2002 WorldatWork Pre-Conference
Survey Results May, 2002
One month before WorldatWork's
47th Annual Conference, the association sent 1,207 surveys to registered attendees.
The survey was open from March 12to March 19, 2002. A total
of 418 responses were received, a 35% response rate. The survey queried
the conference attendees on a variety of issues, from personal job changes to
macroeconomic conditions and perceptions about how the media covers compensation
and benefits issues. The results of the survey are presented below.
Which of the following best
describes your job status during the past 12 months?
51%
no job
change
30%
same organization/promotion
or more responsibility
4%
same organization/lateral
move
1%
same organization/lower-level
position
12%
new job/new
organization/new industry
3%
new job/new
organization/same or similar industry
Since the start of the year,
tell us about the number of hours you've worked during an average week, compared
with 2001?
1%
fewer hours
in 2002
39%
more hours
in 2002
51%
about the
same in 2002 as in 2001
How optimistic are you about
the economic health of your company/organization in the next 12 months?
39%
very optimistic
37%
somewhat
optimistic
11%
neutral
9%
somewhat
pessimistic
3%
very pessimistic
1%
not applicable
Financially, how would you
characterize the year your company/organization had in 2001?
21%
excellent
37%
good
26%
fair
14%
poor
2%
not applicable
How
has your company's/organization's use of variable pay changed during the past
12 months?
25%
increased
8%
decreased
52%
stayed
the same
15%
don't have
variable pay
In
your current company/organization, which of the following best describes what
has happened to the HR department during the past 12 months?
22%
HR staff
headcount has increased
30%
HR staff
headcount has decreased
45%
HR staff
headcount has remained stable
1%
HR staff
consists of only me
3%
not applicable
During
2002, what has been the trend in your organization regarding the outsourcing
of HR functions?
22%
exploring
and/or doing more outsourcing
4%
less outsourcing/bringing
formerly outsourced functions back in
47%
about the
same amount as in 2001
27%
not applicable
Many
companies/organizations engaged in hiring freezes, pay freezes and employee
pay cuts during the final quarter of 2001. Please indicate which of these your
organization implemented and which have since been eliminated or loosened.
Hiring Freeze
Yes
No
a. Implemented
in 3rd or 4th Quarter, 2001
30%
70%
b. (if
yes to a) Fully retracted as of end of Quarter 1, 2002
23%
77%
c. (if
yes to a) Loosened as of end of Quarter 1, 2002
47%
53%
Pay Freeze
a. Implemented
in 3rd or 4th Quarter, 2001
14%
86%
b. (if
yes to a) Fully retracted as of end of Quarter 1, 2002
16%
84%
c. (if
yes to a) Loosened as of end of Quarter 1, 2002
24%
76%
Pay Cuts
a. Implemented
in 3rd or 4th Quarter, 2001
4%
96%
b. (if
yes to a) Fully retracted as of end of Quarter 1, 2002
38%
62%
c. (if
yes to a) Loosened as of end of Quarter 1, 2002
38%
62%
Unpaid Leave
a. Implemented
in 3rd or 4th Quarter, 2001
5%
95%
b. (if
yes to a) Fully retracted as of end of Quarter 1, 2002
61%
39%
c. (if
yes to a) Loosened as of end of Quarter 1, 2002
33%
67%
With 9/11 and global stock
market volatility in the 4th quarter of 2001, what decision did your company/organization
make regarding 2001 year-end bonuses for employees?
15%
Year-end
bonuses were reduced
4%
Year-end
bonuses were eliminated
2%
Year-end
bonuses were increased
57%
Sept-Dec events did not affect year-end 2001 bonuses
22%
not applicable
For 2002, what was the percentage
increase your company/organization faced for healthcare premiums?
Most common
response was in 10-20% increase range
During
the next six months, what is likely to happen to headcount in your company/organization?
22%
layoffs
are likely
28%
increase
in headcount is likely
49%
no change
in headcount is likely
2%
not applicable
In
general, do professionals in our field face more or fewer ethical dilemmas in
their daily work activities than other professions?
50%
more
3%
less
47%
about the
same
How
often do you face ethical dilemmas in your job?
2%
several
times a daily
17%
every
day or almost every day
28%
weekly
18%
monthly
21%
every couple
of months
14%
never or
almost never
Compared
to 10 years ago, how would you assess employer loyalty to employees?
68%
employers
are less loyal today
10%
employers
are more loyal
22%
about the
same/unchanged
Compared
to 10 years ago, how would you assess employee loyalty to employers?
84%
employees
are less loyal today
5%
employees
are more loyal
11%
about the
same/unchanged
How optimistic are you regarding
economic trends in the next 12 months?
8%
very optimistic
61%
somewhat
optimistic
54%
neutral
9%
somewhat
pessimistic
1%
very pessimistic
How do you think the mainstream
media covers compensation issues?
2%
very fairly
24%
somewhat
fairly
31%
somewhat
unfairly
6%
very unfairly
36%
depends
on the specific issue
How do you think the mainstream
media covers benefits issues?
2%
very fairly/objectively
32%
somewhat
fairly
28%
somewhat
unfairly/biased
5%
very unfairly
34%
depends
on the specific issue
WorldatWork will continue
to track these issues in periodic member "hot topic" surveys and in
a similar pre-conference survey in 2003. Thanks for your participation
and your help in building the profession's body of knowledge.
