http://www.watsonwyatt.com Latest Watson Wyatt Organization Effectiveness Articles and News en-us Copyright 2012 Watson Wyatt Worldwide http://backend.userland.com/rss091 2/8/2012 5:57:44 PM 20 WASHINGTON, D.C., November 30, 2009 — Despite pressure to reduce budgets, many large U.S. employers are ramping up initiatives to improve worker health and productivity, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm, and the National Business Group on Health, an association of more than 280 mostly large employers. At the same time, employers are finding that more workers are using their health services and experiencing higher levels of stress. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=22767Leadership – at all levels of an organization – is an unmistakable priority. And having a leadership pipeline in place that aligns with the overall business strategy has become a strategic imperative, particularly in the current economy. Succession planning has never been more important. A strong succession planning process should focus on developing a pool of individuals with critical, adaptable skills who are ready to lead when called upon. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=22674With some employers feeling optimistic about the prospect of improved business results, the number of employers planning to reverse salary cuts and freezes has increased in the past two months. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=22047Even in the best of times, companies struggle to align employees’ goals with those of the organization. That task has become even more challenging in the current economic environment. With fewer resources and smaller workforces, employees are being asked to do more with less. At the same time, employee benefits, along with merit and incentive budgets, have been cut. Caught in the middle of this dilemma, managers are searching for creative new ways to engage and recognize employees. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=21897UK - May 22, 2009 - Many organisations are being let down by their approach to employee performance management at a time when they most need it to work for them, according to consultants Watson Wyatt. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=21244Muitas empresas ainda planejam congelar salários e novas contratações, reduzir contribuições aos Planos de Previdência e diminuir aumentos salariais. [LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20959Muchos empleadores planean todavía congelar sueldos y las nuevas contrataciones, reducir las contribuciones a los Planes de Retiro y menores aumentos de sueldos. [LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20960As the economic downturn continues, ensuring that employees are engaged is crucial to keep workplace morale and productivity high, according to Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm. [CANADA - ENGLISH]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20884En cette période de ralentissement économique, il est essentiel de s’assurer que les employés sont engagés si l’on souhaite maintenir une bonne atmosphère dans le milieu de travail et une productivité élevée, selon Watson Wyatt, un chef de file mondial en matière de services-conseils. [CANADA - FRENCH]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20885WASHINGTON, D.C., February 10, 2009 —As the economic downturn continues, ensuring that employees are engaged is crucial to keep workplace morale and productivity high, according to Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20559Companies are responding in diverse ways to current economic conditions. But one thing seems certain: The worsening economy is having an impact on companies from both a broad business perspective and an HR perspective. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20552Economic volatility is taking its toll on many organizations. Recent Watson Wyatt research shows that 39 percent of a sample of U.S. companies have already undertaken some employee layoffs; an additional 23 percent expect to do so during the next 12 months. Twenty-three percent have undergone an organizationwide restructuring, and another 14 percent foresee the need for future downsizing and layoffs. While perhaps necessary from a business perspective, cutting the workforce reduces the total value of a firm’s human capital. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20510An amendment to the 2000 Employment Relations Act will give employers the option of instituting a trial period for new hires in small businesses, subject to a mutual agreement between employers and employees. This new regulation, which will allow employers to fire employees in the first 90 days of their employment without those employees being able to claim a personal grievance case, will take effect from March 1, 2009. [NEW ZEALAND]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20506As the global financial crisis takes a tighter grip on the economy, some Canadian employers are bracing themselves for the looming economic slump. More than four in ten companies either have made or are planning layoffs or reductions (44%) and revising merit payments (42%) over the next year. According to the survey conducted in November 2008 by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm, employers are also ramping up employee communications and halting new staffing. The survey also indicates that while many companies are considering changes, less than 20% consider such changes to be significant. [CANADA - ENGLISH]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20240La crise financière mondiale resserre sa prise sur l’économie et certains employeurs canadiens se préparent en vue d'un marasme économique imminent. Plus de quatre entreprises sur dix procéderont, à moins qu’elles ne l’aient déjà fait, à des mises à pied ou à des réductions de l’effectif (44 %) et réviseront les augmentations au mérite (42 %) dans l’année à venir. D’après un sondage réalisé en novembre 2008 par Watson Wyatt, un chef de file mondial en matière de services-conseils, les employeurs augmentent également leurs communications aux employés et interrompent l’embauche de nouveau personnel. Le sondage précise que même si beaucoup d'entreprises considèrent apporter des changements, moins de 20 % d'entre elles estiment que ces changements sont significatifs. [CANADA - FRENCH]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=20241As director of HR at PT Bank Danamon Indonesia, Muliadi Rahardja knows his company competes in three important markets. First, the bank competes with other banks to attract and retain desirable customers. Second, Danamon competes in the capital market, for business expansion resources. Finally, it competes in the talent market to hire and keep the best employees. [ASIA-PACIFIC]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18790Effective strategies to retain and attract older workers may become increasingly important over the coming years. According to the recent Statistics Canada Labor Force Survey, employment growth among workers age 55 and older was significantly faster than among the prime-age group of workers aged 25 to 54. [CANADA - ENGLISH]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18830Since its inception more than 175 years ago in Trieste, Italy, the Generali Group has become one of Europe’s largest and most successful insurers, with millions of clients on five continents. Watson Wyatt has been a trusted advisor to Generali through several key milestones in that evolution, working closely with executives to help the company adapt to changing priorities, new procedures, and better ideas and strategies. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18665Workplace stress is the most frequently cited reason U.S. employees consider leaving their jobs. While employers acknowledge that stress is affecting business performance, few are taking steps to address it, according to two surveys by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18643Too many performance measures on sales incentive plans can dilute their effectiveness, according to Watson Wyatt analysis of the firm’s 2007 Global Sales Incentive Plan Study. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18192