OFFICE MANAGEMENT

PAPER CLUTTER DECREASES EFFICIENCY A little document clutter goes a long way – especially in an office setting. As e-mails and other electronic data proliferate, many office workers are compelled to punch the print button, resulting in reams of paper that help to fell forests but do little in the way of common sense.

A University of California study from Berkeley found that in 2002, the world’s offices used 43% more paper than in 1999, according to office products firm Esselte, based in Stamford, Conn. The company says its own research has found that the typical American office worker consumes 200 sheets of paper each day.

All that paper increases office chaos – you lose things more easily – and reduces efficiency.

“By overlooking the importance of getting organized, many companies are missing out on gaining a competitive edge on their competitors,” said Magnus Nicolin, the company’s president and CEO. “The amount of time lost and waste generated by American businesses as a result of disorganization is staggering.”

– Associated Press

SALARY ISSUES

SURVEY SHOWS WAGE GAP FAILS TO DIMINISH Women have been fighting for decades to narrow the wage gap with male workers who earn more while doing the same work.

And far from improving, an annual survey on the subject suggests that in 2003, women fell even further behind. The National Association for Female Executives says its 2004 Salary Survey found that full-time female employees earned 76 cents for every $1 earned by male peers, down from 77 cents in 2002.

And it’s the same for even the highly educated. For example, women anesthesiologists earned $64,000 less than male colleagues did; women scientists doing medical research earned just 71.3% of their male peers’ income.

“With all the improvements we’ve seen for working women over the last decade, it’s stunning that the gender wage gap should widen,” said Betty Spence, president of the association, which is part of New York-based Working Mother Media.

– Associated Press

DOWNSIZING

PERFORMANCE COUNTS WHEN JOBS ARE CUT In a time of job cuts, it might seem as if the corporate overseers might be completely arbitrary or capricious in deciding whom to dismiss. But a survey of human-resources executives finds that many companies assess performance when they weigh who should be fired.

Traditionally, tenure and job title – a good gauge of compensation – were the prime factors in job cuts. But more than a third, 36%, of companies now consider performance when slicing payroll, according to a recent telephone survey of 300 human resources workers by New Jersey based Lee Hecht Harrison. Nearly that many, 29%, said they assess an employee’s skill set. Job title and a worker’s potential skills or leadership ability were also cited as considerations by a few.

“Up until recently, companies initially vetted payrolls with an eye to ‘last-in-first-out’ and eliminating positions that were redundant or ostensibly less critical to the organization,” said Bernadette Kenny, executive vice president. “After the widespread downsizings of the mid-1990s, however, companies found they lost significant talent they could have used in the ensuing upturn.”

– Associated Press

COMMERCIAL DRIVING

HEARTLAND UPS PAY, SEEKS OWNER/OPERATORS CORALVILLE, Iowa – Heartland Express Inc., a leading company in the truckload industry, announced an additional 3-cent-per-mile raise for system and regional drivers. The company, an irregular route truckload carrier serving customers with shipping lanes east of the Rocky Mountains, is currently recruiting company and owner/operator solo drivers and teams.

The recent pay raise, in addition to an increase given in early 2004, makes the pay for Heartland drivers 15% higher than 2003.According to a recent survey, the average wage for a driver with three years’ experience was approximately 33 cents per mile. Heartland’s current pay structure, including the wage hike, puts their drivers at 44 cents a mile, a company statement said. Professional drivers interested in more information about positions with Heartland are encouraged to visit the company’s Web site at www.heartlandexpress.com.

– Dow Jones Newswires