Susan's Blog  
(Occasional comments by Susan Seitel)

November 24, 2009

We have a new idea to forward the cause of flexibility in the workplace. What if your culture change efforts included "Flexibility Labs" for managers? How about an experiment? We'll help you use our flexibility or telework e-courses in a lab for a group of 20 or so volunteer managers who are open to trying telework or other flexible work arrangements. They may be a little nervous about managing by results, but these will be people who are willing to learn from the experience of those who have made it work.

We’ll help them walk through each section of the e-course together, two to a laptop, sharing ideas and questions about flexibility and discussing challenges they’ve either met or anticipate meeting.

When the session is over you can invite them to pilot a work arrangement, choosing a few of their own volunteers, meeting with appropriate staff and working out a plan for measuring and achieving business goals. They’ll track results and meet again, perhaps bi-weekly, to discuss their outcomes and get tips from each other. Once they’re off and running, you can pull together another group, either inviting us to lead it again, doing it yourselves, or asking managers who have been there and done that to take the lead. Want to learn more? E-mail Rachel@wfcresources.com.

Click here to comment!  (We welcome your comments. They'll come in the form of an email to me. We'll publish them here just as you write them, signed or unsigned.)

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November 12, 2009

As we were preparing our newly revised "Most Important Studies" document last month, it occurred to us that many managers may be unaware of just how compelling the business case for flexibility really is.

If you’re one of the doubters, read this very quick summary of bottom-line facts. A study released this October found companies that foster a good work-life balance may enjoy as much as a 20% earnings boost. The study, conducted by UK training specialists Morgan Redwood, found companies that prioritize work-life balance enjoyed net earnings per employee of 32,769 pounds ($52,345), which was 23% more than the average for those who don't.

Several studies have found payoffs for providing quality part-time options, including improved retention, customer service, morale, efficiency and productivity. Two studies found flexibility was the best way to manage absences. Another found it reduced unscheduled time off and overtime, cut backlogged orders, improved coverage and quality and reduced the use of sick leave. Yet another reported flexibility was a driver of financial performance and productivity, was linked to increased revenue generation, had positive impacts on cycle time, client service and talent management, and saved millions of dollars by reducing turnover. Others found flexible workers feel more productive, and are more committed and motivated. The most productive workers, by the way, are those who feel the best managed, valued and trusted by their managers. And last but certainly far from least, they’re the ones who are the most satisfied with their work-life balance.

Click here to comment!  (We welcome your comments. They'll come in the form of an email to me. We'll publish them here just as you write them, signed or unsigned.)

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October 26, 2009

A strange phenomenon is taking place in the U.S. Even in this economy, employers can't find the talent they need. But take a look at the unemployment rates, as of September: For adult men, 10.3%; adult women, 7.8%; teenagers, 25.9%; whites, 10.3%; blacks, 15.4% and Hispanics 12.7%.

You'd think it would be easy to find the talent we need, right? But a new report by the Business Roundtable says employers are coming up empty in their search for talent, and that the failure to find qualified workers is dragging down productivity. Nearly two-thirds of employers (62%) said they are having "difficulty in finding qualified applicants to fill vacancies, says an article in October's Workforce Management.

It says employers anticipate that most of their future job openings will call for more education.

That's okay with job candidates. The study also held focus groups with both blue collar and white collar workers. What they found in those discussions was that most potential employees do want more education. But they say they have neither the time nor the money to go back to school. They'd love to have jobs that would offer tuition reimbursement and the flexibility that would allow them to attend classes.

So here's the rub. The article says what's most frustrating for companies in their search for qualified candidates is the lack of soft skills. They report "severe deficits" in such areas as work ethic, self-motivation, personal accountability, punctuality, time management and "professionalism."

Another survey, this one by the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania, makes similar points. These researchers found professionalism – there's that word again – matters most when employers are deciding whether to extend a job offer. Nearly 60% of the hiring decision for new college graduates is based on an assessment of the applicant’s professionalism, and the survey of 520 HR professionals found that a lot of college grads are failing that test.

We might be able to find a class or two in time management, but I don't know of any business schools that offer classes in professionalism or any of the rest of those soft-skill subjects. It's disappointing, but if parents aren't raising kids with those qualities, it looks like the best we can hope for is to find candidates with hard skills and provide the rest with on-the-job training.

Click here to comment!  (We welcome your comments. They'll come in the form of an email to me. We'll publish them here just as you write them, signed or unsigned.)

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October 22, 2009

Every month when we finish writing the Newsbrief there's a whole pile of news that we didn't have room for. For instance . . .

A Randstad survey has looked at what employees might call the perfect job, and of course good pay topped the list. Two thirds wanted interesting, challenging work and nearly that many wanted health insurance; 81% were looking for five weeks of vacation (good luck); 56% were hoping for a free lunch and 40% wanted a lifetime (I don't think that was capital L) gym membership. HR NEWS, 10-7-09 (A little disappointing that only a third cared whether the company had a strong corporate responsibility platform.)   

Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women, reminds us that as top officials urge everyone to stay home if they're sick, we have a country where almost half the workforce doesn't have a single paid sick day. Fifteen states and cities have paid sick leave bills in the works. Earlier this year, Connecticut narrowly missed becoming the first state to mandate paid sick time. (Three cities – San Francisco, Milwaukee and Washington – do have mandated paid sick days.) Federal guidelines suggest that companies encourage people to work from home if necessary, and to offer "flexible, non-punitive and well-communicated" leave policies.  CNN MONEY, 9-28-09 (What a perfect time to begin a telework program!)

Employers are tapping social networking sites to fill open positions, but it may not be the best resource. Experts say such sites exclude whole populations. Says one, "We're going to end up with a very homogenous workforce. They represent limited social groups and very small labor pools." Only 5% of LinkedIn users are black and just 2% are Hispanic. So using networks for recruiting is ripe with risk for future discrimination claims. WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT, 9-29-09

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October 13, 2009

Today we read that the great recession of 2008-2009 is over. Of course there were a few qualifiers, like weak spending, few jobs and high unemployment. But it does seem like even the most pessimistic economists believe we're at least beginning to head back to normalcy.

I feel like many work-life people have been hibernating for the past year and it's now time for them to crawl out of their cocoons, blink at the sunshine, roll up their sleeves and look around to see what needs doing. And there's a lot that needs doing. People are working harder and putting out more (productivity staged its biggest gain in August in nearly six years).

At first glance that does look like the good news. But it doesn't take a PhD to know why. Many are knocking themselves out so they won't get laid off, not because they're so highly engaged (engagement is down 25% for top performers, says a September Watson Wyatt/WorldatWork survey). Employees are also more stressed and unhappy (see the November Newsbrief, out early next month). And recent research by HR Solutions Inc. found 37% of all employees responded Strongly Agree or Agree with the statement, "I thought of resigning in the last six months."

As soon as things settle down, many of these people will be looking for a new and different job. Are they the high performers, the ones we care about? Maybe so. Surely some of them will be hard to replace.

This could be the perfect time to form a work-life task force. Find out what's going on around the world in the area of work-life, and in your own organization. Conduct some focus groups (ask us for free coaching about the questions to ask). Survey employees to see what's really going on with them – our work-life survey comes up with incredible information. Explore community resources to find out what's available. Benchmark the companies around you to see what you need to do to keep up. Pull it all together and decide what you need to recommend in order to hold on to the best and brightest when they begin to get restless.

Chances are you'll be recommending increased flexibility, and perhaps telework. So use this time to test the waters. Ask for volunteers and try piloting your recommendations. The worst that will happen is that you'll cheer up a few people; the best is that you'll have some experience with which to move ahead. Set goals that will please top management as well as line managers and employees, decide how you'll measure success and how you'll know it when you see it. Then publicize your results and ask for more volunteers. Just as Tom Sawyer got his fence whitewashed, you could make it look so good that everyone will want to try it!  

Click here to comment!  (We welcome your comments. They'll come in the form of an email to me. We'll publish them here just as you write them.)

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