How Fleet Bank fought employee flight

In the late 1990s, Fleet Bank was facing high and rising employee turnover, particularly in its retail operations. Overall turnover had reached 25% annually, and among some groups, such as tellers and customer service reps, turnover was as high as 40%. Using a new methodology developed by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Fleet set out to determine why so many employees were leaving and what could be done to retain them. It began examining data from HR, finance, operations, and sales about employee behavior and the factors that influence it in different locations and labor markets, departments or work groups, in positions with different pay and benefits, and under different supervisors. Fleet's analysis showed that people were leaving not so much for better pay--their personal testimony notwithstanding--but for broader experience, which they thought would enhance their marketability. Additionally, the analysis revealed a link between the turnover problem and the company's busy history of mergers and acquisitions. Fleet's mergers and acquisitions. frequently meant that it had to consolidate operations. That consolidation resulted in layoffs, which provoked higher levels of voluntary turnover, perhaps because remaining employees began worrying about their job security. While the obvious solution to the turnover problem might have been to compensate the remaining employees--say, with higher pay--the more effective and less costly solution, Fleet discovered, was to focus on employees' career opportunities within the company. Those who moved up the hierarchy, or who even made lateral moves, stayed longer. By offering better internal opportunities for career development, the bank was able to stanch much of the hemorrhaging in personnel. Its solutions required only modest investments, which in the end saved the company millions of dollars.     

MAPS FOR MANAGERS: WHERE ARE WE? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Research on managerial cognition in genetal, and on cognitive mapping in particular, is receving a great deal of attention in Europe and the US, but the work being done is currently disparate and loosely coupled. Furthermor, the development of maps as a decision aid has tended to focus on specific sub-areas of cognition. In this article we argue that the broad strategic concerns of managers require a portfolio of different kinds of cognitive maps. The interactions among these maps are as important as the functions of each one separately. We develop a framework for classifying cognitice maps and argue for the importance of managing multiple maps.     

Index

Other Index

Index     

Light availability and growth of wildcelery (Vallisneria americana) in upper Mississippi River backwaters

Large beds of Vallisneria americana declined in the backwaters of the Upper Mississippi River after a drought that occurred between 1987 and 1989. One hypothesis for this decline is that low light availability may have decreased net photosynthesis to the extent that overwintering tubers were not formed. Following the decline, light availability remained low. To determine what light levels would be necessary for the re-establishment of Vallisneria in the Upper Mississippi River, the long-term growth of plants in a backwater lake and in an experimental pond was measured while the surface and subsurface light were monitored continuously. Plants grown from tubers transplanted to 0·5, 1·0 and l·5m depth in the lake grew and produced tubers only at 0·5m depth (9% of surface light). At 1·0 m, light availability was less than 1% of the surface light. Plants grown from tubers in experimental ponds with four shade treatments (2, 5, 9 and 25% of surface light) for the same growing period produced replacement-weight tubers in 9% light. For a longer growing season, plants also produced replacement-weight tubers in treatments with at least 5% of surface light. An average light-extinction coefficient of 4·64 m^?1 was calculated for the backwater lake based on continuous data collected during 94 days during the growing season from eight widely separated sites. Using equations based on the average extinction coefficient for the lake and average leaf lengths of plants grown in experimental ponds, we predict that in years with comparable turbidity, plants grown from locally collected tubers will grow and produce replacement tubers only at depths of 0·8 m or less.     

A case‐study of an organisation for creche teachers in a rural area of South Africa

Early childhood educare programmes can aid development through their impact on young children, their mothers and the community. The stages of development of the Hlanganani Crèche Teachers’ Organisation are outlined. The lessons for development and the effectiveness of the organisation in addressing educare issues are examined. An organisation for educare workers can be effective in dealing with problems facing educare workers if it is approached with the aim of developing and empowering its members.     

Reviews

REGIONAL POLITICS: GERMAN AND BRITISH.

Anderson, Jeffrey J. 1992: The Territorial Imperative: Pluralism, Corporatism and Economic Crisis. Cambridge University Press, £35 hardback.

COMMUNITIES ON THE PERIPHERY: THAMESMEAD AND AAMSTERDAM NORTH.

Coping with Social and Economic Change at Neighbourhood Level: Final Reports on the Netherlands and the UK of Research carried out for the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

GETTING A NEW START?

White, M. and Lakey, J. 1992: The Restart Effect — Does Active Labour Market Policy Reduce Unemployment? Policy Studies Institute.

JOB SEARCH AND MISMATCH IN CITIES.

Simpson, W. 1992: Urban Structure and the Labour Market: Worker Mobility, Commuting, and Underemployment in Cities. Oxford: Clarendon Press, £25 hardback.