Elearning - April/May 2008 - (Page 14)

Trendlines Inadequate Preparation Cited According to Softscape’s third annual “State of the Global Talent Nation” survey report, an unprecedented 94 percent of this year’s respondents do not believe that their personnel are adequately prepared to meet their companies’ future goals. With a 30 percent rise in workforce preparedness concerns since just 2006, it is no surprise that the top concerns facing organizations today are all related to employee retention, development and performance. These concerns have the full attention of senior management. Survey data shows executives clearly understand that to effectively compete and grow their businesses, they need to employ a high-achieving workforce that is not bogged down by cumbersome, time-intensive manual processes. Some of the worldwide trends fueling changes to staff issues: >> Workforce productivity is a new focus as organizations seek to do more with less while trying to contain costs. >> Individual roles are becoming more multi-functional and are requiring ongoing skill development and real-time learning. >> Whether they are expanding or downsizing, companies are seeking to leverage centralized shared services to support global initiatives. >> Productivity gains and cost reductions are being realized through systematic focus on improving talent management processes. >> Changing workforce demographics are forcing organizations to deploy new approaches to how they plan, hire, develop and retain their staffs. For more information, download the “State of the Global Talent Nation” executive brief at http://www.softscape.com/whitepapers/SGTN.htm. Want Increased Worker Productivity? Pursue Onboarding “Onboarding” is a major factor that influences employee retention and worker productivity, according to a new report from the Aberdeen Group that was sponsored by SkillSoft. The study found that 84 percent of organizations that achieved Aberdeen’s “Best-in-Class” status included a formal new-hire training program. Furthermore, the findings show that new employees who participate in onboarding are able to achieve ideal levels of productivity more quickly in their new positions. Titled, “All Aboard: Effective Onboarding Strategies and Techniques,” the comprehensive report is based on surveys and interviews with nearly 800 HR/HCM and business line managers at organizations around the world, the majority of which are in North America. The study found: >> 71% of all organizations surveyed list “new-hire retention” as the top reason they pursue onboarding. >> 86% of all survey respondents concur that new hires make their decision to stay at the company within the first six months on the job. >> 100% of “Best-in-Class” improved the retention rate of new hires over the past year. >> 68% of “Best-in-Class” describe their onboarding solution as either partially or fully automated rather than paper-based. >> 84% of “Best-in-Class” provide a formal new-hire training program. >> 52% of “Best-in-Class” use assessment tools for hard and soft skills as part of their onboarding process. To read the entire report, visit the Website www.skillsoft.com. 14 April / May 2008 Elearning! http://www.softscape.com/whitepapers/SGTN.htm http://www.softscape.com/whitepapers/SGTN.htm http://www.composica.com http://www.skillsoft.com http://www.skillsoft.com http://www.composica.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Elearning - April/May 2008

Elearning - April/May 2008 Editor's Note Contents News Targeting Africa Locating Courseware People in the News Upcoming Events Deals Trendlines Web Services Building a Learning Culture Measuring the Learning Experience Making Learning Fun and Social LMS's 2008: What You Need To Know Learning Leader: CA Case Study: AVI Case Study: IBM Case Study: QualComm WBS Case Study: National Center for State Courts Case Study: Grundfos Pumps Case Study: Virginia Tech Pop Quiz Last Word

Elearning - April/May 2008

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