Google, Twitter and Employee Surveys

-First up on our Friday is Wallet Pop which has an article about Google fighting brain drain with an algorithm

-Social Media Today continues by talking about Twitter and the cost to a company by judging the opportunity cost of not allowing employees to use it during work hours

-Lastly, HR Resource talks about the value of employee engagement surveys as part of a change management strategy

Have a great weekend!

Hiring Slowly Improving But Those Who Haven't Been Laid Off Suffer

-The South Florida Business Journal starts us up with a Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) survey which says that hiring is slowly improving and the Central Valley Business Times has some more information on that

-CNNMoney says that after layoffs, layoff survivors are now stuck with more responsibilities and more stress but aren't getting any more money.

-Lastly, after we just quoted a few surveys from employees...word from the Associated Press (AP) that companies are turning away from employee surveys

What I'm Hearing...Salary "Surveys"

If your Sunday newspaper carries Parade magazine, you undoubtedly read their annual report What People Earn. The story contained some interesting information, as well as some facts and comments that I, as a compensation professional, already know.

I had a few concerns with the story, though. First, I did not see any quotes or source material from compensation or benefits firms. I’m left wondering where the author obtained the data she used.

Second, as this was a nationally distributed piece, there should have been some discussion around how salaries differ. One of my clients recently called this “your mileage may vary.” To read the story, I might think that my pay should be the same as, or higher than, what’s reported. However, so many factors influence pay – performance, tenure, compensation philosophy, geography, etc. – it is misleading to the general public to not mention such factors.

What did you think of Parade’s story? Take a peek and let us know!