http://www.watsonwyatt.com Latest Watson Wyatt Organization Effectiveness Articles and News en-us Copyright 2009 Watson Wyatt Worldwide http://backend.userland.com/rss091 1/5/2009 10:16:25 PM 20 As 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=18192A large majority of companies around the world are struggling to attract and retain top-performing and critical-skill workers. In addition, many employers do not fully understand why workers join or leave an organization, an obstacle that greatly increases the challenge of finding and keeping good employees. [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18195It was one of the most successful pharmaceutical joint ventures in recent history. But after combining the animal health operations of U.S.-based <b>Merck & Co.</b> with France-based <b>sanofi-aventis</b>, Merial Limited wasn’t satisfied — executives wanted to be the undisputed worldwide leader in animal health products. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17912Efforts to encourage employees to take more responsibility for health care and retirement planning are at risk of being undermined by the lack of a unified technology and content strategy, according to experts at Watson Wyatt. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17419Human resources issues, once regarded as being ”soft,” are now the topic of serious discussion at the highest level in most companies: the boardroom. While many HR directors welcome this new attention, some are uncertain about how to address the board’s requests and its desire for advice and planning help. <P> Watson Wyatt recently hosted a discussion on this issue. Five directors offered practical advice on what the board wants to hear from HR, and how to view this transition in the boardroom. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17269<P>A roller-coaster ride. That’s how Tom Waldron, executive vice president of human resources and brand at ING Americas, describes the last few years at the financial services company. </P> [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17271WorkCanada^TM study reveals room for improvement in building employee trust and commitment. [CANADA - ENGLISH]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17231L'étude WorkCanada^MC constate qu’il y a moyen de faire mieux pour favoriser la confiance et l’engagement des employés. [CANADA - FRENCH]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17233While employee ratings of senior management shot upward earlier in the decade, those numbers dipped slightly in 2006, according to Watson Wyatt Worldwide’s WorkUSA® 2006/2007 survey. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17138Companies often overlook hiring and orientation programs as prime opportunities to reinforce corporate goals and motivate employees, says Ilene Gochman, an organization effectiveness expert with Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=17073De nombreux défis – et occasions – pour les employeurs au cours de la nouvelle année. [CANADA - FRENCH]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16922While employee ratings of senior management shot upward earlier in the decade, those numbers dipped slightly in 2006, a survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm, has found. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16887Focusing on fundamentals, such as time management, can help sales forces deliver more revenue growth, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide. A survey of 841 sales professionals at 500 companies found that salespeople at financially high-performing companies spend 40 percent more time each year (an additional three to four hours a week) with their best potential customers than salespeople at low-performing companies. These high-performing salespeople also spend 30 percent less time on administrative duties than their low-performing counterparts. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16805In Lewis v. Harris, decided October 25, 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples in New Jersey are entitled to the same rights and benefits enjoyed by heterosexual couples under state marriage laws. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=16813