Productivity Blog

Via CANADA.COM by Amy Husser, Canwest News Service Corporate Canada can improve productivity and decrease turnover if more active steps are taken to engage gay workers, results of a study suggest. According to research released Wednesday by Catalyst — a non-profit organization that promotes diversity in the workplace — “invisible” lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers are likely to be less engaged than their openly gay counterparts because of … Continue reading →

Via FORBES WASHINGTON — Worker productivity, the key ingredient to rising living standards, likely grew at a faster pace in the first quarter than the government previously estimated, while labor costs increased less. Productivity, the amount of output per hour of work, is expected to increase at an annual rate of 1.2 percent in the January-March period, according to economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters. That’s up from the government’s estimate … Continue reading →

Via Business Week By Jena McGregor Once considered off limits for salaried managers and professionals, base pay reductions are becoming increasingly common in today’s brutal recession. Many human resources experts believe the recent moves by major companies—household names such as FedEx (FDX), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Saks Fifth Avenue are all trimming salaries—could present perils when the economy turns back up again. They argue that star performers could bolt to other … Continue reading →

Via Uro Today By Chris Sexton, Center for Health Outcomes ResearchUnited BioSource Corporation Little research has focused on the impact of overactive bladder (OAB) on work productivity. Consequently, the impact of OAB and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) on work productivity was evaluated in employed men and women aged 40 to 65 in the United States. Data from a population-based, cross-sectional Internet survey were used to examine the impact … Continue reading →

Via The Globe and Mail by Jeffrey Simpson Canada has a serious productivity problem. The statistical evidence is unambiguous and of long standing.” Heard that before, or versions thereof? Probably not, unless you’re a policy wonk. Productivity is a word editors dislike, television disdains, politicians fear, and from which the general public recoils. It’s the great Canadian bore, right up there with Senate reform, equalization and the latest iteration of … Continue reading →

Via The New York Times by Lesley Alderman Once upon a time, corporations offered generous health benefits as a way to woo employees into their ranks. Now, most companies have turned from amorous suitors into stern parents — shifting more costs, and more responsibilities, to their employees. According to a January survey by the benefits consulting firm Hewitt Associates, nearly two-thirds of large employers planned to transfer more costs to … Continue reading →

Via Reliable Plant Labor productivity, defined as output per hour, fell 6.4 percent in the overall United States mining sector between 2006 and 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. This drop was led by a large productivity decline of 15.4 percent in metal ore mining (NAICS 2122), where hours rose rapidly. Unit labor costs rose in all of the mining industries in 2007. Unit labor … Continue reading →

Via Newsweek The Avis Economy – Can we end the recession simply by trying harder? by Daniel Gross What’s it going to take to get the economy out of its rut? Tax cuts, says the right. Public investments, says the left. Some of both, says the center. But after listening to a recent discussion about the recent and distant history of innovation and growth between White House economic adviser Lawrence … Continue reading →

Via Reliable Plant Labor productivity, defined as output per hour, rose in 66 percent of the detailed service-providing and mining industries in 2007, about the same as in 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on May 20. Unit labor costs, which reflect hourly compensation and productivity, rose in 70 percent of the industries, compared to 76 percent in 2006. Over the longer period, 1987 to … Continue reading →

by Robert A. Jacobson, Chairman, Board of DirectorsAssociation of Productivity Specialists The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization, the source for competition and economic information on countries around the world, committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and … Continue reading →