@Risk

Even though business executives from around the world may be disgruntled with their jobs, most are planning to sit tight in their positions –at least for now.

Accenture recently conducted an online survey of 3,900 business executives from medium to large companies in 31 countries and found that:

• More than half of both the women (57 percent) and men (59 percent) surveyed are dissatisfied with their jobs. But even so . .  .
• More than two-thirds (69 percent) of all respondents said they do not plan to leave their current employers. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) cited flexible work arrangements as the reason for staying put.
• Underscoring earlier research which indicated a growing concern for work-life balance, the majority (59 percent) of respondents reported having some type of flexible work schedule. More than four in ten (44 percent) of this group said they have used flexible work options for more than three years. (more…)

As The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend, Apple Inc. is “increasingly finding itself pinched between the promise and perils of doing business in China.”

Last Friday –and for the first time ever –Apple released a comprehensive list of its major suppliers and a detailed report on factory inspections throughout the company’s sprawling supply chain.

In addition, Apple recently became the first technology company accepted by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), an organization that monitors workplace environments worldwide.

These moves come on the heels of stepped-up pressure from activists worldwide. Earlier this month, workers from a Foxconn Technology factory in China waged a large protest that involved threats from some to commit suicide.   (more…)

Highly skilled Chinese workers are a tremendously valuable asset to multinational companies doing business in China.

However, new research from the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) shows that many of these workers are now engaging with domestic employers –a trend that puts Western companies trying to compete for talent in a precarious position.

According to CEB, there are two main reasons for this shift:

• China’s continued economic growth despite the global recession

• Chinese companies offer more compelling career opportunities than their counterparts based in the West

At this point, CEB says Chinese companies are essentially viewed as equal to multinational brands in terms of employment preference.

“Our Western multinational clients are increasingly concerned about their ability to attract and retain highly skilled Chinese talent,” Conrad Schmidt, executive director of CEB’s Corporate Leadership Council, explained in a press release.  “Many say their Chinese talent is being aggressively recruited and employees get calls daily.  What’s more, multinationals are hard pressed to fend off the domestic attack, since the benefits that have been historically most attractive to this talent pool are no longer unique.  In fact, many Chinese employers can match or beat them.”

Clearly, Western multinationals must re-evaluate their recruiting strategies if they hope to re-establish their edge and effectively recruit within China. Based on its research, the CEB developed five specific recommendations for Western companies that want to regain their footing. The CEB says that Western multinationals that want to attract and retain highly skilled Chinese talent need to revamp their approach to: (more…)

A study of chemical workers in Belgium has revealed some disturbing insights about how these employees view their jobs –and their employers.

The research, based on a series of seven focus group interviews, found that:

• Even though chemical workers perceive a high risk of on-the-job chemical threats, most are resigned to accepting the risks as being “part of the job.”

• Workers don’t necessarily trust management and health advisors.

• Workers frequently identify problems with written safety guidelines.

• Written materials on chemical properties, which often serve as the official guide to industrial hygiene practices at factories, are seldom understood or relied on by workers.

“Instead of relying on highly technical fact sheets on toxic risks, many workers turn to the anecdotal experiences of their peers to guide their actions, including choices to wear personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves,” the report’s lead author, Ramona Hambach of the University of Antwerp in Belgium, said.

Compounding the problem, workers’ perceptions of risk are rarely taken into account when considering workplace prevention programs. (more…)

In the wake of walkouts at several Chinese manufacturing facilities over the past few months, I’m starting to wonder about China’s future as a low-cost manufacturing base.

Most recently, the Toyoda Gosei plant, located just north of Beijing, was shut down by a one-day strike last Tuesday. Although short-lived, the work stoppage underscores growing employee discontent at the facility, and a strike resolution came only after managers agreed to discuss wage increases, Reuters reports.

A few days later, Honda Motor Co. was in the middle of a similar dilemma. The company had to re-negotiate wages to prevent a strike at Honda Lock (Guangdong) Co. in the Pearl River Delta  –and that wasn’t the first time Honda has had to respond to employee demands for better pay. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, wage concessions by Honda after walkouts that shut down three parts factories in the past month may erode the company’s net income by as much as five percent. (more…)