Let's Ring In the New Year

It’s my first post of the new year and—surprise!—I’m not going to talk about procrastination (which is clearly one of my favorite blog topics). I actually want to talk about the second-most popular topic for the New Year: CHANGE.

I’m not talking about changes you want to see in the economy, government laws or practices. I’m referring to changes that may be going on in your workplace that you may not yet be aware of.

Do you know your employees?

While the people in your workplace may seem to be mostly happy and productive employees, keep in mind that the pool of applicants we draw from for hiring is changing. That means that employee needs, goals and desires are changing.

Statistics show that:

• Since 2011 about 8,000 people are turning 65 every DAY and this trend will continue until 2029.
• Young people are transitioning into the workforce and earning money at a much later age than young adults 30 years ago.  
• The age at which young adults are hitting median wage earnings has increased from 26 to 30 between 1980 and 2012.
• Government projects suggest that Immigrants will account for as much as half of the net population growth over the next few decades.
• The number of women in the workforce with children under 6 rose from 63% in 2005 to 68% in 2011.
• Employee longevity is staying fairly flat within the private sector with the median years of tenure at 4.2 years.

Your employees are changing—are you?

This means that in order to stay with you as an employer, your happy and productive workers need and want more flexible schedules and time off due to health issues, family commitments or other outside interests.  Retirement, health savings accounts or other long term savings plans may be important to people as they move to different jobs for various reasons.  

The fact is, workers feel more valued and tend to stay longer with employers who offer benefits that better fit their needs. 

Give me a ring

As I mentioned earlier, I want to “talk” about these changes. That’s “HR speak” for “I don’t have all the answers.” But I am a creative HR consultant that can help look at your company’s situation and give you some creative solutions.  So let’s talk. Email me or give me a ring in the new year.