Five Things to Do This Month: November 2011

The leaves are changing and we are slowly cooling down from a record-breaking summer. Autumn is officially here – and so is the holiday season. So besides filling up on turkey and football, let’s take a look at five things we can do this month.

Discover North America
November is Native American Heritage Month. Throughout our history, we have adopted several cultural identities from Native Americans. Whether by food, clothing, or art, take this month to discover more about one of our most fascinating and tradition-rich people groups.

Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery
It’s that time of year again. On Sunday, November 6, enjoy an extra hour of sleep as we fall back from Daylight Savings Time. Make sure to remind your employees to set their clocks back, so they can’t use it as an excuse to snooze in on Monday. Firefighters also say this is a great time to change the batteries in all of your smoke detectors. So put a couple of able-bodies in charge of the change, and don’t forget to set your clocks back!

Raise Eyes, Raise Awareness
Okay, so No-Shave November may not be the most professional thing to do this month, but it has its roots in a great cause. Thousands of people celebrate it to raise awareness of male diseases like prostate and testicular cancer. November is a great opportunity to raise awareness for lung cancer, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s, and many others. Have your department pick an illness to sponsor and do something creative to promote the cause. Don’t worry – it doesn’t have to involve facial hair.

Share the Harvest
At the end of the month, most of us eat enough calories to last well past winter hibernation. With turkey, ham, pumpkin pie and the rest of the buffet all-stars, we usually have more than enough food. One way to build unity and help empty the pantry is to have a food drive at the office. Place your employees into a few groups and compete to see how many non-perishables everyone can gather for the local food bank. You will help the less fortunate and have plenty of fun along the way.

Embrace the Season
Thanksgiving season is when we focus on what we are thankful for and what matters the most to us. This month, make an effort to tell each of your employees what you appreciate about them. Whether it is saying how impressed you’ve been with the way they handled their last project or how thankful you are for the extra work they put in, encouragement goes a long way in boosting office morale.

Are Your Hiring and Retention Efforts Balanced?

The workplace is always evolving. The recession, in particular, has hastened and highlighted many of these changes, including the growing age gap among the current workforce. According to a study from the Pew Research Center, over the past 20 years the number of older workers has steadily risen, while younger adults are waiting longer to enter the labor force. This means that the workplace is becoming even more diverse in the age groups it contains, and leaders are now dealing with the added strain of catering their retention and recruitment efforts to this varied palette of employees.

As you strive to maintain and grow your own workforce, keep these considerations in mind as you try to find the right candidates with the experience, culture fit, and attitude you’re looking for.

The Experienced
Workers age 55 and older will account for 90% of the labor market increase from 2008 to 2018, according a recent article in The Christian Science Monitor. And, in a report from CNN, by 2018, almost one out of four employees 65-years-old and beyond will choose to remain in the labor force. Surprisingly, this uptick is not solely tied to financial hardships brought on by the economic collapse. These seasoned workers are choosing to remain in the working world for reasons ranging from living longer to desiring to stay active and engaged. And, as a positive sign to employers, the Pew Research Center study revealed the highest percentage of satisfied workers is among workers 65 and older, with 54% saying they work because they want to. In addition, the Deloitte Talent Edge 2020 study showed Baby Boomers are looking for specific motivations from their employers, including additional benefits, more financial incentives, increased compensation, and strong leadership. But, employers receive a lot in return from this generation of workers. According to research from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, older workers are valued for their institutional knowledge, skills, dependability, training abilities, and long-standing relationships with clients.

The Youth
On the flip side, the Pew Research Center revealed that the percentage of workers age 16 – 24 within the labor force is at an all-time low. This age group cites two reasons for this – education and lack of jobs. Of those not working, 49% say they don’t work because they’re focused on school and training while almost four out of 10 list inability to find a job as their reason for unemployment. Unlike their older counterparts, almost half said the top reason they work is because they need the money, and only 20% said they actually want to work. Additionally, just 29% of this age bracket lists themselves as “completely satisfied with their job.” However, the younger generations still have a lot to offer. According to the recent Bank of America Merrill Lynch report, employers want these younger employees due to their fresh ideas, innovation, and technological skills, as well as the fact that they’re needed for future growth and succession planning. Businesses should keep in mind, however, that the motivators for the younger generations are much different from their older counterparts, as shown in the Deloitte study. They are looking for a company culture that aligns with their personal values, flexible work arrangements, new training programs, and support and recognition from managers.

Despite the rather stark differences, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch research concluded that 94% of employers believe it is important to retain older workers and 98% said it’s also important for them to attract younger employees. And, with college graduates having a hard time finding work as a result of employers choosing to under-employ experienced, older workers in exchange for lower pay, it’s vital that employers not lose sight of the importance of building a diverse workplace. Filling your workplace with both experienced, knowledgeable employees and youthful, innovative professionals will not only balance out your employees’ strengths and weaknesses, it will also ensure your business is ready to achieve success both now and in the future.

How You Can Have Successful Employee Performance Reviews

The end of the year brings many traditions and celebrations to employees’ lives with holiday parties and gift exchanges, but one tradition that is most often dreaded is the process of an employee performance review. So often, employees sit through or fill out performance reviews worried about what they say, and in some cases, hearing the same questions they’ve heard for years. This year doesn’t have to be like the past though. Here are a few ways you can change up your performance review and offer new challenges to your employees.

You most likely have goals that you and your team have set for the year, but how often are they being met? Are they even achievable or are they too broad? This is why it’s important to create goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely, also known as SMART goals. In your upcoming reviews, work on finding one or two SMART goals with each team member that has to do with their job function for them to achieve next year. Start by challenging each employee to come up with several general goals they’d like to achieve in 2012 to bring to your meeting, and then use that time to make their goals fit the SMART goal format.

When you create an open environment where employees can think both critically and creatively about what they want to achieve, you are likely to have increased employee buy-in to the organization. Dr. Edwin Locke, a psychologist and Dean’s Professor (Emeritus) of Leadership and Motivation at the school of business at the University of Maryland, developed his goal setting theory in 1968, and it still holds true today. Setting specific and challenging goals generates a higher level of performance from employees and will ultimately lead to a more successful team and organization.

Next, find out how team members feel about their current work/life balance. Today’s business climate calls for more from employees, often with fewer resources. That can easily lead to more time in the office and less time at home with family. “A lot of people are having a more difficult time finding balance in their lives because there have been cutbacks or layoffs where they work. They’re afraid it may happen to them, so they’re putting in more hours,” said psychologist Robert Brooks, co-author of the The Power of Resilience: Achieveing Balance, Confidence, and Personal Strength in Your Life.

As a leader in your organization, it’s up to you to talk with your employees about their stress level and find ways you can help them better manage everything they need to do. In a recent Express Employment Professionals survey of more than 17,000 current and former clients, effective communication was chosen overwhelmingly to be the most important trait of a good leader. Communication is more than just e-mails and phone calls about deadlines; it’s the key aspect in whether or not employees feel motivated to work for your organization. Finding out how your team members feel about their time spent at work and home is one of the most important ways you can be an effective communicator in the office, and lead your organization to success.

If you expect your employees to show signs of improvement at work from year to year, discussing training and educational opportunities during your performance review should be a priority. President John F. Kennedy once said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Encouraging your employees to advance their knowledge and education in their field increases job satisfaction and innovation, reduces employee turnover, and could lead to more profits for your business. The Open Standards Benchmarking Collaborative (OSBC) survey from 2008 suggested companies that invest in more training for employees may produce more revenue than those that invest less in employee training. Radio show host and best-selling author Dave Ramsey’s blog post from May this year properly summarized professional development. “It’s a short-term sacrifice with a long-term gain that you’ll be able to measure in both dollars and improved corporate culture.”

As you begin looking at performance reviews and preparing for 2012, remember that this doesn’t have to be a time of paperwork and standardized questions. Communicate early on that this year’s reviews will be a little different from years past, and that you expect more from yourself and your team members going into the reviews. The performance review is a great tool to help your employees celebrate their successes and will help your business stay a step ahead going into the new year.

Express Associates Work 3 Million Hours in One Week

More than 80,000 people working 3 million hours in one week is cause to celebrate. Express Employment Professionals, one of the nation’s largest privately held staffing companies, announced today that its associates at more than 550 franchise locations in theUnited States,CanadaandSouth Africaworked 3 million hours in one week for employer clients across various industries.

“Regardless of the struggling economy and lackluster job market, said Lee Fossett, owner of the West palm Beach Express office. “We’ve managed to find jobs, put people to work and help employers who need qualified, temporary staff on hand.”

In reaching this milestone Express set a new company record. This is the first time in the companies’ 28-year history this many hours were worked in one week.

“To put this into perspective, 3 million hours is equivalent to the time it would take to build three more Brooklyn Bridges to spanNew York City’s East River or 103 CN Towers to preside over the city ofToronto,” Fossett said. “And, in just one week, Express put more than 80,000 people to work at companies across North America andSouth Africa.

“Express is proud to help so many people find jobs,” Fossett said. “We are seeing companies start to hire as productivity increases, and we are hearing from clients that their business is picking up.”

Worldwide, Express Employment Professionals puts nearly 300,000 people to work each year and has more than 550 offices in three countries. Express provides expertise in evaluation hire, temporary staffing, professional search and human resources and works across a wide variety of industries. Sales for the Oklahoma City-based company totaled more than $1.9 billion in 2010.