September 11 Lasting Changes

The 9/11 attack has caused organizations to make changes to emergency plans and employees to be more sensitive to global events. SHRM conducted a survey during the week of September 2-September 9, 2003, regarding the changes organizations have made since September 11, 2001. Want to see the results?

Human resource professionals were asked, “In your opinion, what lasting changes, if any, have taken place in the workplace as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks?”

• 64 percent – Organizations have put higher security provisions in place
• 48 percent – Higher expectations of employers for security
• 34 percent – Employees do not consider travel as glamorous
• 31 percent – Greater screening of employees for hire
• 27 percent – More training in crisis management
• 26 percent – Business travel has been curtailed
• 24 percent – Employees are reluctant to travel for business
• 22 percent – Workers have been more wary of their work environment
• 16 percent – Higher stress levels in the workplace
• 15 percent – HR is relied upon more for its expertise and input
• 13 percent – Employees are more caring towards one another
• 12 percent – Greater use of Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 10 percent – Business events have been cancelled
• 10 percent – No lasting change
• 6 percent - Other

The survey was based on the responses of 408 randomly selected human resource professionals. The margin of error is +/- 4.9 percent.

For additional information, visit the Society for Human Resource Management.