Welcome to the April 4, 2007 issue of The Total View

Published by Success Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Visit our Human Resources Blog and Perfect Labor Storm Blog where we can post daily (and more often) human resource updates, news, and Perfect Labor Storm facts. 

What's Inside:

1.   Not Appearing in a Workplace Near You

This past Sunday I had the rewarding and enjoyable opportunity to be a presenter at the National Business Incubation Association's International Conference in Seattle. My co-presenter, Jon Gregory
from Golden Capital Network, and I had the pleasure of speaking to 15 participants on the topic: 'Cultivating a Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreunial Ecosystem.'

Before beginning our presentation, each participant introduced him/herself. They told us who they were, where they were from and what they wanted to get out of the workshop. It took only a few minutes to sense a trend: each participant expressed a passion for cultivating entrepreneurship in his/her community. Each also shared two significant challenges: funding and skilled worker shortages.

While none of those comments might surprise, this might. Over half of the participants lived in Argentina, Mexico, Australia, United Kingdom and Japan. Yes, that's right - skilled worker shortages were standing in the way of successfull entrepreneurial ventures around the world.

We've heard these stories before: workers leaving for lunch and not coming back; companies running ads and no one applies. But now this isn't just happening in the U.S. but China and Bulgaria.

One of the most vocal participants was a gentleman representing the Performance Improvement Institute. His comments echoed a Manpower, Inc. study published in this week's BusinessWeek (April 9, 2007): 41 percent of nearly 37,000 employers in 27 countries said they are having trouble hiring the people they need. Skilled worker shortages are common knowledge in the U.S., but Mexico? Eighty two percent of Mexican companies reported trouble filling the following jobs:  factory workers, laborers and accountants. Sixty one percent of Japanese companies reported trouble filling sales and secretarial positions.

Other countries reporting severe shortages included:
Canada - 38 percent of companies: plumbers, electricians, welders and sales reps

Europe - 31 percent: plumbers, electricians and engineers

China - 19 percent: lab workers, laborers, factory hands

India - 9 percent: engineers, IT staff

And what about the U.S.? The hardest to fill position is sales representative, followed by teachers, mechanics and technicians. The biggest problem finding people with the technical expertise and business savvy to explain complex products to customers.

Where does that leave employers? Recruiting and staffing strategies designed for an era of surplus labor is not working anymore. An economist at the Japanese Research Institute explained, 'We're paying the price for not developing human resources.'

After spending a few hours with these international and domestic guests, it is confirmd: the 'world is flat' and getting flatter. While U.S. businesses are searching the world for workers, it appears they may be on the verge of falling off the edge of the world.

Over the next few weeks I'll be writing about new strategies for recruiting and staffing in this world of skilled worker shortages. To kick it off, I'd like to propose the following question:

To boost productivity in your business, what will be more valuable - to pay more in compensation and benefits or add more employees at current pay rates?

To send your comments, click here.

2.  Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #627

Fact #627: Germany's birth rate, already the lowest in Europe, dropped even further in 2005. Germans had 8.5 births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2005, down from 8.6 the previous year. That compares with 12 births per 1,000 in Britain and 12.7 per 1,000 in France. The town of Chemnitz, in the former East Germany, has what is believed to be the lowest birth rate in the world at 6.9.

Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 is now available. The year 2007 will see an increase in skilled worker shortages and more competition. The result will be higher salaries, more training and career advancement opportunities, and more flexible work cultures. How prepared is your company to find skilled and dependable workers?

Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 is the newly updated and revised 2007 edition of best-selling book first published in 2005. You can now download an advance copy of PLS 2.0. a $10 value with every purchase of the original Perfect Labor Storm, still a great value at $7.95.

Don't miss day-to-day updates on Perfect Labor Storm.   Save the Perfect Labor Storm blog to your favorites.

3.  New! Upcoming Webinars, Workshops and Training Dates Announced

April 12, 2007: Interview for Success (Call for information)
April 17 - 18, 2007 - ASSESS Expert System User Certification

"ASSESS Expert System Certification"

For the first time ever, Bigby Havis and Success Performance Solutions have partnered to sponsor a 2-day ASSESS User Certification in Central PA. (Bigby Havis is one of the top U.S. organizational psychology consulting firms with domestic and international clients.)

Date: April 17-18, 2007
Time: 8:30 - 5:00; 2nd day ends at 12:30PM
Place: Lancaster, PA
Tuition: $1500 per person; $1000 for 2nd person, same company

Assess Expert System is a premier psychometic employee evaluation tool that will take the guesswork out of hiring and promoting key employees.  A state of the art web-based system, ASSESS produces job specific reports linking key personality traits to managerial and executives competencies.  Every selection report comes with a customized behavioral interview guide and every development report includes performance improvements tools and tip customized to the employee, based on his/her responses.

ASSESS Expert System assists management in the selection of outside candidates and in the promotion, placement or development of internal managers, supervisors and professionals. The assessments provided are industry-standard, and each item has been carefully validated and documented.

Participation is limited and over half the seats are already filled.
Don't wait. Call 800-803-4303 for information.

4.  Managing Generation Y

They're blunt. They're savvy. They're contradictory. Self-confident and optimistic. Independent and goal-oriented. Masters of the Internet and PC. Young adults who believe education is cool, integrity is admirable, and parents are role models.

They're the children of Baby Boomers and the upbeat younger siblings of Gen X. They are the 29 million young adults born between 1978 and 1984 streaming into the workplace whose presence will continue to grow each year for the next ten years. They are Generation Y.

Managing Genertion Y is for those who want to become the employer of choice for the next cohort of young adults. Discover the Gen Y traits that pose the greatest challenges to managers as well as the best practices you can implement now to keep these upbeat, techno-savvy workers focused and motivated.

Visit the SPS bookstore and order Managing Generation Y.

5.  Generational Style Assessment

Test your ability to communication with Gen X, Gen Y, Boomers, and Traditionalists. Our NEW Generational Style Assessment evalautes the communication or relational style you typically spot when interacting with individuals or groups of people from different generations. It then provides you insight into those styles that work for you, and what to do about the styles that don't. This self-scoring workbook includes the questionnaire, response sheet, how to interpret your results, and how to understand the different styles.

Generational Style Assessments - Available in packages of 5 at the SPS bookstore for only $15 per assessment:

6.  Quotes from Hire Authorities

"If you put a good person in a bad system, the system will win almost every time."
Richard Swanson, Professor of Human Resources Development at University of Minnesota

Ira S. Wolfe Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved. Reprints and other distribution by permission