Going with the Flow or Swimming Upstream:

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Going with the Flow or Swimming Upstream How
to Handle Current Trends in Employment Jill M.
Hudson, JD, SPHR Total Compliance Connection, LLC
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Session Objectives

• Scan the environment - whats going on out there?
• Identify trends
• Figure out what they mean to you
• Leverage the knowledge to your advantage

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Well focus on...

• Employees and Employers
• Changes in our
• age
• race
• generational differences
• education
• access to technology
• The New Ground rules

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September 10th, 2001

• Labor Depts Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting
  an unemployment rate of 4.9
• President Bush said his administration is deeply
  concerned about the unemployment rate and we
  intend to do something about it.
• Service industries added 72,000 jobs in August

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Post September 11, 2001

• Now What?

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Whats going on out there?

• At 6.2, Americas average unemployment rate is
  still the lowest in 30 years.
• Predictions are that it will average at 4.7 for
  the next 20 years.
• U.S. employers now find themselves in a global
  war for talent

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Global Unemployment RatesInternational Labor
Office
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But what about us, Jill? Unemployment - JULY
2003 Oklahoma 5.5 OKC 5.5Tulsa
6.5Enid 3.2Lawton 3.8
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Human Resources in Oklahoma

• 1998 - 2008
• 2400 - 3100 30
• U.S. 13

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AGE

• 16 of the population is 60 or over
• The 85 category is the fastest growing
• Our median age is 35.3

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AGE

• The median age of the workforce shifted from 18
  in 1970, to 35.3 in 2000.
• The 45 and older group increased by 30 during
  this period.
• Today, 51 of the workforce is
• middle-aged (between 35 and 54), while workers
  under 24 continue to decline.

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RACE
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RACE

• U.S. born people of color and immigrants are 45
  of the new workers beginning this year.
• Asian and Hispanic populations will double, and
  represent 40 of the total workforce
• The percentage of white males continues to
  decline, from 42 in 1990 to 36 by 2010.
• Census Bureau reported this year that Hispanics
  have surpassed African Americans as the largest
  minority group in the U.S.

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ACCESS to TECHNOLOGY

• 53.5 of the US population has access to the
  Internet
• Canada - 44.9
• UK - 55

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ACCESS to TECHNOLOGY

• A persons ability to connect means that they
  could be a candidate for a job with a company
  2000 miles away, or for 100 companies at once -
  all from their home.
• People who might be otherwise unable to attend
  college can because of being connected.
• From 1992 until now, a year in the development of
  the Internet has been likened to five to ten
  years in the evolution of other media. The
  backbone of the Internet now doubles in capacity
  every 100 days.

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ACCESS to TECHNOLOGY

• There has been more information produced in the
  last 30 years than in the previous 5,000 -
  largely due to the Internet
• A weekday edition of The New York Times contains
  more information than the average person was
  likely to come across in a lifetime in 17th
  century England
• 85 of college level knowledge will be obsolete
  in 5 years - continuous learning is critical

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Quantitative vs. Qualitative

• Skills Gap exists many young employees lack
  the knowledge, skills and attitude to properly
  fill the high-tech jobs offered in our economy
• Technology is raising the level of skills
  required for new jobs, and for existing jobs
• The D.O.L. estimates that 44 of all workers are
  in data services

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Projected Job Growth 1996-2006
By Level of Education
Source BLS
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Fastest Growing Occupations

• Computer engineers
• Computer support specialists
• Systems analysts
• Paralegals
• Home health aides
• Social service assistants
• Physicians assistants

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Growing vs. Shrinking Occupations

• 40 of jobs in Americas growing occupations
  require intermediate or higher level language
  skills, whereas only 21 of jobs in shrinking
  occupations do
• 33 of jobs in growing fields require high
  problem solving skills only 1 in shrinking jobs
  do

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Skills Employers Want

• Writing
• Listening
• Observation
• Applied Mathematics
• Reading for information
• Applied Technology
• Locating Information
• Teamwork

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• Young men have strong desires, and whatever they
  desire they are prone to do. They have not yet
  been humbled by life or come to know the force of
  circumstances. They think they know everything
  and are positive about everything.

Aristotle322 B.C.
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Generations Birth Rates

• Millions per
  year
• 1920-39 Silents 2.4
• 1946-64 Baby Boom 4.0
• 1965-80 GenX 3.3
• 1980-2003 Millenials 4.0

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General Personalities

• Silents BB X
• Outlook practical
  optimistic skeptical
• View Authority respectful love/hate
  unimpressed
• Work Ethic dedicated driven
  balanced
• Leadership by hierarchy consensus
  competence
• Relationships sacrifice gratify
  non-commit
• Perspective civic team
  self

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Closer Look Generation X

• 71 believe sometimes you have to compromise your
  principles
  Margot Harnblower
  Time
  6/9/97
• Tell us what it is. Tell us what it does. And
  dont play the national anthem while you do it.
  
  Advertising Nike Corporation

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I find it interesting that a family-focused
business scoffs when you want to take a day off
to spend time with your family.
Jennet Hunt Graduate Student Age 26
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Harsh Economic Facts

• Takes 40 of income for home mortgage(1950s,
  payments took 14)
• Today, 30 yr. old male will earn 25 less than
  his dad his father earned more than his
  grandfather at 30
• 60 will get back 200 for 100 paid in Social
  SecurityXers will lose more than 100 for every
  450 contributed

Claire Raines Beyond Generation X
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• Longer stage between childhood... adulthood
• 30 live with parents ( kids)
• Youngest copulating, oldest marrying generation
  recorded
• Not ready for commitment
  J.W. Shenk
  US
  News World Report 6/9/97

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• Want what they want when they want it
• Automatic teller machines
• Pagers
• Cell phones
• Microwaves
• T.V. remote controls
• Fast food industry
• Expect instant gratification

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• Self reliant
• Both parents working
• Higher divorce rate/single parents
• Latchkey kids
• Creative problem solvers
• Color blind Diversity is a way of life

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• Thrive with technology
• Amazingly technoliterate
• Want info quickly

• More visual than literary
• Short attention span or...Can think midst
  tidal waves of information

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Likes Dislikes

• Honesty
• Feedback ( and -)
• Visuals
• Ongoing development
• Fun

• Hearing about past
• Inflexibility
• Being over managed, over watched
• Feeling disrespected
• Technique over results
• Disparaging comments
• Being called Xers

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X RequisitesMost Frequent Requests of Managers

• Appreciate us
• Be flexible
• Create a team
• Develop us
• Involve us
• Lighten up!
• Walk your talk

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The Millenials

• 57 million Americans under 15 - 20 million ages
  4-8
• 60 have moms working outside the home compared
  to 18 in 1960
• 60 of households with ages 7 or younger have
  personal computers
• Will determine how - and how well- Boomers live
  in retirement

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The Millenials

• 1/3 of elementary-school students are black or
  Hispanic, compared with 22 in 1974. Minorities
  will be the majority by 2050
• No threat of nuclear war but much less
  independence
• Millenials will live beyond 2070, making the
  Jetsons seem like the Flinstones

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Millenials are...

• Action-oriented What am I going to do about
  it?
• Realistic
• Responsive and passionate they are concerned
  about the environment, prejudice, and world peace
• Are team players look for solutions
  collectively and with humor
• Are stressed boomer parents are pushing them to
  succeed

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How Does Change Feel?
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Employer What should I do?

• What do I need to think about when considering
  employment structures?
• What are the needs and values of the people I
  want to have work for me?

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Employee What should I Do?

• What should you focus on to be successful
• What will make you a valuable working commodity?

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The Trinity of the Blur
Connectivity
Speed
Intangibles
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1. Be a Quick Change Artist

• Short-lived assignments are common
• Constantly new co-workers, bosses, etc.
• Must adapt fast
• Must have rapid recovery
• You will have to learn how to change reflex-level
  behaviors

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• You think you understand the situation, but
  what you dont understand is that the situation
  just changed.
• - Putnam Investments advertisement

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Are we doing it?

• National survey of 1100 HR professionals
• Four topics
• HR Issues
• Managing Change
• HRs Role in Organization
• Need help measuring (HR Scorecard)
• HR Skills
• Most important people skills
• Least important financial, analytical, process
  and research skills
• Body of HR Knowledge
• Specific to industry and specialization

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2. Commit to a Job

• Not the same as loyalty
• Putting in your time wont work
• Commitment to a profession or discipline vs. a
  company is very prevalent

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• Theyre only puttin in a nickel, but they want
  a dollar song.

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3. Speed Up

• Operate with a sense of urgency
• Learn to fail fast, fix it and go on
• Take no part in resistance to change, it will
  only bog you down
• I have a microwave fireplace. You can lay down
  in front of it all night in eight minutes. -
  Steven Wright

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• Look at a roster of the 100 largest U.S.
  companies at the beginning of the 1900s. Youll
  find that only 16 are still in existence.
• During the 1980s, a total of 230 companies 46
  disappeared from the Fortune 500 list.
• Companies today feel that takeovers are cheaper
  than recruiting employees.

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4. Accept Ambiguity and Uncertainty

• Your work life will be fuzzy
• If you have a high need for structure, youll
  hate this environment
• Employees will take personal responsibility for
  prioritizing and acting

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5. Behave like Youre in Business for Yourself

• Full-timers are the new minority
• Less than half the workforce will be holding
  conventional full-time jobs
• Every year more people are self employed
• 66 of HR managers polled said their company
  allows employees to telecommute on a part time
  basis
• We are all free agents

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The business of baseball - and all professional
sports- changed forever the day in 1969 that
Curtis Flood, an all-star center fielder,
refused to report to work.. Free agency, not
baseball, has been the name of the game ever
since. Blur Davis and Meyer
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• David Bowie surprised the entertainment - and
  investment -worlds when he announced that he
  would float a personal bond issue. The entire
  issue was snapped up within an hour for over 50
  million.
• Your talent becomes visible and can be priced on
  the open market.

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Take-aways

• Unemployment is still low some sectors growing
• Technology continues to drive the economy
• Change is constant
• Keep learning

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Your Turn - Scenarios