Deloitte Touche Tomatsu Ltd. recently released a report titled 'Resetting Horizons: Human Capital Trends 2013'. The top 5 trends outlined in the report were:

• next generation leadership
• accelerating organizational change
• the war to develop talent
• boards are changing the HR game
• transforming HR to meet new business priorities

Of particular note is the skills gap and the efforts to develop talent. The authors of the report feel that this is likely the most important point to pay attention to. Leadership development (not just recruitment) is crucial to being able to compete in the global market. Businesses today all face a unique set of challenges that will require different types of leaders and the strategies need to be in place to find, develop, and retain those resources.

The Harvard Business Review (April 2013) had a very interesting article about the economics of equality. A country's GDP will increase if women are employed at the same rate as men. For example, the GDP in the USA would increase 5% if women were employed at the same rate as men. A compelling reason for encouraging the economic participation of women.

So which countries are investing in the progress of women and which are falling short ? Booz & Company looked at 2 measures: policies in place to support women, and economic achievements of women (employement in high-level jobs, etc.).

Countries such as Canada, Finland , Australia, and Norway rate highly on both measures and are experiencing higher GDP because of it. The USA is doing well supporting policies guaranteeing access to education and employment but falling a bit short on the economic success of women. For example, the US doesn't provide income support during parental leave.

Other countries such as Japan, Chile and South Korea are making good progress supporting women with government policy but have yet to reap the full benefits of including women and women are still limited in access to education and credit. Conversely, women in countries such as China, Russia, and the Philippines, have had success accessing education and credit but those countries continue to struggle with the government policies needed to support women.

And there are countries of course that have made no effort whatsoever to improve the economic conditions of women through education, inclusion, or policy. These include: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Pakistan.

In recent years, organizations have added wellness programs to try and promote healthy lifestyles and engage employees. Conceptually, these programs could benefit both the individual and the company. Happier, healthier employees translate to more productive and engaged workers. A recent report out by Global Corporate Challenge states that employees are not participating for two main reasons: lack of time, and the initiatives are not fun.

"Wellness programs in the workplace are no good to those who don’t have time to take part. According to GCC, trying to feel better – through exercise, distressing or nutrition – has to be an integral part of a company in order for it to have a place in the work day. It has to be part of the culture. Workers can’t feel they have to break free of their schedules to take time to feel better; it has to be part of their schedules.

If employee engagement and morale are important, and a vast majority of employees see fun as a top priority, are these wellness initiatives sapping morale by offering a disappointing experience?

According to GCC, lack of implementation may be the culprit here, as well as the drag of not feeling there’s enough time to feel good. Budget constraints are the real pull, according to the organization’s report, as are sufficient resources to promote and execute the initiatives."

Check out the full article here.

Like many others running a business today, I have been trying to understand all the different digital and social marketing tools and how they fit into our larger marketing plan. I went to a breakfast seminar this morning put on by BIV (Business in Vancouver). It was a panel discussion on digital marketing strategies and how to take the first steps. The panel participants were:

• Andrea Hadley, president & partner, dStrategy Media
• Bryan Mavrow, senior vice-president, marketing, First West Credit Union
• Paul Hecht, vice president, digital media, Glacier Media

My top 5 takeaways from the discussion were the following:

1. All marketing strategy (including digital and social) has to drive from the organization's goals. You have to know what your ultimate goal is, whether it be increased brand recognition or more sales of your product or service, you have to be clear on what you are trying to achieve.
2. You have to be able to measure results of your marketing strategy against your goals. Don't put further tactics in place or change your strategy until you understand the impact of your previous efforts. If you can't measure it, don't do it.
3. Target your messaging. You want to be seen as an authority in your industry and to your customer base.
4. Outsource the skills you do not have in-house. This is especially true in the digital world where things are changing very quickly and most organizations do not have internal talent they can call on for the advice they may need in such a rapidly changing technical world.
5. Content is everything. You need to continually refresh your content no matter what delivery method. If your website is your core source of content, you need to make sure it is properly and actively managed.

We are all looking for signs that the economy is strengthening. The latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey about Canadian employers' plans to hire, shows things are holding steady and we have reason to be optimistic.

'The quarterly employment outlook survey reveals that 20% of employers plan to increase their staff payrolls in the second quarter, 75% intend to maintain their current workforce, and only 5% are foreseeing cuts.

"The national hiring climate should remain upbeat," said Byrne Luft, Vice President of Operations for Manpower Canada. "Employers in the Transportation & Public Utilities and Construction sectors anticipate the strongest gains in the upcoming quarter, especially in Western Canada. Additionally, we're seeing that most of the new jobs created in Canada so far this year have been full-time positions. This continuing trend toward full-time employment is an encouraging sign."

This positive news on the hiring front aligns with other recent reports. According to the latest Stats Can Labour Force Survey, the Canadian economy added over 50,000 new jobs in February of this year.'

Check out the full article here.