The Leading Edge - Spring 2010 - PKF - 16

briefs

suggestion boX OPenS diaLOgue
The suggestion box at the workplace isn’t going empty. In fact, 57 percent of employees make suggestions regularly, according to a recent survey by Right Management, a division of Manpower. In addition, 27 percent, which includes management and C-level executives, claim to submit more that 20 ideas a year. Thirty percent of workers made between 10 and 20 suggestions annually. The online poll in partnership with LinkedIn received more than 600 responses throughout North America. Other findings: • The number of suggestions had no relation to the size of the company. • About 6 percent of workers did not submit any suggestions. • Sales teams (50 percent) were most likely to submit ideas, followed by HR professionals (28 percent). • Women (61 percent) were more likely than men (46 percent) to make more than 10 suggestions a year. • Workers age 55 and older (76 percent) were more likely to make 10 or more suggestions than those aged 25 to 34 (51 percent). Right Management concluded that making suggestions shows employees are thinking about

hR diLeMMa: COSTS VS. TOP TaLenT ReTenTiOn
Companies are closely watching overall workforce costs but also are focusing on how to keep top talent, a new survey shows. Almost seven in 10 companies surveyed said that the primary driver for workforce decisions this year would be cost containment. A large majority also worries that their highest value employees won’t stick around when the economy picks up, according to Mercer’s “Human Capital Planning 2010: Defining the Talent Agenda.” Approaching rewards in a way that includes career development and training lets companies attract and retain the employees who contribute the most, concluded the survey of 160 mid-size and large U.S. employers. “Today’s business environment offers employers the perfect opportunity to take a fresh look at the talent they have, the talent they need and the best way to engage and reward employees going forward,” says Jason Jeffay, a principal in Mercer’s human capital consulting business. For additional information about human capital and compensation planning, visit www.mercer.com/hcplanning2010. e

the performance of the organization and want to contribute above the requirements of the job. The survey cautioned that companies without a suggestion box lose an opportunity to interact with their workforce. The company’s research has found that two top drivers of employee engagement are feeling valued by senior leaders and having employee opinions count. “Be sure employees feel heard and have the chance not just to share ideas, but to make them happen,” Right Management recommended. e

neW WeaPOnS FighT id FRaud
Biometrics and identity management offer solutions to combat the rapid growth of identity theft and increased exposure to security threats, as detailed in a recent white paper from Frost & Sullivan research and consulting team. Vendors have developed technologies to integrate biometric and biographic data for identity resolution. Such a system uses facial and fingerprint recognition technologies to authenticate the identity of people as they interact within and across other information systems. For example, one health care customer requires demographic data, including facial, 10-fingerprint and signature images for re-enrollment. The information is used to issue new ID cards for benefits management and for back-end identity analysis. The objective was to improve benefits allocation, to reduce operative costs and to determine and act upon identity fraud. The solutions can be configured for use in areas such as civil identification, law enforcement and justice, health care, banking, information fusion centers and benefits management. For more details about “The Next Level of Identity Solutions: The Convergence of Biometric Identity Resolution and Identity Management Solutions” white paper, visit www.frost.com. e
VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 3 • SprIng 2010

The Leading Edge - Spring 2010 - PKF

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