News in brief

Talent drain in A&D sector

Aerospace and defence (A&D) organisations are struggling to attract and retain critical talent, according to Deloitte Consulting’s Win the War for Talent survey, which polled 42 non-HR senior executives from 16 A&D companies on talent-management practices in their organisations.

While nearly 90 per cent of survey respondents indicated that their organisation discusses talent management as part of strategic planning, the response data also suggests that organisations are developing talent-management programmes in isolation, rather than as part of a fully integrated approach.

Furthermore, only 29 per cent of respondents said their organisations design employee rewards packages based on the expressed preferences of critical employees.

Incentives used to reduce sick days

In an attempt to tackle employee absence, 27 per cent of employers now offer incentives to encourage staff to take fewer sick days, according to a new European survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. But opinion on the appropriateness of these incentives, such as vouchers and bonuses, is mixed. Some employers – particularly those in the UK – are concerned that they may increase ‘presenteeism’ among those who are genuinely ill. Over 380 organisations across Europe took part in the survey.

Steve Clements, principal at Mercer, explained: “Some employers believe that by offering incentives to reduce absence, they are encouraging employees who are genuinely sick to attend work. Many also struggle with the notion of rewarding employees for doing what is expected of them - that is, to work when they are fit to do so.”

To help reduce the risk of employees being absent due to ill health, almost half of the respondents (49 per cent) promote health initiatives and benefits in their organisation. Among these employers, health screening is the most popular initiative, with 60 per cent offering access to this service. Interestingly, Southern Europe takes the lead, with 78 per cent of companies offering health screening followed closely by Eastern Europe at 76 per cent, compared to 49 per cent in Northern Europe. Subsidised gym membership is most prevalent in Eastern Europe, with 54 per cent offering this benefit to employees compared to 32 per cent in Northern Europe and 27 per cent in Southern Europe.

US workers rate healthcare benefit as top perk

According to the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), US workers consider their healthcare benefit as the most important extra an employer can offer. “With the talent crisis increasing, healthcare benefits are going to play a huge role in attracting top level employees,” said NBGH president, Helen Darling.

The number of employers offering consumer-directed health plans continues to grow. However, those companies that are most effective at controlling healthcare costs are combining these plans with other health-related tactics.

In a survey of 573 large companies, conducted by Watson Wyatt Worldwide and the NBGH, the portion of companies offering a consumer-directed health plan increased from 33 per cent to 38 per cent in the last year. As of five years ago, only a handful of companies offered such plans, which generally include a high-deductible plan coupled with a personal savings account such as a health savings or health reimbursement account (HSA or HRA). Forty per cent of employers now offer or plan to offer an HSA, and 26 per cent offer or plan to offer an HRA.

Infor’s talent-management solution a ‘strong performer’

Infor has announced the worldwide rollout of Infor HCM Talent Management 4.5.1, the next generation of its workforce learning and performance solution that includes enhanced features for operating in the global marketplace.

Forrester Research recently ranked Infor HCM Talent Management a ‘strong performer’ among vendors who support both multinational and US-based enterprises, as part of its human resource management systems (HRMS) Forrester Wave. In an evaluation against ten other vendors, Infor ranked highest for the functionality of its talent management solution, and received the highest rating for customer experience.