The front page of this morning's Boston Globe...  "Recession has ended in Mass., say analysts - Analysts say recession is over in Mass., see jobs on horizon".  Wow!

Massachusetts is one of 22 states in which the recession has ended, largely due to the Bay State's strengths in health care and higher education.  Those sectors have remained relatively stable over the past two years - Compare the industry base and diversity of MA to NV which is still deeply mired in recession due to its dependance upon the gaming and hospitality industries.  

Furthermore, those same analysts suggest that the Massachusetts economy actually turned the corner in late 2009 and has been on the road to recovery for at least a few months.  We know that growth in private industry, hospitals, and universities will soon mean more jobs and hiring.  As the growth continues and sustains, we can watch for the next sign of a recovery... a rise in wages.

Glad to share some good news!  As always, please let us know how we can help during this time of opportunity.

- Lou G. 

Our elected officials (who are behaving more like politicians as we inch toward November) have become consumed and gridlocked by the health care debate. 

First of all - to set the record straight - the debate is not about quality of care, improving people's lives, educating providers, or curing diseases - the debate is about insurance... simply, who is going to pay for whom.  

I will be first in line to say that I would like to see everyone in America receive the highest quality health care at the lowest possible cost. We are a compassionate people and should never turn our backs on our fellow citizens, especially those having trouble helping themselves. 

The issue I see as most damaging is the trickle-down effect of the debate around the government getting into the business of providing insurance benefits.  Unemployment has been hovering around 10% for months, and long-term unemployed workers are exhausting their benefits.  As the President continues to insist that our government will eventually fund health insurance for millions and millions of people, we are all paralyzed and waiting for the other shoe to drop meaning "How much will this cost businesses and taxpayers?"  

My business clients are anxious to get back on a growth track but are concerned about having to pay higher premiums for their current employees to have proper benefits and question the value of hiring additional workers when it may only mean greater expenses and less than a justifiable return on their investment. Meanwhile, what about the unemployed person who is wondering about the value of returning to work, only to earn a stagnant wage, pay higher taxes and make higher contributions to an employee health plan?  Does that person have an incentive to return to work or would it be easier to simply let others pay their way for them?

The concept of billions and trillions of dollars makes my head spin.  However, I think if our government leaders are willing to talk about spending in that stratosphere, why not appropriate a reasonable amount of money targeted as cash incentives to companies that hire unemployed workers? - that's right, bonus a company for hiring someone, taking them off unemployment benefits, and putting him or her back to work, producing more products and services, and helping the economy grow!  It's not a giveaway.  We all win!

And if that sounds too simplistic... try following the health care debates.

As always, we are here to help

- Lou G. 

Just a year ago, we wrote about the challenges ahead in 2009 after such a difficult end to 2008.  Today we find ourselves in the 2nd year of a recession with a lot of work ahead.  

International wars on multiple fronts, pending health care legislation, retirees seeking (needing) employment due to failed investments, and hard-working middle-income folks getting squeezed more each day.  These challenges are real and can feel daunting to the average person.

I am convinced that it is up to each of us to break free of this doom and gloom.  And that means reflecting and taking action.  Whether you are a gainfully employed, seeking new employment, or looking to hire new employees, the keys will be to become nimble, agile and diverse.  

I was just reading about an unemployed construction worker who is seeking employment in plant management.  The construction industry has been hit harder that most by the downturn.  His choice was to fight that trend or make adjustments to better position himself in the marketplace.  An assessment of transferable skills, a rewrite of the resume, and some active networking into new circles are breathing life into his job search.  Sure it's hard work, and it can be scary to venture into unknown territory - but consider the alternative... 

So, my early advice in the early days of 2010 is to identify and market those transferable skills if you are in a job search. We all have them.  If you are an employer seeking to hire new people, look at those folks who can bring a fresh diversity of skills and abilities to your organization.  It will enable you to remain agile and capable of turning quickly when necessary.

Creative and innovative companies are hiring, and people with employable skills are being hired.  The only question is , "Why do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results"?  

Ask me about my "Heidelberg Printing Press" story some day...

Happy New Year!!!  As always, let us know if we can help.

- Lou G.

I've been engaged in a number of discussions over the past few weeks about "bridging the generation gaps" in the workplace and will actually be spending the next few months working closely with college students in their career management and job search activities. Some interesting points have been raised, but the fact of the matter is that, in reality, we have been dealing with multiple generations in the workplace for decades and decades.  It just looks very different today... Years ago, you established a career and climbed a ladder to the top.  Unfortunately, many groups of people were excluded from the climb based upon gender, race, age, religion, etc.  While yesterday's euphemism was a ladder, today's resembles more of a playground jungle gym or rock climbing wall.  It has been said that today's college graduates may have as many as 9 different careers and 3 different jobs within each career on average before they retire.

Getting back to the generation gaps.  It is more the case of the differences being more obvious today and having greater impact on how we all work together.  We also have additional generations in the workforce that didn't exist in years past. There was a time when you simply didn't count before age 25 or after age 62.  Today we have 18 year old entrepreneurs and so-called "seniors" working until age 80.

The discussions are fascinating and the information is valuable.  Now we need to move beyond simply identifying the generations (Seniors, Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials, etc.) and begin to manage the gaps rather than simply pointing at them.  Yes, each group has values, beliefs, principles, strengths and shortcomings.  Rather than label employees and then ask everyone to fill the same roles in organizations, let's move to the next stage and get serious about what each person can do to move companies forward.  If someone within a certain group shows promise in customer loyalty but can't work a spreadsheet as effectively as someone who was virtually born with a computer mouse in hand, doesn't it appear obvious where those workers can deliver the greatest value?  If we are going to be so forward thinking as to identify who belongs to which group, why not play to everyone's strengths and not ask everyone to be everything?

Why talk about bridging the gaps if all we do is identify the groups, label people, and go back to business as usual?  Think of all the wasted or misplaced talent...

As always, let us know if we can help.

 - Lou G.

As the economy stabilizes, turns and begins to grow again, the unemployment statistics will follow suit by leveling off and eventually showing positive signs in a few months.  However, one interesting phenomenon receiving a lot of attention lately has been the concept of "churn"...

The deep recession over the past 18 months has caused a lot of folks who are gainfully employed, yet unsatisfied in their present jobs, to simply hold on tight to what they have and not risk a job change at this time.  A wise strategy during uncertain times.  Less voluntary turnover has allowed companies to better manage their workforces through planned retirements, strategic reductions in force, individual terminations, etc.  The loyal workforce still on the job has been a source of comfort through all the volatility, but it may have created a false sense of security from the employer perspective.

See the picture?  As the indicators climb, and confidence improves within the economy in general, employees will begin to shake off the dust, feel more confident in making a move for a better job, more money, shorter commute, and all the other reasons that have been held back for the past year.  When they jump, it may feel like a domino effect with employers losing that security they once felt in the way they were managing their workforces during the recession.  And this happens before we re-open those jobs openings that have been frozen for so long, only compounding the loss of control.

Do you really need to lose control right now?  Are you prepared to handle the effects of the churn?

Let us know if we can help...

- Lou G.

Labor statistics for July 2009 were released a few hours ago, and the news is encouraging.  The official national unemployment rate actually went down for the first time since April 2008 from 9.5% to 9.4%.  I see this as a sign that the big layoffs are slowing and may have finally stopped.  We may have reach the point where companies have become as lean as possible and are now prepared to grow again. Although the rate of growth may be slow for some time, growth is a positive direction!

The doomsayers are going to point toward flies in the ointment such as workers who have stopped looking for a job or those who are calling themselves employed even though they are only employed part-time.  Get into that mind-set, and it will trap you into negative thinking and less than positive action.

Yes, today's numbers are a positive sign that we may have taken the corner and are now positioned to turn this ship around.  Embrace it, and lean forward.  Why not?

As always, let us know if we can help.

- Lou G.

Recently, we have been commenting on how organizations large and small have all but eliminated their staffing and recruiting functions in the wake of the ongoing recession.  Furthermore, we have remarked about how short-sighted it can be to throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.

Fact of the matter is that there will soon be a point when companies will need to stop showing their employees the door and begin to acquire fresh talent.  The questions are "Where will they come from?"  "Who will screen, recruit, and select?"  "How will they be on-boarded and acclimated so that they will stay for a while?"

Right now, we hear a lot of companies complaining about an overload of candidate resumes sitting in their InBoxes and Talent Management Systems, but no one is managing the flow because they have laid-off most or all of the recruiting staff with the exception of inexperienced administrators simply because there are not enough openings at the moment.  The talented candidates will soon go elsewhere and the unqualified ones will continue to take up space for you, your staff, and perhaps your attorneys.

Can't complain about the rain if you threw your umbrella into the trash!

Let us know if we can help...

- Lou G.

We have almost reached the half-way point of 2009 and the news and analysis continues to flow...

The national unemployment rate spiked in May, approaching the emotionally critical double-digit mark.  However, some "experts" claim that the jump is due to newly and recently graduated college students who have not yet landed full-time employment.  More experts point to statistics telling us that new jobless claims were significantly down during the same period, indicating that lay-offs are not coming as rapidly as they once were, and that we may have arrived at the long-awaited "bottom".  Furthermore, a recent article in "The Wall Street Journal" recommends instilling "job-market skills" in youngsters as young as 5 years old as hot jobs and hot careers wax and wane over time.

The information can cause one to stagger, so my advice is always to stay close to reality and talk (have a meaningful discussion rather than simply accepting a stranger's opinion) with people who share interests, concerns, careers, and so forth.  Remember this.. the so-called "experts" who opine daily on the current recession, the future recovery, career paths, finances, and more are the same folks who must admit that they never saw the meltdown coming in 2008 or sooner.  

- Lou G.

A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that 4.4 million Americans got jobs in February 2009 (only slightly less the 4.5 million new hires reported in January '09).  And Fortune magazine recently posted a list of 28 companies on its Fortune 100 list that have openings for at least 150 jobs.  Companies like Prudential and Mal-Mart are seeking thousands of new employees (and not just at the entry levels).  And yes, even Bank of America is hiring!

Furthermore, companies are beginning to see the light and hire recruiters to their ranks to bring new talent into their organizations.

Of course, some industries (hospitality, retail, insurance, real estate) have been hit harder than others by the economic downturn, but others (healthcare, education, environmental) continue to show strength.  It depends upon where you look and whom you ask.

I still believe that much of the reductions in force by employers have been unnecessary knee-jerk reactions to the daily news, not wanting to be caught in a difficult place when the sky falls.  Whether it is a house fire, a car crash, or an economic crisis... the bad news will always get lead air time and the positive news will be heard only if there is time and space.  The negative news plays well for everyone during an election - it enables candidates to make promises and it causes people to go to the polls and voice their opinions.  Elections are over...  It is time to get back to reality.

Remember that even the largest companies in the world were once entrepreneurial ventures in their earlier days.  It took courage and determination back then, and it will take the same entrepreneurial spirit today.

Let us know if you are hiring or if we can help.  Thanks.

- Lou G.

Well, I have written here recently about an eventual turnaround in the economy, and ultimately the workplace, with the big question being... "Are You Ready?".  Now we are hearing more and more about the economy having possibly reached bottom and beginning to bounce off the floor.

That means more discussion about "Are we ready for a turnaround"?  It is a valid question, especially for organizations that have abandoned their recruiting efforts (and especially those who have jettisoned their recruiting staffs).  The need for specialists who can step in and revive dormant recruitment efforts will increase in the weeks and months ahead.  There is a great deal of talent on the streets seeking the right opportunity - don't miss your opportunity.

Here's to the future.  Let us know if we can help.

- Lou G.