Milwaukee Business Journal (01/20/12) Rich Rovito

ManpowerGroup chairman and chief executive Jeff Joerres has responded to a Financial Times, column’s chastisement of the firm for describing itself as a company that “creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age.” In awarding her annual jargon honors, Lucy Kellaway gave ManpowerGroup the Golden Flannel Award for the description. Joerres says he “appreciated” the column but defends the Human Age concept, stating that “if that was the only comment that we had on the Human Age, I’d take it pretty hard. But when it’s on the cover of The Economist that this may be the era of humans two months after we introduced it, that’s not too bad.”

ManpowerGroup management has been touting the Human Age concept, in which it believes people are the real agents of business success. The Human Age concept has “framed up” discussions in the world of work, according to Joerres.