Workforce Development - A Good Investment?

Are You Working for Doogie Howser ?

Robert Wendover, of the Center for Generational Studies is one of the experts I look to when seeking guidance on multi-generational issues.  In his recent newsletter, he posed a question that many older professionals are asking...

"What to do when your boss is younger than you?" It’s a question that is surfacing more and more in conversations among the Boomer generation. As those in Generation X assume increasingly senior responsibilities, those who have spent years in the workforce reporting to someone older are now finding themselves supervised by those their children’s ages. Here are five suggestions for making the relationship a success:

1. Keep this situation in perspective. It can be easy to spiral into frustration or depression about having a younger supervisor. Instead, interpret it as a wake-up call to take stock about how you can better position yourself for the future.

2. Provide support. Just because this person has been put in charge doesn't mean they know what they're doing. Look for opportunities to share operational insights which will smooth this transition. If what you share goes unheeded, it's probably a good idea to back off and learn more about the person's style and how you two might relate.

3. Refrain from offering advice from your life experience unless requested. If this person is insecure about their authority to begin with, your stories might be interpreted as patronizing or perhaps even an attempt to undermine that authority.

4. Stay clear of the undercurrent that may consume the work environment about this person. This is not a time to participate in the gossip or grapevine. The new person will most certainly know that one exists and will be watching for signs of who is fostering these conversations.

5. After the dust has settled, ask this person about how he or she sees you thriving within the organization. Then listen carefully. In spite of his or her age, this individual might have better contacts within the organization. Rather than resenting this, look for ways to capitalize on it.

Remember, if you're in your 50s your life's not over simply because your boss is considerably younger. As most employment relationships continues to evolve from calling to contract, you need to remain vigilant about additional training and opportunities within and without your organization. Going forward, personal versatility is key.

Workforce challenges facing the design and construction industry

Dr. Charles Thornton, Chairman of The Thornton-Tomasetti Group and receipeint of ENR’s 2001 Award of Excellence, is one of the "oracles" in the area of workforce development for the Design and Construction Industry.

He received the ENR award in 2001 for his tireless efforts to promote and build the ACE Mentoring Program – an educational program to introduce high school students to the various aspects and careers available in the construction industry.  He offers a perspective on why it is particularly difficult to create the levels of a highly skilled workforce needed to design and build/rebuild America in the future.  Here are a couple dimensions of the challenge from his experienced point of view on the "image" problem facing the indistry:

Nature of the Challenge

The design and construction community suffers from either the lack of a true image (engineers do not run trains) or a negative one (entry level construction workers on a job sites).  In an age of information, Madison Avenue, and slick marketing, a non-existent or “poor” image can greatly undercut an industry’s efforts to attract the best and brightest.

Elements of a “Poor” Image

The most prominent elements that appear to create or add to a “poor” image can be categorized in the following manner:

• Safety issues on job sites remain a major challenge.
• Working conditions can be difficult at times (heavy, often out door work).
• Seasonal or migratory nature of the work.
• Decentralized, small business dominated industry.
• Perceived pay scales being lower than they actually are.
• Difficult or technical math and science skill sets required.

Consequences of a “Poor” Image

The perceived and real elements that contribute to a “poor” image have consequences that impede the industry’s efforts to attract the next generation:

• Parents and school counselors have wrong or misconceived view of the industry.
• Intellectual resistance – viewed outside of  the “college path”.
• Believed to be a physically demanding industry without IT or new technology applications or skills – which results in a low attraction level for “white collar” careerist.
• Industry doesn’t attract its needed share of women and minorities to fill expanding job slots.
• Nascent interests exhibited by children are not fully supported and nurtured so as to encourage eventual career choices.

The Job They Want May Not Be The One You're Offering

Todays younger generation, and the current Baby Boomers are looking at the job market quite differently than you might imagine.

Observed from two ends of the career spectrum, a signifcant percentage of young adults entering the workforce are looking at how they can make a difference in peoples lives and the community.  Not surprisingly, many Baby Boomers are feeling the same way, after many long and arduous years, asking the question "Is this all there is?"

There are two factors that guide most career decisions: salary and personal satisfaction. At the end of the day, you have to bring home a paycheck big enough to pay the bills and put food on the table. But most young people also want a work environment that satisfies them on a personal level. For some people, that kind of job satisfaction comes from collaborating with like-minded coworkers, or creating a quality product.

Sometimes that can be found in the commercial or governmental workforce, often it cannot.

For those that are self-directed, have a strong work ethic and a passion for making a positive difference in peoples lives, working in a non-profit setting can be a perfect setting for career growth, contribution to society and self-expression.

I have been working with non-profits for over 30 years job in a variety of worker and leader capacities and am surrounded by happy people who describe job satisfaction meaning going home after a long and often challenging day knowing your work has helped improve someone else's quality of life.

My experience with non-profits has also shown me young professional who are willing to atartt at the bottom and give it your all. If you are smart, work hard and honestly care, you will rise to the top very quickly. There are lots of opportunities for advancement for the right individuals.  These workers tell me that they find great satisfaction from engaging with all levels of the organization, and often in a relatively short time can be working shoulder to shoulder with the CEO, attending board meetings, and interact with other agencies, boards, as well as clients.  

Unfortunately more and more workers are being thrown out like yesterday's trash, and the loyal customers, once viewed as the cornerstone of any company, are being silenced by the short-term -- and often shortsighted -- financial demands of the bottom line.

The cost of these savings, however, come at the expense of dedicated workers who once loved their jobs and enjoyed making their businesses successful.  

Baby Boomers nearing retirement express a desire to make a difference.  So it is not surprising to find that an increasing number are saying "thanks but no thanks" when being encouraged to stick around past retirement, take on new assignments, or come back from retirement to backfill a knowledge or skillset shortage.  Several of these Boomers are finding that a non-profit gig is very personally rewarding.

It's not all rosy of course.  Non-profits struggle to attract and maintain a quality workforce to staff programs, usuually because of the low wages offered for such demanding work.  Additionally bureaucracy often associated with government, or private funding agencies and programs can be a bit stifling at times. Paperwork, paperwork, and paperwork never seems to go away. For some it often can feel meaningless, but keeping it at bay allows non-profit workers to maintain the real "bottom line": providing quality support to your clients.

The Workforce Crisis is Real, and Creative Solutions Are Needed

In the view of Ed Gordon, author of The 2020 Meltdown: Solving the Impending Jobs Crisis, the forthcoming IT workforce shortage is a legitimate worry. Millions of Americans who are unemployed do not have the right talent for the jobs that need to be filled, with many people earning college degrees that are not translating into decent employment.

There now are four million jobs empty, Gordon said, and half of them are highly skilled positions that require specialized technology training and education.

“The issue is that the labor market is out of sync with the realities of the global marketplace with the jobs we are creating and the jobs that are disappearing,” Gordon said. “This is a problem all over the U.S. and most of the developed world.”

Convergence of forces

Gordon said the situation is being exacerbated by specific social and economic forces converging at the same time. The most prominent is that technology is becoming more pervasive in every facet of life, and since technology is complex, people use it in ways that support or create new products and services.

If there is one mitigating circumstance regarding the IT worker shortage, it's that companies are loading up on technology and they want fewer workers to do more. The trend is offset somewhat by the increased efficiency enabled by technology, but that requires talented people. They must be highly literate, and they need specialized technology training.

“Only 25 percent of the workforce comfortably fits into that category, but 75 percent of the jobs we're creating demand it,” Gordon said.

Those other 75 percent, many of whom are high school dropouts, don't have the right talent mix. Some were trained in old technologies that now are obsolete and have gone away. Some have college degrees, but they are degrees in communication, finance, and marketing, where there already are far too many people for the number of available jobs.

At the same time, we have too many “techno peasants,” who Gordon characterized as people with low levels of literacy, plus no specialized career preparation, who are confined to low-wage jobs for the rest of their lives. Until last 20 years, there were fairly good-paying jobs, mostly in industrial settings, that did not require high levels of literacy. Those jobs since have gone by the wayside, and new technology requires higher levels of literacy, specialized skills, and career preparation.

With that in mind, Gordon believes society is divided into three groups.

1. Smart people with right talent who keep their skills up to date through networking, seminars, and simply reading books. These workers keep shifting. Most mature workers are not doing the exact same things they did when they were young, and so they had to update their knowledge and apply it in new ways. Given the increasing complexity of technology, this trend will continue to accelerate because people will need more education, not less.
   
2. Younger people who have been steered away from technology fields. In 2010, a tsunami of 79 million Baby Boomers will start to leave the workforce, and about 60 percent of the jobs that must be filled now are occupied by Baby Boomers that will need to be replaced. Many Boomers have the technical skills to keep the economy running, and they represent a larger cadre of people with more technical skills than the generations behind them, who were told that tech jobs weren't cool and don't pay enough. "They love technology - they eat it and breath it,” Gordon said, "but they don't want to design it, make it, repair it, or manage it. The sad part is we need a certain proportionality of these generations to become involved.
   
3. Imported models. American companies used globalization to get rid of low-pay, low-skill jobs that could be done elsewhere, especially India. In addition, U.S. companies have hired high-wage, high skill people they have not found in the United States, and they have imported foreign workers with H-1B visas to fill positions in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers. The challenge will be that the countries America is importing from are becoming richer as their own economies develop. These imported workers are being called home, especially as wages rise, where they can earn more money and be with their families.

Still more labor competition will come, Gordon said, when Europeans move production facilities to the United States because they can't find enough workers.

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

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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.

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But, I Want it NOW! - But the Jury's still out

Richard Florida on his popular blog Richard Florida and the Creative Class recently did an article about understanding why the millenials in the workplace continues to be a challenge for both employers and employees.

The article, entitled "But, I Want it NOW!" provides a critical assessment of many of the popular beliefs that abound in the marketplace about this youngest generation in todays workforce.

As he correctly points out, there are many misleading perspectives about this class of individuals, but we also need to keep in mind that this youngest generation has not been around loing enough to gather enough empirical data so that valid statistical arguments can be made.

So we will continue to watch, discuss and debate whether this is a generation of laggards, or the next "greatest generation."

Fishing for talent? Don't overlook the Seniors Pool...

Working people, frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting.  I didn't know, so I asked a friend of mine who retired a couple of years ago.  He told me about a recent incident to illustrate how he tries to keep his mind active.

"Well, for example, the other day I went down town and into a shop. I was only there for about 5 minutes and when I came out there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.

I said to him, "Come on, man, how about giving a retired person a break?" He ignored me and continued writing the ticket. I called him a "Nazi."   He glared at me and wrote another ticket for having worn tires. So I called him a "doughnut eating Gestapo."

He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he wrote a third ticket.

This went on for about 20 minutes. The more I abused him the more tickets he wrote.

Personally, I didn't care. I came downtown on the bus, and the car that he was putting the tickets on had a bumper sticker that said "McCain in 08"

I try to have a little fun each day now that I have a bit of time on my hands. It's important to my health."

So you see, just because people have taken the step into retirement, doesn't necessarily indicate that they have retired their thinking patterns.  In the day of scarce skillsets, one source often overlooked is those who have retired, who are looking for a few hours a week to help them maintain their mental edge.

Thesolution for many employers today is a cocktail of creative hiring and retention strategies, all focused on older workers. Flexible work schedules, phased-out retirements, retention bonuses and mentoring younger workers are some of the ingredients.

These policies can attract skilled older workers in industries where skilled workers of any age are hard to find.

But more and more companies are focusing on hiring older workers, not only because they have to, but also because they want to.

Older Employees Are Assets

Borders Group Inc., the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based retailer, is among 13 American companies that have partnered with AARP to hire and retain workers 50 and older. Borders staffing managers began studying their company’s hiring and retention trends against census data in the late 1990s, says Dan Smith, Borders’ senior vice president of human resources. What they found was that their older workers were one of the company’s greatest assets.

“Our older workers brought a lot of benefits that even we were surprised by,” Smith says. “Their turnover rate was 10 times less than those under 30.”

Also, he says, Borders’ internal survey of worker satisfaction yielded much higher contentment among older workers than younger ones.

“I think [older workers] make better decisions about coming to work for us,” Smith says. “They’ve had careers already. They know what they like and dislike, and, when they come to us, they know they want to work for us.”

The AARP partnerships started with Atlanta-based Home Depot in 2002 after the home remodeling retailer sought out 30 private and nonprofit “hiring partners” to help create a staffing pipeline into its more than 1,900 stores, says Cindy Milburn, Home Depot’s senior director of staffing.

Like Borders, Home Depot battled the retail industry’s high attrition rates but also had specific hiring concerns, not only for demographic diversity, but also for skilled workers, Milburn says.

“We’re looking for skilled and knowledgeable workers—master plumbers, electricians, experienced kitchen and bath designers,” she says.

Home Depot’s staffing strategy was to set up several partnerships, first with the Department of Labor’s One-Stop Centers for people seeking work, followed by partnerships with various art institutes, AARP, the military and—the latest—with four national Latino groups.

“We have to have pipelines of talent where we build long-term relationships,” Milburn says. “It’s a different recruiting model than traditional retailing.”

Until three years ago, Home Depot’s store managers did their own hiring. While all the stores still have a hiring manager, that setup isn’t adequate for strategic hiring with a long-term outlook.

Home Depot has since formed a corporate recruiting team that develops a pipeline of available talent that stores can choose from. The process begins with a software program that weeds out most of the 17 million applications Home Depot receives every year.

But in addition to processing the usual influx of resumes, HR also uses strategic processes to attract older workers and retain those already on staff.

So if you're fishing for experiences talent and have come up with an empty net, perhaps you'll have better luck if you fish in a different pond.  There's many recently retired that are actively being sought because they still have skills and abilities, but also bring a unique sense of humor to the workplace

Good Grief Charley Brown ! Now We Have a Maintenance Crisis

My thanks to Joel Leonard over at PlantServices.com for taking the bull by the horns.

With American Idol returning to the television air waves, Joel was reminded of why he started his crusade for awareness for the Maintenance Crisis in the first place.

The fuss and attention being paid to crowning still another singing American Idol has gotten on his nerves again. In case you didn’t know, almost five years ago he was a guest speaker at the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) Conference in Nashville. That conference changed his life and started him on a crusade against the maintenance crisis.

At the time, Joel was serving as VP of the Association for Facilities Engineering and the board had been discussing the pending retirement of the boomer generation. To his surprise, that was a key concern at SMRP. Bob Baldwin, then editor of Maintenance Technology, led an open discussion about the pending crisis. He polled the audience of more than 600 engineers and maintenance pros from the biggest companies in the United States and said, “Raise your hand if you plan to retire in the next 10 years.”

More than 90% of the audience  reached for the sky. Then he asked the attendees to keep their hands raised if they felt comfortable with the next generation. Everyone dropped their hands.

Baldwin then asked why. One said,  “The kids aren’t hungry and aren’t pursuing the education needed to advance in this competitive profession.” Others chimed in, saying, “The insecurity of manufacturing is scaring the younger generation away,” and, They don’t want to get their hands dirty.” Some said that most of them don’t even know about the maintenance, reliability and facilities engineering professions. Or maintenance simply just isn’t cool.

When the group adjourned for a break, Joel and others stretched their legs outside in the 30° weather. To their surprise, around the corner they saw about 5,000 of the very people we had been looking for —16-to-28-year-olds — standing in a line outside the Nashville Coliseum. They were waiting to audition for American Idol. While we were discussing the exodus of retiring maintenance talent, whose salaries averaged more than $80,000, and wondering where the next generation was, we realized there they here at the Coliseum, hoping to sing their way to the top.

That evening, they decided that talking at maintenance conferences or writing books and articles for other engineers wouldn't fix the problem because outsiders need to be aware of the problem and the opportunities the crisis presents. After a couple of barley-infused beverages, Joel posed, “Why not write a song about the maintenance crisis?” His friends agreed that it was a good idea, but they said he couldn’t do it.

They were partly right: he couldn’t do it alone. With the help of some friends, real musicians took Joel's original lyrics and now as a result there we is not only a song, but in nine genres, with one version especially for women, and jazz, Spanish and French renditions in the works.

The songs have been played at industrial and engineering conferences worldwide. Rolls Royce Aerospace and others have made it their department’s anthem. The songs have been downloaded from Joel's Web site more than 50,000 times. Radio stations, including National Public Radio, have played it. Even a class of sixth graders knows the country version, “Find me a Maintenance Woman,” and at least three of them memorized the lyrics.

Free downloads of “Find Me a Maintenance Woman” and “The Maintenance Crisis Song” can be found at www.mpactlearning.com.

The Future Workforce - Predictions about how Workforce Development is Changing

I have been discussing in this blog, as well as my numerous speaking stints around the country, about how the workforce development process is changing. 

A like-minded fellow, author, researcher and teacher Floyd Kemske a really smart guy and a voracious writer, provides some additional insights into the way we will recruit, develop and retain our workforce.

1. Lifelong learning will be a requirement.
2. The focus of training/learning activities will be on performance improvement and not just on skill building.
3. Employees with varied skills and competencies will be valued more highly than those with a depth of expertise in a single area.
4. Problem solving and decision making will become a required curriculum with practical work problems as the training medium.
5. Training will be delivered "just in time," wherever people need it, using a variety of technologies.
6. Companies will demand constant personal growth, and employees will respond positively to higher expectations.
7. It will not be possible to survive in the workplace without basic computer skills.
8. People who can learn new skills/competencies quickly will be highly valued in a faster changing world.
9. Team projects and special assignments will be a major factor in personal development.
10. As the computer-savvy generation is more assimilated into the workforce, employees will become much more productive in complex tasks and less dependent on other people and departments.

They Say It's Only Going to Get Worse. Really?

A recent article published at HR World, entitled "Job Filling Is Only Going to Get Harder" provides a glimpse into the future for employers.

“These numbers indicate a critical need for talent that’s forcing organizations to rethink their hiring and retention practices-or suffer the consequences,” said Steve Watson, international chairman of Stanton Chase, which has 57 offices in 35 countries and is a top 10-ranked global retained search firm.

Two-thirds of the firms are concerned . . . and another two-third are at least partially prepared for it.

However, according to the survey, 36 percent of employers are taking the bury head in sand route. That’s always productive.

Think it’s hard to fill jobs now? It’s going to get even harder. According to a recent survey by Stanton Chase International and Birkman International, there will be 11.5 million more jobs then workers by the year 2010. Why?

According to the research data from many sources, it’s because baby boomers are retiring and the new generation of workers have different work ethics, talent and expectations then their older counterparts.

I disagree and think this is view is a bit simplistic.  The worker shortage involves the boomer retirements, but you also have to factor in the shifting global demand for workers, a lower birthrate, people waiting until a later age to start families, shifting attitudes about work, and on and on.

Who's Going to Be the Cheerleaders for Gen-Y?

Baby Boomer Parents have always been their children's biggest cheerleaders.

Now that Gen-Y (aka Millennials) is coming into the workforce, as managers, we need to be aware of some aspects related to these young adults who have experienced a youth of parental cheerleading and working with a variety of coaches (soccer, dance, math etc.)

Millennials expect and need praise.  They have received it throughout their adolescent years, and expect it.  They will mistake silence on the company's part as disapproval. 

Millennials also expect feedback.  And this means regular feedback.  The "annual performance review" that baby-boomers grew up with won't cut it.  Their preference is real-time feedback, and if they can get it on their PC, or better PDA/cellphone, even better

What is the consequence of not responding to this need?  Probably too early to tell, due to lack of empirical data, but my guess is that lacking feedback, many will head to places / environments where they can get the "nurturing" that have come to expect.

Is Generation X Ready to Take Over from Baby Boomers?

Whereas Baby Boomers were the last generation to go out behind the barn and cut a switch because we mouthed off to our mothers,  Gen-X kids  would quickly remind us that charges will be filed or they'll suffer mental anguish if they are so much as verbally reprimanded. Is the difference in upbringing a factor in their ability to work and lead ?

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Myths about Gen X in the Workforce - They don't want to grow up

The Reality:

They really don't know how.

The youngest generations in today's workforce are facing a delayed adulthood. They are getting married later, having children later and just generally facing the "real world" later. This isn't the result of a mutated maturity gene, it just is. And if we are being completely honest, Boomers had a lot to do with why it's happening.

First, as parents, Boomers had a tendency to coddle their children and use their own good fortune to make sure their children didn't experience adversity. Second, as career models, Boomers demonstrated the toll of working long hours and "paying one's dues" in a way that made their children less likely to follow in their footsteps. Millenials today look at the corporate ladder and think, "there must be another way."

My advice to you—don't waste time wishing they were different. Don't spend your energy comparing today's youth to the desires and drive you had at age 18. These employees are not a reflection of you, nor are they an earlier version of you. And again, that is okay. Your task is to take this new understanding and use it to reposition how you interact with, motivate and reward your staff.

Take attire for instance. Your 18-year-old self would have gladly donned whatever uniform was necessary to fit the company mold. Be it pressed khakis and a tie or a specific corporate uniform, fitting in was part of the package. Today's youth wants to stand out. They want their individuality to shine through even when required to provide a consistent standard of service and performance. Balancing corporate needs with individual desires takes some creative thinking.

Home Depot is one company that has addressed this dilemma at a very basic level—company uniforms. They simply require that all employees wear a standard Home Depot apron. Be yourself underneath (within reason) and show the customer that you are on the Home Depot team with this bright orange apron. Is there a standard that you can adopt to accommodate individual preferences? Something to think about.

Thanks to Cam Marsten for research cited in this article

SDA Audio Seminar - The Generational Challenges for Design Firms

Yours truly has been invited by the Society for Design Administration (SDA) to present a 90 minute audio session on "The Generational Challenges for Design Firms"

"The Generational Challenges for Design Firms" Audio Conference is basically a 90-minute telephone seminar.  You'll be able to see materials, hear an instructor and ask questions in real time. Participants are charged by the site, which means you can invite colleagues to attend the session with you and share the cost! 

The SDA is a RedVector business partner

Cost is $125 for SDA Members/Chapters and $155 for nonmembers
Registration information is available using the attached form
Download audio_conf_registration_20080212.pdf

Audio Conference Date: Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Audio Conference Time:
2PM-3:30 PM Eastern
1PM-2:30 PM Central
12PM-1:30 PM Mountain
11AM-12:30 PM Pacific

Myths about Gen X in the Workforce - They have no respect for authority

The Reality:

They have great respect for leaders and loyalty. But no, as a rule they don't respect authority "just because." For the younger generations, every ounce of loyalty and respect must be earned. But when it is earned, it is given fiercely.

In fact, loyalty to the individual is the number one reason Xers and Millennials stay in the job, especially during the first three, tenuous years. Dissatisfaction with the boss is the number one reason they quit. So in order to increase retention, managers must take a flipped view on leadership—it is no longer enough to hire the right people and show them the way, now you must BE the right person to win their affection. Sounds a little touchy-feely for the workforce, yet the faster leaders understand this new relationship, the sooner you will see the reward in the way of increased retention.

There is one big caveat to the "be the person they want you to be" approach to leadership, however. Millenials have a tendency to seek tight bonds—they want a boss who is close, caring and aware. And you can be all that. It is very easy to cross the line between "boss as advocate" to "boss as friend." That is a slippery slope. It can be especially tempting in situations where managers and employees are close in age. When activities outside of the office become too regular, too casual or largely social in nature, it is time to examine how this will affect your role as a leader. What Millennials need most out of a boss is a guide, not a social life.

Thanks to Cam Marsten for research cited in this article

Boomers Defy Traditional Retirement Through 'Re-careering'

Although the demand for talent continues to escalate as millions of Baby Boomers reach retirement age, a growing number of these professionals are "re-careering," or changing professions mid to late in their careers, according to more than 270 international recruiters surveyed by Korn Ferry

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The "Perfect Labor Storm" and Why It Isn't Going Away

Among the top experts in the discussion of the "Perfect Labor Storm" is Ira Wolfe, who authored the book by the same title.

The book discusses why the aging workers, retiring baby boomers, rising health care costs, shortages of skilled workers, generational gaps, work ethics (just a few of the workforce demographic and socio-economic events that I discuss on this blog) are colliding to produce the biggest shortage of skilled workers in the United States and many other developed countries.

It's a good read, and worth the time, especially if you're an employer or policy maker.

Here's a synopsis of what you'll find...

Many managers and business owners and even economists and strategists are hoping for a break in the socio-economic "climate" and praying this storm too will pass. Human resource professionals, executives, and managers alike wrongly believe they are the isolated targets of some insidious plot to abscond with their workers or else are just magnets for under-skilled workers with poor work ethics. And not unlike the Andrea Gail which was sucked under by the colossal waves even two days before the full force of the storm hit, their businesses too will sink with this short-sighted, wait-and-see attitude.

All workforce trends indicate future employee shortages will not blow over for decades. Many solutions such as retaining older workers longer are flawed. Since health care and retirement costs explode for workers over age 55, how will businesses afford to insure these workers....and without health care and retirement benefits, why will they work? Even worse the full force of the storm won't hit until the end of this decade.

The Perfect Labor Storm has no industry or geographic boundaries. From plumbers to dental hygienists to teachers to border patrol to radiologists, virtually every industry at nearly every skill and position level is affected by shortages of workers with the right skills and attitudes to do all the jobs.

Is this starting to get you attention?  It should!  Besides Dr Wolfe's book, check out the other parts of this blog to get a better understanding of why this is an issue, and most importantly, what you can do about it.

Putting "old Charley" out to Pasture

Recently, I witnessed the retirement of a fellow, who I'll call "old Chariey" who after many decades as a player in a large construction firm, stepped down, in order to "pursue other interests"

A veteran of the business, he had built up a stunning legacy of successfully completed projects, had served on dozens of committees and industry boards, was well known in the construction market, and when he walked out the door, took much of this knowledge with him.

We live in interesting times, indeed.

There is a general recognition that many industries, including construction, can benefit from the extensive skills of existing older workers.  And trend data indicates more older workers want to remain on the job longer.  Unfortunately, they often are forced to decide between their social security benefits and a paycheck.

Older workers possessing a broad array of building, supervision and management skills are often discouraged from working past retirement because they can lose some of their social security income if they earn more than the limits.

In calendar year 2005, for example, until recipients turn 65 (currently the normal retirement age) they can earn up to $31,800 without penalty; seniors earning more than that amount lose $1 of benefits for every $3 of earnings above the limit. There is no limit once past 65 years old.

Beneficiaries under the age of 65 are penalized by a reduction in benefits of $1 for every $2 of earnings above $12,000 in 2005.

Smart firms are starting to realize that they need to make better use of older workers talent, relationships and experiences.  These are people proud of their accomplishments, who want to contribute and share in a meaningful way, and it puts organizational leadership into the position of "thinking outside the box" to figure out how to leverage these assets in a meaningful "win-win" way.

Removing the social security earnings test would encourage more skilled workers to remain in the building trades - where their knowledge, connections and experience are still needed, and valued.

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 3 - Many Generations of Co-Workers

At the risk of repeating much of what I've covered in previous posts regarding the multi-generational workforce, we are looking at a shortfall of approximately 10 million workers by 2012-2015 considering the pending retirement of the baby-boomer workforce. 

Much of this "body of knowledge" as we already know will be supplanted by the the Gen-X and Gen-y (millennial) generations of workers.  The current management challenge is getting these generations to interact productively with the existing baby boomer and traditionalists in the workforce.

But, remember that this is a moving target.  The baby boomers and traditionalists will continue to retire and by 2050 in the USA we will have four different or even five generations that will be working together in the work force.

Thus, having a PROCESS for facilitating productive workforce interaction, is a necessity!  If you think that a short-term "patch" will get you over the problem, you aren't being realistic.

Finding and keeping the best and the brightest from all the generations will continue to be THE challenge of the future.  Communication, management, training, remuneration and time scheduling will all be affected by the multi-generational workforce. 

As the human resource gets increasingly scarce, you can expect that like any precious commodity, it will become the domain of "asset managers" who know how to acquire, cultivate and preserve these assets at their maximum value.

Will you be one of these "asset managers?"

Myths about Gen X in the Workforce - They don't want to put in the hours to get ahead

The Reality:

They are willing to put in the time to do the job, however they are uninterested in "face time."

Gen Xers and Millenials view time as a currency. While Baby Boomers tend to see time as something to invest, the younger generations view it as a valuable currency not to be wasted. These are the generations that demand work-life balance and paid time off. They want to get the job done, then put it behind them and enjoy life.

Boomer managers have a tendency to lose the interest of their Millenial employees by looking too far into the future. Millenials live in timeframe based on right now. Their world has proven that nothing is a guarantee—from nationwide layoffs to war to soaring divorce rates—and have decided that there's not a lot you can count on.

As a result they are not interested in promotion plans for five years from now. They don't even want to know what will happen at the end of the summer. Life is uncertain. To reach the Millenial employee and reduce turnover, make it certain.

Tell your employee that you have a plan. Take pains to ensure it is in a timeframe short enough for them to envision. Be prepared to fulfill your promise—once fooled, forever jaded. This approach feeds into their reality, while simultaneously building trust and buying you more time. Reward small successes along the way, string these milestones together and you will soon realize longer tenures among your staff.

Thanks to Cam Marsten for research cited in this article

Myths about Gen X in the Workforce - Younger generations have no work ethic

The Reality:

Younger generations have a self-centered work ethic. This is not necessarily the negative that it may seem at first. Millenials are dedicated to completing their task well. They have not been raised in a way that demands them to look around and see what should be done next. Instead they ask "what is my job" and go about figuring the best, fastest way to complete that task. Then they consider themselves done. This is a key differentiator between your employees and yourself.

The younger they are, the more your employees view their jobs as "something to do between the weekends." For most, early employment has nothing to do with a career path; it is a way to earn money to have fun in their free time. And that is okay.

When you understand what motivates your employees you are better able to set mutual expectations for success. Instead of being frustrated that your youngest employees are not interested in climbing your corporate ladder, embrace their true motivation—reliable spending money—and use it to your advantage. When you tell an employee, "I understand this is not your lifelong career, but to earn the paycheck every week, here is what I expect…" they are much more likely to respond than if you try to motivate with promises of promotions and titles down the road.

Understanding that being at the job isn't as important to Millenials as completing the assigned task also opens up new opportunities for motivation and reward. Younger employees are very likely to respond to offers of paid time off.

A leading retail organization has recognized this new way of thinking with its "Working Hard Card." When managers witness an employee rising to a challenge, exceeding expectations or otherwise giving 110 percent, they can hand the employee a "Working Hard Card" on the spot. Each card is worth a set amount of paid time off to be used at the employee's discretion. It is a simple strategy that rewards employees in the currency they value most—their time.

Thanks to Cam Marsten for research cited in this article

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.

Does Gen-Y Expect Different Customer Service Levels?

72% of retail employees enjoy customer interactions. But that satisfaction level drops to just 55% among employees between the ages of 16 and 24.  It gets even more interesting.  You'll want to read this article to get the "inside scoop" on how Customer Service expectations are changing.

read more | digg story

A Perfect Hiring Storm: Scarce talent and Bad Press

Over at the Offshore Recruitment Outsourcing blog I always find perspecfives of value.  In early December, they published a great piece entitled A Perfect Hiring Storm: Scarce talent and Bad Press

In this article, they discuss another recent article appearing on Careermag.com contributed by Debbie Benami-Rahm, whose research I have found to be top shelf.

One of the key elements of this discussion is the following:

The way your organization handles the interview and hiring process either brings you the talent you want or scares your talent away.

Couldn't agree more.  It's increasingly a binary choice.  Many organizations with whom I have consulted over the years have not changed their tactics and methods, despite the fact that entire workforce "value proposition" has changed.  Further, many are completely clueless, and still do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome.

A few years back, I also put some specific metrics on the true cost of employee attrition when I wrote "The Death of Employee Loyalty"

The situation is changing, and the companies that refuse to change will be relegated with higher costs, lower customer satisfaction and lower profits until they come to the realization that the workforce recruitment and retention process IS their business.

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.

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.

Here where the new jobs (and job growth) will be

There's a lot projected to happen as relates to skilled jobs, according to a recent report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among the interesting data of this report:

WHERE THE SKILLED JOBS WILL BE
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projections of employment in 2014 suggest that apart from IT-related occupations, most other scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical (STEM) professions are expected to grow moderately, at rates similar to those for the entire U.S. labor force. Only three specific STEM occupations are expected to actually decline in employment, and all of those projected declines are quite small.
High projected growth rates (20 percent or better):

• Forensic science technicians +36%
• Medical scientists & epidemiologists (summary) +34
• Hydrologists +32
• Biomedical engineers +31
• Computer specialists (summary) +31
• Network systems & data communications analysts +55
• Computer software engineers +46
• Network & computer systems administrators +38
• Database administrators +38
• Computer systems analysts +31
• Computer & information scientists, research +26
• Computer support specialists +23
• Computer specialists, all other +19
• Environmental engineers +30
• Computer & information systems managers +26
• Environmental engineering technicians +24
• Actuaries +23
• Life scientists (summary) +21
• Market and survey researchers (summary) +20
• Other life, physical, & social science technicians +20

Low projected growth rates (five percent or less):

• Sociologists +5
• Statisticians +5
• Architectural and civil drafters +5
• Chemical technicians +4
• Historians +4
• Mathematical technicians +3
• Computer programmers +2
• Electrical and electronics drafters +1
• Petroleum engineers -0
• Mathematicians -1
• Mining & geological engineers, incl. mining safety -2

 

• WOMEN INCREASE IN THE WORKFORCE - Also of note is the projection that over the 2004-14 projection period, the number of women in the labor force is projected to grow by 10.9 percent, faster than the 9.1 percent growth projected for men. As a result, women's share of the labor force is expected to increase from 46.4 percent in 2004 to 46.8 percent by 2014.

• GROWTH OF THE HISPANIC WORK GROUP -“By 2014, the Hispanic labor force is expected to reach 25.8 million, due to faster population growth resulting from a younger population, higher fertility rates, and increased immigration levels.
  
  Despite relatively slow growth, whites will remain the largest group, composing 80.2 percent of the labor force. Blacks will constitute 12.0 percent of the labor force. Asians will continue to be the fastest growing race group, climbing to 5.1 percent of the labor force in 2014.

and finally, a topic we've covered extensively both on this blogspace as well as my speaking engagements around the country:

• CHANGES IN THE MAKEUP OF THE LABOR FORCE -The labor force will change in composition, as a result of changes in both the composition of the population and in the rates of labor force participation across demographic groups. The projected labor force growth will be affected by the aging of the baby-boom generation — persons born between 1946 and 1964.
  
  In 2014, baby-boomers will be ages 50 to 68 years, and this age group will grow significantly over the 2004-2014 period. The labor force will continue to age, with the number of workers in the 55-and-older group projected to grow by 49.1 percent, nearly five times the 10 percent growth projected for the overall labor force. Youths between the ages of 16 and 24.will decline in numbers and lose share of the labor force, from 15.1 percent in 2004 to 13.7 percent in 2014.
  
  Prime-age workers. those between the ages of 25 and 54 also will lose share of the labor force, from 69.3 percent in 2004 to 65.2 percent in 2014. The 55-and-older age group, on the other hand, is projected to gain share of the labor force, from 15.6 percent to 21.2 percent.

Podcast - Understanding the Generations in Today's Workforce

The Boggs e-Learning journal announced the 1st in a series of two Podcasts featuring yours truly, speaking on Understanding the Generations in Todays Workforce

Check it out - it is (at the risk of shameless self-promotion) pretty informative. 

Do you Understand Older Workers Priorities & Work Life Balance Concerns?

Older workers are one of the keys to the "War for Talent", but many employers do not understand these workers.   There are many different types of workers in this age group, and each one requires a different key to unlocking their potential.

Older members of the workforce who have extensive experience and skill, also have a significantly different "point of view" when it comes to what is important to them.  Firms and organizations alike need to recognize these  personal priorities, which include the important "work-life balance" element

Consider the many varied "situations" you'll discover when you examine a "cross-section" of these workers in almost every business and organization:

1. Those that are stable and settled:
   (and may have no further career aspirations)
   
2. The workers who are motivated by reputation,
   (they're seeking status and have a need for achievement that is still growing)
3. Workers who feel vulnerability
   (may feel that their "value" is diminished through reduced capability or feel that their skills are no longer up to date)
4. Those who are more engaged or feel their work more is important than in past periods of intermittent or part-time working. 
   (many women re-entering the workforce with grown families fit into this category)
5. People who are more confident, and ready for new challenges
   (ready for anything new, or are ready to try self employment)
6. and workers who are anxious about being displaced by younger colleagues

As you can see, each of these "categories" of workers are looking at employment from quite different points of view.  Keep checking back, as I'll be expanding on some ideas that you'll find useful in reaching out to each.

Emerging Health Care Trends 2007 Survey Results

Today, employers appear to be making a "choice of roads" decision when it comes to providing healthcare for their employees.  The choice taken can have significant effect for the employer as it impacts their ability to retain existing employees as well as colors the attractiveness of the organization when seen through the eye of certain classes of job-seekers.

There are two distinct types of employers, and their beliefs and behaviors are dramatically different in how they view the value of Healthcare benefits according to Hewitt Associates in a recent survey report.
Download emerging_health_care_trends_2007_survey_results.pdf  

There are the “Stop Light-to-Stop Light” employers who find they are primarily focused on managing trends.  They have substantial resistance to cutting benefits because they view health care benefits as an attraction and retention tool and are in a competitive market for talent. At the same time, however, they do not tend to see health and productivity as a business issue.

Then there are the respondents indicate they will become much more involved in health and health care benefits, referred to as the "Superhighway" companies

Employers from both roads ranked managing cost and competitive positioning as their top two business issues related to health care. However, the next most important business issue for Superhighway employers is a leadership mandate to address health care, whereas Stop Light-to-Stop Light employers are worried about profitability. Similarly, employers from both roads ranked employee satisfaction and protection from catastrophic loss as the top two employee issues related to health benefits. Superhighway employers ranked improving productivity next, while Stop Light-to-Stop Light employers are worried about turnover.

Small employers have been exiting from health care, dropping sponsorship of their plans entirely.  However, for most large employers, this approach would create significant difficulties for many of their employees. If an employee or dependent currently had a serious medical condition, for example, he or she may be denied coverage entirely in the individual marketplace. While costs continue to escalate, very few large employers are currently considering dropping sponsorship of health care
plans.

The Hewitt survey validates this trend—no respondents believe their organization will be less involved in health care benefits over the next three to five years than they are today.  What remains to be see is how each group reconciles the cost of quality healthcare to the demands of an increasingly tighter labor market.

A Halloween Treat for You from the Evil HR Lady

I'm a fan of the "Evil HR Lady", who publicly claims to be "an HR professional in a Fortune 500 Company. I've hired, fired, managed pay and analyzed the numbers. I've even tried to cooperate with Finance, but, well you can guess how that turned out."

She operates a great blog by the same name (Evil HR Lady) with a high volume of feedback that confirms that she is on the right track.

She recently published a great article called "The Coming Talent Shortage" that provided a response to the YouTube video about workforce demographic changes. 

Michael Moore (the lawyer, not the other Michael Moore) posted a link to this video about the upcoming labor shortage.

This article is a "MUST READ" for people concerned about where our future experienced talent will come from.  Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Population Trends and How They Play Into the Skilled Labor Shortage

One of the components that factors into the skilled workforce is, the availability of human workers.  Before you accuse me of being provincial, let me clarify.  If you do not have an increasing population base, and you do not have educated and skilled talent being developed in the population base, and demand increases, you will have a shortage.

Thus, it first takes a certain level of population growth to provide a foundation for an adequate skilled workforce.

According to US Census (domestic and international data), the developed countries in the world are all experiencing a population growth deceleration.  What this means is that there are fewer net people to develop into skilled workers.

Many parts of the world already face declining populations, sometimes due to too much of a good thing (the combination of economic development, women's education and easily accessible birth control that we see in western Europe and Japan).

Sometimes for more unpleasant reasons (totalitarian controls, war, hunger, disease, environmental pollution or simply a cost of living that discourages having children) the population is declining.

Add to this, the reality that in many parts of the world life expectancy has significantly increased.  Consider that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 1900 the life expectancy of the average American was 47 years, and by 2000 it had jumped to 74.6 years.  That's a lot of older Americans that will require care.

Conversely, between 1960 and 2000 the birth rate fell by 40%.  And we're not alone, other industrialized countries have seen a birth rate decline of 60% or more during the same period.

This represents a reality that we will have to live with.  Let's get used to our "new future"...

Is Fraud or Incompetence Now a Skillset?

I am an avid reader of CFO magazine, an award-winning Economist Group publication, dedicated to providing relevant insights to senior financial executives around the world. Reaching an international audience of over one million corporate decision makers each month through specialized events, conferences and research, it is a highly credible "microscope" into the complex world of corporate finance.

Just for grins, I went back into the first three (3) weeks of headlines for September 2007 and discovered the following:

• Apple's Jobs Was Subpoenaed, Report Says
• Ex-CFO Says He Won't Be the "Fall Guy"
• Del. Court Slaps Staples on Backdating
• Retiree Miscount Leads to Restatement
• Quest's Quest for More Backdating Errors
• German conglomerate, embroiled in scandal
• Wachovia Sued over Drink Company's Spill
• Dynegy Settles Charges with Pensioners
• UTStarcom to Redo China Revenue Report
• Mentor to Fraud? Two Former Execs Settle
• SEC Charges Hedge Fund Head over PIPEs
• SEC Aims to Clean Up Grocery Spill
• Dried Dough: Krispy Kreme's Woes
• Fairchild Dumps KPMG
• CTRL-ALT-DELETE: Dell Frozen, Restarting
• Former HealthSouth CFO Back in Court
• Grand Theft Auto, for Real
• The Morality Play
• Shareholders Cry Foul in Calpine Plan
• Former CFO of a high-end car dealer is accused of embezzlement
• Ex-Controller Settles Fraud Case
• Unregistered Auditors Busted by SEC
• SEC Takes Aim at Ex-Nortel Finance Execs
• CFOs' Optimism Plummets to Six-Year Low
• CSC Tax Review Uncovers Years of Errors
• Wireless Company's CFO Takes a Leap
• Ace Discovers $154M Inventory Error
• Finite-risk Probe Halts Assurant Buyback
• Couple Guilty in "Pillow-talk" Case
• Top Exec Steps Down from FASB Parent
• Macau Gambling Plan Loses $1B in Loans
• Saks Settles SEC Vendor-Allowance Suit
• Motive Inc. Restates, Looks for Auditor
• Did Fake Purchase Orders Oust CFO?
• Overhill Farms CFO Goes over the Fence
• Internal Probe Stalls Retailer's Filings
• CEO Put on Leave Following Audit
• Uncollectibles Force SEC Settlement
• Internal Probe Stalls Children's Place Filings

I couldn't believe it - almost 40 headlines IN 21 DAYS showcasing matters relating to corporate fraud or incompetence (or both).

Makes me wonder?  Is fraud or mismanagement of company assets becoming a "corporate value?"  The headlines over three weeks would seem to indicate that is the case?  Has greed overtaken "core values" as being more desirable for workers than working hard, protecting company assets and keeping the customer satisfied?

Is the "I got mine" mentality, where managers and executives put their own self interest ahead of the employees, customers and shareholders leading to higher levels of frustration in the business world resulting in the attitude of "what the hell, everybody else is doing it?"

If this phenomenon is occurring on an increasingly widespread basis, what effect does this have on Workforce Development?  Do frustrated competent and honest workers leave for places they perceive as better or more ethical?  Does it become harder to attract and recruit top talent, when a cloud (either publicized or not) hangs over the business/organization?  Or do the "opportunists" flock to the firms being investigated in the hopes that they can profit from the "birds of a feather" mentality?

Readers - what do you say?

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!

Its All About the Talent

FMI Corp's,  Ron Magnus, who heads their Talent Development division dropped me an email recently, alerting me to a new Construction Industry report on Talent Development that FMI has just published.

By 2008, it's an accepted fact that a wealth of skills and experience will disappear from the job market as the first members of the Baby Boom generation reach average retirement age. Talent development will become a critical strategic objective and differentiator for any competitive organization.

Magnus reaffirms that in order to remain successful in the knowledge-based, global economy building and construction firms must continually invest in their human capital. 

1. This is a great report, well worth your time, in a easy to read format. Click here Download USTReport2007.pdf for a copy. 

 

Why Do Women Only Represent 9% of the Engineering Workforce?

A report published by the American Society for Engineering Education paints a picture that should concern for all Americans.  While women represent 56% of  total U.S. undergraduate enrollment across all fields of study, Undergraduate engineering enrollment, is only 17% of the total at 366,361 in 2005, according to the ASEE study

Today, women represent only 9% of the Engineering workforce. 

There's a lot of good programs underway to turn this situation.  Women-in-engineering (WIE) programs, and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) student chapters, other support mechanisms provide:

•   Outreach/ K-12 education
•   Learning and/or living communities
•   Forums for discussing concerns/questions
•   Connection with role models in academia, industry, government
•   Mentoring (peer and professional-student)
•   Advising
•   Professional development and career guidance

It's premature to call this game before all of the innings have played out.  Never before have the prospects for women in engineering been better, nor have there been a stronger advocacy and support system available.  Let's get the word out.

The Engineering Workforce Commission also cites decreasing female enrollments since 2001; enrollment numbers remain virtually unchanged since 1984, and although Doctoral degrees have recently increased, these gains are being undercut by decreasing B.S. enrollments in Engineering.

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!

Offshoring is also eroding the quality of the U.S, workforce

Offshoring is increasingly eroding the quality of the workforce in the US. There are fewer entry level IT jobs in the US. These jobs go to increasingly Indian or Chinese software engineers. Similarly, the legal and investment banking tasks sent overseas are the yeoman's work that historically enabled young people to learn the profession. Next are the entry level jobs in architecture and design/engineering.

Fortunately, many service firms aren't of a scale where this sort of outsourcing is viable, but nevertheless, it reduces the number of domestic training positions. It's a hollowing out of service industries. The fact that is is now happening at the very large firms that do the most sophisticated corporate work begs the question of where their next generation of executives / principals and partners will come from.

Where will it end.  Keep watching this blog.  We've got answers coming for you.

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?

Women in Engineering - still a "Boys Club"

From "The Herman Trend Alert," by the Herman Group, a new alert, discussing Women in Engineering.  Like all of the excellent work The Herman Group does, it is an exceptional piece addressing a critical issue in the skilled workforce.

A recent study demonstrates clearly that the field of engineering is still primarily a "Boys Club". Only 20 percent of engineering degrees in the United States are earned by women; only 9% of American engineers are women.

Though a study by the Families and Work Institute showed that young men are taking a much more active role in their children’s lives, in the US and Europe, the majority of people still expect that most of the burden of housekeeping, childcare, school interface, looking after aging parents, and similar family duties are handled by the woman.

In many industries, an engineering career frequently demands long hours and lots of travel---difficult for a man, even harder for a woman. It is challenging to take care of a family when the job sometimes requires an emergency plant visit at 2am, or worse, weeks or months on assignment overseas.

When it comes to advancing in the corporate hierarchy, women engineers experience the most problems. There is a "systemic pressure," far more difficult than any "overt discrimination," that makes matters even more challenging for women engineers.

Nancy Bartels, Managing Editor for "Control" Magazine, interviewed a number of women engineers. Here’s what they want:

• Treated with respect, as professionals, just like other engineers
• Given the chance to prove themselves—just like other engineers.
• Respected for their ideas and have their thinking processes accepted.
• Included---in all conversations, casual and otherwise and to be treated as peers and valued team members
• Mentored and encouraged by experienced seniors.
• Considered for promotion.

There is no doubt that engineering will benefit from having more women who bring their unique perspectives and innovative ideas to the industry. They also possess intuitive skills and can provide different ways to solve many complex problems, problems that may be approached better through their distinctive points of view. Hundreds of colleges, organizations, and businesses have created programs, workshops, and conferences to increase the number of women in engineering. And if your organization is looking for engineers, don’t overlook The National GEM Consortium, a non-profit headquartered in Washington, DC.

JIM's NOTE: Also, check out the Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

The Hottest Jobs (for College graduates)

According to Parade magazine, there are plenty of good paying jobs in HIGH DEMAND in today's market for graduates:

Forensic accountant
Combines accounting, auditing and investigative skills: $30,000-$150,000

Logistics manager
Plan, implement and control flow of goods or services: $35,000-$118,000

Corporate librarian
More companies need specialists to manage information: $37,000-$93,000

Emerging media specialist
Managers in Web content and online marketing need communication skills and tech savvy: $26,500-$100,000

Physical therapist
Aging baby boomers will drive the increasing need: $34,600-$74,000

Information security
Workers plan, implement and support network security: $47,000-$122,000

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., with data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and industry sources

Skilled worker shortage hurts U.S.

According to a recent story published by CNN, Skilled worker shortage hurts U.S. the cross-industry problem being experienced by all industries is bad and getting worse.

Most experts agreed the shortage of skilled workers is likely to persist longer than it did in the late 1990s. That earlier tightness was fed by dot.com companies burning through investors' cash to hire people. The latest round of hiring is being driven by stronger corporate balance sheets, and as more retiring Baby Boomers start leaving the work force.

Today's challenge is different and the mandate for companies is different.

The problem I see with this article is that it's long on explanations, but offers few substantial ideas for firms looking for solutions.  What's your opinion?

Why don't we invest enough in Workforce Training and Development?

Do you ever wonder why there seems to be so much talk about workforce development and training and so little evident action?  So did Anthony Carnevale who  wrote an excellent article in the "Brookings Review" entitled "Much Ado About Job Training."   He observed that for all the talk, that training consistently seems to loom far larger in policy talk than in public budgets.

Among the interesting insights he addressed regarding the situation was the sidebar that contrasts US behaviors with the approach being used successfully in Europe.

In Europe, labor unions, private corporations, and governments collaborate in an apprenticeship system to provide real training for real jobs.  But workforce development in the United States cannot be modeled on that system. In the first place, U.S. unions aren’t strong enough. Nor are American employers likely to take on big new training responsibilities when cutting costs and increasing flexibility are primary competitive assets.

More fundamentally, the European apprenticeship systems are rooted in political agreements and a popular solidarity absent from the individualistic and diverse
U.S.society.

Because European welfare states guarantee extensive income and basic social benefits, they have powerful incentives to educate and train everybody so that each worker will be sufficiently productive to justify the fixed costs of wage and benefit guarantees.

The United States has no such incentives for universal training investments. Here, the brutal efficiency of the American workforce development system discourages universal policies, and individuals pay the price of education and training failure.

Moreover, the more flexible American labor market appears better suited to meet the challenges of global trade and economic restructuring than the highly regulated labor markets that undergird Europe’s training system.

At the end of the day, what we can do, is determine if we can adapt any of these practices, because time is quickly running out.  Already many industries cite inability meeting their objectives due to lack of having a competent and motivated workforce. 

Maybe it's not too late to lose our pride and take a look over our shoulders to see if we can learn from those who have started to figure some of this out.

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.

How Safe Is Your Job?

In a recent edition published by Parade magazine, an article entitled "How Safe Is Your Job?"  examines a very real issue for management and affects workers too: 
U.S. workers are increasingly disengaged, and that foreign workers have appear to have a higher level of focus and commitment.

The article cites :
Beyond the cheaper cost of labor, U.S. employers say that many workers abroad simply have a better attitude toward work. “American employees must be punctual, dress appropriately and have good personal hygiene,” says Chao. “They need anger-management and conflict-resolution skills, and they have to be able to accept direction. Too many young people bristle when a supervisor asks them to do something.”

Thus, when developing today's workforce, attention needs to be paid to the "soft skills" that are essential for career and workplace success.  Providing development in just the technical skill areas is simply not enough.

There are plenty of good traditional classroom training and online training resources available to help develop these skillsets.  For busy people, who want or need to take courses on their own time schedule, online training providers RedVector and Skillsoft provide excellent "competency-based" education programs to help you or your team to increase their skills in these important areas,