Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Coming Storm

Dear Professional,

54% of the workforce will leave for a better offer/opportunity when the economy improves (Source: U.S. Job Recovery and Retention Poll findings).

The HR profession has identified that the #1 trend most likely to have a major strategic impact on the workplace is "the growing need to develop retention strategies for the current and future workforce."

Corporate loyalty is dead! Under this new workforce paradigm employees are demanding a different set of "Engagement Drivers" in order to stay with a company:

-Confidence in organization's future (viability/mission/vision)
-Promising future for one's self
-Company supports work/life balance (virtual office, less travel, no PTO restrictions)
-Safety is a priority
-Excited about one's work
-Satisfied with recognition
-Satisfied with personal development/training/competency acquisition
-Manager treats employee with respect and dignity

The present economy has allowed certain companies to "relax" on these Drivers of Engagement. The flight from "need to put food on the table" jobs to "career engagement" jobs will be excruciating for companies that don't get onboard with these critical employee satisfaction drivers.

We are working with a few companies that get this critical concept and are working hard to create an "engaged" environment.

Best Regards,

Tom

Thursday, January 21, 2010

The War for Talent has now officially started in the world of Audiology!

Dear Audiology Professional:

I just finished an interesting conversation with one of my large mfg clients in which they instructed me to "send us all the talent you have, we'll find a place for them".

Consider these polls:
Harris Interactive Poll, "78% of workers feel burned out; 46% say their workload has increased; and 56% say they are not glad they chose to work for their current employer."

The U.S. Job Retention Poll results revealed that "41% of those employed are actively engaged in a job search; 35% were passively seeking other employment opportunities." This poll also revealed that employees are expected to increase their job searching activities as the economy begins to stabilize and improve.

What does this mean? As the economy starts to improve, employees that have "settled" or taken jobs just to keep food on the table will be actively looking and leaving for better opportunities. This equates to a tremendous amount of volatility for companies with large numbers of employees. The smart companies are starting to act on this tidal wave of change. Others who continue to ask their employees to perform multiple job descriptions, for the same amount of money will find the turnover devastating. Combine this with the shrinking pool of audiology talent in the industry.

What does this mean for you the audiologist? It's time to consult with a professional about the numerous opportunities that are starting to emerge. It's time to discovery the new trends, developments and events that are taking place behind the scenes. What level of pain is the company experiencing? It's time to understand your leverage point and determine how to present your competencies as an A level player and get the career opportunity you deserve.

Exciting times!

Tom Northey
Bridgeline Associates
"Audiology Jobs" Group on Linkedin.com
www.bridgeline.org (website)
tom@bridgeline.org (email)