Knowledge@Wharton -- Human Resources

Encore Careers: Why an Aging Population Is a Resource, Not a Problem

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:57:58 EST

Many people in the Western world used to anticipate retiring in their 50s or 60s. Now, they are embarking on new "encore" careers at the very time when they might have previously been expected to begin a life of leisure. Marci Alboher, author of The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life, spoke to Wharton professor Stewart Friedman about second -- and even third -- acts. (Video with transcript)

Balancing the Pay Scale: 'Fair' vs. 'Unfair'

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:21:54 EST

Whether you are a shelf stocker at Walmart or an equity analyst at an investment bank, you may feel that you are not adequately compensated for the work you do -- in other words, you are underpaid. But underpaid relative to what? How do employers determine whether compensation is fair, and if it's not, what consequences can that have for the organization?

Productivity in the Modern Office: A Matter of Impact

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:54:10 EST

More than 50 years after management guru Peter Drucker first wrote about the difficulty of defining and measuring the productivity of knowledge workers, management experts say many companies still do a poor job of it. To get a better gauge of how much employees are accomplishing, experts say managers need to remember that quality is often as important, if not more so, than quantity, and that blanket policies rarely remedy such a highly individualized issue.

Is the Party Over? The Unintended Consequences of Office Social Events

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:31:41 EST

The office holiday party, the company softball league and the baby shower for the woman who sits three cubicles away are all part of the social rhythms and obligations of the modern workplace, ostensibly meant to help us form and maintain close relationships with our colleagues. But according to new research coauthored by Wharton management professor Nancy Rothbard, while these seemingly innocuous teambuilding activities can yield positive results in some cases, they also can have unintended consequences for members of racially diverse teams.

How Disruptive Behavior by Employees Can Devastate a Workplace

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:31:41 EST

To Jody Foster, disruptive people in any type of organization -- from a big corporation to a major health center -- can poison the atmosphere for everyone with whom they interact. Foster, who is chair of the department of psychiatry at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and who also has an MBA, talked with Knowledge@Wharton about different types of unprofessional behaviors -- from bullying to compulsive micromanaging to narcissism -- and what organizations can do about them.

When Working at Home Is Productive, and When It's Not

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:11:21 EST

There are numerous tasks -- and just as many distractions -- competing for a worker's time these days. But will ending the practice of allowing employees to work from home, as Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer recently did, really make workers more productive and more likely to come up with innovative new ideas? Such a policy may help on some fronts, Wharton experts and others say, but it's no cure-all.

A Smaller Slice of the Pie: Why Technology Is No Longer Creating Jobs

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:11:21 EST

Can technology set off a new boom in job creation? It's an important question given that policy makers in Washington often look to the technology sector to pick up the slack in the employment market. But four prominent economists who took part in a recent panel discussion on Wharton's San Francisco campus were generally bearish in their outlook, some even suggesting that technology increases unemployment and adds to other problems in the U.S. economy.

Why Being the Last Interview of the Day Could Crush Your Chances

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:55:45 EST

When trying to get into graduate school or land a new job, applicants expect to be evaluated against the relative strength or weakness of the entire pool of candidates. But a recent paper co-authored by Wharton professor Uri Simonsohn suggests that perhaps they should also be worried about the timing of their interviews.

Anne-Marie Slaughter: Forget 'Having It All' -- Own What You Want

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:55:45 EST

When Princeton professor Anne-Marie Slaughter published an essay in The Atlantic titled, "Why Women Still Can't Have It All," in July 2012, she touched a nerve across generations and set off a renewed public debate on women's progress and work-life balance. In an interview with Stewart Friedman, director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project, Slaughter shares what it was like to draw back the curtain on her life as someone perceived to "have it all" and suggests how companies can make life better for both women and men. (Video with transcript)

Passed Over for a Promotion? How Companies Can Retain the Runner-up

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:51:29 EST

Losing out on a promotion is tough, and being passed over for a high-level position in favor of another candidate -- either external or internal -- can be a deal breaker for even the most loyal company soldiers. According to experts at Wharton and elsewhere, keeping employees happy after they fail to get a promotion is an important part of protecting a company's most important asset -- its high-performing talent -- and it is one that too many firms overlook.

Why Anxiety Makes You a Sucker for Bad Advice

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:23:46 EST

Individuals are regularly faced with weighty, anxiety-wrought decisions, and most will seek at least one person's advice before deciding what to do. But, according to recent research by Wharton professor Maurice Schweitzer, anxiety -- and the hit to an individual's self-confidence that accompanies it -- can make a person more likely to take advantage of outside help and less equipped to discern between useful tips and poor guidance.

'More than Coffee Chats and Emails': Sustainable Networking Requires Effort, Authenticity

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:03:01 EST

It's a common refrain in the business world: Networking is the key to success. Building relationships is pivotal. It's not what you know, but whom you know. Yet successful networking goes far beyond handshakes and business card exchanges, noted speakers at the recent 14th Annual Wharton Women in Business Conference.

iPerks: Apple, Like Others, Takes Steps to Woo Employees

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:50:18 EST

According to a press report last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook has brought something to the company that many employees may not be familiar with: perks. These include new discounts on Apple products and a program that lets some employees dedicate a certain amount of time to a favorite project. How effective are these perks, and what should companies take into account when deciding which menu of perks to offer?

High-powered Women and Supportive Spouses: Who's in Charge, and of What?

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:55:36 EST

At a time when issues like gender inequality in the boardroom and the dearth of women in corporate America continue to make headlines, it is worth asking: How important is the role of a helpful partner in the life of a high-powered female executive? One leadership expert says that most successful women "tell me they could not have gotten to where they are without their incredibly supportive husband.... At least the ones who are still married say this."

E-mails Ignored, Meetings Denied: Bias at the Search Stage Limits Diversity

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:34:05 EST

The process of obtaining a particular job or gaining admission to an educational institution often starts long before a candidate turns in his or her application. Many candidates spend months or weeks researching their options and seeking advice and encouragement from people associated with each potential opportunity. This "pathway" stage in the application process is often the place where women and minorities face the first signs of workplace or institutional bias, according to recent research by Wharton professor Katherine Milkman. Milkman and her co-authors examine how this type of early-stage discrimination plays out in the world of academia.

Race, Gender and Careers: Why 'Stuffing the Pipeline' Is Not Enough

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:41:42 EST

Does having a female supervisor help women get ahead in their careers? New research by Wharton professor Katherine L. Milkman and a colleague shows that it does, but also points out an unintended side effect of many corporate diversity efforts: In offices with a large number of female and minority junior-level employees, these underrepresented workers tended to leave in greater numbers because they believed stiff competition for a limited number of promotions would hurt their chances for advancement.

Why Do Women Still Earn Less Than Men? Analyzing the Search for High-paying Jobs

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:05:57 EST

Despite some successes in the workplace, women continue to earn less money than men, in part because they tend to work in different kinds of occupations and industries, a phenomenon known as "gender segregation." Wharton professor Matthew Bidwell and colleague Roxana Barbulescu study the cause of gender segregation by looking at the decisions that individuals make when beginning their job search. They present their results in a paper titled, "Do Women Choose Different Jobs from Men? Mechanisms of Application Segregation in the Market for Managerial Workers."

Going Boss-free: Utopia or 'Lord of the Flies'?

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:05:57 EST

The bossless office: Is it the wave of the future or an idea that will always be a utopian dream, given the inevitable intrusion of human nature? Recent articles in the business press have extolled the benefits of environments where there are no bosses and no titles, and where employees decide among themselves which projects to pursue and which people to hire and fire. Wharton faculty and other experts weigh in with their views on whether, and how, this can work.

What's Driving Americans to Retire Abroad? Money -- or Lack of It

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:14:25 EST

In the aftermath of the global financial meltdown that ravaged 401(k) accounts and decimated home values, a growing number of Americans are stretching their savings by retiring abroad to countries like Thailand, India, Ecuador and Portugal. But the lure of lower costs of living, more affordable health care and warmer climates can mask some of the other, less obvious expenses that expats face when they make the move, according to Wharton faculty and other experts.

Remaking the Workplace, One Night Off at a Time

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:34:51 EST

The title of Sleeping with Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work is no hyperbole: A 2010 Pew Research study survey found that 65% of adults keep a handheld device at or near their heads while sleeping. Are the tools designed to make us more efficient and more productive actually making us less so? That question is the initial point of departure for author Leslie A. Perlow in her new book, the story of a modest experiment with unexpectedly profound consequences.