FEI Weekly

January 14, 2020

5 c-suite retention trends and a bankruptcy pop quiz.

Women Outnumber Men on Payrolls Thanks to These Growing Industries

WSJ - Paywall

Women held more U.S. jobs than men in December for the first time in nearly a decade. “The sectors that are growing, like education and health care, are predominantly women’s employment,” said Ariane Hegewisch, program director of employment and earnings at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The last time women outnumbered men on nonfarm payrolls was during a stretch between June 2009 and April 2010. But different circumstances drove the trend at that time because the construction and manufacturing sectors were disproportionately shedding jobs.

The Future of the Audit is... Drones?

Quartz

The Big Four are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, data analytics, and other technologies that hold the potential not just to improve audits, but to change the nature of auditing itself. New technologies like machine learning and drones will automate and speed up a lot of the dreary but necessary rote work of an audit. 

5 C-Suite Retention Trends

Employee Benefit Adviser

C-suite turnover in a tight labor market is shaping the leadership landscape at the start of the new decade. These are the trends that can help employers brace for C-Suite change and thrive across the organization: Connected enterprise technology increases communication and collaboration, technology aids recruiting, hiring and onboarding, automation improves employee experience and training, data analytics hone performance management, and shared ownership of output.

Bankruptcy Pop Quiz

Yahoo Finance

Do you know the difference between Chapter 7 and Chapter 11? All the assets are liquidated in a Chapter 7. In this case the company is completely shutting its doors. But what if a company wants to clear some of the debts but wants to leave assets, at least some of it, to have maybe one more shot at a comeback? A company would submit a debt repayment plan to the bankruptcy court. This plan includes ways to pay down all the debts that are due. The plan has to include steps the company is willing to take to pay back creditors. In Chapter 11, the company’s assets are not at risk.

Likeability and Leadership Don't Necessarily Go Hand in Hand

Fast Company

Karen Cates, a leadership consultant observes, “My concern about being over-focused on ‘likability’ is that this becomes a prescription for just being ‘nice in the workplace,’ and while being nice, and being civil is a good thing, it is not how to be a good leader.” Being likable is clearly to be encouraged, it helps on a number of fronts—but it is not sufficient in itself to achieve high performance. Alternative leadership behaviors and responses are also needed. The best time to start acquiring and practicing this mix is, as always, right now.