This Week's Herman Trend Alert Telecommuting to a Better Bottom Line

The Herman Trend Alert July 6, 2005 Candidate Uprising Waiting to Happen Many employers are not paying attention. Their lack of sensitivity is about to cause some serious damage to their corporate recruiting. During the late 1990s, employers faced the two-headed dragon of a shortage of qualified workers and a seller's market in labor. With numerous jobs available, talented people could---and did---pick the opportunities they wanted with the companies that offered the best package. That package always included how employees were treated. Recruiters, gradually becoming more sensitive to employment market conditions, began courting desirable candidates. In fact, to assure their good reputation in this highly competitive environment, human resource professionals maintained a high level of communication with their applicants. Some of those workers would be hired; others would not be, but would tell other candidates of their experiences. As prospective employees shared their experiences---good and bad---with their fellow job seekers, employers became aware of the influence of word-of-mouth. If a company earned a bad reputation because of poor treatment of applicants, the top talent would not even bother to apply. Over the past four or five years, employers have tended to ignore the common-sense courtesies of interpersonal relations. This misbehavior has become prevalent with employees as well as with applicants. Conditions have changed, but employers have yet to make appropriate adjustments. The two-headed dragon is back. We face critical shortages of many skills, creating a scarcity in certain occupations that is already more critical that what was seen a decade ago. As we have shifted back to a seller's market, employee turnover has begun again. Executives continue to report that "finding and keeping valued workers" is one of the top three concerns that keeps them awake at night. Job seekers are talking about how they are being treated. Incredibly, few employers have the courtesy to respond to prospective employees---acknowledging their resumes, thanking them for taking their time for an interview, or letting them know if the job is no longer available. Discourteous employers will soon discover that their competitors are capturing the most desirable workers, just by showing some consideration. Manners make a difference in today's marketplace. © 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." NEED HELP THINKING ABOUT YOUR FUTURE? Our futurists offer thought-provoking and penetrating insights, along with creative ideas to implement right away. Whether you're looking for a speaker or a consultant or a facilitator for your strategic planning retreat, The Herman Group can help you find a person for your needs, no matter what your topic. Call Joyce at 336-210-3548 to discuss your event. REDUCE COSTS BY LOWERING EMPLOYEE TURNOVER If you knew just how much money turnover is costing your company, you would have handled it ages ago! Turnover costs A LOT and it comes right off the bottom line. Let The Herman Group and its team of very experienced consultants help you address your turnover issues right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carol at 800-227-3566; international, call 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call. GOOD SELECTION = BETTER RETENTION If you are not using pre-employment assessments, you are flying without radar---not very smart in today's highly competitive environment. Let us help you better understand your candidates and your employees. In less than 30 minutes, you will know if they can do the job (abilities); their work behaviors, even their personality and attitudes (like integrity & ethics), and those can't be trained. It's very cost effective, too! For more information, contact Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail assessments@hermangroup.com. Validated for many countries and cultures. We offer in-depth help with job descriptions, too! http://www.hermangroup.com/assessments.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

[ Home · About · Products · Telebridge · Resources · Media ]

Web site design by WebEditor Design Services, Inc.