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Tuesday, October 25, 2005

The Newfound Focus on Employee Productivity

A recent survey published by Inc. Magazine finds that employers prefer to grow with their existing staff, but question their ability to meet company goals.

A study released by Softscape, a workforce management consultancy, found that only 35% of 650 companies surveyed plan to add staff to help meet their company's existing goals. The majority expects existing employees to drive growth and development.

Aaron Dun, an author of the study, said that companies have spent the last five years trying to squeeze costs out of operations, suppliers and assets like information technology. Now they are focusing on employee productivity to complete restructuring of the business as a whole.

But over 60% of the managers surveyed worry that their current employees lack the skill sets and competencies to help the company grow. "The survey revealed that many managers found a mismatch between the skills their employees have and the skills needed to take the company where they want to go," said Dun.

BOTTOMLINE: For small businesses, the survey indicated that mentoring and individual training are the most effective methods for matching employee skill sets with company goals.

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