Workforce Development - A Good Investment?

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.

5 Tips to Help You Acheive Better Balance Between Your Life and Your Work

The expression "work-life balance" was first used in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life. (New Ways to Work and the Working Mother's Association in the United Kingdom.) In the United States, this phrase was first used in 1986. As the separation between work and home life have diminished, this concept has become more relevant than ever before.

Over the past twenty-five years, there has been a substantial increase in work which is felt to be due, in part, by information technology and by an intense, competitive work environment. Long-term loyalty and a “sense of corporate community” have been eroded by a performance culture that expects more and more from their employees yet offers little security in return. Many experts forecasted that technology would eliminate most household chores and provide people with much more time to enjoy leisure activities; unfortunately, many have decided to ignore this option being “egged on” by a consumerist culture and a political agenda that has “elevated the work ethic to unprecedented heights and thereby reinforced the low value and worth attached to parenting.”

In her recent book, Willing Slaves – How the Overwork Culture is Ruling our Lives”, Madeleine Bunting stated that from 1977 to 1997 Americans working full time have increased their average working hours from 43.6 hours to 47.1 hours each week. (This does not include time required to travel to and from their places of business).

A colleague, Sarada Mantrala, an HR Coordinator working for  Microsoft offers some great insights on how to establish this "balance point" in your life.  She is an active blogger and in one of her recent articles, explored work life balance and what it means to individuals. For her, work life balance means “allowing people to have a fulfilled life both in and outside of work”.

In the present era, we need to balance personal and professional live like a balance score card. When we are happy with personal life, then the output in professional life will be more. When we are happy, we work with enthusiasm.

Than working long hours may not be the main issue, and the challenge for many may lie in reducing stress and pressure at work.

So how can you better balance your work and your life? Follow these tips to help you to find a better balance.

1. Carry out a life review

Take time out to look at where you are currently.

• Do you want to carry on working the way you are?
• Do you have enough time to spend with your friends and family?
• Do you have enough time for your hobbies and leisure time?

Why don’t you keep a time diary for the week or two to check that you have the time to do everything you want to do as well as reviewing where you could better manage your time.

2. Organize your life

Spending time preparing what you want to achieve can help you to better manage your time both in your job and your life. Every minute you spend planning can save you 5-10 minutes in actually doing the task.

Set aside some time at the beginning and end of everyday to prioritise what you want to achieve and the importance of each task. Then at the end of each day, review what you have achieved (and congratulate yourself!).

If a job seems large and unmanageable, firstly determine what you actually want to achieve. Then, secondly break down the goal into smaller chunks and do small steps every day until you have achieved it.

3. Learn the art of delegation

Delegation involves you passing responsibility for completing a task or piece of work to another person. It can help them to learn how to complete a task, and enables you to spend more time on the other important parts of your work or life. You can also use delegation where another person’s skills in a particular area are better than yours.

Delegation includes training someone to do a particular job or getting buy in from a partner to do the washing up. To effectively delegate in either situation is similar.

• Decide what you want to delegate.
• Explain what you want done and the reasons that you need their help.
• Let go of the task.
• Give credit for work that has been successfully completed.

4. Review your working arrangements

The average person works 40 hours a week for around 40 years, which equates to 80,000 hours of their life.

To be truly satisfied in your job, it is important that the job is right for you, but additionally that it fits around other arrangements. Many companies offer flexible working such as part time working, job sharing, home based working or even career breaks or sabbaticals. These can help to support the other things that are important to you.

If you feel that a review of your working arrangements will help you, arrange a time to talk to your manager and review your options.

5. Look after yourself

Finally, it is easier to achieve work life balance if you are healthy and have time to relax and enjoy your life.

Develop and maintain interests that are not related to work and cultivate relationships with your family and friends. A regular exercise routine, eating healthily and sleeping well can help you to restore your energy and allow you to live a better balanced life.

When you feel stress, close your eyes and do meditation for a few minutes, which will give relaxation to mind. Spend quality time with family and go for a vacation, which will strengthen the relations. Introduce your families to your peers at work place, go for a small picnics with colleague's families and it will be a family bonding at work place..

What's your definition of work-life balance?

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?

Concrete proof that Employee Benefits are going to the dogs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Makes You Happier? The nature of the work or how much you earn?

Thanks to Adrian Savage, a writer, Englishman, and a retired business executive, in that order. He authored the following piece "The nature of the work you do may be more important to happiness than how much you earn"

What Makes You Happier?

Even if we can’t yet persuade business and politicians that their obsession with money as the sole measure of worth is self-destructive and ruinous to society at large, most people’s feelings of self-worth have rather less to do just with the size of their bank balance. Feeling uneasy or ashamed of the job you do—even if you do all you can to avoid anyone realizing this—isn’t a recipe for a happy life. You can try to ignore it, push it below the level of consciousness, or even deny it altogether, but it will still be there. The amount of personal damage it can cause is considerable.

We’re told that more and more young people are demanding better work/life balance and rejecting the overwork, narrow results orientation, and achievement obsession of previous generations. I think this is a misunderstanding.

What these younger people are demanding is more meaningful work: work that provides them a chance of real happiness, personal stimulation, and the sense that what they do matters. They aren’t rejecting good salaries, comfortable lifestyles, or future prospects. They’re rejecting what they are being expected to give up to get those in many corporations: their personal freedom, their leisure time, their relationships, their ideals, their ethical standards, their sense of what makes for a good life, and their dignity.

They are also questioning the current notion that wealth is the sole measure of value, whether of individuals or corporations.

Feeling good about what you do

What makes you feel good about what you do for a living? Is it just the size of your income?

I doubt that very much. As social animals, people are concerned with their status in the group. Money can be used as a way of enhancing this, just as animals may “prove” their status by larger antlers or bigger tusks. Yet these outward displays of dominance and success only go so far.

People also want to be liked. Being rich may make people defer to you—even suck up—in the hope of getting something out of you, but it won’t make them like you—or what you do to earn that wealth. In fact, it may well make you suspect their motives for hanging around with you at all. The stereotype of the rich person who looks for love but only finds golddiggers is a stereotype because it expresses a truth: that having money is more likely to attract the wrong kind of “friend” that the right one.

Ethics also play a part. To feel good about your job usually means knowing that, if you tell your neighbors what you do, they will value it. They will approve both the outcome of your efforts and the means used to achieve them.

But suppose that you suspect that knowing exactly what you do—and how you have to do it—might cause those same neighbors to look askance and cross the street rather then meet you? Suppose you are employed selling dubious loans to people who can’t afford them, and part of your job is to conceal the exact terms to avoid firghtening them off? You may earn good money, but can you really shut your mind to the consequences of your actions?

Career karma

Whatever we do has consequences; and what we do habitually has them over and over again. Choosing a career or a job that makes you feel uneasy about your actions is going to produce some internal consequences at least that aren’t conducive to happiness.

If your work doesn’t make you feel proud, will the money dull your feelings enough to compensate? If you’re asked to undertake actions that offend your values and ethics, will even oodles of cash quieten your conscience? And if you are brought up against the negative consequences of your emplyment—if it all comes out into the open—how will you feel? How will those you care about feel about you?

Young people have always been idealistic. It would be a sad world where this wasn’t so. They have also always been able to see where the compromises and surrenders of their elders have presented them with futures that contain, not what they want, but what their parents think they should have.

We have greater abilities than ever, through modern technology, to build the world we believe will fit with our ideals. We can use our powers for the good of the many or the profit of a few. It would be a disaster if all we do is use that same technology to build a world based on the past: a world enshrining inequalities, attitudes, and tawdry beliefs that we already know are failing to provide a happy society.

When you see some old film of what people of 40 or 50 years ago imagine today would be like, it’s so laughable as to make you wonder what they could possibly have been smoking. But is that so very different from looking forward and realizing that the world people are building today is may very well seem mean-minded, greed-obsessed, and stupid—even downright nasty—to our grandchildren?

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

read more | digg story

Want to Understand Peoples Motivations ? Then Understand their Desires !

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

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

Skilled worker shortage hurts U.S.

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

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

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

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

The Fastest Growing Top 10 Middle Class Jobs

As a person about to enter the workforce or someone who is simply trying to hang onto your job, the middle class has become a worrisome place for many. If you aren’t laid off you might soon become outdated.

If you are going to work you might as well work for the most money you can. You might not be aware of the highest paying middle class jobs and

read more | digg story

You Are Not Your Job: Part II

A good chunk of early education is really to prepare most people to just follow the rules once they enter the workforce. In many ways, the educational system is just an initiation to the workplace environment – with it's authority figures, their expectations and their reward system – and not truly about learning anything practical.

read more | digg story

Employers fail to sell work-life balance

While it seems many Canadians would prefer their kitchen table over the boardroom table any day, most don't feel their employer cares about work-life balance.  So says Holly Lake the gifted reporter who writes for Sun Media, entitled Employers fail to sell work-life balance.

A study published yesterday by Desjardins Financial Security found that while 25 per cent of Canadians are assured their organization "walks the talk" around work-life balance, only 29 per cent feel their employer truly cares about them having it in their lives.

Released in advance of the Canadian Mental Health Association's National Mental Health Week (May 7-13), the survey found while many companies are implementing programs to promote balance, 65 per cent of Canadians feel the values in their workplace and personal values are not in tune.

When asked what they valued, 54 per cent of respondents listed family first. Work topped the list for only 10 per cent.

In a release, Toronto psychiatrist Dr. Irvin Wolkoff called the gap in values a "warning sign" to employers.

"If employees do not feel that they can balance their work and their personal priorities such as their families, not only are we going to see the number of Canadians struggling with mental health issues increase, but we are also going to face an employee base who are resentful, disengaged and stressed," he said.

Glenn Thompson, chief executive officer of the Canadian Mental Health Association said often both partners in a family are working, raising kids and trying to care for an elderly loved one.

Combined with job stress, it can lead to depression, burnout and anxiety disorders.

With the war for talent escalating, employers can't afford to ignore employees' needs, said Alain Thauvette, Desjardins' senior vice-principal of group and business insurance.

Help on Best Jobs for Parents Returning to the Workforce

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

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

Managers Don't Grow on Trees

An article by the same title recently appeared in Management-Issues, and discussed an insightful paper by Erika Andersen entitled Growing Great New Managers.  Andersen paints a picture that is unfortunately too representative of how managers get "developed" into their roles.

The article provides a metaphor:  Imagine, for a moment, that you've been put on an island and handed a sack of rice, some vegetable plants, and a chicken. "Good luck," says the person who brought you there. "You'll be responsible for growing your own food now; I know you've never done that before, but I have every faith in your ability." Then he gets in the boat and leaves, merrily waving goodbye.

If you're in management, does this sound familiar?  Check out the article and related material.  It's an excellent piece on what's messed up and right about management development today. 

7 Hour Rule of Project Management for Work Life Balance

How many productive hours do you expect your people to work in a day? Rather, how many required hours do the person has to work? This depends on the labor law of the country but for my insight I will use the standard 8 hours we have from where I come from.

read more | digg story

8 Work Perks You Wish You Had...

At a few companies on the leading edge, you can arrange extra time off, set your own hours or even get a cheaper mortgage. Plus, see what the majority of us can expect.

read more | digg story

Companies Unprepared for CFO Exodus

The high turnover rate for chief financial officers isn’t likely to change anytime soon, and based on a recent survey of CFOs by audit firm Grant Thornton, few companies have plans to deal with it.

The national survey of 134 CFOs and senior finance executives found that nearly one-third of the respondents planned on retiring or leaving their companies in the next three years. Somewhat alarming to Grant Thornton CEO Edward Nusbaum was the fact that three-quarters of the executives surveyed said their companies did not have established succession plans for the key post.

“No one wins if you’re caught off guard by the departure of your CFO,” Nusbaum said in an e-mail. “Companies will want to bring renewed focus to the pivotal role of CFO, and if they don’t have a succession plan, begin to put one in place.”

The survey included several interesting findings on career and compensation questions:

• Fifty-six percent of respondents eventually want to be CEO of a company, but not necessarily their own.
• Nearly 60 percent felt their CEOs were appropriately paid, with only a slightly higher percentage thinking he or she was overpaid rather than underpaid.
• Sixty-two of the 134 respondents felt that the gap between their compensation and that of their CEOs was too large, suggesting that many believed they were being underpaid based on their answers to the previous question. Another 62 felt the pay difference with their CEOs was “about right,” and just five executives felt the gap between their pay and that of their CEOs was too small.

 

When the perks look too good to be true - Look deeper

If you are wondering about whether those "out of this world" perks that appear in new stories are real, you'll enjoy reading Perk Place: The Benefits Offered by Google and Others May Be Grand, but They're All Business

Published by Knowledge@Wharton it will give you insight into the "business side" and payback rationale, as well as some insightful perspectives on what workers can expect, as well as what they can expect to give up.

Pay and Promotion not key motivators anymore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New workforce blog - Convergence

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

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

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

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

Check it out and let me know what YOU think

Calling All Job Haters - You are not alone !

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

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

Check out the article and the references cited.

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

Time of your life: Finding better balance

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

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

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

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