Meeting the Demand for Talent in 2018

In 2016, “failure to attract and retain top talent” was the number one issue in the Conference Board’s 2016 survey of global CEOs. A recent McKinsey Global Institute Study suggests “that employers in Europe and North America will require 16 million to 18 million more college-educated workers in 2020 than are going to be available.” This means the hunt for acquiring and retaining talent will be heightened as time goes by.

In particular, the ever-growing technology industry has large demands for talent. A Gartner report entitled “Service Providers are Waging War against U.S. Talent Shortage with Unconventional Methods” says to expect 1.4 million computer specialist job openings by 2020. Projections show universities won’t produce enough graduates to fill 30% of these jobs. How can we meet the needs for talent in 2018 and beyond?

A Manufacturing Business Technology online article points to four economic trends that may impact this talent issue:

1. Global Growth – indication of steady growth.
2. Softening Dollar – U.S. exports are increasing as U.S. products become cheaper to foreign nations.
3. Increase in U.S. Spending – increase in spending and inventories after two years of flat sales.
4. Political Realities Settling – as we move into a new year and go into a second term with the current Presidency, the expected tax overhaul should fuel hiring in the near future.

With these factors stoking the war for talent, what are some proactive choices Human Resource departments can make or consider when attempting to attract and keep critical employees? Recruiting trends indicate that due to advancements in Virtual Private Network technology, or VPN, remote workforces are growing. This approach appeals to a workforce that values flexible work. Perhaps investigating how your organization can feature some form of flexible work scheduling could be helpful in retaining talent. In addition, gamification technology could be used not only to engage current employees, but also to screen candidates for openings. Investing in such technology will appeal to the tech-savvy generations in the workforce.

Investing in on-the job training programs also can be helpful. As Mike Starich explains in a manufacturing Business Technology online article,

During the Great Recession, companies had to dramatically cut training costs — if no one is hiring, there is no need for training. Today, the pressure to hire is on and companies that are proactive on improving their approach to hiring and training will be ahead of the market. Embrace on-the-job training and develop internal training and certification programs to build your pool of skilled talent. Typically, Hiring Managers are more open-minded on job descriptions than HR and TA [Talent Acquisition] presume because they know that they can train people with right basic profiles and positive attitudes.

An ADP-powered blog supports this thought by pointing out that the lack of advancement opportunities is the second most popular reason why employees leave an organization. To combat this, offering learning management systems, training opportunities, and / or certification programs can give employees avenues to learn more and further develop without leaving their current employers.

What tools does your organization use to attract talent? Has your organization made adjustments to HR programs in order to more successfully attract and retain talent? We encourage you to share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Leaving 2017…Embracing 2018

We are here again, the end of another year! 2017 came and flew by! As in previous issues of Astronology®, we would like to take our last issue of 2017 to look at HR trends and topics that could possibly be impactful for the coming new year.

Workplace Culture and Human Resources Policy
With the recent increasing reports of sexual harassment in a variety of workplace sectors, 2017’s fourth quarter has been filled with talks about workplace culture and Human Resources policy. A pressing concern in this area is some organizations’ negligence in reinforcing HR policies surrounding this issue of workplace harassment. We expect continued talk into 2018, as well as actions to promote workplace environments where employees feel comfortable reporting alleged harassment incidents, with the confidence that the organizations they work for will support and follow through with proper procedure. Other areas for expected HR policy adjustment include equality in the workplace, in areas such as gender, race, and sexuality.


Talent Management and the Multigenerational Workforce
This past May, we released an article on alternatives means to measure performance. This was largely due to continued growth in organizations breaking away from traditional performance reviews. Why the movement? There are many factors, including the nature of work changing due to technology and the impact of new generations in the workplace. For the last few years, we’ve studied and prepared for the wave of Millennial (born 1981 to 1995) generation workers. This meant understanding what this age group values and structuring organizations to appeal to these values, in order to gain and retain talent. A noted value of this age group has been continuous feedback. As a result, many organizations have sought ways to meet this need, resulting in a new wave of measuring performance.

There are also early notes that a new wave of generational employees already is moving into the workforce. The earliest born iGen, or Generation Z (born in 1996 and later), have started to hit the workforce. This means now, more than ever, organizations have to learn to strike balance within a multigenerational workforce. This means designing retention tools and a work environment to fit the ever evolving employee collective. A recent Forbes online article even suggests that such a dynamic environment leads to a competitive advantage. We expect this to be a continuing trend well beyond 2018.

Federal Policy
As mentioned in a previous Astronology® there are some anticipated policy changes or adjustments expected in 2018. To recap:

• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): In October 2017, the Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal on an August 31, 2017 summary judgement against the FLSA’s Overtime Final Rule. Although it isn’t completely clear on what the US Department of Labor’s practical arguments will be, it is suggested that the DOL will
• Not defend the Obama selected $913 a week figure, and
• Argue that a salary test is legally permissible under the white-collar exemptions.
• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): By September 2017 the NLRB became a Republican majority five member Board. It is anticipated that this newly adjusted board may reverse some recent rulings such as a 2015 Joint-Employer ruling and even a few 2014 rulings. On December 17, Phillip Miscimarra’s term on the NLRB will expire. He already has vocalized that he will not seek a second term, vacating a seat and position in 2018. We look forward to seeing who eventually takes the vacated seat and what decisions will be made with this new board in 2018.
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA): In July 2017 an updated agenda was released indicating that 469 proposed federal regulations were being removed, and another 391 regulations deemed “long-term” or “inactive” for further review. There are a few regulations in the “pre-rule” stage that we are anticipating to appear in 2018:
• Communication Tower Safety,
• Mechanical Power Presses Updated,
• Powered Industrial Trucks,
• Lock-Out / Tag-Out Update, and
• Blood Lead Level for Medical Removal.
• Affordable Care Act (ACA): 2017 found four different appeals (the American Health Care Act, Better Care Reconciliation Act, Skinny Repeal, and the Graham-Cassidy Plan) either being dismissed or vetoed from even being brought to a vote. This means for now, we should follow the currently mandated Affordable Care Act in order to avoid penalties. We do anticipate more talk on health care reform in 2018, however.

HR Technology
We also expect to see continual advancement of HR Technology in a variety of ways. Cloud-based HR software has been becoming the norm for many organizations, small to large. It allows for mobility, “on the go” around the clock access, and has become increasingly affordable. As remote work continues to be a possible work option, such access has becoming increasingly appealing. Gamification also has shown growth in HR, as it can be used to encourage performance, employee engagement, and training. Also expecting to make an appearance in 2018 is the use of big data to make HR decisions on hiring staff and increasing retention rates. It also is suggested that organizations can use data analysis to predict performance.

Closing Out 2017
As 2017 comes to a close, we eagerly look forward to 2018 for some answers to questions in regards to HR policy, and undoubtedly some surprises in Human Resources overall. Are there other topics that you think may make some impact in 2018? Why not share your thoughts with Astronology®! We’d love to hear your opinions!

Avoiding Your Own Conan Situation

The late night airways have broken down into Jay Leno fans or "I'm With CoCo". NBC has decided to ditch Conan on The Tonight Show and move Jay Leno back to that time slot. This has caused a lot of animosity and bad public relations for NBC including an open airing of grievances by Conan towards his network and bosses.. But could this have all been avoided? The answer is probably "yes".

Harvard Business Review has some tips on how to avoid the Conan mistake. Although their comparison of the situation to Hideki Matsui's with the Yankees is totally off (Matsui was a free agent without a contract without any promises of future employment or promotion), the advice they give in the middle of the article is good for Human Resources professionals to take with them. The three main points of advice in the article are "avoid defensive talent strategies, place big talent bets, and diversify succession risk". Some pretty great advice there.

Gruntled Employee (a great name for a blog) talks about the situation further and said that Conan's statement put him ahead of his employer and it's shown to be true throughout the whole situation.

And, lastly, the rest of the late night hosts take aim at NBC, including, most amazingly, that second clip with Jimmy Kimmel taking down Jay Leno.

This is not a good situation for NBC, but the whole thing could have been avoided with some patience and smart PR.

Banning Social Networking?

If you're thinking of banning social networking from your company, you may be making a very costly mistake according to employee evolution: click here

If you're thinking of skipping those MBA recruiting sessions, you should read this Wall Street Journal article about more and more people who are doing just that: click here

If you're getting ready to retire, you should read this Journal article about planning your exit strategy: click here

If you're worried about whether you need to have a required lunch break, read this Q&A from the Human Resource blog: click here

If you're wondering the best way to leveraging talent into your company's competitive advantage, read this book review from the HR Practitioner: click here

If you're trying to figure out what the role of Human Resources should be in employer branding, read this PUREcommunications article: click here

And if you're looking for an HR job, who are we to ignore social networking after we talked about it's importance, so here's a LiveJournal entry on a website for HR jobs: click here

What Not To Say Pt. 2

We had Part 1 back in November, but this HR Daily Advisor article says what you can't ask in an interview...and how to get around that: click here

Next, from Freelance Writing Jobs, on the same token, if you're in an interview, do you correct the interviewer?: click here

From Human Resource Executive Online, an article about talent and transformation: click here

Workplace Violence News, a fellow blogger, says that screening should be taken to the next level: click here

Lastly, from CoachBlog...is coaching really working? (I think I know where they'll side): click here

Podcasting!!!

Adding to our Web 2.0 personality here at Astron Solutions, we have our first podcast courtesy of Workforce Management about managing the unpredictability of talent in today's world: click here

From the Business Wire, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) will be surveying presidential candidates on key workforce issues: click here

Also, make sure to check out some other podcasts on Daxle's website of business podcasts...some good stuff there: click here

Lastly, the Baltimore Sun's "On the Job" has an article about sick and vacation days all being in the same bank: click here

And since we decided we needed some representation between New York and DC, we're adding the feed of the Baltimore Sun's career section on the right...

More links!

Yeah...we got more links for you...

First a blog about the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here

Next, from Boston Globe, Monster.com, HiringHub, word on finding the best talent: click here

HR Daily Advisor has 7 stupid things that supervisors say and then get sued: click here

From SHRM, word on what that blogger was talking about above: click here

ITtoolbox has some advice on what every IT manager should know about HR: click here

MSNBC says don't wear blinders when dealing with your boss: click here

HR Daily Advisor is back with 3 vital things that supervisors should say: click here

Lastly, the Business Review of Western Michigan (via Michigan Live) has an article about getting and recruiting talent from elsewhere: click here

That should last you for a while ;)

What I’m Hearing…Pay for Potential

HR software company Vurv Technology is incorporating a new concept into its latest performance management tool – pay for potential. In HR we talk about across the board increases, merit pay, pay for performance, and pay at risk. But how often do we think about paying some now for what they might do in the future?

Reflecting on our various client engagements, I can only think of one organization that said future potential / contribution should be a factor – but not the only factor – in determining pay and placement in range.

In theory, paying someone for their future contributions sounds like an idea with merit. It encourages people to try hard, to do their best, and to stay with an organization. But what if that person never delivers? What can the organization do about those lost dollars?

On the one hand, ending up with an average performer and solid contributor who keeps down the cost of turnover isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, pay for potential seems to have too many risks and intangibles associated with it to generate a sufficient ROI. Effective, continuous communication and more rapid pay increases (e.g., every 3 – 6 months) may be just as effective in giving high performers what they need to stay motivated and engaged.

Smart? How Smart?

Not exactly the Get Smart motto, but our title, nonetheless...

We apologize for missing you yesterday but how is this for catching up?

From the New York Times, a simple question: How Smart Is Your Manager?: click here

Next, Human Resource Executive Online writes about employee engagement: click here

Also from Human Resources Executive Online, an article that CEOs are getting that talent management is important: click here

From the Arizona Republic, word that more companies are offering fitness benefits for employees: click here

CNN and Careerbuilder to team up on this list of six tips to managing workplace conflict: click here

Lastly, from Workforce Management, an answer to the question of what are HR Certifications worth: click here

Small Biz Healthcare Reform

First, from CNNMoney and Fortune Small Business, word that the Senate is considering small business healthcare reform: click here

From Business Week, an article about Asia's hunger for management talent: click here

Lastly, from the Wall Street Journal's CollegeJournal, a column in their On The Job section of when performance reviews don't meet potential: click here