You Want It When?

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (June 26, 2007) – Who’s got the time? In a corporate world where employees’ plates are so full they can’t find their forks, time management is an ongoing concern. According to a just-released study conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), the majority of 332 polled companies have heartburn about not only time management but delegation skills as well. Training in those areas, though, isn’t as high a priority.

The survey found that 53% of companies have a “somewhat high” or “high” level of concern about the time-management skills of their employees, and 46% of companies feel the same way about workers’ delegation skills. Those concerns don’t always result in training in these areas, however. Although 49% offer programs for time management, only 28% do so for delegation training.

“When I’ve had casual conversations with executives over the last few years, it appears to this outsider that the amount of stress related to the work schedule is getting out of control,” says Jay Jamrog, senior vice president of research for i4cp. “If their comments are accurate, they are heading for a collective nervous breakdown.”

Of those companies that provide time-management training, 52% do so within the company (with 71% using a classroom setting), compared with 59% that offer delegation training in-house (with 65% opting for classroom work). The most commonly used tools for time management are computer-based (Lotus Notes, Microsoft, etc.) and handhelds (PDA, Blackberry, etc.).

Regarding schedule-creation skills, there’s also considerable concern, with 39% of responding companies somewhat or highly concerned about scheduling skills. Only 23% say they have a low or somewhat low level of concern in this area. Far and away the most commonly used tool for schedule creation is Microsoft Excel.

The Time Management Practitioner Consensus Survey was conducted by i4cp, in conjunction with HR.com, in June 2007.

For more information about this study, please contact Greg Pernula at pernula@i4cp.com or via phone at (727) 345-2226.

About i4cp, inc.

Building on the 35-year history of its predecessor (the Human Resource Institute), the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp, inc.) improves corporate productivity through a combination of research, community, tools and technology focused on the management of human capital. With more than 100 leading organizations as members, including many of the best-known companies in the world, i4cp draws upon one of the industry’s largest and most experienced research teams and executives-in-residence to produce more than 10,000 pages annually of rapid, reliable and respected research and analysis surrounding all facets of the management of people in organizations. Additionally, i4cp identifies and analyzes the upcoming major issues and future trends that are expected to influence workforce productivity and provides member clients with tools and technology to execute leading-edge strategies and “next practices” on these issues and trends. i4cp is a for-profit company with its headquarters in Seattle, WA, and research offices in St. Petersburg, FL.