“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 couple of recent surveys suggest that most workers really don’t want their boss’s job. In a US based survey in August 2011 only 35% said they were interested in their boss’s position and a survey in Canada found a similar percentage (29%).
2. Any good stories about employees attending office party last year still circulating? A Harris poll of over 1,034 workers last year found that: 30 percent have seen someone flirt with a co-worker or supervisor,  28 percent witnessed a fellow party-goer drive drunk 26 percent indicated a colleague or supervisor shared inappropriate details about themselves or a co-worker, and  19 percent witnessed someone arguing or becoming aggressive with a colleague or supervisor.
3. Burned out and need a sabbatical? A recent survey by the Society of Human Resources Management suggests that, unlike academia, only about 5 percent of companies offer paid sabbaticals but those that do tend to be listed in Fortune Magazine’s list of the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For.
4. Looking for an international assignment? A 2011 survey by Corporate Relocation and Atlas Van Lines indicated the number of international assignments that are offered to employees that are less than 12 months in duration: Companies with less than 500 or more employees 6%; Companies with 500-4,999 employees 16%; and Companies with 5,000 o more employees 22%.
Estimates for 2012 suggest that 24% of all companies polled reported that international assignments would increase, 69% said they would stay about the same and 7% reported they would shrink.
5. Do you know anyone that has been unemployed for a long period of time? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30.4% of unemployed US workers were out of work 12 months or more.  This high rate is still lower than workers in the UK (34.9%), Spain (40.5%), France (40.5%) or Germany (47.3%).
6. Expect a pay increase this year? According to the survey work of Sibson Consulting, employees really have a new “mind set” around compensation and bonus believing that even if no budget exists for increases that high performers will still get a bonus or salary hike.
7. A study in the study in the Journal of Applied Communication Research says that people who work from home at least three days a week are more satisfied with their jobs because they have less work-life conflict, less stress, less time pressure and fewer interruptions.
8. Responses from 404 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments and 1,013 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees identified work/life balance (28 percent) and opportunities to learn and grow (27 percent) as the top contributors to their job satisfaction (Office Team).
8. Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden remain the best countries for working women according to the 2011 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (the U.S. was at 17, UK 16 and Canada 18). Smaller gender gaps are directly correlated with increased economic competitiveness.
9. Employee loyalty is dropping in the U.S. and worldwide, according to the analysis in Mercer’s October 2011 What’s Working survey report. The research—conducted from the fourth quarter of 2010 through the second quarter of 2011 in different global regions—shows that the percentage of workers seriously considering leaving their organization has risen since the last time the survey was conducted prior to the economic downturn and now stands at about 32%.
The top rated factors influencing motivation and work engagement in the U.S. included:
- Being treated with respect
- Work/Life balance
- Â The type of work performed
- The quality of people you work with
- The quality of leadership in the organization
- Base pay
- Working in an environment where you can provide good service to others
- Benefits
10. A 2011 survey of 214 international multi-national companies by Bersin & Associations showed coaching cultures impact the “bottom line.â€Â Organizations where leaders coach “very frequently†had 21% higher business results and 39% higher productivity. Organizations effective at teaching coaching were 26% more effective at holding costs than their competitors.
11. Based on a 2012 poll by Cornerstone OnDemand/Harris Interactive of 1,143 working U.S. employees, 53% get feedback about their performance from only their manager, 21% recieve feedback from their peers (43 percent would like more peer feedback), and 8% get feedback from their internal clients (19% would like more feedback from their peers). It appears that U.S. employees actually desire more sources for their performance reviews.
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)
