Perry Work Report for the week of May 24, 2010

May 24, 2010

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Can Loblaw change the rules?

An article in the Globe and Mail takes a look at bargaining issues in the grocery business.  Competition with Wal-Mart is causing problems for both companies and unions when it comes to store conversions and workplace flexibility issues.  From the UFCW website:  “On May 4, 2010, negotiations came to a halt for members working at Loblaws, Zehrs, Great Food Store, Real Canadian Superstore and Fortinos.

UFCW:  Loblaws Company Negotiations Update as of May 4, 2010

Globe and Mail, May 24, 2010: Loblaw seeks union work rule changes: To compete against non-unionized Wal-Mart, grocery heavyweight says it needs more ‘flexibility’

 

Vale Inco warns union despite Labour Board decision

Vale Inco announced on its website in a May 22, 2010 entry titled Setting the record Straight , that, “we are willing to go back to the table, but only when we see the union is serious about achieving a deal! The union knows this. We’ve told them this as plainly as we’ve written it here.” [bolding from original]
According to an Ontario Labour Relations Board decision dated May 16, 2010, the two parties were directed back to the bargaining table in a legally binding decision that directed the parties “to address the return to work protocol when they have reached agreement with all other terms of a Memorandum of Settlement.”

Onatrio Labour Relations Board decision:  3033-09-U  United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steel Workers) on its own behalf and on behalf of its Local 6500 and its Local 6200, Applicant v. Vale Inco Limited, Responding Party. Dated May 16, 2010, Before:  Kevin Whitaker, Chair, and Board Members P. LeMay and Carol Phillips.

 

Workplace Flexibility 2010

Workplace Flexibility 2010 is part of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s National Initiative on Workplace Flexibility. The National Initiative is a collaborative effort leveraging innovative business practice, academic research and public policy in order to make workplace flexibility a standard of the American workplace.
“This increased diversity and complexity within the American workforce – combined with intensifying global competition in a 24/7 marketplace – have raised unprecedented organizational and societal challenges that impact both employers and employees.
The reality of today’s economy is that a majority of workers are struggling to succeed in the workplace while also fulfilling serious personal responsibilities – be it caring for a sick child or parent, obtaining advanced training in order to move up, attending religious services, or even seeing a doctor to address a health crisis.”
“Workplaces can and should reflect the realities of the 21st century workforce. And we believe expanding access to workplace flexibility will result in better business, a stronger workforce, and healthier families.”

The Future of Work-Life Balance and Workplace Flexibility, was held Thursday, May 13, 2010 - 12:00pm - 1:45pm at the New America Foundation Washington, DC, 20036 the webcast is available here

Workplace Flexibility 2010’s Public Policy Platform on Flexible Work Arrangements (48 pages, PDF)

Workplace Flexibility 2010 Georgetown Law website

Sloan Work and Family Research Network News, May 2010: The Unfinished Revolution An Interview with Kathleen Gerson by Julie Weber and Mary Curlew (4 pages, PDF)

 

Executive Compensation 2009

The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business published “Executive Compensation, 2009” on May 24th & 25th, 2010. Links to the rankings and articles are provided below:

Executive compensation survey 2010:  A ranking of compensation paid in fiscal 2009 to the CEOs of the 100 largest companies (by market capitalization) in the S&P/TSX composite index

Executive compensation set to rise: Improving economy behind growth after two years of practically no pay increases

Compensation trends for 2009: Last year, the median CEO bonus rose 5.6 per cent

Executives who saw the biggest 2009 pay increases:  Some executives saw their total compensation rise dramatically in fiscal 2009

Highest paid Canadian chief executives: While it was a tough year for the economy, these business leaders did okay

Investors seek disclosure on stock options: The problem: How to calculate what they are actually worth

Live, Thursday at noon ET: Your questions on executive compensation: Stephen Griggs, executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, and Globe and Mail reporter Janet McFarland will share their insights

Complete listing of the above articles is also available here

 

Virtual Workstyles Could Save U.S. Over $400 billion Per Year

A report commissioned by Citrix Online has found that virtual work policies could save U.S. businesses over $400 billion per year in increased productivity, lower office costs and reduced absenteeism and staff turnover. In addition to cost benefits for businesses, the report also cites advantages for individuals, the environment and the U.S. as a whole. According to Bernardo de Albergaria, Vice President, General Manager of Global Marketing and eCommerce of Citrix Online, fewer than 2% of U.S. employees practice flexible working. Kate Lister, the author of the report, reasoned that “workshifting makes sense for the U.S. It helps Baby Boomers stay in the workforce longer if they choose to, and appeals to Millennials' desire for flexibility and independence.”

Business Wire, May 18, 2010

Report: Workshifting Benefits (23 pages, PDF)

 

New Issue of the Ivey Business Journal

This May/June 2010 issue of the Ivey Business Journal focuses on managing complexity.  Articles include:  “Coping with Complexity”, by Niels Billou, Mary Crossan and Gerard Seijts ; “Service Complexity: Managing a House of Cards (really)” by Barry Cross; and “Managing under Complexity: where is Einstein when you really need him?”  by Gökçe Sargut and Rita Gunther McGrath.

Ivey Business Journal Online, May/June 2010

 

2010 Talent Shortage Survey

Manpower Inc. surveyed over 35,000 employers across 36 countries during the first quarter of 2010 to determine the impact of talent shortages on today’s labor markets. The results of the fifth annual Talent Shortage Survey revealed that 31 percent of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their markets.  The ten hardest jobs to fill in Canada (starting with the most difficult to fill) were: skilled trades; sales reps; technicians; drivers; secretaries and office support staff; engineers; chefs/cooks; mechanics; nurses; and teachers.

Manpower Inc.:  March 17, 2010: Supply/Demand:  2010 Talent Shortage Survey Results (20 pages, PDF)

Globe and Mail, 2010:  Skilled trades among world's toughest jobs to fill:  Despite the downturn, the need for specific skill sets means it’s tough to fill many positions

 

Total rewards and Employee retention

As companies begin hiring again, the results of a recent WorldatWork study titled, “The Relative Influence of Total Rewards Elements on Attraction, Motivation and Retention,” will be of interest.  The research examined the relative influence of compensation, benefits, work-life,  recognition and career development on employee attraction, motivation and retention. The report’s authors proposed that the relative importance of each element would differ depending on the outcome of interest.

WorldatWork Research, April 2010: The Relative Influence of Total Rewards Elements on Attraction, Motivation and Retention, (45 pages, PDF)

 

Quebec’s Growing Earnings Gap

A new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reveals that the earnings gap between the rich and the rest of Quebecois is at a 30 year high. The report examines income inequality among Quebec families raising children under the age of 18. Some of the key findings include:

Quebec families are working on average 321 hours more a year since 1996, which is the equivalent of an extra eight weeks of full-time work.

Most increased work time was accrued by families in the bottom 50% of the income spectrum but they’re earning less than their counterparts a generation ago.

The richest decile of Quebec’s families earn more today than a generation ago, without having to put in more time at the workplace. The further up the income ladder you go, the more striking the gains.

Report (59 pages, PDF) May 19, 2010

 

The Global Recovery?

Canada:

“David Dodge is taking his message on Canada’s deficits to a wider audience, writing an opinion piece for Bloomberg News … warning that Canada’s fiscal advantage relative to other rich countries might not be as strong as it looks.” [from the Globe and Mail see below]

Globe and Mail, May 25, 2010:  G8/G20 Global View:  In the lead up to the G20 summit, Kevin Carmichael will provide a running commentary on the critical issues facing the global economy that will be dealt with at the meeting.

Bloomberg, May 25, 2010: Canada’s Fiscal Edge to Fade Without Tough Action: David Dodge

The United States:

Globe and Mail, May 21, 2010: Jobless and feeling hopeless:  The statistics keep pointing to a U.S. economic recovery, with data showing a resurgence of hiring in April. But those numbers seem to be from another world to the millions of Americans whose search for employment is a continuous sad tale of frustration

Economic Policy Institute, May 11, 2010: Unemployed workers outnumber job openings 5.6-to-one in March Heidi Shierholz

Economic Policy Institute, May 13, 2010: The real deficit crisis: Jobs Ross Eisenbrey

Global Economy:

Globe and Mail, May 21, 2010: Reading the economic tea leaves: What economic indicators say about the global recovery

 

Book of the Week

Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Toronto : Random House Canada, 2010. 305 p.  ISBN 9780307357274

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? 
The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems – the rational mind and the emotional mind – that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort – but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people – employees and managers, parents and nurses – have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results:

The lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients (see page 242)

The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping (see page 130)

The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service (see page 199)

In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change. Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.

 

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