How will economic, social and demographic trends change for our workforce by 2020? Which key factors would you recommend that our organization focus on to meet the needs of our future workforce?
—Sleepless in Tacoma, Washington
—Sleepless in Tacoma, Washington
The truth is that a full response to this question could be the subject of a book. But for the near-term future, there are a number of issues for you to keep in mind. First, people are scared.
Most organizations don't have a clue just how insecure people feel about their economic futures, and that insecurity is hurting productivity.
So what should you do about it? Reassure people with the truth about the financial stability of your organization. If you must reduce the force, then over-communicate. Make sure that you keep people informed so that they feel "in" on things. Also, better days are coming and people should know that we have been in a similar situation in the past.
Second, the new generations have different values and see employment differently. As we move into the future, a growing number of older workers are moving out of the employment arena and more young people will be moving in. That means that companies will need to adjust.
Training for these young people will be most effective when packaged in gaming and simulation. This is only one example of how their presence will affect the workplace.
Third, the single most critical issue facing corporate America is the dire need for workforce development. Our schools have failed to educate our young people. We have folks graduating from high schools and colleges who cannot read and write.
We actually have millions of people who are perfectly trained and very capable of handling jobs that no longer exist. Thus, these folks need to be retrained or prepared for the balance of their lives.
Your role—and you will have no choice but to accept it—will be to support workforce development by offering training in basic skills as well as advanced training.
Finally, this lack of trained personnel will aggravate the already severe shortages of skilled workers.
Even with widespread layoffs, we have significant shortages in many occupations. This situation is not going to get better; on the contrary, we can expect a worsening problem, reflected in longer times-to-fill, shorter windows for hiring, and much greater cost to replace valued employees.
The answer will be to "grow your own" talent.
SOURCE: Joyce Gioia, Greensboro, North Carolina, November 3, 2008
Most organizations don't have a clue just how insecure people feel about their economic futures, and that insecurity is hurting productivity.
So what should you do about it? Reassure people with the truth about the financial stability of your organization. If you must reduce the force, then over-communicate. Make sure that you keep people informed so that they feel "in" on things. Also, better days are coming and people should know that we have been in a similar situation in the past.
Second, the new generations have different values and see employment differently. As we move into the future, a growing number of older workers are moving out of the employment arena and more young people will be moving in. That means that companies will need to adjust.
Training for these young people will be most effective when packaged in gaming and simulation. This is only one example of how their presence will affect the workplace.
Third, the single most critical issue facing corporate America is the dire need for workforce development. Our schools have failed to educate our young people. We have folks graduating from high schools and colleges who cannot read and write.
We actually have millions of people who are perfectly trained and very capable of handling jobs that no longer exist. Thus, these folks need to be retrained or prepared for the balance of their lives.
Your role—and you will have no choice but to accept it—will be to support workforce development by offering training in basic skills as well as advanced training.
Finally, this lack of trained personnel will aggravate the already severe shortages of skilled workers.
Even with widespread layoffs, we have significant shortages in many occupations. This situation is not going to get better; on the contrary, we can expect a worsening problem, reflected in longer times-to-fill, shorter windows for hiring, and much greater cost to replace valued employees.
The answer will be to "grow your own" talent.
SOURCE: Joyce Gioia, Greensboro, North Carolina, November 3, 2008
