Report: American Workers Re-Gaining Control Over Careers

Gillian Seely

Boston job-seekers: this is huge.  We are now witnessing the beginning of a trend that is indicative of economic upswing- more workers are voluntarily quitting their jobs.  The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that February saw a higher number of voluntary departures than forced layoffs- a phenomenon not seen in this country since October of 2008. 

The article cites: “In a poll conducted by human-resources consultant Right Management at the end of 2009, 60% of workers said they intended to leave their jobs when the market got better.” Apparently, that time is now.

What does this mean?  Americans are re-gaining control over their careers.  Less intimidated by fear of layoffs, they are increasingly seeing their options grow, and are leaving the “be happy you have a job” mentality behind. 

It’s about time. 

So who will likely be handing in their resignation? Those who were forced to take a pay-cut; those who were subtly threatened with a layoff, or who watched their hard-working colleagues get cut en masse; those whose workdays were lengthened and who made unrealistic sacrifices to their personal lives for work; those who have lived in fear of repercussion for something as innocent as taking a vacation or a sick day.

The prediction? Several years of a national fear-induced job coma, combined with the wave of job-seekers emerging from the allegedly über-picky and demanding Gen-Y demographic, will bring about a huge talent-drain for employers who have engaged in the above practices, and also for those that don’t offer a dynamic workplace, an engaging brand, and a humane work-life balance.  Job-seekers have been almost bullied into keeping their professional lives flawless and delivering top-notch results over the last few years.  Now, the tides are turning, and the same will be expected of companies. This is definitely an interesting and challenging time to be in HR, and it’s (finally) a great time to be a job-seeker!

Worried? Check out this article that offers ways to keep your employees from jumping ship.

Foursquare: Have you checked in?

by Gillian Seely

On Monday I attended an Ad Club event at Microsoft and had the opportunity to listen to some candid Q&A with Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare. If you have no idea what this is, don’t panic.  It’s really just taken off…like a rocket ship. If you missed out on the Twitter surge and want to gain some serious social media cool points in your personal or professional life, jump on Foursquare.

What is it?

Foursquare is a smartphone application that allows you, through your phone’s built-in GPS, to announce your location to your circle of friends. In addition, you can provide other users with inside information about each location, thus offering tremendous marketing value to businesses.  A user who frequents a certain venue regularly enough can be awarded the status of “mayor” of that venue.  Many social-media savvy businesses are now offering product discounts and specials to “mayors” and loyal customers.

 

In the world of Foursquare, a “badge” is given to those who meet certain benchmarks or milestones. For example, a “Newbie” badge  is given to someone upon their first check-in.  A “local”  badge is given to someone who checks in at the same venue three times a week.  An “adventurer” has checked into 10 different venues, and a “gym rat”  has gone to the gym 10 times in 30 days.  The more badges you have, well…the cooler you are. 

Marketing Ramifications

It is pretty funny to imagine suit-clad executives trying to up each other with badges, or become mayors of their own companies, but this is happening.  Is it silly? Yep. This playful, buzzworthy phenomenon may be where marketing is heading, however.  The readiness of many companies to accept such an application as part of their “inbound” marketing campaign exemplifies my earlier thought that successful marketing at its core requires two components: a great product/service/company, and the ability to go viral.  If you recognize that social media is dominating the marketing scene, consider creating a Foursquare “location” that will let people know your company is in the space.

www.foursquare.com

Boston Technology Professionals: Time to Get Your Heads in the Clouds!

By Karen Choucrallah

Cloud technology has exploded and in just three years has had an incredible impact on the IT world, moving rapidly from an emerging theory to a widely accepted technology.

The very first Cloud Expo was attended by 450 people. In 2010, Cloud Expo will return to New York City with more than 5,000 attendees from 48 countries.

Boston technology professionals, especially those interested in Boston area tech jobs, should not miss this year’s expo which will be held from April 19^th -21^st at the Javits Convention Center.

Marrying Your Job: “With this Blackberry, I thee wed”

By Gillian Seely

My last blog post explored the benefits of the increasingly popular four day workweek, but subsequent responses from readers helped me to realize that this topic was perhaps a bit narrow.  The changing workweek structure is only one part of an emerging phenomenon that warrants further exploration.

What deserves a closer look is not what the structure of the workweek is becoming, but rather that our once clear-cut lives are increasingly losing structure, making the work-life balance a less tangible idea.  The line between work and play is becoming distorted, and causing many of us to find ourselves writing blogs for our company website while lying in bed, and (let’s be honest) G-chatting from our office computers. If social media has taught us anything, it’s that today’s taboo will be tomorrow’s necessary in the workplace.

Mobile technology allows us to connect on so many levels that to limit ones’ interaction to 9-5 in an era of constant contact is really to shoot oneself in the foot and risk falling behind.  It’s safe to say, as one reader points out, that our jobs now largely require us to avail ourselves 24/7 in some fashion. 

Bearing this in mind, and coming to the realization that we are married to our jobs more than ever before (albeit in unconventional ways), it’s so crucial that you love what you do, and that you love the company you are a part of. 

But remember that the same technologies keeping us tied to our jobs are also allowing us to escape the confines of our offices.  And for that freedom, we are eternally indebted to our mobile devices… Married, if you will.

Four Day Workweek? Yes, Please!

By Gillian Seely

In the beginning, the boss created the workweek. It was five days long. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, and a great darkness covered the earth.  After much conferring, the State of Utah said, “Let there be Friday (off)!”, and the state employees celebrated and gave thanks…and people around the nation and beyond were jealous and cried out in revolt…and then it started to catch on.

The four day workweek makes fantastic sense. In a nutshell, less time spent commuting leads to: a clear decrease in local traffic, pollution, and gas expenses for employees; lower utility bills for companies; more time for families to be together and go on vacation (leading to a possible decrease in the divorce rate and instances of juvenile delinquency); and an almost instant morale boost, which will likely increase the productivity of a company.

What’s the catch? If there is one, it might be that on days one through four, employees may be asked to work ten hour days instead of the standard nine-to-five shift. And there will almost certainly be people within the structure of a company who, for logistical reasons, cannot be out of the office on a Friday. The solution? Friday doesn’t have to be the day off for everyone. Companies facing this kind of dilemma can schedule their operations so there is someone in the office five days a week, and peoples’ designated day off can vary from week to week.

Further supporting the case is the fact that mobile technology allows people to work from remote locations, and many companies are allowing employees a “work from home” option anyway.  (In many cases, people seem to be more, not less productive, when they can stay in their pajamas and be in the comforts of their own home while working.)  Add to that the simple truth that people want to work for a company that cares about the well-being and happiness of its employees. So what harm can there be in closing down the office one day a week? The evidence seems to show that the positives far outweigh the negatives when considering this rather revolutionary plan.

And if the skeptics still aren’t convinced, Time Magazine reported that Utah employees ended up taking fewer sick days and claimed to be exercising more on Fridays. Could this also be a way to help rid America of obesity? The benefits go on and on…let there be light.

Reducing The “March Madness” Effect

By Nick Holt

A recent Newsweek article touched on the impact “March Madness” can have on a company’s profitability.  As an ardent college basketball fan (and of course someone who takes his work seriously),  I wanted to share the finding and some ways you can make the office a little more fun around this time of year.

Imagine- you’re performing your daily ritual of watching SportsCenter in the morning; you hear the anchors discussing the March Madness Countdown…suddenly you  begin to envision an inbox full of “I’m out sick” messages.  Don’t panic!  This is normal.  During March Madness, a dramatic increase of influenza hits those most vulnerable to the illness; the gainfully employed.  Amid all the March Madness distractions, however, taking advantage of these few weeks can be a great opportunity to build morale and camaraderie within your organization, and to keep attendance close to 100%.

Turn on ESPN in the break room!

New technology has given basketball fans instant access to streaming videos of live March Madness games (which can keep them glued to their desk computers for the wrong reasons). Putting a TV in the break room gives your employees the freedom to watch the games in segments, reducing the temptation to watch the whole game on their computers.

Free company-wide office bracket-pool

March Madness brackets are a great tool to build competitive spirit within the organization. Hang a large, updated bracket on a high-traffic wall for all competitors to view. Reward the top five with free lunches or framed awards.

Favorite Team Apparel Day

Let your employees wear the apparel of their favorite colleges for a day. Just make sure they don’t have any important meetings scheduled—don’t want to see any fights erupt with potential new clients!

Retention: Why it’s Less About the Benjamins, and More About the Ben Smiths

 Earlier, we spotlighted HubSpot as an organization with a stellar corporate culture.  Joe Sharron, HubSpot’s Director of Talent Acquisition is back with some advice for your company on keepin’ it real…

As a Talent Acquisition Consultant to many of New England’s fastest growing tech startup companies and a few Fortune 500 behemoths, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when employees start to head for the exit doors in search of new opportunities.  More often than not, management teams end up using the “bubble gum in the dam” approach to stop the bleeding.  This is, in large part, due to their inability to get to the root of the problem when it first emerges.  The quick-fix approach is shortsighted, and often does more harm than good.  Read on.

Makin’ it rain (may not be a good idea).
When a company faces retention problems, management’s initial reaction is often to pay people more money to get them to stick around, but this should be a last resort.  One of my clients started losing top employees to privately held start-ups who were offering higher pay and stock options.  Their solution?  Boost everyone’s pay.  Not a good idea.  Throwing money at your employees might hold them over temporarily, but if they aren’t truly happy being a part of your organization, they will be looking for other opportunities (unless they’re gold-diggers) on the side, and when they find a company they are better aligned with, they might even end up leaving for less pay.   So how do you get them to stay with your crew?

Let them stand under your (corporate) umbrella.
Strengthen the culture of your firm and your employees will begin to hold themselves and one another to your corporate values and traditions, ultimately resulting in higher retention rates and creating a solid team.  I sat down with my client’s senior management team and advised them to offer competitive salaries in line with industry standards, but more importantly to take big steps to improve the company culture.  For example, I recommended that they become more transparent with employees, focus their attention on improving morale by recognizing good work, and importantly, that they support employees when it’s most needed.

Keep it real.
The best way to avoid retention problems and to develop a strong culture is to start with the front end of the equation, which is talent acquisition.  I’ve seen countless job applicant assessment formulas, predictive analytics and competency tests, but I want to know how many of you pay close attention to cultural fit when you interview a job applicant?  This is, hands down, the most “real” way to tell if an employee will be around for the long haul.

It’s all about the Benjamins, baby…(the Ben Smiths, that is).
Example of a great cultural fit:
Ben Smith (@TheRealBenSmith) is a HubSpot employee working with customers to keep the churn down and he does a remarkable job – last I checked it was hovering around 2%.  Of equal importance are Ben’s contributions to the HubSpot culture with his honesty, integrity, openness, transparency and the positive attitude he brings every day.  These are the values we saw in him from Day 1. These values were as important, if not more important, than his experience and background in the hiring process.

You better check yourself before you wreck yourself.
When the unemployment numbers dip and the talent wars heat up, your best bet is to hire people like Ben Smith and work to strengthen the culture of your organization before it’s too late.  Money should not be a driving force behind retention of your best talent, and if it is, you might be doing something very wrong.  And on the hiring front- if your corporate culture is alluring and strong enough, it won’t be hard to get top candidates to… “holla back”.

The Higher Cost of New Hires

By Josh Weichhand

In previous posts, we’ve discussed how companies that mistreated their employees during the recession may soon see them depart for greener pastures, and we’ve gone over the practical steps employers should take to be sure they retain their best talent during the recovery. As the job market continues to stabilize in the wake of the recession and new opportunities begin to open up elsewhere, it shouldn’t surprise hiring managers that employees may begin to explore their options with other companies. As many companies continue to feel the financial crunch and are forced to stretch every dollar to its limit, hiring managers would do well to consider that the costs of retention, when compared to those of a new hire, aren’t nearly as balanced as one might think. Filling or replacing a position may seem like a simple transaction, but there are numerous unseen costs built into the process. For instance, when an employee quits or is fired, the costs of refilling that position  with a new hire aren’t only limited to providing a base salary, but often include HR and hiring costs, time and money spent on possible outsourcing, any costs associated with training your new employee, and any lost productivity stemming from a loss of morale, or additional workloads.

Here are some things to consider before making a hiring decision:

The costs of hiring may be far greater than you thinkTo put a number in your mind, several studies indicate that the costs associated with replacing an employee are, on average, 150 percent of that position’s annual salary. If that number seems high, the most conservative findings still find those costs hovering near 50 percent. As one resource notes:

[Lose] someone making $30,000 a year because you failed to take adequate steps to keep them and replacing them will likely cost between $45,000 and $60,000. If employees earn $35,000 and you lose a dozen a year, turnover costs approach $250,000 per annum, or more.

Someone amongst your existing staff might want the job you’re hiring for.

If you take the time to speak with your employees about their career goals and their satisfaction with their workload, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that some of them are ready for their next challenge or opportunity. While it’s completely unacceptable to abuse employees and force them to work outside of their job-descriptions, some of your employees might be thrilled to add an extra bullet to their resume, and you could find yourself in a situation where you’re both maximizing their potential and saving yourself the time and expense of taking on a new hire.

All That Glitters…Personality vs. Skill Set in Job Candidates

By Gillian Seely

Hiring managers sometimes overlook top-notch candidates by focusing only on professional accolades and top-notch degrees.  If you ever find yourself going “YES! I want THAT ONE!” because a candidate looks great on paper and passed your interview questions like Marion Jones passed her competition at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, bite your tongue! Remember that a resume is (if candidates do it right) a strategically crafted piece of paper. You can never really be sure that what you’re reading on paper is in line with the reality of the person. Furthermore, can you really know what it’s like to work with a person based on the well-rehearsed answers they gave to your well-rehearsed questions? No.

So, go back into the trashcan and dig out that stack of not-so-great resumes. They might warrant a closer look, and here’s why:An article in Restaurant Hospitality Magazine (“Weeding Out the Wackos”) rightly asserts that hiring for personality is way more important to sustained employment than skills-based hiring. “You can train the mechanics of almost any job, but you cannot teach or buy personality”, the article quotes VP of Training at Champps restaurants as saying.  During the interview process “you’re seeing the absolute best this person has to offer.”

Having Straight-A Suzie on your roster is no good if she regularly annoys cubicle-neighbors by correcting their grammar (“It’s ‘for whom’, not ‘for who’), or answers the phone like the chick in Office Space. You may soon find yourself dogged with questions from colleagues about your decision and judgment.

What should you be looking for? David Scott Peters, founder of Smile Button Enterprises, suggests going with Marion Jones-proof interview questions (“Tell me about a time when you bent the rules to get a job done”… “Are you willing to take a drug test today?”) and has broken the interview process down into four critical components to be testing for: Skills, Personality; Professional Motivation; and Cultural Fit.  I’m not suggesting you take your candidate to a bar to see what drunken confessions you’ll get out of him, but do make these other factors as important, if not more important than skills in the hiring process.

Integrating Social Media Into Your Hiring Process

By Josh Weichhand

In the discussion of how companies will include social media into their business strategy, there is always the struggle of finding practical uses for the medium. Thankfully for HR professionals, one trending topic is the increasing use of social media as part of the hiring process, or recruiting 2.0.

In an age of interconnectivity, one of the most useful features of social media is that it provides a glimpse into an applicant’s professional and personal nature. Networking websites like LinkedIn and Facebook integrate an individual’s professional achievements with their relationships and interests, allowing one to not only access an applicant’s resume or work experience, but an entire community of corroborators who could attest to their value and character.

Businesses are catching on. Chris Pintilla, a writer for Entrepreneur.com’s HR blog, wrote about a recent survey of hiring managers, which found that social media is playing an increasing role in their hiring decisions. According to the results, out of 100 managers surveyed:

75 percent go to LinkedIn to research job candidates before making a job offer, while 48 percent check out Facebook and 26 percent go to Twitter. When asked where they find talent for job openings, 66 percent said LinkedIn, 23 percent said Facebook and 16 percent said Twitter.

Are you up-to-date on social media?

Here are four tips for integrating social media into your company’s recruiting strategy:

1. Create a social media presence. By creating a LinkedIn profile and a Facebook page, you are inviting outside users, community members and job applicants to learn more about your brand and culture. Attempt to build a following by posting information about the company and its mission. Take opportunities to interact with users more personally by asking questions and posting surveys. This is a great opportunity to see prospective applicants align themselves with your company’s brand before the interview.
2. Use social media as a means to broadcast new opportunities. Twitter’s usage grew by 752 percent in 2008 and 1,382 percent in 2009. In the summer of 2009, Twitter passed 50 million unique users. With growth like this, Twitter and other social media utilities are ripe with opportunities to connect your business with a vast online community. Use a Twitter account or a Facebook fan page to list open positions or future opportunities. Then, invite other users to forward the information to their own followers and friends.
3. Do your homework. Social media is a two-way street. Make sure you research your potential applicant’s online persona. Use Twitter feeds and Facebook profiles to get a sense of an applicant’s personality and interests outside of work. Check out their LinkedIn profile to view their job experience and professional connections. But remember to use fair judgment. It’s a fine line between research and Big Brother, and this isn’t 1984.
4. Measure your results. If used properly, social media can be an incredible help to HR professionals. Prepare to keep track of your social media success by asking applicants how they found out about the company or the position.

Click here for more tips on harnessing social media for your company.