DOING MORE WITH LESS.....LEADS TO MORE WORK, LESS WORKERS If it seems like all those pink slips have left you and fellow workers left behind with a lot of extra work to do, it's true. According to a new national survey by the American Management Association, about 80% of the firms that laid off workers in the last five years didn't get rid of the work with the workers -- they simply assigned the tasks to others. Things aren't likely to get better anytime soon. Less hiring and more trimming are on the agenda for the coming year. Companies are expected to boost their workforces by an average of 3.8% (less than 1998's 4.6% increase); at the same time, they're expecting an average payroll cutback of 7.5% (up from 4.9%). Worse, nearly two-thirds of the companies are facing "scarce" conditions in their pursuit of skilled workers, up from just over 50% two years ago. And more than 60% of companies that laid off workers in the last five years said they did so because of changes within their companies, automation or new technologies. That's a marked change from the early 1990s, when slumping demand and financial problems were the most common reasons for layoffs. (Stephen Franklin, "The Load at Work is Getting Heavier," Chicago Tribune 26 Oct. 99) http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/printedition/article/0,2669,SAV-99102 60350,FF.html
