What's in a Number

by Paula Santonocito

A recent conversation with TMT Editor in Chief Brent Skinner about an article in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) emphasizes the importance of looking carefully at numbers.

The WSJ article's author, the well-respected Sarah H. Needleman (who, by the way, has an excellent track record), referenced data from a Hewitt survey to suggest that many companies are paring down their severance packages. Naturally, the immediate reaction to such a piece is more doom and gloom for employees.

After reading the article, however, the astute Brent Skinner went to the original survey source, only to find the situation wasn't quite as negative as it seemed. Indeed, the headline of the Hewitt press release announcing study findings reads, "Hewitt Survey Finds U.S. Employers Still Offering Generous Employee Severance Packages Despite Economic Conditions."

The lesson here is that, when taken out of context, survey data (or any data, for that matter) can be misleading.

Therefore, before making critical decisions based on data, talent management professionals and others should conduct their own research. At the very least, before taking numbers at face value, it's worth taking the time, as TMT's Brent Skinner did, to go to the original data source.