Joyce Gioia-Herman - Future Workforce Trends

Herman Trend Alert: Over a Million Job Postings

While job postings between January 2008 and January 2009 have declined in all industries, there are still almost 1.88 million jobs that require skilled workers. According to a release by Indeed.com last week, the industries that experienced the least contraction were Education and Healthcare. Job postings in these industries declined by nine and eight percent respectively.

Indeed.com is one of the aggregators of job postings from job sites, newspapers, associations, and company career pages. The company releases Industry Trends to help job seekers and employers navigate the job market.

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Herman Trend Alert: Consumer-Driven to Save Money

"change:healthcare" is a leading edge informatics company created to help individuals and employers save money on healthcare expenses. If you knew you could get the same procedure or service for hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars less than what your physician or hospital charges, you could certainly make a more informed decision about where you chose to go. That's just what change:healthcare (www.changehealthcare.com ) offers---the opportunity to see what other providers are charging for the same product or service. Their enormous database contains cost data on literally thousands of providers and drugstores.

Over the last five years, employee healthcare costs have risen by 40 percent, while employers' costs have increased by 29 percent. During the same period, over six million employees have migrated (mostly by necessity) to consumer-driven health plans. We forecasted this shift some years ago. (To see the full study, visit http://www.towersperrin.com/tp/showdctmdoc.jsp?country=usa&url=Master_Brand_2/USA/News/Spotlights/2009/Jan/2009_01_15_spotlight_2009_HCCS.htm )

No one would disagree that for many, the costs are simply unbearable. They respond by either not going to the doctor, taking the medication, or having the procedure. "Most people don't apply the normal rules of consumerism to healthcare," said Robert Hendrick, cofounder and Chief Operating Officer of change:healthcare. “They do not think of medical care as a commodity.”

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Sharing the Pride through Technology

Large multinational companies often use Internet technology to connect their far-flung employees for meetings and announcements. However, the cost and availability of that technology was never within the reach of local or regional organizations---until now.

Last week, in Springfield, Illinois, Joyce Gioia, CEO of Employer of Choice, Inc. gave the Employer of Choice® designation* to the entire Memorial Health System. Joyce was located with their CEO at the main hospital, Memorial Medical Center. However the event was webcast to two of their other locations, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital and Taylorville Memorial Hospital with live video feeds back to the headquarters' presentation.

Thus everybody could watch as the key players (not executives), representing various subsets of their 5400 employee population were given Employer of Choice® pins in recognition of their outstanding service. Rarely had Joyce seen an organization that so understood that credit for the designation belonged to the employees---not the executives. Using web technology especially supported that feeling of inclusion and pride. In all, 12 employees, representing the entire staff, received Employer of Choice® pins from Joyce on the Memorial executive onsite. And everyone in attendance (at any site) witnessed all the pinning, either in-person or virtually.

For the previous two years, Joyce had gone to Springfield to deliver the award to their physicians' group. In fact, in 2007, she had visited ten of their eleven locations, so that everyone would feel included. And of course, the health system wisely purchased trophies for each location to reinforce the recognition.

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Herman Trend Alert: Veteran Unemployment

According to the United States' Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) the unemployment rate among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan is an outrageous 11.2 percent. During the same period, the jobless rate for non-veterans of the same age group was 8.8 percent.

In all fairness, we must add that there is a margin of error for the veteran demographic that could put these veterans on par with the non-veterans. However, we believe there may be something else going on here.

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New Rules for Engagement

A brand new study just released last week from the MetLife Mature Market Institute details the most important factors for engaging different segments of the workforce. Titled "Engaging the 21st Century Multi-Generational Workforce", the study indicates that employers can maximize the strength of their workforces and optimize worker productivity by using best practices, geared to the various generations. Identifying the values of the groups, the report reflects the "hot buttons" that are most effective in producing the desired motivation.

Conducted in partnership with Boston College's Sloan Center on Aging & Work, the study explores the drivers of engagement for employees of different ages, including demographic characteristics, factors related to the job, and work-team factors. The Institute defines "engagement" as "a positive, enthusiastic, and affective connection with work that motivates an employee to invest in getting the job done, not just 'well' but 'with excellence'".

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Herman Trend Alert: Agri-tourism on the Rise

Prompted by the lack of money to spend on vacations, people around the world will turn to agri-entertainment and -tourism—new, highly consumer-focused types of agriculture. These areas may offer additional options for diversification and add stability to farm incomes. To attract these tourists, farmers have invented a wide variety of "entertainment farming" options.

Many of us who live in the United States visited Amish farms as children. These working farms featured animals that those of us who lived in cities had never seen in person. Other types of working farms open to the public include those displaying historical re-creations, crop art (including mazes), pick-your-own (u-pick), and herb farms.

One unique installation is the "little village" in Stanhope, Iowa. Run by the Carlsons, the tiny community includes a school, general store, church, livery stable, and blacksmith shop. All of the buildings are constructed one-half to two-third scale.

Darren Schmall, a California farmer, originated the concept of the "Pizza Farm". A subset of crop art, one field is devoted to a circular arrangement of crops and animals that all represent ingredients. The circle features pie-shaped wedges of pepper plants, wheat, and tomatoes. Other sections house hogs and cattle (representing sausage and cheese). Reportedly, this kind of agri-entertainment is the one of the fastest-growing types of crop art.

For example, a Viking farm and archeological theme park in Lerje, Denmark draws locals and tourists who spend as much as a week living on site to take part in the activities.

Some farms have additional forms of entertainment onsite, including wagon- or hay-rides, horseback riding, vineyard tours, wildlife watching, skeet shooting, and even the opportunity to personally participate in farm activities.

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"Crowdcruiting"---Doing More with Less

With reduced recruiting staff and diminished finances, companies will need to be as efficient as possible. One of the gurus of recruiting, Peter Weddle has coined the term "Crowdcruiting", which suggests drawing on under-utilized employer resources as an alternative to burning out current recruiting staffs. These tactics include asking the employees to help with recruiting and tapping into the candidate management system or the file for individuals with qualified resumes.

These ideas would seem to be nothing new, but Weddle intelligently takes the concepts a few steps farther. Although hiring managers consistently rate new hires generated from employee referral programs as "the best", most organizations do not optimize these programs.

Weddle further suggests organizing employees into referral channels and assigning an internal champion to support participation within each channel. This tactic engages each occupational or divisional group with a sense of ownership in the recruiting process and a stake in their future team members.

Second, specifically target the talent you want. Request that employees think beyond their family and friends and identify the best talent their field. Third, create an area on your intranet to post the names of these individuals, "solicit input on their capabilities and personality from other employees, and identify potential contacts with them".

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Herman Trend Alert: Telecommuting to a Better Bottom Line

Telecommuting is a logical, stress-reducing, productivity gaining alternative to burning fossil fuels to travel to a congregate workspace.

Now the international technology giant Cisco Systems has just released a study of its own organization demonstrating these benefits and more. Using telecommuting, Cisco estimates annual savings of USD $277 Million. In its in-depth "Teleworker Survey" of almost 2,000 company employees, the company evaluated the social, economic, and environmental impacts associated with telecommuting.

The study found that telecommuting significantly increased employee productivity, work-life flexibility, and job satisfaction. In addition, the report cited that "a majority of respondents experienced a significant increase in work-life flexibility, productivity, and overall satisfaction as a result of their ability to work remotely".

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Herman Trend Alert: Small Businesses Will Likely Lead the Recovery

Previous Herman Trend Alerts have stated that most job creation occurred in small- and medium-size businesses. While we have witnessed recent widespread job losses, historically small business' net job creation will make it a key player in our economic recovery. Not surprisingly, many people who have not been able to find employment have chosen to go into business for themselves.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nonfarm, private sector employment peaked at 115.8 million in December 2007 then fell to 109.5 million by May 2009. At this time, job losses from mass layoffs added up to 3.6 million, up 66 percent over the preceding 18 months. The loss of over 6 million net jobs is a huge problem for the US. This jobs decline is just in the US, in December alone, Brasil lost 654,000 jobs. In fact a single day in January, almost 80,000 jobs were lost or put under threat in the United Kingdom, Europe, and US.

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Highest Paid Jobs for Fresh Grads

College students: Want the highest starting salary in this economy? Study engineering. According to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), engineers earn the best starting salaries. NACE’s Summer 2009 Salary Survey shows that four of the five highest starting salaries went to occupations involving engineering.

The Law of Supply and Demand is alive and well in the global labor market. In our audiences around the world the oil and gas producers complain that petroleum engineers are in high demand, often being poached for salaries up to seven times what they are earning in their home countries. Marilyn Mackes NACE executive director confirms, "Even in a tight job market, there are simply more opportunities requiring an engineering degree than graduates available to fill those positions. That drives salaries up."

In fact, as reported in the Digest of Education Statistics 2008 from the National Center for Education Statistics, out of the more than 1,524,000 bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2007 (the latest data available), just 450 were in petroleum engineering and only 4,492 were in chemical engineering.

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The Approaching Senior Surge

In our book "Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People", we talked about the senior boom that would drive the economy. Beginning in 2012, the Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964), 76.4 million strong, are approaching their 65th birthdays. As their saving-minded parents, pass away, they will inherit billions of dollars.

In fact, according to a report from the McKinsey Global Institute, maturing Boomers will be the most affluent demographic segment in recorded history. McKinsey believes their money will represent 40 percent of all of the transactions in the United States in the next decade. Imagine the political clout they will have!

At this point in time with our contracted economy, Baby Boomers are spending less and saving more. When the recovery gets here and their investment portfolios return to reasonable levels, we will see a significant release of these funds. Some marketers are forecasting significant shortages of computers and automobiles, due to reductions in capacity.

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Prestigious Occupations and the Future

Recent research from Harris Interactive highlights those occupations most and least-respected in our society. For the second year in a row, the most prestigious occupation among those over 1000 adults surveyed was "Firefighter". An astounding 62 percent of respondents attributed "very great prestige" to people in this occupation, up five points from its score last year. Second, third, and fourth with 57, 56, and 54 percent were "Scientist", "Doctor", and "Nurse", respectively. Rounding out the top six most prestigious occupations were "Teacher" and "Military Officer" that both scored 51 percent.

On the other end of the spectrum were "Real estate agent/broker" at five percent, "Accountant" at eleven percent, "Stock Broker" at 13 percent and "Actor" at 15percent. The later was a surprise, given the worship that we see of celebrities and their adoration by the media and fans. Between 65 and 80 percent of adults said that that these occupations have "hardly any" or only "some" prestige.

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Unprecedented Churning is Coming

Now in its fifth year, the 2009 Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report reveals some fascinating insights into what is going on in the hearts and minds of today's employees. A collaboration of the international staffing firm Robert Half, Inc. and a global provider of human capital solutions, Career Builder, this year's report provides an overview of the current hiring environment and a preview of the post-recession job market.

A full 47 percent of managers surveyed cited "a shortage of qualified applicants" as their top hiring challenge*. Hiring managers said their time-to-fill a vacancy was an average 4.5 to 14.4 weeks. They also reported that 44 percent of the resumes received are "not qualified". The characteristics most valued by these hiring managers were "multitasking", "initiative", and "creative problem solving". Forty percent also reported that when the economy improves, they expect to use money as their primary method for retaining top performers.

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Herman Trend Alert: Differences in Work Attitudes — What They Really Mean

The findings of a recently released large-scale study of workplace and development attitudes reveals that contrary to what many believe, minority employees are just as engaged (or disengaged) at work as their white colleagues. Specialist in attitude research, Sirota Survey Intelligence reviewed over 800,000 employee responses in 40 companies over the last five years.

Specifically, white employees in management were 80 percent "favorable on [employee] engagement", while minorities were at 81 percent. Non-management workers had similar results with whites scoring 76 percent "favorable on engagement" and minorities scoring at 79 percent. Bottom line, minorities were actually slightly more engaged than whites.

However, at the same time, African-Americans perceived less fairness in their workplace and development opportunities than all other ethnic groups surveyed. Among management employees, African-Americans polled at 61percent "favorable on fairness" versus whites at 75 percent, Hispanics at 74 percent, and Asians at 68 percent.

Not surprisingly, among non-management employees African-Americans polled even lower. African-Americans were only 59 percent "favorable on fairness" versus whites at 66percent, Hispanics at 67percent, and Asians at 64 percent.

Again, regarding "development opportunities", among managers, African-Americans perceived the least, although they recognized the same "advancement opportunities". On development opportunities, the discrepancy between African-Americans and other groups was five to six points, while on "advancement opportunities", all of the groups were almost at the same level of favorability.

Other highlights include the fact that Hispanic employees (both management and non-management at 83 and 89 percent respectively) were the most engaged group, while non-management Hispanic employees are also most favorable regarding their advancement opportunity. "This is great news for Corporate America as Hispanics represent the fastest growing minority at work," said Douglas Klein, President of Sirota. It is important to include Hispanics in training opportunities. Otherwise, "the pride and optimism felt today could wane", continued Klein.

So what do these findings mean for employers in the future? These data reflect that African-Americans and other minorities perceive a lack of fairness in their workplace. As more minorities rise into positions of power, we expect that the fairness numbers will level out or perhaps even tip in the opposite direction. People want to do business with and promote others who are like themselves.

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WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED WITH THE EMPLOYER OF CHOICE® AWARD?

Our effective, onsite seminars, workshops, and consulting can help you get there. We offer 1-, 2-, 3-hour, and full-day programs to help you communicate what it takes to become an Employer of Choice® and inspire your folks to get it done. In the future, being an Employer of Choice® will not be optional. Call Carol at 336-210-3547 to arrange a no-obligation conference call. Now announcing an opportunity in Africa (Ghana). Email joyce@EmployerOfChoice.com for more information.

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YOUR EMPLOYEES NEED THEIR LEADERS MORE THAN EVER

Help your leaders to excel. Thousands of leaders have used our weekly Lessons in Leadership to help their supervisors and managers remember how to hold onto top talent. The 52-week subscription is only $47, a bargain when you think about the savings to your organization in reduced turnover. Quantity discounts available by emailing joyce@hermangroup.com. Order today at www.hermangroup.com/store/subscription_all.html#3

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WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S COMING?

Joyce Gioia (joy-yah) is an inspirational futurist who freely shares her knowledge and expertise about talent engagement and retention with business executives around the globe. Her understandings and insights will inform and fascinate you. For more information, visit the web site at http://www.hermangroup.com/joyce.html for more information on Joyce's topics or email Joyce@hermangroup.com

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce Gioia-Herman

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2010 Workforce/Workplace Forecast

Each year at this time, The Herman Group issues its annual forecast. Once more, this year, we offer you our full forecast (longer than our usual alert) for the coming year:

1. Cutbacks and Re-Engineering will continue into 2010

Expect ongoing reductions in force as some employers continue to optimize their workforces and eliminate "redundancy". We caution these employers to be very careful, because we know that 54 percent of today's employees are ready to jump, as soon as the economy improves. They are currently "Corporate Cocooning".

2. Shortages of Certain Skill Sets will become More Acute

As the economy begins to recover, certain skill sets will be more critical and difficult to find. These high-demand workers will be more demanding about their work schedules, environment, etc. The wisest employers will embrace not only flex-time, but flex-place as well.

3. Employers will embrace Innovative Ideas to Reward their Valued Workers

This innovation will include non-financial ways and even non-reward (recognition only) ways to add value for their top talent; these innovative ideas will come from the employees themselves. Employers that do not mine the collective intelligence of their workers will find themselves unable to optimize profits.

4. Fear and Apprehension continue to reduce Productivity

A significant percentage of employees continue to worry about the future. These negative feelings will persist, unless addressed. Transparency, besides being one of those elements employees seek, will be imperative.

5. More Employers will invest in a Variety of Healthcare Cost-Cutting Strategies

Besides wellness programs to address expensive unproductive behaviors (like smoking and over-eating), more large employers will embrace ideas like onsite clinics and health coaches. For some candidates, the cost of not complying with the prospective companies' wellness programs will change their employee value propositions so drastically that they will choose to work elsewhere.

6. Focus on Engagement will replace the Focus on Retention

Recognizing that with engagement comes not only retention, but greater productivity and profitability, too, employers will change their focus. We will see Directors of Retention morph into Directors of Employee Engagement. The next step (coming much later than 2010) will be to recognize the importance of the total "Internal and External Customer Experience".

7. Increasing Attention to Succession Planning

Around the globe, we see an increasing attention to succession planning and management. However, the issue of succession preparation continues to take a backseat to succession planning. This big mistake will begin to be felt in 2010, when Baby Boomer retirements combine with the lack of trained people becomes a critical problem. Succession management continues to be critical to long-term success.

8. Employers that did not build Bench Strength will pay More to hire Experience

Organizations that did not take the opportunity presented by this business slowdown to send their people for more training, will have to pay more to hire trained, experienced people.

9. Some Employers will eliminate Reward Programs

Misunderstanding Dan Pink's new book, "Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us", some employers will abolish their reward programs altogether. This ill-advised shift will cause significant, negative, unintended consequences.

10. Burned out Employees will begin Leaving Employers

Over 80 percent of today's employees feel overworked and under-appreciated. Too many organizations have survived and maintained some level of profitability by over-loading their long-term employees. Once we begin to see positive job growth in the second half of 2010, some employees will feel confident enough to leave their companies.

11. Employers will accommodate Older Workers like Never Before

The exodus of their long-term employees will challenge some employers to get the work done, without resorting to hiring expensive contract help or paying high fees to recruiters. Enlightened employers will mine the rolls of their retired workers and hire them back on a part-time, temporary, or seasonal basis. These seasoned professionals will be welcomed back, in spite of the fact that they will dictate their own terms.

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LOOKING FOR A DYNAMIC KEYNOTE SPEAKER TO INSPIRE YOUR PEOPLE?

Joyce Gioia (joy-yah) is an inspirational futurist who freely shares her knowledge and expertise about talent engagement and retention with business executives around the globe. Her understandings and insights will inform and fascinate you. For more information, call Carol at 336-210-3547 or visit the web site at http://www.hermangroup.com/joyce.html for more information on Joyce's topics.

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HELP YOUR LEADERS TO EXCEL

Use our weekly Lessons in Leadership to help your leaders at all levels. Your supervisors and managers are your front line in the War for Talent. These valuable weekly reminders have received rave reviews. The annual subscription is only $47, a bargain when you think about the savings to the organization in reduced turnover. Order at http://www.hermangroup.com/store/subscription_all.html#3 . Quantity discounts available by calling Joyce at 336.210-3547.

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GOOD SELECTION = BETTER RETENTION

If you are not using pre-employment assessments, you are flying without radar---not very smart in today's highly competitive environment. Let us help you better understand your candidates and your employees. In less than 30 minutes, you will know if they can do the job (abilities); their work behaviors, even their personality and attitudes (like integrity & ethics), and those can't be trained. It's very cost effective, too! For more information, contact Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail assessments@hermangroup.com. Validated for many countries and cultures. We offer in-depth help with job descriptions, too! http://www.hermangroup.com/assessments.html