Success Performance Solutions

Major Sponsor of
2008 Best Places to Work In Pennsylvania

Welcome to the July 16, 2008 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 this issue of The TotalView:

1.  The Dumbest Generation?

The generation that is most comfortable with digital technology, which gives them unprecedented access to all of the world's knowledge, knows less than the previous generation that lacked this advantage. In other words, the generations whose thumbs do most of their talking can't express themselves beyond the level of a text message. Could the vast majority of people under the age of 30 be so clueless?
 
Regrettably the answer is yes.  According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 74 percent of 18 to 29 year-olds did not know that Condolezza Rice was the U.S. Secretary of State.  Six times more of these young adults were more likely to identify the latest winner of American Idol than the Speaker of the House of Representatives.   Another 60 percent did not know the Civil War took place in the second half of the 19th century.
 
This is a generation who grew up reading blogs instead of books. They read updates about friends on MySpace instead of reading current events in newspapers.  They know more about World of Warcraft than they do about World War II.
 
The result is that just one-third of high school seniors graduated with the ability to read proficiently.  Just one-fourth could write a basic paragraph.
 
The problem is that many young adults are using technology to communicate rather than to learn.  In effect by using shorthand texting, they are reinforcing their own illiteracy every time they send and receive a text message. 
 
What's this mean for employers:
 
In a world of scarce talent, employers will need to transform themselves to make effective use of a generation that isn't ready to contribute to the traditional workplace.  As a result, companies will have to invest in training programs that offer a crash course in the basic skills these workers lack. These programs will need to be tailored so that they are relevant to the actual work the employee will perform. 

The small percentage of well-educated, high achieving college students will have their choice of employers and competition for them will be fierce. While this isn't new news, what's different this time around is that the gap between the-best-and-the-brightest and the average graduate is much wider. Because the return on investment is so much greater for these star performers, employers can be certain that the competition for talent will only be getting more intense. 

Source: Trends E-Magazine, July 2008
 
Read more about the Silent Epidemic of high school dropouts.

2.  Perfect Labor Storm Warnings   

Subscribe to the Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 blog and receive skilled worker shortage updates like this:

80% of high school graduates entering the workforce lacked written communication skills; 47% of two-year college/technical school graduates and 28% of four-year college grads don't meet minimum workforce readiness standards for written communication.  

No skills are on the Excellence List for new workforce entrants with a high school diploma.  

Source: SHRM 2007 Symposium on the Workforce Readiness of the Future U.S. Labor Pool

Listen to the new Perfect Labor Storm interview now.

Purchase the NEW Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 books (soft and hard cover versions) at PerfectLaborStorm.com.

New Perfect Labor Storm videos added. Watch now!

Listen to the Maintenance Worker Crisis

Song now available for easier viewing on YouTube.

3.  Free Generation IQ Test

     Test your knowledge about the generations

With four generations co-mingling in the workplace, dozens of different managerial approaches and working styles seem to be popping up. At times these co-workers seem to be worlds apart in their attitudes and values. As a result, conflicts between the generations are distracting co-workers and diverting the attention of managers.  Where do you start to learn to how to manage the generation mix?  Begin by testing your Generation IQ here.

4. Geeks, Geezers and Googlization

When Old and Young Workers Collide
 

Schedule Your 2008-2009 Presentation Today!
 

We live in interesting times, indeed. Four generations are co-mingling in the workplace, each bringing with them different managerial approaches and working styles. Capitalizing on each generation's strengths is a must. Minimizing generational clash-points is a necessity. Finding common ground is critical. How do you keep Veteran workers, Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennials all engaged, motivated, and on the job?  

During this presentation, participants will learn from workforce management expert/author Ira S. Wolfe about workforce trends that are changing the way employers will do business followed by a lively and interactive discussion about the newest challenge facing managers: managing the four generations in the workplace.  

Topics to be discussed:

• Learn how workforce trends will change the way you do business
• Why "walkers" will outnumber "strollers" in years to come
• What's up with the "incredible shrinking workforce"?
• Exploring differences between the four generations at work
• Keys to Managing "Clashpoints" in a Multi-Generational Workforce

Call 717-291-4640 or click here to schedule Ira S Wolfe for your 2008-2009 meetings and conferences

5. Speaking Schedule: Ira S Wolfe

2008:

August 20 (tentative) - President's Circle Summer Symposium, Mt. San Antonio

August 27 - Talent Challenge: Recruiting in a fast-changing world, Roanoke VA

September 8 - Electrical Generation Systems Association - "The Perfect Labor Storm"

November 4-5 - "Geeks, Geezers and Googlization" - Vistage, Lakeland (FL)  

Watch and listen to Ira speaking about the Perfect Labor Storm

Call 717.291.4640 to schedule Ira for your next meeting or conference.

6. Perfect Labor Storm 2.0:

Workforce Trends That Will Change the Way You Do Business   

View Table of Contents  

Of every 10 workers in your organization now, three will retire over the next 10 years. Out of that same 10, three others are looking for new jobs even as you read this. And if you've hired younger "20-somethings," expect them to stay no longer than 18 months, on average, before moving on. What should you do?  

Start by reading the Perfect Labor Storm 2.0.   Workforce trends WILL change the way you do business!

Hard Cover: $29.99

Soft Cover: $19.99

e-Book(downloadable): $14.99

7. Quotes from Hire Authorities

"I do not like this person.  I must get to know him better."

Abraham Lincoln

Permission is granted to consultants, managers, business owners and HR professionals to reproduce content from this newsletter for your internal publications, or to distribute copies to your workforce, on the condition that you reproduce the credits and contact information as follows: "Reprinted with permission from Ira S Wolfe and Success Performance Solutions. Copyright 2008 Ira S Wolfe."  We also hope you will forward the newsletter in its entirety and recommend to others that they subscribe.

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