Case Study
I- TITLE
THE BIG SQUEEZE ON WORKERS
II- SUMMARY
Spina says the downturn has force him to work even longer hours than he did during the boom-- about 15% more. The added hustling is one reason his team has racked up revenue gains of 46% this year in an abysmal ad market. “They're working longer and harder.” says Spina. Although recessions usually bring slides in this efficiency measure, the fourth quarters outstanding 5% gain gave more credibility to the idea that technology has made the economy more productive than ever before, But it’s not just fear that's motivating today's workplace. From the increase use of temps, to the reclassification of hourly workers into salaried employees ineligible for overtime pay, to the rise in variable pay that puts part of workers pay checks at risk, companies are now able to get more out of less, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says overall weekly hours worked have dropped in the recession-- in part due to manufacturers slashing hours. Still, whatever the numbers say, there's no doubt that right now employees feel they have little choice but to accept the grueling loads. . Many have bad memories of boom-time hiring binge in which they took on mediocre people just to fill slots and then wound up having to pay weeks of costly severance. The big question now, asks Mary Hammer shock, vice-president for human resources for Silicon Valley's Blue Martini Software, is "how much longer can you get people to do this when the upside has gone away?" .In fact, the temps have been the fastest growing sector of employment this year. And they aren't accounted for as regular employees. This helps companies that use a lot of them, like Cisco Systems Inc., to drive up revenue per employee. The growing use of the just-in-time workforce is not the only means by which companies are priming the productivity pump. Some employers are so worried about the issue that they are now doing wage-and-hour audits. Another potential productivity enhancer:
THE BIG SQUEEZE ON WORKERS
II- SUMMARY
Spina says the downturn has force him to work even longer hours than he did during the boom-- about 15% more. The added hustling is one reason his team has racked up revenue gains of 46% this year in an abysmal ad market. “They're working longer and harder.” says Spina. Although recessions usually bring slides in this efficiency measure, the fourth quarters outstanding 5% gain gave more credibility to the idea that technology has made the economy more productive than ever before, But it’s not just fear that's motivating today's workplace. From the increase use of temps, to the reclassification of hourly workers into salaried employees ineligible for overtime pay, to the rise in variable pay that puts part of workers pay checks at risk, companies are now able to get more out of less, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says overall weekly hours worked have dropped in the recession-- in part due to manufacturers slashing hours. Still, whatever the numbers say, there's no doubt that right now employees feel they have little choice but to accept the grueling loads. . Many have bad memories of boom-time hiring binge in which they took on mediocre people just to fill slots and then wound up having to pay weeks of costly severance. The big question now, asks Mary Hammer shock, vice-president for human resources for Silicon Valley's Blue Martini Software, is "how much longer can you get people to do this when the upside has gone away?" .In fact, the temps have been the fastest growing sector of employment this year. And they aren't accounted for as regular employees. This helps companies that use a lot of them, like Cisco Systems Inc., to drive up revenue per employee. The growing use of the just-in-time workforce is not the only means by which companies are priming the productivity pump. Some employers are so worried about the issue that they are now doing wage-and-hour audits. Another potential productivity enhancer: