Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres Provides CEO Insights on Social Networks vs. Management at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Jeff Joerres, Chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc. will contribute to a private session at the World Economic Forum today titled: Social Networks vs. the CEO - is the CEO Prepared? Below is an executive summary of research by Manpower Inc. and its subsidiary, Right Management, which provides the basis for those remarks.  A full copy of the Manpower white paper: Social Networks vs. Management? Harness the Power of Social Media is now available at http://www.manpower.com/research/research.cfm.

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"In a time of salary and bonus freezes, organizations that can harness social media to help employees feel truly connected to the organization, positive about their employer and therefore more supportive of measures to help ensure the survival of the business, will reap the benefits." - Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres.

Many well-known organizations are leveraging the connective power of social media to enhance employee engagement, productivity, collaboration, innovation and reputation.  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Ning, Plaxo, Hi5 and Second Life let individuals connect, communicate and share information with revolutionary ease and power, yet there are many complexities yet to be explored:  

No Social Media Policy for Three Fourths of Workers

Manpower Inc. data reveals that 75 percent of employees say their organizations do not have a formal policy regarding the use of social networking sites at work. Where a policy does exist, it may focus on risk management, rather than how organizations can make the most of social networking for the benefit of their employees and their business. This "wait and see" approach is of particular concern in today's market in which there are high levels of discontent among employees which may drive attrition. Paradoxically, this movement in the labor market may not necessarily result in an availability of talent; there is still a mismatch between where talent is needed and where it's located.

One Fourth of Workers are Updating Their Resumes

Employee discontent is borne out by the findings of a recent survey(1) by Manpower subsidiary  Right Management, which revealed that many workers are unhappy with their present jobs; 60 percent intend to leave and an additional one in four are networking and updating their resumes. More than ever, employers must harness the power of social networks to manage their employer brand to help attract new candidates and keep existing employees aligned and engaged.

Nearly a Third of Workers Use Social Media to Research Job Culture

A subsequent survey(2) by Right Management confirmed that social networks are a place where workers go to assess prospective employees.  31 percent of respondents said they use social media to find out if prospective employers value and respect their employees. The growing use of these networks does raise challenges for reputation management for organizations and will likely require them to relinquish some control, but if organizations are prepared to embrace social media there can be considerable benefits.  The survey also revealed that 30 percent of respondents use social media to find out about career development opportunities. This provides a great opportunity for organizations embracing social media, since career development was listed by 40 percent of respondents of an additional survey(3) to be the most important factor when considering a new employer.  

Manpower Inc. recommends that companies consider taking the following steps to promote the constructive use of social networking:

• Challenge employees to innovate. Promote the positive use of social media by encouraging employees to come up with ways to use these tools to do their jobs better. People love to discuss their successes, so get employees to describe how they've used social media tools in new ways, for example, to generate leads or serve customers better. You can focus these efforts by function or interest, as needed. Follow the lead of so many innovative organizations and run a contest for the best new ideas.
• Tap internal experts.  Teach by example by encouraging employees who regularly use social networking in their jobs to discuss and demonstrate how it's done. Keep track of the new ideas that flow from this kind of mentoring exchange and share the ideas and best practices.
• Let employees "own" the governance. The foundation of any healthy social network is an engaged community. Let your employees help develop and enforce your company's guidelines. This approach will certainly appeal to those employees most likely to use social media, promoting trust in the goals of the guidelines that ultimately are instituted.

The Savvy CEO Will Use Social Media to Inspire Contemporary Working

Social networks offer an important opportunity to build a winning organization.  For the workforce at large, social media can help keep employees intellectually and emotionally engaged. Social networks are particularly suited for communications intended to keep employees connected to an organization's mission and vision. The Manpower Paper: Social Networks vs. Management? Harness the Power of Social Media offers specific ways social media can help employees do their jobs better, including ways that it can boost productivity, encourage collaboration, manage knowledge, recruit workers and build a winning brand.  A full copy of the Manpower Paper: Social Networks vs. Management? Harness the Power of Social Media is available at http://www.manpower.com/research/research.cfm.

About Manpower Inc.

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment services industry; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. With over 60 years' experience, the $22 billion company offers employers a range of services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting.  Manpower's worldwide network of 4,100 offices in 82 countries and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands:  Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management.  More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com.

About Right Management

Right Management (www.right.com) is the talent and career management expert within Manpower, the global leader in employment services. Right Management helps clients win in the changing world of work by designing and executing workforce solutions that align talent strategy with business strategy. Our expertise spans talent assessment, leadership development, organizational effectiveness, employee engagement and workforce transition. Right Management has a global network of more than 300 service locations in over 50 countries, serving 80% of the Fortune 500 and 50% of the Global 1000 companies.

(1) Right Management surveyed 904 employees in North America via online poll.  The survey ran between 19 October and 5 November 2009

(2) Right Management surveyed 470 workers between 11 December 2009 and 20 January 2010.

(3) A LinkedIn survey of more than 1,363 employment candidates by Right Management was conducted between 23 October and 6 November 2009 in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

SOURCE Manpower Inc.