Human Capital in the Headlines

This is an article blurb that I ran across in the ASTD bulletin. Perhaps if the leaders of these organizations realized that the employees on their "To -do" list were actual people instead of human capital on a budget line, they would be well on their way to resolving the challenges faster. Your thoughts?


Boards Increase Oversight of Human Capital Issues Human Resource Executive (12/07) Vol. 21, P. 20; Behan, Beverly
A new study by the Hay Group reveals that more boards, especially those of the top companies, are paying attention to human capital issues. The Hay Group conducted a study of 150 top executives for Fortune magazine as part of their report on the World's Most Admired Companies. The survey found over 75 percent of boards added management of human capital to their to-do list in the past several years. Over 66 percent said CEOs and management often consult board members on human capital issues, like employee-turnover rates, job-acceptance rates, diversity statistics, and employee-satisfaction. Attention to these issues was even more prevalent in the most admired companies than average. For example, over 80 percent of the most admired companies developed human capital strategies as part of their overall corporate strategy, compared to 70 percent of most other boards. More than 80 percent of the most admired companies also included human capital measures as part of their CEO performance evaluation, and over 90 percent had emergency succession plans in place. This study demonstrates how attention to human resources is an important factor in helping a company get an edge on its competition.