Joyce Gioia-Herman - Future Workforce Trends

The Near-term Future of Global Travel

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:00:00 -0600

Tour and theme park operators, hoteliers, airlines, and other groups will soon be offering more tours and other services in (Brazilian) Portuguese, Russian, and Chinese to encourage more visitors from Brazil, Russia, India, and China (the BRIC countries) to visit their destinations.

Last week, Global Advertising Strategies (GAS), an international marketing and advertising agency, released an extensive study. Exploring the consumer preferences of over 500 million travelers by polling over 15,000 people, the study revealed many travel details including their preferred airlines, top United States' destinations of interest, as well as the average budget per traveler.

GAS focused on non-traditional routes and destinations. Cities like New York and Los Angeles have been actively marketing to BRIC travelers through in-language materials, international travel expos, and partnerships with the airline industry for years. Unaware of the interest from this emerging travel audience, other destinations have not proactively marketed to these foreign segments. The study's findings reiterate the necessity of reaching out to this "new" travel audience and capitalizing on their growing interest in the US. The leading airlines already have direct routes between Moscow, Shanghai, and Sao Paulo.

Over 66 percent of the Chinese travelers surveyed noted a lack of in-language information for destinations outside of New York and Los Angeles. The US destinations of interest that scored highest included Las Vegas, Washington, DC, and New Orleans. Vast majority of travelers from China expressed a desire to explore the United States, outside of the traditional New York - Los Angeles - San Francisco offerings. Unfortunately, they did not have enough knowledge to finalize such an itinerary. Also of particular interest was the desire of over 40 percent of Russian travelers who want to visit Houston's NASA Kennedy Space Center---if they can count on in-language materials.

With huge emerging middle classes in these particular countries, the potential and buying power of these BRIC consumers is incontrovertible. Convention and Visitors' Bureaus throughout the US will lead the charge by helping their members offer these in-language services. By inference, we will see more US students studying Portuguese, Russian, and Chinese to accommodate this growing need.

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ARE YOU READY FOR THE RECOVERY?

Most employers are unprepared. The recovery next year will bring a new set of challenges for employers that have been in prolonged contracted mode. They will need more skilled workers or will need now to begin to upskill their current staffs. But organizations can not engage in Strategic Workforce Planning, when they don't know how. That's where The Herman Group can help. We can help you with your "People Review"----large or small---so that you will know who you will need and when you will need them. . . and we can also guide you to the best sources for the people you will need. For more information, call Joyce at 336.210.3548 or email joyce@hermangroup.com

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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

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IS YOUR EMPLOYER AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE®?

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 info@EmployerOfChoice.com for more information.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

HIV Breakthrough May End Most AIDS Infections

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:00:00 -0600

According to the National Institutes of Health, scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have found two antibodies that can stop more than 90 percent of the known strains that cause the AIDS virus. (Antibodies are proteins produced by white blood cells to fight bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances in an organism.)

There are two aspects of this breakthrough that are exciting advances. First, the discovery of these "exceptionally broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV" and second, finding the structural analysis that explains how they work. These landmark discoveries will accelerate NIAID's efforts to develop a preventive for HIV. The final stage of the HIV infection is AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. These recently discovered naturally occurring antibodies, called VRC01 and VRC02, neutralize more HIV strains than any other known antibodies.

Though we have had antiviral medications for a while, we have never before had an understanding of the role these particular proteins play.

Scientists, including those from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston; Columbia University, New York; Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston; Rockefeller University, New York; and University of Washington, Seattle, all participated in this research study. Recently, the online edition of the research journal "Science" published details of the study.

Over the years several pharmaceutical companies, notably Merck & Co., Sanofi-Aventis, and GlaxoSmithKline PLC, have all tried to develop HIV-vaccines. To date, no vaccine has reached the commercialization stage. Typically, a variety of anti-viral medications are used to treat HIV.

This breakthrough in finding these powerful proteins that defeat the AIDS virus is just the beginning. As insights build on our growing bodies of knowledge about these diseases, we expect medical breakthroughs to increase exponentially. These discoveries are the next steps toward cures for more viruses and cancers. Big Pharma is poised to step in and then manufacture these resulting products.
As more studies expose the causes of disease, we will increasingly find links to previously undetected poisons in our environment---our air, our soil, and our water. Humanity will be forced to focus on clean-up. . . as a matter of survival.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Postpone School Start Time to Support Adolescent Learning

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:00:00 -0600

In his landmark book, "The Seven Secrets of Learning Revealed", our late THG Consulting Partners colleague, Laurence Martel, details adolescents' optimum times for learning.

Reinforcing Martel's work, a pilot study, conducted in a small private high school (St. George's School) by Hasbro Children's Hospital located in Providence, Rhode Island, confirms a brief delay in school start time of only 30 minutes was associated with significant improvements in adolescent alertness, mood, and health. These findings were published in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

Inadequate nightly sleep in adolescents, defined as fewer than nine hours, is a known problem and a major public health concern. For years, pediatric sleep experts have encouraged delayed school start times to address this concern. In fact, the start time in this study was delayed only from 8am to 8:30am.

Due to a shift in circadian rhythms, biological changes in adolescents can cause a "phase delay"---later sleep onset and wake times. Despite the shift in their wake/sleep times, the optimal sleep amount for adolescents is nine to 9-¼ hours per night. On a practical level, this sleep pattern means that the average adolescent rarely falls asleep before 11pm, so the ideal wake time is around 8am. Not surprising, many studies have documented that the average adolescent is "chronically sleep-deprived and pathologically sleepy".

The consequences of sleep deprivation are far-reaching: impairments in mood, attention and memory, behavior control and quality of life; lower academic performance and a decreased motivation to learn; and health-related effects including increased risk of weight-gain, lack of exercise and use of stimulants.

Overall the percent of students sleeping fewer than seven hours, after the change in school start time, decreased by 80 percent. Plus, there was a significant average increase in sleep duration of 45 minutes on school nights. across all grades (nine to 12).

We have only begun to scratch the surface in discovering how to support learning among people of all ages. Certainly, we may expect these insights about sleep and start times to result in more student-centric schools similar to many of the changes made at High Point University.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Where the Jobs Are and Will Be, Part 2

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:00:00 -0600

Last week, in Part 1 we discussed new jobs in Health Information Technology, Geriatric Healthcare, Health Law, and Data Mining and Occupational Health and Safety. This week we explore other fast-growing industries an occupations.

Embedded engineers will bridge the gap between software and hardware design and work specifically on microchip processors. Most companies will hire candidates with a bachelor's degree and experience with computer systems and train them. Common majors preparing students for these jobs are computer science, software engineering, control systems, and other technical disciplines.

As the worldwide Web expands, people will be needed to write the features providing the content. To write for the Web and stay relevant and employable, candidates should also have a general understanding of HTML, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and social media. The mobile Web is also growing rapidly. To meet its huge demand for content design and development for mobile platforms, Web providers are hiring graphic designers, videographers, casual game/application developers, and software engineers.

There are now more than 350 million Spanish speakers worldwide, including 31 million here in the US, where Hispanics are now the largest minority group. To accommodate these populations, we will need Spanish-English language translators and interpreters.

In numerous other Herman Trend Alerts, we have discussed the growing need for employees who can support sustainable business practices. Every job in every sector will be affected, as employers look for ways to be more environmentally responsible and save money at the same time. Moreover, we will need accountants to help businesses measure the financial impact of environmental problems and their solutions. In the sustainable energy and automotive industries, the need for "green engineers" will also increase.

As the adult education market continues to expand, colleges, universities, and technical schools will need to hire college professors and instructors for these adult learners. Schools will hire secondary school teachers to accommodate the adults going back to school for their high school diplomas.

College graduates who have studied Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) will find waiting teaching positions in Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America as well as intensive teaching programs in the US. The requirement: Teaching English as a Foreign Language or TESL certification.

With the oil spill generating growing concerns about marine biodiversity and conservation, marine toxicologists*, conservation scientists, marine ecologists, fisheries scientists, and policy makers for the oceans will be hired in record numbers. Graduates with varying degrees should watch this industry, particularly if they have interest in environmental science or public policy issues.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

*Toxicologists study harmful substances in natural systems and their effects on the biosphere.

Herman Trend Alert: Where the Jobs Are/Will Be, Part 1

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:25:00 -0600

A couple of weeks ago, we examined the "Mixed Outlook for College Grads" and saw that the STEM*-degreed graduates were more likely to find employment and be paid more than other grads.http://www.hermangroup.com/alert/archive_6-16-2010.html In a related exploration, we offer you insights on the expected growth of occupations and industries, based on data from the United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics and other reliable sources. Not surprisingly, the job growth in technical fields will exceed the increases in the non-technical.

The combination of aging Baby Boomers, the shift to digital medical records, and the sequencing of the human genome will result in the strongest growth being in the field of Health Information Technology. By the year 2018, jobs in this field will grow by 20 percent, or 35,100 new positions. According to a report from the University of California (UC) San Diego, this growth will fuel the demand for engineers, analysts, consultants, and support specialists. With the exponential increase in cancer therapies, we see an increase in the areas of clinical trials design and management for oncology.

And speaking of healthcare and Boomers, with 34 million people over the age of 65, and that number set to double by 2050, the Geriatric Healthcare industry will provide a variety of new positions. We will need people to attend to seniors, manage facilities, and develop healthcare plans for them. We also see growth in the area of personal trainers specializing in working with seniors.

An enlarged healthcare system will need more professionals trained in Health Law. Peripheral careers in the field span a wide range, including healthcare administration, program and policy development, public health, and the pharmaceutical industry.

According to a study out of UC Berkeley, the amount of data in the world doubles every three years. Career prospects in mining those data include jobs in advertising technology, fraud detection, risk management, and law enforcement.

With the increase in legislation to protect workers we will need substantially more occupational health and safety specialists who will analyze work environments to prevent injury, particularly in industries involving chemical, physical, or biological agents.

Check us out next week for Part 2 of Where the Jobs Are (And Will Be)

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

* STEM: Science Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Economic Recovery Promotes Jumping Ship

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:00:00 -0600

There is an attitudinal shift happening in today's labor marketplace, and it is not good news for employers. As we have said in previous Herman Trend Alerts, increases in consumer confidence result in churning in the labor marketplace. More people are able to find jobs; others feel confident enough to quit them without firm offers. They are seeing more hiring and a strengthening economy.

It is interesting to note that in the United States more people quit their jobs in the last three months than those who lost their jobs. After 15 straight months of time in which layoffs exceeded voluntary departures, it appears that the job market is finally shifting. My guess is that the same phenomenon is being seen in some other countries, notably Brazil, India, Malaysia, and Singapore, whose economies are well into recovery already.

In September 2009, the number of people in the US who voluntarily left their employers fell by 40 percent to 1.72 million, the lowest level since the government began tracking the data in the year 2000. That figure was down from nearly 2.9 million in December 2007, when The Great Recession began.

In a related development, one-quarter of our business community's most promising employees are increasingly disengaged and many are actively seeking new employment opportunities. A recent study on employee engagement, conducted by the Corporate Executive Board's Corporate Leadership Council (CLC), found that 25 percent of the "employer-identified, high-potential employees" plan to leave their current companies within the next year. Compare that figure to the one from 2006 and we have seen an increase of 250 percent.

Moreover, 21 percent of today's employees identified themselves as "highly disengaged". This group has increased nearly 300 percent since 2007. Based on its findings, CLC believes that businesses must place greater emphasis and urgency around leadership succession planning to ensure future success and preserve the bottom line.

As in 2002 to 2003 in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, workers are corporate cocooning. The pressure to increase productivity, while reducing staff, has left today's workers feeling overworked, under-appreciated, and burned-out. Once more people feel confident that they will be able to find other jobs, we will see unprecedented churning in the labor marketplace.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Mixed Outlook for College Grads

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:00:00 -0600

While for some of the 2.2 million college-age graduates in the class of 2010, it's a terrible time to be looking for a job, others have companies chasing them. The Great Recession has forced many grads to be "boomerang kids", until they can find a job. Often when they do find jobs, they are low-paying, part-time positions outside their fields of study.

Though recent college grads are not ideal job candidates, those with certain specialized degrees are in high demand in some cities, notably Cincinnati, and they’re commanding surprisingly high starting salaries. With the 10.2 percent unemployment in that Metro Area and the thousands of out-of-work professionals looking for jobs, it is curious.

A recent survey of the 1,400 member companies in the Employers Resource Association (ERA), a Cincinnati-based HR services and consulting consortium revealed some fascinating statistics about average starting salaries for recent college graduates.

As usual, engineering and technical students will earn the most. Of the top ten best-paying fields for students with bachelor's degrees, eight were in engineering and the sciences, with starting salaries ranging from $48,000 to $54,333. Many of these engineering and science jobs are highly skilled positions requiring training. Employers are willing to pay for graduates' specialized knowledge.

The bachelor-degreed graduates commanding the highest starting salaries in Greater Cincinnati are chemical engineering ($54,333), public relations ($54,000), software engineering ($53,964), electrical engineering ($51,266), and construction science ($51,000). Reinforcing these results was a recent report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers in which eight of the ten top-paying majors are in engineering.

By contrast, the graduates commanding the lowest starting salaries are criminal justice and corrections ($26,000), liberal arts and sciences ($29,970), English ($30,470), psychology ($33,500) and communications ($36,079).

Also recently, Yahoo.com released its list of the most desirable degrees:

• Healthcare (Nursing, Pharmacy, Medical Technician, and Physical Therapy)

• Business Administration (Business, Business Administration, and Business Administrative Support)

• Computer Science (Computer Science, Technical Information Technology and Systems)

• Accounting/Finance

• Engineering (Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Network Engineering and Administration, and Programming and Software Engineering)

• Marketing

Other data from the ERA study reflected that employers are paying the most for specialized degrees. Expect this payment for specialization to continue and the move towards specialization in all fields to intensify.

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WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF. . .

What would happen if 25% of your top performers left in the next year? According to a recent study from The Corporate Executive Board, that may well happen to you! Turnover costs A LOT, especially when you lose top performers, and it comes right off the bottom line. Let The Herman Group and its team of very experienced consultants help you address your turnover issues right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carol at 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call.

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WANT TO SEE THE NEXT BIG THING IN ONLINE TRAINING?

On May 20th Joyce debuted brand new technology that combines streaming video with PowerPoint®. Her topic was "The Future of Speaking, Training, and Meetings". You will be fascinated by the material and enjoy seeing this new technology come to life. To view this special presentation, visit http://www.telenect.com/u/2b4e66x3w0

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GOOD SELECTION = BETTER RETENTION

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Teaching Professionalism

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:00:00 -0600

Recently, many in the United States were shocked to learn of major shifts in young people's attitudes about having children out-of-wedlock. The report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that "approximately 71 percent of females and 64 percent of males between the ages of 15 and 19 said they "agree" or "strongly agree" that "it is okay for an unmarried female to have a child". When we look at their celebrity role models young people, it is not difficult to understand how they developed these attitudes.

Young people also pick up other information, values, and attitudes from these role models---information they used to acquire from authority figures they respected. That is why a national survey of hiring human resources professionals and business leaders shows that many college grads fail to show the needed level of personal professionalism.

According to a new poll conducted for the Center for Professional Excellence (CPE) at York College of Pennsylvania, nearly 60 percent of the hiring decisions for new college graduates are based on assessments of the applicants’ professionalism.

HR pros and business leaders polled identified five primary characteristics of professionalism: 1) personal interaction skills, including courtesy and respect, 2) skills to communicate, and listen, 3) a great work ethic; 4) being motivated and staying on task until the job is completed, and 5) professional appearance, and self-confidence and awareness.

When respondents were asked if professionalism had increased, decreased, or stayed the same among entry-level college graduates during the past five years, 86 percent believed levels of professionalism had stayed the same or decreased. Moreover, one in every three respondents believed that fewer than half of all new graduates’ exhibit professionalism in the workplace. Those who cited a decrease in professionalism pointed to young workers’ sense of entitlement for the jobs, changes in culture and values, and lack of work ethic among new workers.

Based on the results of this survey, York College founded their Center for Professional Excellence where their students learn professionalism. York College is not alone; many colleges and universities have similar programs with different names. In addition, the Internship Institute's internship certification provides the much of the same material. (www.InternshipSuccess.com Use code “COMP0610” for a 30 percent discount) Expect more academic institutions worldwide to realize the need for this education, as they become aware of the deficiencies in their graduates' preparation.

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REDUCE COSTS BY LOWERING EMPLOYEE TURNOVER AND INCREASING ENGAGEMENT

It may seem strange to you to talk about employee retention with the high rate of unemployment here in the US? However, a recent study indicates that 45% of today's workers are not happy and as soon as the economy turns around, they plan to leave. Let The Herman Group and its team of very experienced consultants help you address your engagement and turnover issues right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carol at 800-227-3566; international, call 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call.

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GOOD SELECTION = BETTER RETENTION

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

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Far-Reaching Consequences of the BP Oil Spill

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:00:00 -0600

Government estimates describe the BP oil spill as the worst in United States' history. The two main effects on the environment will be petroleum and dispersant toxicity and oxygen depletion. These effects will damage fishing and shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico, the regional tourism industry, and the habitat of more than 400 species that live in the islands and marshlands of Louisiana.

So far, the Gulf Oil spill has shut down 50 percent of Louisiana’s oyster production. Louisiana's seafood industry is already suffering losses estimated in the millions. Though according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only about two percent of seafood consumed in the US originates from the Gulf and about four percent of shrimp, about 26 percent of blue crabs, and about 41 percent of oysters come from Louisiana. Expect seafood prices to rise in both supermarkets and restaurants. It is likely to be three to five years before the environment and fishing/shrimping return to normal.

We will see lost wages and lost jobs. Though the oil spill has not yet affected the price of crude oil, experts still expect increased gas prices, affecting consumers and businesses alike. Certainly tourism along the Gulf Coast will take a hit and property values are likely to decrease. Some hotels and restaurants, already slammed by the recession, will go out of business. Many people will be injured or develop illnesses as a result of exposure to chemical toxicity or affected seafood.

The oil companies will be discouraged and may even be prevented from off-shore drilling---perhaps permanently. Long term, drilling will be more expensive for oil companies that must embrace new safety standards.

With all of these negative consequences, there is an upside for some. Resorts on the East Coast of Florida and elsewhere may see an increase in tourism. Restaurants serving meat, poultry, and vegetarian fare will have more business, especially local ones. The folks cleaning up the mess will have jobs for months---perhaps years. The stress will create a higher utilization of anti-anxiety drugs as well as antidepressants. Finally, the ensuing litigation will put money into the pockets of many lawyers.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Occupation Alert: Transition Advisors

Wed, 26 May 2010 09:00:00 -0600

Back in the early 1990s, we forecasted growth in personal services, like personal trainers, life coaches, nutritionists, etc. Another example of these personal services is the new category: transition advisors.

Transition Advisors come in many varieties: Certified Public Accountants will help sell your business; career transition advisors will help with job change or retirement.

But the most interesting is the new occupation represented by Lori Sharton and Kathleen Buckley of Moving Forward Advisors in Needham, Massachusetts. These two young women were sharing ideas one day about their challenges with their divorces and helped each other find the resources they needed. Other than each other, Sharton and Buckley had no one they could call for help.

Shortly thereafter, their friends and acquaintances asked, "Who did you call to help you with _____?" The callers were looking for referrals on lawyers, real estate agents, accountants, plumbers, electricians, etc. They began thinking that since they had "been there" and "done that", they could help others through this challenging time.

Now, Sharton and Buckley assist with all kinds of transitions. From corporate layoffs to divorces, from the death of a spouse or a parent to moving an elderly relative to a facility, from downsizing empty nesters to preparing a home for sale, they do all this and more. They also assist women who want to re-enter the workforce after having stayed home with children.

Often people who have lost jobs or are divorcing their spouses must now find ways to live on reduced resources; they provide that guidance as well. They will help prepare items for online auction or help a client find the right professionals to help them. With a background in social work, they are also able to provide the counseling and coaching to ease these emotional transitions. Not surprisingly, they are now receiving many referrals from local attorneys and CPAs.

Sharton and Buckley are working on a manual that will help people worldwide who want to become transition advisors. We forecast these workbooks will be very popular. As the economy recovers, expect more personal services occupations like this one to appear.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Compliance Issues Threaten Internships

Wed, 19 May 2010 09:00:00 -0600

In response to a recent United States Department of Labor (DOL) warning about intern compensation and exploitation, the issue of unpaid internships has attracted considerable attention. The DOL subsequently issued "Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs under the Fair Labor Standards Act" (April 2010). This document clarifies their employer guidelines about what constitutes "trainee status" to qualify for a compensation exemption. The reaction has ranged from confusion to uproar.

The DOL guidelines indicate that any for-profit company with an unpaid internship not providing mutual value is probably breaking the law. To support employers, The Internship Institute (TII), an action-oriented, non-profit organization has issued a "Compliance Advisory" that summarizes the DOL’s guidelines and offers a solution. http://www.InternshipSuccess.com

The site offers a comprehensive intern and career development training course that awards a "Certificate of Career Preparation". This certification course enables students to align their career paths, gain meaningful work experience, and develop the skills to perform at their best. The course is valuable for employers, whether or not they pay their interns, because it tangibly demonstrates the company's investment in these young people.

"Interns increase talent equity. Aside from an inherent commitment to train them, the value of making them more capable, efficient, productive, loyal, and motivated provides a straight line to greater return on investment. Providing a compliance remedy is secondary to being substantive and beneficial for everyone," said Matthew Zinman, founder of the Institute.

Ten percent of all course proceeds will support TII's "Unpaid Intern Compensation Fund" to make internships accessible for disadvantaged youth. For a limited time, TII has also issued a 20 percent compliance subsidy for companies to make certification more accessible. Employers---with and without paid internships---are invited to utilize the code: “COMP0610” for group registration.

At a much higher cost the site InternBridge.com also offers support materials to employers; however the certification program offered by the Institute is a unique solution to this challenge.

This compliance solution is an excellent example of how innovation may be applied to benefit all parties. Given the global use of interns, we will not be surprised to find this valuable easy-to-implement course translated into several languages.

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THE FUTURE IS HERE TODAY

Join Joyce and her friends on May 20th wheJoyce will debut brand new technology that combines streaming video with PowerPoint®. Her topic will be "The Future of Speaking, Training, and Meetings". You will be fascinated by this new technology come to life. To register, visit http://www.telenect.com/u/2b4e66x3w0

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FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES REALLY THINK AND FEEL

Discover what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-416-7066, or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html

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GIVE YOUR LEADERS THE BOOST THEY NEED

Help your leaders to excel. Thousands 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 calling Carol at 336.210.3547. Order today at http://www.hermangroup.com/store/subscription_all.html#3

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Online Game Promotes MBAs for Women

Wed, 12 May 2010 10:50:14 -0600

More than 60 percent of today's college students are women. Hoping to reverse the decline in women's business school enrollments, Forte Foundation, a consortium of schools working to increase the number of women pursuing MBAs, has launched a new online tool.

Designed for college women and recent graduates who are contemplating a business major or uncertain about their career goals, the tool is a new interactive game called "Career Gal Road Trip". The online game allows students to explore different business majors and career paths. They participate by making virtual work and life decisions.

Those decisions include everything from whether they should exit the workforce to pursue an MBA to when they should start a family. The particular path that the player chooses eventually leads the student to a video segment of an interview with a successful woman in business who followed a similar career trajectory, from entrepreneurship to investment banking.

Believing that their campus events didn't reach enough college women, Forte Foundation Executive Director, Elissa Ellis Sangster, found a way to leverage their content and make it more accessible to young women and make it fun and interactive.

In a joint study conducted in 2007 by Forte Foundation and McKinsey & Company, more than 85 percent of women surveyed believed it was "important to expose women to business early in their careers". Among women who graduated from an MBA program, the survey showed 28 percent decided they wanted to pursue business while in college and 20 percent decided in high school.

In a 2010 study, released by the Higher Education Research Institute, 58.6 percent of college freshmen said there was a possibility they would change their major, while 20.3 percent were undecided about their major. Their exposure to business as a career will promote their choosing to earn MBAs.

The United States Army has done well using a computer game called "America’s Army: Special Forces" to promote enlistments. Expect more organizations to engage Generations Y and Z by creating online games and using social media. Meeting these younger generations on their favorite platforms will be very successful.

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LOOKING FOR A DYNAMIC KEYNOTE SPEAKER?

Joyce Gioia (joy-yah) is a sought-after speaker in Asia as well as Europe, and of course the United States. Joyce 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 McKinney at 336-282-9370 or visit the web site at http://www.hermangroup.com/joyce.html for more information on Joyce's topics.

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WANT TO SEE THE NEXT BIG THING IN ONLINE TRAINING?

On May 20th Joyce will debut brand new technology that combines streaming video with PowerPoint®. Her topic will be "The Future of Speaking, Training, and Meetings". You will be fascinated by the materials and enjoy seeing this new technology come to life. To register, visit http://www.telenect.com/u/2b4e66x3w0

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THERE'S A REASON WHY ASSESSMENTS ARE BECOMING MORE POPULAR

The reason is because they work to 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

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Rewarding Consumers for Saving Energy

Thu, 06 May 2010 00:52:17 -0600

Recently, Hilton Worldwide announced it has been secretly monitoring the energy use in 1300 of its 3500 hotels worldwide. Using its proprietary system LightStay, the corporation has calculated and analyzed its environmental impact.

In the first full-year of findings, the 1,300 LightStay-equipped properties conserved enough energy to power 5,700 homes for a year, saved enough water to fill more than 650 Olympic-size pools, and reduced carbon output equivalent to taking 34,865 cars off the road. Reductions in water and energy use alone also translated into estimated savings of more than USD $29 million in utility costs for hotel owners in 2009.

Using LightStay, the Hilton properties reduced energy use by 5 percent, carbon output by 6 percent, waste output by 10 percent, and water use by 2.4 percent in 2009 over 2008. (Hilton engaged an independent auditor and adjusted the results for differences in occupancy levels and major weather events year over year.)

LightStay is an integral part of Hilton's effort to implement sustainability practices in every aspect of their businesses---helping them to quantify their impact on the environment. Excited about their first year results, they have committed to using LightStay throughout their entire network by December 31, 2011.

LightStay measures indicators across 200 operational practices including housekeeping, paper product use, food waste, chemical storage, air quality, and transportation. The data inspired the Hilton New York to donate more than 5,000 pounds of leftover food to a local charity---food that would have gone to waste. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=88577&p=irol-newsArticleOther&ID=1415140&highlight=

On the heels of this announcement, hotelworld Network blogger Jason Freed suggests an "Eco-Loyalty Program" for rewarding "eco-conscious travelers". Freed proposes rewarding them for participation in various sustainability initiatives---particularly those in hotels, including a monitored-temperature program, towel and linen programs, recycling paper and plastic, eating organic in the restaurant, taking the hotel shuttle instead of a taxi, and having the receipt e-mailed instead of printed. http://www.hotelworldnetwork.com/green-new-concept-reward-eco-conscious-travelers/?utm_source=HWN&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily_04_22_10&utm_content=green-new-concept-reward-eco-conscious-travelers

Sustainability is not just good for the environment, it's also good for the bottom line. Given the tremendous cost savings for hoteliers and other businesses, we believe it is only a matter of time before we see these rewarding ideas implemented to effect all kinds of savings.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Another First Step

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:39:37 -0600

From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) comes a breakthrough that is certainly a first step in artificially producing hydrogen reserves. Energy companies could then use these reserves to generate electricity or even produce liquid fuels for transportation.

Using sunlight, MIT researchers have created a catalyst solution that splits water into its two atomic components---hydrogen and oxygen. Imitating photosynthesis in plants, the researchers engineered M13, a simple, harmless virus that assists in the separation process.

In this process, the hydrogen atoms in the water are actually split into their component protons and electrons. Within two years, the team hopes to develop a new process that would combine these components back into hydrogen that could be stored.

Other researchers had already developed different systems that use electricity to split water molecules. As the team explained in their article published in the journal "Nature Nanotechnology" (www.nature.com), the difference is that their system, based on biology, uses sunlight, rather than electricity, to power the reaction.

The approach that proved the best was to mimic the processes that take place in plants, rather than simply borrowing their components and re-adapt them like others had done before. "In plants, chlorophyll absorbs sunlight while catalysts promote the water-splitting reaction." The team engineered a wire-like, bacterial virus that efficiently splits the oxygen from water molecules.

Acting as the chlorophyll the virus captures light, then, acting like a wire, transfers the energy down its length. The viruses' wire-like structure also allows the other ingredients to line up in such a way that it drastically improves the system's efficiency.

To be competitive with solar power, the new system must be at least 10 times more efficient than natural photosynthesis. Moreover, the system must be able to repeat the reaction almost indefinitely, as well as use cheaper materials. MIT has clearly accomplished the first step.

Sometimes we forget the importance of pure science in our technological advancement. Support for research like MIT's will be critical to US remaining competitive. More importantly, our support of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects will be important, if we are to have the people to conduct this research.

Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia

Consequences of Embracing Technology

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:00:00 -0600

Companies have long used technology to support the work of people with disabilities and moved form-completion online to eliminate paper. We have also seen airlines and railways use self-service kiosks to eliminate service personnel. Recently, hoteliers have followed suit with self-service kiosks―with mixed results.

Now, a just-released study from Cornell University reports that when self-service works correctly, it enhances guest satisfaction and ultimately improves hotels' financial results. However, when problems occur with the system, guests are far less likely to return. . . much less be willing to pay a premium rate.

Titled " Integrating Self-Service Kiosks in a Customer Service System" the hospitality study found that adding self-service kiosks improved the hotels' financial results, but the improvement showed a time lag. Thus, they caution hoteliers not to expect instant returns from adding self-service kiosks. Moreover, when something went wrong with the self-service check-in, the hotels in question saw a reduction in guests' willingness to pay and willingness to return. For this reason, the study's authors urge "careful rollout of self-service technology, along with substantial staff support for guests who are using computers to check-in".

Another interesting finding was that the addition of self-service kiosks did not increase guests' perceptions of service speed at check-in. This finding is somewhat curious, since the addition of self-service kiosks at grocery stores is perceived by many to be a time-saver.

Remember when banks and airlines began using self-service systems? They had a human being there to assist people who were unfamiliar or fearful of using the technology. Apparently, hoteliers need to invest someone's time and attention for the same familiarization process.

Now, many mass-merchandisers including Wal-Mart, Target, and most supermarkets have installed self-service kiosks to assist in the check out process. Particularly younger customers happily embrace this technology; some older customers feel short-changed by the lack of service.

As different industries embrace various technologies to serve guests better, increase productivity, or work more efficiently, employers must realize that they will need more highly skilled workers to support these more complicated systems. Also, from the consumers' point of view, these systems must work correctly or there will be bottom line consequences.

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Looking Forward. . .

Joyce L. Gioia