02.02.2010 – Chicago—A survey of Illinois human resources professionals suggests there may be a glimmer of hope for employees, and the Illinois economy, in 2010.
The Illinois State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (ISC-SHRM) surveyed human resources professionals in December and January and more than half reported their staffing levels will remain flat while 33 percent said they planned to add staff.
According to ISC-SHRM board member Heather Hammit, Peru, Ill., it was also encouraging to hear that most employers plan to sustain employer 401(k) contributions in 2010.
“I view this as a positive economic indicator,” she said, but cautioned that the sample size of 59 employers made it difficult to draw completely solid conclusions. “Nonetheless, in this time when any good economic news is welcome, this is potentially a ray of light.”
She pointed out that 35 percent of the respondents worked in organizations of more than 1,000 employees and 44 percent had human resources staff of five or more.
Illinois companies not embracing social media for employee recruitment
Despite the popularity of websites like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, nearly 70 percent of survey respondents cited other websites and employee referrals as their most effective recruiting methods.
“While the explosion of social networking has created a buzz within HR, as a recruiting method, there is still much reservation,” Hammitt said. She noted that HR professionals may be slow to embrace sites like these out of legal and privacy concerns as well as assurances that the information on the sites is accurate.
She added that online tools, in many cases, have minimized the importance of resumes as online application questionnaires are automating the process.
“In today’s high unemployment environment, recruiters don’t have time for gimmicky resumes,” she advised. “Being able to pull from an online database or (in more advanced companies) using a recruiting tool that picks up key words is more suitable. Standardization saves time.”
Wellness programs popular among Illinois employers
Two-thirds of Illinois HR professionals surveyed reported that they offer some form of a wellness program, with health risk assessments and smoking cessation efforts leading the list.
“HR professionals cite research linking employee wellness programs to a company’s bottom line,” Hammitt said. “As rapidly rising health care costs continue to burden both employers and employees, it is not surprising that employers are embracing initiatives aimed at keeping employees healthy and, ultimately, more productive.”
ISC-SHRM and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois have teamed up to develop an employee wellness website--http://wellness.illinoisshrm.org--that provides information to human resources professionals who are interested in offering employee wellness programs.
About ISC-SHRM
The Illinois State Council for the Society for Human Resource Management (ISC-SHRM) is dedicated to serving the needs of SHRM chapters in Illinois by representation to SHRM and assistance in achieving each SHRM Illinois chapter's highest potential. ISC-SHRM promotes professionalism in human resources and adds value to the SHRM membership. The ISC-SHRM Board is made up of volunteer representatives across Illinois who serve to advance the human resources profession.
Our purpose is to support over 12,800 human resources professionals in Illinois who are either members of SHRM Illinois chapters or members of SHRM by providing timely and relevant information, ongoing professional development opportunities and intra-state communication regarding issues of interest in the field of human resources.
For more information, visit ISC-SHRM on the web at www.illinoisshrm.org.
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