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Productivity Blog
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Unemployment Claims Down, but Still At Recessionary Levels
The U.S. government released four new reports today which further highlight the tough economic challenges the country is facing: - The number of people claiming unemployment insurance dropped by 60,000 to 3.96 million. Although there is speculation on the cause of the drop, the number of claims remains at recessionary levels.
- Consumer spending decreased by a full percentage point in October, worse than expected.
- There were significant declines in the manufacturing sector, as orders for durable goods fell 6.2%, more than double what was expected by economists.
- New home sales also fell 5.3% to the lowest level since January 1991.
With the economy indicating that things are going to get worse before they get better, it is critical to take a look at your existing assets – most notably your human capital – and assess how to make them more productive and efficient. As employees are directly or indirectly impacted by layoffs, shrinking 401(k)'s or other anxiety stemming from the current economy, keeping them engaged and motivated is also essential to ensuring minimum disruption to your company's bottom line.
The Carnival of HR Has a Thanksgiving Feast
Rowan Manahan at Fortify Your Oasis has posted the latest Carnival of HR, which serves up a Thanksgiving feast of HR knowledge - with enough left over for turkey sandwiches. As for i4cp, our own Carol Morrison brought the pumpkin pie in the form of an article highlighting employee engagement and resilience in a poor economy. If you'd like to check out the full menu, head over to Fortify Your Oasis and see all of the great posts from various human capital bloggers.
Jay Jamrog and Elliott Masie on Generation Y in the Workplace
Jay Jamrog, i4cp's Senior Vice President of Research, spoke at Elliott Masie's Learning 2008 conference in Orlando, FL last month, touching on Generation Y and how best to "deal" with them in the workplace. There are many differences between Next Gen (Generation Y and Millennials) and other generations, specifically in how they approach manager relationships, employee diversity and technology.
Watch a video that shows an exchange between Jay and Elliott Masie, who in addition to running The MASIE Center is also an i4cp board member. Alternatively, you can read a transcription of the discussion:
Elliott Masie: Jay, as you know and I know, you're quoted in lots of major newspapers and magazines talking about Next Gen. Is this a major issue and what do [companies] face with this?
Jay Jamrog: Oh, the bigger thing with Next Gen, if we go through a prolonged war for talent, is they're going to have lots of choices and the best of them are going to have choices beyond your company, so the ability to recruit, retain and engage is going to get harder. Now, that's not to say they fit a stereotypical way of thinking. They're a very diverse group, but, just understanding what makes them tick … their values, attitudes and behaviors can help companies better recruit, retain and engage.
Elliott Masie: And do you think that – and I know organizations know the phrase, "We have to do something for the Next Gen" – but do they know what that means, and how to operationalize that?
Jay Jamrog: I think they're just learning. The next gen is just coming in now – they're called Gen Y or Millennials – [companies are] just learning. Some companies are doing some phenomenal things, some companies are just catching up and some will be laggards.
At this point, a montage video of Generation Y employees is played, revealing the ways they think and how they want to be treated in the workplace.
Jay Jamrog: This video is titled, "Awesome" and is by Quality Media Resources. Did I get that right? Good.
Elliott Masie: And Jay, how does that operationalize? So when you're dealing with CEOs and boards and senior directors of HR, if you had to summarize in four or five points, what should they be doing today to make their workplaces appropriate and effective for this next generation of worker.
Jay Jamrog: There are a few good points.
One is [that] the better companies are looking at their supervisors and leaders to develop more relationship building with people. It's much more relationship building. They want supervisors who are coaches, teachers or mentors, somebody who will invest time and energy, especially [in] the best and the brightest. So with leadership, it's beyond competencies and decision making, which is still very important, but they're looking at behaviors of leaders today. That's one.
Two is diversity. This is a very diverse population. It's only about 54% white. It's the fastest growing generation of Hispanics and interracial kids. And so the best and the brightest are looking to go into diverse environments. They are very comfortable there.
The third is technology. And believe me, if you don't have the latest technology, you're going to be considered a dinosaur. And that means Web 2.0 and all the other stuff. You've got to have the buzzers and whistles sitting on their desk.
Elliott Masie: Now, I know people out there are saying [that] these students, these young people, as they come to the workplace, they got their iPods on, they're doing their IM … they can't really be concentrating on that. What's your response to HR managers?
Jay Jamrog: Leave them alone. (laughs) They'll do fine. We've been talking in our seminar – we have a number of Gen Yers working for the company – and it's remarkable how [they perform] multitasking, but, you don't have to tell them what to do. They set their goals up, they make their own goals, they tell you at the end of the week what they accomplished and what's coming next week. It's remarkable how disciplined they are.
Elliott Masie: Remember, the Next Gen doesn't think that the content has to come from central authority. To use Don Tapscott's message, they've disintermediated.
Jay Jamrog: I really love that message. That was really good. You see that all the time. They'll use Web 2.0 to solve problems. And companies that don't want to use it, to go across their whole divisions and have them go on Web 2.0, are probably going to lose out.
Elliott Masie: Absolutely. The work that Jay is doing with i4cp is awesome – I know that many of you are members of i4cp. It's a very parallel consortium to ours in learning. They're working in the HR area. Please see Jay or Kevin [Oakes] if you're interested in more stuff on that. But most importantly, next year, bring someone to the conference who is under the age of 25. Thank you very much!
3 New Economy and Productivity Podcasts
Peter Clayton at Total Picture Radio has posted three new podcasts over the last couple of weeks, each of which features an interview with an i4cp staff member. I encourage you to listen to these short podcasts (they range from 10-15 minutes in length) that touch on a range of critical and timely workplace issues:
CEO Pay in the Post-Meltdown, Pre-Obama Era - David Wentworth
The recent meltdown on Wall Street has brought CEO pay back to the forefront of business news, and the election of Barack Obama might help to keep it there for a while. Things had quieted down a bit in recent years since Sarbanes Oxley was enacted and the SEC implemented its new disclosure rules, but once again shareholders are up in arms about CEOs getting huge payouts while their companies disintegrate around them.
The Loss You Can’t Afford in a Down Economy - Mary Key
These are troubling times for knowledge-intensive businesses. Back before the economy was based on information and knowledge, it was easier for organizations to lose significant portions of their workforce and still remain productive. Employees weren't as likely to need deep stores of knowledge to get their jobs done. Today, reductions-in-force (RIFs) are more likely to result in having uniquely knowledgeable people walk out the door, sometimes causing unanticipated problems for businesses. If such RIFs aren't carried out carefully, they can cause a critical "dumbing down" of organizations.
The Next Productivity Revolution - Mark Vickers
"Beware, knowledge workers: Your halcyon days are numbered. You're in the process of being shaped into bits and bytes, numbers and equations, and your work lives will never be the same. Your organizations' productivity, however, may well spike up even as you're digitized ..."
Enjoy!
HR’s value proposition in a down economy
As I got up on the stage to speak, I was aware that the audience, a group of CFOs, had just spent the past two and a half days hearing presentations on the negative impact of a down economy. The tone was serious and many commented on the lack of precedents from which to learn. The challenge I faced was to show how employee engagement is not only an important topic but also one that translates into bottom-line results in difficult times.
In many ways, CFOs and HR professionals face similar problems, asking, “What can we, in our profession, do to add value in these tough times and use our skill set to anticipate problems in order to minimize their impact?”
Cutbacks are one of the potential challenges both groups are facing. In a recent survey i4cp conducted in conjunction with HR.com on Reduction in Force (RIF), we found that 71% of the respondents reported that their companies have had a RIF in the last 12 months, and 39% foresee a RIF over the next six months. Among companies that conducted a RIF over the last 12 months, about half expect more reductions over the next half year.
HR has various obligations if a RIF is required. For one thing, HR can offer guidance and direction regarding whether or not the RIF proposed will really benefit the organization or will only bring short-term results. Which positions are being cut and what is the impact? Developing criteria and the business case for the best way to handle a RIF puts HR at the strategy table as opposed to just fulfilling a directive.
When a RIF is planned, it’s also critical to assess the impact of the lost knowledge going out the door and to provide strategies to capture valuable knowledge. Companies are in a better position to retain valuable organizational knowledge if they prioritize positions according to 1) the degree of difficulty associated with replacing the people in those jobs and 2) the length of time needed to train employees in those positions. It’s important to answer the difficult questions about what knowledge is essential to your mission, vision and strategy over the next 5 years and how you can preserve and reuse it. HR’s taking the lead here can contribute to the long-term viability of the organization.
Engaging employees who remain with the organization is also critical. HR should work with various parts of their organization (particularly where there are cutbacks) on plans to engage employees and build trust in what can seem to be a threatening environment.
Some simple things, such as giving employees more control over how they work and where, can make a difference. Although teleworking is becoming an increasingly accepted practice, many companies are still resistant to allowing employees the flexibility to work at home or design their schedules. Another success factor in engaging others is communication, particularly from one’s own supervisor. HR can assist supervisors and managers in how and what to communicate to build trust and teamwork. Experience shows that clear and frequent communication doesn’t come naturally to some managers. Strategies on how to offer more opportunities for dialogue and address those “unspoken” concerns can go a long way to improving morale and engagement.
I’m interested in ways HR is taking the lead to offer their organizations alternatives and value added in our down economy.
12 Real Excuses Never to Use When Calling in Sick
If you’ve called in sick just because you didn’t want to go to work, you’re not alone. According to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey, one-third of employees have played hooky at least once this year. Of the 6,800 employee responses, the most common reasons for lying about being sick were:
- 9% wanted to miss a meeting, work on a project past a deadline or avoid the wrath of a coworker
- 30% just needed to relax and recharge
- 27% had to go to a doctor’s appointment
- 22% wanted to catch up on sleep
- 14% “needed” to run personal errands
- 11% wanted to catch up on housework
- 11% wanted to spend time with family and/or friends
- 34% just didn’t feel like going to work.
So why not just tell your boss you need to go to a doctor’s appointment? Most employers didn’t ask for a reason the employee was calling off. Those that did, however, shared some of the more interesting excuses:
- Employee didn’t want to lose the parking space in front of his house.
- Employee hit a turkey while riding a bike.
- Employee said he had a heart attack early that morning, but that he was “all better now."
- Employee donated too much blood.
- Employee’s dog was stressed out after a family reunion.
- Employee was kicked by a deer.
- Employee contracted mono after kissing a mailroom intern at the company holiday party and suggested the company post some sort of notice to warn others who may have kissed him.
- Employee swallowed too much mouthwash.
- Employee’s wife burned all his clothes and he had nothing to wear to work.
- Employee’s toe was injured when a soda can fell out of the refrigerator.
- Employee was up all night because the police were investigating the death of someone discovered behind her house.
- Employee’s psychic told her to stay home.
The heart attack, dead body and mono-infected intern excuses are my personal favorites, and I may try to use one of these in the near future. Of course, if this survey is any indication, I do have to watch out for a snooping boss. Nearly a third of employers have checked in on an employee who called in sick, and 18% said they have fired a worker for not having a legitimate excuse to miss work. A whopping 71% said they required a doctor’s note, and, indicating that there are some truly paranoid bosses out there, 17% said they drove by the employee’s house or apartment.
I’ll make sure to close the blinds.
Knowledge Retention Rises as Boomers Retire
Kevin Oakes, i4cp's CEO, was recently highlighted in Talent Management magazine following an interview with one of their reporters, Agatha Gilmore. The article covers knowledge retention and its rising importance, as well as discussion of i4cp's new Knowledge Retention Accelerator.
Read the article, titled: Knowledge Retention Rises as Boomers Retire.
Webinar: Employee Engagement and Productivity in an Economic Crisis
The U.S. is facing economic crisis and an uncertain future with increasing unemployment rates. While the impact of this crisis is still not completely clear, we can look at the immediate effect on employees. How disconcerting is it for the average employee to hear of business failures and watch their 401(k) drop 20%? How could productivity and engagement not suffer under these extreme circumstances?
Thankfully, there are many things that managers and organizations can do to maintain productivity and engagement in troubling times. In this complimentary webinar, i4cp Talent Pillar Director Mary Ann Downey will discuss five approaches your organization can utilize to keep employees motivated, maintain productivity and actually improve engagement. Topics include telecommuting, flexible work hours and more.
The webinar starts at 1pm EDT (10am PDT) on Thursday, October 16th, 2008.
Register now...
Fear and loathing in Atlanta (part 2)
In part one of this blog (oh, you've gotta read part one) we discussed how a series of events, hyped by mass media and accentuated by a general economic malaise, has helped to feed hysteria and caused a run on fuel in Atlanta. Now it's time to crawl back through the looking glass.
Here's a practical list of things managers and organizations can do in times of financial uncertainty and fuel shortages to maintain productivity and prevent engagement from sinking:
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Telecommuting – Telecommuting during a gas crisis can maintain productivity and strengthen morale. Not all positions lend themselves to telecommuting and some, like customer service, require an investment in technology. This may be the time to analyze each role in your organization to determine how critical it is to remain on-site. An analysis of this sort can assist you and your organization in planning for future transportation disruptions and in evaluating the pros/cons of further investment. This is also an opportunity to measure whether telecommunicating reduces, maintains or increases productivity. One Georgia state official took the additional steps of closing his office one day a week and stating he will allow all non-essential employees to telecommute until the gas crisis is over.
A final tip: Advise employees and meeting coordinators to always set up a "dial-in" for meetings. This way, if employees are stuck behind a stalled car, in line at the pump or working from home, your meeting can start promptly regardless of the situation.
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Review Goals and Objectives – Given the massive changes in the last few weeks, meet with each of your employees individually to review their goals and objectives. This is a good idea, even if you just reviewed goals and objectives in July.
This exercise has three benefits. First, you and your employee can determine if their priorities and projects are in line with your business reality and whether to complete 2008 goals or to move to 2009 priorities. Second, this is an opportunity as a manager to determine how much stress your employee is under. Stress is a productivity killer and an infectious morale slayer. As the leader of the workgroup you need to understand the general anxiety levels and develop strategies to keep the group "on task." Finally, this exercise will relieve your stress. You will have a clearer understanding of what your team is capable of and, if there are risks of not hitting certain targets, you can advise your management team accordingly.
Take advantage of one other benefit and use this opportunity to start year-end reviews based on the discussions with your direct reports. This could save you time during the busy performance management cycle.
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Teambuilding – If stress is a productivity killer, laughter is the antidote. Uncertain times are the best occasions to invest in teambuilding. Not traipsing through the woods or trust falls – just taking the time to treat your employees as people and valued resources rather than as expenses that are dragging down your bottom line. Take teams out to lunch – or, better yet, bring lunch in (if you can find someone to deliver). Even slowing down the line or pulling stockers and clerks off the floor for an impromptu fifteen-minute coffee break is a low-cost way to create a sense of community
Please note, do not try this technique in response to a management "snafu." This will only backfire and create resentment (e.g.: You think you can buy me off with a cup of coffee?).
- Promote EAPs or Other Resources – If your organization offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or other types of work/life balance programs, these are the times to promote them. If your health insurance offers free annual physicals, reminders to your employees can be helpful. Another benefit you may offer is a Transportation Savings Account (TSA). Organizations invest in these programs to keep their workforce healthy and productive. While there are many competing priorities, promoting these programs should be at the top of the list.
Whether your organization is able to offer these programs or not, as an employer you can ensure that your employees have access to other social services programs. In times of turmoil and uncertainty, people need extra help. Don't use managers to promote them, but rather have brochures in a public space or a community resources page on the company Web site. Organizations you may want to highlight: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Weight Watchers, Consumer Credit Counseling, Partnership against Domestic Violence., etc. You will never know if it helped, but it certainly can't hurt.
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Involvement with Public Transportation Boards – If you complete your telecommuting assessment and realize that your employees must be on-site for your business to operate, then you should create remediation strategies to ensure your workforce will be mobile in a gas crisis.
A common strategy is to promote your local public transportation system. In Atlanta, whenever a vote to expand the public transportation system comes up, it's usually voted down. This is unfortunate for a city with the longest commute in America. For some organizations, the transportation of people is not a "tree hugger" issue, it's a business imperative. If your organization falls into this category, you should be aware of proposals, costs and plans that may impact your organization.
Another strategy is to bypass the local authorities and create your own transportation system. This is a heavy investment, but, depending on circumstances, may be a solution for your organization. Facilitating carpool matches is an inexpensive place to start. Some organizations offer premium parking to employees who carpool to work. Another Georgia organization, The Clean Air Campaign, promotes alternative transportation solutions with financial awards and carpool matching.
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