‘Office Management’
October 28th, 2009 in Office Management No Comments
The Millennial generation enters the workforce with a new set of skills and a different kind of work ethic than previous generations. Over the next five years their effect will be profound, as over 58 million millennials become employed in the U.S. alone. This article explores what the likely impact of this workplace transformation will be.
It begins by looking at the events and circumstances that influenced these Gen-Yers as they grew up. The millennials are the first true “children of technology,” growing up with the instant communication of cell phones and smart phones and the “highly-charged feedback of video games.” Used to a fast-paced energized environment, they revolutionized texting and instant messaging and frustrated their elders who were used to the more sedate email and voicemail. Millennials are also used to a constant flow of encouragement and positive feedback from parents and teachers and expect this type of support on the job. They were greatly affected by the “herding” phenomena of the 1990s and 2000s — including team sports, team projects and group dates – which have gotten them used to more teamwork and collaboration than previous generations.
The scions of “helicopter parents” who made their children’s major decisions, completed their projects and even did their homework, millennials have come to rely on demanding yet trusting relationships with their elders, an attitude that the author believes can extend into the workplace. Other positives from employing millennials are identified by the author:
- They bring a new energy into the workplace.
- They are very task-oriented when instructed clearly.
- They are tech savvy, making them highly efficient and natural tech mentors to other generations.
- They naturally “speak the language” and know the needs of their fellows in the large and growing millennial target market.
The article advises managers to take extra care that millennials understand the mission before them. Managers must create a fast-paced, energetic culture that will ultimately benefit all working generations. The article ends with a list of ways managers can attract, retain and train millennials to the betterment of the company and its bottom line.
Source: Joanne G. Sujansky, Super Vision (Burlington); Oct, 2009
October 19th, 2009 in Office Management No Comments
After The Chaotic Cutting Of The Latest Recession, Many Employers Are Looking At Workforce Planning
The current recession took much of the world by surprise, and in the midst of the freefall many firms made precipitous people cuts that cost them key talent and hindered their future growth. This article explores the renewed interest in workforce planning software, whose tools help companies handle the ups and downs of business demand and keep firms moving forward in good times and in bad.
Readers are first introduced to the nature of workforce planning software and its ability to forecast the number and kind of employees a firm will need in the near- and long-term. The software is designed to home in on key job families or skills that will be required, allowing firms to experiment with different scenarios, determining what workforce risks or costs might result from taking steps such as eliminating a business unit or entering a new geographical market. The author discusses short-term, operational workforce planning designed for mergers or restructuring and longer-term strategic workforce planning designed to help firms meet the challenges of shifting demographics or anticipated future technological trends. The major players for both planning types are noted, with the author descrying the lack of long-term planning in many organizations [82 percent of them according to one study] that caused companies to “binge on talent” in good times and “purge talent” in difficult times.
Readers are then introduced to some of the intricacies of long-term planning, where companies use “environmental scans” that consider external factors like regulatory, political or business trends that can affect the supply and demand for talent. Once companies figure out what data sources to use in their calculations and how to weigh them they typically create a number of scenarios and categorize their talent into:
- Strategic Roles – critical to long-term success;
- Key Roles – crucial to short-term results;
- Core Roles – marginal to business priorities but nonetheless necessary; and
- Non-Core Roles – that can be targets for training or cutting.
Recognizing the costly nature of a short-term focus many organizations are now “seriously thinking about workforce planning as a foundation for both a short-term fix and a long-term strategy.” This interest intensifies as firms work harder to identify and retain key performers. One recent study found that only half of companies have the necessary workforce data readily available to make immediate decisions such as layoffs. Bad decisions in this recession have companies putting their money where their minds are, with all the major workforce planning software companies reporting double digit growth in 2009.
Examples are provided of workforce strategy development, implementation and results. The advantages of going with a niche versus a comprehensive software provider are discussed, as are the ways to capture and preserve the positive facets of a firm’s culture.
Source: Ed Frauenheim, Workforce Management; Oct 19, 2009
September 15th, 2009 in Office Management No Comments
This article focuses on how best to “gen-blend” the three generations in today’s workforce. Successful cross-generational team-building efforts are examined that aim for a mix of skills, expertise and experience, where everyone participates in an environment where the senior people can learn what the younger generation can bring to the table. The young impart technical skills to older workers while letting them learn about their values, behaviors and ideals.
Readers encounter one company that launched a digital reverse-mentoring program where tech-savvy university students were brought in to tutor senior executives on changing trends in digital technology and how to use social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
The author notes that this sort of team-building is concentrated in technology, engineering and energy companies where tech knowledge transfer is particularly vital. She believes that these efforts can be enhanced when senior employees engage in a traditional mentoring relationship with junior employees. The Gen-Yers value the insights and guidance while the senior managers in turn get re-energized.
Source: Rebecca Knight, Financial Times (London); Sep 15, 2009
September 10th, 2009 in Office Management No Comments
This article builds on the results of a new survey conducted by Nucleus Research, Inc., a Boston technology and advisory firm, concerning Facebook usage by office workers. Some of the more interesting findings:
- 77 percent of respondents had Facebook accounts.
- Of those, nearly two-thirds accessed Facebook during work hours, spending an average of 15 minutes daily on the site.
- 87 percent of those accessing Facebook during business hours couldn’t define a clear business reason for doing so.
- 6 percent of Facebook users only accessed Facebook at work, meaning one of every 33 office workers built their entire Facebook profile during work hours.
Source: Anonymous, Machine Design; Sep 10, 2009
