by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

A recent Canadian study, as reported in the American Journal of Public Health, found that chronic job stress raises blood pressure. The study followed more than 6,719 white-collar workers for 7.5 years and found that those with high job demands and low levels of social support in the office tended to have higher blood pressure than other workers.

Previous studies have also found a link between cardiovascular problems and job strain — which is typically defined as work with high psychological demands, but with little independence or decision-making authority.

The doctors behind the Canadian study suggested that employers give workers more support or more say in how they accomplish their tasks, loosen up deadline pressure, or offer more chances for learning and growth.

Popularity: 2%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Every day, 420 women start their own businesses — twice the rate at which men do so.

A great article on Forbes.com today looks at the growing number of women leaving Corporate America to start their own businesses.

According to writer Margaret Heffernan, women are leaving the corporate fold primarily because they want more control over their lives. And research shows this brain drain is bad news for corporations. Read the Forbes.com story.

Popularity: 2%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

The results of a recent survey from Harris Interactive show that 71% of adults in the U.S. think that Corporate America’s reputation is either "not good" or "terrible."  In addition, 48% said that corporate reputation has declined “a lot.”

The question is whether corporations really care. With compelling evidence that corporate reputation has a significant impact on the bottom line, companies would be smart to pay serious attention to their increasingly bad reps. The evidence is hard to ignore:

• An Economist Intelligence Unit survey cited reputational risk as the biggest potential threat to an company’s value. More than 30% of CEO respondents said that reputational risk represents the greatest potential threat to their company’s market value. Interestingly, only 11% said that they had taken any action against this threat.

• Fortune Magazine, publisher of the “America’s Most Admired Companies” survey, calculates that a decrease of 1 point on its reputation scale reduces a company’s market value by an average of $107 million.

But how do you fix a damaged reputation?  There is no quick fix and more PR spin is rarely the answer. Glossy brochures and zippy press releases are no longer enough to fool a cynical public.

Instead, corporate reputation rehab requires taking a hard look at business policies and management philosophies and making real changes. According to Fortune, attributes with significant influence on corporate reputation include innovation, people management, social responsibility, and quality of management.

Let’s hope that dismal survey results will eventually convince Corporate America to make reputation a priority. Those of us working in the corporate trenches can only benefit.

Popularity: 2%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

In Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, Patagonia CEO Yvon Chouinard details the company’s eco- and people-conscious philosophies on business. Patagonia gives 1% of annual net sales to environmental groups and also sets benchmarks for employee-friendly policies.

It’s an approach that has landed Patagonia on the Great Place to Work Institute’s list of best companies to work for in America. By the time you finish the book, you may be polishing your surfboard and your resume.

Popularity: 2%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Michael Stawasz was just nine months away from collecting on his Ford Motor Company pension plan when he was unceremoniously downsized.

After thirty years as a technician for Ford, Stawasz had been looking forward to retiring with full benefits after a long career. Instead, he found himself in the unemployment line. Stawasz told The Detroit News that he took little comfort in his consolation prize — a certificate honoring him for his years of service.

The Detroit News also reports that Stawasz and about two dozen others are now suing Ford, accusing the company of age discrimination and firing them to avoid paying full benefits.

Popularity: 2%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Last week, the Japanese Health Ministry announced that the country’s 2005 birthrate fell to a record low of 1.25 babies per woman, well below the 2.1 required to keep the population steady. It took this dramatic development to inspire the Japanese government to get serious about flexibility for working mothers.

Experts blame the decline in births on the difficulty of balancing a career and children in Japan. Companies demand long hours and childcare options are extremely limited. As a result, many career-minded Japanese women are reluctant to become mothers.

The Japanese Cabinet Office’s Gender Equality Bureau has responded to this trend with a report recommending that the government encourage companies to rehire former employees, improve salary and labor conditions for part-time workers and ease maximum age limits in hiring. The report also calls upon the government to help mothers find jobs, learn new skills and start small businesses.

According to the report, "Women can feel at ease giving birth and raising children in an environment where they can continue working."

It took a plunging birthrate and impending labor shortage to bring the plight of working mothers to the attention of the Japanese government. Companies that make it easier for working moms to return to the workforce are likely to also reap business benefits through a larger talent pool and greater diversity of thought. Could Japan’s efforts inspire companies in the U.S. to also look at programs to help working parents (not just moms) balance career and family?

Popularity: 2%