Categories

Content Type

Sources

EMPLOYMENT BRIEFS; A collection of job-related briefs

Source: Tribune Media Services

Talk the talk

Companies with highly effective internal communication programs are better placed to keep employees engaged and retain key talent, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a global consulting firm. “As the economy continues to shift, keeping employees up-to-date on how the company is responding, and how they are affected, will help insure against their becoming demoralized and disconnected,” says Kathryn Yates, global leader of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt. “Effective communication helps engage employees, and that has positive implications for productivity and the bottom line.” The survey found that 61 percent of companies that are highly effective communicators report that their managers are effective at dealing openly with resistance to change, compared with only 18 percent of low-effectiveness communicators.

Long-time short-timer?

Hiring independent contractors helps employers tap productive and creative talent for temporary projects without paying benefits. However, the legal definition of what constitutes an employee, independent contractor, subcontractor, consultant, temp or on-call worker can be difficult to assess, says James Anelli, a Newark-based shareholder in LeClairRyan’s Labor & Employment Group. A 2007 study by the U.S. General Accounting Office estimated that some 15 percent of all employers misclassify 3.4 million workers as independent contractors each year. “A number of states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut, have set up task forces or modified laws seeking to eliminate perceived abuses in this area. On the federal level, the Taxpayer Responsibility, Accountability and Consistency Act of 2009 specifically targets employee misclassification. It is now under consideration in the House.”

Millennials fear layoffs

Over half (55 percent) of Millennials have experienced a layoff or loss of work in their family within the past year, and nearly three-fourths (72 percent) feel threatened by a possible layoff or loss of work in the coming months, according to research conducted by Lumin Collaborative, an integrated communications agency. Despite increased fears over job security, Millennials are saving and investing less money and increasing their credit card debt more than any other adult generation. “As a generation, Millennials are still optimistic and ambitious, but the pressures of the current economy are reshaping our approach and outlook on our relationships with our employers,” says Lauren Begley, a Millennial and account executive at Peppercom.

Use of therapy declines

Despite an increase in stress, fewer Americans use therapy as a way to manage it. The results of the annual “Stress in America” survey by the American Psychological Association, found that, while 85 percent of Americans say their stress level has remained the same or increased in the past year, just 4 percent of people use therapy as a way to combat that stress. This reflects a decrease in therapy usage related to stress. In fact, Americans are more likely to eat (28 percent), smoke (14 percent), shop (15 percent) or watch TV (36 percent) than see a therapist as a stress management technique. Therapists are trained to help individuals manage stress-related topics including finances, work, relationships, divorce, children and many other issues.

© 2009, Tribune Media Services