ANSR Hackett Grp., Inc.(The) (MM)

Hackett-Certified(TM) Practices in Workforce Planning Demonstrate Benefits of Increased Efforts in Skills Analysis and Development With an intense focus on strategic workforce planning, world-class HR organizations drive down voluntary termination rates to 33% that of typical companies, according to Book of Numbers(TM) research findings from The Hackett Group, a strategic advisory firm and an Answerthink company (NASDAQ:ANSR). In part as a result of these lower termination rates, companies with world-class HR organizations require 46% fewer hires than typical companies, and fill open positions 11% faster. Hackett's research identified Hackett-Certified(TM) Practices - those empirically correlated with the practices employed by world-class HR organizations - to enhance their workforce planning activities. World-class HR organizations consult with senior management as they develop their strategic workforce plan, and are more than 6 times more likely to do so than typical companies. They analyze skill sets and sourcing strategies, and incorporate these into their plans about twice as often as typical companies. They also focus much more than typical companies on linking learning and development initiatives to the critical skills and competencies identified through their strategic workforce planning efforts. World-class companies identify key performers and put formal retention programs in place for them, and are 12 times more likely to do so than typical companies, and twice as likely to review succession plans with senior management on a regular basis. Finally, they focus on diversity, and are nearly 4 times more likely than typical companies to make it part of their strategic resource planning. "The HR executive's primary goal in any company is to ensure that the business has the right talent and skills at the right time, in the right place and in the right role. So it's not surprising to find that the best HR leaders show a continuous focus on improving their organizations' human capital - their ability to attract, develop and retain high-potential staff," said Hackett HR Practice Leader Stephen Joyce. "Workforce planning and overall talent management are driving forces that enable world-class performance within all areas of an organization, and HR has a critical role to play." According to Hackett Senior Business Advisor Brian Siller, "Predicted labor and skills shortages have made employee selection, development and retention a top priority for both business and functional leaders. Getting and keeping the talent to achieve critical business objectives will require HR to be more creative than ever before. For example, employment relationships will need to be flexible to appeal to the various segments of an age-diverse workforce, and organizations will take a closer look at what it takes to prevent unwanted turnover." Overall, Hackett's Book of Numbers(TM) research found that world-class HR organizations spend 13% less than their peers ($1,614 versus $1,864 per company employee), and operate with 15% fewer staff (11.5 versus 13.5 HR staff per 1,000 employees). They also show improved performance across a wide range of efficiency and effectiveness metrics. To see the full version of this research, please click on the following link for the Hackett Research Insight Center: http://www.thehackettgroup.com/insights/hr0606. More information on The Hackett Group is available: by phone at (770) 225-7300; by e-mail at info@thehackettgroup.com; or on the Web at http://www.thehackettgroup.com. About The Hackett Group The Hackett Group (http://www.TheHackettGroup.com), a strategic advisory firm and an Answerthink company, is a world leader in best practice research, benchmarking and business transformation services that empirically define and enable world-class enterprise performance. Through the acquisition of REL Consultancy Group, a global leader in generating cash improvement from working capital, we offer Hackett-REL Total Working Capital services to liberate cash flow from operations through improved working capital, reduced costs and increased service quality. Hackett-REL has helped clients in more than 60 countries free up over $25 billion through working capital improvements in the last 10 years alone. Only The Hackett Group empirically defines world-class performance in sales, general and administrative (SG&A) and supply chain activities with analysis gained through 3,500 benchmark studies over 14 years at 2,100 of the world's leading companies. Our clients comprise 97 percent of the Dow Jones Industrials, 77 percent of the Fortune 100 and 90 percent of the Dow Jones Global Titans Index. Hackett-Certified and Book of Numbers are trademarks of The Hackett Group.