These are stories Report on Business is following Thursday, May 1, 2014.
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The tether
It appears that the more you earn, the more likely you are to be tied to office e-mail.
That finding by Gallup may not be surprising, but it is telling in that it highlights just how tethered we've become. Particularly, presumably, managers who earn those higher salaries.
The Gallup study – it's a survey of Americans, but I've no doubt it holds true for Canadians – shows that the frequency of checking work-related e-mail beyond normal hours rises with annual income.
"The ubiquity of Web-enabled technology in U.S. workers' homes and lives could be a factor in their willingness to connect with employers outside of working hours," Gallup says of the survey conducted between late March and early April.
"Gallup estimates 80 per cent of full-time U.S. workers have a smartphone with Internet access," it adds.
"Eighty-seven per cent have a laptop or desktop computer, and 49 per cent have a tablet computer. In all, 96 per cent of full-time American employees say they use at least one of these types of devices."
Here's what Gallup found:
- In the $24,000-$36,000 earning bracket, 25 per cent of those polled said they frequently check work-related e-mail outside of normal office hours.
- $36,000 to $48,000, 30 per cent.
- $48,000 to $60,000, 31 per cent.
- $60,000 to $90,000, 38 per cent.
- $90,000 to $120,000, 43 per cent.
- $120,000 and up, 53 per cent.
(If you're not at work right now, and you're reading this on your mobile device, I hope you're in at least that 43-per-cent group.)
Ford taps Fields
Ford Motor Co., the only Detroit auto maker to escape bankruptcy protection during the crisis, has tapped its chief operating officer as the new head of the company.
Chief executive officer Alan Mulally will retire July 1, the company said, and will be replaced by Mark Fields.
Fields, 53, came to Ford from Boeing Co. in 2006. Mulally, 68, has been at the helm of the company for almost eight years.
"Alan and I feel strongly that Mark and the entire leadership team are absolutely ready to lead Ford forward, and now is the time to begin the transition," said Bill Ford, executive chairman of the auto maker.
Manulife jumps
Manulife Financial Corp.'s profit climbed in the first quarter, propelled by stronger performance in the company's insurance businesses in Asia, The Globe and Mail's Jacqueline Nelson reports.
Manulife profit reached $818-million, or 42 cents a share, in the quarter, up from $540-million or 28 cents a share in the same time last year.
"We have increased our momentum in life insurance sales in Asia and Canada," said chief executive officer Donald Guloien.
"While insurance sales in the U.S. were below expectations in the first quarter, we recently introduced product enhancements and more competitive pricing which we expect to improve sales."
Bombardier profit dips
Bombardier Inc. posted flat revenue and a dip in first-quarter profit, The Globe and Mail's Bertrand Marotte writes.
Profit slipped to $115-million (U.S.) or 6 cents a share, compared with $148-million or 8 cents a year earlier.
Revenue came in at $4.4-billion, compared with $4.3-billion in the same period last year.
Bombardier Aerospace delivered 56 aircraft in the quarter, up from 53 a year earlier.
"We're satisfied with our first-quarter results and we're on track to meet our full-year guidance for 2014," said chief executive officer Pierre Beaudoin.
(Editor's note: This item has been changed from an earlier version to correct the number of aircraft sold.)
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Business ticker
- Exxon Mobil quarterly profit slips 4 per cent
- AT&T in talks with DirecTV about a possible acquisition: report
- Maple Leaf Foods loss widens on restructuring costs, impact of hog virus
- U.S. jobless claims rise unexpectedly in latest week
- Penn West's gross revenue falls 5 per cent on lower production
- China factories steady, but growth worries persist
- MasterCard profit rises 14 per cent
Michael Babad