Spring 2009 Human Resource Measurement Newsletter
"Freedom to Do My Job" Joins
Lowest Employee Survey Norms
Latest Employee Survey Benchmarks
Show the Strain
Sign of the times? We recently updated our employee survey norms and we’ve seen the sense of freedom to do the job, trust and open communications join the list of "least favorable" items this year. In dead-last position? "My manager gives me the freedom to do my job." Seventy-two percent were negative or neutral on this statement.
See the newcomers and holdovers on the list of most unfavorable ratings below:
Ten Least Favorable Employee Survey Benchmarks
New: Norm 84. My manager gives me the freedom to do my job.(lowest ranking item)
New: Norm 10. Information is communicated openly and honestly in this organization.
New: Norm 11. Information is communicated in a timely manner.
Holdovers from prior lists of this dubious honor include:
Norm 73. I feel recognized for the contribution I make to this organization.
Norm 70. I am satisfied with the benefits package this organization offers.
Norm 54. I feel I have control over my career at this organization.
Norm 76. Management is supportive of its employees.
Norm 69. This organization pays well compared to other companies.
Norm 9. Overall, information in this organization is communicated well.
Norm 86. I feel secure about my continued employment in this organization.
Source: PPI Employee Feedback Database, November 2008
Communication is a perennial difficulty and our most recent review of survey answers found that 60 percent of employees had neutral or negative attitudes to the statement "Information in this organization is communicated well." Career advancement, management consistency, and recognition are other challenging areas.
PPI recently updated and expanded its industry norms database, from which organizations can purchase norms regardless if they use PPI to conduct the survey. We have conducted hundreds of employee surveys worldwide since 1987, resulting in a norms database with as many as 100,000 responses for each of 86 questionnaire items.
Norms help employers judge whether results are high or low compared to other organizations. Even if you find certain items disappointingly low, you may find your organization outranks many other organizations. Outside norms are especially important for a first-time employee survey.
Employers can obtain norms for general business or for one of 16 industries and categories, including nonprofits. Multinational organizations are well represented in the database. Norms are available with no minimum purchase, and employers who share their with Performance Programs' Employee Feedback Database receive a 50 percent discount. Identities of organizations in the database are kept confidential. Inquire about employee survey norms.
Career Transition? Top Career Guides & Sites
Many books and courses have been devoted to the problem of finding work that suits you. If you're in career transition mode, see the books and Web sites below; according to our research, they are among the most respected, most visited or bestselling career guides of the past ten years. These are not job posting sites (though some point to job sites), providing instead the tools to identify and find the best jobs and careers based on your qualifications, interests and more.
Top Five Career Books
Based on sales figures and positive reviews, here are five books at the top of the career guidance category:
What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles. This is the all-time classic in its field and is updated every year (2009 version available). The companion Web site is http://www.jobhuntersbible.com.
Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, 2007. The authors show you how to use personality type to find the right career. This book is best used with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The associated Web site is http://www.personalitytype.com/whoweare.html .
I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was by Barbara Sher. This book speaks to those who are motivated but don’t have a strong career direction. Her Web site is http://www.barbarasher.com/.
The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success by Nicholas Lore. The associated Web site is http://www.rockportinstitute.com/.
Career Match: Connecting Who You are with What You'll Love to Do by Shoya Zichy. The associated Web site is http://www.colorqprofiles.com/ .
Occupational Outlook Handbook and Web Site:
Occupational Outlook Handbook is both a book and has an online tool at http://www.bls.gov/oco/. It is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The print version is revised every two years. (We assume the Web site is updated more often!)
Some readers may be put off by the book’s catalog format and cut-and-dried prose, but the Handbook provides more specific, high-quality information about more individual occupations than any other guide on the market, hands down. Very broad coverage includes jobs ranging from beauticians to funeral directors. For each occupation, you can learn about the day-to-day experience, training and qualifications, job outlook, and earnings potential.
The interactive Web site, http://www.bls.gov/oco/, is likewise extremely useful.
O*NET OnLine:
The O*NET database describes more than 800 hundred occupations and has very advanced search capabilities. The database, which is available to the public at no cost, is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers.
Jobs groups are organized from the lowest education and experience requirements to the highest (Zones 1-5). Each title is linked to an extensive job description. Notice that some job titles have the “In Demand” symbol--which offers a quick take on this key piece of information. The O*NET program is sponsored by the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).
This is a no-frills, comprehensive guide to employment opportunities and job resources on the Internet. It offers free career and employment information and explains the process of online job search. They do not post jobs nor resumes, but point to places that do.
Hogan Assessments' validated personality and values tests provide several career planning reports. Contact Performance Programs to learn more.
Professional Certification Workshops
Leadership Versatility Certification Workshop
Now you can use the latest in 360 feedback by taking the LVI certification course. Performance Programs will present jointly with the consulting firm of Kaplan & DeVries, creators of the Leadership Versatility Index. Inquire with us about this highly interactive one-day workshop on a method of assessment so different from other 360 feedback that it was awarded a patent.
The workshop blends conceptual instruction, hands-on exercises, small group work, and case studies.
Complete your certification after the workshop by delivering your first LVI feedback session with a real manager under the supervision of a highly skilled and experienced LVI Master Instructor.
Hogan Certification Workshops
Become qualified to administer and interpret the predictive workplace personality tests from Hogan Assessment Systems. All seminars are $1200, discounted from the full retail value of $ 2300. Certification includes: a personal assessment ($450 value), a copy of The Hogan Guide ($75 value), all Certification Materials ($300), two free assessment IDs for post-workshop use ($800 value), one hour of pre-conference telephone review of your own reports and one-half hour of post-conference telephone review of your first live case ($675 value). These one-day seminars are scheduled form 8:30 – 5:00, and take place in Westbrook, CT. Please inquire about rates for additional telephone consultation beyond the first hour. Please call Sonya Hamilton at 1-800-565-4223 with any questions about the news from Hogan Assessment Systems. The registration deadline is 14 calendar days prior to the workshop due to pre-workshop activities.
Hogan Workshop Agenda & Dates
Hogan Workshop Registration & Dates
Clark Wilson Group 360 Feedback Certification
Learn how to make the most of 360 feedback when you attend the Clark Wilson Group Certification Seminar. You'll learn by interpreting your own feedback report, reviewing Clark Wilson Group's extensive research, reviewing sample reports. The price is $995 and includes products and services valued over $1500: a Meaningful Measures Certification Manual, the opportunity to complete and interpret your own assessments, and one hour of follow-up telephone consultation.
Wilson Workshop Agenda & Dates
Wilson Workshop Registration & Dates
P.S. About Performance Programs' Newsletter
Every few months, we write about human resources and industrial psychology trends in this newsletter. The newsletter regularly features book reviews, product news, answers to readers' questions, and useful links. If you or an associate would like to receive the newsletter routinely, please subscribe.
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