Workforce Development - A Good Investment?

Preparing unemployed and underskilled workers for skilled positions

The other day I got a message from Laura Johnson, over at Public/Private Ventures in NYC.  She was telling me about a new study that had come out entitled "Tuning In to Local Labor Markets: Findings from the Sectoral Employment Impact Study" available on their website.

I did a quick review of it, and from my point of view and it's an impressive study, loaded with sound thinking, backed up by empirical data, and packaged to answer any question a reader may have.  Here's a synopsis from the report.

For American workers, having a high school or general equivalency diploma (GED)—which once represented a means of entrance to the middle class—is no longer adequate for finding steady employment. In fact, three quarters of low wage workers have these qualifications but lack the relevant occupational skills and connections to employers needed to launch a career. At the same time, in some regions of the country there are persistent skills gaps clustered in particular industries, such as manufacturing and healthcare.Many of these jobs are expected to grow and require specific technical skills that can be gained only through focused training that is closely linked to the needs of local businesses.

Over the past two decades, an innovative approach to workforce development known as sectoral employment has emerged, resulting in the creation of industry-specific training programs that prepare unemployed and under-skilled workers for skilled positions and connect them with employers seeking to fill such vacancies. Based on earlier outcomes studies pointing to the promise of this strategy, Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) set out to conduct a random assignment evaluation to assess whether sector-focused programs could in fact increase the earnings of low-income, disadvantaged workers and job.

This study focused on three distinct programs across the country:

1. an employer/union association,
2. a social venture and
3. a human service organization.

These programs had strong effects for participants, including higher earnings and better jobs (as measured by hourly wages and access to benefits).

In the conclusion, of the report the authors point out that as we emerge from the Great Recession, which has disproportionately affected disadvantaged workers, these strategies and the organizations that implement them may represent a key element in America’s economic recovery—for its workers and its employers.

In other words, the playing field has changed over the past 3 years, and the understandings and approaches that we as workforce managers need to change as a result.

 

 

To stimulate our workforce, new industries will be needed

We will need 15-18 million new jobs in the next five years, just to get back to where we were only a few years ago. Without the creation of whole new industries, that is not going to happen.

Nearly 20% of Americans are not paying anywhere close to the amount of taxes they paid a few years ago, and at least ten million are now collecting some kind of unemployment benefits or welfare.

But new industries require capital, and the conventional capital markets are not lending in order to meet market needs.

Used to be, there was a simple formula for bankers called the 3-6-3 rule; Bankers would give 3% interest on depositors' accounts, lend the depositors money at 6% interest and then be playing golf at 3pm. Lately however, these depositors have been getting a bit troublesome - overextended, not paying according to terms agreed upon, and that sort of thing.

So the banking industry, always sensitive to avoiding risk, (and looking at a way to recapitalize themselves amidst mountains of toxic loans and investments), have found a new approach, which has been enabled by our friends at Treasury.

Borrow money from the Feds at 0%, buy Treasuries that pay 3%, and VOILA ! be back on the golf course at 3pm.  Isn't it wonderful how all things old become new again.

Oh, I forgot about that "new industry" stuff, didn't I?

Yes, new capital infusion will be needed to get some new industries going, and it's anyone's guess where THAT will be coming from (new ventures are risky, so there are always the equity markets, VCs and such)

The challenge I see is that in addition to all of the new capital that will be needed to launch new industries, we likely will continue to see workforce reductions in the foreseeable future as existing firms cut back and shut down due to lack of operating / growth capital.

So maybe this issue is a lot bigger, and more complex than any one is willing to talk about?

Joe the Plumber's Job is Starting to Look Darned Attractive

This past week I was reading a piece that appeared in Parade magazine looking at the potential for  jobs creation due to the Green Building initiative.

The article cited a report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors says the “green economy” could create 4.2 million jobs in the next 30 years. More than 3 million would come from a switch to renewable power and alternative fuels. 

What was no big surprise to me was that it confirmed that “It’s Joe Six-Pack with a hard hat and a lunch bucket, ready to install solar panels.” It went on to prophesy that retrofitting old buildings to meet environmental standards could replace many of the 800,000 construction jobs lost recently. 

Right now, the most green jobs—including environmental lawyers, consultants, and engineers—are in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Houston.  The article points out that many of the new green jobs that are being created don’t require a college degree—only access to training programs. 

But that's soon to change, as the "hands-on" Green building takes place

Consider the change over the past 10 years where science, techology, MBA's, law and upper management were the way to make big bucks and have security.  Today it's not unusual to hear people in the trades that are sustaining 6 figure incomes, with lots of job security, and great benefits.

At a time when tech giants are offshoring any job they can, and relegating much of their US workforce to contingent staffing firms who provide workers on a project by project basis, is it any wonder that Joe the Plumber's job is starting to look more attractive than ever before?Joe the plu

Social Networking and How It Affects the Workforce

Statistics released by comScore indicate that participation in social networking sites is growing worldwide. While growth in North America is beginning to taper off, with a growth of 9% in the past year, growth for the world as a whole is about 25%. Showing especially high growth are the Middle East/Africa, at 66%; Europe, up 35%; and Latin America, up 33%. Facebook has shown tremendous growth from June 2007 to June 2008, posting a 153% increase, toppling former champ MySpace. comScore attributes the growth to the sites striving to become more culturally relevant outside of the U.S.

Social Networking - perhaps you've heard of it before, but are not quite sure what it means. 

Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small industry forums, company alumni, "communities" of interest or a neighborhood subdivision, if you will.  Although social networking is possible in person, especially in schools or in the workplace, it is most popular online.  This is because unlike most Networking with Friends schools or workplaces, the internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to meet other internet users to develop friendships and business relationships, too. 

When it comes to online social networking, websites are commonly used.  These websites are known as social sites.  Social networking websites function like an online community of internet users.  Depending on the website in question, many of these online community members share a common interest such as hobbies, religion, or politics.  Once you are granted access to a social networking website you can begin to socialize.  This socialization may include reading the profile pages of other members and possibly even contacting them. 

The friends that you can make are just one of the many benefits to social networking online. Another one of those benefits includes diversity because the internet gives individuals from all around the world access to social networking sites.  This means that although you are in the United States, you could develop an online friendship with someone in Denmark.  Not only will you make new friends, but you just might learn a thing or two about new cultures or new languages and learning is always a good thing.

As mentioned, social networking often involves grouping specific individuals or organizations together.  While there are a number of social networking websites that focus on particular interests, there are others that do not.  The websites without a main focus are often referred to as "traditional" social networking websites and usually have open memberships. This means that anyone can become a member, no matter what their hobbies, beliefs, or views are.  However, once you are inside this online community, you can begin to create your own network of friends and eliminate members that do not share common interests or goals.

In a business setting, t’s common practice to attend a conference to meet other like-minded people in the industry, to get a job opportunity from someone you meet at a dinner party, or to find a good plumber by asking your friend who fixed his hot water system. These are all examples of connecting with someone else via your social network.

Once you've convinced yourself that you are sufficiently informed, you can begin to search for networking communities to join. This can easily be done by performing a standard internet search. Your search will likely return a number of results, including LinkedIn, eCademy, MySpace, FriendWise, FriendFinder, Yahoo! 360, Facebook, Orkut, and Classmates.

How Social Networking Applies in the Workplace

Several social networking sites like Facebook obviously target the entertainment market, but there are several legitimate applications in the workplace.

For example, you could use it to:

• Learn more about your colleagues than the corporate directory will tell you – What’s their personality? Are they into rock climbing too?
• Find the right person for a project or a secondment – Who can speak Mandarin? Who can train my team in DiSC?
• Inform your colleagues of news and events.
• Let people know what you’re working on right now.

Potential Positives

The potential positives of social networking go beyond knowledge sharing.  Consider the following:

• Staff engagement - especially among the tech-savvy Gen Y’s.
• Job satisfaction - inject some fun into the work day.
• Productivity - the power of a 5-minute break.
• Collaboration – fostering a sense of community.

Potential Negatives

Wherever there are positives, there are negatives. One of the most obvious is the potential for employees to waste their work time on frivolous activities.  Other concerns include:

• Privacy – Who can see your personal information?
• Security – What can they do with that information?
• Appropriate behavior – Do you really want your boss to see a photo of you drunk at your friend's party?
• Copyright – Who own the rights over that video clip you’re uploading?

So in summary, social networking, used appropriately can be an effective business tool.  Like all tools, it should be

• chosen carefully
• used intelligently
• utilized safely

Happy networking!

Craft Shortages Update - Electricians Still in High Demand

Ever since Benjamin Franklin went outside with his kite during a thunderstorm, electricity has ruled the world. All you have to do to understand this is to remember what it was like the last time your power went out for an evening. Nothing worked. No computer, no refrigerator and more importantly, no TV.

Electricity runs everything important in our lives and when it malfunctions, somebody has to fix it, somebody who knows what they’re doing, that is. Electricity has the power to run things when it works smoothly, but, it can also burn things and kill people if misused.

Ever wonder what it takes to become an electrician?

In the United States licensing requirements for construction work are controlled by local building officials. Typically, certain types of electrical work are only permitted to be performed by a Journeyman or Master electrician. The requirements for becoming a journeyman or master electrician, and the types of work they are permitted to do, vary between states; however, there are often interstate reciprocity agreements. Not all states offer a statewide journeyman or master electrician license.

Before electricians are allowed to work without supervision, they are usually required to serve an apprenticeship lasting from 3 to 5 years under the general supervision of a Master Electrician and usually the direct supervision of a Journeyman Electrician. Schooling in electrical theory and electrical building codes is usually required to complete the apprenticeship program. A Journeyman electrician is a well rounded craftsman trained in all phases of electrical construction installation in various building styles and maintenance of equipment after installation.

A Journeyman is usually permitted to perform all types of electrical work except design of electrical systems[2] Typical apprenticeship programs emphasize hands-on work under the supervision of journeymen, but also include a subtantial component of classroom training and testing. Training and licensing of electricians is by province, but many provinces recognize qualifications received in others.

Restricted electrical licenses are also issued for specializations such as motor winder, appliance repair, audio/visual installation, HVAC installation, and similar jobs.

Existing electricians as well as those considering the trade have some great online sources for education as well.  Without leaving your living room, you can access over a hundred electrical courses from RedVector from the comfort of your easy chair (over 45 of these courses are specifically on the National Electric Code)

Is there a continued demand for this important trade?  You bet!

Here are the results of the recent Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) survey to more than 6000 union contractors of all crafts.  The results may surprise you....

read more | digg story

Does culture attract talent? Some think it does...

Not every company has an identified culture, or at least not one that is a selling point when attracting top candidates. What sets you apart? How are you going to have a top notch player say "yes I want to work there"? It could be your web site, your interview process, daily office life or perks.  Read on to learn more

read more | digg story

Can The Four Day Work Week Help America (And Improve Your Life)? [repost]

The notion that the majority of the workforce should work the eight hour work day and the 40 hour work week is based on nothing more than an idea put forth but the Federal government almost 70 years ago.  This column has a few examples on why the 4 day work week could be better.

read more | digg story

Creating a More Democratic Work Environment

A bright fellow named Stephen Simon has set out to "democratize" the process of employer selection for interns and young architects.

As a young professional he looked at the marketplace for Architects and made a keen observation: "As interns and young architects we usually think of ourselves as sellers, hawking our skills to the best firm that will have us. What if we instead consider ourselves as buyers, investing our skills in the best firm we can find? We are the consumers of architectural employment. Unfortunately, we consumers have very little information about the enterprises that we're investing in"

He has set about to create a community where interns and young architects in the huge AEC marketplace can share their experiences and perspectives with others. 

He has correctly determined that there is a sizable "information gap" as relates to the ability to identify firm characteristics and workplace styles.  So he created a unique website called InsideArch.org to enable young design professionals to share information that will enable them and others to make smarter employment choices.

The site produces a "Firm Report" which provides a set of metrics which recap the survey data gathered by the young professionals who have been exposed to the firm. 

In addition to an overall firm score (on a scale from 1-25) for each firm, the InsideArch Firm Reports contain scores in 9 different sub categories called 'Key Metrics' (on a scale from 1-5).

• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• EMPLOYEE CALIBER
• WORK ENVIRONMENT
• OVERALL EXPERIENCE
• MANAGEMENT SKILL
• DESIGN QUALITY
• WORK HOURS
• COMPENSATION
• ATTITUDE TOWARD INTERNS

The majority of architecture firms are small firms. They don't receive a lot of press and may not have a website. Those few firms that do the 'coolest' and most publicized work are inundated with unsolicited resumes, regardless of the quality of the experience for the intern. Lesser-known firms place 'help wanted' ads that offer only cursory descriptions of the firm and its work and often don't even mention the firm's name.

Mr Simon's site enables interns and young architects to evaluate, in a subjective manner, the quality of the firm work experience. Things that are of interest to young A&E professionals include:

• How much will we learn?
• How much opportunity will we have?
• Which firm's work will most interest us?
• Where will our contribution be most respected?

WI th additional information Simon feels that these young professionals can make more intelligent decisions about which firm to invest their time and talent in.

It also seems to have a benefit for top employers.

By letting evaluations expose which Architecture firms are providing high-quality experiences to their employees, those firms would attract a larger pool of candidates, they could be more selective in their hiring, and ultimately produce better work.

(This however puts those firms that let their interns stagnate in a cube in the corner with piles of redlines on their desks would see their applicant pools dry up, the skill levels of their applicants decrease and they would either have to offer higher salaries to compensate or offer a more challenging work experience)

Simon's site seems to provide a community where conceivably everyone wins.  Wonder what the workplace would become if there were more sites of this caliber?

What are the pros and cons about telecommuting?

I have a blog I read with some frequency entitled HR Clean-up (Because HR is a Dirty Business), that recently published a great article entitled "Telecommuting"

It is written from the perspective of the current astronomical fuel prices we're seeing. The gist of the article follows:

There was an article, not a big one, in Sunday's Boston Globe that stated "4-day weeks, telecommuting look better to employers now".  Since I actually teach Virtual HR and I've been a proponent for flexible work arrangements for a long time, I read with interest. Traffic It turns out that soaring commuting costs are finally forcing employers to help employees out.  And, given that so many of us have moved away from work to find cheaper housing, employees are buckling under the increased expenses.  On top of employee costs, employer costs are also skyrocketing.  Companies are starting to figure out that office space isn't cheap--so if an employee is ok with heating and cooling themselves, why not? The other really big change is on the legal front.  Finally, there seems to be some movement to get a bit more flexible. As organizations start to embrace telecommuting, it will be critical for HR to be at the decision making table--along with IT, Building Services, and everyone else who makes the organization tick.  HR has an amazing opportunity to push the traditional boundaries of "butt in seat" and get companies to start measuring what counts--work output. It is going to be a long hot Summer and fuel costs are going to continue to escalate.

However, there are many faces beyond this article, that factor into the telecommuting discussion:

An article "Telecommuting not so great for those left in office" that was published in January 2008 by Kristina Cooke over at Reuters looks at how those that telecommute have less stress and a higher morale compared to those that are left to come into an office everyday. She mentions that “their co-workers tend to find the workplace less enjoyable, have fewer emotional ties to co-workers and generally feel less obligated to the organization.

The beginning of the article states "Telecommuting may boost morale, and cut stress, but it can have the opposite effect on those left behind in the office, according to a new study"

The author cites how telecommuting has been a growing trend in the United States since about 2000. About 37 percent of U.S.-based and international companies now offer flexible work arrangements, with the number of those programs growing at a rate of 11 percent per year, according to the Society of Human Resource Management. but then goes on to explain how

The author cites research of Timothy Golden, a management professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that claims that when a number of their co-workers toil away from the office by using computers, cell-phones or other electronic equipment, those who do not telecommute are more likely to be dissatisfied with their job and leave the company.

I'm a bit skeptical about this inference.

In the late 1990's I worked with IBA, an early pioneer in telecommuting, and participated in the establishment of the first "telework" centers around Washington DC.  Others have since sprung up, adding credence to the ideas of telecommuting in various "flavors".  In 2006, The Telework Coalition, conducted a Telework Benchmarking study of 13 large organizations with mature telework programs.

This study asked about the attitudes of those employees who did not telework. Both our study and two previously conducted studies by other organizations in which there were multiple participants showed that the non teleworking coworkers were both enthusiastically supportive and felt teleworking was good for the organization, or at the least, the situation was a non issue.

I believe that this area is ripe for investigation and action by management and HR practitioners.  Since each organizations' DNA is different, it may not be the right solution for every situation, but there are viable telecommuting approaches that will and do help organizations attract and retain talent in todays increasingly complex market.

Inside the Contingent Workforce industry

An article in the Washington Post, February 28, 2007 paints a new picture of the temporary (also known as the contingent) workforce.

Temping for a living? That could mean working as a project manager, human resources coordinator, bookkeeper or civil engineer. Temporary workers fill a variety of posts, not just reception desks. The fastest-growing job categories are information technology, management and legal jobs, according to Staffing Industry Analysts’ “Temporary Jobs Guidebook.”

Looking ahead, the temporary jobs that will be hardest to fill are civil engineers, according to Staffing Industry Analysts. Other highly sought workers include lawyers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, financial analysts -- and meter readers.”

To help firms understand this market a new annual publication “Contingent Workforce Strategies - 2008 - 09 Edition Source book - A Guide For Program Managers 

A copy of the table of Contents follows08 Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc.

Contingent Workforce Strategies SOURCEBOOK:
A Guide for Program Managers (2008-09 Edition)

INTRODUCTION

Section 1: The Rising Importance and Impact of the Contingent Workforce

• What’s included: Defining the “Contingent Workforce”
• Why Companies Use Contingent Workers
• Why More People Want to Be Contingent Workers: On the Road to a Free Agent Nation
• “Contingent Workforce Management:” A New Function Takes Shape
• Prognosticators Take on Contingent Workers
• Tackling the Changing Workforce

Section 2: Usage of and Spending on Contingent Labor

• Review of Historical Contingent Workforce Usage
• Current and Forecasted Spending on Contingent Labor – in the U.S.
• Current and Forecasted Spending on Contingent Labor – Outside the U.S.

CONTINGENT WORKERS

Section 3: Key Categories of Contingent Workers and Associated Challenges

• Temporaries
• Independent Contractors
• Consultants
• Seasonal Workers
• Choosing the Right Contingent Category

Section 4: Acquiring Critical Skills on a Contingent Basis

• Executives
• Scientists
• IT/Tech
• CFOs
• Human Resources
• Creatives
• Healthcare
• Administrative Assistants
• Day Laborers
• Bilingual Workers

Section 5: Methods for Sourcing Contingent Workers

• Temporary Staffing Agencies
• Job Boards
• Social Networking
• Crowdsourcing

Section 6: “Niche Recruiting” for Contingent Talent

• Retirees
• College Students and New Grads
• Military Spouses
• Disabled People
• Working Mothers

MANAGING YOUR CONTINGENT WORKFORCE PROGRAM

Section 7: Optimizing Your Contingent Workforce Management Program

• Contingent Workforce Optimization Roadmap
• Transformation or Adaptation: Choosing the Right Path for Your Program
• Identifying Drivers of ROI for Your Program
• Building a Business Case for Your Program
• Choosing the Right Sourcing Model for Your Program
• Disaster Planning for Your Program: From Systems Failure to Supplier Bankruptcy

Section 8: Leadership and Structure for Your Contingent Workforce Program

• HR or Procurement: Who’s in Charge?
• Contingent Workforce Talent Management Office
• Managed Service Provider (MSP)/Vendor on Premise (VOP): Using External Partners
• to Manage Your Contingent Workforce Program
• Outsourcing Program Management, or Back to Doing It Yourself
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
• Determining Ongoing Contingent Workforce Related Roles and Responsibilities

Section 9: Vendor Management Systems (VMS)

• Deciding Yes or No
• VMS Benefits
• Vendor Neutrality: Does It Matter?
• Improving VMS Effectiveness
• VMS Supplier competitive landscape

Section 10: Maximizing Contingent Worker Productivity and Effectiveness

• Getting High Quality Contingent Workers
• Rapid Onboarding
• Helping Contingent Workers Adapt to Your Corporate Culture
• Motivating Contingent Workers
• Knowledge transfer
• Safety
• Health insurance
• Remote Temps
• Temp to Hire

Section 11: Managing Risk: Legal and Compliance Issues Related to Using Contingent Workers

• Co-Employment
• Term Limit Policies
• 1099 Compliance
• Sarbanes Oxley Compliance
• Anti-Harassment
• Anti-Discrimination
• Temp Terminations
• Workers Compensation
• OSHA/Safety
• Liability Insurance
• ADA and Disabled Contingent Workers
• English Only Policies
• FMLA/Family and Medical Leave
• Immigration Issues
• Internet Applicant Rules
• Intellectual Property Protection
• Unionization of Temps
• Drug Testing

Section 12: Global Contingent Workforce Management Challenges and Opportunities

• Managing a Global Contingent Workforce
• Offshoring
• Broader Talent Options

Section 13: The Right Workforce Mix: How Much of Your Workforce Should be Contingent?

• The Power of Having the Right Mix
• Are Temps Cheaper?
• Mix Methodology: How To Determine the Right Mix

Section 14: Selecting Suppliers of Contingent Labor

• The State of the Contingent Supply Chain
• Choosing Your External Partner for Program Management
• Supplier Selection
• Requests for Proposal
  • Writing an RFP
  • Getting Suppliers to Respond Properly
• Supplier Reference Checking

Section 15: Negotiating with Suppliers of Contingent Labor

• Preparing for Supplier Contract Negotiations
• Understanding Supplier Profitability and the Impact on Bill Rates
• Markups or Not?
• Gainsharing with Suppliers
• Important Contract Clauses
  • Indemnification
  • Right to Hire/Permanent placement
  • Overtime discounts, renegotiation favored customer, benchmarking

Section 16: Managing Supplier Performance

• Measuring supplier Performance
• Getting More for Your Money
• Service Level Agreements
• Supplier Performance Reviews
• Making the Supplier Renewal/Termination Decision
• Vendor Consolidation
• Managing Internal Hiring Managers Expectations and Roles
• Partners vs. Vendors

Section 17: Contingent Labor (and Related) Supplier Lists

Largest Staffing Suppliers

• U.S.
• Global
• Women and Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (WMBE)

Largest U.S. Staffing Suppliers by Skill Set Provided

• IT Staffing
• Finance/Accounting Staffing
• Legal Staffing
• Healthcare Staffing
• Fastest Growing U.S. Staffing Firms
• Largest VMS/MSP Suppliers
  • VMS Suppliers
  • MSP Suppliers

Section 18: Profiles of Largest Staffing (and Related) Suppliers

CASE STUDIES AND REFERENCE DATA

Section 19: Case Studies: Putting Contingent Workforce Strategies to Use

Implementing/Optimizing a Contingent Workforce Program

• Earthlink: Matching contingent workforce strategy with your business model
  • The Internet Service provider aligns its temp worker strategy with a new business model.

• Freddie Mac: Restructuring a contingent workforce program -
  • Freddie Mac restructures its CW program and lays foundation for a VMS VOP/Master Vendor

• Charles Schwab: Driving tight supplier partnerships
  •  Schwab’s CW plan calls for close relationships between vendors and managers

• Freescale Semiconductor: Selecting a master vendor
  • A semiconductor company narrows its supply base

• Levi Strauss: Using multiple master vendors
  • Levi’s use of two preferred vendors to supply its temps gives it many advantages

• Kleen Tex Industries: Implementing a Vendor on Premises Relationship
  • How Kleen Tex improved its process using a VOP

Implementing/Optimizing a VMS/MSP Program

• Hoag Hospital: Implementing a VMS
  • Hospitals face unique challenges while implementing a VMS

• Blue Cross: Moving from VOP to VMS/MSP
  • Health insurer makes an MSP program work

• Nationwide Insurance: Leveraging VMS reporting and measurement capabilities
  • Insurer learns to manage by the numbers

• Transunion: Centralizing a CW program
  • Company uses VMS to help consolidate control of its CW agenda.

• Brocade Communication: Using the full VMS tool set
  • Tech leader leverages its VMS to mitigate risk and more

• Tuality Health Care: Pioneering VMS in Health Care
  • An Oregon healthcare provider is a beta site for a VMS

Compliance

• Continental Plastics: Engaging Temps on a long-term basis while managing co-employment risks

• Sun Microsystems: Sun’s CW strategy is focused on engaging its temps safely.

Managing Unique Talent Needs

• Vermont Teddy Bear: Effective Seasonal Work Strategies
  • Plush toymaker trains its contingents and seasonal workers to help with its busiest times

• Virgin America: Leveraging contingent experts
  • An airline relies on expert temporary workers to get off the ground

Section 20: Contingent Labor Usage Rates by Occupation

Section 21: Bill and Pay Rates for Typical Contingent Worker Occupations

Section 22: Contingent Workforce Lexicon of Terms

Section 23: List of Tables and Charts

Games that Can Change the World

I read "Mission to Learn" on a regular basis, and recently read a piece that is not only insightful, but also illustrates why advancement of learning approaches is not only good for us as individuals, but also essential for the future of our planet.

The piece I'm referring to is "26 Learning Games to Change the World" written by Jeff Cobb, a really bright and talented guy.

If you have the urge to see what sorts of educational games might be out there that are geared towards making a difference in the world, this is a "MUST READ" article.

What you'll find

1. browser-based free games,
2. desktop-based free games,
3. and desktop-based "fee" games

The world is changing, and if you want to see what's happening in the area of immersive simulations, you'll find this article of real value.

Engaged Employees = Whistleblowers?

A costly scandal at a bank recently has observers wondering why workers didn't report suspicious activity. Some are saying the scandal highlights one of the most important challenges employers face today: poor employee engagement.  Now, these other employees didn't necessarily do anything wrong, but they also didn't go beyond what was expected of them may point to a larger issue of employee engagement.

This article discusses impact of engagement and how engagement varies widely across different global cultures.  A must read

read more | digg story

Nontraditional Teachers Lining Up

One of the great educational challenges we face today is the shortage of individuals want to teach and who can teach our youth what they will need to know to cut it in our rapidly changing world.

Why does this article resonate with me?

For one thing, the teachers "in the system" are in many cases struggling just to maintain their existing teaching load, and are themselves challenged by school district bureaucracies and policies.  Where are the "real world" perspectives to come from, amidst a rapidly changing jobs landscape.

For example, how many teachers and guidance counselors are introducing our youth to careers in construction, where the pay, benefits and job security are above average?  Do the current faculty see construction as much more than the "summer job" that they may have held before, where they were little more than job site general labor?  Does such an attitude dissuade them from encouraging youth to learn about jobs in this industry? 

Do our current cadre of teachers and guidance counselors have an awareness of the types of match, science, or communications skills that these youth will need to be able to enter the field at the "skilled worker" level?  Are these teaching professionals even aware that people without a degree with just a few years of experience with these skills are being actively sought after and snagging annual pay in the high five and low six figures? 

Yet because of youth making misinformed academic choices they often end up competing after graduation for "commodity" jobs that are often not fulfilling.  If they had chosen a path that enabled them to grasp basic math/algebra/geometry skills, they would likely find themselves in  a better bargaining position for jobs.

So it boils down to how to get people from the professions to step into the teaching profession to expose our youth to some of these possibilities.

Check out this story about a St. Paul schools program, designed to find candidates for hard-to-fill jobs by making teachers out of professionals coming from other fields.

read more | digg story

Classrooms are NOT where most learning happens

If you believe that the classroom / instructor method is the major way that adults obtain new information, you'd better take the blinders off.

There are  many other forms of learning that occur at the workplace apart from delivery of information in a classroom setting.

Examples of these alternative methods of instilling knowledge include

• the action learning method,
• 360 degree feedback technique,
• active listening,
• simulations,
• live-case method,
• learning through teaching,
• using theatre,
• collaborative inquiry,
• the learning log,
• conversation,
• self-direct learning, and
• project-based learning.

Take a look at the way you approach educating adults today.  Are you using any of the above "alternative delivery methods?"

Not even sure what some of them are? 

Suggestion : check out this blog in the weeks ahead, as I will be discussing each of these methods and the practical application of these techniques to educate today's adult learner. 

(Hint - if you go to the FEEDBLITZ signup box at the upper right hand of the home page of this blog, you can have daily updates delivered directly to your mailbox, or use our Feed Crier service to get it on your mobile device!)

They Still Don't Get It...

A recent article I found on the Columbia News Service proves that the construction industry still doesn't get the idea that women NEED to be an increasing part of the skilled construction workforce.

A well written article, entitled "Hard-hatted women struggle to land construction jobs"  produced by Julia Marsh, chronicles the current-day struggles that women fact in this male-dominated industry.  Read on, I think you'll be amazed at what a long way the industry still needs to go - and how the worker shortage in construction will continue until enlightened leadership steps forward.

Carole Jordan’s first day at work was a frigid January morning in 2003. She rose early and arrived at the job site by 6:30 a.m. After eight hours of standing on concrete, carrying sheetrock up and down stairs, Jordan left the skeleton of the skyscraper she was helping to build, arrived home by 5 p.m. and collapsed in bed by 6.

"After the first two weeks I thought I was dying. Muscles I didn’t even know I had were aching," said Jordan, a native New Yorker who is in her late 40s.

A little more than three years later, the elements haven’t proved to be the hardest part of Jordan’s career as a construction worker.

"It’s a man’s world," she said. "You work hard, come to the job every day and you’re often not given a shot" at a promotion.

Jordan is among a small but budding number of women entering what is officially called nontraditional employment--a range of jobs that includes fishing and firefighting, the toughest of which to break into is the construction industry. About 900,000 women across the United States work in some form of construction, be it brick masonry or drywall installation, a rise of 18 percent over the last eight years, according to the National Association for Women in Construction.

Though the Equal Employment Opportunity Act was passed in the early 1970s, women account for only 9 percent of construction workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which recently published a survey showing that 88 percent of those women had experienced sexual harassment on the job.

Jordan sat at a table with two other women, Olga Aguilar, 29, and Donna Kielbasa, 28, at the New York headquarters of a job-training nonprofit group called Nontraditional Employment for Women, known as NEW. The three came through NEW’s construction school, a six-week program in which they learned to read blueprints and handle skill saws. Seventy percent of graduates are placed in jobs averaging $53,000 a year in the construction, transportation and utilities industries.

The NEW model of supporting women in blue-collar trades is also used by sister organizations like Tradeswomen Inc. in California and the North Carolina group Charm and Hammer.

All three women had some history in construction. Aguilar’s father renovated homes. Jordan’s childhood mentor was a woodworker. Kielbasa built tree houses.

"I always liked to work with my hands and wear my jeans," Aguilar said, slapping her paint-speckled pants. "The better angle is that I make $16 an hour."

The lure for many women, said NEW's director, Anne Rascon, is a desire for economic independence. Rascon, who worked in a gold mine in California to pay for college, added, "Our experience has been that the women spend their 20s cycling through dead-end, low-wage jobs, and then a light goes on and they see us as an alternative."

Women entering the trades are ethnically diverse, typically about 31 years old and single heads of households, according to statistics from advocacy groups.

Participants of Hard Hatted Women, Cleveland’s version of NEW, which also began in the late 1970s, have an average income of $15,000 before entering the training program. The pay they receive in their first jobs is $11.50 an hour, which with overtime and union benefits comes to an annual salary of just under $30,000.

"It’s a different kind of lifestyle," Rascon said. "You have to like getting up early, working in the hot and cold weather."

Though the women have to be prepared for physical work, technology is such today that workers no longer have to rely solely on brute strength.

The women also often have to go it alone. Though the current job the NEW graduates are working on, a building for City University of New York, has a relatively high 7-to-45 ratio of women to men, in many cases there may be only one woman on a site.

"The women have it real rough," said Kevin Simmons, shop steward for the CUNY site. "I tip my hat to the ones that last."

Although the construction industry has experienced a labor shortage in recent years, one of the greatest challenges to bringing in women is simple recruitment.

"A lot of women don’t think about it," said Nancy Gentile, former chairwoman of the Committee of Women in the Trades, a division of the AFL-CIO. "They’re raised on Barbie dolls, not tools."

Though trade unions are mandated to train a certain percentage of women in construction, for Aguilar and Jordan the unions still have an old boys club feeling.

"Have you been in a union hall?" Aguilar asked. "It’s all white Irish men sitting in the directors' chairs."

Jordan switched out of a floor-covering apprenticeship, when, she said, she was twice overlooked by her construction teacher and then by a union director to fill job openings.

Kielbasa and Jordan said the harassment they had encountered included lurid sexual drawings at the site and come-ons by coworkers. Sometimes the discrimination is less overt or emerges as a lack of awareness about women’s needs in a male-dominated environment.

The three women said that at their most recent job, the one portable toilet for seven women was being used regularly by men. Also, without any running water to wash their hands, the women found it unsanitary to switch from fitting insulation to using the facilities during menstruation.

"Sometimes I feel like a stepchild [and] I don’t want to be too much of a problem," Aguilar said. "But are we a problem now that we need a place to wash our hands when we have a ‘woman’s issue?’"

But as Beth Young, director of Tradeswomen Inc., points out, it’s less of an anomaly to see a woman with a tool belt slung on her hip than it was 20 years ago when she worked as a crane operator.

"When I started I was told straight up, women don’t belong here," Young said. "[People thought] I either wanted to be a man or I wanted to get a man. I just wanted to get a paycheck like anyone else."

Concrete proof that Employee Benefits are going to the dogs

The American Animal Hospital Association in a recent article (AP) has revealed that while employers are scaling on back costly health benefits, pet insurance is gaining popularity as an employee benefit.

Veterinary Pet Insurance, the nation’s largest pet insurer, saw its corporate accounts balloon from 15 to 1,600 in the past six years. About 15 percent of Veterinary Pet Insur­ance’s policies, or about 50,000, come from its corporate accounts.

The growth of this perk comes as pets occupy an increasingly promi­nent place in the American home. According to the American Pet Prod­ucts Manufacturers Association, pet owners spent an estimated $9.8-bil­lion on veterinary care in 2007, up from $7.1-billion in 2001.

Pet owners are spending more on sophisticated care to give animals some comfort or a few extra years when illness strikes. The cost of a sur­gical veterinarian visit was $453 for dogs and $363 for cats in 2006, but treating a pet for an illness like cancer can cost several thousands of dollars.

Pet insurance is rare, with about 2 percent of U.S. pets insured. Anoth­er major pet insurer, PetHealth Inc., expects that figure to grow to about 10 percent over the next decade as options for animal medical care grow. PetHealth in Oakville, Ontario, saw revenue from policies jump to $4.3-million in the third quarter, up 12 percent from the previous year.

Noninvasive procedures like MRIs, CAT-scans and endoscopies have become rela­tively common for animals. Though rare, owners can get organ transplants and pacemakers for cats and dogs.

For employers, offering pet insur­ance doesn’t cost a dime, since employees pay the full cost of the benefit, unlike health insurance for humans. Workers typically get a dis­count of 5 or 10 percent if pet policies are obtained through their company.

Only a tiny fraction of employees typically sign up for the benefit — usually less than 5 percent, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance. But with big names like Comcast Corp., Home Depot, the Walt Disney Co. and Sprint offering the benefit, policies add up.

Del Monte Foods Co. in San Fran­cisco started offering pet insurance about a year ago. Only 15 or 20 employees signed up, but the benefit makes a statement about the compa­ny’s culture, said Paul Berg, vice pres­ident of compensation and benefits.

Bobbie Stanton, a 55-year-old employee at Del Monte, signed up her two Shetland sheepdogs.

Stanton pays $313 a year for each of her two dogs. She recently paid $20 to have a burr removed from one dog’s ear; the cost without insur­ance would have been $200.

Pet insurance isn’t for everyone. Unless your pet’s breed is prone to chronic illness, Consumer Reports says insurance might cost more than it saves. Depending on the age and type of animal, insurance costs $10 to $40 a month. Pet owners often pay bills up front, then are reimbursed.
Whatever the means may be — pet insurance, a savings account or any other financial plan — the key is to simply plan ahead for medical care, said Dr. Thomas Carpenter, presi­dent of the American Animal Hospi­tal Association.

Mining "silver" becoming increasingly popular

Looking for work in Japan? Shigeo Hirano  says you may have an edge if you are older than 60.  Hirano, president of staffing agency Mystar 60 Corp., says so-called "silver" workers are in growing demand as Japan's population ages.

"Japan's best engineers and technicians are leaving factories and offices for retirement," said Hirano, who heads the employment company which specializes in finding jobs for those aged 60 and over.  "Companies are realizing that hiring the elderly is the only way to retain high levels of skills and expertise," added Hirano, himself a sprightly 63.

A decline in young workers globally is exacerbating the concern as  the population ages at an unprecedented pace. The proportion of people over the age of 65 to total population is already the world's highest at 20 percent of Japan's population of 127 million people. The figure is forecast to hit 40 percent by 2055.

This and other information characterizing the worsening labor crunch were chronicled in a Reuters article published in the Boston Globe entitled "Greying workers wanted for hire in aging Japan"

Recruitment of "silver workers" is projected to play an increasing role in the quest for competent, experienced staff.  It is just one of many strategies to ensure the workforce needed for the 21st century.

Factors Shaping Our Future Workforce - Part 1 - Impact of an Aging Population

Aging of the population is currently the single most important trend affecting the workforce in the USA.

Personal lifestyle changes and medical advances are keeping people viable and active longer.

Additionally, financial pressure and personal desire are keeping them working beyond traditional retirement age.  This is evidenced by the projection that by 2025, workers aged 55 and older will be more than 20% of the work force in the USA

The concept of "old" and "senior" are also changing.  By 2050, individuals aged 75 – 78 will be considered to be "middle age."  Mortality tables are being changed to reflect this: maximum life expectancy is increasing from 99 (tables created in 1980) to 120.5 years (new tables published in 2003)

Finally, we are and will continue to experience a lack of younger replacement workers due to a "baby bust" which started with Generation X

One of the most anticipated workplace trends of the 21st Century is the huge retirement wave that will hit most industrialized countries, including the United States, in the next few years. But surveys consistently report that most companies are unprepared to respond to the seismic shifts that are expected to appear in the workforce.

What implications does this have?

Searching for the Silver Bullet: Leading Edge Solutions for Leveraging an Aging Workforce, the latest study from the MetLife Mature Market Institute, which was developed in collaboration with David DeLong & Associates, explores what proactive organizations are doing to creatively meet the challenges posed by an aging workforce.

The study includes in-depth case studies about four companies that have successfully implemented programs to address the changing workforce demographics: Boston Scientific, First Horizon Corporation, The Aerospace Corporation and Weyerhaeuser.

Drawing on the experiences of employers that have put innovative initiatives in place to address the changing demographics, the study provides insights for HR managers on such topics as: implementing effective flexible work arrangements, helping older workers successfully transfer knowledge and devising creative solutions for rehiring retirees.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that between 2004 and 2014 the growth in the percentage of older workers will far outpace that of younger workers.

In that period, the percentage of individuals in the workforce ages 55-64 is expected to grow 42%, compared to a 5% increase in workers age 45-54 and an 8% decline in workers age 35-44. At the same time, the percentage of workers 65+ is expected to grow 74%.

“As the wave of baby boomers approach retirement, companies are searching for a silver bullet – a one size fits all approach for addressing the needs of an aging workforce,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. “However, what we learned from this new study is that there is no panacea for addressing the needs of a mature workforce.

What’s needed, instead, is a portfolio of strategies and solutions that balance the need to retain older workers while also transferring knowledge to younger workers, so that business performance can be sustained.”

“By learning from others and putting practices in place now, employers will be better able to navigate the dramatic changes coming in the workforce,” added Timmermann. “Organizations that haven’t prepared properly will have fewer options to minimize the impact of retiring baby boomers in order to sustain business performance.”

Valuable lessons learned from the study include:

• The need to think of phased retirement or flexible work options as a program, not a policy;
• How to create effective knowledge sharing relationships between older mentors and younger workers;
• How company-sponsored benefits and retirement planning workshops that focus on the economic consequences of leaving the workforce will encourage some employees to remain in the workforce past age 65;
• The need to make knowledge transfer an explicit part of any job when rehiring a retiree; and
• Why companies must stop searching for the “silver bullet” and recognize that there is no quick fix to these workforce challenges. The solution is a portfolio of integrated programs that will accommodate the changing labor market.

The study also provides specific tips to help employers:

1. Create and leverage a network of former employees;
2. Rehire retirees indirectly on a project basis when pension restrictions prevent direct re-employment;
3. Hire retirees with special expertise to innovate on critical projects; and
4. Tap the expanding pool of older people seeking employment.

“When it comes to solving the problems of an aging workforce, the glass is both half empty and half full,” said Dr. David DeLong, president of David DeLong & Associates, Inc. “Organizations can focus on the barriers or the opportunities. Most executives today recognize that their workforce is going to change dramatically in the next decade. They can maximize the contributions of employees and the assets they bring to the workplace.”

The MetLife Aging Workforce study was conducted during the first half of 2007. While this research focuses on four specific case studies, more than 75 interviews were conducted with managers in 28 organizations identified as leading edge in dealing with the changing workforce. To enhance the findings, more than a dozen experts on aging workforce issues were also interviewed.

Shouldn't that Christmas Feeling Last the Entire Year?

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY LOYAL READERS!

PEACE TO YOU AT THIS SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR, and throughout the year

Wouldn't it be nice if the feelings of appreciation that are expressed between friends and colleagues continued throughout the year?

That is the genesis of the question that our friends over at AZCentral.com raises in their recent article entitled "Show worker appreciation every day"

This timely article discusses the benefits of "showing the love" to the people that are important to us - every day.

Because isn't it a good feeling to know you're appreciated?

Does Workplace Loyalty Cut Both Ways?

I suspect that one of the main reasons why so many people put up with long hours, constant demands to increase output, and even Hamburger Management is simply loyalty: loyalty to colleagues and friends, loyalty to a workplace, even corporate loyalty.

Not familiar with Hamburger Management? A relatively new term, coined by the folks over at Slow Leadership, refers to the process of doing everything as quickly and cheaply as possible. When everything has to be done yesterday, there can be no time for debate or questioning. Blind obedience is required because that is the only response that fits the constant demands for going faster and doing more with fewer and fewer resources. Blaming others? Hamburger Management is like every other type of cheap, shoddy goods. It doesn’t work very well. So those who use it must constantly find excuses to avoid the truth being seen: that they are incompetent because of the methods they are using.

I recently was introduced to an excellent piece entitled: Workplace Loyalty Cuts Both Ways, authored by Carmine Coyote. a brand of Adrian Savage a noted marketing guru, Englishman and a retired business executive who lives in Tucson, Arizona. You can read his serious thoughts most days at Slow Leadership, the site for anyone who wants to bring back the taste, zest and satisfaction to leadership; and his crazier ones at The Coyote Within..   It's really a good article.

The trouble is that organizations don’t appear to have the same sense of loyalty in return. That puts a huge strain on employees. Do you pitch in and help out your colleagues, who are struggling with the latest batch of unreasoning demands from on high? Or do you start polishing your resume and get ready to walk out the door as quickly as possible? Do you stay with your belief that the job you’re doing is both worthwhile and valuable—even if it’s poorly paid, as so many jobs in teaching, nursing, and other public services tend to be?

Or do you decide to follow the money into a different career—or even consider leaving to work overseas—and let go of your loyalty to an ideal?

You owe it to yourself to read Workplace Loyalty Cuts Both Ways
check it out for the full coverage.

Will Learning Simulations Be Our Future?

An IDC survey stated that "by 2008 the use of simulations will quadruple....

Simulations provide a parallel universe in which employees hone their skills... Innovative companies have realized this, and others will follow."

Since the early 50’s the use of gaming/simulation has become increasingly important to training and decision-making processes in academic, business, military, and social settings.  Yet it has been only in the last few years that technology has been able to advance the state-of-the-art with more automated simulations technology.

A simulation is a construct that offers a more comprehensive learning experience by providing:

• Uncertainty
• Unpredictability
• A continuum of options to select
• Instant feedback for learners’ actions
• Instant view of learners’ actions
• Influences of the external environment
• An opportunity to review decisions, and alter them
• High levels of interactivity
• An opportunity to practice skills
• An practical view of the conceptual learning
• High level of engagement, allowing learners to replay it many times

This approach to Adult Learning offers many advantages over traditional approaches to teaching:

• Questioning over answering
• Examine assumptions and implications that underlie various decisions
• Exposing the nature of problems and possible solution paths

Learning Simulation also provides a more fertile learning environment, especially in areas of:

• Discovery learning
• Skills in communication
• Role-playing problem solving
• Leadership
• Decision making

Simulations provide a practical way to see the possible effect that decisions and policies have on artificial cultures and environments. 

The benefits to learners include:

• Greater motivation and interest
• Higher concept retention rate
• Better understanding of relationships
• Focus is on learning rather than the final outcome

Unlike other forms of "conventional learning" these simulations

• Affect participants at an emotional level
• Experience is “real” and often deeply moving for learners
• Characters or entities are personified

Many firms I have interviewed indicate that learning simulations are the most productive training approaches that have, and that it is often difficult to get learners away from the game at the end of the day.  Talk about learner engagement !

We All Want To Work for A Company That Supports Us, Don't We?

I wanted to share this with you my readers.  I received this message from a close friend of ours, who also like myself is a vet.

My cousin sent this to me and I thought you all would like to know about it.  Happy holiday shopping!
Shannon

I know I needed this reminder since Sears isn't always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and they haven't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year? How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years. I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution.

I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves. Pass it on.

Decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department: I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, th e Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it's cheaper at that store.

This is their answer to my e-mail:
Dear Customer: Thank you for contacting Sears.The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.
Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358

Please pass this on to all your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!

It's Verified ! By Snopes.com at: http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp (shows the entire article)
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/sears.htm

Where to Find Women Building Bridges

Responding to the London 2012 Olympics and the push to get women into Construction, members of the WorcNet Women’s network, based in Skipton, hosted a “Women Into Construction” seminar at the Craven College Construction Launch event on Monday 5 June.

The seminar included presentations from two women ambassadors from the Construction Industry Training Board. Vicky Belton works as a Civil Engineer and Helen Dickinson as a Quantity Surveyor, they each presented on their journey and experiences as women in the construction industry. Attique Barlas told the audience of a scheme to introduce minority groups and women into construction, offering a four week placement and a guaranteed interview which could lead to a job and further training. Mary Kelly gave a very inspiring talk on the work of the Walter Segal Trust which supports people who are interested in self build opportunities, and Keith and Jane Barber from SHE Build UK told of their business which employs and trains women construction workers for their property management and development company in Bradford.

Members of the North Northumberland and Cumbrian Women’s Networks who travelled down to the Launch event are taking back information to their own networks and local colleges in a bid to establish a similar project in their own areas.

Following the formal launch event, some of the WorcNet members who are currently undertaking a 10 week starter course in construction, hosted an evening dinner at the Rendezvous Hotel for the speakers and the guests from other networks, where they talked about their experiences on the course and their hopes for the future.

WorcNet Co-ordinator Debi Hawkins said “We are really pleased that 11 of our members have taken part in this first Women In Construction course and we are working with the College to progress women into more specialized courses later on in the year. We hope to be running another Women In Construction course from September. We will be having a Women In Construction taster day in September which will include presentations, workshops and hands on activities.”

For more information on WorcNet, the courses or the taster day please contact Debi, Kath or Karen on 01756 692788 or worcnet@craven-college.ac.uk

Performance Appraisal and Feedback - What are Today's Management Expectations?

Performance Appraisal and Feedback is an important part of the talent management process.  However, the "equation" is different today than it has been in the past.

I'd like to share with you some ideas on current thinking about:

• Supervisors’ Accountability For Employee Performance
• The Supervisor As Coach
• What Does The Company Need From The Employment Relationship?
• What Do Employees Really Want From The Employment Relationship?

The Supervisors’ Accountability For Employee Performance

Traditionally, management has meant performing the functions of:
Planning

• Define Goals for Future Performance
• Determine Tasks Needed to Meet Goals
• Determine Available Resources

Organizing

• Assign Identified Tasks
• Allocate Needed Resources

Leading

• Inspire Employees to Achieve Goals

Controlling

• Monitor Employee Activities to Assure Progress

Over time, this role has transformed to include an awareness of :

• Decentralized Decision Making
• Flexible, Skilled & Involved Workforce
• Increased Sensitivity in Work Relationships

The Supervisors’ Job Description has thus evolved as a Supervisor of the Work of Other Employees to include :

• Setting Objectives
• Hiring Employees
• Training Employees
• Assigning Tasks to Employees (Delegation)
• Measuring Performance of Employees
• Rewarding/Disciplining Employees

Accordingly, the Supervisor is accountable to the business to

• Meet Their Own Performance Objectives
• Maintain Accurate and Timely Records of Employee Performance Throughout the Appraisal Period
• Complete the Forms Used in Appraising Employees and Return Them to HR on time
• Maintain Their Knowledge and Understanding of the Performance Appraisal Process,, and
• Review Appraisals Together With Employees

In other words, from the Company's perspective, they are looking for the Performance Appraisal and Feedback process to help

• Maximize Employee Productivity
• Employees Focus on Organization’s Objectives
• Employees Take On Responsibility for Their Performance
• Management Understand How to Manage Performance Effectively
• Facilitate Coaching, Counseling and/or Discipline for Poor Performers
• Provide protection From Legal Liability
• Establish an Objective Basis for Development, Compensation and Rewards

The Supervisor As Coach

Management is so 20th Century!  This "old" view of things looks at Management as a often one-way process whereas coaching is two-way, with the coach and the employee constantly giving and receiving feedback.

Coaching then, instead of “Managing” or “Supervising” is a key concept for achieving top organizational performance.  Supervisors become coaches when they use feedback on a continuous basis to reinforce positive behavior or counsel employees to correct actions that do not further the organization’s goals.

What does Coaching involve?

• Being there for them
• Giving them what they really want
• Rewarding them with "ownership" of their part of the business

According to a study conducted by Mercer management Consulting for the Council of Communications Management, 75% of respondents in a study of employee communications indicated that internal communication has a positive influence on employee performance.

The supervisor is the critical link between top management and employees.  Keeping employee communications “up front” and honest helps to build employee morale, contribute to company loyalty, and increase productivity.   

What kinds of things are important for your employees to be aware of?

What Does The Company Need From The Employment Relationship?

Employee engagement is more important today than ever.  Business leaders need to encourage activities that make employees feel more participative in the business.   You also need to reward people who learn more about their jobs, new trends, solve problems, and are willing to make changes.  Employees who feel empowered are far less likely to become chronically absent or quit.

What Do Employees Really Want From The Employment Relationship?

According to a 2001 Randstad North American Employee Review study looking at how employees define success in the workplace, the following dimensions were most frequently cited:

• Being trusted to get the job done
• Opportunity to do the type of work i want
• Power to make decisions that affect their own work
• Finding a company where i want to work a long time
• Getting raises
• Having flexibility
• Many different job options & opportunities
• Getting promotions
• Getting praise & recognition
• Managing (leading) other people
• Gaining seniority

But it gets even more interesting.

• Mature workers (aged 61-75) workers view themselves as "contributors," while viewing their employers as a "benevolent master." Their greatest psychological need is "respect" and their overriding workplace characteristic is "dedication." Having power to make decisions that affect the whole organization is important to them.
• Baby Boomers (now aged 42-60) are "adaptable" and in need of "appreciation." They view employers as "partners" while striving to be "recognized employees.”
• Gen X'ers (new age 27-42) are "realists" in need of "security." The volatile nature of the new economy drives them to perceive employers as "terminators," while they view themselves as "employees with a future."
• And Gen Y (26 and younger) see themselves as "entrepreneurs" and their employers as "providers." They are in need of "attention" while remaining "cautiously optimistic" about the future.

But for all employees, the most important corporate value cited was TRUST…even more than money or title.  A well thought out Performance Review and Feedback system can be a unique experience that can help

• Make employees feel like members of the “Club”
• Facilitate their ideas, suggestions for problem-solving
• Challenge them with new tasks, assignments, projects
• Involve them in setting performance criteria
• Encourage self-evaluation of their performance
• Work together to set performance objectives

Why then, does the Performance Appraisal process often evoke discomfort versus a sense of discovery?  Perhaps that's because often the program is representative of

• Inadequately defined standards of performance
• Sketchy or ambiguous performance documentation
• Inadequate time allotment for the discussion
• Supervisor bias in judging performance
• Reliance on gut feelings; lack of objectivity
• Lack of timeliness of performance reviews
• Lack of employee involvement

So are they still relevant?  YOU BET !   

Your workforce wants to do the right thing, BUT

• They may not know the rules
• They may not have clear goals
• They may lack confidence
• They may have limited ability
• They may be poorly trained
• They may not have the right equipment
• They may have limited communication
• They may be distracted by personal problems

Today more than ever, a well conceived and properly executed program can be used

• To let employees know where they stand and to give them feedback
• As A basis for compensation and rewards
• As A basis for individual training and performance improvement
• As A basis for career planning
• As A basis for business planning
• To document HR decisions, placement,promotions and discipline

Is this your experience?  How about sharing your "success" stories as well as "horror" stories with our readers.

Launch of www.Skills2Compete.org with resources for advancing a 21st-century skill guarantee

 

Reminder!  Register by Thursday, Nov. 8th A 21st-Century Vision for Opportunity and Innovation Launch of the Skills2Compete Campaign A National Webinar Monday, November 12, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. EST To register, email carlam@workforcealliance.or Learn About the Research Harry J. Holzer Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University Visiting Fellow, Urban Institute will talk about the campaign report, America's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs by Holzer and Robert Lerman.. Hear from Representatives of Endorsing Organizations National Association of Manufacturers Phyllis Eisen, Vice President, The Manufacturing Institute & Executive Director, Center for Workforce Success International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers R. Thomas Buffenbarger, International President Kentucky Community and Technical College System Dr. Keith Bird, Chancellor Training, Inc. National Elsa Bengel, Vice President, Boston YMCA Education & Training The Workforce Alliance Andy Van Kleunen, Executive Director See the Resources Launch of www.Skills2Compete.org with resources for advancing a 21st-century skill guarantee. Register now for the national launch of the Skills2Compete campaign by emailing carlam@workforcealliance.org. Those who register will receive dial-in information one prior to the event.  Learn more about the campaign and endorse at our temporary campaign website at www.workforcealliance.org/endorseS2C.           The Skills2Compete Vision: Every U.S. worker should have access to the equivalent of at least two years of education or training past high school—leading to a vocational credential, industry certification, or one's first two years of college—to be pursued at whatever point and pace makes sense for individual workers and industries. Every person must also have the opportunity to obtain the basic skills needed to pursue such education.

Visit our temporary campaign website at www.WorkforceAlliance.org/S2C

Men at Work - Gimme a Break !?!

Call it my warped sense of irony...

I was driving down the road today and saw the DOT standard "MEN AT WORK" sign, and noted that there were 3 ladies on the work crew.  I wonder how often the average passerby even considers that these are not just MEN at work?

It should not be a surprise that increasingly, smart women are looking to the construction industry as careers.  The pay and benefits in the construction industry are the best in business and industry. Pay is based on knowledge, skills and experience. Additional coursework and degrees from higher educational institutions paves the way to promotions within the industry. And there are more jobs than employees available to fill the many positions in construction. Whether your ambition is to work in an office or in the field, furthering your education is a vital step in getting ahead and staying ahead.

Many women enter the field of construction because their husbands, fathers, brothers or uncles work in construction and they encourage their wives, daughters, sisters and nieces to come into the field with them. Other women start out working in a construction office processing paperwork and then advance into the field and up the career ladder. Still others like the idea of working outdoors, using their hands to build houses, commercial buildings, bridges and highways, supervising projects and providing a good income for their families.

Women can be found working in construction offices or on-site as architects, CAD technicians, interior designers, estimators, project managers and project superintendents. Some women work on surveying crews; others work as building inspectors and plans examiners for municipalities. The possibilities are unlimited.

There are several ways to learn the construction business.

1. On-the-job training and apprenticeship programs have been the traditional route to construction jobs.
2. College programs and courses in construction management, business, drafting, estimating, surveying, civil engineering, and mathematics prepare women for both office and field positions. Some women continue their educations at the university level. Networking with management and leadership groups helps in moving up the ladder.  Many colleges offer certificates and associate degrees in Architectural Drafting, Computer Aided Drafting, Building Safety and Construction Technology, Civil Engineering Technology, Surveying Technology, Construction Management and Welding. (before you laugh at welding - bear in mind that a journeyman welder with O/T can make $120-130k/yr)
3. Want to check out construction from the comfort of your living room?  There are hundreds of "continuing education grade" courses on construction available online.  For example, RedVector has a large library of "fundamentals-level" online courses that will help anyone interested become familiar with the concepts and language of construction.
4. Another resource is the Arizona State University, Del E. Webb School of Construction that offers a bachelor of science degree in Construction. Starting wages average $50,000 per year.

Looking for change and a career with a long-term future?  Check out these resources...

Interested in eLearning 2.0? Here it is...

Our colleague B.J. Schone over at eLearning Weekly can always be counted on to provide good insight and perspective.

Never to disappoint, B.J.'s recent article on eLearning 2.0 tools provides a much-needed introduction into the exciting area of  the different tools and technologies that can be used to reach this next level of learning.

He introduces Dr Tony Karrer, considered one of the top technologists in e-Learning and Performance Support, who operates 2 great blogs that you'll want to check out as well:  eLearning Technology and the Learning Circuits blog

Lots is happening in the eLearning world, and as a learner, author, or provider you need to stay abreast of the latest trends and technologies.  I think you'll find these sources helpful to you.

Could Mom and Dad help keep young workers in the workplace?

Economists predict that a glut of job openings will wreak havoc on the economy, not to mention happy hour.
There have been plenty of blue-ribbon panels, forums and focus groups to address this issue, but none has answered the basic question: How do we persuade the best and brightest to stick around and help solve this looming worker shortage?

read more | digg story

Hiring Foreign Nationals: A Visa Programs Primer

In many situations, you may not be able to find "local" talent to fill a skilled labor requirement.  Obviously, there are a number of "alternative sources" from which you can source these needed skillsets.  When considering bringing in foreign workers, you and your team need to be aware of the myriad requirements, laws and issues associated with bringing foreign workers on board.

The good folks over at BLR (Business & Legal Reports) have provided a great source of information to help keep you out of hot water.  Their HR Daily Advisor newsletter, which provides in-depth professional guidance to those in the talent business, published a recent article you will not want to miss.

Entitled, "Hiring Foreign Nationals: A Visa Programs Primer", this great article will provide you useful information, including perspectives on your talent acquisition policies and procedures when it comes to hiring foreigners.

Check out this information, it can keep you out of trouble.

Want to Understand Peoples Motivations ? Then Understand their Desires !

Incentive Intelligence is one of our favorite blogs.  One reason why is a recent article they published called "Maximize Overlapping Desires..." that does an excellent job of describing how fundamental the changes are in the way todays generations look at employment versus the generations that preceded it.

Wonder why the workforce doesn't "love" the things that the previous generations used to respond to?  Read the article - it's very well done, as are all of the articles at this interesting blog!

Stopping the Evaporation of Graduate Women Engineers

There's a wealth of information and resources that are available to facilitate young women that are seeking to enter the engineering discipline.

The following is a partial list of sources you may wish to investigate:


    Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN):

The mission of WEPAN is to be a “catalyst, advocate, and leading resource for institutional and national change that will result in the full participation of women in engineering”.

Society of Women Engineers (SWE): 

The mission of SWE is to “stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity.”

Yearly women in engineering literature reviews available

Assessing Women and Men in Engineering

Excellent annotated bibliographies, literature overviews

American Society for Engineering Education

Publishes Journal of Engineering Education, Prism Magazine, Engineering Colleges Profiles and Statistics, ASEE conference proceedings

Frontiers in Education conference proceedings

MentorNet: national electronic mentoring program

I've personally interacted with most of these organizations and can vouch for their passion and understanding of how to get more graduate engineers out of the "engineer pipeline"

Check them out!

Looking for Expert Guidance on Online Training Content?

Dave Boggs, the editor of the Boggs eLearning journal, also has a great blog devoted to Online Training Content. Dave, a respected and knowledgeable guy, and what he says about elearning and how to deliver it is always right on point.

Check out this interesting and informative site.  You'll be glad you did!

Are Podcasts an effective learning tool?

For over 20 years, I have been a reader of the T.H.E. Journal.  It's a great publication for those interested in exploring what's going on in the education space, written in plain English, and at a level those of us, who are interested in a "practical" level of technology, can understand.  (With a circulation of over 90,000 T.H.E. is the largest circulated education technology monthly publication.)

Recently, they published a great piece called "Podcasts: Where's the Learning?" by Patricia Deubel Ph D.  In addition to her appearances in the T.H.E. Journal, she also can be found at Helge Scherlund's eLearning news blog.

This insightful article discusses whether podcasts are effective learning tools.  Clearly, podcasts are a part of the learners "toolkit", and as this article points out, we who are looking at podcasts as a learning tool, need to become aware of its strengths as well as weaknesses.

Check it out.  It's the first of a 2 part article that you'll find useful.

The employee retention audit - where it fits

Seldom does a day go by where I am not asked "What can I do to keep good people from leaving?"

Employee retention is essential in "winning the war for talent", so if you are losing good people, you need to understand WHY.

One method that can work is to conduct an assessment of your employee retention practices.  Such an assessment should enable you to :

1. Identify areas and activities that have the greatest potential benefits in retaining employees.
2. Allow you to create measurements and metrics to track your progress over time.
3. Discover what is of most concern to your employees, and therefore the greatest risks to losing them.
4. Learn the reasons your employees stay to continue and improve in these areas.
5. Improve your organization with the specific feedback from the tools, and become more attractive to current and potential employees.

Conducting exit interviews often will not get you the type of information that is useful to you.  These folks are already one step out the door.  You must swim upstream to discover WHY they were motivated to look in the first place.

I also caution you to carefully consider the consequences of simply doing a "standard" employee satisfaction survey.  Not that these surveys are bad, but more often than not, such surveys set an expectation that management is intending upon doing something, based upon the survey results.  If you don't develop (and publish) a plan of action shortly after the survey is completed the staff will see this as a meaningless exercise, and your efforts to elicit their input in the future will suffer.

Frequently, feedback is not acted upon in a timely manner, or used as a basis for terminations or discipline.  Using the survey data for this purpose can lead to a belief in the workforce that surveys are a management weapon, and the staff will respond accordingly.

To summarize, employee retention is about making sure you have a good job to do, finding the right people to do that job, making sure that people are feeling empowered and supported, and that they are being recognized for their accomplishments.

If you suspect, but don't know for sure, the temperature of the workforce, this might be a great time to start to figure it out.

Mentoring the Young Workforce

At some time in your life, you've likely been guided by a senior mentor.  Think of one or more important mentors in your life.  What story or stories can you remember about the experience?

Mentoring is advising, teaching, counseling and role modeling.  Formal mentoring matches a senior or more experienced person—the mentor—to a junior or less experienced person—the mentee.  Mentors focus on a mentee’s achievements, success in school and preparation for the workforce through a one-to-one relationship that is non-threatening and non-judgmental to both parties.  It is a relationship that changes over time as each grows, learns, and gains experiences in the relationship.

There are numerous "formats" of mentoring:

• Peer Mentoring where the Mentor/mentee are of similar ages, and where the Mentor experience greater than the mentee experience.
• Group Mentoring is used where there are multiple mentees
• Professional Mentoring where there is a major difference in life experience

Are you a good mentor?  Strong mentors share the following common attributes:

• Strong performances and continuous improvement on each performance that they mentor
• Ability to grow the performance abilities of mentees
• Professional behavior and attitudes
• Commitment to improving the enriched learning environment project—both the team and the overall environment

Mentoring is highly valuable, and becoming a "business essential" for the employer as well as the employee.  I'll share more on how to setup a mentoring program in a future post.

If you've been mentored, who are YOU mentoring today?

If you've never been mentored, who can you identify that can mentor YOU?

Does Playing Games Make You Smarter?

Games may be crucial to ensure the skilled talent pool we need now and in the years ahead...

According to a 2002 study by Gentile & Walsh, American children aged 2-7 play computer games an average of 43 min/day, children aged 8-12 play an average of 56 min/day, and children aged 13-17 play an average of 78 min/day.

Our youth are accustomed to learning through games.  In fact, games are largely responsible for the use of the computer.  According to a national survey conducted by the National Institute on Media and the Family, 92% of kids age 2-17 play video and computer games.  Michigan State University also conducted a longitudinal study of 140 low-income children and their Internet use at home; participants reported game play as their primary reason for using their computers.

For most of you, learning was chiefly considered fun during your stint in grade school when learning games were commonplace. However, once you hit junior high and then high school, learning seemed to be required and was not necessarily fun anymore. Games were no longer commonplace, long lectures, extensive reading assignments and homework became the routine.

 

No matter what your age, games are fun and naturally give people enjoyment and pleasure. Whether it’s a board game, computer game, video game or basketball game, most involve people, inspire interaction, offer challenges, stir a competitive spirit and of course, provide satisfaction. Simply put, games engage people.

 

That’s why corporate learning organizations worldwide increasingly develop and implement learning games and simulations for their employees. Learning games and simulations, much like the ones that were played during grade school, can improve learner engagement, learner participation and comprehension, retention and more.

So should we be focusing our attention on Educational Games?  Consider what's at risk.

• U.S. workforce must raise skills to compete in global labor markets
• U.S. workforce must raise skills to support an innovation based economy
• U.S. workforce must be ready for new jobs created by technological advancements
• Digital media the medium of attention for youth
• Schools must become high-performance organizations

What does this suggest to you?

If you're looking for work, these folks are hiring...

In case you haven't been keeping up with current events in the global workforce, the hottest job market in construction in the world right now is not in China, but in Dubai in the United Arab Emeriates.

At this time, Dubai is said to currently have 15-25% of all the world's cranes.  And what are these cranes building you might ask?  Well, here are a few of the projects on the boards:

The Dubai Waterfront.  When completed it will become the largest waterfront development in the world.

The Palm Islands in Dubai. New Dutch dredging technology was used to create these massive man made islands.  They are the largest artificial islands in the world and can be seen from space.  Three of these Palms will be made with the last one being the largest of them all. 

Upon completion, the resort will have 2,000 villas, 40 luxury hotels, shopping centers, movie theaters, and many other facilities. It is expected to support a population of approximately 500,000 people.  It is advertised as being visible from the moon.

The World Islands.  300 artificially created islands in the shape of the world.  Each island will have an estimated cost of $25-30 million.

The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai. The worlds tallest hotel.  Considered the only '7 star' hotel and the most luxurious hotel in the world.  It stands on an artificial island in the sea.

Hydropolis, the world's first underwater hotel.  Entirely built in Germany and then assembled in Dubai, it is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2006.

The Burj Dubai.  Construction began in 2005 and is expected to be complete by 2008.  At an estimated height of over 800 meters, it will easily the be world's tallest building when finished.  It will be almost 40% taller than the the current tallest building, the Taipei 101.  Fifty stories (around 190 meters) of the Burj Dubai have already been completed.

The Al Burj.  This will be the centerpiece of the Dubai Waterfront.  Upon completion it will rival The Burj Dubai for the title of tallest building in the world.  The exact height of the building is being kept strictly confidential for reasons of competition.  Since the Al Burj and Burj Dubai are both striving to become the world's tallest building, it is rumored that the Al Burj will be built a little higher since the Burj Dubai will be completed first. 

The Burj al Alam, or The World Tower.  Upon completion it will rank as the world's highest hotel.  It is expected to be finished by 2009. At 480 meters it will only be 28 meters shorter than the Taipei 101.

Dubailand.  Currently, the largest amusement park collection in the world is  Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, which is also the largest single-site employer in the United states with 58,000 employees.  Dubailand will be twice the size of Walt Disney World.  Dubailand will be built on 3 billion square feet (107 miles^2) at an estimated $20 billion price tag.  The site will include a purported 45 mega projects and 200 hundred other smaller projects. 

Dubai Sports City.  A huge collection of sports arenas located in Dubailand.

Currently, the Walt Disney World Resort is the #1 tourist destination in the world.  Once fully completed, Dubailand will easily take over that title since it is expected to attract 200,000 visitors daily.

Ocean Heights and The Princess Tower , two huge luxury condominium and apartment towers to be built on the Dubai Marina.  At over 100 stories tall, The Princess Tower will become the largest residential building in the world after construction is done.   

The Dubai Marina is an entirely man made development that will contain over 200 highrise buildings when finished.  It will be home to some of the tallest residential structures in the world.  The completed first phase of the project is shown. Most of the other high rise buildings will be finished by 2008.   

The Dubai Mall will be the largest shopping mall in the world with over 9 million square feet of shopping and around 1000 stores.  It will be completed in 2008. 

Ski Dubai, which is already open, is the largest indoor skiing facility in the world. 

Some of the tallest buildings in the world will line the Dubai Marina.

The UAE Spaceport would be the first spaceport in the world if construction ever gets under way.

The Dubai Metro system, once completed, will become the largest fully automated rail system in the world.

The Dubai World Central International Airport will become the largest airport in size when it is completed.  It will also eventually become the busiest airport in the world, based on passenger volume.

There are currently more construction workers in Dubai than there are actual citizens (although Dubai does has a 80% expatriate population).  And they don't have nearly enough to fill the demand.  The only downside - labor problems seem to be widespread and wages and safety aren't up to U.S. standards, so don't say I didn't forewarn you.

Getting to the Starting Block

Many seeking employment today (in any industry) require a High School diploma or a GED.  Without this credential, more often than not, workers are relegated to the lower paid job classifications.

If an applicant hasn't completed High School with a diploma, the GED offers to the roughly 500,000 dropouts per year, a way to get back into better paying jobs in the workforce.

Depending upon how long it has been since the school days, there is increasing resistance with age to get back into self-education.  Online educational opportunities exist to help the dropout who has committed to obtaining their GED.

There's a good bit of discussion about the value and importance of the GED in today's marketplace.  MIT published Who Benefits from Obtaining a GED? Evidence from High School and beyond by Richard J. Murnane, John B. Willett, and John H. Tyler
The Review of Economics and Statistics,        Vol. 82,        No. 1 (Feb., 2000),                   pp. 23-37, a 15 page research paper on the multiple aspects of the value of the GED.  You'll find it an interesting read (I've provided a synosis here)

Leonard Williams, an e-learning instructor, recently published a great article entitled  "Planning, Perseverance and Motivation for the GED Test" that looks int this option and how e-learning can benefit the GED aspirant.  it's well thought out and Williams provides a sound proposal.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Effective E-learning - how it happens

Over time providers of e-learning solutions have learned that successful outcomes are based on several principles which guarantee the acquisition of the knowledge needed.

Making learning pleasurable
Without pleasure, there is no motivation. Without motivation, there is no learning. e-learning modules need to be mind stimulating : the learner plays an active role, the methods and solutions are not revealed immediately but discovered progressively, quizzes and exercises hold user’s attention and check their understanding, videos enhance pedagogical effectiveness by illustrating good and bad practices.

Making learning user friendly
Navigation must be extremely simple. This apparent simplicity does not prevent users from adapting the tool to their way of learning. Users need the ability to run through the whole module or take any section of particular interest to them ; some may wish to print out the screens, so that they can take notes on them, while following the module ; and others systematically use the links towards complementary resources.  Some providers, like RedVector provide the feature of printing off the lesson as a PDF document so the material can be reviewed off-line.

Proposing the correct time frame
Opinions vary on the ideal module length but it appears that the typical adult learner beyond 30-45 minutes minutes, encountered difficulty with retention, ans training regardless of form becomes increasingly difficult to fit into the day of busy professionals. Concentration is also difficult to hold beyond this timeframe. To adopt progressive learning approach, bringing together discovery, knowledge appropriation and application exercises is hardly possible in less than 20 minutes. Thus, a one hour learner paced online learning session will usually consist of a 25 – 35 minutes lesson, a 5-10 minute break, and a assessment or test.

Offering content from the best sources
Content is King!  The top e-learning providers join forces with subject matter partners as well as well-known authors, professors of leading universities, unquestionable authorities in their particular fields. Custom  made modules can also be developed if your company wants to implant company-specific corporate values, techniques, know-how into an e-learning format.

Strong and effective educational content is as important as adapting it to the different learning styles.

Working with the Contingent Workforce

Esme Friesen of the Galt Global Review published a set of great best practices to assist the supervisor or manager thinking of hiring a contingent worker.

According to Friesen, the squeeze on workforce budgets continues the same as it has for well over a decade. Whereas everybody wants to expand their scope while increasing their bottom line, adapting to variable market trends is still the order of the day. In some organizations this means the hiring of new staff and for others this means a decrease in their labor pool. Both ways, managers have had to find flexible staffing solutions and as a result, the demand for a skilled, reliable contingent workforce has risen significantly.

Fishing for resources in a new "fishing hole" carries with it a special set of challenges.

Friesen offers the following points to help you be more effective in sourcing from the Contingent Workforce marketplace:

1. Have the staffing service coach or counsel a contingent worker on job performance.

It is one thing to point out a procedural protocol to a new contingent worker, but it is another to give them an evaluation. Marcie Ellison, Vice President of The Personnel Department's temporary division advises "the staffing service should be calling you. If there is a need for a performance or corrective review, it is the responsibility of the service to address it." Otherwise, contact the service to request a review and tell them why it is necessary.

2. Let the staffing service negotiate the rate of pay.

This issue is best addressed with the staffing service. The staffing service's account manager uses input from you to establish rates of pay and will handle all communications regarding pay raises for the contingent worker. Contingent workers are regular staff of the service and as such, have their own agreements with respect to wages. When you begin negotiating with the contingent worker, you become a de facto employer and can run into difficulties in defining the "employer" if there is ever a dispute.

3. Express your needs for skills and let the staffing service do the training.

Staffing agencies often have training and upgrading programs available to their field staff. If specific training is required for a job, the staffing service will work with you to identify and implement the best training program for the contingent worker.

4. Refer any requests for personal time-off or vacation to the staffing service.

Contingent workers will request time off through their staffing service manager who will then contact you regarding coverage prior to approval being given. If temporary employees approach you, simply refer them back to their staffing service manager. Your primary relationship is with the service, and so is the employee's.

5. Discuss job opportunities with the staffing service.

In this era of talent shortages, it is best to discuss job opportunities with the staffing service. Often the best contingent worker is not the best permanent employee. For many individuals in the contingent workforce, it is a lifestyle choice. They prefer the flexibility and variety that going from job-site to job-site affords them and staffing services know this. The service may have other individuals available who are interested in finding permanent employment, and who are more suitable to the position. To get the best from the "temp to perm" potential, contact the service who can then work with you to determine who the most suitable candidates are. It is always good to check first with the service.

If a temporary or contract worker approaches you for a position, it is a compliment to your managers and your organization. Still, you are best advised to direct them to publicly available job postings to which they can apply. If there were a position that you wanted to hire the contingent worker for, contact the service, which will then approach the employee directly.

6. Be discrete regarding harassment or discrimination issues.

If a situation where a contingent worker is behaving inappropriately arises, contact the service directly as soon as you become aware of a situation.

7. Let the staffing service terminate a contingent worker.

While it may be your responsibility to do the hiring and firing for your firm, the contingent worker is the responsibility of the staffing service. Always contact the service to terminate a contingent worker.

8. Do include contingent workers in your company's employee functions where appropriate.

Contingent workers are an important part of the modern workforce, therefore it is important to make them feel as though they are part of your team. Inclusion at staff parties and other employee functions is a good idea.

There are times, however, when the company may be hosting "staff only" events such as company retreats and seminars etc. In these instances, it is best to contact the service to explain the contingent worker's exclusion. For recognition events, the service should be invited to present any awards or bonuses the company is offering to its contingent workers.  In addition, a few staffing services offer their field staff benefits packages, training and skill development, advancement schemes, and recognition programs. Choose one that does.

9. Be in touch with the service.

The basic rule of thumb is to always be in touch with the service. They are set up specifically to manage contingent and leased workforces. They have a firm understanding of the legal and logistical issues associated with the hiring of temporary staff.

It starts with a plan

Today's secondary, postsecondary and career and technical education students stand poised at the center of industry trends that will benefit them enormously. The United States is embarking on a construction boom. In fact, according to a 2004 report published by Brookings Institute, more than half of the buildings that will exist in 2035 have not been built yet.

As baby boomers approach retirement age, a significant portion of the existing construction workforce will be leaving. The demand for quality skilled craft professionals will be critical, and this will create a wealth of possibilities for young people who seize that opportunity. It is critical to the future of our industry that we reach out to our young people and expand career-training opportunities.

Accordingly, the US has a vested stake in ensuring that the workforce needed to construct these buildings.  Thus, the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) has been an advocate in promoting ways for contractors to keep up with this surge.

The challenge is that the Construction industry, representing almost a trillion dollars of spending in our national economy is incredibly fragmented, and it is a monumental challenge to get the industry on the same page, with literally almost 1000 construction industry different trade groups in operation.

The NCCER has produced a document entitled the 2007 Construction Careers Planning guide, Download 2007_construction_careers_planning_guide.pdf in conjuntion with the upcoming National Careers in Construction Week (CiC Week) is a nationwide campaign designed to increase public awareness of the hard work and contributions of our nation’s craft professionals by highlighting the many career opportunities available in the Construction industry.

Is use of "Best Practices" a common practice in your firm?

The term "best practices" is commonly bandied about in business.  "We use this 'best practice' or that one" some claim.  Matt Stevens in his blog "The New Business Model of Construction" gives us some good insight on how to leverage Best Practices in a practical way.

A "Best Practice" is a management idea which asserts that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. Best practices can also be defined as the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way of accomplishing a task, based on repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people.

Thus, one of the growth strategies for any successful business should be the identification and adoption of Best Practices.  There are numerous sources for these practices.  One of the challenges is finding practices that are relevant to your particular type of business. 

For example, take construction:  According to Matt Stevens of the Stevens Construction Institute, there are over 100 market sectors in the construction industry. F.W. Dodge reports in its construction permit data 30-odd categories and that is just the type of projects. Multiply that by the all the different types of contractors. The old CSI classification methodology outlines 16 divisions of work. Each division typically has several construction firm types occupying each of those.

Stevens has published over 140 best practices in the construction industry in a book entitled "Managing a Construction Firm on Just 24 Hours a Day" that helps contractors seeking to imporove their businesses with better techniques, construction methods, business processes, activity management, workplace incentives etc.

Check out the book and Matt's blog.  Both are filled with good information for Contractors.

Partnership - How Education and the Construction Industry collaborate

Don Whyte, President of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) published a paper on the strategy and activities of his organization, which is focused on dealing with the formation of the craft and supervision in the large and highly specialized Construction industry.

The paper, Download building_success.pdf delves into the industry situation, challenges and some of the initiatives that are underway to address the needs of the current marketplace.  If you're interested in how the Construction industry is approaching the challenge, this is a "must read".

Plain Language - an unappreciated skillset

Doublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a communication bypass. Such language is often associated with governmental, military, and corporate institutions and its deliberate use by these is what distinguishes it from other euphemisms. Doublespeak may be in the form of bald euphemisms ("downsizing" for "firing of many employees") or deliberately ambiguous phrases ("wet work" for "assassination", "take out" for "destroy").

Workplace literacy is not only about improving the skills and abilities of your employees. It is also about effectively and clearly communicating with them. Plain language is defined as straightforward expression, using only as many words as are necessary. It is language that avoids obscurity, inflated vocabulary and convoluted sentence construction. Using plain language principles in information bulletins, health and safety manuals, forms and other modes of communications saves time, money and lives

• readers understand documents better
• readers locate information faster
• documents are easier to update
• it is easier to train people
• documents are more cost-effective

Plain language (also called Plain English) is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. Language that is plain to one set of readers may not be plain to others. Written material is in plain language if your audience can:

• Find what they need;
• Understand what they find;      and
• Use what they find to meet      their needs.

There are many writing techniques that can help you achieve this goal. Among the most common are:

• Logical organization with the      reader in mind
• "You" and other      pronouns
• Active voice
• Short sentences
• Common, everyday words
• Easy-to-read design features

No one technique defines plain language. Rather, plain language is defined by results—it is easy to read, understand, and use.  Does your organization engage reward doublespeak or plain language?  Moreover, what form of communication style do you screen for?

 

The Contingent Workforce

Highly skilled professionals are fast joining the temp ranks, so start planning your career as a consultant now, says HotGigs CEO Doug Berg

read more | digg story

Why is aging of the workforce significant to employers?

Demographers have presented a compelling case: the 21 st century workforce is – and increasingly will be – different from the workforce of the last century. One important change is the aging of the workforce, a trend expected to continue for several decades. Labor force economists expect significant increases in the percentages of workers 55 and older who will be in the labor force by 2012.

The National Study Report,a research product of The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development authored by Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Ph.D., Michael A. Smyer, Ph.D., Christina Matz-Costa, and Katherine Kane, looks deeply into the internal dynamics of workforce analysis and planning, and provides a rich and current set of options for employers to refer to when trying to make sense of today's dynamic workforce.

Employers increasingly understand that the success of their businesses often reflect the adaptations they make to new trends and changes occurring both inside and outside of their organizations. The reports shows conclusively how the “right” adaptations made “just-in-time” may produce competitive advantages; adaptations that are “not enough” or that occur “too late” could result in unanticipated vulnerabilities.

How to overcome employee indifference to a Workforce Development initiative

Sometimes organizations launching a workforce development initiative encounter indifference, hostility or fear from the workforce. 
Here are some ideas on how to overcome this resistance and build cooperation and trust:

• establish champions among supervisors and labor representatives
• maintain confidentiality
• recognize existing skills and experience
• do a skills needs assessment and disseminate results
• involve employees from all areas and levels of the organization

These simple (but often overlooked) steps will help get your workforce initiative off on the right foot.

Literacy and Workplace Skills: How to Assess Levels

Thomas Phillips, Ph.D., an economist, writing for the Ontario Workforce Development Board writes "Our economy has entered a new era. Those with strong communications skills – reading, writing, and speaking – and more particularly those who have the ability to thoughtfully analyze information are the most valued people in our labor market. They are the ones who have more job opportunities, higher pay, and are less often without work than any other group. The ability to communicate and analyze are the keystones of a knowledge economy

Literacy is often considered an either/or issue; one can read and write and do basic math or not. The continuum of literacy and basic skills is becoming increasingly better understood, however, to mean the degree to which people can communicate, learn, adapt to change and deal with complex problems.

Minimum literacy skills for the current economy have been benchmarked and a study of 23,000 working-age Canadians found that 40 percent have marginal to poor skills1. These categories include those at levels one, two and the bottom of level three. The levels are described as:

Level 1: It identifies people who can read, but test poorly. They may have developed coping skills to manage everyday literacy demands but their low level of proficiency makes it difficult for them to face novel demands, such as learning new job skills

Level 2: People can only deal with material that is simple, clearly laid out, and in which the tasks involved are not too complex. It denotes a weak level of skill, but more hidden than Level 1. At this level, people have developed coping skills to manage everyday literacy demands but face difficulty earning new job skills.

Level 3: The minimum skill level suitable for coping with the demands of everyday life and work in a complex, advanced society. It denotes roughly the skill level required for successful secondary school completion and college entry. Like higher levels, it requires the ability to integrate several sources of information and solve more complex problems.

Levels 4/5: It represents people who demonstrate command of higher-order information processing skills. 

What do these employers do right?

According to Family Business magazine, there are a number of really old family businesses in existence.  One might ask, "what is it that keeps these firms going - generation after generation"?

The quality and consistency of the workforce has been a factor in all of these successful businesses.  many have employee ownership programs in place, all respect the people who have helped maintain the business over time

* Denotes new addition.

1. Kongo Gumi
Construction/Osaka, Japan
Founded: 578
40th generation
www.kongogumi.co.jp
Prince Shotoku brought Kongo family members to Japan from Korea more than 1,400 years ago to build the Buddhist Shitennoji Temple, which still stands. Over the centuries, Kongo Gumi has participated in the construction of many famous buildings, including the 16th-century Osaka castle. Today the family continues to build and repair religious temples and manage general contracting from its Osaka headquarters. Current president is Toshitaka Kongo; his 51-year-old son, Masakazu Kongo, is waiting in the wings.

2. Hoshi Ryokan
Innkeeping/Komatsu, Japan
Founded: 718
46th generation
www.ho-shi.co.jp/jiten/Houshi_E/
According to legend, the god of Mount Hakusan visited a Buddhist priest, telling him to uncover an underground hot spring in a nearby village. The hot spring was found, and the priest requested that his disciple, a woodcutter’s son named Garyo Saskiri, build and run a spa on the site. His family, known as Hoshi, have run a hotel in Komatsu ever since; the current structure houses 450 people in 100 rooms. Zengoro Hoshi is the current patriarch.

3. Château de Goulaine
Vineyard, museum, butterfly collection/Haute Goulaine, France
Founded: 1000
http://chateau.goulaine.online.fr
The castle, owned by the Goulaine family, houses a rare butterfly collection in addition to a museum. It hosts various functions, including weddings. Wine is available for sale at the castle’s vineyards.

*4. Fonderia Pontificia Marinelli
Bell foundry/Agnone, Italy
Founded: c. 1000
Bell foundry founded in the small central Italian town of Agnone, high in the Appenine hills. Still uses the original wax techniques of its founders (a wax “false bell” is overlaid with the real thing); its bells toll in New York, Beijing, Jerusalem, South America and Korea, among other locations. Firm has 20 employees, including five members of the founding Marinelli family. Pasquale Marinelli is current managing director. A museum, opened in 1997, features the work of Pasquale’s brother, sculptor Ettore Marinelli.

5. Barone Ricasoli
Wine and olive oil/Siena, Italy
Founded: 1141
www.ricasoli.it
The Ricasoli barons were first given their land by the Republic of Florence; today their Brolio Estate covers about 3,600 acres. The family’s main focus is its wine production, although 26 acres of the estate are used for olive cultivation.

6. Barovier & Toso
Glass making/Murano Venezia, Italy
Founded: 1295
20th generation
www.barovier.com
The Barovier family produces crystalline glass, mother-of-pearl glass and gold-free cornelian red on Murano Island, about a ten-minute ferry ride from Venice. The Baroviers merged with the Toso family, who were also glassmakers on Murano Island, in 1936.

7. Hotel Pilgrim Haus
Innkeeping/Soest, Germany
Founded: 1304
www.pilgrimhaus.de
The Hotel Pilgrim Haus is operated by the Andernach family in the town of Soest, about 110 miles north of Frankfurt.

8. Richard de Bas
Paper/Ambert d’Auvergne, France
Founded: 1326
www.richarddebas.fr
Richard de Bas has a longstanding reputation for high-quality papers, which has led to many high-profile jobs. The company has supplied paper for limited-edition works by Braque and Picasso. It also operates a museum.

9. Torrini Firenze
Goldsmiths/Florence, Italy
Founded: 1369
www.torrini.com
Jacopus Torrini moved to Florence from his native village of Scarperia to forge armor for Florentine knights. His workshop later evolved into a goldsmith, creating jewels and other precious objects. Perhaps the family’s most valued possession is its secretive and exclusive “Oro Nativo” manufacturing process, a method of working with gold while retaining its most natural color.

10. Antinori
Wine/Florence, Italy
Founded: 1385
19th generation
www.antinori.it
The Antinori family has been in the wine business since Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Florentine Guild of Vintners more than 600 years ago. Marchese (or “Count”) Piero Antinori, and his three daughters currently oversee a system of vineyards in Italy, the U.S., Hungary, Malta and Chile that continue to be recognized by consumers and wine critics for their superior-quality Chiantis and other vintages. He sold 49% to British beer brewer Whitbred in 1983, later bought it back. The company has been housed in a Florentine palazzo since 1506.

11. Camuffo
Shipbuilding/Portogruaro, Italy
Founded: 1438
18th generation
The business began in Khanià, a Venetian port on the island of Crete. It was founded by a man locals called “Camuffi” but whose real name was El Ham Muftì. The family has supplied boats to Mohammed the Second, the Venetian Republic, Napoleon, the Asburg Imperial and the Royal Italian navies. Experts refer to a Camuffo boat as “the Stradivarius of the sea.”

12. Baronnie de Coussergues
Wine/Montblanc, France
Founded: 1495
16th generation
www.henokiens.com/index_baronnie_gb.php
When King Charles VIII began selling royal property in France to pay off some of his expenses, Pierre Raymond de Sarret bought the estate known as Coussergues. Today the vineyard produces a wide variety of wines, including Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs, Viogniers, Cabernet Francs, Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons. The Sarret family sells 1.5 million bottles a year and has won numerous gold medals for its wines.

13. Grazia Deruta
Ceramics/Turin, Italy
Founded: 1500
The company produces majolica, a special type of ceramic that pre-dates the 13th century. Current CEO Ubaldo Grazia has expanded the company’s business into the U.S. market and has produced three exclusive designs for Henri Bendel. Grazia has also done work for other major department stores and labels, such as Neiman-Marcus and Tiffany.

14. Fabbrica D’Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A.
Firearms/Gardone, Italy
Founded: 1526
14th generation
www.beretta.it
Bartolomeo Beretta’s world-class gun-maker is now a Hollywood favorite; its guns appear in the James Bond series, among other films. Beretta’s reputation for quality craftsmanship enabled the company to wrest a $56 million U.S. armed forces contract away from competitor Colt Industries. Beretta is the weapon of choice of other law-enforcement agencies around the world, such as the Italian Carabinieri, French Gendarmes and Texas Rangers. The company also has earned distinction for its line of hunting weapons. Ugo Gussalli Beretta is the company’s current president.

*15. William Prym GmbH & Co.
Copper, brass, haberdashery/Stolberg, Germany
Founded: 1530
www.prym.com
Goldsmith Wilhelm Prym started a brass and copper manufacturing business in Aachen in 1530. In 1642, the Protestant Prym family lost its guild rights in the Catholic city of Aachen and moved to Stolberg. In the 19th century, Prym developed the first finished products made of brass, iron and steel and later manufactured the first metal haberdashery products to be made mechanically. Michael Prym (born 1943) and Axel Prym (born 1950) are among the current company managers.

16. John Brooke & Sons
Woolens/Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Founded: 1541
15th generation
www.yorkspark.co.uk
The company, founded by John Brooke, has provided fabrics for British troops (Battle of Trafalgar, World War II), French troops and Russian military personnel. In the 19th century it had 220 looms and 900 employees, down to 280 by 1969. Today it’s headed by Mark Brooke and his brother Massimo Brooke. Mark has changed the company’s focus within the past decade, abandoning manufacturing and instead creating an entrepreneurial development park in the firm’s old mill buildings.

17. Codorniu
Wine/Saint Sadurní d’Anoia, Spain
Founded: 1551
www.codorniu.es
Jaime Codorniu acquired the company in 1551, beginning centuries of family ownership. In 1976 King Juan Carlos I declared the Codorniu estate a national historic and artistic monument. The estate is visited by 200,000 people every year and produces about 60 million bottles of wine annually.

18. Fonjallaz
Wine/Lavaux, Switzerland
Founded: 1552
13th generation
www.fonjallaz-vins.ch
Pierre Fonjallaz began the family business when he “devoted himself to the growing of the vine,” as the label on a bottle of Fonjallaz wine will tell you. The company is now headed by Patrick Fonjallaz.

19. von Poschinger Manufaktur
Glassmaking/Frauenau, Germany
Founded: 1568
13th generation
www.poschinger.de
The von Poschinger glassworks in Germany began in 1568 when Joachim Poschinger took ownership of a glass factory near Frauenau, near the Czech border. Today the business is divided into three areas—farming, forestry and glass works—though glassmaking is still the focal point of family business affairs.

20. Hacienda Los Lingues
Ranch/San Fernando, Chile
Founded: c. 1575
15th generation
www.loslingues.cl
The Angostura Estate, located in Chile’s Central Valley 78 miles south of Santiago, was originally granted by royal decree of Spanish King Felipe II to Don Melchor Jufré del Aguila for merit in the arts of war and fine writing. Currently dedicated to the hotel business. Named best wine valley in the world by Wine Enthusiast magazine; has a strategic agreement with Viña Los Vascos (Domaines Barons de Rothschild [Lafite]) under which Viña Los Vascos produces, bottles and labels a selection of five wines under the trademarks Hacienda Los Lingues and Los Lingues. It’s also the home of one of the most prestigious horse stables in the Americas: the Aculeo Stable, which features horses brought to Spain by the Moors in 711 and later brought to the New World by the Spanish Conquistadors. Family member Germán Claro Lyon is the general manager.

21. Wachsendustrie Fulda Adam Gies
Candles, wax figures/Fulda, Germany
Founded: 1589
Maker of candles and wax figures still operated by the founding Gies family.

22. Berenberg Bank
Banking/Hamburg, Germany
Founded: 1590
www.berenberg.de
One of the few remaining independently owned banks in Germany.

23. R. Durtnell & Sons
Construction/Kent, United Kingdom
Founded: 1591
12th generation
www.durtnell.co.uk
Founder John Durtnell and his brother Brian built their first house in 1593. It still stands and is occupied to this day. The company, based in Kent, is extremely versatile; its projects have included the Royal Military Academy, Chartwell House (Winston Churchill’s home) and Buckingham Palace.

24. J.P. Epping of Pippsvadr
Grocers/Germany
Founded: 1595

25. Eduard Meier
Shoes/Munich, Germany
Founded: 1596
13th generation
www.edmeier.de
The company today is run by Peter Eduard Meier and his sister Brigitte. Its product line consists of about 4,500 items.

*26. Toraya
Confectioners/Tokyo, Japan
Founded: pre-1600
17th generation
www.toraya-group.co.jp
Japan’s oldest traditional confectionery has been making the sweet delicacy known as wagashi since its founding in Kyoto by Enchu Kurokawa. After his son Kichiemon Kurokawa cultivated relationships with Japan’s nobility, the firm became purveyor to Japan’s Imperial Court in the 17th and 18th centuries. The firm moved to Tokyo in 1879 and opened its first branch retail outlet in 1962. Today, under Mitsuhiro Kurokawa, a former banker, the firm operates 79 shops with revenues of about $150 million.

27. Tissiman & Sons Ltd.
Tailors and outfitters/Bishop’s Stortford, United Kingdom
Founded: 1601
www.tissimans.co.uk
Established as a tailor, draper and undertaker; now offers formal and casual clothes and shoes. The original building in Bishop’s Stortford (which dates from about 1360) is still in use.

*28. Enshu Sado School
Ceremonial tea school/Tokyo, Japan
Founded: c. 1602
13th generation
www.enshuryu.com
The school has thrived for 400 years, imparting the traditional Sado tea ceremony and its culture to Japanese. Founded by Lord Enshu Kobori (1579-1647), who served as official tea instructor for Japan’s second and third shogun and built the famous Nagoya and Osaka castles. Current grand master Sojitsu Kobori succeeded his father in 2001 at age 44 and now oversees a staff of 20 with 30,000 practitioners, 53 local chapters in Japan, international chapters in Holland and Korea, and a school in Singapore. He goes to the school’s ancestor room each morning to pay his respects to his forebears.

29. Takenaka
Construction/Osaka, Japan
Founded: 1610
www.takenaka.co.jp
Takenaka has built office buildings for some of Japan’s major corporations, such as Mitsui Bank and Nippon Life Insurance. The family company has won many awards for design, technique and quality.

30. Mellerio dits Meller
Jewelry/Paris, France
Founded: 1613
15th generation
www.mellerio.fr
Members of the Mellerio family from Lombardy, Italy, became seasonal workers in France in the 16th century as purveyors of handcrafted jewelry. The family became royal favorites when it helped foil an attempted assassination of King Louis XIII. Located today near the Place Vendôme in Paris, Mellerio is known for fine jewelry and as designers and creators of the French Open tennis championship trophies.

31. Cartiera Mantovana Corp.
Paper/Mantua, Italy
Founded: 1615
www.cartieramantovana.it
The Marenghi family, descendants of Riccio da Parma (a knight famous for his battles in the early 1500s), owns the company. On July 1, 1615, the Duke of Mantua granted the family the privilege to make and and sell paper; production began that year. The company is currently run by Cristina Marenghi and her sons Marcofabio, Alberto and Vittorio.

32. Zildjian Cymbal Co.
Cymbals/Norwell, Mass.
Founded: 1623
14th generation
www.zildjian.com
Founded in Constantinople by an alchemist named Avedis I, who discovered an extremely musical metal alloy to create powerful, durable cymbals. The sultan named him “Zildjian,” Armenian for “cymbalsmith.” The family arrived in the U.S. in 1909, in time for Avedis Zildjian III to establish ties with the hot new jazz drummers of the day. His son Armand (1921-2002) created modern factory. Today his daughters Craigie (CEO) and Debbie (VP/human resources) run the company, the first women chiefs in the firm’s long history.

33. Kikkoman
Soy sauce/Noda, Japan
Founded: 1630
www.kikkoman.com
On the run after her husband’s military defeat and death at the Osaka castle in the 16th century, widow Shige Maki escaped to Noda, Japan, and established a small business making what was to become soy sauce. The family business became a unified company in 1917 when eight branches of the Mogi family merged their companies together. The company has grown into the world’s largest producer of soy sauce products.

34. Sumitomo Corp.
Conglomerate/Tokyo, Japan
Founded: 1630
www.sumitomocorp.co.jp
Masatomo Sumitomo opened a medicine and book shop in Kyoto in the 17th century. As time went on, various members of the family added to the conglomerate, making it what it is today. Sumitomo Group’s current core consists of 20 companies focusing on banking, shipbuilding, mining, glass production, electronics, cement, lumber and chemicals.

35. Akerblads
Hotel/Tällberg, Sweden
Founded: 1630
21st generation
www.akerblads-tallberg.se
This charming hotel in Tällberg is currently run by members of the 19th through 21st generations of the Akerblads family. The property has been remodeled and expanded over the years but still conveys a 17th-century atmosphere while offering excellent cuisine and warm Swedish hospitality.

36. Tuttle Farm
Agriculture/Dover, N.H.
Founded: 1635-38?
11th generation
Founder John Tuttle left England in 1635, survived a shipwreck off the Maine coast and arrived in Dover with his wife and four-year-old daughter. His 240-acre farm grows vegetables and strawberries and operates retail shop on site. Twelfth-generation member Evan Hourihan, who is in his 20s, has expressed interest in the family farm.

37. Gekkeikan
Sake/Fushimi, Japan
Founded: 1637
13th generation
www.gekkeikan.co.jp
The Gekkeikan brewery was established by Jiemon Okura in the town of Fushimi. The quality of its sake has led to the company’s appointment as the official supplier of the Japanese Imperial household. Currently, the business makes more than 170 different products and exports to more than 60 countries.

38. Shirley Plantation
Historical site/Charles City, Va.
Founded: 1638
11th generation
www.shirleyplantation.com
Virginia’s oldest plantation was settled in 1613 on the James River between Richmond and Williamsburg (near the present Charles City) by Sir Thomas West. Operated as a tobacco and grain farm, 1613-1952. Acquired in 1638 by Edward Hill and managed by his descendants ever since. His great-granddaughter Elizabeth Hill married John Carter in 1723; site has been owned since then by their descendants. Under tenth-generation owner Charles Hill Carter Jr. and his wife, it was converted to a tourist attraction in 1952; since 1998, it has hosted weddings and corporate events as well under the Carters’ children.

39. Hugel et Fils
Wine/Riquewihr, France
Founded: 1639
12th generation
www.hugel.com
The Hugel family’s roots in the war-torn Alsace-Lorraine region of France reach back to the 15th century. In 1639 the family began to make wine in the town of Riquewihr. Today its vintages have an outstanding international reputation and are exported to more than 100 countries.

40. James Lock & Co.
Hatters/London, United Kingdom
Founded: 1642
www.lockhatters.co.uk
The company was founded by James Lock and now makes men’s and women’s hats. One of its most recognized creations is the bowler.

41. Barker’s Farm
Dairy and apples/North Andover, Mass.
Founded: 1642
11th generation
Family farm now run the Barker family. Visitors can pick produce.

42. G.C. Fox & Co.
Shipping agent/Falmouth, United Kingdom
Founded: 1646
Shipping agent (now travel agency as well) founded by George Croker Fox.

43. R.H. Levey & Son
Funeral services/Stansted Mountfitchet, United Kingdom
Founded: 1649

44. William Adams & Sons
Potters/Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
Founded: 1650
12th generation
www.thepotteries.org/potters/adams.htm
The family has been producing pottery since at least 1448. In 1650, brothers William and Thomas established their pottery business in Burslem, about 35 miles south of Liverpool. It’s currently run by members of the 11th and 12th generations.

45. Ulefos Jernvaerk
Metals, milling, forestry/Telemark, Norway
Founded: 1657
On Aug, 8, 1657, King Fredrik III gave a royal decree allowing the Cappelen family to begin the company’s operations. The family has become involved in many different businesses over the years: owning ships, trading and producing stoves and manhole covers. The company is currently Norway’s market leader in manhole covers, which accounts for 70% of the family’s business.

46. Van Eeghen
Trading company/Amsterdam, Netherlands
Founded: 1662
14th generation
www.vaneeghen.com
Christiaen Van Eeghen established himself circa 1633 in Aardenburg (in the present Flanders, Belgium) as a cloth merchant. His son Jacob van Eeghen founded Van Eeghen & Co. in 1662 in Amsterdam, where the business remains. Subsequent generations launched sailing ships to spread their markets along historic spice routes to British colonies and the Far East. Today Van Eeghen continues its involvement with world trade but specializes in food products.

47. Schwarze & Schlichte
Distillery/Oelde, Germany
Founded: 1664
12th generation
www.schwarze-schlichte.de
Jan Swarte (the surname was later changed to Schwarze) began the family business in Westphalia, where he was a farmer and a distiller. Four generations later, Hermann Josef Schwarze bought a house at Herrenstrasse, where the family still lives. This house serves as the company’s headquarters. The Schwarze Group acquired the Schlichte brands in the 1990s.

*48. The Seaside Inn and Cottages
Innkeeping/Kennebunkport, Maine
Founded: 1667
12th generation
Mason family
www.kennebunkbeach.com
At the request of Fernando Gorges, agent for King Charles II, John Gooch was asked to reside on this oceanfront peninsula at the mouth of the Kennebunk River to ferry travelers across in the 1640s. He provided rooms and operated a tavern for travelers who stayed in the area. The family’s first dated record is Gooch’s will, dated 1667. The property was passed down for generations to the first-born son. Four generations ago the Gooches had only daughters, and the name “Severance” was introduced. The current 12th-generation innkeeper, Patricia Mason—daughter of Mike and Sandy Severance—now operates the inn with her husband, Ken.

49. Early’s of Witney
Blankets/Witney, United Kingdom
Founded: 1669
Richard Early established a blanket factory in Witney in 1669, mostly contracting to spinners who worked in their homes. Family’s first weaver was his son Thomas. Brian Crawfford of the eighth generation (his mother was an Early) was with the firm from 1949 to 1986.

50. C. Hoare & Co.
Banking/London, United Kingdom
Founded: 1672
11th generation
www.hoaresbank.co.uk
The Hoare bank in London is the last survivor of the English private deposit banks that were originally established in the 17th and 18th centuries. The bank was founded by Richard Hoare and is now run by members of the tenth and 11th generations. The family’s pride in close customer relationships and meticulous service has attracted famous customers, including Samuel Pepys, Queen Charlotte, furniture makers Thomas Chippendale & Son, Lord Byron, Jane Austen and various prime ministers.

*51. Firmin & Sons Ltd.
Uniforms and insignia/Birmingham, United Kingdom
Founded: 1677
www.firmin.co.uk
Britain’s leading manufacturer of military and civil regalia (uniforms, badges, buttons, medals, swords, etc.) has served the British monarchy since about 1750. Past customers include Lord Nelson and his men at the Battle of Trafalgar, the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo and the armies of both North and South in the U.S. Civil War.

52. Viellard Migeon & Cie.
Iron making/Forges de Morvillars, France
Founded: 1679
www.vmchooks.com
The business was started by an ironmaster named Nicolas Viellard and met with significant success after the French Revolution. During this time the business adopted a strategy of cultivating family alliances to consolidate the iron works in Belfort, about 35 miles north of Toulouse. It’s now one of the world’s leading makers of fishhooks.

53. Miller Farm
Agriculture, timber/Frederica, Del.
Founded: 1684
The farm has remained in the Miller family’s hands through nine generations. Its tillable land is currently leased to a local farmer.

54. Gradis Corp.
Wine trading/Bordeaux, France
Founded: 1685
The Gradis family, Jewish refugees from Portugal, settled in Bordeaux in the late 1500s. Diego Gradis later began the family wine trading business. During the Seven Years’ War (1756-63), family ships were used to re-supply troops in Canada. During World War I, the French government commissioned the family to ensure the supply of sugar for France. Today, the family has returned to its roots in wine trading.

55. Toye, Kenning & Spencer
Weavers/London, United Kingdom
Founded: 1685
www.toye.com
Toye, Kenning & Spencer holds a royal warrant and over the years has produced much of the U.K.’s regalia, medals and uniforms. Brian Toye is the current chairman.

56. Yamamotoyama
Tea/Japan
Founded: 1690
www.yamamotoyama.com
The Yamamotoyama family began producing premium teas in Japan more than three centuries ago. The company is now the oldest family-owned tea business in the world.

57. Delamare et Cie.
Packaging materials/Criquebeuf-sur-Seine, France
Founded: 1690
www.henokiens.com/index_delamare_fr.php
The company was founded by André Delamare and is now run by Franéois Delamare. Family members initially worked with wood, making carts and stagecoaches. Eventually they expanded into plastics and adhesives in the packaging market. The family has earned two top packaging awards, in 1986 and 1988. Today it conducts research on recycling and transformation of industrial waste.

*58. Nolet Distillery (Ketel One Vodka)
Distillery/Schiedam, Netherlands
Founded: 1691
Tenth generation
www.ketelone.com
Since its founding by Joannes Nolet (1638-1702), the Nolet family’s distillery in Schiedam has been passed from father to son, each zealously guarding the family’s secret vodka formula. The company name refers to the family’s first distilling kettle. Current proprietor Carolus Nolet, 63, maintains the family tradition of distillation by hand.

59. Folkes Group
Real estate and engineering/Lye, United Kingdom
Founded: 1697
Seventh generation
www.folkesholdings.com
The company began by making chain mail and swords and is now the oldest firm with a current stock market listing in the United Kingdom. In addition to making real estate investments, the company produces specialized cargo handling equipment, large crankshafts, roofing materials and other products.

60. Berry Brothers & Rudd Ltd.
Wine merchants/London, United Kingdom
Founded: 1698
www.bbr.com
Family of coffee, tea and spice merchants gravitated to wines and spirits later. They earned the right to supply the British royal family in 1760 and continue to do so—they currently hold royal warrants to the Queen and the Prince of Wales. The family operates out of the same shop where they began three centuries ago.

61. Shepherd Neame
Brewer/Faversham, United Kingdom
Founded: 1698
Fifth generation
www.shepherd-neame.co.uk
Britain’s oldest brewer, founded by Capt. Richard Marsh, who was the mayor of Faversham, in Kent. Samuel Shepherd and his sons Julius and John eventually bought the business. When Percy Beale Neame joined the partnership in 1864, the company’s beer began to gain widespread renown. The Neame family has remained in control ever since.

62. Allandale Farm
Fruit, produce, flowers/Brookline, Mass.
Founded: 1700?
www.allandalefarm.com
Last working farm within Boston-Brookline limits; only one of six farms left within Route 128 Beltway. Also operates summer outdoor program for children.

*63. Farina Gegenüber
Fragrances/Cologne, Germany
Founded: 1709
Eighth generation
www.farina1709.com
The world’s oldest perfume company was launched in Cologne by Johann Maria Farina (1685-1766), who made his city famous by calling his new fragrance Eau de Cologne. His namesake and eighth-generation descendant, Johann Maria Farina, runs the firm today.

64. William Dalton & Sons
Pest control/United Kingdom
Founded: 1710

65. Cooke Farm
Farm/Wallingford, Conn.
Founded: 1720?
Tenth generation
Founded 1720 or earlier, once a thriving 550-acre dairy operation. Tenth-generation proprietor George Cooke stopped milking cows in 1995, sold off most acreage and developed an industrial park. The business is now a general contractor and leases its remaining land to a tenant farmer.

66. Nourse Family Farm
Agriculture/Westborough, Mass.
Founded: 1722
www.noursefarm.com
Farm established in 1722 by the grandchildren of Rebecca Nurse, hanged for witchcraft in Salem, Mass., in 1692. The family fled Salem and in 1722 purchased land on the frontier in Westborough, where descendants have farmed the 140-acre spread for more than 280 years. Jonathan Nourse, proprietor since 1971, has expanded into prepared foods (jams, jellies, pies, etc.).

67. Tissages Denantes
Cloth/Grenoble, France
Founded: 1723
Even with more than 400 employees, the company preserves its traditions, which began in the 18th-century French trade fairs. Michel Denantes and his wife, Barbe, established a reputation for fine cloth at these fairs.

68. Amarelli Fabbrica de Liquirizia
Licorice/Rossano Scalo, Italy
Founded: 1731
eng.liquirizia.it
The family’s roots in Italy’s southern Calabria region pre-date the year 1000. Fortunato Amarelli created the Amarelli company with his son in Rossano in 1731, harvesting licorice to sweeten his land when it lay fallow. In 1987 the company won the gold medal from the Italian Chemical Company for combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology.

69. Fratelli Piacenza Corp.
Woolens/Pollone, Italy
Founded: 1733
11th generation
www.piacenza1733.it
Pietro Francesco Piacenza created the first woolen mill in Pollone, a small town nestled at the foot of the Alps, near the Swiss and French borders. The family prides itself on its strict quality standards—its method of producing wool takes up to six times longer than some more modern techniques. The company’s president today is Riccardo Piacenza.

70. Taittinger Champagne
Champagne/Reims, France
Founded: 1734
www.taittinger.com
The business was begun by Jacques Fourneaux. After World War I, the Taittinger family merged with Fourneaux-Forest (as the company was known at the time). The Taittingers ultimately took control of the operation. Claude Taittinger runs the business today.

71. William Clark & Sons
Linen/Upperlands, Northern Ireland, U.K.
Founded: 1739
Ninth generation
www.wmclark.co.uk
The family has operated for more than 250 years as a manufacturer of linens in Northern Ireland. Their international reputation for quality and value has made Irish linen perhaps more highly prized than any other cloth. Founded by Jackson Clark, the company was named for his great-great-grandson William; it’s now run by Bobby and Stephen Clark of the ninth generation.

72. Lyman Orchards
Agriculture/Middlefield, Conn.
Founded: 1741
Eighth generation
www.lymanorchards.com
The 1,100-acre farm today offers an ambitious variety of food products (cider, apple pies, etc.), events (golf tournaments, fund-raisers) and tours.

73. John Whitley Farm
Agriculture/Williamston, N.C.
Founded: 1742
Eighth generation
Oldest farm in North Carolina. Family mementos include the original deed with wax seal of the king of England and a note from Theodore Roosevelt thanking the Whitleys for lending him their binoculars. The land is now leased for tobacco, corn, wheat, peanuts, soybeans.

74. Boplaas
Agriculture, orchards/Koue Bokkeveld, Cape Town, South Africa
Founded: 1743
Ninth generation
The farm was founded by Isaak Wilhelm Van der Merwe and is now run by two brothers, Frans and Nicolaas Van der Merwe. The family also has built a literary legacy through poet Isaac Wilhelmus Van der Merwe, known nationally as “Boerneef,” and current author Carl Van der Merwe (eighth generation). The family farm was declared a national monument in 1973.

75. Aubanel Publishing Co.
Publishing/Avignon, France
Founded: 1744
The business was started by Antoine Aubanel in Avignon. Rome awarded Antoine the title of “master printer” in 1756, and in 1780 he was appointed the official printer to the Pope, an honor that was to be handed down from generation to generation. The family refused to publish Napoleon Bonaparte’s book Le Souper De Beaucaire.

76. Fonderia Daciano Colbachini & Figli
Bell maker/Padua, Italy
Founded: 1745
www.henokiens.com/index_colbachini_gb.php
The foundry was established by Giuseppe Colbachini when he joined with his three brothers to make bells. The Colbachini family’s talents earned them the prestigious title of ‰Pontifical Foundry” on Jan. 17, 1898. To this day, Fonderia Daciano Colbachini & Figli is the only maker of bells in the world that is able to stamp its products with the Papal coat of arms. The business is currently directed by Giovanni Aldinio-Colbachini.

77. J.D. Neuhaus Hebezeuge
Hoist manufacturers/Witten-Heven, Germany
Founded: 1745
Seventh generation
Johann Diederich Neuhaus began the business when he joined the Factory Register in Germany as a manufacturer. The company started by producing wooden jacks, which were in high demand by carters who would constantly break their wheels on the rough terrain of 18th-century roads. In 1952 the company invented the air hoist, which was much safer than the electrical hoists produced at the time. Today, the company’s products are sold in 90 countries. One product, the Gorilla V, is reportedly the world’s most powerful air hoist: It can lift 250 tons. Johann Diederich Neuhaus is the current chairman.

78. Villeroy & Boch
Housewares/Mettlach, Germany
Founded: 1748
www.villeroy-boch.com
The family business began in Lorraine when François Boch, then an iron founder, started making ceramic tableware. In 1791, Nicolas Villeroy established a nearby ceramic factory. In 1836, these two families merged their factories to form Villeroy & Boch.

79. Zenith Pipe Company
Tobacco pipes/Gouda, Netherlands
Founded: 1749
Eighth generation
Aart van der Want currently runs the company.

80. Parlange Plantation
Farm/New Roads, La.
Founded: 1750
www.pcchamber.org/parlange.htm
One of the state’s oldest plantations; descendants of first owner Marquis Vincent de Ternant still live there. Originally grew indigo and cotton; now sugarcane, soybeans, corn and Brahmin cattle. The house, open for tours, contains original Louis XIV- and Louis XV-style furnishings and French objects handed down through generations. A basement museum displays antiques: blacksmith tools, cotton scales, sugar kettles (formerly used to boil indigo beans down to a dye), candle molds, and an 1842 inventory of the estate, which lists livestock by name and ranks the value of each slave by age and ability.

81. Marie Brizard & Roger International
Distiller/Bordeaux, France
Founded: 1755
Eighth generation
www.marie-brizard.com
The company traces its origins to 18th-century Bordeaux, where, as legend has it, Marie Brizard saved a sailor from death. To show his gratitude, the sailor told Marie about an elixir that supposedly could cure every type of ill. Marie joined with her nephew Jean-Baptiste Roger to start the family company by producing the “elixir” known as anisette. The business is still centered in Bordeaux and is currently run by Jean-Baptiste Roger. Today the company’s products can be found in 130 countries.

82. Joseph Drouhin
Wine/Beaune, France
Founded: 1756
www.drouhin.com
Parts of the family’s wine cellars date to the 13th century. One portion of their cellar was built in the 16th century for the king of France. The family’s cellars have been classified as historical treasures. Today the estate covers more than 162 acres. Family members Robert, Philippe, Véronique, Françoise and Frédéric currently run the winery.

*83. Franz Haniel
Conglomerate/Duisburg, Germany
Founded: 1756
www.haniel.de
Family-owned conglomerate based in Duisburg controls Gehe, Europe’s biggest drug wholesaler, and Lloyd Chemists, a household name in Britain. It also has large stakes in retailers, mail-order houses, steel recycling, concrete blocks and disaster recovery services. Sales exceeded $25 billion in 2002. The company was founded by Jan Willem Noot and later renamed for his grandson Franz Haniel. About 520 Haniel family members are shareholders (although an unwritten rule precludes them from working there full-time). Franz Haniel, 49, is chairman of the firm’s supervisory board.

*84. Riedel Glas GmbH
Glassmaking/Kufstein, Austria
Founded: 1756
11th generation
www.riedelcrystal.com
Johann Christoph Riedel (1678-1744) journeyed throughout Europe trading glass. His son Johann Carl Riedel (1701-1781), a guilder and glasscutter, operated his own workshop. Grandson Johann Leopold Riedel (1726-1800) founded glass factory in 1756, benefited from the need to rebuild windowpanes after the Seven Year War (1756-1763) between Austrians and Prussians. The company is now known for making wineglasses. Georg Riedel of the tenth generation is the president. Eleventh-generation member Maximilian Riedel (born 1977) is in charge of the North American market; Laetizia Riedel (born 1974), a lawyer, plans to become the firm’s legal adviser.

85. Lanificio Conte S.p.A.
Woolens/Schio, Italy
Founded: 1757
www.henokiens.com/index_lanificio_gb.php
The business was started when Antonio Di Giovan Battista bought a woolen mill in 1757. The current president is Gemma Boniver Conte. The firm has cultivated a reputation for fine women’s clothing.

86. Jose Cuervo
Tequila/Tequila, Mexico
Founded: 1758
www.cuervo.com
José Antonio de Cuervo acquired a land grant from the king of Spain in 1758. In 1795, José Maria Guadalupe Cuervo was granted the first license from the king to produce tequila. The family business is now Mexico’s oldest existing company. In Spanish, Cuervo means “crow,” the symbol the firm uses to identify its products.

87. Waterford Wedgwood
Crystal, china, & cookware/Dublin, Ireland
Founded: 1759
www.waterfordwedgwood.com
Waterford Wedgwood is perhaps the world’s leading maker of luxury crystal, china, ceramics and cookware. The company’s most visible product is the large crystal ball lowered every New Year’s Eve in New York’s Times Square. Chairman Tony O’Reilly and his brother-in-law control about 27%.

88. Creed Perfume
Perfumes/Paris, France
Founded: 1760
Seventh generation
www.parfumsraffy.com
The business was started in the U.K. in 1760 when James Creed received an appointment from King George III to make fragrances. The company moved its operations from London to Paris in 1854. Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, both commissioned the company to make scents for them. Today the company has 238 fragrances in its line and is run by Olivier Creed.

89. Griset
Foundry/Villers-St. Paul, France
Founded: 1760
www.griset.com
Antoine Griset established the family’s first metal foundry in Paris in 1760. The factory was moved to Rue Oberkampf in Paris in 1825. Here the platinum bar used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures to denote the “standard meter” was first produced.

90. Faber-Castell
Writing instruments/Stein, Germany
Founded: 1761
Eighth generation
www.faber-castell.com
The company was founded in Stein, Germany (near Nuremberg), when Kaspar Faber, a carpenter, produced his own pencils. Count Anton Wolfgang Graf von Faber-Castell currently manages the company, which offers about 2,000 products with 2002 sales of $263 million.

91. Möller Group
Metal products/Bielefeld, Germany
Founded: 1762
Seventh generation
www.henokiens.com/index_moller_gb.php
The family can be traced back to 1575. The Möllers began working with copper in 1762. Successive generations expanded the family’s focus to include a tannery and leather goods factory (1827), an engineering division (1863) and a plastics division (1936). Dr. Peter von Möller, who represents the seventh generation, currently runs the company.

92. Bachman Funeral Home
Funerals/Strasburg, Pa.
Founded: 1769
Eighth generation
www.bachmanfuneral.com
Johannes Bachman, a Swiss Mennonite, began as cabinetmaker in Lancaster County, Pa., and evolved into coffins and funerals. His original business ledger (in German), dated April 1769, has been passed to the present eighth generation. John D. Bachman is the current director.

93. Silca
Keys & key cutting machines/Vittorio Veneto, Italy
Founded: 1770
Fifth generation
www.silca.it
Camillo Bianchi started the business when he invented the key-cutting service. The company serves more than 130,000 key-cutting centers, locksmiths and manufacturers in the security and automotive industries worldwide.

94. Osborne y Compania
Brandy and sherry/Cadiz, Spain
Founded: 1772
Sixth generation
The business was started by an Englishman, Thomas Osborne Mann, who in the late 1700s owned an export agency in Cadiz. He enjoyed early success through his friendship with a British consul, who allowed him to store his wines in the consulate’s personal cellar. Today the company has about 700 employees and is headed by Tomas and Ignacio Osborne.

95. Editions Henry Lemoine
Music publishing/Paris, France
Founded: 1772
www.editions-lemoine.fr
The family business was begun by Antoine-Marcel Lemoine in Paris. In 1810 he published the Messe Solennelle, composed for the coronation of Napoleon I. The company also published the works of Chopin, Berlioz, Donizetti, Halevy, Franck, Gounod, Messiaen and Piazzolla. Pierre Lemoine currently heads the company.

96. Stuart Land Co. of Virginia
Cattle/Rosedale, Va.
Founded: 1774
Eighth generation
Beef cattle operation still functioning. Henry Smith II started Clifton Farm. When his great-granddaughter Mary Taylor Carter married William Alexander Stuart, she brought a dowry of 80,000 acres, which Stuart added to his own large land holding. Current proprietor William (Zan) Stuart is eighth generation from founder; he has no children in the business, but his grandchildren may succeed him.

97. JB Fernandes & Sons
Tools & ironwares/Lisbon, Portugal
Founded: 1778
Sixth generation
www.redcube.org/JBF
In 1778 an earthquake ruined much of Lisbon, then one of Europe’s most brilliant capitals. This disaster prompted Ignacio Jose Fernandes to open a business selling tools and iron goods to help rebuild the city. Today the firm is an industry leader in Portugal.

98. St. John Milling Co.
Milling, farm products/Watauga, Tenn.
Founded: 1778
Sixth generation
Stone mason Jeremiah Dungan built the original foundation for the mill and stone manor (still standing) and ran the mill with his children Jeremiah and Mary D. Hendrix. The mill passed to his son Jeremiah’s daughter Mary and her husband, John Houston (brother of frontier hero Sam Houston), and then to their sons John Jr. and William Houston. They were succeeded in 1866 by George W. St. John (1837-1904), great-nephew of Jeremiah Dungan. His son James St. John (1874-1956) inherited the mill from his father in 1904. His son George St. John, an electrical engineer, succeeded him and converted the farm’s power source from water to electricity. Today the mill is owned by George’s daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and Ron Dawson. The operation changed from general feed and milling to a feed and seed store. Owing to shifting boundaries, the company has paid taxes in three different states: North Carolina, Tennessee and the short-lived “State of Franklin.”

99. Ditta Bortolo Nardini
Distillery/Bassano del Grappa, Italy
Founded: 1779
www.nardini.it
Bortolo Nardini founded the distillery when he bought an inn next to the famous Bassano Bridge, about 45 miles northwest of Venice. The inn became known as the “Grapperia Nardini.” Grape pomace acquavite (known as grappa) had been made by peasants living in the area before the Nardinis arrived. Nardini introduced technology to the process of distilling the seeds, skins and stems left at the end of the winemaking process, making it more modern and scientific.

100. Laird & Co.
Brandy Distiller/Scobeyville, N.J.
Founded: 1780
www.lairdandcompany.com
America’s first large-scale distiller produces AppleJack brandy, vodka, gin, scotch, bourbon, tequila, wines, etc. Robert Laird, Revolutionary War soldier, first distilled AppleJack in 1780 to serve at inn, provided brandy to George Washington.

Help on Best Jobs for Parents Returning to the Workforce

Heather Mundell publishes Life@Work a unique site that provides "real world" perspectives from her work as a career coach.  It has excellent articles that you'll want to refer to bookmark and refer to regularly.

She recently published Best Jobs for Parents Returning to the Workforce, based upon hearing women (and some men) stressing out about what kind of work they can return to after spending time as parents at home.  You'll find her insights and resources valuable, as we cannot afford to overlook experienced talent in any form today.  Check it out and let me know what you think...