Workforce Development - A Good Investment?

Pay and Promotion not key motivators anymore

American workers are growing increasingly unhappy with their jobs, The Conference Board reported late February. Today, less than half of all Americans say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from 61 percent 20 years ago. 

This report is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households, conducted for the New York-based global research group The Conference Board by TNS, a leading market information company.

Respondents rated bonus plans and promotion policies as the least satisfactory benefits of employment, with less than 23 percent claiming they are satisfied with their company's policies. Satisfaction is also low for performance review processes, workload, work/life balance, communication channels and potential for future growth.

Today's newest entrants to the workforce are the least satisfied with their jobs. Only less than 39 percent of workers under the age of 25 are satisfied with their employment situation.

The decline in satisfaction is not just concentrated among younger workers. Satisfaction levels among all workers, regardless of age, income or even residence, have deteriorated in recent years, according to the report.

"Although a certain amount of dissatisfaction with one's job is to be expected, the breadth of dissatisfaction is somewhat unsettling, since it carries over from what attracts employees to a job to what keeps them motivated and productive on the job," said Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center.

"Perhaps, this is why two out of every ten employees does not see himself in his current job a year from now," said Lynn Franco.

Exciting news regarding the Hispanic Workforce

A new self-paced learning program is now available to help the home building industry’s 2.5 million Hispanic workers learn English.  Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition, sponsored by Lowe’s, was custom-created by the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), to address job site communication challenges presented by the language barrier.

Thanks to Dave Seitter over at the Midwest Construction Law blog for putting us onto this.  Dave is a highly regarded legal professional who stays on top of the most pressing issues in construction as evidenced by his article entitled "HBI, NAHB and Lowe’s Unveil Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition at the International Builders’ Show"

The implications of this program are very significant and any contractor looking to find an increase in productivity and efficiency will likely benefit from this program.

Inter-generational and inter-cultural communications are the two big management challenges contractors struggle with today.  This is definitely a step in the right direction.

A Perfect Storm?

Joseph Coleman, writing for the Financial Times has published an article entitled Perfect storm threatens performance: Ageing workforce, skills gap, outdated hiring approach spell disaster.Download perfect_storm_article.pdf

Coleman reports on the ageing workforce and approaching retirement of the Baby Boom generation, along with a widening skills gap and outdated approaches to hiring and retaining talented workers are combining to produce a "perfect storm" that threatens long-term business performance.

It is an excellent article, and Coleman has shed the right light on the issues at work today.  Check it out.

Gen X May Struggle to Fill Baby Boomers' Shoes

Generation X managers may struggle to fill Baby Boomers' shoes as they retire over the next 10 years and company leadership transitions to the younger group, according to new research, involving 24,000 midlevel managers found that while both groups were able to meet performance outcomes, they arrived at them very differently

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The Key to Keeping Learners Interested

Our friend Dave Boggs over at the Boggs eLearning Chronicle just added a new article that you won't want to miss out on.

For you see, although much is written about reasons why students drop out of online courses, little is said about what makes them stay.  He's referenced a new work that addresses this point.  Itr's called Surviving the shipwreck: what makes online students stay online and learn? by Johannes C. Cronjé, Debbie E. Adendorff, Salome M. Meyer, and Linda van Ryneveld

The eternal challenge in todays workforce development business is Keeping Learners Interested.  You don't want to miss the unique approach and a couple of surprising twists within.

Happy Learning!

So you cannot read, eh?

Which of the following statements are true?

1. Four in ten Canadians do not have the literacy skills needed to meet increasing demands of modern life and economy.
2. Average literacy scores have not improved significantly in the past decade even though educational attainment has improved.
3. Ontarians scored significantly lower in a 2003 adult literacy study than Canadians from      Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon.

Answer: All of them.

And, in case you haven't been paying attention, this is also a major issue "South of the Border" (And we're not talking about Mexico)

The battle is on! The Workforce Development Board and Literacy Ontario Central South are teaming up to help fight for literacy in the workplace.

You see, literacy is not an either/or issue. Many people think that one can either read and write and do basic math, or they cannot. It’s not that simple.

In a 2003 adult literacy study, 23,000 Canadians were tested. It was discovered that 42% of Ontarians, representing almost 3.5 million people, scored below adequate literacy levels. And 50% of Ontarians, representing over 4.1 million people, scored below adequate levels in numeracy. It was also found that the largest proportion of workers with level 1 proficiency, that is the lowest level of proficiency, are in the manufacturing,construction, transportation, gas and electricity industries. 

You may be thinking, who cares? Why is this my problem? The truth is, workplace literacy doesn’t just affect workers. It affects the employer and the economy as well. Employees today are expected to play a broader, more responsible and self-directed role than ever before in the workplace, and thus literacy and basic skills are critical to the success of every business.

Ontario businesses wanting to gain “the competitive edge” should begin by demonstrating a strong commitment to literacy in the workplace.

For more information on workplace literacy, click the following link
Download Celebrating_Literacy_Resource_Manual_2007.pdf

 

Generation Why

Eric Chester runs a successful blog called the WhysBlog that has recently posted an article on his excellent blog entitled Young Employees Egotistical and Self Centered?

He reflects on a recent AP article that cites the obvious.  Check it out.  Eric's operation, Generation Why does an ongoing critical examination of this important generation.

Think about it...

Standing between you and your profits are those talented, weird-looking, impossible-to-understand 16- to 24-year-olds. And if you're not connecting with them, they are not connecting with your customers, and you are leaving all kinds of money on the table.

U.S. Businesses Not Prepared for Aging Workforce

Despite reports that the US faces a shortage of millions of workers within the coming decade as baby boomers retire and leaving fewer new workers available to take their place —The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development, found that many U.S. businesses are unprepared for changing workforce demographics.

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Today’s Women Workers : Shut Out of Yesterday’s Unemployment Insurance System

The Unemployment Insurance (UI) system in the U.S. was designed to provide temporary income assistance to workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own.

Benefits are not distributed equitably to all those who work, however; women, low-wage, and part-time workers are less likely than men, higher-wage, and full-time workers to qualify for and receive UI benefits. While 35 percent of unemployed men are supported by the UI system, only 23 percent of unemployed women are

A fact sheet Download women_and_unemployment_benefits.pdf produced and published by the Institute of Womens Policy Research discusses two key aspects of the UI system that prevent many women from receiving the UI benefits they have earned.

UI is Important to Women and Their Families.  One of the biggest changes in American society in the last 100 years has been the growth of women in the labor force, and especially in mothers’ employment.

Starting at about 20 percent in 1930, women’s rate of labor force activity doubled by 970 and tripled by 1999, to 60 percent. Mothers are even more likely than women overall to be in the labor force: In 1999, 70 ercent of married mothers and 73 percent of single mothers were employed outside the home.

Along with this increased employment activity has come increasing responsibility for family economic security. On average, women in the workforce—including employed mothers— bring in around one-third of their families’ total income.

There are forces working to make a difference.  One of these champions, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, the first woman elected to the Senate from Washington state, she has been a champion for women and families.  She has spearheaded efforts to close the pay gap, protect women in retirement, and increase access to child care. Murray helped write and pass the historic Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and helped reauthorize it in 2000 and 2005.

When women are prevented from UI benefits we all lose.  Todays workplace requires the skills and experience that women from all backgrounds and levels to actively participate in the labor market.  When UI disparities occur, it further discourages the very talent that our economy depends upon for survival.  When our laws create situations that create a bias against women who want to work but aren't treated equal to their male counterparts - it costs us all

Workforce Employment Trends - A New Look

Agora Financial produces an excellent newsletter that I read religiously called "Whiskey and Gunpowder". One of their recent articles covered Employment Trends and contains loads of information and graphs that will put the dynamics of todays complex labor market and economy into clearer perspective.

I highly recommend it.  Let me know what you think...

More Men Report Sexual Harassment at Work

Defying assumptions about sexual harassment in the workplace, a record number of men reported being harassed by male colleagues last year, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. citing cases filed by men at 15.4 percent of the 12,025 sexual harassment charges in fiscal year 2006, increasing from about 11 percent a decade ago

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New workforce blog - Convergence

A new blog called "Convergence" that is about chronicling the alignment of workforce and economic development has come on the scene.

A recent post on this blog that I really liked was entitled: “From Cradle to Career”

It cites an article from Education Week, the national trade  publication, that has been released in its report “From the Cradle to Career:  Connecting American Education from Birth to Adulthood.”

What I liked the most was the data from Kevin Thompson provided through US Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration.  Regular readers of this space know how passionate I become about the necessity for improving the educational system and access to it in the US\\

Check it out and let me know what YOU think

Calling All Job Haters - You are not alone !

Bronwyn Mauldin's excellent workforce blog "Workforce Developments" has published an insightful piece entitled "Hate your job? Join the club"  that cites research from the Conference Board that just issued results of a survey that finds job satisfaction has plummeted over the past twenty years. Less than half of all Americans are satisfied with their jobs today.

Less than 23% of workers are satisfied with bonus plans and promotion policies, and less than 30% of workers are satisfied with educational and job training programs.

Check out the article and the references cited.

My own personal experiences as a author and consultant seem to confirm this situation.  The most common thing I hear complaints about are the inconsistent ways that employers relate to their workforce.  This is not saying that employers are putting thought and investment into training and salary / bonus issues.  It seems to me that the employer market is unable to relate to the current reality of 4-5 generations in the workforce and that the younger generations expect different things and are motivated differently (read - you can't manage people the way you did 10-15 years ago)

When “anything goes” in today’s workplace

Is the workplace becoming increasingly dishonest - with everyone?

From the secretarial lie about whether the boss is “in,” to the misrepresentation or reallocation of profits or revenues, to bringing legal pads home for personal use, individuals are challenged to apply the lessons of right and wrong that they may hear in Church on Sunday to their everyday work lives.

Does the need to make a profit outweigh the need to reward employees fairly? Should you tell your staff why you fired someone and risk being sued for defamation? Is it more important to make payroll or pay your vendors? Business professionals face ethical decisions like these every day.

That's the position advanced by Kevin Axe, who writes extensively and publishes a blog called the Living Faith Foundation that helps people deal with the issues that impact them in their "real" lives which includes Healing & Recovery, Raising Kids & Teens, Married Life, Single Living, Relating to Parents, and Divorced & Separated

He also cites a book that can be helpful to sort out this complex workplace  morality / honesty issue:
The Good, the Bad, and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart, by Jeffrey Seglin and Norman Augustine

If these issues are working in you, here's a resource that may be helpful.

WARNING - Your eLearning realiity may not match that of the Marketplace

Todays multiple generation learner populations are eager to continue their education online and they, too, are not impressed with the clunky, behind-the-locked-portal labyrinth environment that characterizes many online learning environments.  Find out why - and what you can do to better address their needs

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Will we have to chooose Healthcare over Food?

The United States spends more of its wealth on health care than any other developed country, and that share is rising. In 2005, the United States spent $1.9 trillion, or 16 percent of GDP, on health care, up from $1.7 trillion, or 15 percent of GDP, in 2003. This compares with an OECD median of 8.5 percent. In 1960, the share of GDP had been only 5.2 percent. It is an arresting statistic that the United States now spends more on health care than it does on food.

This insight is excerpted from a report "Accounting for the Cost of Health Care in the United States" prepared in January 2007 by the venerable McKinsey & Co that looks into the strange world of healthcare in the U.S.  (NOTE: a free account subscription is required to log in to view this report)

Despite significantly higher costs than other developed nations, the United States does not deliver objectively better quality and access for US citizens as a whole relative to peer countries. This global comparative analysis therefore suggests that major opportunities for cost improvement—even if not the full $480 billion—are as possible as they are necessary, given the pressures of fiscal imbalances, demographics, and rising health care costs.

Since healthcare is one of the key costs of business in the U.S. anyone who is an employee, employer or supplier should read and take heed.

Change and the New American Workplace

Meg Montford is a Career Coach who helps people make radical career changes.  She also has a great blog called "Career Chaos".  She recently published a great piece entitled "New American Workplace" that cites the book "The New American Workplace" by James O'Toole and Edward Lawler.  Her article discusses a webinar presented by the authors that was hosted by the American Management Association) where they analyzed the changes, consequences and choices of today's organizations.

Meg has a number of great topics on her blog and is worthy of anyone considering a career shift or trying to understand the dynamics of how people address career changes in their lives.

Time of your life: Finding better balance

Regardless of how fast your career is moving, the speed at which your life hurtles toward the future always accelerates. Maybe you've noticed how the years have started to blur like highway signs glimpsed a moment too late.

A Best Life column in Men's Health has done a good review on why it is that so many people are seeking a more normal work/life balance.

The article, entitled "Time of Your Life" (a.k.a. - Men are making heroic gains in the battle for balance. So why does your life still feel out of whack?) delves into the myriad issues that are pulling us in different directions and competing for our time, energy and attention.

We hold out the hope that there's a vista of time yet before us and plenty left in store. The question is, Plenty of what?  Read the article. 

US labor productivity revised down as labor costs shoot up

US labor productivity gains were revised downward to 1.6 percent in the 4th qtr of 2006 instead of 3.0 percent in an earlier estimate, amid sharply higher labor costs, data showed Tuesday.  The Labor Department report on nonfarm productivity, seen as key to increasing living standards without inflation, was weaker than the 1.7 pct increase expected

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Avoiding Isolating Yourself When You're The Only Minority

Despite advances in corporate diversity initiatives, there are times when minority employees have that "Lone Ranger" feeling on the job.  According to Sondra Thiederman, author of "Making Diversity Work," the key to avoiding feelings of alienation, whether at a small or large company, is to find ways to connect with your coworkers.

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Why rushing to bring new hires onboard quickly may not be a good idea

Most, if not all, companies want new hires acclimated to their job duties, the company culture, etc., as quickly as possible.  To accelerate the onboarding process, many things can be compromised that ultimately leading to poor results down the road.  This new article provides the insight about why this is the case.

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15% of US Employees Work under influence of Alcohol

This article published recently illustrates tha American abuse in the workplace is rampant as alcohol use and impairment directly affects an estimated 15 percent of the US workforce, or 19.2 million workers, according to a recent study conducted at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute

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Government job unattractive? Think again!

USA Today recently reported, “Pension Gap Divides Public and Private Workers”, an article that illustrates the growing disparities that exist between the public and private sectors.  It is not what you may think.  Wages, Benefits and Pensions have been getting increasingly lucrative as government agencies at many levels are raising the ante to attract the talent they need.

It's an eye-opening read and one that may cause you to re-think how attractive that "private-sector" opportunity really is, both now and in the long-term.  Let me know what you think.

The Four Cultures of Employee Retention

Despite fluctuating economic times and increased globalization of American jobs, most employers are finding it hard to keep good workers. The reality of today's job market is that workers are expecting more from their employers and are not afraid to move on if their needs are not met by your organization.

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Retention a bigger challenge than controlling costs

A recent study by insurance and financial services company MetLife has found that keeping key workers happy, challenged and motivated is becoming more important to U.S businesses than controlling costs.  Employee retention was identified as the most important priority by more than half of employers overall polled.

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