This week's workforce stat is about the number of hours we're all working. I thought this was appropriate as we're heading into Labor Day weekend.
Our recent survey of more than 3,000 workers shows that we are working about 44 hours per week on average. That number hasn't changed much in the last 10 years - but with continued gains in productivity, it certainly means we are doing more in that time. Is the number surprising to you?
I will confess that I work more than 44 hours - sometimes way more to be exact. And trust me, that's not because I want to, but simply because I have to in order to keep my head above water.
I'm not alone, either - 12% of workers say they work more than 51 hours a week. That's a huge number when you consider that there are 140 million of us working.
Over the past year or so, I have really tried to cut down on the amount of extra time I spend at work, though. And it's worked for the most part. I've been most successful in reducing the hours by making specific plans after work. That way, I force myself to leave.
Do you find yourself working a lot of hours? Have you been successful in reducing your hours? If so, how?
Enjoy your long weekend and recharge those batteries.
Salary negotiations can be difficult for anyone. I just saw a recent Career Solvers blog post that suggests there are differences in how women and men negotiate for increases in salary. It includes information from a Washington Post article and recent research by Carnegie Mellon on the topic. It also offers advice including how to develop relationships with the HR department, and tips for establishing a comfort level for future salary discussions.
Regardless of gender, salary negotiation can be a difficult conversation. The key is to make sure that you can reasonably show HR why you deserve a pay increase. Here are my suggestions:
Keep a running log of all of the projects that you have worked on throughout the year, outlining your involvement and the outcomes.
Conduct industry research for your local market and determine if you are fairly compensated for your experience and position.
Check your job description to see if you have exceeded the responsibilities or have added to them.
Determine a list of career goals and objectives that you would like to accomplish. This will show HR that you are planning ahead and looking forward to a future with your company.
Preparing for salary negotiation will make you feel more comfortable about setting a meeting with HR, and give you the confidence to speak about what you believe you deserve. Of course, this is a negotiation, so you will also need to be on a look out for HR to counter with their offer. Here are a couple of tips to handle the counter:
Know what you are willing to settle for in regards to negotiation.
Think about alternatives to salary. Maybe more vacation or a flexible schedule would be another area to negotiate for compensation.
Have questions prepared for the end of the conversation. Some may include: What do I need to do to reach this desired salary bracket? Can I renegotiate in 6, 8 or 10 months?
Also, for more tips on negotiating total compensation packages, check out two other posts on the topic. Remember, hard work and dedication deserve a fair salary. You've earned it. Now all you have to do is ask for it!
After the dot-com bust in 2000-2001, many companies decided that in order to retain their position in their given markets, it would be best to shift a low-cost strategy for all areas of the company. Many Gen-Y workers land a job only to find the company's HR department has a low-cost mindset, especially so among small-to-medium sized businesses. I can understand that when you're operating a business, always trying to make it to the next month requires thinking on a short-term level.
Here's the catch - it will almost always be more expensive for you to recruit, hire, and train a new employee than to retain a current employee. Here's a very simplified low-end example (most recruiting and training costs for small businesses are higher than this): If it costs $1000 to recruit an employee and $500 to train the employee, and you're having employees leave twice a year, then your recruiting cost per position is $3000 for the given year. But if you set the employee up with basic insurance benefits of $150 employer co-pay per month and give out twice-annual bonuses of $500, then that total annual cost is only $2800. Plus you have the intangible benefits of having a long-term employee who can build lasting relationships with your clients.
Sometimes retention will require those kinds of benefits and compensation. Other times it as simple as modifying the schedule of hours. One previous manager of mine required each employee to be in their seat by 8:00 AM each morning unless they had a very good excuse, then work until 5:00 with an hour for lunch. My current manager has made it clear that if I want to come in at 8:00 one day and work until 4:45 with a 45-minute lunch one day, and then work from 8:30 to 5:30 with an hour-long lunch the next, that's fine. His view is that as long as I am completing my job duties and serving my client(s), then I'm doing well. Assessing these "benefit" differences, I prefer the style of my current manager.
Treating your employees as assets rather than expenses (especially with a low-cost strategic focus) will lower your HR costs and create a better, more attractive workplace for Generation Y workers.
I have been reading through our latest Emerging Workforce data and found something that was a bit surprising: 61% of all workers plan to work until they are 65 or older and 11% plan to retire after age 70. I even saw an article this week which profiled people working in their nineties - that's a bit extreme, though.
However, the reality is that lot of us will be working well beyond the traditional age of retirement. People are living longer, healthier lives and simply want to work longer to stay active, etc. But living longer means the need for more money and since it seems fewer people are saving for retirement these days, many people will need to work to maintain a certain lifestyle, pay medical bills and so on.
Will you be working into your sixties or seventies? And if you do, will you choose to go into business for yourself or consulting or remain in the corporate world?
Frankly, I have another 30 years until I even consider it, so it's hard for me to even imagine it now. But I do know that it will be hard to just stop working at age 65 and hang it up. Sure, it sounds appealing at this very moment as I sit here wishing I could go home or on an extended vacation, but after 40+ years of contributing at work, that's easier said than done.
In recent months, there has been a growing amount of controversy over the recruiting, hiring, and management of Generation Y workers. I've read two articles today, one editorial from New York telling Generation Y workers to wake up and work hard first, and another piece from Australia discussing the downfalls of Generation Y workers. Both seem to pass the message that there is a problem with this new generation of employees and candidates.
Having been born as a Generation Y-er in the semi-recent year of 1982, I think I have good insight as to what workers my age and a few years younger than me are facing, as well as how they are acting and performing in the workplace. Also, I'm armed with a shiny new MBA from an accredited business school, and I've had the opportunity to discuss with many managers who repeatedly ask why Generation Y workers are so difficult to manage, giving me a glance into the managerial view as well.
So first, I want to ask a real basic question: "Are Generation Y workers at fault for being difficult to manage?" My answer, from both the managerial and Generation Y point of view: Yes and No. As I see it, there are four primary misconceptions when it comes to managing Generation Y workers: Strategic Focus, Expectations, Communications, and Entitlement. But here's the catch: both the new workforce and the management leading it are at fault in their own ways.
Over the next four weeks, I'll cover each misconception and how it relates to both the Generation Y employee or candidate, as well as the manager in charge of that employee or candidate. Tune in next week for "How Strategic Focus Confuses Gen Y Workers & Managers."
I've taken a short break from Friday Figures as we prepare to launch the next version of our comprehensive Emerging Workforce Study, but I am back this week with a new and concerning stat. Only 13% of workers say that their company has put more effort into retaining them than they have in previous years.
It's a well-known fact that workers are in great demand as we're starting to see the early effects of the much anticipated worker shortage. So, why do workers feel that their employers aren't putting effort into keeping them from walking out the door?
I have come up with three possible reasons:
Reason #1: Workers have unrealistic expectations about what their employers should be doing to retain them.
Reason #2: Perhaps the majority of workers we interviewed for this survey are low performers and their employers aren't all that concerned about retaining them.
Reason #3: Employers really haven't stepped up their efforts to retain their workforce yet.
While reasons one and two are certainly factors in some of the results, it's painfully obvious that employers just haven't taken a serious approach to retaining their existing workers yet.
Why is this happening?
It starts with HR priorities. In our 2005 Emerging Workforce Study we found that nearly 70% of employers said recruiting talent was a major concern for them, but only 34% said that retention was a major concern. What gives? It still seems that many employers don't link recruiting and retention. Don't they know that it is harder and more costly to find you in the first place than it is to try and keep you there?
I don't get this - to me they go hand in hand. Why spend all the effort on getting you in the door and little to none to keep you there? Maybe employers will eventually see the light - only after we all get wooed to another company. And so the cycle continues...
Q: A very close friend of mine from work was just promoted and will now be my boss. I am worried that this new work relationship will cause tension and affect our friendship. Is it possible to be friends with your boss?
- Submitted by William Fairtyn, Palo Alto, CA
A: Dear William,
Your situation is not an uncommon one. We spend so much time in the office it is quite easy to develop friendships at work. But, as in your case, one day may come when one of your friends has been promoted, and is now your manager. Is it possible to maintain a friendship with your boss? Some say yes, others no. The best thing is to approach the situation with caution.
If you want to remain your manager's friend, remember that your work environment is smaller than you think. Coworkers notice everything and unfortunately, it's hard not to listen to gossip. The last thing you want for you or your boss is to create jealousy or resentment. To successfully maintain the line between friend and employee, keep the following in mind:
Don't expect special treatment. This is not only unfair to your boss but also to your coworkers.
Leave your friendship at the office door. Don't have conversations about weekend plans or previous activities. This excludes coworkers and can portray both you and your boss in an unprofessional light.
Don't take management decisions personally. Remember, ultimately your boss wants what is best for the team. This may mean that your friend has to make departmental changes, shift duties and make personnel decisions. If you don't get a promotion or you have to take on new job duties, understand these are not personal affronts.
Don't fall prey to the green-eyed monster. Don't get jealous if your friend starts having lunch with other employees or managers. As the boss, they have to ensure that everyone is treated fairly. They also need to meet with their boss to make sure everything is running smoothly and keep abreast of company policies.
Socialize with everyone. Develop other friendships in the office. If you go out with your boss, invite your coworkers. This will make everyone feel they are on an even playing field.
Ultimately, positive relationships at work make the job more enjoyable, and can increase productivity. But there is a fine line between what is and is not appropriate behavior. If you aren't sure what is appropriate, ask if you would say the same thing to any other boss. Chances are, if you aren't sure something is appropriate, it probably isn't.
Ever feel that after you submit your resume to a potential employer, it goes into a black hole? Technology has made job hunting easier, but standing out even harder. What tips do you have to get noticed by prospective employers?
Ahhh, the office party. When I hear office party I immediately think of the many "parties gone bad " thrown by none other than Michael Scott of The Office. We often hear about the do's and don'ts of attending an office party. In fact, I ran across a great post on College Recruiter that has some sage advice for party goers, specifically how to avoid embarrassing mishaps that can occur either sober or post alcohol-consumption. If an office party is around the corner, check out the post for reminders like make sure you attend, limit alcohol intake, dress appropriately, and don't brag or brown nose.
More interesting to me is whether or not employees actually enjoy going to office functions, such as the holiday party. Spherion conducted a survey recently on this very topic, and found that more than half (58%) of workers say it is not important to them that their employer has an annual holiday party, and 46% do not feel obligated to attend such an event.
I've often wondered how many workers would rather have their company take the budget amount allocated to such an event, and instead evenly divide that amount in the form of cash bonuses to employees. Or, instead of one big holiday party, use it for smaller "happy hour" parties throughout the year? Where do you stand?
We've just uploaded our latest Temp Life video on YouTube. In this episode, we once again follow the trials and tribulations of those on nightmarish temp assignments. So go ahead, indulge yourself and watch it right here!
It's a great and humorous way to take a break from the rigors of the work day. For our other Temp Life episodes, click here to access our very own YouTube channel.
Recently, a writer with the Detroit Free Press wrote an article about the growing trend of free-Internet cafes taking the place of office environments. The story ran in a couple of different newspapers, which is obviously a sign that many cities are witnessing this trend.
The writer points to a couple of reasons why more workers are using these cafes as their office spot. Among those reasons include free office space and the influx of coffee shops that are showing up on every street corner. But is this trend productive and cost-effective?
For starters, the coffee craze is popular but expensive. Today, consumers are paying $3 and $4 for a cup of coffee. If you are one who enjoys working in the coffee shop environment, you could be spending $20 a day out of a feeling of obligation to the barista. That's easily $100 a week! You might find that working from home is more cost-effective.
Also, you could be saving gas money by walking to your neighborhood Internet-café as opposed to driving to your office. But are you also missing out on social interaction with your co-workers? This could be a detriment when it comes to raises, promotions and reviews. Your productivity may also be called into question more so than when you are working from home.
As with most things, I think this practice is one best suited to moderation. Every now again, opting for a hot cup of Joe and a nice warm coffee shop instead of a cold commute into the office certainly isn't going to impact your career significantly. Unless of course, you're a financial planner or a lawyer conducting business that should be confidential in a crowded venue. That's a no-no.
What about some of our telecommuting readers? Have you ever stopped into an Internet café and spent your "work at home" day there instead?
If you think that executives who are making larger salaries are satisfied, think again. I ran across a recent blog post on College Recruiter.com about a survey conducted by ExecuNet indicating 48% of executives with an average salary of $221K are dissatisfied, and 52% think they'll leave their company within the next 12 months.
Maybe the Millennial generation of workers has the right idea. There's a lot of research that shows this younger generation of worker is more interested in working a job that they love, even if it means not making as much money. Some focus their career choices on fields that involve the environment, or social work.
Perhaps those of us working the daily grind as an executive, or in a more traditional career on the verge of job burnout, should take a cue from these workers. At the very least, maybe make time for a fun hobby, or utilize that vacation time that's coming to us. As they say, money doesn't necessarily buy happiness. Maybe balancing our personal and work lives does?
Last year, Apple Co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs presented the commencement speech at Stamford University. His inspiring address to the students focused on taking risks in life, and embracing the failures and triumphs that go along with it.
After viewing his speech on YouTube, I began to think about the risks, failures and triumphs with my career, and I thought about that one defining moment when I experienced all three.
I was just out of college, learning the ropes and not all that comfortable yet with making a decision on my own. Then the day came when my manager was out of the office, and wouldn't you know, a client called needing assistance with filling an open position immediately.
The idea of making a decision about the terms of this engagement, without someone telling me what to do paralyzed me, but I had seen seasoned recruiters flawlessly handle their clients, and I desperately wanted to develop that type of insight. So, I went for it and handled this staffing engagement on my own, second guessing myself, but feeling as though I had finally earned my place and would gain the respect of my co-workers and manager.
The only problem, I had a missed a crucial part in negotiating the terms with the client. I felt terrible, and not only did I fear what my manager and colleagues thought about my abilities, but I was afraid I had lost credibility with the client.
But, at the end of the day and after beating myself up about the situation, my manager walked up to me and said how proud she was that I took the initiative and tried to handle the client on my own. It showed her that I had the confidence to try something out, even if it didn't turn out 100% correct. Now I knew what to do the next time.
It was a learning experience that I will never forget, and as a result of taking the risk, failing, but learning from my mistakes, I feel that I am not only a better employee, but a better mentor and manager too.
What about our readers? Have you ever felt that feeling of "what if I took the risk?" Maybe you felt that you should be an accountant when you really wanted to be a chef and after everyone said you shouldn't or couldn't, you took the plunge and did it anyway? Please share your experiences and insight....
The nightmarish temp job ... we've all had them. Now you can relive every awkward, cringing moment with My Temporary Life, Spherion's original Web series based upon YOUR worst temping stories.
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