This Week's Herman Trend Alert The Consequences of Virtual Meetings

The Herman Trend Alert April 6, 2005 More Employers Will Seek Older Workers As the labor market continues to tighten, employers will intensify their competitive search for qualified workers. They will seek competent, experienced, dependable people with a strong work ethic and proven ability to take care of business. Employers will be eager to hire skilled workers who understand the true meaning of customer service, who can communicate well with others, and who can draw on their experience to solve problems and make progress. Workers who can take initiative, follow through, and coach others will be in high demand. Older workers meet these qualifications…and more. Employers prefer seniors’ ability to initiate sales and demonstrate dependability, their varied work experience, a higher capacity to work with mature clientele, and an old-fashioned work ethic. They describe appreciation for punctuality, positive attitudes, commitment to quality, lower absenteeism, and less likelihood to change jobs. [We recognize the contribution of Helen Foster, author of a white paper entitled “Tapping the Mature Workforce.”] Some older workers have retired by choice, some have been laid off or “put out to pasture”. Incredibly, some people in management still believe that workers who have reached some age (you pick the number) have less value and can be inexpensively replaced by younger, more energetic workers…with considerably less experience. These managers overlook the values, maturity, wisdom, skills, and commitment to quality that older workers bring to them. Quoting Elaine Chao, US Secretary of Labor, “Nowhere is the case stronger for tapping the strengths of older workers than with employers facing the skills gap. Everywhere I go, employers tell me they are having difficulty finding workers with the right skill sets for the jobs they have to offer.” Since January 2001, the biggest job growth has been among those 55 and older, with 3.2 million new workers from that group, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Older workers can fill employers’ needs and will be in high demand during the balance of this decade…and beyond. We have seen an increase in attention to the value older workers in the United States, but the same phenomenon is occurring in other countries around the world. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: RETENTION SPECIALIST PROGRAM A growing number of people have expressed an interest in attending our Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program. We'd like to schedule on that's convenient for those who want to attend, but need your feedback to do so. Please place RETENTION SPECIALIST in the subject line and Joyce will personally call you back to schedule the workshop. Or you can call Joyce directly at 336-210-3548 (PDT this and next week). BUSINESS IS PICKING UP Most employers are unprepared. The recovery will bring a new set of challenges for employers that have been in prolonged contracted mode. They will need more skilled workers or will need now to begin to upskill their current staffs. But organizations can not engage in Strategic Workforce Planning, when they don't know how. That's where The Herman Group can help. We can help you with your "People Review"----large or small---so that you will know who you will need and when you will need them. . . and we can also guide you to the best sources for the people you will need. For more information, call Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail joyce@hermangroup.com. FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES REALLY THINK AND FEEL Discover what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-416-7066, or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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