2003 Trends Article

http://www.workforce.com/section/09/feature/23/45/53/

Quick read article, that always a good thing. I happen to agree that HR is making a transform from traditional back room human resources activities to a more value added strategic-partner role. Universal health care is going to be a reality in a couple of months hopefully with the new administration like what he said about mergers and acquisitions and that the main reason they fail is that no one studies the compatibility of the two cultures. In this economy however, mergers and acquisitions are a way to survive. We have seen this in regards to the banks, and I am sure we will see more mergers with US auto and retail. Accounting for people skills and talent is growing and this relate to the podcast we listened to a couple of weeks back, where companies take an inventory of people skills and abilities and value them to gain a competitive advantage despite a skills shortage. Finally, privacy is a major issue, and my belief is that a company has the right to monitor its employees in a work/business setting. I believe that labor unions will be done within the next 8-10 years. Let’s look at the current situation with the US auto makers. This week they were in front of congress begging for a bailout plan of their own. Why? Mainly because of mismanagement and a lousy union agreement, that adds about $3200 to every car these auto companies make. With global competition and the cost cutting more companies are always in I believe that this is a cost can that be eliminated. Furthermore, I believe that outsourcing will decline because of the improvements in living in other countries and the expansion of telework, freelance contractors, and improved productivity in the US market.