2012 International HR Beat Survey Reveals What all HR Managers Need to Know About Their Company's Biggest Competitive Advantage - Its People

CHICAGO, Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- HR Technology Conference & Expo 2012 -- Employees and job seekers today are not afraid to ask for more money, flexibility and upgraded benefits from their employers, according to the 2012 HR Beat, an international survey of hiring managers and HR professionals. The independent research, conducted by Dimensional Research and commissioned by SuccessFactors, an SAP company, questioned more than 1,500 HR leaders and hiring managers throughout the U.S., Australia, France, the Netherlands, Germany and the U.K. The data will help companies better access and identify the right new hires - via mobile, Internet and social media technologies - and retain top talent - via creative benefits and perks.

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"The days of providing a one-size-fits-all benefits package and expecting employees to be happy are long gone," said Dr. Karie Willyerd, chief learning officer, SuccessFactors and co-author of The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today. "Business leaders who recognize the importance of tailoring benefits, providing training and mentoring programs, and leveraging social media and mobile connectivity will gain competitive advantage, win the talent wars and conquer the generation gap."

Top findings include:

• Generation X (ages 33-50) request bigger salaries and higher job titles than any other age group.
• Companies need to think outside the paycheck as employees request upgraded perks including free drinks, laundry services and massages.
• Use of mobile, Internet and social media to communicate with candidates and employees is gaining ground, but is still not being used by the majority of hiring managers and HR professionals.
• The difficulties of hiring internationally are impacting business growth, with over one-third saying their company has delayed entrance into new markets because of the challenges associated with hiring the right talent internationally. Despite speculation that the gender gap is shrinking, female employees are still asking for more job flexibility, while men are asking for more monetary benefits.

Generation X Are Most Demanding Employees
Despite the reputation of Millennials as the "me" generation, the research revealed that Generation X is actually the most demanding group with 39 percent requesting bigger salaries and 49 percent asking for higher job titles.

Millennials, in actuality, want to be developed and nurtured in the workplace, and are more likely to request training (40 percent) and mentors (42 percent). And the least demanding generation was Baby Boomers (those over 50 years old) with both Generation X and Millennials more likely to ask for higher pay and hiring bonuses vs. their elder counterparts.

Employees Today Want More Than Just the Pay Day
Employees and job hunters want employers to provide more than just money as part of their compensation. Requests for non-financial job benefits are becoming more common with 49 percent reporting requests for additional job perks, including time off for volunteering (16 percent), free massages (8 percent) and laundry services (8 percent).

Call Me Maybe? No, Tweet or Text Me Instead
According to the 2012 HR Beat survey, 51 percent of hiring managers have used at least one of the following tools to identify job candidates: resume search sites (24 percent), LinkedIn (24 percent), Facebook (23 percent) or Twitter (12 percent). Texting is also used when communicating with a job candidate, although less frequently with 12 percent of respondents reporting the use of texting during the recruiting process.

"The world of recruiting has changed as a result of social media and mobile technology.  Millennials send about 3200 text messages a month," said Willyerd. "The hiring process is no longer just about the face-to-face or phone interview. In some industries and regions, leveraging mobile, social media and online tools is a regular part of the recruiting process. Companies that don't embrace these tools risk being left behind and losing strong candidates, especially when trying to grab the attention of the Millennial generation."

International Hiring Difficulties Creating Broad Business Impact
Thirty-eight percent of respondents noted that they have delayed entrance into new markets and 28 percent reported that they've avoided entrance all together because of the difficulty in hiring internationally.

"Companies of all sizes are operating beyond the borders of their city, their state or even their country thanks to the internet and our truly global economy," said Willyerd. "This can be daunting for business leaders as every market has its own laws, business norms and customs. Human Capital Management software can be helpful as HR leaders navigate the requirements, manage their people and grow their business."

Gender Plays a Role in Requested Benefits
The HR Beat survey revealed that companies receive differing requests from men and women. According to HR professionals who responded to the survey, female employees are more likely to ask for:

• Reduced work hours (51 percent)
• Flexible work hours (50 percent)
• Flexible work locations (40 percent)

And male employees are more likely to ask for:

• A promotion (39 percent)
• An off-cycle raise (36 percent)
• An unscheduled bonus (33 percent)

"With more working mothers in the workplace than ever before and Baby Boomers caring for aging parents, the request for flexibility makes sense," said Willyerd. "Companies need to invest in creative engagement programs and talent recruitment and retention strategies to better engage with employees and candidates across generations, geography and gender."

To obtain a full copy of the research report, '2012 HR Beat: A Survey on the Pulse of Today's Global Workforce,' please visit sfsf.ly/hrbeat and follow the news on Twitter at hashtag #HRBeat.

For more SuccessFactors news announced at HR Technology Conference & Expo 2012 visit www.successfactors.com/hrtech2012.

Research Methodology
SuccessFactors, an SAP company, commissioned independent technology market research specialists, Dimensional Research, to conduct the survey. In September 2012, more than 1,500 hiring managers and HR professionals, from independent databases, participated in the online survey. The survey covered the United States, Western Europe (France, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K.) and Australia. Survey participants represented a wide range of company sizes and vertical industries.

About SuccessFactors, An SAP Company
SuccessFactors, an SAP Company, is the leading provider of cloud-based Business Execution Software, and delivers business alignment, team execution, people performance, and learning management solutions to organizations of all sizes across more than 60 industries. With approximately 15 million subscription seats globally, we strive to delight our customers by delivering innovative solutions, content and analytics, process expertise and best practices insights from serving our broad and diverse customer base. Today, we have more than 3,500 customers in more than 168 countries using our application suite in 35 languages.

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