February 16, 2011

Edited and Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Published by Success Performance Solutions.

What's Inside this issue of The Total View:

1. Hiring In 2011 - A Buyer's Or A Seller's Market?

2. Workforce Trends

3. What Motivates Employees

4. Annual Performance Reviews Simplified!

5. Leadership Guide and Workbooks for Managing Geeks, Geezers & Googlization!

Hiring In 2011 - A Buyer's Or A Seller's Market?

More businesses are hiring, less are firing.  Now a debate seems to be brewing about the level of pay required to attract top talent.

One economics writer just reported that "companies planning to ramp up this year will have an added luxury; their choice from a flood of applicants, without having to pay a premium for top talent."  It's a fact that the supply exceeds job openings.  But the assumption that employers won't have to pay more to attract and retain peak performers is tenuous.

The recession did help many organizations scale back middle class wages to levels not seen in over a decade. Even union strongholds like GM are rethinking how they pay unionized workers. For others, the recession offered an excuse to do what they formerly were reluctant to try - lay off workers in exchange for more automation and outsourcing.  Whichever the cause, the effect has been a very long and crowded unemployment line.

But is this really the situation across the board?  Despite the media's fascination with pointing out that five unemployed workers are competing for each available job, many businesses still equate the search for top talent to finding a needle in a haystack.  Unemployment is far from a level playing field. Helpers in the construction trades (36% unemployment rate in 2010) and telemarketers (34.8%) find themselves competing with thousands of others.  Employers in these industries have a choice.

That's not the case for employers seeking to hire real estate appraisers and locomotive engineers.  The unemployment rate for these two positions was a measly 0.4%.   The competition for physicians, dentists, speech and occupational therapists, and operations research analysts remains high as well. Each of these occupations has an unemployment rate of less than 2.0%.   The market for registered nurses (2.1%) is tight, as is precision instrument and equipment repairers (2.4%), secondary school teachers (2.5%), database administrators (2.9%), and chemists (3.1%).  In fact a list of occupations surveyed by the U.S. Labor Department with an unemployment less than 5.0% exceeds 100.

The job market has structurally changed. Employers have changed their job requirements. Old jobs have more requirements. New jobs have different requirements. You can't hire a typesetter and production line worker to do accounting and nursing without re-training and re-education. And many workers, who were top talent just a few years ago, lack the skills required to do today's jobs. 

The result:  top talent in many industries is still very hard to come by. They can and still demand higher salaries and more benefits.  Top talent has choices. Employers shouldn't expect that all top talent will be begging and groveling for jobs. Securing and retaining top talent will require offering wages and benefits that are fair and competitive.  Hedging your recruitment and compensation strategies based on a national average is laden with risks.

Workforce Trends

About 1 in 5 Americans still smoke, and smoking remains the leading cause of preventable deaths. And employees who smoke cost, on average, $3,391 more a year each for health care and lost productivity, according to federal estimates.  

For more  workforce and hiring trends, visit Perfect Labor Storm website and Perfect Labor Storm blog.

What Motivates Employees

Business values and motivators determine the "why" of human behavior.  
 

For managers, Business Values and Motivators answers the nagging question - How can I motivate my employees?  
 

For employees and individuals looking to re-energize their careers, the Business Values and Motivators report helps them understand what they value most.  As people, we tend to value certain viewpoints positively and judge others negatively.   How we value or judge determines our motivations and provide us with our sources of energy or conflicts and stress in our personal and professional lives.
 

What are Business Motivators? Read more.

Annual Performance Reviews Simplified!

Save time, increase productivity, and eliminate hassles when administering employee performance reviews with HReviewer.

Ask any manager what he or she hates most about the job and you'll often hear "performance reviews."   That's why we've created HReviewer.

We recognized a huge gap in the performance evaluation market between paper forms and online performance management. 

HReviewer is a user-friendly, centralized online solution to streamline and improve the annual, semi-annual or periodic review for small to medium sized organizations. It's convenient and very affordable too.  Our goal was simple: to help take the hassle out of getting managers to complete performance appraisal forms and giving employees more frequent feedback. 

The system comes with a library of competencies, an easy to use form creator, at-a-glance dashboards and reports, and a built-in reminder system to help HR track down managers when reviews are due....or past due!

More about HReviewer or Email us to schedule a FREE demo. 

Just Released!  Leader Guide and Workbooks for Managing Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization

Start the New Year out right. The leading edge of Baby Boomers start turning 65 in just a few weeks. Make 2011 the year of managing successfully the wired, the tired, and technology!

For the first time in history, four generations are co-mingling in the workplace. Capitalizing on each generation's strengths is a must. Minimizing generational clash points is a necessity. Keeping each generation engaged and motivated is critical.

Learn more....

Consultants and Trainers?  Contact us about our reseller and certification program.