Corra Daily Planet

Can Your Top Executives Make the Right Choices

Corporate America is braced for the worst period of economic uncertainty since the start of the decade as the credit squeeze and the housing meltdown heighten the risk of a US slowdown.

US chief executives say the economic outlook has not been so difficult to read since the last recession in 2000-01. They warn that in spite of signs of a pick-up, the threat of an economic contraction is still alive.

Conflicting economic indicators and volatile business conditions make it difficult to take strategic decisions such as whether to hire or fire staff, or increase or slash capital expenditure, business leaders told the Financial Times.

For the complete article go to FT.com

Corra has seen several reports about economic downturns and tight times ahead. Undoubtedly, this is probably the case. But sometimes prediction of recession does more to bring on recession than actual business statistics. Whether this is true or not on this occasion is hard to say.

Meanwhile, we have had associates and clients tell us times are good for them and that they are expanding their businesses and hiring new employees. Sometimes tough time also create opportunity, and that is definitely a factor to consider.

For those undaunted by the dire predictions, if you are recruiting new employees you are still competing for talent. Recent reports have noted there isn’t enough talent to go around. And if you are hiring, you should have a preemployment screening program in place.

Background checks are essential today. They are cost effective and will reduce exposure to liability and public embarrassment. Check them out before you hire.

Where the Jobs Are–In the Hands of Fewer Than You Might Think

630 Thousand Execs Control 2/3 of World’s Workforce

According to a new survey carried out by Ipsos Media, America’s senior executives, CEOs and other C-suite officers from mid- to large-size companies have a ferocious appetite for quality business information.

The survey shows the average American business leader is male, aged 51, earns $408,000 per year, and has a personal net worth of $1.7 million. As a group, they garner a total combined annual income of $246 billion with combined personal net worth valued at over $1 trillion. A significantly powerful and affluent group, these individuals are highly educated, motivated, and are eager to acquire new knowledge and quality information. Interestingly, more than half said money was not their key motivation, showing quality of life is a high priority amongst the business elite.

The survey shows that America’s 630,000 senior business executives represent over 72,000 companies, responsible for over $1.7 trillion in annual expenditures, a figure greater than the gross domestic product of Italy, or that of Russia and Australia combined, and look after the interests of 144 million employees, approximately two thirds of the US workforce, or half the nation’s adult population.

For the entire article go to The Center for Media Research

Corra finds this article to include some rather impressive statistics. Or should Corra think these numbers more daunting than impressive. A few chiefs and a lot of braves. But this doesn’t always make for a happy tribe.

Employees are often looking for a way to get out from under. If they are not looking to start their own businesses, then they are perhaps looking to find a smaller, more innovative business that makes working seem like an adventure instead of a task. And then there are those who are summarily ejected from their last position and come to your business with a trick up their sleeve and a song in their heart, telling how they really want something more intimate.

That’s why there are background checks. It is not the total answer, and it certainly isn’t the only answer, but a good pre-employment screening program will help you in determining the best candidates. Some of the more popular background checks are criminal reports and credit reports. The Social Security Trace is also a must.

Check them out before you hire.

More Raids in the Crackdown on Illegals

HR Managers are Challenged as Competition for Employment Talent Intensifies

US Faces Challenge From UK and China in Talent War, First Ever Global Talent Survey Reveals

LONDON, September 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The USA’s status as the world’s biggest talent hotspot is under threat from the UK and China, according to the first ever Global Talent Index (GTI).

The US will maintain its position as the world’s leading country for nurturing and developing talent over the next five years, the Index developed by executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles and the Economist Intelligence Unit reveals. But it faces increasing competition from the UK, which rises to second place in by 2012, and China, which moves from eighth to sixth.

China is set to exploit its natural advantage as the world’s most populous country by significantly improving its compulsory education system and developing a much better environment for producing and nurturing talent. This will enable the country to build on its manufacturing base and attract increasing numbers of foreign-owned businesses.

Despite the strong performance of the US overall, its labor market is set to become less open and flexible over the next five years amid fears of terrorism. It will rank 9th worldwide on this measure -only one place above China.

for the entire article go to AndhraNews.net

Just when you think recruiting good employment candidates is tough enough, now you have stiff competition from places like the U.K. And China. As the evolving nations continue to…well…evolve…Corra sees new challenges for HR recruiters within the United States.

If you are recruiting from foreign countries, Corra can conduct international criminal background searches in just about every nation in the world. It is important to conduct education verification as well. These searches will assist in protecting you and making sure that candidate really is who he says he is.

Check them out before you hire.

Security Clearances–The Wheels of Government Turn Slowly

OPM: Progress made on security clearances

By Richard W. Walker

Agency asks GAO to reexamine 2006 review

Office of Personnel Management officials think the government is making progress on improving the timeliness and quality of its personnel security clearance investigations. In fact, OPM wants the Government Accountability Office to have another look at the situation.

In a September 2006 report, GAO found that the government was not meeting its goals for processing background investigations. The system, GAO said, seemed unable to maintain investigative standards consistently under the strain of increased demand for clearances.

But OPM Director Linda Springer said recently that considerable improvement has been made since GAO did the field work for the report and asked Congress to request an updated report from GAO.

For the entire article go to WashingtonTechnology.com

The wheels of government move slowly. Bureaucracies usually move at a glacial pace. Corra knows there should be no shock there. But you are hiring people and you have the kind of contract with a client where you have to checkout your employees for criminal searches and the OFAC or global terrorist watch list? What to do?

Call Corra. While we cannot help arrange to expedite security clearance, we can certainly run all the background checks that render your employees compliant with any stipulations. We can run these searches quickly and easily, returning some of the reports the very same day.

So check them out before your hire. And use Corra when you do so.

Hire Smart, Not By Committee

HIRING DECISIONS

For many, the hiring decision is a tough process. When more people are involved, the candidate is less likely to get hired.

Why? Because everyone has an opinion and many firms take the stance that it’s better not to hire anyone than to hire someone who may not work out, or could even remotely be perceived as a bad choice. While this is admirable in theory, in reality, stalling hiring decisions means that work piles up and nothing gets done.

If you are waiting until the end of a budget to “use up” your available funds, you’re cramming decision making into a smaller cycle.

For the entire article go to www.TechExecPartners.com.

Corra believes there is a lot of wisdom here. As a background checking service that has clients in the show business community, hey we are headquartered in Los Angeles, we hear enough horror stories about decision making by committee.

Hiring is sometimes difficult enough that one person struggles with all the criterion in the final decision making process. A committee will only add to the complexity and possibly cloud the waters.

One thing is for certain. Before you do reach the final decision, be sure you have a pre-employment screening program in place. Run background checks on all your finalists. This will often help alleviate the decision making progress and help you determine they are who they really say they are.

Check them out before you hire.

Making for Happier Employees

Happy at Work?

Workplace stress can leader to disease and lower productivity. While you can’t avoid deadlines and all stressful situations, there are ways to create an environment where you want to work.

Being happy and feeling fulfilled always motivates you to do more.

For the high stress organization:

• Create organizational changes to make work flow easier.
• Set realistic deadlines.
• Be inclusive in decision making.
• Hire and delegate. Establish equitable division of responsibilities.
• Team build. Throw an office party, host a dress-up day, and celebrate birthdays.
• Get involved in community causes outside of the office.

For the entire article go to TechExecPartners.com

Corra can tell you nobody likes a demoralized work force. Corra has seen a few in its time. Your employees hate to show up for work and after awhile even your most loyal customers don’t want to deal with you anymore. To say this is a lose-lose situation does justice to the garden variety lose-lose situation.

Treat your people well, and they in turn should do good work for you. If they don’t then talk to them and find out what is wrong. If that doesn’t work, get rid of them and find new employees who appreciate decent treatment and who will work for you. This theory is so old it is almost new, which is a comment itself on the state of things in the work place.

But Diane Gubin, author of the above article is quite correct in suggesting your stimulate your employees through interaction. Everyone wants to feel part of something greater than themselves. Well, almost everyone.

And if you do need new employees, run background checks. The criminal background check, especially and other background reports that address your candidate and the position he desire.

Check them out before you hire.