May 18th, 2010
They May Not Like You.
Source: WSJ Online
David Wessel’s column on 13 May made the point that in the country today there is a significant amount of distrust, frustration and anger.
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“The distrust goes beyond government: People are angry at pretty much the entire establishment. More than 60% of Americans in Pew Research Center polls say banks, big corporations and Congress have a negative effect on the way things are going in the U.S.—and the national news media don’t do much better.”
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“… … … they see unemployment at nearly 10% and more than five jobless workers for every job opening. For those with jobs, they see wages are languishing despite an eye-popping increase in labor productivity, or output per hour of work. Private-sector hourly earnings in the U.S. have risen at a 0.4% annual rate over the past three months, while prices have climbed at about a 1% pace, the Labor Department says. Weekly earnings are growing at about a 1.5% rate, but that’s because workers are putting in more hours.”
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It strikes me as a time to continue to be extremely careful in HR communications. A focus on doing and the telling about how an employer delivers simple fair play into the work place, transparently presented, is an important focus to have.
The Wall Street Journal had a great article in Saturday’s (17 May 2008) paper about Erin Callan the CFO of Lehman Brothers. Among other favorable qualities that Ms. Callan brings to bear on the job, the article stresses how she seeks out direct information then uses great communication internally and externally to do her job. It specifically talks about how she uses less detailed top line financial information, and more direct contact with traders to stay informed. Most importantly however, the article shows how by being proactive and highly communicative externally, she is creating value by reducing the market’s perception of the risks at Lehman.