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

The Herman Trend Alert April 15, 2009 Veteran Unemployment According to the United States' Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) the unemployment rate among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan is an outrageous 11.2 percent. During the same period, the jobless rate for non-veterans of the same age group was 8.8 percent. In all fairness, we must add that there is a margin of error for the veteran demographic that could put these veterans on par with the non-veterans. However, we believe there may be something else is going on here. In the past, the Guard and Reserve were branches of military service that that mostly served domestically for periods of one to two years. Historically, the US government, Department of Defense (DOD) called up these members of the military for active-duty service only once every six years. Employers supported these citizen soldiers, because it was patriotic and that support did not cost the resources of the organization. A few years ago, the DOD changed the rules. Although their “policy” is still to call Guard and Reserve members once every six years, the reality is quite different. During recent years the Guard and Reserve have not been used as "strategic reserves", but rather as supplements to the active duty forces. In fact, many members of these service branches are on their third and fourth activation since 2001. We believe that the recent uptick in unemployment among these veterans is reflected in the various survey findings of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), Business Law Review, and Workforce Management Magazine. They found that upwards of 70 percent of companies will not now hire as a new employee anyone who is active in the Guard and Reserve. Armed with this knowledge, many may choose not to enlist. Anecdotally, as a rule recent veterans who totally separate from the service are not having as hard a time as others finding jobs, particularly those who have marketable skills, a college degree, or a security clearance. The lesson for governments everywhere is "Consider the effects on business and industry, when you make decisions". The lesson for service members is "Make sure you have a marketable skill". © 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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