HR Pros Increase Focus on Profitability

June 18, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Human resources professionals are moving beyond their role as transactional administrators and becoming more involved in enhancing profitability, according to a survey published Monday.

The Human Capital Advisory Services practice of Deloitte & Touche LLP released the results of its annual human resources survey, which identifies trends in human resources at Fortune 1000 companies. The survey was based on the responses of 117 human resource professionals.

Results showed that 92% of respondents find recruiting qualified employees a major issue, and 66% report that retaining the best employees is increasingly challenging.

The demands of changing corporate cultures and the increasing need to support employee motivation was also highlighted as a trend

Analysis also showed that the number of companies resisting information technology as a recruiting tool has fallen by 33% since 1998, and the number of those who reported major challenges with technology decreased from 19% to 2%.

The majority of respondents were involved in a merger in the last two years, but report that reviewing performance measures, assessing communications methods and integrating compensation plans did not take place until the final stages of the merger.

Instead, HR professionals spent time examining company demographics, collecting employee data and gathering information on policies and procedures.


 

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