Belichick Keeps Teaching Us How To Win
Posted On April 24, 2017
A couple months ago, I wrote in this space about New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s disdain for social media – “I’m not on SnapFace and all that,” he famously said last season – and the fact that most of us can’t afford to be so blasé about it. In a recent interview with CNBC, however, the five-time Super Bowl winner offered some perspective on his view. Personal relationships, Belichick said, are essential to success, and social media can distract you from them. Certainly we can see this in the business world, where in-person networking is still much more effective… Read More
Categories: Work, Workplace
Stand and deliver is still in demand. And will be forever.
Posted On March 29, 2017
Many names have been coined for millennials – most of which are unflattering – but one that may come closer to hitting the mark than most is the Emoji Generation. With more and more communication being done on screens small enough to fit into a pants pocket, this has become the age of speaking with pictures and acronyms instead of words. Instead of offering a completely formed sentence or phrase with proper grammar and punctuation, it’s now the norm to use abbreviations like idk and omg, emojis and shorthand slang that lends itself to expressing thoughts in hastily typed texts… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
For my AL colleagues – Nothing different here. However, you knew that.
Posted On February 13, 2017
I’ve written a lot in this space about what millennials are looking for in a workplace as they start their careers. Since millennials are now the largest segment of the American workforce, employers would be wise to listen to what they value in a workplace. Flexible work hours, a stimulating work environment, a healthy work-life balance, and the opportunity to make a difference in the world are all important attributes to millennials, as countless studies and surveys have shown. But when asked which benefits are most important when searching for a job, respondents to a recent survey of Alabama millennials… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace
Effective, Meaningful, Interpersonal Feedback – Not the Hendrix kind
Posted On January 17, 2017
Want to keep your millennial employees happy? The first step might be one that’s rather easy to accomplish, but also easy to overlook: Talk to them. Feedback is important – and not just formal annual or biannual reviews. Not just a cold calculation of production metrics. Not a written evaluation for their file. And for goodness sake, not a challenge to justify their existence like the Bobs in Office Space — “What would you say you do here?” About 40 percent of millennial respondents in a recent survey conducted by Clutch, a Washington D.C.-based B2B research firm, did not find… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
Working From Home – It’s For Everybody, Right?
Posted On December 13, 2016
Who among us wouldn’t love to work from home? No unwelcome interruptions from overly chatty co-workers. Unlimited refills from our own refrigerator and snacks from our own cupboard. Background music of our own choosing and as loud as we like. And, perhaps best of all, no dress requirements. While working from home may seem like a millennial invention, its rise is really just a product of the technology that’s been developed during the millennials’ entrance into the workplace. With the internet, remote messaging systems and cloud technology, there’s often little reason for all of a company’s employees to be under… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
iGen, Education Trends, & and the Changing World of Work
Posted On December 6, 2016
(Today’s blog comes from our go-to demographer Gerald Bierling. I’ve asked Gerald to gather content on the generation following the Millennials – often called the Plurals or Gen Z, I prefer the term iGen – and afterwards, summarize some of it regarding the workplace.) by Gerald Bierling A lot is being written about the changing world of work and the difficulties the next few generations of Americans will have finding employment. Much of it focuses on the potential loss of jobs due to computerization. Researchers out of Oxford University, for example, estimate that up to 47% of US employment is… Read More
Categories: iGen, Work, Workplace
Managing Older Employees – Hard for Everyone Involved
Posted On November 30, 2016
Here’s a news flash for you: Older employees working for younger bosses may be a recipe for a difficult workplace. Another news flash: Water is wet. The Washington Post recently cited a study by the Journal of Organizational Psychology which found that not only is working for a younger boss awkward, however, it can also be bad for productivity. Surveying nearly 8,000 employees at 61 German companies, the study found a significantly higher level of “negative emotions” on the job at companies who had more young bosses overseeing older subordinates, and that those companies reported lower levels of performance. The… Read More
Categories: Workplace
Mike Rowe’s message continues to find traction
Posted On September 21, 2016
Mike Rowe has made a career out of, for a day, doing jobs that most people wouldn’t want. The host of the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs” is a funny guy who isn’t bashful about making fun of himself while he’s elbow deep in mud, manure, fish entrails or some other nastiness, and that makes his show entertaining. But beyond cracking jokes, grossing out his audience and drawing ratings, Rowe’s show has a purpose – demonstrating that one doesn’t have to work in an office building or wear a coat and tie to make a good living. He has doubled… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace
Succession Planning – The Time is Now
Posted On May 17, 2016
The Great Recession of the late 2000s wreaked havoc on most of our plans in some way. Plans to buy or sell a house, plans to fund a college education, plans to move up in our careers to a better job – all had to be postponed, downsized, or even abandoned until the economy started moving again. The downturn also affected succession planning for Baby Boomers, many of whom set aside long-term necessities while dealing with short-term realities. A recent story at campdenfb.com cited a 2016 Kreischer Miller report, which surveyed family businesses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, and… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Retirement, Succession Planning, Workplace
Boomers as Workplace Loyalty Role Models? Hardly.
Posted On April 27, 2016
If you’re an employer you might worry about retaining workers, and the difficulties that high job turnover presents to your bottom line – such as the costs of finding and training new workers. Millennials, in particular, can’t hold down a steady job because they don’t know how to, and/or they don’t want to, or so we’re told. They are just too selfish to commit to anything or anyone, including the people who sign their pay-checks. Fret not! Recent research highlighted on fivethirtyeight.com under the heading Millennials found that Millennial disloyalty is – a bit of a myth. Researchers from the… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace