â–¶ Wellness Gains Traction: A new global report by Buck Consultants finds that employers spent 35% more than in 2009—about $220—on each employee who participated in a wellness program. But despite spending more on wellness programs in 2010, only 37% of U.S. employers actually measure their program’s effectiveness. Other key findings include:
• Globally, 66% of respondents have a formal wellness strategy, up from 49% in 2007.
• Wellness programs are most prevalent in North America, where 74% of responding employers offer them.
• Eleven percent of U.S. respondents spend more than $500 per employee per year on wellness rewards, with the largest rewards reported at $3,000 per employee.
• The fastest-growing components of wellness programs are technology-driven tools. In three years, employers around the world expect a six-fold increase in their use of mobile technology—like smartphones—to support employee wellness initiatives.
Source: Buck Consultants
â–¶ Public Divided on WikiLeaks: A new BBC World News America/Harris Poll finds that Americans are conflicted, with no consensus, as to how much freedom the media should have to publish confidential government documents. A sizable 69% of all adults agree that “publishing these documents could pose a security threat to the United States and therefore should be illegal.” At the same time a 48% plurality believes that “the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment...gives organizations and individuals the right to post any information given to them.” Other findings include:
• A 47% to 39% plurality of all adults disagree that “WikiLeaks is helping to provide transparency in government, which is important and good.”
• A 48% to 39% plurality disagrees that “publishing these documents could be embarrassing or hurtful to any given administration, but it’s not dangerous.”
• When it comes to the role of the media, the public is split between the 39% of all adults who agree and the 43% who disagree that all investigative journalism should be regulated by government.
Source: BBC News America/Harris Polls
â–¶ Tablet Sales to Soar: Sales of tablets like Apple’s iPad are expected to almost double in the U.S. over the next five years, fuelling increased competition between major technology brands, says new research by Forrester. Other findings include:
• American purchase levels of the gadgets will reach 24.1 million units in 2011, compared with 10.3 million in 2010.
• A further 35.1 million tablets are predicted to be snapped up in 2012.
• For the immediate future, Forrester believes the “lion’s share” of demand may well fall on Apple’s iPad.
Source: Forrester
â–¶ Students Eschew Marketing on Social Media: According to a study of college students in four countries by user-experience research firm Nielsen Norman Group, students associate social networking sites with private discussions and not with corporate marketing. When students want to learn about a company or organization, they turn to search engines to find that organization’s official Web site. The study findings also include:
• Students like technology, but are not technical: College students are often stereotyped as being extremely tech savvy. While it may be true for some, most expect the Web to be easy to use and streamline their efforts without hassle.
• Students are unimpressed by fancy design and multimedia. College students generally view Web sites as tools to help them get things done. They appreciate multimedia on certain sites like YouTube, but they don’t want multimedia at all times on all sites. They like it only when it serves their purpose.
• Students move fast and miss information. Students immediately flee a Web site when confronted with a page full of dense text. They don’t even bother reading the first sentence.
Source: Nielsen Norman Group