Are HR Departments to Blame for a Talent Crisis?

 

Human resources departments aren’t providing their companies enough support for employees, talent recruitment, learning and development, and succession planning – according to a study by a global strategic-consulting firm.

The study by The Hackett Group is entitled, “”Cracks in the Foundation: Closing the Critical Skills Gap Undermining Business Capabilities.” Its 2012 study concludes that finance, information technology, procurement and HR are all suffering from a shortfall in skills and talent.

The research included six functions:

1. Workforce planning and succession
2. Collaboration/knowledge sharing
3. Retention
4. Managing performance
5. Learning and development
6. Recruiting and staffing

Management complained, on average, that HR is only providing “talent-management support” less than 35 percent of the time.

Another complaint: HR departments only deliver a comprehensive level of needed service less than 35 percent of the time.

The Hackett Group’s research echoes other 2012 studies:

• HR firm Kenexa reported a big schism exists between what human resources professionals think they know about their workforce and what employees actually believe (HR Perceptions vs. Reality – There’s a Big Gap, Study).
• Human resource professionals are holding both themselves and their employers back, according to global management consultants, the Hay Group (Study: HR Pros Fall Short as ‘Strategic Business Partners’).

“At most companies, business services functions were badly weakened by across-the-board cuts during the recent recession,” said The Hackett Group Global HR Practice Leader Harry Osle. “Underinvestment in talent has created deficits in important skills such as business acumen, strategic thinking and analysis, change management, and process improvement capabilities.”

He also said management and HR aren’t collaborating.

“This is a dangerous situation with the potential to cripple companies that don’t address it quickly,” he added. “While these business services functions are often considered cost-centers, they provide key services that enable companies to manage and optimize assets ranging from cash, capital and talent to technology and product/service inputs.”

There’s additional management dissatisfaction most of the time with HR:

• Talent management service –  nearly 70 percent of the time
• Collaboration and knowledge sharing – dissatisfied or very dissatisfied – 79 percent
• Retention – dissatisfied or very dissatisfied – 70 percent

Eighteen percent o f the companies said HR delivered adequate proficiency in collaboration and knowledge sharing.

The bright spot: Thirty-three to 47 percent of companies expressed satisfaction in the level of HR services in workforce planning, performance

“Today’s changing business environment requires that business services organizations retool and radically change their mix of staff to improve their ability to directly impact on business performance,” said The Hackett Group Chief Research Officer Michel Janssen. “Talent management is key, and business services can’t accomplish this without strong and effective support from HR.”

He did say management and HR must work harder to improvement their communication.

“Business services managers must take the lead in specifying their needs, and taking accountability for results for talent management,” he added. “HR must provide comprehensive process and administrative support, methods and tools, training and guidance to function leaders.”

The study made more recommendations:

• Business services must do a better job of defining and prioritizing the skills and characteristics that are truly essential for job candidates to have.
• HR can also rely less heavily on external labor markets, and develop staff, as well as examine alternative approaches to recruiting, such as hiring less-experienced staff with development potential and permission-based recruiting.
•  Candidate relationship management is also a powerful emerging strategy for handling company interactions with applicants, candidates and current employees.

My sense is that both sides have work to do:

• In view of The Hackett Group research, and the other two studies, it’s obvious that many HR professionals need training in process improvement, communication and leadership.
• Management needs to be proactive in conveying goals to HR professionals. If instructions aren’t followed by HR, management should act to deal with an unacceptable situation.

From the Coach’s Corner, here is recommended reading:

• Link between Financial Performance and Succession Planning
• How You Can Eliminate Destructive Conflict for Better Teamwork
• Human Resources: How to Fine-Tune Management of your Staff
• How Not to Worry about Keeping Your Top Employees

“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” 

-Stephen Covey

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Study: HR Pros Fall Short as ‘Strategic Business Partners’

 

Human resource professionals are holding both themselves and their employers back, according to a 2012 study by global management consultants, the Hay Group. Hay research indicates “inefficient processes and disconnected disciplines” are the primary causes – why HR professionals aren’t providing a noteworthy role to position their companies for the future.

“…the emerging HR concerns for the years ahead lie around developing the workforce and ensuring the right people are in the right roles and doing the right work,” according to a Hay Group press statement.

Hay’s study included 1,400 responses from both senior executives and HR professionals. Of which, just 34 percent concluded HR has made a strategic contribution to their employers.

About 60 percent could be characterized as doing a so-so job in achieving performance and growth results.

In a sense, Hay points out the expectations of HR in recent years have been myopic.

“As market demands continue to change, organizational success will hinge on HR’s ability to connect human capital decisions with business strategy,” said Phil Johnson, Hay Group’s global head of work measurement. “HR will need to stop clinging to traditional processes and inefficient silos and move toward an integrated approach that links work and people to business results.

More study results:

• Only 40 percent say work measurement and talent management processes are closely aligned
• Even fewer (36 percent) say talent management and organizational effectiveness are closely aligned
• Slightly more than one-third (39 percent) say they have moved away from traditional silos, but this leaves 61 percent that haven’t – or worse still, are unsure.
• Despite 76 percent of respondents saying they use a formal work measurement system, the research suggests that many organizations are not seizing upon the full potential or making the most of their investment.

“The research highlights how HR will lag behind management expectations if a holistic approach to people management – based on a framework of understanding work – is not adopted,” according the Hay announcement.

“Organizations are largely limiting work measurement systems to the setting of base pay and for grading purposes,” said Mr. Johnson. “We’re starting to see more companies use work measurement to support succession planning, career pathing and other talent management decisions, and as a job and organization design diagnostic – but most are missing out on its true value. Used to its full extent work measurement can feed enormously powerful information into strategic decisions and improve the overall efficiency of the organization.”

So, the key to be considered a strategic business partner is to have a leadership grasp of employees and their work.

From the Coach’s Corner, see:

• HR, Marketing Pros: 4 Keys to Marketing Your Ideas to CEOs
• 10 Key Differences between Leaders and Managers
• 6 Steps to Implement a Cultural Change for Profits
• Trends in Human Resources Management – Wharton Study 

“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?”

-Benjamin Franklin

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Valentine’s Day: Do You Have a Heart as an Employer?

 

Updated Jan. 27, 2013

A blog, “Best business advice found in an 86-year-old poem,” on MoneyWatch by Michael Hess brought brought back special memories. Mr. Hess quoted “Desiderata,” which was written by Max Ehrmann in 1927.

In drawing parallels for business, Mr. Hess quoted some Desiderata lines, including:

• As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others…
• Exercise caution in your business affairs…
• Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings…

Agreed. The poem does contain exemplary advice applicable for business. I first heard it in 1971 when it was No. 8 on Billboard. Well-known broadcaster Les Crane, who was a talk-show host on KLAC Radio in Los Angeles, recorded it (Desiderata – Les Crane, YouTube).

As a young broadcaster I was intrigued for a couple of reasons:

Firstly, I was fascinated by the spiritual approach by Mr. Crane, who was famous for his controversial shtick on radio and TV.

Secondly, the previous year I was deeply touched by the thoughtfulness of his boss, David Croninger, the president of Metromedia Radio. Metromedia was a conglomerate in related industries. Along with NBC’s legendary news anchor, Chet Huntley, Mr. Croninger was a speaker at my college graduation, the University of Tulsa.

Inspiring career advice

Both were accessible to students afterward – a true blessing. The nation was mired in a recession with unemployment approaching 9 percent and the Vietnam War was tearing the country apart. Amid this, my peers and I were apprehensive but anxious to launch our careers.

Accompanied by an NBC PR person, Mr. Huntley graciously gave me excellent advice regarding my broadcasting career. As a DJ, I had worked my way through college on radio stations, but I was still a porous sponge in wanting career counsel before returning to my home state of California. He explained to me how to make a transition from being a DJ to radio news to TV news.

Mr. Croninger, who as Mr. Crane’s boss, gave me a shot of confidence. I’ll never forget his compliment: “…you are impeccably dressed.”

Wearing a striped tie with a navy blazer and gray slacks, that was heady stuff for an impressionable young college grad. I thought it was a professional appearance for broadcasting, but I wasn’t sure. I appreciated his comment as I was about to call on Los Angeles radio and TV stations for employment. I also enjoyed hearing his comments regarding Mr. Crane, as his employer.

Both broadcasters were inspirational for my career.

So the memory of Mr. Crane’s rendition of Desiderata along with the gracious sharing of wisdom by Messrs. Huntley and Crane prompt this question: Does your business have a heart?

Key questions

Here are 12 questions to consider:

1. Do you set a good example?
2. How often do you use the phrases – please and thank you?
3. Do you compensate your employees adequately and fairly?
4. Are you kind and precise in giving criticism and direction?
5. Do you hire and fire fairly?
6. Do you train employees on an ongoing basis for personal and career development?
7. Do you maintain a safe, fun working environment?
8. How about job security?
9. Do you communicate regularly with employees about the company?
10. Do you listen to criticism?
11. Do you solicit ideas?
12. How do you motivate your staff?

From the Coach’s Corner, here are employer resource links:

• Power Your Brand with Employee Empowerment
• Strategies: If a Valued Employee Wants a Raise, and Money’s Tight
• Profit By Not Letting Your Stars Become Free Agents
• Leadership Strategies to Profit from Employee Respect
• 12 Errors to Avoid in Evaluations
• Strategies for Productive Meetings to Improve Your Company’s Performance
• Human Resources – Slow Motion Gets You There Faster

“The worst mistake a boss can make is not to say ‘well done’.”
-John Ashcroft

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

Why Companies Fall into the Management Lawsuit Trap

 

News headlines continue to show there are a myriad of ways managers set themselves for lawsuits. Small and many big companies are ripe for EEOC complaints.

In 2011, AT&T was forced to settle an age-bias lawsuit. Capri Home Care was sued for alleged pregnancy discrimination. American Laser Centers settled an EEOC lawsuit over sexual harassment. Bass Pro Shows Companies was accused of worker reprisals.

The majority of lawsuits targeting management usually stem from a half dozen poor practices.

They include:

1. Adherence to policies and procedures. Time and again, businesses are sued because managers fail to comply with company policy manuals. Principals should always review policy manuals with managers, and get a signed receipt indicating that they understand policies. (Yes, any manager who strays from policy should be disciplined.) Only then, the managers should review the handbook with non-exempt staff.
2. Following discrimination and harassment policies. Periodically remind managers to be diligent to prevent discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Their employment status will be affected if they fail to adhere to policies, or if they to act professionally should policy violations occur.
3. Poor management of employee problems. Make certain managers know how to respond – not react in a knee-jerk fashion to employee problems. That means thinking about how to respond in all situations. Typical worker problems include attendance, alcoholism drug use, and insubordination.
4. Retaliation or the appearance of being retaliatory. For example, courts frown on transfers if they look like a demotion. It looks suspicious if an employee suddenly receives an unsatisfactory performance appraisal or is not treated equally like other workers.
5. Terminations. Courts look to make certain terminations are handled well legally, and with civility and fairness. Here are three key human resources questions in terminating workers.
6. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Typical problems result from FMLA misunderstandings over attendance policy, eligibility, notice requirements and worker reinstatement.

From the Coach’s Corner, for more strategies, here are three related articles:

• 21 Quick Tips to Avoid the Dark Side of Management 
• How to avoid EEOC Discrimination Suits
• 12 Errors to Avoid in Evaluations

“Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”
-John D. Rockefeller

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Is your Company Ready to Capitalize on What Women Offer?

 

It’s obvious the current economic environment is here to stay, so it’s necessary to keep an open mind and rethink our processes. That includes taking full advantage of all opportunities.

“What else is new?” you ask. Good question. It’s important to leverage the potential in human capital.

Two McKinsey consultants addressed one important aspect in a 2011 study:  “Unlocking the full potential of women in the US economy.” Joanna Barsh is a director in McKinsey’s New York office and Lareina Yee is a principal in the San Francisco office.

It struck a chord with me, as I’ve written articles on related topics, including why Banks Have a Credibility Issue with Affluent Women; and I asked Are You Successful In Keeping Female Talent?

So I agree American business has not fully leveraged its assets.

The problem is many businesspeople don’t inherently take notice and capitalize on under-utilized assets unless they’re personally affected. I’ve said it many times – working moms have the toughest job of anybody, but they provide a bevy of important attributes. Personally, my antenna goes up whenever I see the potentiality of talent being ignored.

That goes for women in the macro economy.

“Indeed, the additional productive power of women entering the workforce from 1970 until today accounts for about a quarter of current GDP,” wrote Ms. Barsh. As the U.S. struggles to sustain historic GDP growth rates, it is critically important to bring more women into the workforce and fully deploy high-skill women to drive productivity improvement.”

Agreed.

Ms. Barsh listed the study’s objectives.

“McKinsey & Company undertook this research over the past three months to understand how women contribute to the U.S. economy; how their work benefits individual corporations; what prevents women from making greater contributions to their companies; and what approaches can help companies unlock the full potential of women,” she said.

“Despite the sincere efforts of major corporations, the proportion of women falls quickly as you look higher in the corporate hierarchy,” she asserted. Overall, this picture has not improved for years.”

That means, of course, there are missed opportunities despite all the progress in breaking down the glass-ceiling barriers.

So, according to the study, there’s a schism – women are increasingly ambitious as they leap from entry level jobs to mid-management. But again, the talent is being ignored.

Attitudes of entry-level women workers:

• 79 percent want a promotion to the next level
• 32 percent want a leadership role
• 16 percent has longtime career goals to become a leader

Aspirations of women in mid-management jobs:

• 83 percent want to be promoted
• 51 percent want a leadership role
• 31 percent has always dreamed of being a senior manager

The study indicates that women have multiple barriers:

• Lack of role models
• Exclusion from the informal networks
• Not having a sponsor in senior management

“Managers – male and female – continue to take viable female candidates out of the running, often on the assumption that the woman can’t handle certain jobs and also discharge family obligations,” wrote Ms. Barsh. “In our Centered Leadership research, we found that many women, too, hold limiting beliefs that stand in their own way – such as waiting to fill in more skills or just waiting to be asked.”

That’s why I lamented the demise of two women executives, Carol Bartz and Carly Fiorina in Business Management Lessons from Yahoo’s Demise and Are HP’s Board and New CEO Headed in Right Direction? These situations didn’t help the case for other women to assume leadership roles.

Ms. Barsh makes another good point: Culture change is needed.

“Our evidence points to the need for systemic, organizational change,” explained Ms. Barsh. ”Companies that aspire to achieve sustained diversity balance must choose to transform their cultures. Management needs a powerful reason to believe such as the potential competitive and economic advantage from retaining the best talent.”

Therefore, in view of the stagnant economic climate, let’s hope the right people agree. Further, a lot of companies would benefit from the 6 Steps to Implement a Cultural Change for Profits.

From the Coach’s Corner, as for advice to young women, here are 7 Tips for a Young Professional to Become a CEO. Be sure to take note of the column’s postscript about getting a mentor.

“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”

-Margaret Thatcher

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Strategies: If a Valued Employee Wants a Raise, and Money’s Tight

 

In this economy, whether you operate a large or small company, trepidation of higher payroll expenses can turn your hands cold with perspiration. That’s especially true when talented employees suddenly ask for a raise. Talented workers are an asset – your human capital.

Many companies don’t have a compensation policy. And your company might be like the majority of small businesses or nonprofits in this uncertain economy – having difficulty funding even merit raises.

So what’s the right thing to do with a valued employee who asks for a raise, whether or not you’re the final decision-maker?

The first point to remember: Don’t pass the buck. You’ll either appear to be evasive or you’ll give away your power. You don’t want the reputation of being an irrelevant manager. (Further, there are 20 Tell-Tale Signs – If You’re Under-Performing as a Manager.)

Hopefully, you can establish a compensation policy, but don’t rush into it.

Meantime, in requesting a raise, employees usually mention one of a myriad of reasons:

• Their personal expenses have increased.
• They’re proud of their accomplishments, and they deserve more money.
• They think they’re underpaid compared to their peers either in your company or at other employers.
• Their newly added responsibilities warrant an increase.

Strategies to implement

You’re probably aware that an employee who asks for a raise has already launched a job search or is at least doing a cursory look for other opportunities. Don’t panic, but be aware that compensation issues are taken very personally by workers.

Thank the employee for approaching you, and offer the person a time for when you’ll have another chat. Then, roll up your sleeves and make this a priority.

Mention the issue to your boss and/or other managers in your company. Get some feedback, and monetarily analyze the circumstances.

Philosophically, know this: Each position in your company has a certain value, as determined by the marketplace. An employee’s personal finances aren’t germane in this situation. Nor is the employee’s performance, if the ceiling-value of the person’s job responsibilities has been maxed out.

If the budget is too constrained, be candid. But offer hope and Power Your Brand with Employee Empowerment.

Either way, if you determine the person is underpaid and/or you don’t want to risk losing the employee, indicate a raise is possible with some provisos.

Remember, if other employees perceive from water cooler gossip that you automatically grant raises whenever asked, you’d be in danger of setting a dangerous example. Any morale issues will be exacerbated. Other employees – valued or not – will soon be in your office lobbying for raises.

Set an appointment for another chat and plan so that it results in the employee taking more ownership. But don’t give a false promise. It the budget won’t allow for an increase and continue to discuss how to make it happen.

Clarify how raises are determined – the worth of a job’s role to the organization’s bottom-line, and the employee’s performance. Ask the employee to evaluate how the position can be increased in value to the firm, and how her/his responsibilities can be expanded to generate more value.

Once these matters reach a successful conclusion, award the pay raise.

Poor performance – if a raise is out of the question

Here’s a three-step process:

1. Empathize – acknowledge the person’s feelings.

2. Ask the employee to restate the concern in her/his own words. Why? The employee feels empathy from you and feels you’re listening; and you fully understand the concerns of the person before proceeding in the discussion.

3. Overcome the employee’s concerns with facts and relevant information. Then, ask for the employee to commit to working for improvement in the value of the job’s role to the organization, and for improved personal performance. If the employee is obstinate, you’re suddenly been warned about more problems.

Good luck.

From the Coach’s Corner, here other HR resource links:

• Many Big Companies Ripe for EEOC Complaints
• 21 Quick Tips to Avoid the Dark Side of Management
• Human Resources – Slow Motion Gets You There Faster
• Human Resources: 12 Errors to Avoid in Evaluations

If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong.

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

7 Tips for a Young Professional to Become a CEO

 

For a professional to jump to the senior-management level in the 21st century, it’s imperative to demonstrate seven core competencies. Consider them part of your personal branding for success.

It starts with speaking the language of a chief executive officer, and understanding the big-picture needs of an organization to get to the top. No, it isn’t necessary to perform at a Ph.D. level in all the competencies, but it’s important to excel in them.

The necessary core competencies for high performance are inter-related – they include:

Influential designing – At all times, it’s important to keep your ego in check so you don’t develop the reputation of a Carly Fiorina or Carol Bartz. Not only will you want to get to the top, you’ll want to stay there.

If a company culture needs changing to compete in the new global economy, a professional must understand the chain of command, and intuitively know how to communicate with a CEO like any senior manager, and ultimately the board of directors.

If change is warranted, successful professionals know how to astutely ask the right questions to get to the needed answers without alienating others. You can do this without being passive. An influential designer understands how to frame the questions and the solutions while appearing to be assertive, not aggressive. Learn the difference.

You’re there to implement strategies on directions of the CEO and the board. Executives lose their jobs when they’re incompetent in key areas and/or when they’re too ostentatious. To become a CEO and to be able to keep the job, it’s important to know how to make friends.

Resist claiming credit for any strategy successes in a gauche-like fashion.

Authoritative culture-change – You must understand your company’s situation and what needs to be changed culturally to solve marketplace problems for improved company performance.

To comprehend such challenges, you must understand a myriad of factors and issues.

For example, understand how your employees interface with your customers, and grasp Pareto’s Principle, the 80/20 rule, for revenue. In this case, you would have to know the top 20 percent of customers that provide 80 percent of the revenue. Determine what needs to change in your culture to keep these customers or attract better ones.

If you determine anything needs optimized, this is an opportunity for growth. Look for challenges to solve, and know the facts. So, you must understand what works and doesn’t work culturally, and what needs to be fine-tuned.

Additionally, consider the future and what needs to transpire in order to maximize profits for growth. You accomplish this by studying emerging trends – economically and politically – and having an acute awareness of how your culture is a fit for the marketplace.

Talent management – Naturally, your human capital is critical. This means knowing your organization design, your staff and what motivates them, and evaluating their capabilities and developing them. If employees are underperforming, then change is indicated.

Further, recruitment and retention of valued talent is, of course, crucial.

Marketplace strategies – Understanding the sales process and marketing are important in two ways: Improving revenue, and for human resources.

Yes, you must understand how to sell products and services. You must also know marketing and branding. This affects revenue, and it’s why talented performers are attracted to companies that outrival the competition.

Here are simple tests:

• Can you make a good sales call on a customer?
• Do you know your branding and value propositions?
• Do you understand how to adapt to changing demographics
• Do you know what’s needed in information technology?

Finance – Leadership requires an awareness of principles in accounting and finance. You must be able to read a balance sheet and know what creates profits.

You must be able to use technology for inventory management.

You must understand economic conditions and the impacts of financial decisions – what the market will bear.

You never want to suffer the fate of a Netflix. For astute outside observers, this was a no-brainer. The company hiked its prices in 2001, which led to an immediate decline in business. The CEO had to publicly apologize to customers.

Nor do you want your company to expand too fast. Problems can arise such as being spread too thin and not being able to supply your products. Or, you might encounter the same profitability issues like Starbucks. It cannibalized sales because its stores were too close to one another. This led to costly closures and layoffs.

Operations – You must learn your processes and how they work. And you must have a grasp of your technology and the role it plays. And you must understand the available tools in technology to reduce repetitive jobs.

If they are inadequate processes or there are problems, you must have a working knowledge of business-improvement processes – you must assess the reasons for problems, then develop and implement solutions.

By reducing operational costs, you will improve performance.

Trustworthiness – This means becoming the go-to person where you work, being able to form strategic partnerships, using ethical practices, and knowing how to develop business for revenue at the lowest cost – for profitability.

To summarize: You must understand your human capital, your firm’s financial situation, your company’s environment, emerging trends, sales and marketing, and what’s needed to tailor your practices in your value chain for a positive effect on customers.

To win, in other words, you must become intimately aware of how business makes profits and you must communicate well.

Good luck.

P.S. And by the way, look for a mentor, and remember your personal appearance counts. Dress the part. Starting now.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are more resource links:

• Career Strategies: How to Get a C-Level Job
• HR, Marketing Pros: 4 Keys to Marketing Your Ideas to CEOs
• 25 Best Practices for Better Business Writing
• Job Hunting? Tips to Land Your Dream Job with Style, Substance
• Helpful Career, Biz Tips from UCLA’s Longtime Broadcaster

“In a fast-paced world, today’s popular brand could be tomorrow’s trivia question.”

-Wayne Calloway

 

Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

Study: Unemployment Stems Partly from Deficient Worker Skills, Education

 

One in six Americans lives in poverty, according to the Census Bureau in 2011. The economy is difficult for them and others. However, in this knowledge-technology era, millions of American workers would be employed, if they kept in mind two adages.

They’re apropos for veteran and entry-level workers.

More on the adages later. First, let’s consider the startling results of a Brookings Institution study: “Education, Demand and Unemployment in Metropolitan America.” Job hunters, in many cases, are simply under-educated.

“This report provides evidence that there is an education gap in most metropolitan areas, and that this gap is responsible for higher unemployment,” wrote study co-author Jonathan Rothwell.

There are more jobs than educated workers, according to the study’s results covering 2005 to 2009. It appears to be a worsening trend.

Even with a nationwide unemployment rate, a check of help wanted ads shows countless available jobs. Why?

The study includes a chart with a caption:

“In 2009, the average U.S. job required 13.54 years of education, but the average U.S. adult over the age of 25 had attained just 13.48 years of schooling. This gap between the supply and demand for educated workers has significant consequences – metro areas with large education gaps had consistently higher unemployment rates than other metro areas from 2005 to 2011.”

If you are educated but are unemployed or under-employed, please know that I am empathetic. Yes, I know, the economy is a bummer. And yes, a lot of jobs have been outsourced overseas. But in my experience, the study is accurate for good reason.

It’s important to accept challenges, and to consider solutions.

So, here are profound mottos for success from two unlikely sources:

1. The 1946 graduating class of Watts High School in Watts, Oklahoma.
2. Michelangelo.

Watts High School motto

Families in 1940’s Watts were very poor. Starting in the 1930s, the only available jobs were the result of President Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA – Works Progress Administration. Watts had been a vibrant railroad town with a roundhouse to repair locomotives. As I understand it, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company laid off all the workers as management changed strategies.

One such family produced six siblings, which included my dear mother.

As a youngster, my mother felt fortunate to get a job working 8 hours waiting tables for $1 at her uncle’s cafe. Later, she was senior-class salutatorian and named to the state’s high school honor society – one B and the rest were A’s.

She’s now in her eighties, and has no trouble recalling her class motto: “Find a way or make one.”

Many of today’s American workers — at all skill levels — could profit by such a philosophy.

Like many others from the Great Depression, she knew to avoid debt. She worked hard, took the bus to work and saved money. Upon being divorced when I was three years old, she raised my brother and me without any assistance – welfare, food stamps or alimony. In Tulsa, when I was in elementary school, she bought a house.

When I was nine, she faced a layoff as a result of the sale of her oil-company employer. Fortunately, with her work ethic, she was offered a job in Palm Springs and soon bought a two-year-old Pontiac and a new house a half block from Bob Hope and James Stewart.

After I turned 13, she married a wise man, who told me: “It’s not how much you make, it’s how much you bring home.”

Both are now handicapped and walk rather gingerly. But my mom has the same approach to life as she did in 1946 – “Find a way or make one.”

Michelangelo’s motto

As for Michelangelo, his favorite tenet: “I am still learning.” It’s certainly apropos in this digital-age economy.

What were once considered basic job skills are no longer basic. About 30 years ago, literate workers could find employment if they were mindful of a company’s mission, and if they knew simple math.

A review of unfilled jobs – even entry level jobs – reveals that companies now require more: How to type on a computer keyboard, know how to use software, conduct research on the Internet, and have soft skills – empathy, teamwork and collaboration. To get a foothold in a company, workers often must be flexible in work hours and adapt to changing marketplace needs.

Another tip I used to my advantage when I was in the workforce long before becoming a business-performance consultant, which I still use today: Find needs of companies and provide them with solutions.

So, organizational and entrepreneurial skills are important. In addition, development of a professional presence in social media and foreign language skills in a 24/7 global economy are advantageous.

The moral: Get tougher mentally, have fun, continue to learn, be resourceful, and grow with an entrepreneurial spirit. You’ll make it, and you’ll have fun stories to tell.

Here’s a related resource link: Is Higher Education Doing the Job to Prepare Grads for the Workforce?

Here are  job-hunting strategies:

• Discouraged in Job Hunting? Powerful Tips for the Best Job
• 15 Tips to Improve Your Odds for a Job
• Job Hunting? Tips to Land Your Dream Job with Style, Substance
• Study: Best Way to Get a Job Isn’t by Networking

From the Coach’s Corner, here’s a personal case study in overcoming unemployment:

Long before becoming a business-performance consultant, I knew the pain of unemployment after being corporately downsized. That was the case even though I already done some post-grad study at UCLA with experience in radio-TV news management, and had interviewed major newsmakers including two U.S. presidents and the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. As a freelance contributor to networks, my news reports had aired nationwide.

If I needed a job, sometimes I had to get sales jobs in other industries and worked my way back into management.

In 1984, a radio station laid me off one bitter-cold winter in Salt Lake City. I had to swallow my pride and take a temp job at $4.25 an hour as a manual laborer. During lunchtime breaks, the construction workers guffawed at my unprofessional construction work-clothes. I explained I was just trying to make my car payment as an out-of-work broadcast broadcaster. Their reaction – they thought I had delusions of grandeur.

Actually, I enjoyed construction work. However, soon I accidentally dropped some heavy lumber on my foot while standing in frigid water wearing tennis shoes.

In 24 hours with the aid of crutches, I began cold-calling broadcast companies in-person. That included a nationwide-media company, where I inadvertently annoyed the human-resources manager. She barked at me: “How dare you come here without an appointment?!” To no avail, I explained that my visit was to make an appointment for an interview.

As she threw me out, I thought: “I’ll show her.” I hobbled to the second floor to cold-call the company’s local radio-station news director. Soon, he created a job for me, saying: “You’ve got a job for two weeks, and if Walter Cronkite doesn’t apply and you prove yourself, the job is yours.”

The reporter/weekend anchor shift at the 50,000-watt station was an unpalatable Wednesday to Sunday night from 2 to 11 p.m. But I worked hard while trying to be nonchalant as I watched applicants, one-by-one, walk by my work station to the boss’s office for interviews.

Suddenly, the boss left for California, and I worried because he wasn’t around to evaluate my work. Candidly, my bio rhythms were askew. I had been accustomed to a normal schedule – and running the show. When he returned, the news director summoned me to his office. I was shaking as began to tell me he had heard all about me while he was gone.

Then, he stunned me: “Your attitude is contagious,” he said. The job was mine.

When my boss escorted me down to the HR office to fill out paper work, the HR manager scowled at me. When I explained to the news director why she was unfriendly, he chortled, “Yeah, she’s a pain.” He then said he was thrilled by my gumption to bypass her.

In the ensuing three years, I won three awards and was promoted to afternoon/evening news editor and anchor where my shift earned market-leading double-digit ARB ratings. As a powerful radio station, its signal could be heard in nine western states. My parents often listened to my newscasts sitting by their wood stove.

One of those skeptical construction workers spotted me on a downtown street corner. He stared in astonishment, saying: “I heard you on the news.”

Little did he know, I enjoyed driving friends to the scene of my proud accomplishment – the medical-office building I helped to build. Even though they regularly heard me on the radio, they thought it was hysterically funny that I was proud of my manual-labor job.

Good luck! Enjoy your footwork.

“Do whatever it takes, whenever it needs to be done, regardless of whether you feel like doing it or not.”

-Greg Hickman

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry. 

 

10 Tips on Responding to EEOC Complaints

 

Despite all the court cases, warnings and complaints filed at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a study shows big companies are guilty of favoritism in their promotion practices.

It’s true that certain people are identified and groomed for promotion. But a 2011 study by Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business would indicate large companies need to be more sophisticated in their human resources programs.

My sense is that they’re leaving themselves wide open for legal action.

Ninety-two percent of the surveyed senior executives say they’ve witnessed favoritism. Eighty-four percent say they’ve seen it at their companies. But only 23 percent confess using the practice.

Research firm Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) conducted study headed by PSB’s Jonathan Gardner, who is also a grad student at the university.

“This study confirms what many have suspected – that favoritism plays a much greater role in employee advancement than companies normally portray,” Gardner said. “I hope this study will help us acknowledge the prevalence of favoritism in employee promotions so that we can find ways to better understand the role it plays.”

According to the school, 29 percent admitted they only considered one candidate in their last promotion of a person.

“When more than one candidate was considered, 56 percent said they already knew who they wanted to promote before deliberations,” said the school. “Not surprisingly, of that group, nearly all – 96 percent – report promoting the pre-selected individual.”

What were the reasons given for promoting an employee?

The top five answers:

• Has excelled in current position
• Leadership potential
• Job-related skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• History of strong performance reviews

Gardner shows some understanding of the typical executive’s dilemmas.

“Employees should keep in mind,” said Gardner, “that despite widespread favoritism, objective measures such as past performance, leadership potential, and job-related skills are viewed as key criteria by those in charge of promotion decisions, and it is important for young workers to focus their efforts on these factors that are well within their control.”

In our litigious society, however, the risks are great. Not to mention employee morale if word gets out in the rumor mill.

Here’s a basic checklist – what to do if an EEOC complaint is filed:

1. Be comprehensive with detailed, strategic responses.
2. Have a paper trail for your HR decisions. Documentation is critical.
3. Make certain your responses are accurate.
4. Show your track record’s consistency in fair treatment of employees.
5. Respectfully education the EEOC about your business – don’t assume EEOC employees understand your actions.
6. Act with confidentiality. Demonstrate your respect for individuals’ privacy.
7. Respond promptly. Don’t delay and ask for extensions of your appeal.
8. Have good lawyer, and seek advice.
9. Assuming you have insurance including employment-practices liability coverage, keep your carrier in the loop.
10. Keep all relevant documentation.

So beware.

From the Coach’s Corner, here’s How to avoid EEOC Discrimination Suits.

“Discrimination is a disease.”
-Roger Staubach

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

15 HR Strategies to Improve Your Business Performance

 

Studies show many employees are dissatisfied in their workplaces. Employee dissatisfaction, of course, will adversely affect a company’s performance.

In fact, a 2010 Hewitt Associates study indicated employee engagement is at an historical low – well, at least since the firm began researching the issue in the mid-1990s.

A lack of employee engagement means:

• Higher costly turnover
• Less focus on customer service
• Less productivity
• Weak profits.

In the UK, employees of family-operated companies have better employee relationships than other businesses. A University of Birmingham study concludes family business workers – 21 percent of the workforce – are more loyal. They are more engaged with their employers, show more commitment and have higher morale.

Another consulting firm, Mercer, concluded in its 2011 global study that 33 percent of U.S. workers are thinking about quitting their employers. Forty percent of millennials are also considering a job change.

There are countless other human resources studies with similar findings.

Higher pay and benefits are important to workers. But they’re not the greatest motivators, and employees often have more salient concerns.

So, the key is to take steps that lead to higher employee morale and performance. The bottom-line question for you: Do your employees mirror what you expect?

Assuming you’ve hired the best talent in terms of attitude, to improve your business performance, here are 15 HR strategies:

1. Be authentic, not a patronizing employer.
2. Walk the floor twice a day to engage your staff. Show empathy. Ask questions, such as “How are you?”
3. Demonstrate your listening skills with open-ended questions. (“What is the dumbest thing you are on which you’re working?” or “Where is the company wasting resources – in time or money?”)
4. Communicate what the company is doing and how it’s performing.
5. Help employees to understand how they contribute to your bottom line. Show them your company-wide objectives and how their work contributes to your company’s performance.
6. Give workers a purpose with challenges.
7. Without being verbose, teach them how you think and why.
8. Create collegial teams of workers without micromanaging them.
9. Make employees a CEO of their work. Empower them to contribute ideas and allow them as much autonomy as feasible to make decisions.
10. Encourage each employee to be customer-focused.
11. Immediately, show appreciation for good work and counsel employees following sub-par work.
12. Budget for development and training.
13. Show flexibility to enhance employee balance for career and personal life.
14. Establish an employee assistance program. Do what you can to help eliminate the employees’ stress factors so they can have maximum focus on their responsibilities. That includes financial tips. As my dad once told me: “It’s not how much you make, it’s how much you bring home.”
15. Employees know who their toxic co-workers are. Don’t let the toxic workers hurt your workplace environment.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are more management suggestions:

• 20 Tell-Tale Signs – If You’re Under-Performing as a Manager
• 21 Quick Tips to Avoid the Dark Side of Management
• Human Resources – Profit By Not Letting Your Stars Become Free Agents
• Boss Checklist: 16 Strategies for a Competitive Edge
• Human Resources: 12 Errors to Avoid in Evaluations 

“So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.”

-Peter Drucker 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

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