On Monday, we'll celebrate the 128th Labor Day, and with it, the end of summer, the start of a new school year, and for the sports fans out there, the kickoff to the NFL and college football seasons. Labor Day is also celebrated as a day off for most people, and with the prospect of a three-day weekend lingering, I'm sure most of you are itching to pack up your desks, and head home (or to the beach) for a long weekend of barbecues, fireworks and reminiscing about the days of summer. So let's get right to it.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its August unemployment report this morning, indicating another 54,000 jobs lost. This number was less than had been anticipated, but didn't provide much relief for workers this Labor Day weekend. The jobless rate also rose to 9.6 percent, up one-tenth of a percent from July.
Here are a few other reports we've been reading about.
Employee engagement: Actions speak louder than words
In the August issue of Talent Management, Michael Arkes wrote a great Viewpoint article on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employee engagement. In it, he highlights several studies that demonstrate the significant impact that CSR has on employee engagement.
This analysis is significant to me because it points out the impact that action has above communications or reactive efforts toward employee retention.
CSR requires that a company takes significant steps to engage the outside world to understand how they can make a difference. While this alone is praiseworthy, the big payback comes when the CSR efforts align with what the employees feel is important.
As the employees see this engagement, they, too, are encouraged to become a part of the action and thus become more engaged. And it doesn't have to be about a major CSR initiative; it can just be about things that are important to the employees, whether locally or personally.
This analysis is significant to me because it points out the impact that action has above communications or reactive efforts toward employee retention.
CSR requires that a company takes significant steps to engage the outside world to understand how they can make a difference. While this alone is praiseworthy, the big payback comes when the CSR efforts align with what the employees feel is important.
As the employees see this engagement, they, too, are encouraged to become a part of the action and thus become more engaged. And it doesn't have to be about a major CSR initiative; it can just be about things that are important to the employees, whether locally or personally.
Back to school: Evaluating the basics of hiring, staffing, and supplying talent
This time next week the roads in and around Philadelphia will be packed with school buses, creating heavier traffic and longer commute times. The streets near our office will be teeming with students who attend the myriad of neighborhood middle schools, high schools, and community college. It is, as an office supply store used to comically quip in their advertisements, the most wonderful time of the year for parents: back to school.
Our weekly editorial meetings typically start off with some small talk. Some of the contributors are parents, so for them, back to school comes with some necessary responsibilities. Naturally, the conversation recently turned to some of those anecdotes. The discussion then shifted to what this time of year really means. Across the board, the common theme was that it typically is seen as the time to get back to the basics.
For students and parents alike, leading up to the first day of school frequently means taking inventory of the summer time status quo in order to determine what needs to be realigned to get back to the simple day-to-day basics that help get the school year off to a good start. I know enough teachers to understand that this is a reality of their preparation as well.
Before we knew it, the conversation slipped into what basics needed to be returned to in the world of hiring staff and managing talent. So today I introduce you to another new series, "Back to school: Evaluating the basics of hiring, staffing, and supplying talent."
The series will offer perspectives from those working with suppliers of temporary talent, hiring managers, and human resources, to name a few. By offering some recommendations for squaring away the basics, we hope to get your school year off to a great start.
Our weekly editorial meetings typically start off with some small talk. Some of the contributors are parents, so for them, back to school comes with some necessary responsibilities. Naturally, the conversation recently turned to some of those anecdotes. The discussion then shifted to what this time of year really means. Across the board, the common theme was that it typically is seen as the time to get back to the basics.
For students and parents alike, leading up to the first day of school frequently means taking inventory of the summer time status quo in order to determine what needs to be realigned to get back to the simple day-to-day basics that help get the school year off to a good start. I know enough teachers to understand that this is a reality of their preparation as well.
Before we knew it, the conversation slipped into what basics needed to be returned to in the world of hiring staff and managing talent. So today I introduce you to another new series, "Back to school: Evaluating the basics of hiring, staffing, and supplying talent."
The series will offer perspectives from those working with suppliers of temporary talent, hiring managers, and human resources, to name a few. By offering some recommendations for squaring away the basics, we hope to get your school year off to a great start.
Hey Gartner, the future is here
At an upcoming IT Summit in September, Gartner analysts are set to discuss the changing nature of work and describe how the working world will dramatically change in the next decade (10 changes in the next 10 years). The release that announces the upcoming event uses words like "hyperconnectedness" and "de-routinization," both of which are not recognized by my spell checker -- a good indication that it's becoming harder and harder to find old words to describe new phenomena. But basically, they are describing the frantic and chaotic workplace of the future.
The report was focused on organizations in general, with a slant toward IT. But while reading it, I couldn't help envisioning myself wearing a headset and some type of mobile keyboard and monitor thing slung over my shoulder like a drummer in a marching band. (Hey, did I just invent something?)
As I link up with my "swarm," I hand out the assignments and frantically type on my keyboard, trying to finish my own tasks. I'm connected with everyone, but at the same time, no one. I can't afford to get too deep.
While I try to influence the collective, I bust out with some spontaneous work and try to detect divergent patterns in the collective's work processes. I mock-up some simulated "sketch-ups" and move on.
As I link up with my "swarm," I hand out the assignments and frantically type on my keyboard, trying to finish my own tasks. I'm connected with everyone, but at the same time, no one. I can't afford to get too deep.
While I try to influence the collective, I bust out with some spontaneous work and try to detect divergent patterns in the collective's work processes. I mock-up some simulated "sketch-ups" and move on.
Update on tech jobs in Silicon Valley
Mike Manoske, IT Business Development Manager for Yoh in San Jose, is back again with another review of the market for software engineering and IT jobs in the Silicon Valley and throughout the Bay Area.
Not entirely surprising, tech job growth remains slow. While overall software engineering jobs posted a 5 percent gain in the month of August, growth slowed considerably or declined in almost every category. The only exception being FLEX jobs, which posted a whopping 300 percent jump and could signal a big move toward Rich Internet Applications (RIA) development.
IT and networking jobs continue to decline. And while desktop support showed strong growth in Mike's last report, jobs in this area dropped 11 percent.
Overall, we are seeing that the recession still has a significant impact on tech jobs in the Valley. However, Microsoft 7 might just move the needle. As companies start to go through PC refreshes and make the move to Windows 7, desktop support and development initiatives should gain some much needed steam.
Not entirely surprising, tech job growth remains slow. While overall software engineering jobs posted a 5 percent gain in the month of August, growth slowed considerably or declined in almost every category. The only exception being FLEX jobs, which posted a whopping 300 percent jump and could signal a big move toward Rich Internet Applications (RIA) development.
IT and networking jobs continue to decline. And while desktop support showed strong growth in Mike's last report, jobs in this area dropped 11 percent.
Overall, we are seeing that the recession still has a significant impact on tech jobs in the Valley. However, Microsoft 7 might just move the needle. As companies start to go through PC refreshes and make the move to Windows 7, desktop support and development initiatives should gain some much needed steam.
You can take this job and shove it! How to address resume blemishes
On Tuesday, Aug. 10, Steven Slater, a JetBlue flight attendant quit his job in a way that many of us might dream of at times, but would never actually do. He swore at a passenger, deployed the emergency exit, got into his car, and rode off into the sunset -- or at least part way into the sunset before being picked up by police and arrested for reckless endangerment.
OK, so this is an extreme example, but once you've been in the workforce for a decade or two, most of us keep our own "Steven Slater skeleton" in the closet. We all have our buttons and over time, when repeatedly pushed, we might be driven to the brink of sanity, causing a temporary lapse in judgment. No one likes being sworn at, belittled, or told to wear 27 pieces of flare. And sometimes, we might handle it in a way that is less than professional.
Whether you are Steven Slater, or someone who quit with complete professionalism because you didn't like your boss, you now have a blemish on your resume. And that blemish will come up with future employers asking about your work history.
OK, so this is an extreme example, but once you've been in the workforce for a decade or two, most of us keep our own "Steven Slater skeleton" in the closet. We all have our buttons and over time, when repeatedly pushed, we might be driven to the brink of sanity, causing a temporary lapse in judgment. No one likes being sworn at, belittled, or told to wear 27 pieces of flare. And sometimes, we might handle it in a way that is less than professional.
Whether you are Steven Slater, or someone who quit with complete professionalism because you didn't like your boss, you now have a blemish on your resume. And that blemish will come up with future employers asking about your work history.
Going undercover to evaluate cost to value of temporary labor
Today's post is inspired by a recent episode I caught of Undercover Boss. For those of you who have not seen the show, it places a CEO of a large company undercover in his own company in a variety of different roles.
This was the first time I had seen the show, and this particular episode was a repeat of a one that ran earlier in the year. What made me stop when I stumbled across it was that a former colleague of mine is on the executive staff of the firm this episode profiled. The full episode is available online, but to summarize, the CEO was Michael Rubin of GSI Commerce, a provider of e-commerce and interactive marketing services for many premier brands and retailers such as Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
Rubin went undercover into some of the company's order fulfillment facilities doing everything from picking products, packaging them, loading trucks, and handling escalated customer services calls. There were, of course, the obligatory lessons learned by the boss, mostly around the personal stories of the employees he interacted with. So the show most certainly plays on the emotional reality that exists in any workforce. And while some might find that a little cheesy (for lack of a better word), I actually found it to be inspiring, as well as a compelling show.
This was the first time I had seen the show, and this particular episode was a repeat of a one that ran earlier in the year. What made me stop when I stumbled across it was that a former colleague of mine is on the executive staff of the firm this episode profiled. The full episode is available online, but to summarize, the CEO was Michael Rubin of GSI Commerce, a provider of e-commerce and interactive marketing services for many premier brands and retailers such as Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
Rubin went undercover into some of the company's order fulfillment facilities doing everything from picking products, packaging them, loading trucks, and handling escalated customer services calls. There were, of course, the obligatory lessons learned by the boss, mostly around the personal stories of the employees he interacted with. So the show most certainly plays on the emotional reality that exists in any workforce. And while some might find that a little cheesy (for lack of a better word), I actually found it to be inspiring, as well as a compelling show.
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