marketing science to gather information, derive insights and prioritize actions that result in alignment around equity building activities and behaviors.

USA - Retail Employees Not Entirely Happy

Retail Employees Not Entirely Happy

Workers in the retail industry provided one of the lowest ratings of their company as a place to work compared to other industries, according to a recent Hay Group Insight Employee Survey Benchmark Report. But they rated higher than average on job satisfaction. Go figure ...

USA - Race and the Accounting Profession

Accounting Industry Fails to Inspire Black Accountants

Why do so few African Americans succeed in the accounting profession? A preliminary analysis of results from a survey conducted among members of the National Association of Black Accountants shows that race continues to impact the careers of people of color in the accounting profession.

Australia - Employer of Choice for Women 2006

Employer of Choice for Women 2006

116 Australian employers have been awarded an EOWA Employer of Choice for Women (EOCFW) citation. More than a quarter (33) are in the education sector, including Australia's best-known universities.

USA - HRLogix New Corporate HQ

HRLogix, a leading provider of Web-based paperless hiring systems, has announced their move to a new corporate headquarters, located in Oklahoma City. Details at:

HRLogix Moves to New Corporate Headquarters

USA - Leadership and Development

Edge Training Systems, a producer of leadership and employee development solutions, announced the addition of new Instructor Led Training and Facilitation services.

Edge Training Systems Adds New Facilitation Program

UK - Training for Lifting

Training required for all staff whose duties include any lifting

Training is therefore required and employers are being urged to make sure that their staff are armed with the right knowledge in order that their health and welfare are protected. The answer for employers is indeed as simple as that, for if they provide staff with the correct training and equipment, the likelihood of any injuries is reduced, and importantly (for the employers) the risks of an injuries claim are reduced.

UK - Employment Situation

Employment Statistics

The unemployment rate has increased to 5.1% - up by 0.3% on the previous quarter.

Kaizen: A Missed Opportunity

Kaizen: A Missed Opportunity

N.G.Nelson examines the origins of "Teamworking" and the "Continuous Improvement Process", from its early beginnings in the Japanese automotive industry, to its adaptation by US and European industry in the mid eighties and throughout the 1990's to date.

Canada - Employment situation

Unemployment edges up

Statistics Canada reports that the unemployment rate edged up by 0.1% to 6.6% in January as more people joined the job market.

USA - Minority Professionals

Two recent surveys conducted for the American Advertising Federation (AAF) reveal that with an increased need for talent, advertising industry executives are facing significant challenges regarding recruiting, multicultural marketing and retaining minority talent.

AAF Surveys Reveal Significant Challenges in Recruiting Talent and Retaining Minority Professionals

Australia - Rise in Online Job Applications

Australian employers beware. Job seekers are on the move, posting 46% more job applications in January than at the same time last year according to SEEK Employment Index data. Full release at:
SEEK Employment Index - Job Seekers Out in Force: Job Applications Soar

UK - Nectar launches Sweeter Rewards

Loyalty Management Group (LMG) the company behind Nectar, the UK’s largest loyalty programme, has implemented flexible benefits for its employees in conjunction with thomsons online benefits.

Nectar launches Sweeter Rewards

Canada - Cutting middle management kills productivity

Companies that cut middle managers jeopardize their productivity more than save costs, a study from McMaster University suggests.

Cutting middle management kills productivity

USA - Generation Y Not Interested in Business as Usual

What served to motivate baby boomers in the business world may drive off members of Generation Y -- born after 1977 and next in line for rule of the country's corporate world, according to Texas Tech University experts in business.

Generation Y Not Interested in Business as Usual

Australia - Unemployment rises to 5.3%

Unemployment rises to 5.3%

Seasonally adjusted, the number of people in employment also rises by 1,800 to 10,034,500 in January.

USA - Workplace Safety

Contrary to popular belief, today's workers are safer on the job than they are at home or in their communities. According to the National Safety Council, recent gains in lowering workplace death rates -- down 17 percent since 1992 -- have been undone by the rate of fatalities occurring off the job, up 14 percent in that same period.

Details at:
Off-The-Job Injuries Outpacing Gains in Workplace Safety, Says National Safety Council

UK - Work-life Balance Improving?

Stress levels among senior managers are declining, their work-life balance is improving and more people are working long hours because they enjoy their jobs, according to Roffey Park’s Management Agenda 2006 survey.

Article at: Managers Enjoy Their Work

Evaluating Training - Book Excerpts

Excerpts from Chapter 5, The Trainer's Handbook

1. Evaluating Effectiveness


2. Short-term Evaluation


3. Project Sessions


4. Case Histories and Practice Sessions


5. Examinations


6. Types of Exam Questions


7. Assessment Sessions


8. Self-evaluation


9. On-the-Job Evaluation


10. Long-term Evaluations


11. Bottom-line Evaluation

UK/Iran - Protest about Detained Activist

TUC protest at persecution of trade unionists in Iran

British trade unionists will today (Saturday) join an international day of action to protest against the imprisonment and beating of trade unionists in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

US unemployment falls to 4.7%

Unemployment rate falls to 4.7%

US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that payroll employment increased by 193,000, and the unemployment rate declined to 4.7 percent.

Canada - Ontario Minimum Wage

Ontario Minimum Wage Increases To $7.75

The Ontario government has raised the minimum wage for the third time since taking office.

USA - Kronos in Magic Quadrant

Analyst Firm Positions Kronos(R) in the Leaders Quadrant for U.S. Midmarket HRMS

Magic Quadrant Report Positions Kronos in the Leaders Quadrant Based on Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision

UK - Recruitment Fraud

Recruitment Fraud

Employers are increasingly at risk from so-called serial job-seekers who are hoping to trigger legal claims for discrimination.

Australia - Top Employer Priorities

Holding on to talent 'top of mind' for Australian employers in 2006

Holding on to existing employees is the highest priority for Australian organizations in 2006, according to the latest results from The Hudson Report.

USA - Splitting CEO and Chairman Roles

Board members are placing a priority on maintaining their independence from the Chief Executive and are increasingly advocating that the chairman and CEO roles be separated to promote a balance of power, according to a recent survey by global executive search and assessment firm Russell Reynolds Associates. While this trend is more established in Europe, data indicates that companies in the United States are increasingly following suit and rapidly heeding the call for the 'division of labor' between the corner office and the boardroom. More at:

Separation Of CEO And Chairman Role Increases, According to Russell Reynolds Associates' Survey

USA - Medical Care - South Carolina

ActiveHealth(R) (Active Health Management, Inc.), a technology driven, clinically based health management services company, has been awarded a contract from the State of South Carolina to provide CareEngine(R) clinical decision support services to the State's public employees and their dependents. Under the two-year agreement, effective February 1, 2006, ActiveHealth will cover more than 340,000 members of the State's Health Plan through its proprietary CareEngine technology. BlueCross Blue Shield of South Carolina, which administers the plan for the State, will work with ActiveHealth in this program, providing historical and ongoing data from medical claims. In addition, in light of the plan's longstanding relationships with providers in the State, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina will play a key role in provider relations efforts. Full release at:

Over 340,000 State of South Carolina Employees and Their Dependents to Benefit from ActiveHealth Management's CareEngine(R) Clinical Decision Support Services

USA - Principal Best Companies Award

With health care costs escalating and the future of Social Security uncertain, employer-sponsored benefits are more important than ever to the financial security of American workers. Companies that go the extra mile to offer outstanding benefits in this demanding environment deserve to be celebrated. Once again they have that opportunity, as the fifth annual search for The Principal(R) 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security has begun. Details at:


Wanted by The Principal Financial Group: Companies That Offer the Best in Employee Benefits

USA - Think you're underpaid? You may be wrong.

Nearly 60 percent of job searching workers claim to be underpaid - In fact some are overpaid. Read more in this article from January 18:

New Salary.com Survey Finds Workers Have Surprising Misconceptions about Being Underpaid