1. Key Fact 1: Relevancy and Frequency Microsoft Office Applications are relevant to IW jobs and used frequently. U.S. Workforce Analysis 1 Total Employment: 136,485,000 68% are information workers 92,809,800 Information Workers Average turnover rate: 18% Information worker turnover: 16,705,764 1 U.S. Department of Labor, 2002 http://www.nobscot.com/survey/index.cfm

2. Information Workers Use Microsoft Office to Do Their Work Information workers make up nearly 70% of the US workforce Less than one-third of employers screen job candidates for Microsoft Office skills, let alone validate existing employees (IDC, 2007) Studies of administrative and back- office staff show the average amount of time spent using Microsoft Office can top 80% of the work day (Certiport 2007) Certification ensures efficiency with the most-used tools.

3. Key Fact 2: Microsoft Office certification seeds leadership qualities. Microsoft Office certification increases employee competence, productivity, and credibility. IDC notes that Microsoft Office certified employees require less supervision and are able to accept additional responsibilities more often than noncertified employees. 87% of certified workers feel that they are able to complete more work- related assignments in a shorter amount of time because they are Microsoft Office certified (Certiport Survey). 85% of supervisors say that Office certified workers are more productive because of their Microsoft Office certification (Gyll Study). 82% of certified workers indicated that they frequently or occasionally show a work associate how to use a Microsoft Office application tool or feature to help them better perform a work-related task (Certiport Survey).

4. Key Fact 3: Microsoft Office certification supports the hiring process. Microsoft Office certification supports the hiring process by providing a useful measure for screening and selecting individuals for employment. 71% of supervisors indicated Microsoft Office certification is advantageous to employees considered in hiring, promotion, and advancement decisions. It is IDC’s opinion that the single biggest reason for a bad hire is inadequate computer or administrative skills, and that organizations should leverage Microsoft Office certification as both a measure of computer skills and a highly efficient predictor of an employee’s value to the organization.

5. Cost of Bad Hiring Decisions Supervisors agree experience alone does not equate to proficiency at doing a job Built-in value: Certification offers decision-support criteria More than two-thirds of supervisors consider Microsoft Office certification to be an advantage when considering candidates for hire, promotion or advancement Certification is a key component to smart hiring.

6. Key Fact 4: Reduce Employee Turnover (Increases Employee Retention) Studies indicate that providing Microsoft Office certification to employees increased job satisfaction and loyalty 85% of supervisors report Office certified workers are more productive and require less supervision Self-driven performers are the employees you want to keep.

7. Key Fact 5: Certification Advances Careers Certification increases employee’s value, empowerment and feelings of engagement Certification increases employee confidence in their own abilities to contribute value on the job 93% of certified workers agree they possess more opportunity to utilize their skills with their current employer after achieving certification Certification creates high performers.

8. Key Fact 6: Improve Financial Performance of a Company. IDC concludes that incorporating Microsoft Office certification in hiring and professional development processes can:  Result in literally millions of dollars in savings and improved individual and group performance, as well as a sustainable competitive advantage.  Improve the likelihood of a successful hire and the long-term success of an employee. Back-office support provides an example of the risk and impact of poor hiring decisions. Representing an increasing proportion of the enterprise workforce, administrative support staffs are knowledge workers and typically support 10 or more other employees. Their competence and capability have a direct impact on the work performance of the rest of the customer value chain, and therefore their positions can be considered linchpins to organizational success.

9. Benefits Summary Benefits to the Employer –Better hiring decisions –Increased employee retention –Creation of high performers Benefits to the Employee –Higher skill level –Increased job satisfaction –Career benefits as a high performer