Advisors Seen as Holding Key to Retirement Assets - RDR conducts study regarding wealth management products & financial advisors (August, 2005)

This week's (8/15/05) American Banker highlights Fidelity in a story on how banks and other financial service providers view financial advisors as an important conduit for selling wealth management products and how the advisor channel is becoming a key to point of entry to the retirement market. The coverage was driven by last week's news release announcing findings from a recent survey in support of Fidelity Advisor Retirement Income Services. By offering unique insight on how advisors are seizing this growth opportunity, Fidelity holds the lead position among "industry players" included in the story. Marty Willis was interviewed and is quoted throughout the article, which features her photo with the caption: Advisors are "walking up the American public" to retirement needs. Several advisor publications have expressed interest in the survey data as follow up continues. Additional survey findings are being prepared for release in the coming weeks. < Back to News >

RDR Conducts First Global Study of Knowledge Workers Focusing on High Performance Work Groups (February, 2004)

In late 2003, Richard Day Research released the findings of the first global study of Knowledge Workers focusing on high performance work groups. These findings have been published in a book, Contagious Success, by Susan Lucia Annunzio. The purpose of this study was to examine a large global cross section of knowledge workers to understand the drivers of high performance in their work groups. This work follows on a similar study conducted in the United States earlier this year. The keys to the research design were: A large and broad based recruiting effort among all industries, and types of employees Systematic definitions based on behavior, not on attitudes In order to qualify as a knowledge worker, a respondent had to have the following demographic characteristics: Currently employed full-time, in managerial, professional or technical occupation Education: Have the equivalent of a U. S. Bachelor's Degree, at minimum. Income in the top decile in their respective country. They also had to agree that their job included at least 3 of the 5 tasks: Reviewing and interpreting information Developing new ideas and insights Continual learning about their area of expertise A significant amount of independent thought, rather than following others' directions Using information to develop or refine products or processes The study included 2,089 workers in the following locations: United Kingdom (n=307) Germany (n=265) France (n=278) Italy (n=89) Sweden (n=164) Netherlands (n=187) Japan (n=294) Australia (n=214) China (Beijing and Shanghai) (n=291) For data collection, RDR contracted with Internet panel providers in Europe and Asia to screen for and survey Knowledge Workers in their panels. This study used the Internet as its sole source of data collection because it suited the highly educated, technically savvy people that we were seeking. It also increased our ability to standardize question format and delivery, which was essential to compare results across very different cultures. Screening was a particularly challenging task since we estimate that about 5% of the full time workforce qualifies as a knowledge worker. This makes traditional methods of data collection (phone, face to face) prohibitively expensive. However the growth of the internet and the building of panels makes a study of this type possible. For results go to The Center for High Performance website. < Back to News >

RDR Conducts Ground-Breaking Research on High Performance Knowledge Workers (June, 2003)

In partnership with the Center for High Performance, RDR has completed the largest study of knowledge workers to date. The study identifies the key measures and predictors of high performance among knowledge workers and workgroups, and is helping employers understand how to create high performance in their organizations. From an online survey of over 20,000 adults, just over 1,000 knowledge workers were identified. In-depth phone interviews were then conducted with nearly 600 of these. Key Findings: While organizational values may be important when first developing high performance groups, organizational behaviors drive continued performance, including: Entrepreneurial behaviors (seeking or trying new ideas, rewarding new learning, taking risks) Personal Ownership behaviors (sharing information, accepting responsibility for overall performance) For more information about the study, and its implications for organizations seeking to achieve high performance, you may view the CfHP whitepaper: "The Power Within: Tackling The Performance Crisis In Corporate America" [pdf] or you may go to The Center for High Performance website. < Back to News >

RDR Survey Finds Many Employees Don't Understand and Fail to Take Advantage of Stock Purchase and Stock Option Plans (May, 2003)

This study, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, is based on a nationwide survey of 896 financial decision-makers who reported a household member with a stock option plan and/or employee stock purchase plan. One of the most troubling findings is that roughly half of stock option plan participants who let their options expire between late-1999 and late-2002 said it was because they either did not know how to exercise their options, or found the plan too complicated. In other words, they left money "on the table". In addition, fewer than 10% view either of these plans as part of their overall financial picture. They are more inclined to consider these benefits as "free money" for which they have no specific plans or expectations. The findings will help Fidelity and employers develop services that give plan participants a better understanding of how to maximize their savings opportunities. The goal is to help companies achieve their strategic compensation and retention goals.   < Back to News >

RDR Study Uncovers Important Trends, Attitudes in Growing HR/Benefits Outsourcing Market (February, 2003)

In a study sponsored by Fidelity Investments, RDR conducted one of the most comprehensive studies of HR and benefits outsourcing among the largest U.S. companies those with 5,000 or more employees). The study included qualitative and quantitative research with just over 200 senior decision makers (CFOs, COOs, treasurers, HR Directors) at 190 organizations. Interviews were completed on-line and by phone. Key Findings: While still evolving, HR and benefits outsourcing is already paying dividends for many organizations. These companies consistently report strong satisfaction with their outsourcing experience, and those who have been outsourcing the longest are most satisfied. In addition to the more obvious benefits of outsourcing (reduced administrative burden, access to expertise and technology, improved service to employees), one surprise was that virtually all decision-makers report that outsourcing gives them more control over benefits administration, especially in areas where they feel the most pressure: Regulatory and reporting requirements Access to employee data More accurate/timely internal reports Cost containment < Back to News >

RDR Selected as Preferred Vendor for Eli Lilly (2003)

Since 1997, RDR has been a preferred vendor for Eli Lilly U.S. Pharmaceuticals. RDR earned preferred vendor status because of its quantitative rigor, and focus on quality, speed and expertise. Most of all, Lilly appreciated RDR's behavioral orientation. Lilly began their preferred vendor process with 490 firms, of which only 14 won preferred status. Lilly's goal is that these 14 vendors account for 80% of Lilly's research. < Back to News >

Richard Day's Contribution Recognized in WLS-TV's Top Election Night Coverage ("Election Night's Stars and Stumblers", Chicago Tribune, 3/21/02)

From the Chicago Tribune (3/21/02): "The evening's clear leader [in election news coverage] was WLS, which was alone among the broadcast stations in canceling a prime-time show . . . to make room for extensive updates before the later newscast began. "But more than just volume, WLS had expertise to show off, as most of its deep reporting corps, led by Andy Shaw and pollster Richard Day, showed the same savvy in the field that (Ron) Magers does at an anchor desk." < Back to News >