Aviva cut 2,500 jobs globally last year and has made annualized cost savings of 275 million pounds through its efforts so far.
via Insurer Aviva to cut 2,000 jobs and redundancy payouts – chicagotribune.com.
The ax is falling in the UK.
business
The Trader Joe’s Lesson: How to Pay a Living Wage and Still Make Money in Retail – Sophie Quinton – The Atlantic
Many employers believe that one of the best ways to raise their profit margin is to cut labor costs. But companies like QuikTrip, the grocery-store chain Trader Joe’s, and Costco Wholesale are proving that the decision to offer low wages is a choice, not an economic necessity. All three are low-cost retailers, a sector that is traditionally known for relying on part-time, low-paid employees. Yet these companies have all found that the act of valuing workers can pay off in the form of increased sales and productivity.
“Retailers start with this philosophy of seeing employees as a cost to be minimized,” says Zeynep Ton of MIT’s Sloan School of Management. That can lead businesses into a vicious cycle. Underinvestment in workers can result in operational problems in stores, which decrease sales. And low sales often lead companies to slash labor costs even further. Middle-income jobs have declined recently as a share of total employment, as many employers have turned full-time jobs into part-time positions with no benefits and unpredictable schedules.
Valuing people. What a strange concept, eh?
America: A Nation of Permanent Freelancers and Temps
We are quickly becoming a nation of permanent freelancers and temps. In 2006, the last time the federal government counted, the number of independent and contingent workers—contractors, temps, and the self-employed—stood at 42.6 million, or about 30 percent of the workforce. How many are there today? We have no idea since 2006 was the last year that the government bothered to count this huge and growing sector of the American workforce.
Traditionally, being self-employed used to come with a social stigma; you were self-employed if you couldn’t get a “real job.” Work was inconsistent and so was the pay. Today, the opportunities for contingent, project-based work are exploding, as is the development of tools that allow people to work independently across industries like software, design, marketing, legal services, architecture, healthcare, and engineering.
via America: A Nation of Permanent Freelancers and Temps – Jeremy Neuner – The Atlantic Cities.
Manulife Layoffs 03.27.13
The company didn’t say how many people are being laid off, but Graeme Harris, vice-president of communications and media relations at Manulife, said less than one per cent of the company’s global workforce will be affected.
The company had 27,500 employees around the world as of the end of last year, including 8,400 in Canada. About 3,800 are located in Waterloo Region, where Manulife’s Canadian operations are headquartered.
via Manulife’s ‘global review’ of operations leads to layoffs | guelphmercury.
As Telecommuting Debate Rages, Aetna Sticks by Big At-Home Workforce – Insurance & Technology
In 2012, 63 percent of companies allowed employees to work some hours from home compared with 34 percent in 2005, according to the National Study of Employers, which was produced by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Families and Work Institute.
A 2010 survey by SHRM, the human resources industry’s largest trade group, said that providing flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting, part-time work and phased-in retirement was the best way to attract and retain the best workers. And 20 percent of companies allow workers to work full-time from home.
Of health insurer Aetna’s 35,000 employees, 14,500 do not have a desk at Aetna, a move that the company’s top executives, CEO Mark Bertolini and national business chief Joseph Zubretsky, have said helps cut costs in real estate.
via As Telecommuting Debate Rages, Aetna Sticks by Big At-Home Workforce – Insurance & Technology.
HT – Hank George
How WordPress Thrives with a 100% Remote Workforce – Scott Berkun – Harvard Business Review
Layoffs Likely at Aviva | The Des Moines Register | desmoinesregister.com
New Research: What Yahoo Should Know About Good Managers and Remote Workers – E. Glenn Dutcher – Harvard Business Review
We found that individual effort was highest in the 100%-in-house teams. The addition of remote workers reduced the in-house workers’ exertion.
And why did the in-house people reduce their effort when a teleworker was added to the team? Because they believed that the teleworkers were less productive. Which wasn’t true, by the way. We found no evidence that the teleworkers were shirking.
The implication is that teams containing teleworkers would benefit from knowing that remote members are working just as hard as everyone else. Managers can play a role in this, providing data about teleworkers’ productivity. Our research indicates that if team members know that all other members are working hard, the negative effect of including teleworkers in teams goes away.
So companies don’t have to get caught in a tug-of-war between letting their employees work remotely or forcing them to come to work and collaborate. Collaboration can happen even among in-house employees and teleworkers. It simply takes a different managerial skill set.
New Employees: ‘We Were Jobbed About This Job’ – Workforce.com
More than half, or 51 percent, of new employees hired in 2012 have “buyer’s remorse” and 88 percent are looking to make a change, notes DDI’s report. Their chief complaint: The hiring process “failed to paint a realistic or accurate picture of the job.”
via New Employees: ‘We Were Jobbed About This Job’ | Latest News – Workforce.com.
Surprise!
Over 30 years ago I was lied to during a job interview. The agent of misinformation was to be my future boss. Some things never change.
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