Workforce Development - A Good Investment?

Are you ready for a strange new world?

The future does not look good for traditional jobs--or "regular activities performed in exchange for payment," as dictionaries and public perception define them. Their days are numbered. But wonderfully new and better kinds of work lie on the near horizon: hyperjobs.

Typical Job of Yesterday

· One job (singular) per worker.

· Employed by a company.

· Functional.

· Rely on specialized skills such as accounting or engineering.

· Compensated by money.

Typical Hyperjob of Tomorrow

· Multiple simultaneous “jobs.”

· Self-employed.

· Purposeful.

· Rely on hyper-human skills such as discovery, creativity, and responsibility.

· Compensated by money and also by other forms of social exchange ranging from barter to “time dollars.”

Hyperjobs are a whole new kind of work. They leverage people's unique, noncomputerizable skills and abilities, and power the emerging global society.

Technology is, by its very nature, a job killer. The whole idea of tools, machines, and systems is to do things more easily, faster, or better than barehanded humans can. White-collar workers may currently feel comfortable about their own prospects, but in fact service occupations--including the most technical and intellectually demanding--are the new targets of technological advance.

Every day we see new evidence of service-sector job erosion: grocery checking taken over by self-service checkout stations; telephone directory assistance taken over by speech recognition and response systems; air terminal counter work taken over by ticketing kiosks; and middle-management functions taken over by increasingly sophisticated software applications.

The most intellectual and technical jobs have also made the hit list. Take college teaching and software development, for example. Cash-strapped colleges and universities hold the lid on professors' salaries by hiring less-costly adjunct professors and launching distance-learning programs that extend the productivity of professorial talent. Completely automated learning systems for some subjects are on the horizon.

Knowledge workers such as software developers are also on the automation chopping block. Software development is perhaps the most automatable of all the technical disciplines, and software-development tools are constantly being created to extend the productivity of human developers. Fewer people are needed to produce X amount of code.

Social trends also impact the earning potential of software developers. For example, the increasingly popular "open source" movement is now challenging Microsoft for preeminence in operating systems and business tools such as spreadsheets and word processors. That's great for society, but open-source developers typically make their contributions for free. They can do it because they have "day jobs." The question is, what will their day jobs be if and when paying positions, as at Microsoft, go away as open-source takes over?

No matter what the educational or intellectual level of the jobholder, white-collar jobs as we know them have become an endangered species.

 

Are you prepared to compete in this strange new world?

Preparing unemployed and underskilled workers for skilled positions

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

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

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

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

This study focused on three distinct programs across the country:

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

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

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

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

 

 

Why Dilbert-style upper management still stymies good performers

Pattie Vargas of The Vargas Group, in San DIego did an article last year called On Incompetent Employees.

This article which referenced a piece appreaing on Bnet, entitled  “The Five Ways Managers Breed Incompetence” struck a chord with me.

One of my former Booz-Allen & Hamilton colleagues recently queried a group of us asking, "What was the top ethical issue" in the marketplace today?

After thinking about it, I responded, "setting the wrong incentives" which as we know, more often than not, results in rewarding the wrong behaviors.

Pattie hits the nail on the head with her article when she states:

One of the ways cited in the article was “Rewarding Mediocrity.” Hear, hear. An organization I once worked for had this process down pat. As I was leaving a meeting where one of the senior product managers had tap-danced his way through a late schedule, incomplete deliverables and cost over-runs, I cynically thought to myself, “He’s in line for a VP position.” Even though I was half joking (gallows humor, you know) my premonition came true within the week.

So I'd like to thank Pattie for bringing this issue into clearer focus for me.

Perhaps the "top ethical issue" is the damage that "setting the wrong incentives" for poor performers has on the rest of the workforce who are trying to do the right thing, just because it's the right thing, not because there is a "carrot" being help out in front of you.

Thank you Pattie !

How this recession is hitting people differently...

Economists say the untold story of this recession is how it has devastated people in certain job and income categories, while leaving the affluent mostly alone. 
 
Among the lowest-income — roughly the minimum-wage workers — unemployment nationwide is at true Depression-era levels of 20 to 30 percent, says a report last month by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University.

However, it's only 3 to 4 percent for those making $100,000 or more.

The report, entitled "Labor Underutilization Problems of U.S. Workers Across Household Income Groups at the End of the Great Recession: A Truly Great Depression Among the Nation’s Low Income Workers Amidst Full Employment Among the Most Affluent" tells us what this recession has wrought — mainly an even greater widening of the gap between rich and poor than we had before — isn't getting more focus from the press and political leaders is a scandal, the Northeastern University economists suggest.

"Who will tell the people?" they write at the end of their paper. "Does anybody care?"

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.

Why On-boarding makes sound financial sense

Mark Stein, a colleague over at Kaiser Associates just sent me this update on on-boarding, and it's information you need to think carefully about...

• According the U.S. Department of Labor, over 25 percent of the workforce has been at their current company for under a year
• Young people entering the workforce today will change jobs an average of 10 times before they turn 40
• Employees are most likely to leave an organization in the first 18 months after they are hired, according to the U.S. Department of Labor

It may take significant time for new employees at your organization to become functioning members of the team:

• According to Mellon Financial Corporation, the average times to full productivity are
  • Eight weeks for clerical jobs
  • 20 weeks for professionals
  • 26 weeks for executives

Also, there are significant costs to ineffectively On-boarding your new hires:

• The direct cost of recruitment, according to Staffing.org and the Bureau of National Affairs, ranges from 5 percent to about 21 percent of annual compensation, and ineffective On-boarding could mean wasting these investments

• The Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of California, Berkeley, has estimated that the total cost of employee turnover is 150 percent of annual compensation, including hiring costs and more intangible elements such as “ramp-up time and lost productivity while the job is vacant”

Mindset Matters

Henry Ford is attributed as saying, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”

We each create our own reality based on the words we tell ourselves to describe and define the events and decisions of our lives.  Consider this scale of mindset: 

  0 = I hate my circumstances and am angry. No good will come of this.

  5 = I recognize that challenges are a constant part of life and am learning to let go of the things I cannot  control.

10 = I thrive on challenges and love pushing myself past self-imposed “comfort zones.” This will work out for the best.

Where are you on this scale and how is that affecting your ability to manage the day to day events of your life?  Challenging times cause us to be more reflective and tap the deeper reservoirs of our capacity to achieve. I challenge each of us to shift our mindset toward a 10 on the mindset scale to help us tap the deeper reservoirs of our capacity.  Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Melon professor, authored the book “The Last Lecture” after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Even terminally ill he maintained a “10” mindset and continued to inspire students and the public through his thought provoking and humorous presentations and interviews.  Watch his presentation of the Last Lecture on UTube or read the book.  Prepare to smile and be inspired to move your mindset up a notch or more and tap your reservoirs of resourcefulness.  

“It is not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”  Epictetus

 So how will you choose to respond to the challenges before you?  The choice is yours.

Jeannine Wirth P.E. is our newest author on this blog, and is 
Owner/President of RiversQuest Consulting

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.

From Training to On the Job Skills Transfer - 5 Important Tips

In these financially difficult times more and more companies are starting to look to their training budgets as a possible area for cuts.

Stop! This is time to invest even more in training. The secret is smart investments that truly transfer to the workplace.

MaryEllen Gibson, who writes in the Work + Money area for Yahoo, recently developed a short article entitled "Five Tips for Training to Transfer to the Workplace" that has some excellent guidance, especially in light of the market-related turmoil that has upended the plans of many businesses.

In her article, she justifies why is is not only important, but downright essential NOT to cut into the training and development area.

Here's a high-level summary of her article:

1. The trainer makes a big difference.  Don't underestimate this vital point.  Lose your good trainers and youcan undermine your entire program.

2. Training must remain a key part of a consistent message from the organization.
3. In order to increase organizational commitment, you need to ask each individual’s manager, and the manager’s manager, to attend the training session with their staff.
4. There is more value and long-term results from training delivered in “chunks” that are scheduled over a period of time, versus "big bang" that has lower learner retention.
5. Focus is necessary in order to train people in skills and information that are immediately applicable on the job.

 

 

Spreadsheets are Essential - Learn Spreadsheets for Free

Spreadsheets are the most commonly used tool for end user development of business applications, and organizations depend heavily upon them for decision making.

However, many users barely scratch the surface of their potential.  This needn't be the case.

No-cost tutorials, instruction, and advice are only a few keystrokes away.
You don't need a spreadsheet to calculate the cost of the wide array of Web-based spreadsheet instruction and support resources that are available: Here's a rundown of some of the best free sites out there, with their strengths and weaknesses.

read more | digg story

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.

Social Networking and How It Affects the Workforce

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Social Networking Applies in the Workplace

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

For example, you could use it to:

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

Potential Positives

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

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

Potential Negatives

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

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

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

• chosen carefully
• used intelligently
• utilized safely

Happy networking!

is Your "BRAND" Helping or Hurting Your Recuitment Efforts?

In today's war for the best talent, if you are an employer, it's essential to remember that you understand the "brand" that your company represents.  This is sometimes difficult to get a handle on, as your "insider" perception may not be same as what people are thinking, feeling, or saying on the street about you.

A while back I had authored an article entitled "Creating a More Democratic Work Environment" in which I discussed a site called "InsideArch" which provides an "insiders" view into Design firms across the country and their "Professional Culture".  Following this article, I was besieged by people wanting to know if there was a comparable site for  other firms. 

I recently came across JobVent, a web site for anyone who has ever said 'I hate my job', or 'I love my job'. JobVent, besides a web site for people who are about to start a new job (and want to see what other people think of working there), also is a useful tool for company management and HR professionals to get external opinions about how the company is viewed.

Sure, I have heard some HR people tell me that it's only the "over the top - happy" or "really PO'd" people on these sites.  We know from experience (and past research) that unhappy people tell LOTS of people about their unhappy experience, while happy people will only tell a handful.  What is important to remember, is that these are "word of mouth" traditions.  In the "internet age" where social networks rule, anything GOOD or BAD about your company takes on a new life and comments become memorialized. 

This is imperative that firms take active control of their destiny by putting plans in place to calibrate with accuracy, what your "brand" (reputation) is in the marketplace.  Because does anyone really believe that these matters can be left to chance?

What Does It Take to be an "Employer of Choice"?

Joyce L. Gioia and the late Roger E. Herman wrote the groundbreaking book "How to Become an Employer of Choice" back in 2000.  It has become the foundation for several subsequent works assisting organizations who aspire to this distinction.

One of them was published by Sandy Asch, author of Excellence at Work--The Six Keys to Inspire Passion in the Workplace, who has addressed how employers can transform and reward employee performance and offered six things employers can do to become an employer of choice.

Asch identified a number of questions companies can ask themselves to determine if their employees view them as an employer of choice.

• Do your employees love to work for your company?
• Are employees deeply engaged?
• Are employees' full potential being realized?
• Are employees planning on staying with your company?
• Are communications open, honest, positive and future-focused?
• Are people proactive and see, own, and act on problems quickly and efficiently?
• Are truth telling and risk taking encouraged and rewarded?
• Is there a high level of cooperation and collaboration?
• Are people respectful and seek to bring out the best in each other?
• Is there a healthy work-life balance?
• Do employees have energy and passion?
• Do employees trust and respect their managers and feel valued and supported?
• Are your leaders trusted and respected?
• Are employees treated fairly?
• Are employees regularly rewarded and recognized for good performance?
• Are there opportunities for growth and development?
• Are employees encouraged to contribute and make a difference?
• Are employees proud to work for your organization?
• Would your employees recommend your company to their friends as a good place to work?

How does your organization fare in each of these areas?  If you aren't sure, this book may be a good one in which to invest...

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

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

read more | digg story

Exodus of Skilled Workers Leaves Germany in a Bind

German skilled workers are leaving in record numbers and fewer immigrants are arriving, resulting in skill shortages.  About 16% of German companies say they can't find qualified candidates for open positions, partly because of the flight of highly qualified workers.  The engineering sector alone boasts 22,000 openings, with architects and electrical engineers among the most sought after.  Read why...

read more | digg story

If You Think You Have A Bad Boss, You Could Do Much Worse

A recent global survey shows that employees in the U.S. have the most positive opinions and friendliest relationships with their managers, leading them to be the least likely to disobey their supervisors’ direction compared with international workers.

Writer David R. Butcher, who published a timely article on ThomasNet, reveals to us that while there are plenty of bad bosses, that bosses as a whole in the United States too often get a bad rap — one that they simply do not deserve.

His article, "Think Your Boss is Lousy? It Could be Worse" reveals a new global survey that shows that employees in the U.S. have the most positive opinions and friendliest relationships with their managers, leading them to be the least likely to disobey their supervisors’ direction compared with international workers.

U.S. employees are also most likely to perceive their managers as competent, talented and open to feedback, according to 5,500 workers surveyed in 10 countries by European management and HR consulting firm BPI, which owns a majority interest in Chicago-based SSP-BPI Group.

The international Employees Assess Their Manager survey, conducted in October 2007, sought insights about differences in workplaces and managerial styles by asking employees to rate their relationship with their supervisors.

The key findings, released last month, determined that, overall, about two-thirds of global employees generally had a good opinion of their managers.

It's a great, well written  article, that provides a good perspective on the things that U.S. bosses are doing right!

What kind of workplace environment are you creating?

If you look at the general mood in the U.S. right now, it seems like "doom and gloom". Just look at the headlines: a lousy economy, foreclosures, high gas prices. Almost 80 percent of Americans in one poll recently said we're worse off today than we were five years ago, which is simply not true in most cases, or so says Gregg Easterbrook. In an op-ed on Friday's Wall Street Journal he argued that life is actually pretty good.

There are two realities in the U.S., he says. When you ask people about their own experiences, their jobs, their schools, they say things are good.

Ask about the state of the national economy or schools or health care, most Americans will say the country is on the wrong track.  A recent interview published on the Brookings Institute entitled "Is the Media Making Us Feel Worse?" talks about the powerful influence that media "slants" have on the attitudes of Americans.

Shaping the attitudes of people happens all the time.  Management and the marketplace have a significant role in shaping the attitudes and behavior of today's workforce.

Robert Wiseman, in a book review of “Rewarding Excellence” by Edward E. Lawler III notes “For many organizations, talented employees are the cornerstone of a competitive advantage.  If the organization competes based on new ideas, outstanding customer service, or quick, accurate decisions, having excellent employees is critical.”

How does one have excellent employees?  It involves many things done right, but among them, setting a positive climate for personal growth and recognition.

Unfortunately not everybody gets this critical point.  Robert L. Mathis & John H. Jackson, describe in "Human Resource Management” 10th edition
“Of course, not every organization must compete on the basis of having the best employees, but even those that do not, employees are a major source of performance, problems, growth, resistance, and lawsuits.”

Thus we must acknowledge that "we reap what we sow" inasmuch as we set the right climate for our workforce.  In this blog, I have discussed the importance of carefully drafting position descriptions, effective screening of new hires, communicating clear expectations of how work should be performed and training and orientation.  These are the cornerstones that all organizations must first put in place in order to attract excellent workers.

But beyond this,  we are responsible as employers to set the right (eg. positive) tone for our workplace.  In 1948, Dr. Robert Merton first formalized “The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”  This principle is based on research showing that without our conscious knowledge, our expectations for others can actually have a measurable impact on their behavior.  Also known as “The Pygmalion Effect” (remember the movie My Fair Lady?), describes the way that people’s expectations of other people influence the actions and achievements of those other people.

Further research in recent years has also confirmed that leaders “did” specific things to help bring about the prophecies (success).  For example - Teachers were better teachers to students they provided: (1) supportive climate, (2) more input, (3) more opportunity for output, and (4) more performance feedback.

The The Pygmalion Effect tells us that

• We cannot behave or act in a manner that is inconsistent with our expectations and beliefs (of others or ourselves).
• Our behaviors and actions toward others influence their expectations, behaviors, and performance either positively or negatively.
• Thus, our expectations will become a self-fulfilling prophecy, partly because we will act in a manner that is consistent with that “prophecy” and cause it to “be fulfilled.”

As an example of how just one element of this process plays out in practice, consider the impact of the climate employers create.  By climate, I'm referring to the kind of social and emotional mood we create for others.

We create a negative climate that generate poor workplace behaviors that communicate low expectations in several ways when we:

• Verbally criticize workers competence or potential
• Send negative non-verbal cues through voice, face and body posture or movements
• Appear distracted, in a hurry, or otherwise not giving an employee your full attention

In contrast, we can create a positive climate that encourages good behaviors that communicate high expectations to workers when we

• Are verbally supportive and encouraging
• Provide positive non-verbal cues through tone of voice, eye contact, facial expressions, and body posture or movements
• Help employees set challenging goals

It's up to us.  You need to decide whether you follow the pack and join the "sky is falling" crowd or instead taking the "let's make this happen together" road.  This in my opinion is the ultimate test of leadership which will determine which organizations are able to recruit and retain the best talent.

What are the pros and cons about telecommuting?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'm a bit skeptical about this inference.

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

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

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

The key talent planning areas - Overview

As I speak at different events around the country people come up and ask a lot of really good (and sometimes tough) questions.  One of the ones I frequently hear is "What are some of the key talent planning areas that I should be working on?"

That's a big area, and I'll try to expand on some of these over the next few weeks, but let me begin by summarizing for you:

Operating Model - (what "stage" is your organization in?)

• Growth, contraction, restructuring, reorgs, funding

Workload & Flow - (how are you approaching the process of managing your workforce?)

• Outsourcing, combining functions, realigned duties

New Positions - (what is the expected impact of new additions?)

• New positions; additional headcount on existing positions

Technology - (how will technology affect my workforce requirements?)

• Expected productivity gains; reduced headcount needs

Work Processes - (how can we re-engineer our current processes to acheive smarter results?)

• Expected productivity gains; reduced headcount needs

Retirements - (looking at the inevitable loss of knowledge, experience and industry contacts)

• Planned (known) and historical level of unplanned

Turnover (recognizing that levels of long-term commitment are going down, and that competition for skilled workers is going up)

• Planned and unplanned voluntary and involuntary

Diversity (as our workforce gets increasingly diverse, not get more multicultural - our organizations need to be more adaptable)

• Any specific goals or talent gaps that need filled

Buy vs. Build - (FTE vs contingent labor pool - which works best for you?)

• Recruit or train/develop the needed skills internally

Competencies - (Its all about having the competencies you need to get the job done)

• Any gaps in required capabilities & related competencies

Is Letting Them Go a Wise Strategy?

Leslie Levine is a seasoned author who writes great stuff about what's happening in toe workforce.  One of the articles she wrote about developing your employees, entitled "Let Em Go" struck a nerve with me.

She cites how some businesses view the anticipated departure of Baby Boomer s as an exodus, which is a fairly dramatic term. Is that what you see happening at your company? Even if you don´t know when your older employees plan to leave it still behooves you to have some idea. Clearly, you don´t want to be caught off guard, especially if your competition has been planning all along. Here are some points to consider:

She presents in this article a series of probing questions that aren't intended to put you into a panic but rather to remind you that the future is here.

She refers to David Delong, author of the book, "Lost Knowledge: Confronting the Threat of an Aging Workforce", and a management consultant and researcher at MIT´s AgeLab, stated on NPR that Leaving workforce with knowledge that didn't exist 20 years ago.

He also said that between 2003 and 2013 the age group of 50-64 will grow 40 percent while the age group 35-49 will shrink 10 percent. Those are numbers that no business can afford to ignore. What will you do?

I'll also suggest a alternative view that I hope evokes some discussion...

What of the "knowledge" held by baby boomers is worth passing along to the younger generations?

I throw out this question, because, depending upon which industry you are in, the "entrenched" thinking of these workers may be viewed as a factor in prohibiting new ideas from being developed.

So, is it always valid to assume that the "boomer knowledge bank" should be passed on?  Readers, care to share your experiences?

The role that "Career Blockage" plays in International Assignments

Increasingly, firms find that it is necessary and prudent to expose their promising talent to international assignments.  Sometimes it works out fine, other times it doesn't.

One of the reasons cited by expats that leave posts (or firms) is "career blockage", or better known as the feeling that working abroad has gotten their career sidetracked, while people back home are climbing the corporate ladder.

I used to travel abroad extensively, and would frequently run into an expat that after a few drinks would admit “the home office has forgotten about me”

It doesn't seem to matter whether you are doing your job or not, it's just a human nature response to conditions.  It appears to the expat that there is a lack of collegiality and communication when working abroad, especially when surrounded by cultural natives who are in their natural setting, and receiving support and personal communications routinely.

The role of "HQ" managing this common concern is significant. 

HR needs to ensure that expatriates know that an international assignment helps in terms of advancement within the firm.  This also needs to be periodically reinforced by upper management.  Sometimes this is hard to do, especially when there is a lot or organizational "churn" at the upper management levels with people moving to different jobs, or leaving the firm altogether.  Remember that the initial expectations that may have been set, if not committed to a written agreement, may not survive if there is (as if often the case), changes in upper management.

Likewise, planning needs to take into consideration, the very real concerns that expats have about their return to their "home base."  I have declined some overseas posts because the company was unwilling or unable to describe what would happen upon my return to the states.

Will the firm respect (and value) the unique new skills that I have acquired while overseas?  Will my return represent a "loss of status" (either real or perceived)?  Will there be a plan for re-integrating me into the stateside business?  Reverse "Culture Shock" can also be a factor, (and an adjustment period is a wise idea for the expat, as well as their family)  If firms are not prepared to do these things, it can really impact on the willingness of personnel to go overseas on assignment.

It is food for thought, hmmmm?

Engaged Employees = Whistleblowers?

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

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

read more | digg story

Why Women in Leadership Means Good Business

Thanks to Kellye Whitney managing editor for Talent Management magazine, wrote an excellent piece "Women in Leadership Means Good Business" in early April.

She cites "One of the most compelling reasons for an organization to pay attention to the demographic makeup of its workforce is that a diverse employee base can have significant bottom-line impact.  Yet, when the issue is workplace gender balance and actualizing women's economic and leadership potential, the United States trails behind less developed countries.

This well written article also identifies what companies that want to succeed in the 21st century will have to do to realize the full potential of women and make the necessary investments to nurture their talent.

Additionally, this piece also poses the question "Why are we spending a bunch trying to understand overseas markets while ignoring the basic dynamics of the  men and women in our own workforces?" 

The argument made in Kellye's portrayal, backed up by sound research, is both troubling and compelling when you realize that companies which claim to be recruiting, attracting, retaining and promoting the best possible talent, in reality are recruiting and promoting 80 percent men. 

Fuzzy Math, perhaps? It doesn't seem to add up to me.

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.

Are Construction Jobs Going Down Under?

One of my favorite sources on trends about the skilled labor shortage, is "Perfect Labor Storm 2.0" authored by Ira Wolfe, who constantly helps fill in the gaps about HOW people are coping with the worsening skills shortage.

One of Ira's latest excellent contributions is "Will U.S. construction workers flee to Australia?" where he discusses how the Australian Housing Industry Association (HIA) has called for a special visa scheme to recruit 15,000 overseas construction workers to combat the local (Australian) skills crisis. Thousands of skilled building workers could be lured from the faltering US housing industry to help ease the crisis "down under"

I'd like all of my readers in the construction space to ponder this, and carefully so.  Ask yourself what you think the economic will be to the US, when many workers choose to "relocate" their future to the other side of the globe. 

Just check out one of many sites offering Construction Jobs in Australia and you'll notice two things:

1. many companies are actively seeking qualified and skilled people to join them, and
2. these are the same types of jobs that are being cut by the implosion of the residential housing construction market in the U.S.

American construction workers may be surprised at how well they'll be received by the Australian workforce marketplace, and the incentives they'll have to come down to work.  Kind of makes you wonder when the last time their former American employers told them how valued they were?

Put yourself in the place of the laid-off or soon-to-be-laid-off construction worker.
There are a number of questions you might want to ask yourself...

• Did you feel valued at your last job? 
  
  • Was it because you were unappreciated, or was it because your work contribution was just "ordinary"?
• Do you have the skills to compete in the highly competitive Australian workforce
  • you didn't think they were looking for unskilled general labor did you?
  • (by skills, I mean the skills to survive in the marketplace, not just the technical skills to get the job)

Looking for another job, especially in another country, can be a daunting, as well as an enlightening process for US construction workers.  By entering into a job search in the other parts of the world, they will become informed of other opportunities and perhaps for the first time for most U.S. construction workers, lets them know how competitive they are in the "global" job market.  (HINT: If your skills have become outdated or job specific, you might want to consider a few training programs in order to update your skills, or develop new ones.)

American construction workers who consider the new global opportunities that are appearing, may also find that they need skills to adapt in a different culture that they never before had to consider.

Time of great risk or great opportunity?  I guess it depends on how you want to look at it.

What Should We Expect as Basic Administrative Skills?

When I interact with small business owners, I am appalled to hear the difficulty that they are having finding workers with the most basic administrative skills.  I recently spoke to a client who advertised a entry level sales position, got over 2,000 responses, and after sorting out the candidates, was left with only one (1) that demonstrated the attitude,, work ethic and technical skills that he required.

When I asked what he was looking for, he gave me his list. 
It looked like this:

• Familiarity with desktop operating systems (Apple OS, Windows)
• Ability to access files - understand the concept of connectivity - storage
• Perform basic word processing
• Operate E-mail, calendar, address book
• Able to perform data entry and chart preparation
• Create a brief informational presentation
• Ability to safeguard confidential information
• High-school graduate (not GED)
• Able to pass a drug test
• Valid active in-state drivers license

Note that sales experience was NOT one of his requirements.  He was prepared to train the new hire in his products / services and how to sell.

Is this indicative of what the "available" workforce looks like?

Houston - We Have a Problem

As we ponder the many changes happening in the workforce and how we educate people, there are some "perception issues" that I feel need to be addressed:

Do we have the right emphasis on the role of "technological education?"  Do we view technological education as engineering “lite” versus education for a "legitimate" profession?

Is the role of the scientist, or engineer more important than that of the electrician?  In what ways do the work of each impact us directly?

I also increasingly perceive a lack of common agreement among educators on the issue of focus / value of education for people entering the trades versus professions.

For many years I have held to the belief that you get the behaviors that you reward.  In the workforce development area, I do not see clear measures of success that are clear to learners (e.g. are we rewarding graduation versus placement?)

Likewise, have we examined the quality of relationships that educators have with business?  Despite having  Industry Advisory committees, are these committees providing the caliber and numbers of workers that industry needs? 

Have we struck the right balance between the skills needed by tradeworkers upon whom we are day-to-day dependent, as contrasted with the graduate who will apply technological skills in a different manner?

Readers, your thoughts?

Nontraditional Teachers Lining Up

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

Why does this article resonate with me?

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

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

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

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

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

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

read more | digg story

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.

The marketplace is becoming global - Are you ready for it?

Are you ready to play in the global marketplace?

Do you understand what this implies?

If you have been paying attention over the past few years, you understand that there are massive changed happening in world output and the world trade picture.

• The U.S. no longer dominates the world economy
• Large U.S. multinationals no longer dominate international business
• The centrally planned communist economies that made up roughly half the world suddenly become accessible to Western businesses
• The global economy has become more knowledge-intensive

I'd like to address the last point - becoming more knowledge-intensive.

It is no longer enough to have the latest or best knowledge.  Further, the idea that "knowledge is power" has become somewhat of a attitude that is off-putting to others.

Let me provide context for this statement.

I recently completed arranging a foreign trade deal for a US firm that knew that they needed to be sourcing from China, but didn't have a clue as to how to begin.  This is not an uncommon situation, as increasingly, international business is a critical necessity of business.

It's not simple, nor straightforward, but is doable for those that want to spend the time to become smarter about the situation, and required processes regarding foreign trade.

One area that I have noticed that is often unfamiliar to those westerners seeking to establish trade/business relations with people/organizations in other cultures is the western tendency to "pigeonhole" people by our existing cultural beliefs.

Not only does this get you into trouble (quickly), such incorrect generalizations can damage potential for future relationship development.

Here's come suggestions to help you when dealing with people of different cultures:

• Do not try to identify the counterpart’s home culture too quickly. Things that you believe represent "cues" to the other's cultural orientation (e.g., name, physical appearance, language, accent, location) may be (and increasingly are) unreliable.
• Be particularly aware of the Western bias toward “doing.” Ways of being (e.g., comportment, smell), feeling, thinking, and talking can shape relationships with people of other cultures more powerfully than doing.
• Resist the western tendency to formulate simple, consistent, stable images.  These may not translate the same in other cultures.
• Do not make the assumption that all aspects of the culture you are dealing with are equally significant.
• Strive to recognize that the norms for interactions involving outsiders (e.g. YOU) may differ from those for interactions between compatriots.
• Never overestimate your familiarity with your counterpart’s culture. More often than not, you will be wrong.

Please trust me on these points.  I have learned the hard way that global trade is based on relationships, and is not entirely price driven.  In the fastest growing economies of the world, the relationship takes precedence in negotiations.  And relationship development doesn't happen quickly (by design)

There are many places where westerners (across many industries) have screwed up by trying to apply western values and practices to other cultures. Here are a few examples:

• An American oil rig supervisor in Indonesia shouted at an employee to take a boat to shore. Since it is no-one berates an Indonesian in public, a mob of outraged workers chased the supervisor with axes.
• Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it "whitens your teeth." They found out that the local natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth which they find attractive.
• A company advertised eyeglasses in Thailand by featuring a variety of cute animals wearing glasses. The ad was a poor choice since animals are considered to be a form of low life and no self respecting Thai would wear anything worn by animals.
• The soft drink Fresca was being promoted by a saleswoman in Mexico. She was surprised that her sales pitch was greeted with laughter, and later embarrassed when she learned that Fresca is Mexican slang for "lesbian."
• When President George H W Bush went to Japan with Lee Iacocca and other American business magnates, and directly made explicit and direct demands on Japanese leaders, the American representatives violated basic Japanese etiquette. To the Japanese (who use high context language) it is considered rude and a sign of ignorance or desperation to lower oneself to make direct demands. Some analysts believe it severely damaged the negotiations and confirmed to the Japanese that Americans are barbarians.
• U.S. and British negotiators who you might think are the most able to communicate well, found themselves at a standstill when the American company proposed that they "table" particular key points. In the U.S. "Tabling a motion" means to not discuss it, while the same phrase in Great Britain means to "bring it to the table for discussion."
• When Pepsico advertised Pepsi in Taiwan with the ad "Come Alive With Pepsi" they had no idea that it would be translated into Chinese as "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead."
• In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into "Schweppes Toilet Water."

So it's important that your actions and words are carefully considered, when dealing with anyone of another culture.  Remember, this is not just about dealing with people in foreign lands; increasingly, individuals from other cultures are all about us, and the sooner we learn how to deal with our "cultural colleagues", the better we will be at expanding into the global business community.

Think about it.

Classrooms are NOT where most learning happens

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

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

Examples of these alternative methods of instilling knowledge include

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

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

Not even sure what some of them are? 

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

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

When Location Matters

Hint - it ALWAYS matters!

When businesses go looking for an "ideal" location, you'll often hear that it's all about the quality of the workforce.  While that is always true, it's an oversimplification.

In reality, the workforce is only one of many factors that influence where to locate,, or where to expand. The major factors usually taken into consideration include:

1. Workforce
2. Taxes
3. Economic Incentives
4. Quality of Life
5. Operating Costs and
6. Real Estate

These factors provide business owners with a two level scale of "goodness of fit"

• Quantitative (Demographic, Workforce, Quality of Life) and
• Qualitative (Wages, Taxes, Utility Rates)

The elements also have differing weights, based upon the level of needs.  For example, a a foundry would be looking for a much different skillset, incentive and real estate package than a biotech firm, or a highway construction company.

Workers also look at similar elements when seeking out their future employer.  And they do so on multiple levels (Level 1 - what is important to me for the job I am considering, and Level 2 - once I am ready to change employment again, and wish to stay in the area, what other aspects of the location would compel me to stay in the area?)

Thus, each factor related to attracting and keeping a qualified workforce needs to have a similar perspective (an owners perspective) as well.  Bearing in mind that today we live in a global market for most commodities and skills, it's no longer sufficient to just try to match job titles.  Today's workers understand that they have more options available, so the employers job of "selling" the overall package must reflect these changing times.

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.

How Core Beliefs Become Learning Behaviors

Ninety-five percent of your behavior reflects patterns and habits mostly acquired when you were very young. Because our educators and caregivers didn’t know any better, most of us grew up with ineffective study habits.  Find out why

read more | digg story

Do We Have Time for Needed Engineering Education Reform?

Pat Galloway, a noted blogger and writer, and CEO of the Seattle-based Nielsen-Wurster Group  was appointed by President Bush to serve a six-year term as a director of the 24-member National Science Board, the National Science Foundation's governing body.

Recently she published "Is Engineering Education in Need of Reform?" a critical analysis of the current crisis in backfilling the shortage of engineering talent in the US.

The premise that Dr. Galloway presents is that in the past, the skills workers acquired would serve them well for decades. However, in the 21st century, an engineer’s success or a firm’s success will be measured against how well he or she can adapt to new conditions and technologies.  Thus to remain competitive in this global and knowledge-based economy and to ensure that the quality of life improves for everyone around the world, engineers must be educated differently.

It's a great article.  Let me know what you think?

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

Professors take the long course in poverty

The American Association of University Professors, states 68% percent of all jobs in higher education are part-time, temporary, or both, and are often paid no more than $1,600 to $2,400 a course, without benefits of any sort, much less contracts extending beyond the current term. 

At a time when serious questions exist about the quality of education in the U.S. you'll find this article a painful insight how the university "system" is putting finances ahead of quality education. 

Do we really expect to turn out top talent from our schools, when we are shortchanging the teaching staff?

read more | digg story

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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AEC Industry in Crisis--We Need an ACE in the Hole

Pat Galloway publishes one of the top blogs in the AEC space and being a PE, and CEO of a esteemed professional services firm, she understands very well, the issues associated with shortages in the current and upcoming workforce.  So when she recently published "Industry in Crisis--We Need an ACE in the Hole" discussing the myriad issues in the AEC market, I feel she really has hit the nail on the head.
(not to mention that she sees the market the same as I do....)

You'll want to read the full article, but she leads with a sobering and unfortunately all-too-true situation assessment:

"The construction industry is the second largest sector of our economy. However, many projects are on hold or have simply been canceled because there are not enough resources to build them. America’s infrastructure is not only crumbling, it is not keeping pace with our growth and the consequences are serious.

At the current rate of training, we may be able to produce an additional 20,000 trades people by 2009. However, we are experiencing a 260,000-person shortfall each year. If America’s economic growth is to continue, we will need over 1 million more architects, engineers and trades people by 2012."

There you have it.  Read the article to get the details and learn what our options are.

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?"

The Dirty Little Secret in the Offshore Oil Patch

The poaching of personnel is becoming a significant source of aggravation, especially since oil companies have in the past been quick to downsize their geoscientific resources whenever the going gets tough.

And it's likely go get worse before it gets better.

An recent article entitled "The Trouble with People" appearing in Oil Online describes the antics that have been looked upon as a "standard practice" in the past, but which take on new significance in light of what the industry is characterizing as the ‘Great Crew Change’ the gap between the generation that is retiring and the generation that is to replace it.

Unfortunately, the Oil Industry, like many other industries have failed to attract the quantity of graduates and technically based talent that is now needed to capitalize on the growth potential that is prevalent.

In many cases there is a significant shortfall of candidates in the 15-25 year experience range which in essence can be described as a generation gap.

Many are concerned that while people are being promoted and given responsibility that is within their potential, it is being given too soon and beyond the true experience levels that would be needed in industries where there is no substitute for experience.

Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) in a recent industry report cites the popular finding that 55% of E&P (Oil Exploration And Production);staff are in the 40-50 age bracket (probably on the higher side if the truth be known) and that half the current workforce is likely to retire in the next 10 years (the exercise of early retirement/lifestyle change options may make this prediction conservative).

The BAH report indicates that barely 15% of the E&P workforce are recruits in their early 20s to mid 30s. At the same time graduate recruitment into the industry from established western universities and business schools has been in steep decline.

The issue at hand is that, lacking qualified people at all levels, a fall-off in the E&P;industry’s enviable record for research and innovation could result in an impact on the ability of the industry to respond to the country;s growing energy requirements.

Despite growing employer demand and increased overall numbers in the university population, falling enrollments for geophysics have meant courses being discontinued by universities constantly under performance and economic pressures. The number of MSc courses in geophysics has been reduced from five to one, attributable to the fall in geophysics Masters graduates wanting to embark on exploration and environmental careers.

To reverse this kind of trend presents a huge challenge. as the study points out that the root of the problem stems from what goes on in schools. Geophysics is unlikely to appear on the student’s radar at all and this is part of a more deep-seated resistance to engage in maths and physics, which are regarded as difficult subjects. The result is that geophysics has effectively been structured out of the curriculum, and MSc courses no longer offer a safety net for those students who come across geophysics at university and change direction.

Like other industries suffering with a workforce crisis, it is imperative that the industries that have been considered "unattractive" in the past, must change their image to students.  The trend of students avoiding these fields of study, because they do not have an appreciation of its potential,  at the same time industry needs an increasingly technical workforce, is a recipe for disaster.

The E&P industry is working hard to change their image, but other industries like the design and construction industries have also worked toward this end for years, and still are not close to turning around the problem.   

In my opinion, the problem needs to be addressed at a much earlier stage, educating the youth in K-12, and introducing the teaching faculty and guidance counselors to the many dimensions of the industry, such that these youth will have a re-framed view of these essential industries.

To Have A Good Workforce, You Need To Have Good Leadership Skills

You'd be surprised at how much good talent flees from bad bosses each year.  Did you ever wonder if there is a "scale" (other than gut feel) to determine just how good - or bad, a boss is? 

in order, if you are looking at retaining top talent, and seeking to retain the talent you have, in addition to running the business or department responsibly, you need to be a boss that employees are thankful for

John McKee (Founder and President of BusinessSuccessCoach.net, is the author of "Career Wisdom: 101 Proven Strategies to Ensure Workplace Success") offers this quick quiz to help you find out if your management style is helping or hurting employee perceptions:

Simply answer yes or no to each item below. (scoring provided at end)

QUESTIONS
1. All employees generally dislike work.
2. The best motivator for your team is money; it's what brings them back every day.
3. Keeping emotions out of the management process has served the operation well.
4. Your staff prefers to work as a team so that individual accountability is lessened.
5. As much as I would like to, I just don’t have the time to spend talking in-person to my subordinates.
6. I encourage feedback from a suggestion box or other anonymous method.
7. I live for the weekends (this job is a paycheck to support my "real" life).
8. I don't believe outsourcing can happen to my company.
9. Regular team meetings are not justifiable as they take too much time, which lessens productivity.
10. My current management position isn't very influential, but when I move up the ladder a bit I can make a "real" contribution to the company.

SCORE CARD:
Give yourself 1 point for every time you said "No:"

10 = Excellent!! You'll be running the show in no time!
9 = Brilliant. You obviously see your employees as an asset.
8 = Solid. You have the right attitude, and the team will see that.
7 = Well done. You know people and their needs.
6 = Good. You recognize the power of your role.
5 = Fair. May be time to rethink your management strategy.
4 = It's definitely time for an attitude adjustment.
3 = Change or die (metaphorically). Things aren't good, but it's not too late to make impactful changes.
2 = Do something significant that will be viewed in a positive light or your employees will leave.
1 = It's time to consider a new job where you do not manage people.
0 = Ever consider a job as a bounty hunter?

Why Management is Fearful of Developing their Workforce

Recently, I was reading one of the great articles published by AmCheck (the Payroll Services, HR Solutions, and Employee Benefits people), that discussed the characteristics of a successful company.

One might think workforce development is an obvious characteristic of all successful companies and their managers. 

But Lominger Limited Inc. - a leadership development think tank and consultancy - reports that managers and employees ranked "developing direct reports" dead last out of all 67 competencies in its bi-annual study of leadership skills. That's right—managers are viewed and view themselves "worst" at developing their direct reports compared to all other skills in their toolbox.

What's your fear level?  Is it paralyzing you to the point where you may become a casualty to "inaction?"

Fears and hollow excuses are usually what prevents managers from developing their people. You may not be actively developing your reports job because you fear:

• Losing power. If you develop your people, you may not be the technical expert of your area anymore. (In reality, you agreed to not be the expert any more when you took a leadership position)
               
• Losing your good people. As people develop, they may want to grow further beyond the function of your department. Be aware, however, that if you are seen as a "people hoarder," your career will be severely diminished.
               
• Being "leap-frogged." Someone you develop may eventually get a job you want. You may even have to report to one of your previous direct reports. (Let's hope you developed them well.) If you use this excuse, you're revealing a basic insecurity about your own abilities.
               
• Creating a rival. Worse than the fear of being leap-frogged may be the fear that a former direct report could become an arch rival in your organization. This excuse is another indication of personal insecurity.

Or you may not be developing other leaders because it takes time or you want to avoid the responsibility. But what else are you doing with your time that is more important? Here are six reasons why you should can the excuses and work on your workforce-development skills:

• To improve productivity and effectiveness. While developing a direct report may cause some temporary reduction in productivity, it will pay dividends in your department, team or division in the long run
               
• To maximize long-term potential. Developing direct reports improves the long-run success of your entire company.
               
• To keep your sanity. Good people developers usually go home on time. Developing your people not only improves their capacity to perform, but it improves your capacity to delegate.
               
• To attract talent. When the word gets out that you are a people developer, the up-and-comers in your company line up to work in your department, team, shop or division.
               
• To "plant" good people. When people leave your area, they know your department's function, your methods and your needs, and can help you be successful from their new position
               
• To get promoted. Being a great people developer differentiates you from the pack. People say good things about you. People realize you are a more complete leader, not the usual, one-commodity manager.

No one becomes a great people developer overnight, and there's no one right way to do it. You should cater to your strengths and to your style. Here are some general tips for improvement:

• Be the motivator, not the "mom." Convince your employees that they are responsible for their own development. Each must have a written development plan, including both short- and long-term development goals. Remind employees that capitalism is "creative destruction" and that their jobs may dissolve without notice. Corporate maternalism breeds unhealthy dependence on the company and minimizes self-reliance.
               
• Incorporate their need to have a personal development plan into your performance-management process.
               
• Recognize that development is more than going to training. While training courses are an important aspect of development, so are rotations, special tasks, complex projects, reading assignments, informal "brown-bag discussions" and even successful staff meetings.
               
• Coach with a passion. Most people can remember a coach, teacher or mentor who dared to confront behavior when it was less than optimal. People developers constructively confront-in a private and professional way-when needed       
               
• Delegate incessantly, and make assignments with development in mind.
               
• Know your people, particularly their career aspirations.               
               
• When interviewing potential hires for your department, discuss an estimated time for them to move on (assuming this fits their career aspirations), usually by the end of three years. Make moving on a goal, and promise that you will help them find their next position within the company when they have developed to your expectations and performed in their current job for a reasonable period of time.
• Creatively reward people who actively develop themselves. Money is not always the right answer. Know your people and reward them with a motivating intangible.

Lose that fear!  You will pay a dear price for not developing your available talent in the next few years.  Remember, this is one of those thinngs you pay for, whether you do it or not.

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

Not All Jobs Are Created Equal

I recently read an interesting report entitled: "Top 200: The Rise of Corporate Global Power" that illustrates some dimensions of todays workforce that you may find interesting in understanding the complex dynamics of today's global workforce.

While the sales of the Top 200 corporations are the equivalent of 27.5% of world economic activity, these firms employ only a tiny fraction of the world's workers. In 1999, they employed a combined total of 22,682,166 workers, which is 0.78% of the world's workforce.

Between 1983 and 1999, the number of people employed by Top 200  firms grew 14.4%, an increase that is dwarfed by the firms' 362.4% profit growth over this period.

Corporate analysts may see the dramatic increase in the ratio between profits and employees as a positive sign of increased efficiency. The growing gap between profits and payrolls is at least partly the result of technological changes that has allowed firms to produce more with less people. Automation is not always a negative development, especially in the case of jobs that are dangerous or otherwise undesirable.

However, another factor is the trend towards outsourcing, particularly among large industrial firms, but also increasingly evident in other skilled areas including engineering. By shifting more and more of their production to contractors, companies can distance themselves from potential charges of labor rights abuses and other illegal behavior and keep labor costs low by forcing contractors to compete for business with an ever smaller number of giant purchasers.

The giant firms also have more freedom to hire and fire contractors to meet shifting demand. U.S. corporations have been at the forefront of this trend.  Add this to domestic "at will employment" policies in many states, employees feel justifiably uneasy about their long-term stability.

Chrysler (formerly known as DaimlerChrsyler since the merger with Daimler Benz), for example, purchases almost all of its parts, from brakes to seats, from suppliers. Hewlett-Packard relies on 10 different contractors and IBM relies on 8 to make their products.

In recent years, Japanese electronics firms, including Mitsubishi, NEC, Fujitsu, and Sony, have also begun to outsource. Still, Americans may be less concerned about the growing gap between profits and employees because of the country's record low unemployment rate.

What is often ignored in the mainstream media is the fact that unemployment problems remain prevalent elsewhere in the world, including in many countries where the Top 200 firms are enjoying strong profits.

In the European Union, the 1999 unemployment rate was 10 percent, compared to 4.2 percent in the United States.  The International Labor Organization estimates that one billion people worldwide are unemployed or underemployed.

Joblessness around the world hurts the United States because it reduces the capacity of consumers in other countries to purchase U.S. products and can lead to social instability that has international ramifications.

It is also harder to draw a bead on how the top firms are structuring their workforces.  There is much information that U.S. firms are not required to reveal to the American public:

• a breakdown of their employees by country

• locations of overseas facilities or contractors

• wage rates paid at overseas facilities

• layoffs and the reasons for layoffs

A full 5 percent of the Top 200s' combined workforce is comprised of Wal-Mart employees. The discount retail giant's workforce has skyrocketed from 62,000 in 1983 to 1,140,000 in 1999, making it the largest private employer in the world.

The next largest, DaimlerChrysler, has a workforce of 466,938 (less than half the size of Wal-Mart's).  Think about how any change in these statistics affects the jobs reports that come out of Washington.

Although Wal-Mart is indeed providing many new jobs, the company is notorious for its strategy of employing armies of workers on a part-time basis to avoid paying benefits.

The firm is also adamantly anti-union. In March, Wal-Mart announced it was closing the meat department in 180 stores two weeks after the meat cutters at one Texas store voted to form a union the first successful organizing drive at an American Wal-Mart.

At a time when workers are increasingly uneasy about job stability and coming to the realization that often the fate of the American worker is not considered in corporate decisions, it has to make you wonder if it is a surprise that young workers coming into the workforce are exceedingly skeptical about a long-term commitment to any employer.

Can't we do better?

Are We Creating Hardworking Idiots?

Thanks to Adrian Savage, a writer, Englishman, and a retired business executive, in that order. He authored the following piece "Creating Hardworking Idiots"

You can read his posts most days at Slow Leadership, a popular site for everyone who 
wants to build a civilized place to work and bring back the taste, zest and satisfaction to leadership.

The German World War II general Erich von Manstein is said to have categorized his officers into four types. The first type, he said, is lazy and stupid. His advice was to leave them alone because they don’t do any harm. The second type is hard-working and clever. He said that they make great officers because they ensure everything runs smoothly. The third group is composed of hardworking idiots. Von Manstein claims that you must immediately get rid of these, as they force everyone around them to perform pointless tasks. The fourth category are officers who are lazy and clever. These, he says, should be your generals. Discovering this information set me to wondering how General von Manstein’s categories might apply to business organizations today.

Lazy and Stupid

Most organizations have some managers within them who are lazy and stupid—at least, that has been my experience. Would you agree with the general that you can leave them alone, because they do no harm? I doubt it. Most organizations claim they try to get rid of any employee who is found to be lazy, let alone stupid as well. Maybe they try, but they don’t seem to be so successful, judging by the number who are left, some even in fairly exalted positions. Maybe one reason for this is that lazy and stupid people rarely do much active harm. The harm they do is more often based on missing opportunities and stifling the creativity of those who report to them. Bad enough, but not always easy to turn into clear grounds for dismissal—especially if the person in question is protected by someone powerful. Still, my guess is that even lazy and stupid people today realize that the best route to self-preservation is at least to appear busy and active.

Hardworking and Clever

Von Manstein’s next group is made up of hardworking, clever people. Organizations mostly want as many of these as they can get, for obvious reasons. But you’ll notice that the general seems to confine them to the military equivalent of middle management: jobs that are aimed at making everything run smoothly. I suspect one reason is that such people do make excellent administrators. They can take orders from above and turn them into practical ways of achieving the desired results. Some are so useful in these roles that they are never allowed to rise higher. Others maybe want to progress, but lack something that—at least in von Manstein’s view—is essential to become a good general. That something, it seems, is laziness. He wants the choice of generals to be made from people who are clever, naturally, but also lazy. Why should that make them better top executives?

Lazy and Clever

One reason might be that laziness is the principal spur to creativity. Lazy people are always looking for easier, simpler, and less arduous ways to do things. If they are also clever, the chances are that they will find them, and make them available to everyone else. Lazy people are also natural delegators, and find it very attractive to let their subordinates get on with their work without interference from above. Lazy, but bright, generals would be likely to make sure they focused on the essentials and ignored anything that might make for unnecessary work, whether for themselves or other people. In fact, it’s hard to see why you would not want your top managers to be as lazy as they are clever. It would indeed make them great strategists and leaders of people.

Hardworking Idiots

Now to the last group: the ones von Manstein said that you should get rid of immediately.
That group is made up of people who are hardworking idiots, in his words. He says such people force those around them into pointless activities. I don’t know about you, but I suffered from several bosses I would unhesitatingly put into precisely that category. They were extremely hardworking—and demanded the same from their subordinates—but what they set others to work on (and what they spent their own time in doing) was mostly worthless. Maybe they were actually lazy and stupid people trying hard to seem busy, but too stupid to choose the right things to be busy about. It certainly felt like busyness for its own sake, and it was hateful. Or were they naturally hardworking idiots? Some probably were, but it’s my opinion that most such people are clever enough. It is the organization that makes them function like morons.

Today’s fast-paced, macho style of organizational culture creates, and then fosters, the hardworking idiot. Indeed, I think it takes a great many sound, useful, hardworking, and clever people and turns them into idiots by denying them the time or the opportunity to think or use their brains. If you don’t look busy all the time, you’re virtually asking for a pink slip, never mind what it is that you are doing—or whether it is actually of any use to the organization or its customers. It’s all so rushed and frenetic. If all that matters is “meeting the numbers” and getting things done (whatever those things are), managers will be forced into working hard at projects that they know make no sense.

The dumbing down of organizations isn’t caused by poor educational standards or faulty recruitment. It’s due mostly to the crazy pace that is set, and the obsessive focus on the most obvious, rigidly short-term objectives. The result is a sharp increase in hardworking idiots: people who are coerced into long hours and constant busyness, while being systematically forced to act like idiots by the culture around them. Don’t ask questions. Don’t cause problems by thinking, or waste time on coming up with new ideas. Don’t think about the future, or try to anticipate problems before they arise. Just keep at it, do exactly what is expected of you, and always get the most done in the least amount of time and at the lowest cost. If von Manstein is correct, the result will be that more and more employees will be used to perform essentially pointless tasks. Isn’t that exactly what we see?

I think that even a fairly cursory look around most organizations today would confirm the accuracy of this observation. Consider all the time wasted in unnecessary meetings. The obsessive emphasis on staying in touch, regardless of need. The torrents of e-mails, most of which are simply copies of documents of no direct relevance to the people to whom they are sent. The constant collecting of data for no clear reason. Management by numbers and motivation by numerically-based performance measures. Trust replaced by obsessive control and leadership by forced ranking of subordinates against vague criteria determined by committees with no idea of the specific circumstances.

You do not need ethical insight or human understanding to operate a machine, and machines are how many of today’s leaders see their organization: machines for making quick profits, not civilized communities of people working together to a common end. We can only hope some organizations at least see the error of their ways before the hardworking idiot becomes the commonest creature in the hierarchy. We are well on the way to that point, which is probably why so many people cherish dreams of getting out of the corporate rat race. It’s no fun to be forced to deny your own intelligence on a daily basis. We can still reverse the trend, but only by dropping the current out-dated dogmas, dangerous half truths, and total nonsense that disfigure management thinking. Let’s do it before it is too late.

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.