“42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.”Â
Steven Wright
Another addition of leadership and talent management “facts” from all over the world.
Some intuitive and some not….what do you think?
1. A 2012 study in the journal Occupational Medicine suggests that older men with stressful jobs and little decision latitude are at increased risk for a cardiovascular event. This research did not find this same trend between high work load and low decision latitude in younger workers.
2. A recent  LinkedIn survey “Office Endangered Species” asked 7,000 professionals across the globe what office items and trends may be gone by 2017. The top devices included: Tape recorders (79%), fax machines (71%), standard working hours (57%), desk phones (37%), desktop computers (34%), formal business attire (27%), corner offices for executives/managers (21%), business cards (14%), and copy machines (13%).
3. Right Management surveyed 1,262 executives via an online poll and found that there are gaps in replacing leadership positions at most companies in North America. Survey question: Do you have future leaders identified for critical roles in your organization?
- Yes, for all critical roles 6%
- Yes, for most but not all critical roles 17%
- Yes, for some critical roles 55%
- No, not for any critical roles 22%
4. A 2004 study by Timothy Judge at the University of Florida found that for every inch of height, a tall worker can expect to earn an extra $789 per year. That means two equally skilled coworkers would have a pay differential of nearly $5,000 per year, simply because of a 6-inch height differential, according to the study.
5. For American women, gaining 25 lbs produces an average decrease in salary of approximately $15,572 at below average weight and $13,847 at above average weight; the per pound penalty at 25 lbs below the group mean is 12% harsher than at 25 lbs above the group mean. Women who are average weight earn $389,300 less across a 25-year career than a woman who is 25 lbs. below average weight.
6.   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 40.6 million American workers, or 30% of the civilian workforce, don’t get enough rest. And Harvard scientists estimated in 2011 that sleep deprivation costs U.S. companies $63.2 billion in lost productivity per year, mainly because of “presenteeism,” people showing up for work but operating at sub par levels.
People with insomnia did not report higher levels of absenteeism compared to non-sufferers, but reported significantly higher levels of presenteeism (lower productivity while at work).
7. In a recent 2012 survey (2,494 responses) by Harris Interactive, almost 25% of all companies admitted to a bad hire that cost the company more than $50,000. Pressure to fill the jobs was cited as the most common factor for the bad hire (43%), 22% said they didn’t know enough about the candidates before hiring them and, 9% said they never checked references.
8. A 2012 survey by Regus about telecommuting (about 10% of the workforce work at home sometimes) found that the top distractions from working at home included:
- Children wanting attention (58%)
- Children, family and pets interfering with calls (44%)
- Challenges in accessing equipment and supplies (27%)
- Household noise (23%)
- Temptations such as the television (23%)
9. In a survey of 751 American workers by Right Management, 33% reported eating lunch at their desk. Additionally, 31% reported they took a break for lunch “only from time to time (15%)” or “seldom, if ever (16%).”
10. Research at Stanford University with their men’s varsity basketball team suggests that optimal sleep is likely beneficial in reaching peak athletic performance. Subjects maintained their habitual sleep-wake schedule for a 2–4 week baseline followed by a 5–7 week sleep extension period. Shooting accuracy improved, with free throw percentage increasing by 9% and 3-point field goal percentage increasing by 9.2% (both statistically significant).
11. Under stress, most workers tend to push themselves harder, rather than, to rest. This may explain why a recent survey by Harris Interactive found that Americans left an average of 9.2 vacation days unused in 2012 — up from 6.2 days in 2011.
12. Born to lead? New research based on twin data taken from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the heritability of leadership role occupancy was estimated at 24% (note not necessarily effectiveness). The results suggest that what determines whether an individual occupies a leadership position based on both genetic and environmental influences.
Back to research some new talent development facts….Be well….
Ken Nowack
Kenneth Nowack, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist (PSY13758) and President & Chief Research Officer/Co-Founder of Envisia Learning, is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Ken also serves as the Associate Editor of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. His recent book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Don’t Get It is available for free for a limited time by signing up for free blog updates (Learn more at our website)
