Recruit, Inspire & Retain

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Meet Your New Employee

Some marketing experts say that the buying patterns of the post-recession consumer will long be affected by reduced disposable income and changing ethical and environmental values. Similarly, attitudes and motives of post-recession employees may be significantly altered by joblessness or anxiety about job security, according to some HR and management thought leaders.

During a recession, workers become cautious and less likely to leave their current organizations. The latest downturn has been no exception. According to data from the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Human Capital Benchmarking Database, median turnover dropped from 17 % in 2007 to 8 percent by the end of 2008. Meanwhile, SHRM’s 2009 Employee Job Satisfaction survey report shows that job security has become the most important job satisfaction factor for employees.

But when an economy begins to recover, turnover tends to pick up, and employees become more open to taking risks to move ahead. At the same time, however, the stresses experienced during the downturn may continue to influence employee behaviors and drivers for many years.

This may be especially true for those just beginning their careers. Some economists have shown that entering the job market during a recession or being laid off in such a time has a lasting impact on lifetime earnings. Mindful of that possibility, tomorrow’s workers may be more inclined than workers in previous generations to seek security in potential employers.

On the other hand, entering the job market at a time of great insecurity may have the opposite effect. It may force job seekers to become acclimated to constant change and few guarantees. They may be more open to a variety of opportunities.

For example, many young U.S. college graduates have begun to look to emerging economies such as India and China as good places to start their careers. Others are accepting jobs in fields they had not envisioned for themselves or at levels for which they feel overqualified. Such trends could lead to a more flexible and adaptable generation of workers.

After the recession, the recently hired college graduate, the laid-off worker and the long-term employee could share one trait: When deciding whom to work for, they could pay close attention to how companies treated employees when times were tough.

Employers that strove to avoid layoffs, preserve benefits and improve employee morale during the most challenging months of the recession will be seen as good companies to work for.

Companies seen as having done poorly in managing the people aspects of the recession, especially layoffs, may find it harder to attract high-quality job candidates and may be affected by high turnover once the job market heats up.

From HR Magazine, October 2009

Get more tips on recruiting great employees from TRAINING SYSTEMS.

Two Roads
by Henry Lewis+

There are two roads by which we can travel through life.

One road is broad, easy to travel, has no speed limit, nor restrictions of any kind. We are free to do anything we wish on this road. We can rush along pushing and bumping people out of our way, or we can drift along satisfying our normal desires without asking many questions, without setting many distant goals. Like a modern expressway with no toll gates, it costs nothing to travel this road. There are always crowds of people upon it, some rushing over its surface they know not where, others picnicking or loafing on its sides and never cleaning up their refuse. This avenue through life is the all-inclusive way, the well-travelled way. Life on it is melodramatic and sensational, frustrating, and dull.

The other road through life is narrow, hard to travel, has speed limits and restrictions. We are not free on this road to do anything we please. It requires personal discipline and extravagant sacrifices. It costs to get on it and it costs to stay on it. We are not free to push others out of our way nor to satisfy our normal desires. Like an old country lane with its ruts and holes that have never been smoothed out or filled in, there are obstacles along this road which must be surmounted before we can travel far. This lane is lonely. There are never crowds on it. It is the exclusive way, the untravelled way. Those who journey on it find nothing sensational, but they journey with confidence and hope.

We cannot take these two roads at the same time. We have to make up our minds which to take, and then take it. It is always a question of which road it shall be. The answer to this question depends upon what we want. If we want life’s shallows, we will choose the all-inclusive way. If we want life’s depths, we will choose the exclusive way. We cannot travel both. We have to make a choice.

As Robert Frost wrote:

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I     
I took the one less travelled by
And that has made all the difference."

Let us know if you institute any of these or if they give you an idea for something else – or if you’re already doing something that engages employees and we should hear about how you do it.

Get more tips on INSPIRIng great employees from TRAINING SYSTEMS.

 Carolyn Thompson’s reading:

The Art of the Start: the Time-Tested, Battle Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki

The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics by Riane Tennenhaus Eisler

The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan

The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business by Tara Hunt

 Efficient Learning

The current economic situation is forcing training departments to develop the greatest number of people in the fastest and most efficient way. During the 2001 recession, e-learning took off. It has continued to grow at a steady pace because it accommodates the 3 distinct learning styles—auditory, visual, and kinesthetic—and is a more efficient form of training for globally dispersed audiences. It also enables continual access and reuse of content, which is one of the top changes made in learning departments to gain efficiency. This is the time to focus on informal and collaborative learning programs.

The current economy is opening up new opportunities for informal learning, e-learning, collaboration, mobile learning, and blended learning. "I think this is the opportunity for Web 2.0 to take hold," says Jeanne Meister, founding editor of New Learning Playbook. "I have seen Twitter used as an online support tool—following a more traditional learning class—to get the contact information of all the participants. They are then part of a community that can share issues that crop up. "Web 2.0 tools are free, open, and supported by the newest generation in the workforce," Meister adds. "A research study I conducted on millennials showed that next to salary, the biggest benefit for them at work is training and development. There is a mindset that once they enter a company, they want to learn as much as they can. They are putting pressure on their managers to increase the company’s spending on learning and development."

Many learning departments are experiencing pushback from their executives about implementing Web 2.0 as a learning tool, so you will need to be prepared to sell this option to your company’s top brass. To do that, Meister says, WLP professionals need to answer the following questions before creating a business plan to integrate social networking tools into traditional training programs: Are your company’s competitors using Web 2.0 tools? • If so, how? Is your company using Web 2.0 tools for marketing? • • Can you empower the learning and development team with Web 2.0 tools, such as an internal Facebook group, a wiki, or a micro-blog?

"There is a lot of nice-to-do and need-to-do—learning executives should make sure they protect the need-to-do," says Rosenberg. "That list of need-to-do items needs to be generated by senior management and dictated by business goals. It may be better to do fewer, more impactful projects—things that have long-term payoff and attack real problems—than do a wide array of projects that may meet the needs of a smaller population." In the next 12 months, Meister says it is important when creating or examining training programs, to ask, "What can I do that will cost less, be innovative, and have a real impact on performance and productivity?"

Get more tips on TRAINing great employees from TRAINING SYSTEMS.

 Current Takes

I’ve read so many great pull quotes the past couple months (I guess a down economy forces us all to only make time to read the really large print!):

"I really believe in the no spin zone. With the ability for fact-checking, with the way the world works in communications and the power of the crowd, there’s no room for spin. You’ve got to hit it down the middle of the fairway." Jeffrey Brundage, American Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Human Resources.	Mental toughness — the capacity to respond positively to multiple, sometimes conflicting pressures to deliver consistently high levels of performance — has become an essential attribute for future leaders
Talent Management should be managed through two lenses: one for the organization and one for the individual focused on career development. The economy has led many organizations to neglect the individual lens. This is a mistake, as a development options are key to retention and growth.	Fundamental to Chart’s goal-setting process is the notion that the employee has primary responsibility for developing goals and ensuring that goals are reviewed, discussed and revised throughout the year as appropriate.
"The fallout from the actions employers have taken in response to the recession is now coming to light, and it is significant," said Laura Sejen, global director of strategic rewards consulting at Watson Wyatt.	Employee engagement levels among all employers dropped 9 percent since 2008 and have plunged close to 25% among top performers.

from Talent Management 9/09, 10/09, HR Magazine 11/09, HR Executive 11/09

Get more tips on reTAINing great employees from TRAINING SYSTEMS.

January 7-8, 2010
Exceptional Boards: Strengthening the Governance Team, InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, http://www.asaecenter.org/ProgramsEvents

January 14-17, 2010
35^th Annual International Conference: New Frontiers in Learning and Innovation, Houston, TX, http://www.ialearn.org

February 1-3, 2010
Training Magazine Training 2010 Conference & Expo, San Diego, CA, http://www.TrainingMagEvents.com

March 3-5, 2010
Strategies 2010 Conference by Talent Management and Diversity Executive, the W Atlanta Midtown, Atlanta GA, www.talentmgt.com/events

March 7-9, 2010
Great Ideas Conference, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, CO, http://www.greatideasconference.org/

March 21-24, 2010
ACA 2010 International Conference, Philadelphia, PA, http://www.amcreativityassoc.org/2010Conf-overview.html

May 10-11, 2010
Training Magazine Training Leadership Summit, Wild Horse Pass Resort, Phoenix AZ, http://www.TrainingMagEvents.com

June 27-30, 2010
SHRM 62^nd Annual Conference & Exposition, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, http://www.shrm.org/CONFERENCES/annual/Pages/default.aspx

www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil has a list of hundreds of organizations that support the military. The Yellow Ribbon Fund is one such group and focuses on injured service members and their families.

PODCAST: MORE GREEN TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE OFFICE, http://www.Inc.com/keyword/jun08

B.I.G. ON BOOKS is an organization that promotes literacy in underprivileged countries, primarily Africa, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. You can donate books through most Rotary Clubs. B.I.G. also accepts cash donations. Send email to Steve Frantzich at frantzic@usna.edu for more information.

Kicking World Hunger is the biggest soccer juggle-a-thon in the world (uh, that we know of), much like a walk-a-thon, but more fun! Participants sign up to juggle a soccer ball thousands of times while raising money to provide hope for children and communities that desperately need it. http://www.firstgiving.com/kickingworldhunger

Going Green At Work

◘        find ecofriendly building materials and services at http://www.rateitgreen.com

◘        buy ecofriendly office supplies (like recycled paper) at http://www.thegreenoffice.com

◘        work from home ideas at http://www.treehugger.com

◘        find jobs and volunteer opportunities with socially responsible organizations at http://www.idealist.org

◘        Reduce paperwork by invoicing, & paying employees & bills electronically (Training Systems, Inc. now invoices exclusively by email and is close to paying everyone by credit card, PayPal, or automatic debit from checking account).

◘        Encourage employees to use public transportation.

◘        Use ceiling fans to reduce air-conditioning costs

◘        Reduce your hot water heater temperature by 2 degrees and insulate the tank.

◘        Use energy-saving light bulbs

Charity Navigator (http://charitynavigator.org) is an in-depth, searchable guide to more than 5,000 charities worldwide that aims to encourage “intelligent giving”. They rate charities based on their total expenses, revenues, and organizational capacity. If you want to give, but the recent slew of charity scandals has you feeling skeptical about where your money would go.

Take Pride T-Shirts (http://www.takepride.com) was founded by a group of friends who all share the belief that the more difficult the mission facing our military, the more deserving they are of our thanks and support. Each unique shirt design provides a glimpse into the life of a different US Service member who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and is hand silk-screened. The message of the shirts isn’t political, it’s about acknowledging, celebrating, and taking pride in the spirit of young Americans who despite facing an extremely difficult job and unpleasant conditions, nonetheless strive to do their job well. Take Pride gives at least 20% of profits to charities and causes that assist combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Set a reminder to visit http://www.thebreastcancersite.com daily and click this button to help underprivileged women get mammograms.

volunteermatch.org helps you find organizations in your area that spark your interest in volunteering.

momsrising.org fights for family-friendly programs and policies at work.

mygooddeed.org honors the heroes and victims of 9/11, by giving ideas for good deeds to perform.

kiva.org helps entrepreneurs by connecting them with backers for short term loans

guidestar.org and charitablechoices.org both make sure the organizations you’re supporting are legit and give the bulk of their money to their mission

Global Volunteers (http://www.globalvolunteers.org)

You can:

☞      select by type of work project

☞      select by country and date

☞      select by service program conditions

☞      select by cost

RECYCLING

Earth 911 lets you search for recyclers by type and area code, http://www.earth911.org

Recycle yogurt containers and old toothbrushes!

Recycline’ Preserve partnered with Stonyfield Farm and is recycling yogurt containers into toothbrush handles. Old toothbrushes are used to make plastic lumber for picnic tables. Go to http://www.recycline.com for details.

Responsibly Dispose of Your Old Electronics

Donate Old Cell Phones

911 Cell Phone Bank provide free emergency cell phones to needful people through partnerships with law enforcement organizations, http://www.911CellPhoneBank.com

Recycle PCs, cell phones, printers, CDs, diskettes, etc. with GreenDisk. For $29.95, they send a 70-pound-capacity box. When it’s full, you download postage from their website and ship it back. Your “junk” then goes to workshops for the disabled and are refurbished. http://www.greendisk.com

Donate PCs to National Cristina Foundation, http://www.cristina.org; Goodwill, www.goodwill.org, Salvation Army, www.satruck.com/MakeDonation.asp.

Recycle PCs and other computer products at Hewlett Packard and Dell. See their websites for details.
 

Several other places to recycle old PCs: www.earth911.org, www.eiae.org
 

Find local Electronics recyclers at http://www.earth911.org and http://www.ebay.com/rethink

 

 

EASY TO BE GREEN!

K     www.eartheasy.com has great tips on green cleaning.

K     www.greendimes.com & www.41pounds.org will help you get off junk mail lists.

K     www.thegreenguide.com has tips on every facet of green living.

K     www.energystar.gov gives advice on replacing old light bulbs w/energy efficient bulbs.

K     www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower provides comprehensive “green power” info.

K     www.globalwarming.org urges the use of recycled paper.

K     www.arborday.org helps you plant trees to save the environment.

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