ManpowerGroup Warns Skills are at Risk of Becoming Antiquated as Job Seekers Face Long-term Structural Unemployment

In a previous position, I managed a large department of 44 people. At one point I had recently promoted members of the team to supervisory positions. Wanting to measure the level of communication and presentation of clear objectives, I sent a survey to all team members soliciting their feedback.  I was pleasantly surprised by the responses (which thankfully meant that I was clearly communicating with my new leadership team – whew).  

If you haven’t solicited feedback from your staff in a while, here are 12 questions  to spark a conversation.  Right Management also has a white paper called How do you engage with, retain and motivate employees? But remember, these kind of questions  can do more harm than good if you don’t take action on any deficiencies that might be uncovered.   

UGH!  If you have children, you’re much more exposed to the “latest and greatest” trends in technology, but have you thought about how that translates to your professional life?  Long gone are the days of finding one job and working there for the rest of your life. For survival’s sake, it’s incumbent upon to strive for relevancy every day. 

Trunk offered up some great tips on how to stay in the know and on top of your game.  Read the article and let me know what you think.

I’m certianly taking all of this to heart.

June 14, 2011 - Employers inIowa expect to hire at a healthy pace during the third quarter of 2011, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

 From July to September, 23% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 8% expect to reduce their payrolls. Another 66% expect to maintain their current staff levels and 3% are not certain of their hiring plans. This yields a Net Employment Outlook* of 15%.

 ”The Quarter 3 2011 survey results point toward improved hiring plans compared to Quarter 2 2011 when the Net Employment Outlook was 10%,” said Manpower spokesperson Sunny Ackerman. “Compared to one year ago when the Net Employment Outlook was 19%, employers are less confident about their staffing plans.”

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in Construction, Durable and Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing, Transportation & Utilities, Wholesale & Retail Trade, Information, Professional & Business Services, Leisure & Hospitality and Other Services. Employers in Financial Activities and Education & Health Services plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in Government is expected to remain unchanged.

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Results for the United States

Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed in the United States, 20% anticipate an increase in staff levels in their Quarter 3 2011 hiring plans, while 8% expect a decrease in payrolls, resulting in a Net Employment Outlook of +12%. When seasonally adjusted, the Net Employment Outlook becomes +8%. Sixty-nine percent of employers expect no change in their hiring plans. The remaining 3% of employers indicate they are undecided about their hiring intentions.

To view results for Metropolitan Statistical areas surveyed within Iowa, visit http://press.manpower.com.

The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on September 13, 2011 to report hiring expectations for Quarter 4 2011.

About the Survey

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers’ intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforces during the next quarter. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey’sUnited Statesresults are based on interviews with 18,000 employers located in the 50 states, theDistrict of ColumbiaandPuerto Rico, which includes the largest 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas based on number of business establishments. The mix of industries within the survey follows the North American Industry Classification System Supersectors and is structured to be representative of theU.S.economy. 

The complete results of the national Manpower Employment Outlook Survey can be found in the Press Room of our website at http://press.manpower.com. There you will also find the results for the 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas surveyed, the 50 states, theDistrict of ColumbiaandPuerto Rico. Questions can be directed to press@na.manpower.com.

By the end of the article he suggested tackling “your most challenging task first thing in the morning, for 60 to 90 minutes, uninterrupted.” I don’t always have free time first thing in the morning. In fact I usually have my first meeting between 8:00 am and 8:30 a.m.  However, it made me think about the list of Guiding Principles (how we define who we want to be and how we conduct ourselves) that my staff and I created last fall, one of which is, Power Hours – Permission to Focus.

The idea behind the “Power Hour” is to block out a specific amount of time to “power” through a task or project. This uninterrupted time can be an hour or it can be thirty minutes, whatever block of time you need depending upon what you hope to accomplish.  Because this is one of our organization’s Guiding Principals, there’s a great deal of consideration given to an individual who is taking their “Power Hour” and encourage team members to do so often. It’s one way we support each other and tackle those projects that have that looming deadline which appeared out of nowhere.

Let’s face it, our work days are busy enough, so giving your self permission to take a “power hour” may provide you with a bit of calm that we all need in our work days. Try it. Schedule a set block of time on your calendar to focus on your project and power through. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done.

Assessing your company’s culture becomes a priority.  So, what happens if you’ve evaluated your company culture and you realize it’s broken? How do you fix it?

I recently read a great article by Kris Dunn that talked about four skills an HR department needs to bring to the table in order to implement a positive change.

 I’m not sure it’s just the HR department that needs to possess these skills. Read the article and let me know what you think.

Four HR Skills Critical in Turning Around a Crappy Culture | workforce.com.

March 8, 2011 - Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA MSA employers expect to hire at a conservative pace during Quarter 2 2011, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. Among survey participants, the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA MSA employment outlook is one of the weakest in the nation.

From April to June, 12% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 11% expects to cut staff. Another 76% expect to maintain their current staff levels and 1% are not certain of their hiring plans. This yields a Net Employment Outlook* of 1%.

“Employers are similarly confident about hiring plans for the second quarter of 2011 compared to Quarter 1 when the Net Employment Outlook was 2%,” said Manpower spokesperson Karen Miller. “Employers foresee weaker staffing plans compared with one year ago, when the Net Employment Outlook was 8%.

Summary of Results for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA MSA

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing, Transportation & Utilities, Information, Professional & Business Services, Leisure & Hospitality and Other Services. Employers in Construction, Durable Goods Manufacturing, Wholesale & Retail Trade, Education & Health Services and Government plan to reduce staffing levels, while Financial Activities employers report no change in hiring sentiment.

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Results for the United  States 

Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed in the United States, 16% anticipate an increase in staff levels in their Quarter 2 2011 hiring plans, while 6% expect a decrease in payrolls, resulting in a Net Employment Outlook of +10%. When seasonally adjusted, the Net Employment Outlook becomes +8%. Seventy-four percent of employers expect no change in their hiring plans. The remaining 4% of employers indicate they are undecided about their hiring intentions.

The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on June 14, 2011 to report hiring expectations for Quarter 3 2011.

 About the Survey

Manpower Inc., an innovative workforce solutions company, releases the global Manpower Employment Outlook Survey quarterly to measure employers’ intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforce during the next quarter. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey’s United States results are based on interviews with 18,000 employers located in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, which includes the largest 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas based on number of business establishments. The mix of industries within the survey follows the North American Industry Classification System Supersectors and is structured to be representative of the U.S. economy.

The complete results of the national Manpower Employment Outlook Survey can be found in the Press Room of our website at http://press.manpower.com. There you will also find the results for the 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas surveyed, the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Questions can be directed to press@na.manpower.com. 

“The world is on the cusp of entering a new reality in which human potential itself will become the major agent of economic growth. Unleashing this spirit and potential will become the ultimate quest that we must seek to conquer, as the world enters the Human Age.”  Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman, CEO and President, Manpower Inc.

For the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area, hiring intentions are slightly better than they were in the first quarter of the year, and significantly stronger than they were at this time last year, as 17% of employers surveyed plan to add staff, while 9% plan to decrease staff levels.  No change in staffing is anticipated by 72%, and 2% of employers are unsure what direction their hiring activity will take.  In addition to the 2% increase in the net percentage over 1st Quarter, I also find it interesting that the overall percentage of employers who don’t know what they’re going to do seems to be decreasing.  Perhaps that’s at least indicative of a greater level of confidence in forecasting by hiring managers.

For the upcoming quarter, job prospects appear best in Durable Goods Manufacturing, Nondurable Goods Manufacturing, Transportation & Utilities, Information, Financial Activities, Professional & Business Services and Leisure & Hospitality.

Employers in Wholesale & Retail Trade, Education & Health Services and Government plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in Construction and Other Services is expected to remain unchanged.
Of the 18,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 16% expect to increase their staff levels during the second quarter, while 8% expect to reduce their payrolls. Seventy-three percent expect no change in hiring, and 3% are undecided about their Quarter 2 2010 hiring plans.  To see the full U.S. report – click here…
The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on June 8, 2010 to report hiring expectations for Quarter 3 2010.

Happy Friday!

In conjunction with the Forum, Manpower Inc. released information identifying four Mega Trends which are transforming and accelerating the world of work. They are:

• The Talent Mismatch is deepening as the working age population declines and the nature of work changes. These significant shifts in talent supply are transforming the global labor market.
• Individual Choice will be exercised by those with the skills that are most in demand, requiring companies to think differently about how jobs are defined and how they will attract and retain scarce talent.
• Rising Customer Sophistication requires businesses to work in a new way, driven by innovation and delivering greater value and efficiency.
• Technological Revolutions have the power to change where, when and how we work, enabling organizations to be more agile and innovative – if they know how to leverage it.

“In recent weeks, the status and significance of the rapidly expanding temporary workforce has been widely discussed – and woefully misunderstood,” said Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO. “Companies will increasingly look to temporary workers to gain the flexibility and agility required to appropriately and strategically adjust to consumer demand.  At the same time, individuals are increasingly exercising more choice when it comes to pursuing employment that meets their expectations and taps their motivations.”

“Business leaders around the world will need to ask themselves what the trends mean for their organizations and what they will do to respond to them, according to Manpower research.  Organizations need to carefully consider their people practices, a critical element to navigating the changing world of work.”

“As the economy rebounds, companies will need to prepare for a new normal, carefully adjusting their business strategy and evaluating their workforce,” said Joerres. “In the past, access to capital gave companies their edge; soon talent will become the competitive differentiator and companies will compete for talent as rigorously as individuals now compete for jobs. “

“Given these trends, the temporary workforce will lead the way as the world recovers and companies are forced to do more with less and meet consumers’ ever-rising expectations,” Joerres added. “To attract and retain these ‘workforce accelerators’ who offer highly specialized skills, smart companies will strive to create a workplace culture that is healthy, flexible and satisfying.”

To see an executive summary, click here…

Good stuff!  Take note America – things are changing before our very eyes.

One of my favorite old Stephen Wright comedy pieces (paraphrased below) illustrates that point.

“I was at a job interview, and I stopped the interview and asked the guy ‘If you were in a car traveling at the speed of light, and you turned on the headlights, what would happen?’  He said ‘I don’t know.’  I said ‘Well then I don’t want to work for you!’”

The folks at glassdoor.com have compiled their list of the top oddball interview questions of 2009.  How would you do if your next job depended on your response to one of these questions?

1.  What was your best McGuyver moment? – view answers
Asked at Schlumberger. More Schlumberger Interview Questions

2.  How many tennis balls are in this room and why? – view answers
Asked at Yahoo. More Yahoo Interview Questions

3.  If you were a brick in a wall which brick would you be and why? – view answers
Asked at Nestle USA. More Nestle USA Interview Questions

4.  How would you move Mount Fuji? – view answers
Asked at Microsoft. More Microsoft Interview Questions

5.  If two cars are traveling in a two lap race on a track of any length, one going 60 mph and the other going 30mph, how fast will the slower car have to go to finish at the same car to finish at the same time? – view answers
Asked at Morgan Stanley. More Morgan Stanley Interview Questions

6.  Are your parents disappointed with your career aspirations? – view answers
Asked at Fisher Investments. More Fisher Investments Interview Questions

7.  Tell me how you would determine how many house painters there are in the United States? – view answers
Asked at Acquity Group. More Acquity Group Interview Questions

8.  What should it cost to rent Central Park for commercial purposes? – view answers
Asked at Bain & Co. More Bain Interview Questions

9.  If I put you in a sealed room with a phone that had no dial tone, how would you fix it? – view answers
Asked at Apple. More Apple Interview Questions

10. If you could be any animal, what would you be and why? – view answers
Asked at Pacific Sunwear. More Pacific Sunwear Interview Questions

11.  How many hair salons are there in Japan? – view answers
Asked at Boston Consulting. More BCG Interview Questions

12.  If both a taxi and a limo were priced the exact same, which one would you choose? – view answers
Asked at Best Buy. More Best Buy Interview Questions

13.  How to measure 9 minutes using only a 4 minute and 7 minute hourglass? – view answers
Asked at Bank of America. More BOA Interview Questions

14.  What are 5 uncommon uses of a brick, not including building, layering, or a paper-weight? – view answers
Asked at Kaplan High Education. More Kaplan Higher Education Interview Questions

15.  What is the probability of throwing 11 and over with 2 dices – view answers
Asked at American Airlines. More American Airlines Interview Questions

16.  What is your favorite food? – view answers
Asked at Apple Store. More Apple Interview Questions

17.  Say you are dead- what do you think your eulogy would say about you. – view answers
Asked at Nationwide. More Nationwide Interview Questions

18.  Given a dictionary of words, how do you calculate the anagrams for a new word? – view answers
Asked at Amazon. More Amazon Interview Questions

19.  How many lightbulbs are in this building? – view answers
Asked at Monitor Group. More Monitor Group Interview Questions

20.  Given a square grid of numbers, considering all the numbers at the boundary as one layer and numbers just inside as another layer and so on how would you rotate each of the layers of the numbers by a given amount. – view answers
Asked at Microsoft. More Microsoft Interview Questions

21.  How would you sell me eggnog in Florida in the summer? – view answers
Asked at Expedia. More Expedia Interview Questions

22.  Develop an algorithm for finding the shortest distance between two words in a document.  After the phone interview is over, take a few hours to develop a working example in C++ and send it to the manager. – view answers
Asked at Google. More Google Interview Questions

23.  Given a fleet of 50 trucks, each with a full fuel tank and a range of 100 miles, how far can you deliver a payload? You can transfer the payload from truck to truck, and you can transfer fuel from truck to truck.  Extend your answer for n trucks. – view answers
Asked at Palantir. More Palantir Interview Questions

24.  You are in a room with 3 switches which correspond to 3 bulbs in another room and you don’t know which switch corresponds to which bulb. You can only enter the room with the bulbs once. You can NOT use any external equipment (power supplies, resistors, etc.). How do you find out which bulb corresponds to which switch? – view answers
Asked at Goldman Sachs. More Goldman Sachs Interview Questions

25.  If you saw someone steal a quarter. Would you report it? – view answers
Asked at Amazon. More Amazon Interview Questions

See more at the glassdoor.com blog

As if interviews weren’t already stressful enough!

 

Click on image to enlarge

Posted in Humor Tagged: Comics, Dilbert, Friday Funnies ]]> http://workexposedblog.com/2010/01/15/friday-funnies-consultant-dilbert/feed/ 0 Michael Lynch Dilbert 010510 http://workexposedblog.com/2010/01/14/canadian-it-departments-understaffed/ http://workexposedblog.com/2010/01/14/canadian-it-departments-understaffed/#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:00:50 +0000 Karen Miller http://workexposedblog.com/?p=2475 Continue reading →]]> A recent survey by Robert Half Technology revealed that a significant number of technology executives feel that they could use more help.  Thirty-seven per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed said their IT departments are understaffed in relation to current workloads.

The survey was  conducted by an independent research firm, and was based on telephone interviews with more than 270 CIOs from companies across Canada with 100 or more employees.

CIOs were asked, “How would you describe the staffing level of your IT department in relation to current workloads?” Their responses were as follows:

• Somewhat understaffed ……….. 37%
• At the appropriate staff level … 59%
• Somewhat overstaffed …………… 4%

Within the professional services and business services sectors, CIOs noted an even greater discrepancy between staff levels and workloads, with nearly half (46 per cent), respectively, reporting that their departments are understaffed.

“Many technology departments experienced cuts to their staffing levels and have been challenged to manage workload demands,” said Geoffrey Thompson, vice president of Robert Half Technology. “While companies are often able to operate with lean teams in the short term, longer periods of understaffing can harm the overall productivity and morale of the organization.”

To keep projects on track and prevent burnout, Thompson recommends that IT managers bring in extra support, if only for a short duration. “Contract professionals alleviate the demands of workload peaks and major projects, allowing existing staff to concentrate on crucial initiatives. Observing professionals in the work environment is also an excellent way to evaluate them for full-time opportunities.”