Beth was sharing the results of the Manpower 2nd Quarter Outlook Survey which indicated that for a sixth straight quarter, employers have a positive outlook for the period April – June, and expect a relatively stable hiring pace. That’s good news for everyone!
Along with Beth’s encouraging statistics, she passionately focused on this point, "There are going to be jobs, but the jobs are not necessarily going to need the same skills as the ones the job seekers left a year or more ago." In other words - it’s a different world, requiring different solutions! It’s the perfect time for businesses to be proactive in developing the systems to produce the talent they will need, and for workers to recognize that they "own" their careers, and therefore need to establish a plan for managing them. As with any change, both of these role shifts require a corresponding shift in mind-set and processes.
Demographics
There is no denying the facts: our workplace demographics are changing and will continue to impact our abilities to connectthe right people with the right jobs.
- How often over the past 6-8 months have you heard someone say, "Gee, there are a lot of people looking for a job. Why can’t I find the right person for my position?"
- How many articles are you reading about how to deal with the impact of multi-generations at work?
- How is your industry dealing with the aging workforce and the reality that 10,000 baby-boomers are eligible to retire each day for the next 19 years? Perhaps the recession has slowed the pace, but some day they will say, "Ok, I’m now ready to leave."
- What impact does the Center for Disease Control (CDC) falling US birth rate statistics, the lowest level since national data has been available, have on your future capabilities to develop and attract talent?
- How ready is your business to deal with the diversity of the changing workforce? Diversity beyond gender and race, including nationality, religion, sexual orientation, family definition, workplace flexibilities, etc.
- How is your business dealing with technology advancements and what they mean for strategies of globalization, workplace flexibilities, robots vs. humans, and competency skill sets?
Workforce and Succession Planning
When it comes to getting a handle on what your firm will require in the future and where the pool of qualified candidates will come from, every business, big or small, needs a plan. The strategy for this type of work is built around Workforce and Succession Planning efforts.
Workforce and Succession Planning allows businesses to develop strategies that weave together talent, job skills and training. Approach them integrating the key elements and your ultimate plans will be stronger and more focused.
Talent
You know the old saying, "Every road will lead you somewhere; it just depends on what you’re looking for." So first step – get a handle on what you are looking for so you end up in the right place. A major element of Workforce Planning is to understand the workforce you currently have. - What primary skills and talents do they bring to the table?
- Who is currently in school or in training and will bring updated skills in the near future?
- Who is eligible for retirement and when might they exit the organization?
- What’s your knowledge management strategy and how does that tie in to succession and workforce planning, as well as training?
- What are the critical skills and knowledge you want to engage and retain to ensure minimal disruption of growth and continuity?
- What mentor relationships have you developed; and are you gaining the results you were looking for?
- What flexibilities, benefits, and recognition is your workforce looking for as they plan their careers?
Job Skills
In addition to being aware of the talents of your current employees and their future career interests, it’s also important to know what skills your industry will require in the future. - What changes to your business model is leadership thinking and talking about?
- How will these changes impact the required work skills the business will be seeking in order to be successful?
- Where does your firm currently look for talent? Are these sources keeping up with your changing requirements? What new sources should you be building relationships with?
- What universities, technical schools, high school programs, etc. are focused on developing the talent pool your business will require? Are you working with them on the changing requirements for the future?
- How will technology impact your competency requirements?
- How does your competition recruit in the talent pool you are interested in and are you positioning your culture and benefits to win?
- What are those things about the corporate culture that need to be captured and passed along?
- Where are the gaps between the talent currently being groomed and the skill sets you will need to find in the future? What are your plans for closing these gaps?
- How will your recruiting and sourcing efforts change as greater and greater access is made to virtual employees – meaning they could be anywhere on the globe?
Training
Training comes in all shapes and sizes. One size does not fit for everyone, or for every situation. Being creative about how skills are transferred and applied is important. - Understanding the impact of the slowing birth rate in the United States, what gaps might you encounter in the future and how can you minimize them?
- Would it be reasonable to offer training to employees you already know and value in order to prepare them for future positions? What positions would these include?
- How can you partner with economic development and academic leaders to ensure your talent requirements are known and being developed? Is this something your Chamber of Commerce could assist with?
- How can you partner with industry leaders to help employees get on-the-job or job shadowing opportunities to expose them to future talent requirements and the benefits of continuing education?
- What type of mentor relationships should be established in and outside of your firm?
- What incentives could you implement to motivate employees to learn new skills?
- What training and one-on-one coaching opportunities could you offer to assist with the development of skills such as leadership and supervisory skills?
I’ve written it before: the way we did business in the past is not what’s going to work in the future. We’re experiencing a convergence of technology advancements, globalization, more refined expectations of stakeholders, and a workforce that expects to work differently. Beth Herman’s presentation, which I very much appreciated, appropriately called where we are today The Human Age – unleashing human potential becomes the major agent of economic growth. Public, private and non-profit sectors are all beginning to wrestle with these issues. The ones that are paying attention are going to be the winners.
I believe the next step is to act strategically. Get involved with business associations that are partnering with education and government to get a handle on the rapidly changing needs of business. Assess your workforce and plan for how to ensure the right skill sets are available to you in the future. We’re all in this together and a collaborative effort will be necessary, especially in these budget strapped times. It’s imperative we get a handle on what’s needed and that we spend our limited resources developing workers for the jobs that will be waiting.
What are your thoughts about how to prepare for the future? What’s your firm doing? What are you personally doing to prepare yourself for the job you will be taking five years from now, that probably hasn’t even been thought of yet? I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
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