EXECUNEWS
Volume
1, Issue 121
March,
2008
On behalf
of Jim Norwine and Terry Ray.we hope you enjoy this month's issue
of ExecuNews. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide information
we hope you find informative. Since our firm specializes in Management
Recruiting, Outplacement Services, Temporary Staffing and Human
Resources Consulting/Coaching, we have a broad assortment of information
to share. Please be assured we do not share email addresses with
anyone. Thanks to all of you
who are passing this along to friends and co-workers.
In This
Issue:
HIGH
GAS PRICES AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION
According
to a recent nationwide survey, two-thirds of American workers
say that soaring gas prices are making it harder to get to work
and more than one-third are looking for jobs closer to home to
avoid the extra cost. The survey revealed that 4.5% of people
have already changed jobs and another 35 percent are thinking
about it in order to reduce expenses with commuting. Clearly,
the price at the pump is the newest threat to employee retention.
Among the
1,300 participants in the online survey, 12 percent said they
were looking for shorter routes to work or more fuel efficient
motorcycles instead of cars, while 6 percent were relying on public
transportation to reduce costs. Many of the survey participants
firmly believe this problem is not going away, at least any time
soon.
Companies
are facing hardships related to the spike in gas prices, but they
need to be sensitive to the fact that employees are experiencing
a similar budget crunch. Rising fuel costs are not just an operational
business issue. There is also, a human resources component that
must be addressed as well.
Top
FOUR
GENERATIONS OF WORKERS COLLIDE
U. S. employers
now count four generations on their payrolls, mostly because people
are living and working longer. The leading edge of Generation
X hits 40 this year and they have issues with Generation Y. Boomers
have to start taking Gen X-ers seriously enough to talk succession
plans. Plus, they need to figure out how to work with their elders
– the Traditionalists – as the U.S. workforce continues
to age.
Their differences
are more than simply age. They have to do with lifestyles and
work styles shaped by forces as disparate as dust bowls and iPods.
More employers are getting interested in the generations and how
they work together. If not, they may find themselves in trouble.
Basic
Differences
The oldest
group, the Traditionalists or Veterans, was born before World
War II. Its members tend to respect authority and tradition. While
they prize loyalty, they still may balk at younger bosses’
new ideas- - after living through everything from Total Quality
Management to Six Sigma.
Boomers are
a driven bunch, partly because their sheer numbers meant they
always have had to compete for jobs. Trained that asking for help
is a sign of weakness, they’re burning out with today’s
workloads. Plus, they are not very impressed with the less-ambitious
Gen X-ers.
Generation
X is emphatic about balancing work and life, partly because they
don’t want to follow Boomers into burnout. Their goal is
building careers, which means they welcome new and different assignments
at work. X-ers are more inclined to accept a lateral move, whereas
Boomers see that as being sidelined. Also, unlike Boomers, X-ers
have a tough time trusting companies.
Generation
Y finds Gen X-ers too distant, and X-ers think Y-ers need too
much hand-holding. Parents doted on this generation, so they feel
loved and supported and optimistic about the world. Also, this
heavily scheduled generation worked less than any other while
growing up, so they missed basics such as punctuality and dress
code.
Successful
employers will learn to understand the difference between generalities
and stereotypes. When asked, many employers describe the Four
Generations as follows: Oldsters are technophobes, Baby Boomers
are workaholics, Gen X-ers are slackers and Generation Y members
are too young to know anything.
Top
NEW
BREED OF COLLEGE GRADUATES
Each spring,
approximately 1.5 million new college grads enter the workplace
hoping to put their newly acquired degrees to good use, get their
careers going, and start making some cash.
Thanks to
a bright job market, more than half of 12,303 graduating students
polled by the National Association of Colleges already had accepted
jobs by early May. Meanwhile, another 49% of those seeking full-time
jobs are still looking.
But Generation
Y grads tend to be more finicky about the employers they want
to work for than previous classes. Rather than just seek a solid
paycheck and a good chance at a promotion down the road, they
hope to join a deep-pocketed company, where they can work for
a hip boss in an office that has free food, flexible hours and
video game consoles. WOW!!
Top
TO
LOVE, HONOR AND PROVIDE CAREER ADVICE
For many people,
some of life’s biggest decisions are those associated with
work and career. But where do most of us turn for advice and counsel?
According to a recent survey of 150 executives from the 1,000
largest U.S. companies, the vast majority (42%) said they would
turn to their spouse or significant other for guidance. Twenty-eight
percent said they would turn to their mentor, 13% to a co-worker,
11% to a friend, 5% to another family member and 1% to someone
else.
The results
of the survey should remind us of the influence of family members
and a $15.00 marriage license.
Top
SOMETHING
TO THINK ABOUT
Being challenged
in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.
Roger
Crawford
Top
ABOUT
EXECUNEWS
ExecuNews
is a monthly newsletter distributed by ExecuGroup, Inc.
The purpose of the newsletter is to provide information
we hope you find informative. Since
our firm specializes in Senior Management Recruiting, Outplacement
Services, Employee Retention, Temporary Staffing and Human Resources
Consulting, we have a broad assortment of information to share.
Please
feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and business associates.
The contents are considered for general information purposes
only. This article should not be considered
as legal advice or legal opinion on any specific fact or circumstance.
If
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www.execugroup.com.
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HANDLING
THE HUMAN SIDE OF BUSINESS
