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7/3/05

ON THE JOB
Fewer workers likely to work weekends

A study done by office manufacturer Steelcase has found Americans were more likely to work weekends in the high-flying 1990s than they are today.

Called the Nature of Work, the 2005 study looked at the length of a typical work week and the reasons why so many Americans feel compelled to "turn their weekends into workends."

The survey of 700 US office workers revealed that many employees work on weekends because of increased workloads. However, it also found that US employees are not as likely today to put in the extra time on Saturdays and Sundays as they did in the past. This year, for example, 56 percent of the survey participants said they labor on weekends, down from 73 percent in 1997.

In all, 49 percent of the employees said they work more than 40 hours each week, down from 53 percent in 1997.

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The survey, which compared the way men and women work, found that 62 percent of the men were more likely to stay at work past 40 hours. By contrast, just 39 percent of the women worked more than 40 hours per week.

When researchers asked the respondents why they work on weekends, 48 percent said their workloads are heavier and require more time. In 1997, however, a majority - 75 percent - said they took work home on weekends because they liked working at home, or they felt that their employers had an unwritten rule requiring that they take work home.

WORKPLACE
The place to get office info

When you want information about company news or office politics, you go to:

If you chose C, you're in good company. According to the research and consulting firm, ISR, American workers are more likely to gravitate to the water cooler to exchange ideas, gossip, or evaluate rumors. What's more, most - about 63 percent - say they get the majority of their information about the company they work for from information gleaned from others while standing around the water cooler.

The data from ISR shows that federal workers are more likely to rely on office gossip than others. Of those polled, 68 percent said talk around the water cooler often addressed important workplace or company matters. In all, 65 percent of high-tech employees get important news about their employer from the gossip circulating around the water cooler, and 48 percent of financial service employees say they are able to get substantial information that way.

ISR said rumors about the job are more likely to prevail because of poor communication from higher-ups. But when employees are forced to resort to gossip because they are not part of the decision-making process, they also are less likely to put in the kind of effort at work that would make the company more of a success, said the consulting firm.

ISR, which monitored the share prices of 57 multinational companies over two years, said companies that do a good job communicating with their employees also do better in the stock market. "At the companies where an above average number of employees said they were kept informed, share prices rose by an average of $7.80," said ISR. "At companies where a below average number of employees said they were kept informed, share prices declined by an average of $8.10."

"Employees care about their manager's ability to communicate and they want to know as much as possible about their organizations," said Adam Zuckerman, ISR executive director. "Clear, unambiguous communication helps to ensure that employees are willing to work harder understanding and supporting their company's goals and vision. Without it, employees are likely to just tread water and that will be reflected in financial performance."

STUDY
Employee opinions are seen as effective

A study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management and online site CareerJournal.com, found that less than 46 percent of 347 human resource professionals said their employers take the time to collect employee opinions. A separate study found that some bosses just don't know how communicate.

The first study, done by the society and CareerJournal.com, found that human resource professionals whose companies welcome feedback from employee surveys rated the effectiveness of the surveys as good or very good.

CareerJournal also reported that its online survey of 435 responses found that only 59 percent of employees feel their bosses listen to what they say.

Companies did better, however, when workers were polled about messages that emanate from top management down to workers. When asked about this form of communication, 68 percent of workers and 66 percent of human resource professionals said they either agreed or strongly agreed that their employers effectively communicate business plans and goals to staff.

In a separate ongoing study of 2,000 employees, researchers found that some bosses have such poor communication skills that they might resort to ridicule. Of the employees polled, 40.5 percent said their bosses belittled people in front of others, 34.2 percent said their bosses have lied, and close to 24 percent said their bosses have humiliated and embarrassed staff. The remaining respondents described their bosses as micromanagers or said they were condescending.

The online survey was based on new books by Beverly Kaye, chief executive of Career Systems International, and Sharon Jordan-Evans, president of the executive coaching and leadership firm, the Jordan Evans Group. Kaye's book, published in 2005, is "Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay." Jordan-Evans' 2003 book is "Love It, Don't Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work." Both were published by Berrett-Koehler.

EXECUTIVE SUITE
Top leaders build strong teams, achieve goals

Right Management Consultants in Boston offers this tip for executives who want to be good leaders: Build strong relationships with peers. According to the firm, the number one reason new executives fail is because they don't know how to build a strong team.

The second reason is an inability to accomplish goals and objectives, and the third is a lack of corporate political savvy. In other words, the best leaders know how to get the most out of teams and they understand the unwritten and unspoken rules that govern their firms. In a survey of 100 human resource managers, more than half, 61 percent, said executives who do not build relationships with colleagues and subordinates are less likely to be successful.

How do new leaders ensure their success? Fifty-five percent of the HR professionals said new executives must clarify their bosses' expectations while 53 percent said they must enlist and engage people within their organization to help them implement their goals. Fifty-two percent said they must build committed relationships with colleagues in other parts of the company, and 49 percent said they should have a clear strategy for their own unit or department.

Diane E. Lewis can be reached at .

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