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

The Herman Trend Alert January 14, 2009 Older Workers Recognized as More Valuable Employers are increasingly turning to older and previously retired workers for hard-to-fill positions for two reasons. First, they will do practically anything to reduce costs and second, employers, like most of us, are uncertain of the near-term future. We are already seeing an uptick in the number of special projects given to these seasoned employees. The good news about hiring these folks is that onboarding and offboarding costs are nominal, and in many cases, benefits are not an issue either. "Many retired Boomers are simply looking for a supplement to their income to maintain their desired lifestyle, said Art Koff of Retired Brains.com, a resource web site for seniors. We have all seen the value of our financial assets plummet, while healthcare costs have continued to rise, seemingly exponentially. According to Koff, "At least one in four older Americans are either postponing their retirement or seeking to return to the workforce while four in ten employers have designed programs to encourage late-career workers to stay past their traditional retirement age." Another interesting development is that valuable, long term employees have begun to leave for other jobs. These experienced, seasoned professionals in a wide variety of industries take their priceless corporate memories with them. Not only are their employers unprepared to lose these precious human resources, but the workers in many cases are irreplaceable---at any cost. The accounting and healthcare industries are particularly vulnerable. Last fall, AARP's Chief People Officer, Ellie Hollander, sounded the warning that few employers recognized the effect of the exodus of intellectual capital they will suffer when boomers retire and take all their knowledge and experience with them. Studies conducted in the aerospace and manufacturing industries reinforce this fear. As futurists, we have long touted the value of older workers, with their experience, stability, and wisdom. We have also said numerous times that employers must be more flexible with their older workers. Allowing greater flexibility in scheduling and work location will give employers a competitive edge in retaining these senior workers. Wise employers will conduct stay interviews to prevent untimely losses of these valuable human assets. © 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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