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Taleo Corporation: Taleo Valentine's Day Survey Finds We're Still Looking for True Love When It Comes to Our Jobs

^{Published on 2009-02-13 14:53:44, Last Modified on 2009-02-13 14:55:08 - Market Wire}
 

DUBLIN, CA--(Marketwire - February 13, 2009) - With Valentine's Day upon us, Taleo (NASDAQ: [ TLEO ]), the leading provider of on-demand talent management solutions, offers a revealing look into the level of job commitment among American workers -- and it appears that love is only skin deep.

In its second annual study* of how much employees "love" their jobs, Taleo found that while most employees feel engaged at work, many still have wandering eyes. When asked about their feelings of engagement at their job, 87% said they "enjoy," "feel important" or "like" what they do. However, two out of five workers are still at least open to looking for a new position and 13% are actively pursuing new opportunities.

Employers shouldn't be completely heartbroken by this news. Compared to a similar study conducted by Taleo at the same time last year, American workers say they love their jobs a little more today: 15% love their job "enough to marry it," compared to last year when only nine percent were ready to put on a wedding band for their job.

Still, this "no strings attached" mindset among today's workforce is cause for concern among employers, especially when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent. The reality is, in 2008, approximately 25% of all employed Americans left their jobs voluntarily.

So, just as with any important relationship, it takes work to make it last. Employers need to have continuous and effective talent management policies and practices in place to not only achieve high engagement and retention rates, but to ensure maximum productivity as well.

"Even employees who say they love their jobs or feel highly engaged at work may still be keeping their job options open -- which means companies can't be complacent," said Alice Snell, Vice President of Taleo Research. "Having smart, effective talent management strategies may be even more important in a down economy than in a boom market -- not only with retention, but with productivity. Employers can't make assumptions that top talent are engaged or that staff overall are performing -- they need to take steps to ensure that's the case."

The Taleo survey also showed that other categories, such as industry, income, education, age and marital status have significant influence on a person's level of engagement at the workplace. Additional findings show:

 -- Workers in professional services and public sector positions are more engaged (62%) than other workers, while 14% of respondents that report low levels of engagement are from the financial services industry. -- Workers earning more than $50,000 a year are more likely to be highly engaged than those earning less than $50,000 (59% vs. 45%). -- College graduates are more likely to be highly engaged than those without a college degree (62% vs. 48%). -- Thirteen percent of all workers are actively looking by at least tracking job postings, and are more likely to be: -- Younger: Under the age of 35 are more likely than those 35 or older (18% vs. 10%). -- Single: Single are more likely than married (19% vs. 10%) to search for new employment. 

Taleo provides software solutions for employers to closely monitor all aspects of talent management -- from recruitment and performance management to succession planning -- helping them to support career goals, manage more effectively and reward strong performers.

* Telephone survey among 1,239 full- or part-time workers, 18 years of age and older, conducted for Taleo by KRC Research between January 28, 2009 to February 8, 2009.

About Taleo

Taleo (NASDAQ: [ TLEO ]) is the leader in on demand unified talent management solutions that empower organizations of all sizes to assess, acquire, develop and align their workforces for improved business performance. More than 3,800 organizations use Taleo for talent acquisition and performance management, including 47 of the Fortune 100 and over 3,000 small and medium sized businesses across 200 countries and territories. Known for its strong configurability and usability, Taleo runs on a world-class infrastructure and offers 99.9% availability. Taleo's Talent Grid harnesses the resources of the Taleo community of customers, candidates, and partners to power the talent needs of companies around the world.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the demand for and results from use of Taleo's solutions and general business conditions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon Taleo's historical performance and its current plans, estimates and expectations and are not a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements represent Taleo's expectations as of the date of this press announcement. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change, and Taleo disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements in the future. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. Further information on potential factors that could affect actual results is included in Part I, Item 1A of Taleo's Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on March 14, 2008, in Part II, Item 1A of Taleo's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as filed with the SEC on August 11, 2008, and in other reports filed by Taleo with the SEC.