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More companies are prepared for crises

Concerned about security, more US companies have crisis management plans in place these days.

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The American Management Association reports that of 146 companies and executives surveyed last month, 64 percent said their firm has a crisis management plan in place, up from only 49 percent last year. Additionally, 62 percent have designated a crisis management team, up from 54 percent last year. And 42 percent said they routinely conduct drills or crisis simulations. Last year, only 39 percent said they were conducting emergency simulations.

The survey also found that:

• 87 percent of the firms have contingency plans in place that would allow business to continue in the event of an emergency such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack. The reason for the plan is to continue serving customers, protect the firms' brands or reputation, and reduce financial losses.
   
• 81 percent of the companies have backup communications plans with senior management.
   
• 84 percent have developed backup communications programs for employees.
   
• 64 percent have developed a way to communicate with emergency respondents in the event of a crisis.
   
• 38 percent are offering formal training on security measures, up from 35 percent in 2002.
   
• 39 percent said they have trained key personnel so that they will respond appropriately during a crisis, up from only 29 percent last year.
   

If they could do it all over again . . .

What do adults miss most about school?

When Ajilon Finance, a staffing firm, asked 1,011 working adults that question this summer, 83 percent said they would change the time they spent in school if they could return. Of those, two-thirds said they would study more and socialize less. About 20 percent said they would have more fun and study less. The margin of error was about plus or minus 3 percent.

In all, 92 percent believe some of the lessons they learned in school could improve their workplaces. For example, they said, bosses and co-workers should receive report cards. Fifty-eight percent said they could use a guidance counselor on the job.

''The desire to be able to rate bosses and co-workers demonstrates that the work force is far more concerned with equality than the quality of work,'' said Neil Lebovits, chief operating officer of Ajilon Finance.

''With many employees asked to go above and beyond with time commitments in the tight job market, it is really no surprise that they are asking that the workplace be a quality place to spend time.''

Report: Americans postpone retirement

Americans are retiring later.

Such are the findings of a survey by Allstate Corp. called ''Retirement Reality Check.'' The report, released Wednesday, found that the poor economic climate is the biggest reason that some older workers are delaying retirement plans and now expect to work during their later years. Another finding: Many say they would rather continue to work than quit altogether because they enjoy it.

The survey, the third in three years, was conducted in association with Harris Interactive, the research firm. The survey relies on a random digit dialing method that contacted 1,474 Americans born between 1947 and 1979, with household incomes of $35,000 per year or more. Of those surveyed, 190 were African-American and 224 were Latino. The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus 7.1 percent for the general population and plus or minus 6.5 percent for nonwhite respondents.

Twenty-nine percent will probably have to delay their retirement because of the slump in the stock market and the downturn. Twenty-seven percent of baby boomers age 38 to 57 said they are expecting to postpone full retirement. By contrast, 38 percent of those 24 to 37 years old said they expect to work longer.

Of the African-Americans surveyed, 35 percent expect to postpone retirement compared with 27 percent of white Americans and 29 percent of Latino respondents. Additionally, women are more likely to say that they are planning to delay retirement.

In all, 31 percent of the women surveyed plan to work past retirement age compared with 27 percent for men. Latinos said they were most concerned about the high cost of health insurance. As a result, 47 percent plan to continue working because they need health benefits, the survey said.

''Low interest rates and lackluster stock performance have hurt Americans' investments, including many pension and other company-sponsored plans as well as personal savings,'' said the report. It added that most of the respondents said they would delay retirement for 5.7 years. However, Generation Xers expect to work an additional 6.2 years beyond retirement age.

Even so, the survey found that most Americans still expect to retire at relatively young ages. Respondents who are between 38 and 57 years old expect to retire when they are 61.9 years old, the study found. Sixty-three percent of the men said they would continue to work in some form compared with 56 percent of the women.

Regardless of race or gender, most of the respondents - 60 percent - said they planned to remain in the workplace to some degree after retiring and many said they would do so because they like to work.

Participants needed for hiring survey

A networking support group called WeWantWork-Boston says it plans to conduct a survey of hiring practices between Sept. 7 and Oct. 4 to determine how current hiring practices can be improved. The group, which is modeled after a similar, unrelated support group in New York, is a self-liquidating team of laid-off professionals. That means that once a member finds new work, he or she is not replaced.

The group is also exclusive: Members join after being referred by other members who have vouched for their qualifications, character, leadership ability, and prior work. The members describe themselves as senior-level entrepreneural job seekers with 10 to 15 years of experience. Their website offers the names and résumés of members and invites employers to e-mail people they are interested in.

The organization was launched more than a year ago with about 40 members. The group also hosts events in Greater Boston that target executives and hiring managers at major companies and try to encourage corporate recruiters to consider hiring the organization's members as consultants or full-time employees.

Recently, WeWantWork-Boston said it would gather information about the hiring process from hiring managers, human resource professionals, job applicants, and recruiters to determine exactly how unemployed professionals should go about searching for work.

The goal of the survey is to compare and contrast perceptions of the hiring process and work with senior human resource executives to find ways to improve the system.

Readers who would like to participate in the survey should go to the group's website, www.WeWantWork-Boston.com. Those who complete the survey will receive results and may enter a drawing to win a half-day of consulting services selected from the membership at WeWantWork-Boston, the organization said.

Employers and other interested people can also contact Mike Halperin or Larry Flaccus at 781-324-4789 or 413-262-3270.

DIANE E. LEWIS

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