New Study Shows HR Success Is Driving Business Success for 2011

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - January 12, 2011) - Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), has just published a new study exploring the role of HR for organizations in 2011. The report, The 2011 HR Executive's Agenda: Automation, Innovation, and Growth, was able to create a definitive link between achievement along talent-related measures of success -- specifically, higher engagement, deeper bench strength, and improved hiring manager satisfaction -- and greater attainment of organizational goals. The top 20% of performers in these key aspects of talent management also achieved greater annual improvement in customer retention and satisfaction by factors of 175% and 83% respectively.

Key to these impressive results is the ability to involve the line of business in talent and workforce management activities, as well as the ability to identify roles most critical to the business and plan ahead for those roles. According to Mollie Lombardi, Senior Research Analyst and author of the report, these are positive signs. "Given the recent state of the economy, many in HR have had to take on a more tactical role -- doing the blocking and tackling required by reorganizing, or even ramping up for growth. But despite this, more than half of the companies surveyed said that their HR efforts have become increasingly strategic in the past year. We see HR continuing to become a more integral part of the business in the future."

Aberdeen's report provides more detail into the specific capabilities and technologies that top performers are putting into practice in the coming year, as well as the role of the individual HR executive and the skills that will be needed to fill that role. Complimentary access to this report is available for a limited time due in part by the following underwriters: Taleo, and ELearning!. 

To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=6751&camp=2, or compare your organization against the top performers with Aberdeen's free online assessment tool at http://assessment.aberdeen.com/Ilc2Pa8yLR/index.aspx.

Visit Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary Human Capital Management Research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

(C) 2010 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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