We’ve talked recently about how voluntary turnover is on the rise this year. As it turns out, many of those workers may not be remaining anywhere near their own backyard when they leave their current job.

A whopping 44 percent of workers say they’ll relocate this year for the right job, according to a new CareerBuilder survey conducted by Harris Interactive© among more than 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals and nearly 8,000 U.S. workers. Many employers are doing their best to make the stress of moving worthwhile: Nearly a third say they’ll foot the relocation bill in return for great new talent.

(See the Infographic)

A new way for out-of-area workers and employers to get in touch

Fast on the heels of this trend, CareerBuilder has just launched CareerRelocate.com, a site dedicated to helping workers and employers connect and turn job relocation opportunities into realities. Employers can post jobs and search resumes through CareerRelocate.com, and candidates have many options as well when it comes to making the right career move (literally and figuratively). As Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder, explains, “CareerRelocate.com helps workers identify relocation opportunities and understand related costs, so they have the right information in hand for their next career move.”

Through CareerRelocate.com, workers are able to:

• Run a simple keyword or category search and view a map detailing where the most and fewest opportunities are for their line of work.
• View actual relocation opportunities in different cities.
• Learn what they would need to earn in order to maintain their current standard of living in another city.
• Research homes, property values, mortgage quotes, moving and storage costs.
• Tap into articles and advice on relocating and hiring trends.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s in store for worker relocation this year:

In 2011, many laid-off workers turned to jobs out of their area to find new work. Of full-time workers who were laid off in the last year and found new jobs, 20 percent relocated to a new city or state, according to a September 2011 CareerBuilder study.

“One of the key trends we saw coming out of the recession is the movement of labor in and out of markets across the U.S. Workers have had to expand their job search geographically and employers in need of hard-to-find, skilled talent have had to recruit across state lines,” says Ferguson.

Positions most likely to pay (for the move)

Employers who are experiencing challenges finding workers for skilled positions said they’re willing to pay to bring on great new people: 32 percent reported they would be willing to pay to relocate new employees in 2012, and 19 percent would be willing to pay a smaller first year salary in order to give a signing bonus to relocate an employee.

While employers say they’re willing to pay both current staff and new hires for a wide variety of positions, the areas which they’re most likely to pay to relocate employees are tied to technology and revenue-generation:

• Engineering – 30 percent of employers
• Information Technology – 23 percent
• Business Development – 21 percent
• Sales – 21 percent
• Financial – 16 percent
• Marketing – 13 percent
• Legal – 11 percent

Owners of a lonely heart?

We’re all human, and sometimes work changes call for sacrifices we’re not thrilled to make, even if they are best for us in the long run. It’s not a surprise, then, that some workers who relocated last year experienced pangs of loneliness or doubt: 41 percent of them said their family wasn’t able to relocate with them and they had to travel to see them.

Here’s what workers said topped the list when it came to their other biggest relocation challenges:

• Cost of living was higher – 26 percent
• Caused more stress on the family unit – 24 percent
• It was difficult to make new friends – 18 percent
• They were feeling homesick – 16 percent

No looking back

Seventy-seven percent of workers who relocated in the last year reported they were happy with the move and didn’t regret their decision. How did workers say they benefited the most?

• Made a fresh start – 30 percent
• Made new friends – 31 percent
• Had new experiences they wouldn’t have had anywhere else – 29 percent
• Earning at a higher level gave their family more spending options – 27 percent
• Better long-term career opportunities – 22 percent
• Area was nicer and schools were better – 19 percent

Check out our “Relocation Nation” infographic to get a snapshot of relocation trends for 2012:

 Are you planning on looking for out-of-area candidates this year to get the right employees in the door? Will you pay for relocation costs?

Just when we thought we’d heard it all — employees getting locked in the car trunk, dogs swallowing cell phones, and Botox appointments taking longer than expected — the results of this year’s CareerBuilder survey on employees’ unusual excuses for arriving late to work arrived — and we saw that this year, even a state governor was involved in an employee’s excuse for being late (more details about that one below).

2011 versus 2010

The percentage of workers arriving late to work has increased slightly from last year, according to the nationwide survey, conducted by Harris Interactive^© among more than 7,000 U.S. employees and 3,000 employers: 16 percent of workers reported they arrive late to work once a week or more, up from 15 percent last year. 2010 represented a dip in late workers, perhaps in part due to aftershocks of the recession and workers fearing losing their jobs over tardiness; 2011′s increase may reflect the fact that hiring has starting to pick up this past year and workers aren’t as worried about repercussions.

Here are 2011′s most unusual (and very candid) excuses for being late to work, rounded up from hiring managers themselves:

1. “My cat had the hiccups.”
2. “I thought I had won the lottery.” (She didn’t.)
3. “I had to take a personal call from the state governor.” (This also turned out to be true).
4. “I got distracted watching the TODAY Show.”
5. “My angry roommate cut the cord to his phone charger, so it didn’t charge and my alarm didn’t go off.”
6. “I believe my commute time should count toward my work hours.”
7. “A fox stole my car keys.”
8. “My leg was trapped between the subway car and the platform.” (This turned out to be true.)
9. “I wasn’t late because I had no intention of getting to work before 9:00 a.m.” (His start time was 8:00 a.m.)
10. “I was late because of a job interview with another firm.”
11. “I had to take a personal call from the state governor.” (This also turned out to be true).

The main causes for late arrivals to the office (aren’t so unusual)

Traffic, sleep schedules and weather conditions are the top three boring causes for late arrivals to the office, according to workers:

• 31 percent said they were delayed by traffic
• 18 percent said they were late due to lack of sleep
• 11 percent blamed the bad weather
• 8 percent said they were delayed because of getting their kids to daycare/school
• Other common reasons included: public transportation, spouses, watching TV or using the Internet, wardrobe issues, or dealing with pets. (With the frequency of pets being involved in so many unusual late excuses, that last one somehow doesn’t surprise me.)

In how many households is that snooze button being abused?.

More than a quarter (27 percent) of workers arrive late to work at least once a month, up from 26 percent last year. Hey, we all have rough mornings, and winter fully upon us, it’s sometimes hard to scrape down the car or trudge through the snow to make it to an 8:00 meeting.

While many employers are more flexible about work schedules and start times today than in the past, understanding that life sometimes gets in the way of work, 34 percent of employers surveyed said they have terminated an employee for being late (up 2 percent from last year’s findings). Are you one of those bosses?

As Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, points out, punctuality – or lack thereof – can impact how an employee’s commitment, reliability and performance are perceived by an employer.

Communication is essential

While punctuality can impact how an employee’s commitment, reliability and performance are perceived, it’s also important to remember that perceptions don’t always equal reality. I would stress that as a boss, it’s your responsibility to be open and communicative about policies and preferences for work tardiness–let employees know what you expect while breeding an environment of honesty and understanding.

• Let your employees know what your expectations are in the case that they are running late to work. Open lines of communication will mean more respect from your employees — and fewer headaches for you. And chances are, if you trust and respect your employees, they will return the favor.
• Make sure employee handbooks and guidelines are readily available to employees — and offer to answer any uncertainties or get employees in touch with the person who is able to answer their questions if you can’t.
• Give your employees the benefit of the doubt – they may be stuck wrangling keys from a sly fox, exhausted from being up all night with a screaming child, or going through a rough personal time. While these reasons don’t mean you need to give them free reign to do whatever they want, listening to your employees and trying to compromise a plan that will better fit their lifestyle while still satisfying your business requirements is a win-win in the long run: As I’ve said before, improved balance between life and work = happier employees = better business.

What are the most unusual late-to-work excuses you’ve heard from your employees — or that you’ve used yourself? And do you think employees feel comfortable enough with you to honestly communicate their lateness issues?

Parallel HR Solutions is looking to secure several Help Desk and Technical Support Analysts to provide world class technical support for a leading global organization. The designated worksite is in Salt Lake City, UT. Fluency in Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean is highly preferred.

Required:
• Good Windows OS experience (XP, Vista, 7, and CE)
• Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, Visio, and Project)
• Associates or Bachelors Degree from an Accredited University

Must also have experience with one or more of the following:
• Account provisioning (creation, deletion, modification, and entitlements) within Exchange
• Working knowledge of Active Directory/NT domains.
• Microsoft Sharepoint
• Citrix Terminal Server troubleshooting
• Mobile technologies (Blackberries, Citrix, VPN)
• Active Directory administration
• Basic networking (DHCP, DNS)
• Audio conferencing and Voice related support
• Administrative tools for Exchange, Email-based Faxing, Mainframe, File Transfer Administration PC hardware knowledge
• Networking and networking hardware—wired and wireless
• Hardware and software diagnosis skills

Bilingual skills ideal

Rate: $17-$19/hour
To apply please email resumes to jake.canner@parallelhr.com

As we’ve talked about before, many members of Generation Y look at work a little bit differently than other generations.  ”I love my job, but I love my life more” is something you might hear Gen Yers say. Although members of Gen Y (the generational group comprised of those 18 to 29 years of age) have no problem with working hard, as a general rule, their job will never be the whole of their identity. Even more interestingly, as Aaron Kesher pointed out at SHRM 2011, their job and life may intersect in new ways than we’ve seen in past generations. “Gen Y doesn’t want a job – they want a life that hopefully includes a job.”

Hmm. So, what happens when that “life” is online — on Facebook, for example? How do their work and personal lives overlap, and what can employers learn from it? A new study, conducted by Millennial Branding, a personal branding agency based in Boston, Ma., of four million Gen Y Facebook profiles (gleaned from data and analytics company Identified.com), found that members of Gen Y, intentionally or not, are using their Facebook profiles to not only socialize with family and friends, but also to serve as an extension of their professional personality. And it seems that behavior on sites like Facebook is actually reflective of their attitute toward life and work as a whole. By understanding how Gen Y treats their personal and professional lives, employers can better understand how to attract, engage and retain this generation of workers.

Gen Y: Work versus personal lives on Facebook

Gen Y’s tendency to mix work and life appears to spill over into the way they manage the overlap of friends and family with co-workers on sites like Facebook, though the way in which they’re mixing their worlds may look different than you’d expect.

• Work stays at work (sort of): Sixty-four percent of Gen Y workers, for example, choose not to list an employer on their profiles, but have an average of 16 co-workers in their “friends” network. It may be that they’re comfortable with “friending” select people they’re closer to at work and sharing more personal details with them, but not comfortable making their Facebook profile a replicate of LinkedIn.
• Low on job pride? Eighty percent of Gen Yers list at least one school entry on their Facebook profile, while only 36 percent list a job entry; that’s a pretty significant gap. The reasons for this aren’t entirely clear — it could be due to them feeling a stronger sense of identity/pride/community with their school than with their job, a desire to keep work life separate from Facebook, or even good old college nostalgia. It could also point to the fact that with the current economy, many Gen Y and non-Gen Y workers aren’t in their ideal fields or jobs, and don’t necessarily want to highlight their current source of income.

Check out the infographic for more details about Gen Y’s Facebook behavior:

What does this mean for you, the employer?

For employers, it’s important to keep in mind that Gen Y workers, while similar to other generations in many ways, are seeking particular traits in an employer. By remaining flexible with workers and understanding that they value a life outside of work, a solid career path and the trust to try new ventures and fail, you’re one stop ahead of many other employers. As Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding and author of Me 2.0, recommends, “you must allow your employees to become more entrepreneurial at work so they stay with you longer instead of working for a startup or starting their own company.”

In addition to encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit, connecting with Gen Y is not necessarily about a 180 degree company change, but about taking your current way of doing things and steering it in a new direction. Initiating flexible schedules, knowing that employees are often on all the time, is a start, as is making sure employees have a mentor and giving proper recognition for a job well done or sharing innovative ideas.

How could these findings help you better understand and connect with Gen Y employees?

The data and analytics for this study were provided by Identified.com.

It’s 2012. The year of presidential elections; the year of the world’s end, if you ask some; and, according to the results of a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive© of more than 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals, the year of the temporary and contract worker?! Well, while that might be a stretch, it appears that 36 percent of companies will hire contract or temporary workers this year, up from 34 percent in 2011, 30 percent in 2010, and 28 percent in 2009.

Why the increase in demand for temporary and contract workers? 

As many of us are painfully aware, more than one-third (35 percent, to be exact) of American companies are operating with smaller staffs than before the recession. To address business needs and keep pace with market demand, many are turning to staffing and recruiting companies and temporary workers. And it’s good news for many employees: 35 percent of the companies hiring temporary and contract workers this year have plans to bring them on on a permanent basis.

When the hiring is happening

Some companies’ temporary hiring movement is already in full swing, and they’re not alone: 27 percent of companies will hire temporary or contract workers in Q1 2012.  As Eric Gilpin, president of CareerBuilder Staffing & Recruiting Group, pointed out, “Temporary jobs from staffing and recruiting firms are playing an increasingly important role in the economic recovery. Employers are relying on temporary and contract workers to support leaner staffs, and in many cases, will transition those workers to permanent roles.”

The most in-demand staffing and recruiting positions

We know that temporary and contract hiring is already happening — but where is it happening most?

Based on data from CareerBuilder’s Supply & Demand Portal, these are the most in-demand staffing and recruiting positions, broken down by industry:

Health Care
1) Occupational or Physical Therapist
2) Speech Language Pathologist

Industrial
1) Maintenance Technician or Mechanic
2) CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Machinist Information

Technology
 1) Java or .Net Developer
2) Network Engineer

Office-Clerical
1) Administrative Assistant
2) Customer Service Representative

Professional-Managerial
1) Business Analyst
2) Marketing Assistant

Temporary workers can provide a needed talent boost for businesses, while enjoying the flexibility that comes along with these types of jobs. “Candidates will find good pay, flexibility, opportunities to change careers, valuable skills training, and a bridge to permanent employment,” said Richard Wahlquist, president and CEO of the American Staffing Association.

Does your business plan on bringing on more temporary or contract staff this year (or have you already done so)? We’d love to hear how it’s turned out for you in the comments below. 

They may not have experienced the type of PR nightmares that Netflix experienced from its ill-conceived decision to launch Qwikster or Yahoo! Inc. saw after firing CEO Carol Bartz over the phone, but two-thirds of American companies say they’ve made business mistakes this year they wish they could take back. Those mistakes, according to a new survey, came in the form of bad hires, the results of which ended up costing them in more than just bruised egos.

According to a new CareerBuilder survey on the cost of a bad hire, 69 percent of employers reported that bad hires lowered their company’s productivity, affected worker morale and even resulted in legal issues.

Forty-one percent of companies estimate that a bad hire costs more than $25,000, and one in four said it costs more than $50,000.

While some mistakes are beyond the hiring manager’s control, there are ways to avoid hiring the wrong person. “The more thoroughly the candidates are vetted, the less likely they will be a poor match,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.

Haefner advises employers to allow job candidates the opportunity to meet as many employees in the department as possible – especially if they will work closely together. Also, candidates should provide ample evidence to show they have the skills and work experience required for the position.

Hiring mistakes happen…but why?
When asked to give a reason for the bad hires, an estimated 34 percent of employers attributed the mistake to the fact that sometimes things just don’t work out. A rushed decision, however, topped the list of reasons companies gave for making a bad hire.

• 38 percent of employers said they needed to fill the job position quickly.
• 21 percent say insufficient talent intelligence contributed to bad hiring decisions.
• 11 percent didn’t perform reference checks (a commonly undervalued part of the hiring process, according to Gilt Groupe CEO Kevin Ryan.)

The price of a bad hire: It’s more than just money
The price of a bad hire adds up in variety of direct and indirect ways. For example, 9 percent of companies said bad hires result in legal issues and 11 percent said they result in fewer sales. The most common effects of a bad hire are:

• Lost worker productivity: 41 percent
• Lost time to recruit and train another worker: 40 percent
• Costs associated with recruiting and training another worker: 37 percent
• Negative impact on employee morale: 36 percent
• Negative impact on client solutions: 22 percent

How bad is bad? Characteristics of a bad hire
When it comes to what makes someone a bad hire, employers reported several behavioral and productivity related problems:

• Failure to produce the proper quality of work: 63 percent
• Failure to work well with other employees: 63 percent
• Negative attitudes: 62 percent
• Immediate attendance problems: 56 percent
• Subject of customer complaints: 49 percent
• Failure to meet deadlines: 48 percent

Can bad hires turn into good employees?
For more tips on how to avoiding hiring mistakes, check out the recent interview with Hire with Purpose author Jay Goltz. Wondering whether to fire or try to fix an employee?  Get insight from this recent interview with management expert Anne Loehr, author of Managing the Unmanageable: How to Motivate Even the Most Unruly Employee.

The holidays are upon us, and you know what that means: A lot of wide-eyed excitement, crackling fires, fresh-baked treats, gatherings with loved ones, snowball fights, and more perks at work like bonuses, parties and gifts.

Wait, what was that last part? More perks in the workplace, just in time for the wallet-emptying tendencies of the holidays? Yes — but just how much extra merriment will workers see this season? Let’s take a look. (See the infographic)

2011 Holiday Perk Highlights:

Bonuses: less frosty

• Forty percent of employers plan to give their employees holiday bonuses this year, up from 33 percent in 2010. 
• Among that group, 73 percent are planning to give the same amount as last year. 
• Fourteen percent plan to provide greater bonus than last year, while 13 percent plan to provide less.

Parties: Mingling on the rise-

• Fifty-eight percent of employers are planning a holiday party for their employees this year, up from 52 percent in 2010.
• Thirty-six percent of workers say they plan to attend their holiday party this year.

Gifts: Naughty or nice?

• Thirty percent of employers plan to give holiday gifts, up from 29 percent in 2010. 
• Holiday perks in the office aren’t just coming from corporate; 22 percent of workers say they plan to buy holidays gifts for co-workers this year, with the same percentage planning to buy their boss something. 
• While gifting may be up, extravagance is still down: The majority (78 percent) of workers say they plan to spend $25 or less on average for each holiday gift they buy for the office. Thirty-eight percent plan to spend $10 or less and 12 percent plan to spend less than $5.

 Take a closer look at 2011′s Office Holiday Cheer Outlook:

A little really does go a long way

As we’ve discussed before, it doesn’t cost a large — or small — fortune to provide employees with some extra cheer this holiday season (or all year round). The price of the perfect holiday bonus is less than you might think, and a little really can stretch fairly far for your employees, many of whom are just happy to be recognized and appreciated. This season, consider budget-friendly alternatives that will avoid breaking the bank (and breaking your employees’ hearts):

• The gift of laughter: Take that holiday sweater with the light-up bells on it (c’mon, you know the one) and wear it — to work. Dressing up, or down, as the case may be, can actually do wonders for building morale and sparking holiday cheer at the office. Pick a day for everyone to don their favorite gaudy, holiday-themed sweaters and other gear, and to sweeten the pot, have employees vote on the most outrageous sweater for a prize.

Is your company giving more bonuses, gifts and parties this holiday season? How important do you think these perks are to employees?

Hey!  It’s mission-critical that we circle back on this very important matter of corporate jargon in the workplace. Let’s focus on the low-hanging fruit with a small group first and then loop everyone in. Being proactive about our learnings will really incentivize the group to focus on the most critical action items and value-add for maximum impact. Let’s start high level, drill down from there, and circle back after lunch to figure out next steps.

Wait, what? Annoying, right? If you’re anything like me, corporate jargon makes your skin crawl — but in today’s workplace, it’s sometimes hard to get away from it. We’ve likely all been guilty of at least one of the business “buzzwords” below.

“Outside the box” is the most popular—or unpopular, word depending on your view. The next-worst offenders are:

• Outside the box (31 percent)
• Low-hanging fruit (24 percent)
• Synergy (23 percent)
• Loop me in (22 percent)
• Best of breed (19 percent)
• Incentivize (19 percent)
• Mission-critical (19 percent)
• Bring to the table (18 percent)
• Value-add (17 percent)
• Elevator pitch (16 percent)
• Actionable items (15 percent)
• Proactive (15 percent)
• Circle back (13 percent)
• Bandwidth (13 percent)
• High level (10 percent)
• Learnings (9 percent)
• Next steps (6 percent)

Navigating workplace issues can be tricky enough without throwing flowery, cliché (or just plain made up) vocabulary words in each other’s faces. It only takes one brave person to turn “outside the box” into “creatively” or “let’s circle back” to “I’ll call you” — and suddenly, we can begin to peel back the layers of complexity and really talk honestly to each other.

Grasping for an original thought or non-business-speak term that describes what we want to achieve can sometimes be difficult, but it also makes it easier for others (inside or outside our workplaces) to understand us. It brings a fresh perspective to the same old “strategy planning session.” And it can make tasks easier, not just for employees who have been with the company for some time (and have deciphered the internal lingo), but for new employees, for whom clarity and simplicity is essential while getting used to a new role. Let’s stop wasting each other’s time and dumbing each other down with meaningless buzzwords — and start saying what we really mean.

Corporate Jargon: Breaking down the buzzwords

Here are a few examples of buzzword-worthy statements — each followed by an example of a simplified version. Dig around in your own emails — I’ll bet you have some examples to work with too. Sometimes, simpler words actually give us room to add more context around a situation.

Jargon: “It’s mission-critical that we do this.”
Instead, say: It’s important that our company do this to reach our Q4 sales goals.”

Jargon: “Let’s circle back in a couple of weeks.”
Instead, say: “Let’s talk again on Dec. 18. I will send you a calendar invite.”

Jargon: “Be sure to loop me in.”
Instead, say: “Please include me in future conversations about this.”

Jargon: “What does she bring to the table?”
Instead, say: “What specific qualifications would she bring to the position that other candidates are lacking?”

Jargon: “The social media element of this project will be a compelling value-add for the client.”
Instead, say: “By helping our client build relationships on sites like Twitter and Facebook, we can add more value to this project and help them meet their social media goals.”

Jargon: “How do we incentivize our employees to be more productive?”
Instead, say: “What can we do to make employees excited about coming to work again?”

 Jargon: “Let’s start with the low-hanging fruit.”
Instead, say: “What are the easiest goals for us to reach right now? Let’s focus on those first.”

What are your biggest corporate jargon pet peeves — or which are you most guilty of overusing?

Less than you might think, actually.

Despite what Oprah may have you believe, $10,000 bonus checks, iPads and lavish Mediterrannean cruises aren’t the only way to say “thank you” to your employees. A new survey from Parago,  indicates that even a little bit can go a long way when it comes to recognizing employees this holiday season. In fact, the majority of employees surveyed don’t expect end-of-year rewards or holiday gifts from their employers at all this year.

Not that they would turn such rewards down…

Yet employers might be surprised to hear that it doesn’t cost much to make employees feel appreciated. According to the survey, 84 percent of employees say a prepaid gift card of $100 or less would meet their expectations for a reward. In fact, 64 percent said a prepaid card of $50 or less would meet their expectations for an end-of-year reward, with 55 percent expecting $25.

The survey also indicated that when it came to type of reward employees prefer, prepaid Visa or MasterCard gift cards won out above all other incentives, including other types of gift cards, company-branded merchandise or cash, due mainly to the fact that prepaid cards can be spent nearly anywhere at multiple retailers.

Did the prepaid gift card last year? Consider offering employees extra paid time off as another low-cost holiday incentive.  Almost everyone will appreciate the extra time to run errands, – especially at this time of year – or to simply relax and spend time with family and friends.

Are you offering any type of year-end bonus this year?

Economy be damned – it looks like Cyber Monday may hit record sales this year. Cyber Monday, otherwise known as the online (and seemingly safer) version of Black Friday, has become the No. 1 online shopping day of the year. A new CareerBuilder survey shows that many workers are not only using Cyber Monday to satisfy their winter boots craving or snag a new TV at a bottom-barrel price, but are actually making their e-shopping habits part of a year-round lifestyle. With 57 percent of workers ages 25-44 and 42 percent of workers ages 45 and older planning to shop online at work this year, many employers are tightening their online policies — and even taking serious measures — to put a stop to it.

Though it’s expected that workers will use the Internet for non-work purposes during breaks, lunch hours, and in moderation, Web activity spilling into work time is when many employers put their collective feet (adorned with 50 percent off Black Friday Blowout shoes, thankyouverymuch) down.

See how workers’ Internet use at work has changed in the past year–and how employers are reacting to it:

Have you noticed workers’ personal Internet use increasing at work? Do you think it’s just a sign of our changing times — or a symptom pointing to a greater workplace problem?

First it was Arrested Development. Then it was Beavis and Butthead, followed by layaway and (presumably) pantyhose. Now, the latest comeback story of the season involves middle management.

Middle management positions were a significant casualty of recession-era layoffs, but new research from CareerBuilder’s various industry sites indicate that many employers saw counterproductive consequences and are now rehiring for those positions.

Employers surveyed in the retail, IT and healthcare industries indicated plans to bring back previously eliminated middle management jobs for the purpose of bringing structural gaps and addressing market demands. When assessing the impact of downsizing middle management, employers who made cuts in these industries cited both positive effects (cost-savings and more efficient operations) as well as negative ones (structural and emotional drawbacks).

Don’t know what you got till it’s gone?
According to industry experts, part of the reason for the resurgence in middle management jobs is that employers are now realizing just how essential middle management is to the organization.

“Middle management often gets a bad rap for adding bureaucratic layers to an organization, but these roles can be essential in maintaining team cohesion, retaining core talent and providing direction to workers,” says Bill Meidell, product director of WorkInRetail.com

Jamie Carney, product director of Sologig.com, agrees. “When a department lacks leadership or direction, it is easier to see the value of middle management,” Carney says. “The data suggests that middle management plays an important role in making an employee’s work experience meaningful and productive.”

“Middle management is essential to providing balance and direction within complex organizations,” adds Rob Morris, product director of MiracleWorkers.com. “They play important roles from onboarding new employees and tracking progress to building positive morale and maintaining chains of communication – all things that are difficult to do without.”

Check out details for each industry survey below…

Retail
According to a WorkinRetail.com survey of 240 retail employers, of the 30 percent of retail employers who’ve eliminated middle management positions since the beginning of the recession, 32 percent plan to bring back these jobs.

While 73 percent of retail employers reported that cuts netted beneficial results, 77 percent indicated the following drawbacks:

• Lower morale (39 percent)
• Lower productivity (32 percent)
• Workers less motivated (30 percent
• Less communication given regarding company news (27 percent)
• Training is less effective (25 percent)
• Workers are less organized (24 percent)

Information Technology
A Sologig.com survey of 195 IT employers found that nearly half (45 percent) of the 27 percent of IT employers who’ve eliminated middle management positions since the beginning of the recession plan to bring back those jobs back.

While 73 percent reported that cuts netted beneficial results such as cost-savings and more efficient operations, 76 percent listed the following negative results:

• Lower morale (39 percent)
• Less succession planning (28 percent)
• Higher turnover (26 percent)
• Workers are less organized (24 percent)
• Less communication given regarding company news (24 percent)
• Less recognition for workers (23 percent)

Healthcare
Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of healthcare employers has eliminated middle management positions since the beginning of the recession, according to a MiracleWorkers.com survey of 282 healthcare employers. Of these employers, 44 percent plan to bring those jobs back.

While 81 percent reported that cuts netted beneficial results such as cost-savings and more efficient operations, 74 percent stated there were several structural and emotional drawbacks:

• Lower morale (47 percent)
• Workers less motivated (27 percent)
• Training is less effective (26 percent)
• Less communication given regarding company news (25 percent)
• Less succession planning (23 percent)
• Less recognition for workers (22 percent)

Is your organization bringing back previously-eliminated positions?

CEOs, COOs, CFOs, senior vice presidents and other company leadership figures recently donned monogrammed robes, gathered around a bonfire in an undisclosed location, and answered a series of questions about their personal habits, including preferred style of dress, Bieber versus non-Bieber hairstyle, lunchtime brain wave patterns, and favorite martini garnishes. OK, not really (though that’s how it happened in my head). In reality, CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive© got together to survey 561 hiring managers in senior leader roles to get the scoop on senior leaders’ personal habits — and here’s what they had to say:

What company leaders said about their everyday habits:

Want to mass email this to everyone you’ve ever met? Download the infographic.

Which of these stats surprised you the most — or can you most relate to?

Tomorrow, on Veterans Day 2011, we take time to honor the scores of men and women who have fought for our freedoms. While we often honor our military veterans with words, how can we make a difference by taking action on some of those words? A great way for businesses to take the lead on this is by hiring a veteran. This Veterans Day is an opportune time for all of us to take a closer look at the strengths veterans bring to the workplace and discuss ways to help tackle the challenges many face — and a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,800 hiring managers helps us do just that.

What kinds of challenges are veterans facing?

Well, as of October 2011, more than 850,000 veterans were unemployed, and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans was 12.1 percent — well over the national average. This problem isn’t going away, but instead becoming more of a challenge: According to whitehouse.gov, more than 1 million service members are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016.

Veterans’ skills are often highly specialized, and it is sometimes difficult for them to determine how to translate those skills to those that employers are seeking in a civilian workplace environment.

Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America, has some advice for veterans struggling to reconnect and adapt to a civilian workforce:

“The survey shows that employers recognize the unique value military experience can bring, but that they don’t always understand how military skills fit into corporate America. Veterans will need to clearly make that connection in their resume, cover letter and job interviews as they enter this new chapter of their careers.”

New job resources for veterans

Resources are popping up everywhere to help veterans adjust to their new civilian lives and find jobs. In New Brunswick, NJ, for example, veterans are learning to release stress, heal, and adapt to civilian life through music classes, and CareerBuilder has recently launched a job site matching military veterans and employers, EmployVets.com. Exclusively for veterans returning to the job force, the site includes a tool for discovering how one’s military skills translate to the civilian world, career advice and resources, and much more. Sites like VETransfer are aimed at helping veterans with an entrepreneurial streak start their own businesses by connecting them with financing and equipping them with the necessary resources to get their venture started.

Veterans who believe they have a skills gap hindering their job search can also participate in the CareerBuilder Re-Employment Initiative, a paid internship program aimed at helping veterans and unemployed job seekers bridge the IT skills gap. This paid program will consist of several weeks of classroom training followed by up to six months of on-the-job, hands-on training with an assigned CareerBuilder software developer. Interested?  See the job description and apply here.

For veterans coming off active duty: How can you increase opportunities for employment?

• Speak their language. Two in five employers (41 percent) reported it can be difficult to decipher how military experience fits into civilian positions. It’s important to highlight specific military skills and spell out how they are relevant to the responsibilities listed in the employer’s job ad. For example, if you served in the infantry, there are many relatable skills for police or security guard positions or for training roles within organizations.
• Advertise your experience. More than one-in-four employers (27 percent) said one of the biggest challenges in recruiting U.S. veterans for open positions is that veterans don’t always market their military experience. Include your military experience with a bulleted list of accomplishments that shows how you put your knowledge into action.

Government initiatives

The White House is doing something about the employment challenge veterans face — and many businesses are following suit. President Obama has just announced several initiatives to help unemployed military veterans, including the Veteran Gold Card, which gives the more than 200,000 unemployed 9/11 veterans access to enhanced services like six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling at career centers across the country.

He is also currently urging members of Congress to pass two provisions to the American Jobs Act that will provide tax credits to businesses that hire military veterans: 1) The “Returning Heroes Tax Credit,” which provides firms that hire unemployed veterans with a maximum credit of $5,600 per veteran, and the “Wounded Warriors Tax Credit,” which offers firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities with a maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran.

Some businesses are taking the lead

More good news: Despite battling a higher-than-average unemployment rate, those returning from military duty and re-entering the workforce may find better employment prospects over the next year:

• One in five (20 percent) employers reported they are actively recruiting U.S. veterans to work for their organizations over the next 12 months
• 14 percent of employers are actively recruiting members of the National Guard.

Which industries offer the best options for veteran hiring?

Employers are planning to tap into the technical and communications skills and leadership abilities of U.S. service men and women. More than one-third of employers plan to hire for Information Technology positions, which topped the list of hot areas for hiring U.S. veterans.

• Information Technology – 36 percent
• Customer Service – 28 percent
• Engineering – 25 percent
• Sales – 22 percent

Why hire a veteran?

We’ve talked in the past about the multitude of reasons your business should be hiring veterans, and as President Obama said when referring to veterans’ wide range of skills, “This is exactly the kind of leadership and responsibility that every American business should be competing to attract.”

With their military background, extensive training, specialized skills and breadth of experience, veterans bring many unique elements to the workforce.  A few that you may not have considered:

1. Trustworthiness: Many military personnel have achieved some level of security clearance, demonstrating that he or she is recognized as a trustworthy person.
2. Background checks: With an honorable discharge, service members are essentially certified drug-free, and they have already had to go through rigorous background checks to be admitted into the military.
3. Dealing with high stress-situations: Veterans know the importance of deadlines, and they’re accustomed to being in high-stress situations and trained to deal appropriately and effectively. Though civilian workplaces offer different types of pressures, there’s likely nothing you can throw at them that’s more high stress than situations they’ve encountered while serving.
4. Tech savvy and international awareness: Veterans, because of the necessity to be aware of global affairs, are often one step ahead of many other workers when it comes to IT knowledge or the latest business trend or international security issue — not to mention IT training and hands-on skills.

CareerBuilder asked employers who have hired U.S. veterans or members of the National Guard to list the top attributes military personnel brought to their organization.

The following assets topped the list:

• Disciplined approach to work – 66 percent
• Ability to work as a team – 65 percent
• Respect and integrity – 58 percen
•  Leadership skills – 56 percent
• Problem-solving skills – 54 percent
• Ability to perform under pressure – 53 percent
• Communication skills – 45 percent

 What veteran job initiatives have you read about — or are you a part of — that are exciting to you? Is your business taking steps to hire veterans or help them re-acclimate to the workforce?

Last week, recruiters were treated to a webinar that delved into the inner workings of the staffing experience from the perspectives of the client, the job seeker, and internal staff. In Opportunities in Staffing: The Client, Job Seeker and Internal Staff Perspective, presented by Leah McKelvey, Director of Corporate Marketing for CareerBuilder and Eric Gregg, CEO of Inavero, talked about not only how job seekers and clients, but also your own employees, perceive your firm, based on the more than 14,000 respondents in the 2011 Opportunities in Staffing Guide (yep, it’s the most comprehensive study of its kind in the staffing industry).

Potentially scary, right? Considering stats like “38 percent of U.S. clients surveyed indicated they have also worked with a staffing firm as a job seeker,” it can be — but reports like these are a great opportunity to find out where your firm is falling short and work to make positive changes.

REMEMBER: You can also get your complimentary copy of the 2011 Opportunities in Staffing Guide, view the slides, or listen to the recorded session yourself.

2011 Opportunities in Staffing Webinar Highlights:

Did you know?

• Your brand is more personal and transparent than ever, as evidenced by the recent death of Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the very personal ways in which he was remembered, not only by customers, but by his own staff. How your brand communicates with its clients, job seekers and staff can make a huge difference in how your firm is perceived.
• Nearly half of your employees have worked for one of your competitors.
• Nearly half of your employees have had an interaction with a staffing firm prior to becoming an employee of your firm (either as an internal employee, as part of their job search, or as a client.)

The Employee Experience

How happy are your employees?

On a more alarming note, temporary and contract recruiters and sales/account executives had the lowest scores (27 and 32, respectively); staffing firms should be paying careful attention to this, as these are the two audiences carrying your brand message and talking to staff — and they’re the least engaged.

Driving loyalty and retention with your staff

When it comes to the factors that best predict retention in staffing, survey results found the following six values to be most vital:

• Optimism: “I believe my staffing firm will change for the better next year.”
• Pride: “Our firm’s client satisfaction is significantly higher than our competitor’s.”
• Community: “I enjoy working with my colleagues.”
• Valued: “I am completely satisfied with my current salary.”
• Appreciated: “I receive recognition when I do my job well.”
• Growth: “I am given the training opportunities I need to improve and grow professionally.”

So, where are staffing firms excelling — and faltering?

Staffing firms were found to be doing a great job of making employees feel proud of their firm and their job. On the other hand, they scored much lower when it came to making employees feel valued and appreciated. The lowest rating employees gave on the “feeling undervalued and unappreciated” scale involved them feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to complete in most weeks. How can your firm help alleviate this?  Keep in mind that your staff probably won’t take action on feeling overwhelmed if they know they won’t continue to feel that way in the future. As an employer, then, you can improve morale by reassuring your staff that the tough times will pass, letting them know why things will get better, and reinforcing that message on a continuous basis.

During the webinar, Gregg talked about how Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, helps employees progress without feeling completely in over their heads. Hsieh. Gregg said, has found that employees are more successful when the company gives them a path with shorter-term goals, and gives smaller advancements but more often so employees know they’re progressing toward something and growing in ways they can be proud of.

Something to consider for your own business?

What do staffing employees love/hate most about their job?

Love: Co-workers
Hate: Politics within the organization; management causing any barriers to the job seekers they serve

Love: Talent –- they love the mission of finding jobs for talent. Management must continue to pull people back to that mission.
Hate:  A lack of acknowledgment from candidates on how hard they’re working on their behalf can be frustrating.

The Job Seeker Experience

Building job seeker awareness

The top resource for job seekers when searching for jobs is national or local online job boards (57%), followed by local newspaper online classifieds (33 percent) and Craigslist (33 percent). Only 22 percent of job seekers use a staffing or recruiting firm in their search, and only 2 percent start their search with a staffing or recruiting firm. How, then, can staffing firms become more talent centric in working with those looking for jobs?

How job seekers currently become aware of staffing firms:

• Referral (25%)
• Online Ad (22%)
• I was called by a recruiter (13%)
• Traditional Media Ad (11%)
• Industry event or career fair (7%)

To get job seekers talking about you (in a positive way), consider how you’re treating job seekers:

1. Identify those who love you – help them tell their story
2. Do something surprising – worth talking about. What about a handwritten letter?
3. Give them a reason to be proud of being in the community
4. Make it valuable for the person referring and the person receiving

Responsiveness of Recruiters: Good news/bad news

The good news: Candidates think recruiters will be more responsive than organizations. But on a scale of 1 to 10 (from extremely dissatisfied to extremely satisfied), staffing firm 3.6 responsiveness rating only slightly edges out organization responsiveness’s dismal 2.3 rating, meaning there’s still much work to be done.

The job seeker experience is more important now than ever

Candidates are usually working with at least one or two firms once they engage with the industry. The biggest factors to choosing a staffing firm largely stem from economic concerns: The potential to become permanent (59 percent); the salary of the assignment (55% percent); the job’s proximity to their house (35 percent). It’s clear from the survey that candidates would rather receive bad news from a recruiter than no news at all: The NPS of those who were interviewed and turned away is -1 percent, while the NPS of those who were interviewed and never heard back from a recruiter with news is -29 percent.

Why should you care about detractors to your firm? Well, compared to promoters, detractors are twice as likely to quit an assignment before completion, four times less likely to refer you to other job seekers or hiring managers, and nearly three times less likely to accept a future assignment from your firm.

The Client Experience

Though the staffing market includes most organizations in the U.S., the penetration of staffing firms is equivalent to that of the original 13 colonies. Yikes! Between 70 percent and 80 percent of all U.S. organizations don’t use a staffing firm. Why? Many haven’t been educated as to value of staffing firms, or may have been told things that aren’t accurate.

Though 73 percent of clients said they were aware of a firm like Kelly Services, no staffing firm brand is top of mind with more than 9 percent of clients.

How can you improve this statistic?

• Be likeable.
• Do something surprising and worth talking about.
• Identify the right people – they’re not always your largest clients.
• Ask!
• Encourage referrals by making it valuable for the person referring AND the person receiving.
• Take advantage of mobile — 72 percent of clients now own a smartphone. 9 of 10 respond to email on their smartphone, and 4 of 10 use it to review applicants, and 3 of 10 use it to view your website.

What clients say will get your firm in the door: The inside scoop

• Getting a recommendation (49%)
• Sharing hiring trends for their region or industry (32%)
• Provide useful salary information (26%)
• Recognition of staffing firm/have heard of it (25%)
• In market — the rep calls when I need to hire  (18%)
• Building a relationship at an industry conference (18%)

Better client, job seeker and staff experiences

As we start to reset the expectations of what it’s like to work with a staffing firm, Gregg noted, people will want to work with us, and we will be re-setting the bar. Some companies are doing unexpected things to set themselves apart and delight, like the firm that offered unemployed job seekers the opportunity to get an outfit for an interview cleaned for free.

You must also understand, as a staffing firm, the culture of your client. Can you go to different events they’re hosting or see them speak at conferences? The more you start to hear their messages and understand their mission and culture, the more in demand your services will be.

Download your FREE copy of the 2011 Opportunities in Staffing Guide, listen to the webinar again, or check out the whole slideshow here for the full scoop.

What surprised you most about 2011′s Opportunities in Staffing Guide results?

As the carved pumpkins of Halloween were being given their final touches and trick-or-treating hosts were filling up their baskets for throngs of excited children, stores across the U.S. were already looking ahead to winter holidays — and many employers had already lined up their seasonal staff for the busy time ahead. Yes, seasonal hiring is in full swing, and though employers expect to hire at similar levels this year as last, according to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,600 employers, a year’s time has brought more perks in pay, 29 percent of retailers planning to have extra hands on deck around the holidays (a moderate decline from 2010), and nearly one-third of employers planning to turn some seasonal staff into full-time, permanent members of their team.

INFOGRAPHIC: ‘Tis the Season for Holiday Hiring: What Employers Predict This Year Will Bring

Sales, customer service, technology, shipping, and administrative support are all hot areas for holiday hiring this season — let’s take a closer look at what else is happening:

Retail and hospitality outlook

As mentioned above, nearly three in ten retailers will have extra staff on hand to help this holiday season, a moderate decline from last year, and 10 percent of hospitality companies will add seasonal staff this year, the same percentage as last year. What do the similar patterns in seasonal hiring from last year to this year mean for the economy?

As Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder, explained:

“Employers are keeping the status quo for holiday hiring as economic uncertainties shake consumer confidence,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “While retail has the lion’s share of seasonal jobs, you can also find opportunities in various industries and corporate roles.”

Where is seasonal hiring happening industry-wide?

Many different types of companies are hiring for seasonal staff this year, in various functional areas where they need help the most during the holiday rush. Across all industries, popular areas for recruitment this holiday season include:

• Customer Service – 30 percent
• Administrative/Clerical support – 16 percent
• Shipping/Delivery – 15 percent
• Technology – 12 percent
• Inventory management – 10 percent
• Non-retail sales – 9 percent
• Accounting/Finance – 8 percent
• Marketing – 8 percent

Better pay is on the way

While the number of seasonal staff being brought on for the next few months may not look all that different than last year, one thing near and dear to many workers’ hearts has changed: what they’re getting paid. More than half of employers (53 percent) reported they will pay $10 or more per hour to seasonal staff, up from 48 percent who said the same last year. Fourteen percent will pay $16 or more, up from 9 percent last year. How does your business compare when it comes to pay — are you paying more or less this year?

Seasonal hiring: Still going strong

While there tends to be a mad rush to secure a seasonal job once the leaves start to change, many employers are still recruiting for candidates deep into the snowy underbrush of the winter holiday season:

If you’re still recruiting for seasonal staff, you may want to check out WorkinRetail.com, which connects retail job seekers with employers looking to fill retail positions from in-store to corporate and everywhere in between. It’s the perfect place to recruit for seasonal retail candidates when you need to find the right people fast.

From seasonal to all-season employees

Nearly one-third (30 percent) of employers who are hiring seasonal help plan to transition some employees into full-time, permanent staff, meaning there is a lot of room for workers to make their mark this season and secure a great job. Workers looking to turn their seasonal gig into a full-time, permanent position should consider the key traits employers are seeking for seasonal-to-permanent staff.

Many of the things employers are looking for revolve around employees being proactive, offering help above and beyond what is asked, and, believe it or not, simply showing interest in a full-time gig. When you look at the below criteria a bit more closely, most of the items mentioned are things all kinds of employers are looking for in their employees.

To stand out as a candidate for a long-term opportunity, hiring managers recommended the following:

• Provide above and beyond customer service. Offer help instead of waiting to be asked for it. – 66 percent
• Let the employer know up front that you’re interested in permanent employment – 49 percent
• Proactively ask for more projects – 45 percent
• Ask thoughtful questions about the organization – 39 percent
• Present ideas on how to do something better or try something new – 34 percent

Employers’ biggest seasonal hiring turnoffs

What are the biggest turnoffs for employers when interviewing for seasonal jobs? A lack of flexibility or expressed interest, unawareness of the company or brand, and discount-job-shopping top the list, according to employers surveyed:

• Someone who is unwilling to work certain hours – 70 percent
• Someone who isn’t enthusiastic – 63 percent
• Someone who is more interested in the discount than anything else – 40 percent
• Someone who knows nothing about our company/products – 36 percent
• Someone who shows up wearing clothes or merchandise from a competitor’s store – 22 percent

Read the full press release, send a snapshot to your co-worker with our seasonal hiring infographic, or snag the right seasonal candidates.

Do these results fall in line with what your organization is planning for seasonal hiring this year?

Who says you have to wait until a position opens up to recruit candidates? For 43 percent of companies recruitment is a day-to-day effort, according to a new CareerBuilder study.

The recent survey of more than 2,600 hiring managers nationwide found that two-in-five U.S. employers continuously recruit where they might not have an open position today, but still market to candidates in case a position opens up down the line. (Which seems impressive, until you realize that less than half of you get to enjoy the benefits talent pipelines offer.)

They also said that year-round recruiting helps cut down on time and money associated with recruiting:

• 72 percent of employers who continuously recruit say they have reduced their time-to-hire, with 41 percent stating it has shaved off at least three weeks on average.
• 41 percent of employers who continuously recruit say it has lowered their cost-per-hire with 22 percent citing a savings of $1,000 or more per hire.

While building a talent pipeline can save time and money long-term, it does require significant dedication on behalf of the entire organization. Fortunately, third-party resources, such as CareerBuilder’s Talent Network offering, are available to assist employers as they build their talent pipelines by:

1. Optimizing their jobs for organic search on search engines like Google so that they show up higher in organic listings and drive traffic back to their site.
2. Providing automated engagement emails to target talent using CareerBuilder’s proprietary matching technology that continuously matches qualified candidates to jobs.
3. Providing a lead and candidate management tool that allows employers to send targeted communications to prospects and candidates who didn’t get a job offer, but might be a good fit for another job down the line.
4. Delivering analytics around Internet sources of traffic and labor supply and demand to help employers build more strategic sourcing strategies.

For more information about the why’s and how’s of continuous recruiting…

• Check out these related articles: Smart Recruiting: Doing More More With Less Through Talent Pipelining and Recruiting for Tomorrow Today: 4 Key Reasons You Need a Talent Pipeline
• See a free webcast: “Your Company in 2020: Capturing Talent to Fuel Future Growth”
• Or visit the Talent Network page to learn more about the solutions available, as well as a full list of companies clients using the Talent Network solution, including WellPoint, Sunrise, IHG and Midas

Does your company recruit year-round?

If your workplace is anything like ours here at CareerBuilder, once the leaves start to fall, the office becomes riddled with sniffs, coughs, sneezes, shouts of “Gesundheit!” — you get the picture. Trash cans overflowing with tissue aside, though, you’re probably well aware that some employees who call in sick may actually have other reasons for being absent from work, whether it’s a mental health day or a holiday shopping trip. This year’s CareerBuilder survey about absenteeism finds that January-March are the most popular times for workers to call in sick, 29 percent of workers have admitted to playing hooky from the office this year, and that if you thought 2010′s most unusual excuses for missing work couldn’t be topped,you need to check out this year’s contenders.

INFOGRAPHIC: Are employees sick — or do they have the 9-to-5 bug?

Chilly days and empty desks

The survey of more than 2,600 employers and 4,300 workers found that, while employers reported heightened absenteeism around the holidays, the first quarter is the prime time of year for employees to call in sick:

• January through March — 34 percent
• April through June — 13 percent
• July through September — 30 percent
• October through December — 23 percent

“So sick, can’t be @ work TTYL”

How do your employees inform you that they’re not coming into work? Turns out, it’s becoming more common for employees to contact the boss through methods other than the traditional phone call. The legitimacy of this, of course, depends on your company or departmental rules, though as some bosses respond more on one medium versus another, it does make sense that more workers are relying on digital communications to get their message across. How do you feel about employees emailing or texting you to tell you they’re going to be absent — are both or either OK?

• Phone call — 84 percent
• Email — 24 percent
• Text message — 11 percent

2011′s most unusual excuses for missing work

• “My 12-year-old daughter stole my car and I had no other way to work. I didn’t want to report it to the police.”
  
• “Bats got in my hair.”
  
• “A refrigerator fell on me.”
  
• “I was in line at a coffee shop when a truck carrying flour backed up and dumped the flour into my convertible.”
  
• “A deer bit me during hunting season.”
  
• “I ate too much at a party.”
  
• “I fell out of bed and broke my nose.”
  
• “I got a cold from a puppy.”
  
• “My child stuck a mint up his nose and we had to go to the ER to remove it.”
  
• “I hurt my back chasing a beaver.”
  
• “I got my toe caught in a vent cover.”
  
• “I had a headache after going to too many garage sales.”
  
• “My brother-in-law was kidnapped by a drug cartel while in Mexico.”
  
• “I drank anti-freeze by mistake and had to go to the hospital.”
  
• “I was at a bowling alley and a bucket filled with water (due to a leak) crashed through the ceiling and hit me on the head.”

Peeping employers

Many employers take calling in sick without a legitimate excuse very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that 15 percent of employers said they have fired a worker for this reason. Twenty-eight percent have checked up on an employee — sometimes in cringe-inducing fashion. Of that 28 percent:

• 69 percent required a doctor’s note
• 52 percent called the employee
• 19 percent had another employee call the employee
• 16 percent drove by the employee’s home

But are some employees telling tall tales simply because they’re afraid employers can’t handle the truth (that they’re just overworked, or overtired, or way behind on life outside of work with all the work they’ve been doing)? As I’ve said before, it often comes down to trust and communication; while employees should be honest, employers should also be open and communicative about policies and preferences for work absence.

Let your employees know what your expectations are. Is it OK for an employee to tell you he wants a day at the zoo with his son, for example? By trusting and respecting your employees, they’re more likely to return the favor. And keep in mind that sometimes, taking a mental health day to catch up on sleep, spend time with family, or indulge in a day at the spa may be just what the doctor ordered for your employees — and the best thing for your business.

Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, offers her thoughts:

“While outrageous events are known to happen, frequent absences and over-the-top excuses can start to bring your credibility into question. Many employers are more flexible in their definition of a sick day and will allow employees to use them to recharge and take care of personal needs. This is especially evident post-recession when employees have taken on added responsibilities and are working longer days. Your best bet is to be up front with your manager.”

Employers, what say you? Do you agree with Haefner that employees deserve more flexibility with their added duties, and that a “sick day” can be a day to rest, recharge or take care of pressing personal matters, as long as employees are honest about it?

Earlier this week, employees everywhere helped bosses celebrate National Boss’s Day. Some gave flowers, or left a handwritten card on their boss’s desk. Others took their bosses out to lunch at their favorite little bistro, or treated them to that pedicure their toes had been screaming for. Still others just wished their boss a heartfelt “Happy Boss’s Day.”

Right about now, bosses everywhere may still be basking in the afterglow of well-wishes, or high on endorphins from that chocolate cupcake display designed to spell out “B-O-S-S.” And they may be thinking to themselves, as they wipe cupcake crumbs off their suits, “Yep — they love me. So much that they wish they had my job.”  Truth? Probably not.

“I don’t want… your job”

Though it may be natural to think your employees would take your job in a heartbeat if they could, it’s not necessarily true. New research from OfficeTeam signifies that few workers today are fighting over the boss’s job. In fact, more than three-quarters (76 percent) of employees polled in the OfficeTeam survey of 431 office workers said they have zero interest in having their manager’s position. Could it be out of a mindset that they’re not equipped for the position? Possibly — after all, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of those workers surveyed believe they couldn’t do a better job than their boss. On the flip side, of course, that means that 35 percent believe they can do a better job than their boss — so what’s really going on here?

These findings remind me of a survey CareerBuilder conducted on how workers really feel about their bosses. What much of the “I can do my boss’s job better” thinking in that survey came down to was a feeling of disconnectedness and a lack of communication. Many workers reported being disenchanted with their boss’s leadership style, believing the boss wasn’t adequately focused on career development, feedback, or support.

So, maybe it’s not so important that workers don’t want their boss’s job, but why they don’t. Workers may never want their boss’s job, and that’s OK — but negative survey results like these should be a caution sign for employers to examine their relationship with their employees. If employees believe career advancement is hopeless — and don’t think their boss cares — they will start looking elsewhere. By opening up the lines of communication and working harder to give employees what they need when it comes to their careers, bosses can begin to repair that frayed relationship and show employees they have value, worth, and room to grow.

In regard to why many employees don’t want their boss’s job, Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, points to the fact that many managers aren’t really fit for a role as a leader. ”Many aspects of management involve making difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions, and not everyone is comfortable in this role.” Being a strong individual contributor does not necessarily equate to being an effective leader. The most successful bosses excel at motivating others to achieve great results.”

OfficeTeam identified seven traits potential leaders must have:

1. Integrity. The best managers foster trust among employees by placing ethics first.
2. Sound judgment. Top supervisors can be counted on to make tough decisions based on logic and rationale.
3. Diplomacy. Handling challenging situations with tact and discretion is a must. Effective managers don’t take all the credit for results — they consistently acknowledge individual and team contributions.
4. Adaptability. It’s essential that leaders be able to think on their feet. They should be innovative while also encouraging team members to develop creative solutions.
5. Strong communication. To motivate and guide employees, influential managers freely share their vision with others.
6. Good listening skills. Successful bosses realize they don’t have all the answers and seek input from colleagues.
7. Influence. Great managers build strong networks within the organization to gain support for their ideas.

What do you all think? As a leader, have you found the above to be true — that employees, more than most other factors in the boss/employee relationship, seek career guidance and support? Let me know in the comments. And wipe that cupcake frosting off your chin!

As we move through still-uncertain economic times, it’s not a surprise that many companies are looking for new ways to main a competitive advantage. The more surprising thing to learn may be that nearly a quarter of employers (23 percent) expect to hire for executive-level positions over the next six months, according to CareerBuilder’s new nationwide executive hiring forecast of more than 2600 hiring managers and human resources professionals.

Which industries plan to hire for executive-level positions most over the next six months?

• 35 percent of IT companies
• 25 percent of health care companies
• 24 percent of sales companies,
• 23 percent of professional and business services, financial services, and leisure/hospitality companies.

Introducing: HeadHunter.com

With this increasing need in mind, CareerBuilder has launched HeadHunter.com, a job search and recruitment site dedicated to helping experienced management and executive-level professionals easily find relevant career opportunities matching their advanced skills and talent.

Employers who use HeadHunter gain the ability to:

• Attract candidates serious about their next career move
• Choose from prescreened resumes that fit their specific requirements
• Enjoy an ad-free experience with no entry-level job seekers and no hassle

“Companies have a perpetual need to attain competent, agile senior leadership. At no time is this more important than during an uncertain economic recovery. HeadHunter.com is designed to highlight opportunities for talented professionals looking for jobs on multiple levels of an organization – from senior managers and department directors to vice presidents and C-level officers.”

To learn more about posting jobs or viewing resumes on HeadHunter, visit the employer info page, call
(877) 218-1309, or contact your CareerBuilder account representative.

What do employers want in an executive-level candidate?

Education

It’s not only experience that’s in demand when it comes to executive-level candidates; many employers are looking just as closely at a candidate’s education (and, as seen below, sometimes more important):

• One in five employers look for a candidate with an MBA, comparable degree, or higher level degree when recruiting executive-level positions.
• While prior industry experience is an important asset for many employers, 47 percent would still be willing to hire a candidate without it

The executive hiring forecast confirms that, for the most part, the right experience comes with age. According to employers, the average executive is 41 or older. Forty-five percent of executives are between 41 and 50-years-old and 29 percent are older than 50. Twenty-six percent of executives are age 40 or younger.
Other leadership qualities:

• Proven ability in addressing problems with effective solutions (74 percent)
• Adept at motivating others (63 percent)
• Can act with speed and agility in a changing market (55 percent)
• Creativity (52 percent)
• Emotional Intelligence (46 percent)
• Experience in different areas (44 percent)

What do employees want? Oh, that’s such a loaded question! I’m sure many of us could make lists the length of the office hallway detailing our opinions on what we believe makes employees happy. One thing do we know for sure is that employee morale isn’t a trend, but an ongoing effort. Within that ongoing effort, though, how do we know what’s on our employees’ own wish lists?

Well, a Staples.com survey released in observance of  “Improve Your Office Day” has come along, peeled ink-stained paper out of the Trapper Keeper (where I have just decided all employee wish lists are stored), and shared their M.A.S.H. results survey findings with the world. Let’s take a look.

The survey, which asked employees about their likes/dislikes at work, as well as their suggestions for improving the office environment, found many employees aren’t too pleased with their technology – or their humble surroundings: More than half (52 percent) of the more than 300 workers surveyed gave their office furniture and office décor a “C” grade or lower, and 41 percent gave their office technology the same grade. Also on their lists? Politics, the right to work at home (or lack thereof), and privacy.

What is on employees’  office-improvement wish lists?

• Eliminating office politics (44 percent)
• Allowing or encouraging telecommuting (41 percent)
•  Upgrading computers and other office technology (37 percent)
• Getting nicer or more comfortable office furniture (35 percent)
• Providing more private work areas and more flexible work hours (tied at 34 percent each).

Though it’s true that some employees do think they can do a better job than their boss, employees seem happy overall with their superiors. Nearly half (47 percent) of respondents gave their boss a solid “A” grade, with a combined 78 percent rating their boss an “A” or “B.”

The snack dilemma

I know I’m not alone in saying that sometimes you spend what seems like days just staring at the office vending machine (or wall space where you imagine one should be), dreaming of that perfect snack you know won’t magically appear, no matter how many times you try your best Samantha Stevens nose twitch. And then, in utter despair, you don your heavy coat and slumber out into the crowded streets to hunt down the perfect piece of fruit or freshly made salad, all the while thinking of that big assignment you need to finish. But your stomach is winning the battle…

Wait a minute. Wouldn’t more snack and beverage options at work help save you a whole lot of time? According to survey results, yes: 57 percent of office workers have to buy their own snacks and beverages at work, and one in two respondents reported leaving the office on coffee or snack runs at least once a day, with some making as many as five trips per day. That’s a lot of lost productivity and unnecessary interruption. Now, I know what you’re thinking — employees can bring their own snacks. While this is true, it’s easy to forget those little things sometimes in the bustle of everyday life. As a wise man once said, sometimes, a bowl of bananas can make all the difference.*

*A wise man probably never said that… but still…

Happy employees don’t have to break the bank

Many businesses have taken measures to cut costs, and with that cost-cutting, those extras that employees enjoy so much are often the first to go. But doing little things to make employees smile or get through that extra-tough meeting don’t have to cost employers much at all — and they can make a big difference in the minds and hearts of the people so important to the business.

Staples offers these quick tips for improving the office in ways both employees and employers will appreciate:

1. Stock the kitchen or break room with coffee and snacks that will energize the staff and keep them going. Providing nutritious snacks keeps employees healthy and productive.
2. Take inventory of your technology, and replace outdated equipment that may be impeding productivity. In the last few years, technologies like wireless networks and all-in-one printers have advanced dramatically, while prices have actually fallen.
3. Consider office décor and furniture upgrades that don’t require a complete overhaul. Simply replacing old, worn desk chairs and/or redecorating conference rooms can be easy, low-cost ways to make the office more attractive and comfortable.
4. Arm employees with technology that makes it easy for them to telecommute. Tablet and notebook computers give employees the ability to take their work with them wherever they go, whether it’s on the road, at a client site, in a conference room or working from home.
5.  Take employee privacy concerns into consideration when expanding or redesigning the office. Many newer office furniture systems, such as Staples’ environmentally preferable e3 panel system, offer creative ways to preserve privacy while maintaining an open, collaborative environment.

Again, changes don’t always have to come with a parade and fireworks to be effective. Even slight (and free) touches like adding more natural light in the office or changing up the same old meeting routine can help employees — and your business — be more successful, stimulate creativity, efficiency and communication. And if you want to know more specifics about your employees really want, don’t forget to ask them.

What changes has your workplace made recently to give employee morale a little lift?

Image courtesy of theogeo on Flickr

Many workers aren’t just enjoying the taste of coffee (as I am right this minute) — they’re using it to give their careers a jolt. From better networking, to rubbing elbows, to improved performance, a cup of Joe’s helping many workers make connections — and career strides. Workers are particular about their coffee fixings; some like it black, others with cream and sugar; and still others with another unique combination altogether. Whatever their blend of choice, they’re guzzling it down: 28 percent drink three or more cups a day, and scientists, education administrators, and marketing/public relations professionals, as well as nine other professions, adamantly say they’re less productive without it.

Let’s take a closer look:

You can also download the full infographic here. What’s your coffee drink of choice — and when have you needed coffee most at work?

New surveys released through three of CareerBuilder’s niche sites – MiracleWorkers (which caters to healthcare workers), WorkinRetail (serving the retail industry) and Sologig (focused on contract and freelance positions) – reveal the information workers value most on an organization’s social media pages – and what social media moves they despise.

More than 500 workers nationwide in each of the above industries participated. Take a look at the results, and use them to inform your own social media recruitment efforts:

Healthcare

Fifty-three percent of healthcare workers who use social media are interested in seeing information on company social media pages, according to the survey from MiracleWorkers.com.

What healthcare employers should post…

• Job listings on company pages (wanted by 40 percent of healthcare workers)
• Fact sheets or Q&A about the company (26 percent)
• Career paths within the organization (26 percent)
• Employee testimonials (22 percent)
• Something that conveys fun about working for the organization (19 percent)

…and what they should avoid:

• Company communication reads like an ad (a peeve for 35 percent of healthcare workers)
• Failure to respond to submitted questions (33 percent)
• Failure to regularly post information on social media or blog entries (23 percent)
• Filtering or removing social media comments (20 percent)

Retail

Fifty percent of retail workers who use social media are interested in seeing information on company social media pages, according to the survey from WorkInRetail.com.

What retail employers should post…

• Job listings on company pages (wanted by 33 percent of retail workers)
• Facts sheets or Q&A about the company (27 percent)
• Career paths within the organization (27 percent)
• Employee testimonials (18 percent)
• Something that conveys fun about working for the organization (18 percent)
• Pictures of company events (13 percent)
• Videos of a day on the job (13 percent)
• Video of new products and services (13 percent)

…and what they should avoid:         

• Company communication reads like an ad (a peeve for 43 percent of retail workers)
• Failure to respond to submitted questions (38 percent)
• Filtering or removing social media comments (27 percent)
• Failure to regularly post information on social media or blog entries (24 percent)

Information Technology

Fifty-one percent of IT workers who use social media are interested in seeing information on company social media pages, according to a new survey from Sologig.com.

What IT employers should post…

• Job listings on company pages (wanted by 39 percent of IT workers)
• Fact sheets or Q&A about the company (32 percent)
• Career paths within the organization (24 percent)
• Something that conveys fun about working for the organization (21 percent)
• Video of new products and services (17 percent)
• Employee testimonials (16 percent)

…and what they should avoid

• Company communication reads like an ad (a peeve for 53 percent of healthcare workers)
• Failure to respond to submitted questions (32 percent)
• Inconsistency in company messaging in different social media venues (26 percent)
• Failure to regularly post information or blog entries (25 percent)

Employers must lead the social media path
Despite this interest, very few workers on social media (18 percent of IT workers, 12 percent of healthcare workers, and only 9 percent of retail workers) currently use it as a means to research jobs. Representatives from each site say social media users are waiting for companies to take the lead.

“Social media communication is a two-way street,” says Bill Meidell, product director of WorkinRetail.com. “Retailers need to keep their pages active and respond to as many fans and commenters as possible in order to see a positive return on their efforts.”

“IT workers are not only interested in learning about new career opportunities, but willing to refer jobs to friends or people in their professional networks, as well,” adds Jamie Carney, senior product director of Sologig.com. “Forty-one percent will pass job leads along to others, according to the survey, making social media the perfect vehicle for improving a job listing’s reach.”

Rob Morris, product director of MiracleWorkers.com, echoes this sentiment, saying, “The referral process makes social media a great avenue for career information. We found that 30 percent of healthcare workers on social media pass job opportunities to friends or people in their professional networks.”

Do these results surprise you? What industries are you interested in getting this type of info on?

One in five Americans who work from home spend one hour or less working, according to new CareerBuilder survey.

(See the full infographic.)

It’s a debate as old as time: Is working from home an efficient alternative to the traditional office job or a productivity killer?

Thanks to the results of a new CareerBuilder survey on telecommuting, the debate…well, continues. According to the survey of nearly 5,300 employees nationwide, of those Americans who telecommute at least part of the time…

• 17 percent spend one hour or less per day on work
• 35 percent say they work eight or more hours per day (up from 18 percent who said the same in 2007)
• 40 percent work between four and seven hours per day

Thanks to the mass adoption of smart phones and advanced network technologies, Americans are able to work from home on a more regular basis than they were four years ago. Ten percent telecommute at least once a week – up from eight percent in 2007.

“The autonomy of working from home can be very rewarding so long as it doesn’t diminish productivity,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. In order to ensure telecommuters are staying productive, managers should be clear about expectations and establish daily objectives, Haefner advises.

Telecommuters are largely split as to whether time spent at home or at the office is more conducive to high-quality work.

• 37 percent of workers say they are more productive at the office
• 29 percent report they are more productive at home
• 34 percent say they are equally productive at home and the office.

What’s keeping workers distracted?
While most offices have their fair share of productivity roadblocks, home is hardly a disturbance-free zone. Telecommuters say the following are the biggest distractions:

• Household chores – 31 percent
• TV – 26 percent
• Pets – 23 percent
• Errands – 19 percent
• Internet – 18 percent
• Children – 15 percent

4 Tips for Managing Work-from-Home Employees
In July, I posted a recap from a particularly interesting SHRM session about managing remote workforces. Below are a few of the takeaways:

1. Put Your Expectations in Writing. Create a physical document that outlines the expectations and responsibilities for everyone on the team. The physical reminder will keep people aware and accountable for their duties. Schedule a time to revisit this document every six months.
2. Harness Technology. From project management software and CRM tools to micro-blogging sites (like Twitter and Yammer) and Wiki’s, there are so many resources today that enable remote teams to work together–it’s just a matter of picking what works best for your team.
3. Set Goals and Track Performance. Make sure you clearly communicate deadlines and projects. Everyone should know who is responsible for completing which part of the project when in order to ensure everyone’s on same page. Consider having employees submit short, weekly reports to keep everyone in the know of the projects they’re working on.
4. Build a Strong, Cohesive Team. Strive to build a sense of community by promoting teamwork and team building. It will make working remotely seem much less distant.

What do you think?
Do you struggle with managing employees who work from home? How do you keep them in check?

According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 60 percent of workers who were laid off in the last year have found new jobs. Of that 60 percent, 88 percent found full-time positions, and 54 percent found jobs in entirely different fields than where they previously worked.

Among the workers who are still searching for new opportunities, 56 percent said they are nervous about returning to work after an extended period of unemployment, citing the following reasons:

• Pressure to prove themselves (50 percent)
• Fear of the unknown (40 percent)
• Anxiety around new, unfamiliar technologies (21 percent)

The survey – which was conducted by Harris Interactive© from May 19 to June 8, 2011 and included more than 800 workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last year – also revealed the following workforce trends:

• Relocation: Of workers who were laid off and found new jobs, 36 percent reported they relocated to a new city or state. Of those who haven’t found new jobs yet, 38 percent said they would consider relocating for a position.
• Pay Increases: The majority of laid off workers who found new jobs reported their pay is similar to or higher than their previous position, with 45 percent taking a pay cut, (down from 47 percent last year), and 27 percent finding jobs with higher pay (up from 22 percent last year).
• Starting Small Businesses: Some workers may replace their job search efforts with entrepreneurship. More than one-in-four (27 percent) who have not yet found work said they are considering starting their own business.

But while it’s encouraging to see more companies hiring laid off workers (especially in light of recent reports that some employers refuse to consider unemployed job seekers for their open positions), it’s also crucial that they keep this momentum going.

It’s important to recognize that every segment of the workforce brings unique skills and value to the workplace, and that excluding any segment of the population from your applicant pool only cheats you out of talent that could benefit your organization.

In a statement for the survey’s press release, Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America, discussed the significance of these findings and the need to keep hiring in this economy:

“We need to do a better job as a nation to help workers identify jobs that are in-demand today and are projected to grow in the future. We have a growing skills gap and the need to get millions of Americans back to work. As the economy recovers, we need to focus on retraining and ‘re-skilling’ workers to help them move to new fields with a greater number of opportunities.”

Not to mention that companies that invest in hiring and retaining currently unemployed workers not only qualify for certain government tax breaks and benefits as part of the HIRE Act, but they’re also helping the nation overall in contributing to economic recovery.

Have you recently hired a laid off worker? Any advice for your peers?

Last week, CareerBuilder released the results of a recent nationwide survey, which found that 34 percent of hiring managers are placing greater emphasis on emotional intelligence when it comes to hiring and promoting employees post-recession.

The survey also revealed that 71 percent of hiring managers value emotional intelligence in an employee more than IQ; 59 percent would not hire someone with low emotional intelligence; and, for a remarkable 75 percent of hiring managers, emotional intelligence trumps IQ when it comes to deciding on employee promotions.

But how do those numbers compare when broken down by certain industries? Let’s take a look:

Government

• 34 percent of government employers said they are placing a greater emphasis on high EI for hiring and promotion decisions post-recession
• 70 percent value emotional intelligence in employees more than IQ
• 62 percent would not hire someone who has a high IQ but low EI
• 77 percent said they’re more likely to promote the high EI worker

Government employers also said they value emotional intelligence because employees who display this quality tend to resolve conflict effectively and are more likely to stay calm under pressure. In response to the findings, Chuck Loeher, area vice president for CareerBuilder, said:

“Government jobs aren’t just about producing information and ideas – there’s a lot of moving and organizing people, as well. A deep knowledge base is important no matter your position, but dynamic interpersonal skills are needed to successfully motivate groups made up of diverse personalities, ideologies and work ethics. All workers, at all levels of government, can benefit from deeper insights into their own emotional intelligence.”

Information Technology (IT)

• 37 percent of IT employers said they are placing a greater emphasis on high emotional intelligence for hiring and promotion decisions post-recession
• 52 percent value emotional intelligence in their employees more than IQ
• 55 percent would not hire someone who has a high IQ but low EI
• 61 percent said they’re more likely to promote the high EI worker

When asked why emotional intelligence is more important than high IQ, IT employers said they believe employees with high emotional intelligence know how to resolve conflict effectively and tend to make more thoughtful business decisions. Jamie Carney, senior product director of Sologig.com, had this to say about the findings:

“The data helps unravel the myth that the best IT professionals are smart people locked to their computer screens. Technical competency is a must, but when it’s down to you and another candidate for a promotion or new job, it’s dynamic interpersonal skills that will set you apart. Emotional intelligence is a sign of leadership and the ability to be a team player – that’s the type of worker most IT managers want.”

Retail

• 34 percent of retail employers said they are placing a higher emphasis on emotional intelligence for hiring and promotion decisions post-recession
• 79 percent value high emotional intelligence over high IQ
• 55 percent would not hire someone who has a high IQ but low EI
• 79 percent said they’re more likely to promote the high EI worker

For retail employers, high emotional intelligence is valuable in employees because it indicates they know how to appeal to customers and can stay calm under pressure. According to Bill Meidell, product director at WorkinRetail.com:

“The nature of retail work demands employees who can sense what their clients and customers need the moment they walk through the doors. A high IQ is important in any profession, but retail is a social space that demands dynamic interpersonal skills. Workers with high emotional intelligence are the key to customer loyalty.”

Health care

• 37 percent said they are placing a higher emphasis on emotional intelligence for hiring and promotion decisions post-recession
• 81 percent said they value high emotional intelligence over high IQ,
• 72 percent of health care employers would not hire someone who has a high IQ but low EI.
• 87 percent said they’re more likely to promote the high EI worker.

The ability to stay calm under pressure and resolve conflict effectively topped the list of reasons health care employers place such high emphasis on emotional intelligence in their employees. Looking at these results, Rob Morris, product director at MiracleWorkers.com, said:

“High Emotional Intelligence is important in the health care field because understanding a patient’s emotional needs is sometimes just as important as treating their medical condition. Moreover, stress can take its toll on health care workers. Emotional Intelligence is a sign that professionals will be able to ease the pressure by empathizing with both their patients and colleagues.”

How important is emotional intelligence in your industry?

13.9 million Americans are currently looking for work, according to BLS statistics. It goes without saying, then, that making a positive impression with potential employers is of utmost importance to job seekers. Despite good intentions, however, the reality of these efforts sometimes falls short of the goal. While it’s clear that many of us have made a résumé mistake at one time or another in our job-searching experiences, as well as a few blunders during the interview itself — some mistakes are more, ah, memorable than others. Then again, some of them may not turn out to be mistakes at all. Let’s weigh in on results from a just-released CareerBuilder study of more than 2,600 employers nationwide — revealing the most unusual résumés they’ve seen seeing.

Resume reviews: Faster than you (should) brush your teeth

Turns out that nearly half (45 percent) of human resource managers said they spend, on average, less than one minute reviewing an application. Less than one single minute! While this comes as n surprise to those with the responsibility of hiring, it is quite the shock for many job seekers who think you’re spending hours poring over the intricate résumé details they worked so hard to perfect.

Not to fear, however: In that less than one minute’s time, human resource managers can retain quite a lot of the absurdities that come across their desk. When asked to recall the most memorable or unusual résumés they’ve gotten, human resource managers and hiring managers shared the following gems.

Employers’ 15 most memorable résumés:

1. Candidate said the more you paid him, the harder he worked.

2. Candidate was fired from different jobs, but included each one as a reference.

3. Candidate said he just wanted an opportunity to show off his new tie.

4.  Candidate listed her dog as a reference.

5. Candidate listed the ability to do the moonwalk as a special skill.

6. Candidates – a husband and wife looking to job share –submitted a co-written poem.

7. Candidate included “versatile toes” as a selling point.

8. Candidate said that he would be a “good asset to the company,” but failed to include the “et” in the word “asset.”

9. Candidate’s email address on the resume had “shakinmybootie” in it.

10. Candidate included that she survived a bite from a deadly aquatic animal.

11. Candidate used first name only.

12. Candidate asked, “Would you pass up an opportunity to hire someone like this?  I think not.”

13. Candidate insisted that the company pay him to interview with them because his time was valuable.

14. Candidate shipped a lemon with résumé, stating “I am not a lemon.”

15. Candidate included that he was arrested for assaulting his previous boss.

To hire — or to run?

Let’s keep in mind that while unusual résumés may be something some hiring managers guffaw over or use to perfect their free throw shot, smart recruiters and employers know that strange can sometimes lead to a successful employee. Don’t be so quick to write off a candidate who, upon further inspection, may simply be thinking outside of the normal résumé confines.

For example, maybe the candidate who included first name only was just being particularly cautious about his or her employer finding out that one of their star employees was job hunting. And the candidate who survived a bit from a deadly aquatic animal? He or she could have a fantastic sense of adventure and survivor instinct that may play well with your company culture. The candidate who wanted to show off his tie may simply have been making a genuine attempt to get your attention with humor. And the candidate who sent a lemon with the “I am not a lemon” wordplay? Clever, memorable — and probably someone you want to give a second look. In today’s extremely competitive hiring environment, a candidate who is willing to take a risk and be creative may be someone who will make the right risks at your company, brainstorm creative solutions to your business challenges, and be a huge asset to your bottom line.

That candidate who does a great moonwalk, though? While an impressive feat, to be sure, likely not one that will do much for your business (unless you are in the dance business, in which case I retract my hasty statement).*

*Also see: Candidate had shakinmybootie in email address.

And obviously, examples like No. 15 are a more serious matter altogether.

When trying to decide whether a résumé is unforgettable — or simply one you want to forget — consider the following factors:

• Is it relevant to the job?
• Is it clear and coherent?
• Is it smartly executed?

If your answers are “yes,” you should strongly reconsider tossing what some would consider a brilliant business move into the trash. Wouldn’t you rather a candidate work to get your attention, rather than blast out the same boring résumé to you and a dozen others? And hey, it’s not as if these candidates are lying to you on their résumé; if anything, they’re guilty of revealing too much.

Creativity solely for the sake of creativity isn’t always a winner, but if that creativity cleverly touches upon your company or open position, or a candidate’s skills in relation to the position at hand, you might not have such a lemon on your hands, after all.

As Rosemary Haefner (@haefner_r), vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, points out: “In a crowded job market, a stand-out résumé can be the difference between getting the interview and being lost in the pile. But job seekers need to ask themselves if they’re standing out for the right reasons.”

So tell us — what’s the most unusual résumé or job tactic you’ve come across? Was it worth giving the candidate a second look?

Heeding the timeless advice of Roxette, a majority of employers are listening their hearts when it comes to hiring, and placing a higher emphasis on candidates’ emotional intelligence than their IQ’s.

That’s according to CareerBuilder’s latest survey, which indicates that 71 percent of employers say they value emotional intelligence over IQ.

What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a general assessment of a person’s abilities to control emotions, to sense, understand and react to others’ emotions, and manage relationships.

The survey of more than 2600 hiring managers and human resource professionals nationwide reveals that EI is a critical characteristic for landing a job and advancing one’s career. According to the survey:

• 34 percent of hiring managers said they are placing greater emphasis on emotional intelligence when hiring and promoting employees post-recession
• 71 percent said they value emotional intelligence in an employee more than IQ
• 59 percent of employers would not hire someone who has a high IQ but low EI
• 75 percent are more likely to promote an employee with a high EI over one with a high IQ

Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, cites today’s competitive job market as a reason employers are focusing more on emotional intelligence when it comes to hiring.

“In a recovering economy, employers want people who can effectively make decisions in stressful situations and can empathize with the needs of their colleagues and clients to deliver the best results,” Haefner says in a statement for the survey’s press release.

Survey participants gave the following reasons for placing a higher value on EI over IQ (in order of importance):

• Employees [with high EI] are more likely to stay calm under pressure
• Employees know how to resolve conflict effectively
• Employees are empathetic to their team members and react accordingly
• Employees lead by example
• Employees tend to make more thoughtful business decisions

Looking for Signs: How to Spot a High EI
HR managers and hiring managers assess their candidates’ and employees’ EI by observing a variety of behaviors and qualities. The top qualities they look for, according to the survey, include the following:

• They admit and learn from their mistakes
• They can keep emotions in check and have thoughtful discussions on tough issues
• They listen as much or more than they talk
• They take criticism well
• They show grace under pressure

What do you think of these findings? Do you place a higher emphasis on EI than on IQ?

If you were betting on job numbers, and you bet that 18,000 new jobs were created last month, thinking we’d have a repeat of June, you’d be wrong. But it’s probably a bet you’d be happy to lose, because in July, we added 117,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ “The Employment Situation” summary for July 2011. This jump followed two months of very little growth (in May and June).

Despite this growth and landing above Wall Street expectations, we’re still below the number needed to really make a dent in the unemployment rate — but it’s an improvement. So, the sky isn’t falling — and let’s just say we’re cautiously optimistic, yes?

Other details from this month’s “The Employment Situation” summary:

• Net growth explanation: 154,000 jobs were created in the private sector, but with a loss in government jobs of 37,000, we saw a net increase of 117,000.
• May and June’s low growth numbers have also had positive net revisions of  56,000.
• The labor force, at 152.3 million, did not change much in July.
• The unemployment rate was little changed but we did see improvement, from 9.2 to 9.1 percent. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that this lower rate was due to more individuals dropping out of the employment search (labor force participation fell from 64.1 percent to 63.9 percent).
• Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 10 cents to $23.13. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 2.3 percent.
• Neither average weekly hours or the number of temporary employees rose; as The Economist points out, both are indicators of future labor demand.

Hiring by industry

We saw job gains in health care, retail trade, manufacturing, and mining. Specifically:

• Health care employment grew by 31,000 in July. Ambulatory health care services and hospitals each added14,000 jobs over the month. Over the past 12 months, health care employment has grown by 299,000.
• Retail trade added 26,000 jobs in July. Employment in health and personal care stores rose by 9,000 over the month with small increases distributed among several other retail industries.
• Manufacturing employment increased by 24,000 in July; nearly all of the increase was in durable
  goods manufacturing. Within durable goods, the motor vehicles and parts industry had fewer seasonal
  layoffs than typical for July, contributing to a seasonally adjusted employment increase of 12,000 jobs.
• Mining employment rose by 9,000; virtually all of the gain (+8,000) occurred in support activities for mining.
• Professional and technical services continued to trend up in July, with a gain of 18,000 jobs.
• Employment in construction, transportation and warehousing, information, leisure and hospitality, and financial activities changed little in July.
• Government employment continued to trend down in July, with a loss of 37,000. Employment in state government decreased by 23,000, due almost entirely to a partial shutdown of the Minnesota state government.
• Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 10 cents in July to $23.13. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 2.3 percent. Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 8 cents to $19.52.

See what CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson had to say yesterday on CNBC’s Squawk Box program about job creation, the biggest skill shortage we’re facing right now, and more.

What do you think about July’s BLS job numbers?

On CNBC’s Squawk Box this morning, CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson discussed job expectations versus job creation; the disconnect caused by the structural mismatch between available jobs and available skills; the industry with the biggest skill shortage right now; and the area hottest in wage growth.

Check out what else Ferguson has to say about the state of jobs in America:

Nearly 30 years later, Bananarama’s haunting words once again ring true: it truly is a cruel, cruel summer…

…at least it is for those employers who say their workplaces are suffering from a decrease in employee productivity right now.

According to CareerBuilder’s recent survey on employee productivity, one in four employers (26 percent) think workers are less productive in the summer and nearly half (45 percent) think workers at their organization are currently burned out on their jobs.

Turns out, the reason employees seem burned out is because they are. (Shocking, right?)

Of the nearly 5,300 employees surveyed, 77 percent say they are sometimes or always burned out in their jobs, and 43 percent say their stress levels on the job have increased over the last six months.

The rising stress could be a result of heavier workloads. Nearly half (46 percent) of employees reported an increase in their workloads in the last six months, while only eight percent said their workloads decreased.

As if feelings of burnout aren’t enough to distract workers, summer provides its own special recipe for productivity disaster: Nicer weather, vacation-fever, and kids being out of school led the list of reasons employers felt their workers were less productive.

Productivity perceptions differ
The goodish news is that productivity is actually up from previous years…depending on who you ask: Looking at overall productivity trends year-round, 30 percent of the more than 2,600 employers surveyed say workers are more productive today than before the recession began; while 12 percent feel workers are less productive than before the recession.

Employers who saw a rise in worker productivity during the recession primarily attribute the increase to the fear of losing a job and the effects of downsized staffs on individual workloads. In addition, 73 percent are seeing the increase sustain today and 14 percent state productivity has increased even more.

Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America, says it’s no wonder workers are feeling burned out right now. In a statement for the press release, Rasmussen says:

“The recession produced consequences for not just those who were laid off, but also for the many employees who were asked to work harder as a result of leaner staffs. While getting more out of a smaller workforce is a sign of organizational agility during unpredictable times, it’s hard to see such yields in productivity holding forever. Headcount will be needed to meet increasing demands.”

4 Fast Fixes to Employee Burnout
While there’s no (legally available) magic pill to make employee burnout go away, you can help relieve some of their feelings by implementing a few of the following tactics.

1. If you love them, let them go. Encourage your employees to cash in their vacation time. Even if they can’t afford to leave town, taking a day or two off will help them refresh.
2. Add an “ish” to that clock in/clock out time. If it works for your company, be a little more flexible with letting workers come in later or leave earlier, or maybe work from home a few days a week, so long as they get their work done. Better yet, consider implementing “Summer Fridays” and letting your employees off at noon to let them enjoy a little extra weekend time.
3. Have class outside. Re-energizing your team could be as simple as taking a break from the routing and getting out of the office every once in a while. You might consider organizing an outing to a museum, baseball game, bowling alley or nearby restaurant for a team lunch or happy hour. In addition to boosting morale, out-of-office gatherings give co-workers a chance to mingle in a more relaxed environment, strengthening both business and personal relationships.
4. Adjust the A/C. Yep, you read that right. It may sounds simple-to-the-point-of-silly, but a recent survey shows extreme office temperatures can affect worker productivity. It may be hot outside, but that doesn’t mean the a/c has to go bull blast inside. Don’t ignore the a/c either, though. Smelly, sweaty and hot is a triple threat to productivity, if not the senses.

Are you feeling the effects of worker burnout this season? How are you coping?

Being perceived as a hoarder may cost workers a promotion, new CareerBuilder survey shows

It may get you a cameo on a TLC reality show, but hoarding don’t do nothing for your career, y’all.

A new, very scientific survey by CareerBuilder shows hoarding can have a negative impact on your career.  Nearly three-in-ten (28 percent) employers say they are less likely to promote someone who has a disorganized or messy work space.

This doesn’t bode well for the 33 percent of workers – men and women equally – who say they tend to be hoarders. And even though companies have shifted to a more digital workplace, more than half of workers (51 percent) say they still love killing trees have paper files in their office/desk.

But let’s back up a touch, shall we? What exactly makes someone a hoarder? Survey says…

• 38 percent say that, currently, between 50 to 100 percent of their desk surface is covered with work and other materials, while 16 percent of workers said 75 percent or more of their desk is covered. For shame!!
• 36 percent of workers say they have paper files from more than a year ago, 13 percent have files that are five years or older and six percent have files dating back more than 10 years. Heathens.

Is it really that big a deal? Well, yes, according to the survey. It seems employers don’t think any more of hoarders than they do of tattooed employees.

Nearly two-in-five employers (38 percent) say piles of paper covering a desk negatively impacted their perception of that person; 27 percent feel they are disorganized, while 16 percent say they are just messy.

Public service announcement: If you or someone you know is a hoarder, there IS help.

Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder’s Vice President of Human Resources, offers the following tips to get your work area organized:

• Schedule time with the office recycle bin –Set a calendar reminder for Friday afternoon to take completed projects to the recycle bin.

• Work on one project at a time – While you may have 20 things on your “to do” list, prioritize what needs to be done that day when you arrive at work and take care of one project at a time.

• Don’t be a digital hoarder – Just because nobody else can see your clutter, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, especially in your email boxes. Delete unneeded emails on a weekly basis.

Please, share these tips with a friend or loved one.

Okay, I kid, but do you tend to have the same views as the employers who say they view hoarders as disorganized? If so, are you doing anything to address the situation?

It’s the question on everyone’s mind (no, not “What are William and Kate talking about this very instant? or “Why did Michelle Obama eat a burger?“), but — where are the jobs? CareerBuilder’s just-released list, pulled from CareerBuilder’s Supply and Demand Portal data from the past six months, gives us some insight into just that.

The latest Supply and Demand Portal data reveals industries and positions where, for a multitude of reasons, there is a growing gap in the number of workers needed to fill job openings. We’ve already seen evidence that  47 percent of employers plan to hire full-time workers in the last six months of this year — and some U.S. regions are more promising more than others. By understanding the labor demand in particular markets and the ways in which talent pools grow or shrink depending on that demand, you can more effectively guide your recruitment strategy in terms of employment brand, compensation and overall advertising strategy.

CareerBuilder’s Supply and Demand Portal helps you be smarter by giving you real-time access to 1) the availability of active talent for any position (supply), and 2) where you will find the most and least competition for that talent (demand).

As CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson says:

“The Supply & Demand portal enables employers to gain valuable market insights to develop more productive and cost-effective recruitment strategies. More than one-third of human resource managers we surveyed said they currently have positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates, a trend that continues to grow as the economy recovers and job prospects improve.  While the U.S. still has a very competitive job market, there are areas within technology, health care and other fields that have a growing deficit in talent.”

So, without further adieu, the hottest industries with growing demand for workers:

1. Cloud Developer
   
   • Supply v. Demand: 0.32 active job seekers for every job opening (in other words, there are three open positions for every one available job seeker).
     
   • Average Salary: $100,000
     
   • What Gives? Career opportunities in this space have multiplied with the exponential growth of data and the corresponding need to store and manage it.  Demand will continue to grow as companies look to increase capacity and function without having to build new infrastructure.
2. Business Intelligence Analyst
   
   • Supply v. Demand: 1.01 active job seekers for every job opening
   • Average Salary:  $98,000
   • What Gives? This hybrid position that combines technical know-how with business and market insights is becoming increasingly critical as companies place a greater emphasis on business analytics.  Companies are using the value they have in their existing data streams and warehouses to make smarter business decisions and create better tools for customers.
3. Registered Nurse
   
   • Supply v. Demand: 0.38 active job seekers for every job opening
     
   • Average Salary: $65,000 
   • What Gives? A staple on lists of worker shortages, nursing is one of the most challenging areas for recruitment. In addition to a growing demand for healthcare services, enrollment in nursing schools is trending down due to a lack of nursing faculty.
4. Quality Engineer
   
   • Supply v. Demand: 1.05 active job seekers for every job opening. 
   • Average Salary:  $68,000
   • What Gives? The manufacturing sector is making a comeback as the economy recovers and exports grow stronger to meet the needs of emerging markets.
5. Truck Driver
   • Supply v Demand: 1.37 active job seekers for every job opening 
   • Average Salary:  $41,000
     
   • What Gives? While life on the road has distinct advantages, extended time away from home, long hours on your own and dealing with traffic are among challenges that can make these positions hard to fill.
6. SEO Strategist
   
   • Supply v. Demand: 1.75 active job seekers for every job opening
     
   • Average Salary:  $70,000
     
   • What Gives? With high Internet penetration in markets across the globe, there is greater need for individuals who can bring more traffic to company websites by elevating their ranking in unpaid and paid search engine results pages.  Companies with a large Internet presence are bringing these skills in-house to build effective and relevant sites.
7. Health Care Administrator
   
   • Supply v. Demand: 2.25 active job seekers for every job opening
     
   • Average Salary:  $88,000
     
   • What Gives? An aging population and more than 30 million newly insured Americans post-health care reform are fueling the need for more medical services and professionals who can keep operations flowing smoothly.

More about the data:

• CareerBuilder’s Supply & Demand portal pulls data from national employment resources like CareerBuilder.com, Wanted Analytics and EMSI (Economic Modeling Specialists Inc.), accessing more than 45 million jobs, 40 million resumes and 140 million worker profiles.
• Based on the number of available jobs and available candidates, the portal identifies occupations and corresponding markets with the greatest supply and under-supply of candidates.

You can check out the full report here.

 Is your company looking for employees in any of these fields — or where are you having a challenging time finding workers?

There’s good news (Justin Timberlake may save MySpace!), disappointing news (we’ll probably never get Friendster back), and news that makes us want to hug a stranger on the street: Despite ongoing concerns over threats to economic growth, CareerBuilder’s 2011 Mid-Year Job Forecast shows that employers remain positive in their hiring expectations for the remainder of the year. (It’s OK, you can hug that stranger on the street; we won’t judge.)

Just how positive are employers about the future of hiring, you ask?

Well, nearly half of employers (47 percent) plan to hire new employees from July through December of this year, up from 41 percent in 2010, according to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive© of more than 2,600 hiring managers and human resource professionals. (See the infographic here.)

Things are looking pretty good in other areas, too: The percentage of companies hiring is also higher than last year in some instances:

• Companies hiring full-time, permanent employees –  35 percent this year, up from 28 percent in 2010
• Companies hiring part-time employees – 15 percent this year, the same as 2010
• Companies hiring contract or temporary employees – 12 percent this year, up from 9 percent in 2010

Which jobs are hottest for hiring?

The top three job areas in which businesses plan to hire first are those that involve being on the front lines with customers, and those that drive innovation. Customer service still claims the No. 1 spot for recruitment, with information technology slightly edging out sales this year for the No. 2 ranking on the list:

1. Customer Service  |  23 percent
2. Information Technology  |  21 percent
3. Sales  |  20 percent
4. Administrative  |  15 percent
5. Business Development  |  11 percent
6. Accounting/Finance  |  10 percent
7. Marketing  |  9 percent

As CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson stressed, the U.S. is seeing job creation across the board, and though some factors may prevent a huge acceleration in hires, hiring activity doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon:

“Last year, certain sectors or departments in companies were producing jobs.  This year, the U.S. is seeing job creation in all industries, functions and company sizes,” said Ferguson.  “Our survey, listings on CareerBuilder.com, and conversations we have with employers on a daily basis all indicate that hiring activity will sustain and improve in the months to come with a diverse mix of jobs.  While higher energy prices, debt, inflation and other factors may deter a significant acceleration in hiring, employers have encouraging news for the millions of Americans who are looking for jobs.”

Hiring by region: Where are employers hiring the most employees?

There’s more news to make us look forward to the year progressing: All regions are trending above 2010 in hiring prospects for the second half of 2011, with the South leading the way in optimism:

• South: 38 percent are planning to hire full-time, permanent employees, up from 27 percent last year
• West: 35 percent, up from 28 percent last year
• Northeast: 34 percent, up from 29 percent last year
• Midwest: 32 percent, up from 28 percent last year

Two trends to watch for in the second half of 2011:

1. Employee Turnover:
   • The competition for specialized talent is expected to intensify as employers recruit and try to retain top performers for hard-to-fill, in-high-demand positions in areas like health care and technology.
   • More than one-third (35 percent) of employers are concerned that key talent will leave their organizations as the economy improves, a trend that has become increasingly evident over the last six months.
   • Eighteen percent of employers reported top workers left their organization in the second quarter, up from 14 percent in the first quarter. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as CareerBuilder’s 2010 forecast revealed that 25 percent of all workers planned to leave their organizations within a year.
2. Shortage of Skilled Workers:
   • Fifty percent of employers reported there is a shortage of skills within their organization, up from 48 percent last year.
   • The biggest shortages were reported in the areas of Information Technology, Customer Service and Communications.
   • More than one-third (36 percent) of human resource managers reported they have positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates, up from 32 percent last year.

What happened in Q2 2011?
This past quarter, 29 percent of employers added full-time, permanent headcount, up from 24 percent last year. Eleven percent decreased headcount (same as Q2 2010), while 59 percent made no change in staff levels (compared to 64 percent in Q2 2010) and 1 percent were unsure.

What will happen in Q3 2011?

• For eight consecutive quarters, actual hiring exceeded what was originally anticipated, indicating that employers tend to be more conservative in their hiring projections than in their hiring behavior. Looking forward, 26 percent of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the third quarter (only 21 percent planned to do so in Q3 2010), but if trends persist, the actual hiring number may come in higher at quarter end.
• Eight percent expect to downsize staffs.  Sixty-one percent anticipate no change, while 5 percent are undecided.

To get in-depth survey results and further predictions for the second half of 2011, download the full forecast, or for a quick snapshot, check out our handy-dandy infographic.

New survey shows hygiene and appearance play into employers’ promotion decisions.

Kids today and their piercings, am I right!?  That seems to be the attitude of nearly 37 percent of employers, who admitted in a recent survey they’d be less likely to extend a promotion to an employee with body piercings.

CareerBuilder recently surveyed nearly 2,878 employers to find out if personal appearance and hygiene affect promotion decisions, and if so, which personal attributes would make an employee less appealing for a promotion.  Bad breath, disheveled clothing, piercings and tattoos ranked highest among factors.

The top personal attributes employers say would make them less likely to extend a promotion include:

• Piercings – 37 percent
• Bad breath – 34 percent
• Visible tattoo – 31 percent
• Often has wrinkled clothes – 31 percent
• Messy hair – 29 percent
• Dresses too casually – 28 percent
• Too much perfume or cologne – 26 percent
• Too much makeup – 22 percent
• Messy office or cubicle – 19 percent
• Chewed fingernails – 10 percent
• Too suntanned – 4 percent

What this survey tells me is – all other things (e.g. leadership skills, job performance) being equal – appearance could be the deciding factor in whether or not you promote someone over another.

Would you agree? If not, what do you make of these results? How important is professional appearance in your workplace, and does it seem to affect who gets promoted and who doesn’t? Does that seem fair?

Have you ever compared the experience job seekers go through when searching for a job to the experience you go through when, say, buying a car? Believe it or not, the two experiences are more closely linked than you may realize. We have specific reasons for deciding to go through with a car purchase — or walk away from it — and the same is true for job seekers considering your company as a future employer in their job search process.

The experience you provide job seekers through your recruitment process is something they will evaluate, engage with, and accept or reject, ultimately deciding whether or not to “make a purchase.” A new CareerBuilder and Inavero study of more than 4,500 workers demonstrates that that decision can happen at any point in the job search process, from the time they first start thinking about searching for a new job to the moment they have your offer letter in front of them — and everywhere in between.

The job seeker/employer relationship: It’s complicated

Today’s job search experience looks drastically different from several years or even several months ago, and it continues to evolve. Now, although job boards still have a prominent place in the job search, the job search experience has become much more complex. When job seekers embark on a job search, they are actively using five specific methods to find their next job: Search engines; vertical sites (job boards and aggregators); social media; corporate and career sites; and user-generated content sites. They are using these five platforms in different ways and with varied intensity as they move through four distinct phases of the job search — Orientation, Consideration, Action, and Engagement.

To effectively build and manage your company’s employment brand, reach a large segment of the many job seekers you’re missing out on, and continue to position yourself as a visible and desirable place to work in today’s rapidly changing world, you must have a diversified recruitment strategy that incorporates these five platforms — and you must understand the mindset and behavior of job seekers as they move through the four stages of the job search process.

Job seekers have changed — have you?

The CareerBuilder and Inavero study takes you through a job seeker’s typical job search experience as it happens in today’s recruitment environment, a time in which job seekers are hungry for information and have a wealth of online resources at their fingertips. Long gone are the days of faxing or mailing a resume and simply waiting passively to hear back from an employer — today’s job seeker is much more hands-on.

By learning what job seekers are thinking and doing as they move through four distinct job search phases (Orientation, Consideration, Action, and Engagement) and crafting your strategy to align with those thoughts and behaviors, you’ll be equipped to reach the best candidates for your open jobs, position yourself as a strong and desirable brand, and ensure your approach is consistent from phase to phase.

The Four Phases of the Job Search

Phase I: Orientation — This phase consists of a job seeker’s self-evaluation and evaluation of the market. Ninety-seven percent of job seekers reported self-evaluation as one of the first five things they did when starting a search.

Phase II: Consideration – During this phase, the job search moves from a solitary to an interactive, social experience. Job seekers are seeking to validate the brands in their consideration set by posting on social media platforms and user-generated content sites, and collecting opinions from members of their online social and professional networks in order to narrow their focus to a handful of jobs.

Phase III: In this phase, a job seeker is going through the action of applying to jobs.

Phase IV: In this last phase, job seekers are interacting with employers and actively interviewing. Although the majority of research on a company is completed pre-interview, job seekers are conducting social research in this last phase by having personal conversations with employees of your company or close family and friends.

(Learn about the job seekers’ mindset and behavior during each of the four job search phases here.)

The importance of a great recruitment experience

Job seekers today are largely dissatisfied with the current hiring process offered by companies. Only 10 percent of respondents said companies they have reached out to have been responsive. The impact of this is immense: Nearly half (40 percent) of job seekers strongly agree that a poor application experience impacts their job decision. In fact, it might surprise you to find out that more than one in 10 people turn down a job at least once a month.

Bad experiences during and after the application process can easily negate the work and strategic investment in media you’ve made to bring the best talent onto your team.

Begin to create a more candidate-centric recruitment process by adding a human touch:

• Communicate with candidates when at all possible, and let them know where they stand as the process moves from phase to phase.
• Unplug cumbersome technology and flawed screening filters, and provide feedback and coaching.
• View all candidates as a customer or potential future customer, client or employee.
• Get the most out of the resources you’re investing by being responsive — in the long run, you will get better quality talent, protect your employment brand, and maintain a better reputation with clients (who once may have been your candidates).

Getting them to say “yes”

Job seekers are using a wide range of methods to find the right jobs, and by gaining a large presence through these methods, you will deepen your talent pool, engage and create trust with candidates early on, find more diverse candidates for your open positions, and, ultimately, improve your bottom line. Start thinking of your recruitment experience as a consumer product — and start
getting more job seekers to consider your brand, like what they see, and say “Yes.”

For details on job seeker behavior and mindset within the four job search phases and our recommended strategies for best connecting with job seekers at each point in the process, download the full report or learn more about adding the right platforms to your recruitment mix.

Struggling to find that perfect gift for the father who has everything? (Perhaps a little too much of it?)

Some dads pretend to like ties, others wouldn’t say no to new golf clubs. What most working dads could use this year, however, is a better/work life balance.

At least, if a recent survey of more than 800 men – employed full-time, with children 18 and under living in the household – is any indication.

According to CareerBuilder’s annual Father’s Day Survey, more fathers report struggling to find a work/life balance today than a year ago.

Maybe, however, that’s because – and here’s the good news – the majority (84 percent) of working dads who were laid off over the last 12 months say they have found full-time employment again.

But much like asking for directions, giving up the breadwinner role post-recession is something few dads are willing to do. (Men! Amirite??)

According to the survey, only 33 percent of working dads who aren’t the sole financial provider for their household said they would quit their jobs if their spouse or significant other made enough money to support the family, down from 44 percent five years ago. 

Longer Hours, Less Quality Time
The survey also found that leaner staffs and heavier workloads have dads putting in longer hours away from home.

• 22 percent work more than 50 hours per week on average, up from 19 percent last year
• 39 percent spend two hours or less with their children each day, and 16 percent spend one hour or less.

And if they’re not away at the office, they might as well be:

• 20 percent reported they bring home work at least three days per week.
• 34 percent have missed at least two significant events in their child’s life due to work in the last year
• 19 percent said they have checked work voicemail or e-mail during their children’s events.

Given these findings, it’s not surprising that 21 percent said they feel their work has had a negative impact on their relationship with their children.

A Career and Kids? Can Men Truly Have It All?
According to Alex Green, General Counsel for CareerBuilder and father of three, it’s not surprising that more fathers are reporting difficulty balancing their home life with their jobs.

“As companies downsized during the recession and work demands accelerated, we saw dads having a harder time finding balance between providing for their families financially and spending quality time with them, ” Green says.

The key to maintaining a balance, he says, is open communication and planning ahead at both work and home.“  It’s also important to cut yourself some slack,” Green adds.“ Even the best dads need a break sometimes.”

5 Tips for Maintaining a Better Work/Life Balance
Green recommends the following tips to help working dads find a better balance at work and home:

1. Talk about it – Remember that communication is a two-way street.  Besides just listening to what is going on in your family’s lives, talk about what is going on in your office, so everyone understands why you are away or have to do some work when you are home.
2. Scheduling is key to success – Add every family member’s schedule to one master calendar so there are no surprises.  Also, save vacation days for important events and talk to your supervisor about flexible work arrangements.
3. Establish a “no work” zone – Put down your Blackberry and avoid checking e-mails from the time you arrive home until after your children have gone to sleep.
4. Consider flexible work arrangements – More companies are offering telecommuting options, flexible hours, condensed work weeks and other arrangements.  Approach your boss with a game plan of how the new arrangement would work and how it can ultimately benefit the organization.
5. It’s okay to say no – In addition to actual work, sometimes activities associated with your job can take a toll on your free time. Determine what additional activities you can turn down and which are necessary so that you can free up more of your time outside of the office.

You probably remember them from high school: The dreaded (or anticipated) “Most likely to/Best” lists. Best eyes: Sandy K. Funniest: Alex S. (you totally thought you had that one in the bag). Most likely to forget their kids at the grocery store: Lauren D. (yes, this one actually exists). Most likely to succeed: ??? This one, as many other results looking back, may not have panned out the way everyone thought it might. From the time we were filling these “popularity”-type lists out (or ducking from the paper airplane printouts of them being hurled at us), the way many of us define success, or perceive those most likely to achieve personal or professional success, has changed — and over time, so has the world around us.

Much is different since high school (including, hopefully, your hair style and taste for greasy squares of cafeteria pizza). And in the workplace, over the past few decades or even the past few years — the path to success, at least professionally, has become more open to diverse workers. The makeup of the U.S. civilian labor force has changed significantly, with women accounting for half of all workers and companies becoming both racially and ethnically diverse.

CareerBuilder’s 2011 Diversity in the Workplace Study surveyed more than 2,500 diverse workers to get a better grasp of how their work experience has evolved as their numbers in the U.S. workforce have grown. Much of what we found may surprise you. The study targeted the top 20 markets in the U.S. based on population, and the results for six diverse segments — African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, workers with disabilities, and Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) workers.

The survey findings point to continued inequalities between diverse and non-diverse segments in pay, career advancement and feelings of discrimination. At the same time, certain diverse segments ranked higher than non-diverse workers in compensation, reflecting a movement toward better equality in the workplace.

So, with that said, here’s a “Most likely to” list that hopefully won’t cause those high school-esque butterflies, but will instead make us all take a hard look at how far we’ve come toward workplace equality — and where we’re still falling short.

Compensation

Most likely to earn $100,000 or more:

LGBT workers, who lead the pack at 18 percent, outpacing non-diverse workers by 1 percentage point. Women were the least likely to report making $100,000 or more at only 6 percent, along with African Americans and Hispanic workers at 8 percent.

Most likely to earn less than $50,000:

Disabled workers. Among all segments, workers with disabilities were the most likely to report earning less than $50,000 at 58 percent, followed by women at 52 percent and Hispanics close behind them at 51 percent.

Discrimination

Least likely to feel discriminated against in their current job?

Asian workers, at 11 percent, were least likely to feel discriminated against in the workplace — and trended below non-diverse workers who were asked this question, 14 percent of whom said they felt discriminated against.

Most likely to feel discriminated against in their current job?

African American workers. When asked about their experience as a diverse worker, 25 percent of African American workers said they felt discriminated against in their current job — the highest of all segments asked. The next-highest group was disabled workers, 22 percent of whom reported feeling discriminated against, followed by women (19 percent) and LGBT workers (18 percent).

Career Advancement

Least likely to hold a management position?

Asian workers. Higher salaries don’t always mean higher titles, as survey results reinforced. Because while Asian workers were among the highest segment as far as earning six figures, they were the least likely to report holding a management position (only 11 percent did). Women and African Americans were right behind, with only 15 percent from each group reporting that they held a management position.

Conversely, 26 percent of non-diverse workers reported holding management titles, the highest percentage of all segments, followed by 22 percent of LGBT workers.

Plans to change jobs

Most likely to change jobs once the economy improves?

Asian workers (47 percent), African American workers (43 percent) and disabled workers (42 percent) are the highest segments to report a plan to change jobs once the economy improves. Nearly two in five of all diverse workers (38 percent) plan to make a move with an improving economy. Despite ranking lower in pay and title, women and Hispanic workers are the least likely diverse workers to pursue new positions, at 31 percent and 35 percent respectively.

What does the report tell us?

Well, while old high school lists may be good for a laugh, CareerBuilder’s 2011 Diversity in the Workplace Study results give us a landmark that we can use to consider how we’re educating about and treating all types of workers in our own workplaces, and gain new perspective on the larger diversity picture as it stands. And much like Debbie N.’s feathered mullet Best Hair award, it’s promising to think that we will look back on this several years from now and marvel at how different things “used to be” — and how much better they are now.

As Dr. Sanja Licina, Senior Director of Talent Intelligence & Consulting at CareerBuilder, says, “While companies have made strides in creating an inclusive workplace for all workers, there is still work to be done, especially n the areas of hiring, compensation and career advancement.”

Read the full report for other interesting details about discrimination, pay, and why some diverse workers don’t market themselves as such when looking for a position — or check out the infographic for a snapshot.

What are your thoughts on the report findings?

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kick-off to summer, is upon us. Grills will be dusted off and fired up; burgers, brats and corn on the cob will be prepared; bikes will be ridden down ridiculously long paths; swimming pools will be cannonballed into; bathers will be sunned; time with family and friends will be had; and… work will be done?

A new CareerBuilder study of more than 5,600 workers shows that many employees are excitedly taking the fishing rods out of storage, only to sadly put them back hours later in an Arrested Development George Michael-type moment. Due to financial constraints and demanding work schedules, many workers are giving up their vacation plans this year by either choice or necessity (see a snapshot here). Twenty-four percent of full-time workers, in fact, reported they can’t afford to take a vacation this year, up from 21 percent in 2010.  Another 12 percent reported they can afford a vacation, but don’t have plans to take one this year.

Despite these sour numbers, the majority of workers are still planning to take some time away from work — the physical “work,” at least. Three in ten workers plan to take work with them on vacation. Thirty percent said they will contact work while on vacation, up from 25 percent last year.

On the flip side…

While some workers are stuck pretending their vacuum is a jet-ski this year, more than one-third (36 percent) of workers reported feeling more comfortable taking a vacation than they did in 2010. The economy is healing in various ways, and some people’s wallets are also healing enough that vacation is now an option. Twenty-six percent of workers are planning a vacation of 7 to 10 days, while 11 percent expect to be gone 2 weeks or longer. On the more conservative side, 24 percent are planning for a 3 to 5 days for vacation or a weekend getaway. And many (including CareerBuilder’s own VP of HR), say traveling across the world or just setting up camp in your house — and away from your office — is good for your health and may translate to better work while in the office:

“Taking advantage of vacation or paid-time-off benefits is critical not only to your well-being, but to your overall job performance,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.  “Workers who set aside time for R&R tend to have less burnout, more creative energy and higher quality output.  While financial challenges and heavy workloads may make vacation planning difficult, it’s important to find time to recharge away or at home.  It can ultimately translate into a more gratifying work experience that benefits you, your family and your employer.”

So, how can employers turn the vacation outlook from bleak to beachy? Here are Haefner’s tips for helping your employees — and you — take better advantage of time off:

1)  Encourage them to give plenty of notice. Twenty-four percent of workers reported they have had to work while their family went on vacation without them — which is the furthest thing from “fun.” Let your employees know it’s helpful if they coordinate schedules with family, friends and co-workers as early in advance as possible, to more effectively plan vacations before/after big projects and events. Advance notice also gives the vacationing employee, as well as his or her colleagues, plenty of time to prepare and adjust work loads accordingly. Set expectations as far as whether employees want or need to be contacted while on vacation, stick to what you both agree upon, and communicate that to the team as well.
2)  Don’t take them on a guilt trip. Twelve percent of workers reported they feel guilty that they’re not at work while they’re on vacation. Your organization’s vacation benefits are there for a reason — and by setting a positive tone and stressing that vacation is time for employees to enjoy themselves and forget about work as much as possible (and following through by not emailing and calling them while they’re away), you can ease that sense of guilt and show employees that they can, and should, feel good about taking time off work to relax and spend time with family and friends. The work can wait, and if you help them prepare effectively, their time out of the office will be virtually obstacle-free.
3)  Consider discounts — and if you have them, spread the word. Many employers offer discounts on personal entertainment and travel for employees that may make vacation plans more affordable — do you? If not, it’s worth looking into options for business-wide discounts; your employees will appreciate the perk and get better use out of their travel time, and you will be providing a valuable benefit that will not only make current employees happy, but will also help attract future employees to your organization.
4)  Make sure they’re covered. Don’t punish your employees who have scheduled a vacation by abandoning them — instead, give them a hand. Buddy them up with other co-workers to cross-train on responsibilities and keep track of upcoming deadlines, key contacts, and placement of important information to help everyone function more efficiently when someone is out of the office. Think broadly and evaluate how one person’s absence affects other employees who work with them; ensure that any involved parties are kept abreast of project shifts.
5)  Use ‘em or lose ‘em. Sixteen percent of workers reported they gave up vacation days in 2010 because they didn’t have time to use them. Remind employees that vacations don’t have to be an around-the-world trip; even a day off here and there can be a refreshing break from the office grind — and is better than no vacation time at all.

I would also add: Be realistic. If an employee misses 40 hours of work while on vacation, it’s not practical to expect them to make up that entire 40 hours of work once they return. Help employees prioritize what needs to get done before and after they’re gone, so they don’t feel so overloaded (and can actually enjoy their time off). Consult with them on what work is most important, and what can be eliminated or put off until they return and catch up. Some projects or tasks may be able to be jump-started early in anticipation of a vacation; others may be able to wait.

If you’re communicating with your employees and setting up expectations upfront that both parties agree upon, there won’t be surprises later — and employees won’t have to spend all year turning their cubicle into a beach resort and wishing the water cooler into a daiquiri machine.

Choosy moms choose — work? Or family? That’s the struggle many working moms are facing, as many working moms say they’re having trouble finding the time to both support their families financially and be home with their families.

Although the economy has made significant improvements since we talked with CareerBuilder’s Mary Delaney about working moms one year ago, many families are still surviving on just one working parent; more than one-third (35 percent) of working moms and 44 percent of working dads surveyed by CareerBuilder said they are the sole financial provider for their household.

In addition to the fact that one parent is often trying to be the sole provider financially while also being physically and emotionally there for their family, the burden may be even heavier for women, more of whom reported they earned a low salary than did male respondents.

Just how much lower of a salary?

Comparing these two groups, working moms who were the sole provider were three times as likely to earn less than $35,000 (45 percent of moms compared to 15 percent of dads), while working dads were more than twice as likely to earn $50,000 or more (63 percent of dads versus 28 percent of moms) and nearly three times as likely to earn six figures (18 percent of dads compared to 7 percent of moms), according to the 2011 CareerBuilder Mother’s Day survey. The survey was conducted among 484 working moms and 836 working dads, employed full-time, with children 18 and under living in the household.

Quality — but not quantity

Working moms are still facing less quality time at home due to financial challenges, heavier workloads and longer hours in the office — and despite an improving economy, this reality has actually worsened. One quarter of all working moms said they spend two hours or less with their children each work day, up from 18 percent in 2010.  Twenty-four percent take work home at least once a week.

Workers want employer support

Many workers are on the search to find that perfect work/life balance — and for working parents, it’s top priority. Despite any existing financial struggles, 31 percent of all working moms said they would take a job with less pay if it meant they could spend more time with their children.

For employers, that’s a statistic worth paying attention to. Working moms want flexible options to help them spend more time with their families — and in an environment when many of them are working with less pay, longer hours and extremely heavy workloads, consider the benefits to both them and your organization that more balance in their lives could bring. Happier employees who feel that their needs are valued in an organization are more likely to want to stay with your company and contribute in the long run.

“While all indications point to economic recovery, working moms are still waiting to feel the effects,” said Hope Gurion, Chief Development Officer at CareerBuilder and mother of two. “However, these moms possess a great deal of resourcefulness and resilience and continue to provide for their families.  While moms say they would give up things, including pay, to spend more time with their children, they are making the most of the time they do have and getting creative in work arrangements.”

Gurion recommends the following tips for working moms who are overworked:

1. Talk to other moms – Many families are in the same boat as you, and having a support network is essential to your personal and professional sanity. Get tips from other working moms on how they juggle personal and professional commitments, how they’ve managed through difficult financial situations and how they’ve moved ahead in their careers.
2. Keep an “I’m Fabulous” file – Keep track of all of your accomplishments within the organization, quantifying results whenever possible, and list out the additional responsibilities you have taken on in the last year.  It helps you to build your case when negotiating for a better salary or consideration for promotion with your employer.
3. Go in with a game plan – The vast majority of working moms who have taken advantage of flexible work arrangements said it hasn’t negatively impacted their careers, so talk to your supervisor or HR department and explore options. Make sure to come to that conversation with a game plan on how you can manage workload and cover responsibilities.
4. Get organized – Structure in your life will save you time, stress and mental energy. Keep one calendar for business and family commitments to avoid double-booking. Set up a schedule for chores, homework, family activities, playtime, and other family commitments.
5. Remember quality over quantity – Make the most of your personal time. When you’re home, it’s all about them. Wait until after the children go to bed before checking email or finishing up that presentation.
6. Schedule “me time” – Working moms need to take care of themselves too. Put actual time on the calendar for an hour or more of doing something you enjoy like going to the gym, taking a walk, or reading.

Don’t worry, working dads — though this survey focused on working moms, we’ve got you covered. Check out our five tips to help fathers better balance their work and family lives for some great ideas on de-stressing and re-focusing. And, really, many of the tips above apply to working parents in general, not just mothers — so they may also help you formulate the game plan you need moving forward.

Employers, have you been helping working parents achieve more of a work/life balance? If so, how?

Workplace bullying has been getting a lot more attention in the media lately after some high-profile bullying cases have come to light — but the issue is unfortunately not a new one. After all, the Workplace Bullying Institute has been around since the early 1900s for a reason, and many states have been in the process of trying to pass legislation against workplace bullying since 2003 (none yet with any success). But for as long as workplace bullying has been happening, it doesn’t appear to be stopping. A just-released CareerBuilder survey among 5,671 U.S. workers reveals that more than one in four (27 percent) workers have felt bullied in the workplace, with the majority neither confronting nor reporting the bully.

The most common bully? The boss.

According to survey results, 14 percent of workers felt bullied by their immediate supervisor, while 11 percent felt bullied by a co-worker.  Seven percent said the bully was not their boss but someone else higher up in the organization, while another 7 percent said the bully was their customer.

Bullying reports by gender and age

• Comparing genders and age groups, the segments that were more likely than others to report feeling bullied were women, workers ages 55 or older (29 percent), and workers age 24 or younger (29 percent).
• Women reported a higher incidence of being treated unfairly at the office.  One-third (34 percent) of women said they have felt bullied in the workplace, compared to 22 percent of men. Of course, this doesn’t mean fewer men are bullied, necessarily — just that fewer men report it. And, according to research by organizational behavior and leadership expert Denise Salin, women are more likely than men to self-label as a target of bullying.
• Workers ages 35 to 44 were the least likely to report feeling bullied, with only one in four doing so.

Bullying can come in a variety of forms, and what one of us considers crossing the line might make another cringe or blush, and a third person accept as simply “part of the job.”  When asked to describe how they were bullied, workers pointed to the following examples:

• My comments were dismissed or not acknowledged (43 percent).
• I was falsely accused of mistakes I didn’t make (40 percent).
• I was harshly criticized (38 percent).
• I was forced into doing work that really wasn’t my job (38 percent).
• Different standards and policies were used for me than other workers (37 percent).
• I was given mean looks (31 percent).
• Others gossiped about me (27 percent).
• My boss yelled at me in front of other co-workers (24 percent).
• Belittling comments were made about my work during meetings (23 percent).
• Someone else stole credit for my work (21 percent).

Since bullying comes in so many forms, it’s often difficult to define bullying by one specific action. The Workplace Bullying Institute, however, defines workplace bullying as “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms:

1. Verbal abuse.
2. Offensive conduct/behaviors that are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.
3. Work interference, i.e. sabotage, that prevents work from being done.

Salin describes bullying in the workplace as a “form of negative interaction that can express itself in many ways, ranging from verbal aggression and excessive criticism or monitoring of work to social isolation or silent treatment.” It’s sometimes an accumulation of many minor acts, adding up to a pattern of maltreatment. The person on the receiving end of the bullying feels unable to defend him or herself successfully.

What are companies doing to combat this workplace bullying?

Twenty-eight percent of workers who were bullied brought the situation to a higher authority by reporting the bully to their Human Resources department. While 38 percent of these workers stated that measures were taken to investigate and resolve the situation, the majority of workers (62 percent) said no action was taken.

Of those who didn’t report the bully at all, one in five (21 percent) said it was because they feared the bullying would escalate. And with so few companies taking action on bullying complaints, reporting the incident may be an increasingly unattractive option to employees, because not only will they have to worry about the bullying getting worse, they will also have to fear making the culprit aware that his or her actions will not be disciplined by the company, essentially giving the person a green light to continue the bullying behavior.

Various sources from Salin’s research on workplace bullying also show that bullying seems to be prevalent in organizations that support, accept or allow such behavior, or where employees feel that they can “get away with it” or where it is accepted as part of a “tough” climate.” Even worse, new employees and managers can become socialized into treating bullying as a normal feature of working life.

The cost to your employees – and your business

Bullying is not only harmful for the employees experiencing it, but it also has a significant impact on the workplace environment as a whole. Bullying affects morale, motivation, work performance and productivity, and can also lead to higher absenteeism, health care costs and turnover — not to mention the psychological toll it takes on your employees. Some employers have realized the importance of taking steps to prevent bullying or make employees aware that they have a strict no-tolerance bullying policy, not only for the obvious reason of protecting their valued employees, but also because it’s good for business. Many employers, however, only seem to deal with the issue after it happens — if they deal with it at all.

Does your organization thrive on competition to the point of intimidation? Do you look the other way when an employee’s behavior seems to upset another employee? Or do you cultivate a culture of respect? While organizations can’t necessarily be blamed for bullying behavior, employees can certainly draw conclusions about acceptable or encouraged workplace behavior from the way they observe their organization treat its own employees and handle conflict.

By taking a soft stance on bullying, employees will view your workplace as tolerant of the practice, and will be less likely to come forward for help when they become a victim. What can you do to better protect your employees?

Six steps toward a bully-free workplace

In an article she wrote for the Scandinavian Journal of Management, Salin references many tips that various experts have found to be effective in helping to prevent or lessen the occurrence of workplace bullying.

Consider the following 6 steps:

1. Foster a supportive culture, and encourage open communication with both peers and leaders.
2. Introduce a specific, zero-tolerance anti-bullying policy to employees to increase general awareness of appropriate work behavior. The content of the document is very important; simply having one is not enough. It should cover the definition of what is regarded as bullying and what is not, as well as a statement of consequences of breaching your organization’s standards. It should also clarify who to report to, list specific contact persons and clearly explain the procedure for making and investigating informal and formal complaints.
3. Incorporate staff from all levels of your organization to help develop your policy, and increase awareness and acceptance of it throughout the organization — having a written policy is not enough. Policies are not just for the potential victim of workplace bullying, but are also helpful for managers, to give them advice and guidelines about how to deal with bullying. In turn, having a policy may make managers more willing and competent to react appropriately to a situation.
4. Include skills to identify and deal with bullying during management training; any action taken to increase leader competence in dealing with bullying is of utmost importance.
5. Spread knowledge of both the definition of workplace bullying and your organization’s policy at all levels, so that situations that could escalate into bullying can be quickly identified (and hopefully dealt with before the level of intensity increases). Increasing awareness may also encourage more employees to feel empowered to combat bullying by refusing to take part or refusing to silently watch it happen.
6. Increase the perceived cost to the perpetrator in order to deter potential bullies from taking action by making it clear that there will be serious consequences.

These are some steps your organization may choose to take to help curb bullying in the workplace — but I’d like to hear from all of you. What is your organization’s stance on workplace bullying, and what measures have you taken to prevent it? How have you dealt with bullying situations that have arisen?

If there’s anything more exciting than talking about tax refunds, it’s talking about data about tax refunds.

Exciting, of course, being a relative term here.

With Tax Day just a few days away, CareerBuilder released its annual survey on how workers plan to spend their tax refunds. But what’s cool(again, speaking relatively here…) about this year’s survey is that the results support growing evidence that the economy is on the upswing.

Compared to last year, fewer workers plan to use their tax refunds to pay off bills and more plan to put the money into savings, reflecting a more stable economy.

According to the survey over 3,900 workers nationwide, 46 percent plan to use their tax refunds to pay off bills, down from 56 percent last year. In addition, more than one-third (36 percent) of workers report they will use their tax refund to augment their savings accounts, up from 34 percent who said the same last year.

And while 61 percent of workers still report living paycheck to paycheck, the number is a significant improvement over the 77 percent who said the same last year.  In addition, 79 percent of workers said they haven’t reduced their 401 (k) accounts or personal savings in the last year.

While the majority of workers will use their tax refunds to put into savings or pay off bills, others plan to use their refunds toward things like making home improvements, going on vacation, buying a car, planning a wedding or donating to charity. To see the full press release, go here.

How do you plan to spend your tax refund?

As we just discussed here on The Hiring Site, the hiring outlook for this past month was the strongest it’s been in three years — which is great news. But, while in some industries employers also have plenty of candidates to choose from, in the health care field, the demand for services is rising so quickly that there aren’t enough health care workers to fulfill the growing demand. And this year alone, the first wave of more than 70 million baby boomers will turn 65 and 30 million more Americans will be will be insured, adding to the need for jobs like nurse practitioners. So, how are companies dealing with this challenge? A newly released CareerBuilder study of more than 1,000 health care workers gives us some insight into the job challenges these workers are facing, and includes advice to help organizations continue to retain top talent. You can also download the survey report in its entirety.

What did health care workers tell us?

1. A lack of career advancement opportunities is the top challenge health care workers face in their current positions.

What’s most challenging for health care workers — a) the sometimes-stressful environment? b) The lack of time for lunch breaks? c) The scrubs they must wear? No — it’s d) none of the above. In reality, more than half (51 percent) of health care workers cited a lack of advancement opportunities as the top challenge they faced in their current job. As patients are workers’ first priority, and as work overload was second in line as far as challenges cited, with 40 percent saying it was their biggest challenge, workers need management to help them make career advancement a priority as well. With so many balls for health care workers to juggle,  it’s important for health care organizations to provide career advancement programs and opportunities, to make those opportunities known, and to support workers’ efforts to take advantage of them by making it easier for them to do so.

3.    Tenure rates for nurses are low across various health care organizations.

Analysis of CareerBuilder databases revealed that registered nurses have a median tenure of 1.4 years. This is much lower than the 4.4 years that wage and salary workers had had with their current employer (according to a 2010 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study). Offices of physicians see the lowest nurse turnover, with a median job tenure of 1.57 years, while nursing care facilities have the highest ,at .97 years tenure. Falling in the middle were kidney dialysis centers (1.23) and home health care services (1.17). Operators of certain health care facilities may have a harder time retaining employees because of the difficult nature of the work.

3. Nurses are more concerned with doing their job well in a good environment than with the amount of money they make.

Nurses are the segment of the workforce hardest to recruit and retain — and with a median 1.4-year tenure, what factors are nurses struggling with, that, if resolved, might make a difference in workplace satisfaction? When nurses were asked about their biggest workplace challenge, salary was not at the top of the heap — they put salary as fifth (35 percent) on their list of biggest workplace challenges. Topping their list, though, was a shortage of needed staff (49 percent) and, as many health care workers across the board stated, a lack of advancement opportunities (49 percent). It’s not a surprise, then, to hear about nurses going on strike just last month over staff shortages.

4.    A wide disconnect exists between benefits offered by employers and what employees say their organizations provide.

In the CareerBuilder survey, health care professionals were asked if their current or most recent employer offered a number of different programs to their health care employees. Of the 10 programs listed, in-house skills training was the only program said to be offered by more than 50 percent of the survey-takers. Below are the full results:

• In-house skills training (57 percent)
• Education reimbursement (43 percent)
• Technology training (43 percent)
• Flexible work schedules (42 percent)
• Cross-training (40 percent)
• Opportunity to mentor others (37 percent)
• Autonomy in position (33 percent)
• Opportunity for innovation (24 percent)
• Performance-based incentives (22 percent)
• Sign-on bonus (8 percent)

In addition to the somewhat alarming statistic that nine of the 10 factors were said to be offered by fewer than half of the respondents’ workplaces, there also appears to be a disconnect between what employers are offering and what employees believe they offer. For instance, more than half (57 percent) of health care employees said that in-house skill trainings were offered by their employer; however, an even higher number of employers (68 percent) indicate that they provided this type of perk — meaning a lot of employees left in the dark about the trainings their employer provides. This disconnect illustrates that while health care organizations may be offering valuable perks, these programs are not always being messaged effectively to employees.

5.    Patient to staff ratio is strained, leaving workers spread thin with little time for career development.

We’ve heard before about health care workers’ desire to be heard — and survey data supports that idea. However, because workers are so tied down in managing their daily duties, there’s often little to no time left to focus on professional development. Nearly six in ten (57 percent) of health care workers said that the health care professional-per-patient ratio is getting worse, allowing less time for professional development and career advancement and requiring more time on day-to-day duties.

How can employers better support their employees?

It’s clear that money is not the only thing on health care workers’ minds — just like workers in many other professions, they seek opportunities for advancement in their careers, professional recognition, and benefits. They also need both the support of management and a robust enough staff to make this more easily attainable.

Although salary and benefits are important, lower-cost factors such as mentoring, career-path planning, training and support also greatly influence health care employees to apply to and stay at a job. With health care organizations battling for top talent and facing high demand for positions, it’s important for employers to take the temperature of their staff to best meet their needs, as well as keep a finger on the pulse of job seekers.

There’s no overnight solution, but it’s important to develop and nurture an environment where your employees can thrive. Talk to your employees about their biggest needs and challenges, and create a plan to help them more effectively meet these challenges. Find ways to communicate to your employees about the career advancement, training  and benefits programs your organization offers, and find ways to make it easier for them to participate. And if your organization doesn’t offer these initiatives, keep in mind you’re likely missing out on a lot of talent willing to sign on with organizations that are. Giving your employees ways to continue to learn and advance in their careers will give you a distinct advantage over your competition, and your employees will have another reason to grow with your organization, rather than look for the nearest exit.

What do you see as a solution toward fixing the turnover issues that ail so many health care organizations?

If you’ve seen the recent reports that more employees are quitting their jobs as the economy improves, then hearing that employee loyalty nationwide is at a three-year low should be about as shocking as hearing that Charlie Sheen is getting a reality TV show.

I mean, we all saw this coming, right? (Well, maybe not all of us…See below.)

Today, MetLife released a new study indicating that, not only is employee loyalty at its lowest point since 2008, but some employers evidently aren’t aware of this fact. (Awkward!) According to the study, 47 percent of employees report feeling a very strong loyalty to their employers, while 51 percent of employers said they felt employees were very loyal.

You can read the details of the study here, but below are some of the larger implications that you as an employer need to consider:

Certain benefits matter more than you think:  While employers are generally correct in thinking that salary and wages are the biggest drivers of employee loyalty, many underestimate the role retirement benefits and non-medical benefits (such as dental, disability and life insurance) play in employee satisfaction, too.

Benefits are only as good as how well you communicate them: Maybe it’s not the lack of benefits that irks employees, but the lack of awareness.  Another finding was that more than half of all employees (55 percent) believe the communication they receive from their employers regarding benefits is either unclear or too infrequent.  If you’re doing a poor job of communicating your employee benefits and how employees can take advantage of them, you might as well not offer them at all.  

“Effective communications can make the difference between benefits that are understood and valued, and benefits that are overlooked and underutilized. Communicating effectively is related to improved benefits satisfaction, job satisfaction and loyalty,” said MetLife’s vice president of U.S. Business, Dr. Ronald S. Leopold, in the press release.

It’s time to get over your fear of social media: It’s your call whether you want to use social media or not (and the survey shows 70 percent of you are leaning towards the not end of this spectrum)…but know this: There’s a growing desire among Gen Y and Gen X employees to acquire benefits information through social networking sites – and a similar number want to get them through mobile devices, too.

Of course, none of this is to imply that your employees are dissatisfied (or among of the 74 percent of workers who already have one foot out the door)…But how do you know unless you ask?

If you take nothing else from this survey, let it serve as a reminder that you and your employees might not be on the same page in terms of what they want and what you’re giving them. So take the hint and start checking in with your employees again - conduct surveys, solicit feedback, ask for suggestions – and then actually USE THE INFORMATION.  

If you don’t start meeting your employees halfway, it’s only a matter of time before they find an employer who does.

For further reading on employee retention during times of economic uncertainty, check out Amy Chulik’s recent post on the subject, Employee Morale is Not a Trend – So Don’t Treat It Like One

Many organizations have a policy prohibiting their employees from discussing salaries with each other. We can safely assume that employees disregard plenty company policies on a regular basis. Sneaking in a few minutes late. Checking Facebook every once in a while – or maybe all the time. You might think salary discussions are another example of employees ignoring their bosses, but that might not be the case. A recent survey from CareerBuilder suggests that men and women have starkly different views of gender inequality in the workplace – especially when it comes to income.

Here’s what the survey found:

From the women’s perspective:
-38 percent feel they earn less than their male counterparts
-39 percent believe men have more opportunities to advance their career
-36 percent believe men receive more recognition for accomplishments
-35 percent believe their decision not to rub elbows with upper management (while the men are doing it) is the reason for the pay and advancement disparity
-22 percent cited favoritism toward men as the reason for the income and advancement differences

From the men’s perspective:
-84 percent believe males and females with the same qualifications are paid the same
-72 percent believe opportunities for advancement are the same for both genders
-6 percent believe they are paid less than their female counterparts
-17 percent believe women have more opportunities for advancement
-18 percent say women receive more kudos for accomplishment

Salary reality
If you’re the one handing out the paychecks, you know more than anybody how inaccurate the men’s salary (and overall) outlook is. What you might not realize is how large the gap is between the sexes:

Of surveyed female workers:
-40 percent earn $35,000 or less
-25 percent earn $50,000 or more
-3 percent earn $100,000 or more
-21 percent hold a management position
-49 percent hold a clinical or administrative position

Of surveyed male workers:
-24 percent earn $35,000 or less
-45 percent earn $50,000 or more
-10 percent earn $100,000 or more
-20 percent hold a management position
-25 percent are in a clinical or administrative role

And once you drill down into specific industries, you can see where the gaps are widest:

For government workers:
“59 percent of male government workers surveyed reported they make $50,000 or more, compared to 30 percent of women. On the other end of the pay scale, 29 percent of women reported they make $35,000 or less, compared to 13 percent of men.”

In health care:
“12  percent of men make $100,000 or more, compared to just 4 percent of women.”

According to retail workers:
“15 percent of men surveyed reported they make $50,000 or more, compared to 12 percent of women. On the other end of the pay scale, 61 percent of women reported they make $35,000 or less, compared to 50 percent of men.”

In sales:
“49 percent of salesmen surveyed reported they make $50,000 or more, compared to 28 percent of saleswomen. Thirteen percent of men make $100,000 or more, compared to just 9 percent of women.”

Looking at how the disparity repeatedly plays out, it’s obvious that gender inequality is alive and well in the workplace. What’s interesting to note is that, if you judge by the survey, this news is not news at all for women. Yet, for men, it’s not how they see things. Even if your employees aren’t openly discussing their paychecks, women are aware of where they stand in the business world.

While at HRPA 2011, Canada’s conference and trade show focusing on HR issues and trends, I stopped in to check out Howard Wallack’s session, 10 Global HR Trends for 2011 and What You Need to Know to Manage Them. Wallack is the Director of Global Member Programs for Society for Human Resource Management, and in his discussion at HRPA 2011, he drew from several studies and surveys (EIU’s Global Firms in 2020, IBM’s Working Beyond Borders, BCG/WFPMA’s Creating People Advantage 2010, and more) and gathered input from SHRM’s Global Expertise panel to determine the 10 most prevalent global HR trends for the rest of 2011.

The business world is becoming increasingly global, yet as Wallack mentioned in his presentation, there aren’t HR standards across the globe right now. Inconsistent economies and policies add complications to an already complex mix; for example, while low job growth is an issue in the U.S. and Canada, it’s not an issue in Asia, where places like China, India, Singapore and Thailand are all currently experiencing at least 9 – 10 percent growth. The U.S. is less friendly than Canada when it comes to immigration, which can present a challenge. In addition, employee engagement is driven by very different factors around the globe: In Asia, employees want titles and learning opportunities, compensation and benefits comes down the chain; in the U.S., health care coverage is most important, then compensation, then responsibility. With that said, let’s take a look at what Wallack says are the most noticeable trends for the rest of this year:

10 Global HR Trends for 2011

1. The importance of globalization and integrating markets: Companies will become larger and more global in the next 10 years, handling operations in more countries than they do today.
   —We’re living in an increasingly border-less world.
2. Talent management: Finding and retaining quality talent continues to be essential to business sustainability. Finding and retaining quality talent continues to be essential to business sustainability, though its importance in relation to other challenges differs by location. (AUTHOR UPDATE: Respondents from Brazil and Sweden rated this issue in the BCG/WFPMA study as being of lesser importance than other top-10 HR challenges relative to respondents from 15 other countries. And when polled further to rate if there were no/some/high/very high talent shortage or skills gaps across 12 different specific industries/sectors, the Brazilian and Swedish respondents rated it uniformly as “No” across all the industries.)
   —There are more contingent workers, and the rationale behind work force investment is changing and moving in multiple directions. 

   —Most industries and countries are to experience a widening talent gap, notably for highly skilled positions and for next generation of mid and senior leaders.

3. Working virtually across functions and geographies will intensify, with implications for intercultural communication, business ethics and organizational effectiveness.
   —Localizing management of overseas operations is key, but a global outlook is just as important as local knowledge. 

   —Businesses need to find new ways to connect people to each other and to information, both internally and externally.

   —The expectation of having an “always-available” employee varies around the world.

4. Global employee engagement is tentative; companies that have implemented multiple layoffs have eroded a sense of security in the global work force.
   —There is a disconnect between what companies currently have to offer employees and what employees really value. 

   —Retaining valued talent is more important, but the drivers to retain that talent are different depending on the type of market (growth opportunity is paramount in growth markets; new or challenging responsibilities is paramount in mature markets).

   —The gap in creative leadership, executing for speed, and managing ‘collective intelligence’ must be addressed.

   —Employee engagement has suffered; companies are now trying to restore pride and trust.

5. The economic crisis and fewer existing business opportunities create a high demand on the global HR function to demonstrate greater adaptability.
   —HR will be an important link between corporate headquarters and overseas operations. 

   —HR is conducting too many initiatives, with mediocre outcomes.  Companies need to reboot their HR function and boost resources devoted to HR.

6. Economic uncertainties fundamentally change motivators that attract and retain employees.
   —There is a disconnect between what companies have to offer employees and what employees really value.
7. Human capital protectionism may continue to increase in many countries in non-tariff, nationalistic forms.
   
8. Global mobility of high-value workers continues as multinational companies restrict new hires and relocate talented employees from within their existing work force.
9. Companies that originate in emerging economies will continue to succeed in the global marketplace.
   
10. Increased demand for HR metrics may bring about a widely accepted set of analytic measures and methods (global standards) to describe, predict and evaluate the quality and impact of HR practices and the productivity of the work force.  However, globalization is also driving impetus toward the use of more metrics with greater cultural sensitivity.

How can HR do more to manage these trends?

First, Wallack says, as an HR professional, you must make sure your organization understands what globalization means to you, your company and your business sector — you must be the the one to advocate full understanding of what the drivers are. It’s important, too, to keep in mind that globalization means different things to different people across the world. Ernst & Young describes globalization in The New Mindset as “the level of a country’s integration with the world economy through the exchange of goods and services, movement of capital and finance, movement of labor, exchange of technology and ideas, and cultural integration.” Martin Wolf, in Why Globalization Works, sums it up more simply as, “economic integration across borders through markets.” And every person you ask will probably define it a bit differently.

A “global mindset” is often defined as a way of seeing the world and the globalization of markets, organizations and individuals. Developing a more global mindset enables your organization to be more effectively tackle functional, organizational, and cross-cultural boundaries and move forward.

Wallack offered some ideas to help organizations adopt a more global mindset:

• Global mobility: Deepen your employees’ knowledge pool by offering short-term, focused opportunities for individuals to work in new markets and geographies.
• Develop global leadership pipelines: There is a growing expectation for leaders to have work experience outside one’s country of origin; simply having an education that includes global topics is no longer enough. Travel is a strategic management development tool.
• Get involved in efforts to create global HR standards.
• As there is a higher demand on the global HR function to demonstrate greater adaptability, provide HR managers more exposure to and rotations in global business that they need to be effective internationally. Make HR the link between corporate headquarters and overseas operations.
• As far as talent management: Include nationalities and experience in your efforts to diversify talent in other functions and other industries. Increase the span of responsibilities and decision-making of employees.

You can find more information about Wallack and SHRM’s global work here.

Which of the global HR trends mentioned above (or others not mentioned) are you seeing in your own organization?

If you’ve been in the human resources profession for more than, well, a day or two, you’re probably familiar with the following employee complaints:

• My boss plays favorites
• My boss doesn’t follow through on what he/she promises
• My boss doesn’t listen to concerns
• My boss doesn’t provide regular feedback
• My boss doesn’t keep me motivated
• My boss doesn’t help me develop
• My boss only provides negative feedback

That’s because these, according to a new CareerBuilder survey on management, are the most common gripes that employees have about their bosses.

Although these complaints can often be attributed to a clash of personality types or poor communication between workers and their supervisors, these leadership issues may also arise when an employee feels ill-prepared for a management position, which, according to the survey results, is pretty often. One-in-four managers polled said they weren’t ready to become a leader when they started managing others.

According to Dennis Kravetz, author of “Measuring Human Capital: Converting Workplace Behavior into Dollars,” it’s not surprising that some managers feel this way. “Any supervisory job is dramatically different from a non-supervisory role,” he says. “For example, non-supervisory engineers need to have a variety of technical engineering competencies, accountants need technical accounting competencies, etc. Employees are trained for this at the college level and their performance at a non-supervisory level is based on how technically competent they are in their field.”

On the other hand, Kravetz says, the competencies that make for a successful manager — like developing others, handling conflict and scheduling work — are primarily people-based. “The net result is that these people are often lost in the job of new supervisor,” he says.

Indeed, it seems that the areas most managers struggle with are primarily those that are people-centric. According to the survey, managers reported having the most trouble with the following:

• Dealing with issues between co-workers on my team – 25 percent
• Motivating team members – 22 percent
• Performance reviews – 15 percent
• Finding the resources needed to support the team – 15 percent
• Creating career paths for my team – 12 percent

Again, Kravetz says these results are to be expected. “[Management]  literally is an entirely different job with entirely different competencies. As a consequence the new supervisor focuses on only the technical engineering and accounting work and they forget about being a supervisor and the many people issues that come up. This produces unhappy employees, and senior managers who are unhappy with the new manager,” he says.

So how can you ensure that your first time managers are competent? Here are a few tips.

1. Analyze leadership capacity before the promotion: Prior to offering a promotion, analyze the employee’s leadership skills by conducting a “simulation interview,” Kravetz says. “These interviews ask candidates how they would handle a number of hypothetical situations on the job that pertain to supervising others. You can’t fake the answers — you either know how to resolve staff conflict on a work team or you don’t.”

Another great way to create a pipeline of management material? “Look for a demonstration of these competencies in project teams and other types of teams from people who are not supervisors.”

2. Use leadership training: Just because someone initially struggles with a management role, doesn’t mean they don’t have the potential to be a great leader. They just need to develop the right skills. If your company doesn’t already offer them, push for leadership training programs, says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Good management skills can positively impact productivity, performance and overall employee morale. We see more companies investing in management training programs to develop today’s and tomorrow’s leaders,” she says.

If your company doesn’t yet have a formal leadership training program in place, use outside resources to assist employees. “Identify open-enrollment courses offered by independent contractors, or local universities as part of continuing-education efforts and encourage new supervisors to enroll,” Kravetz says. “You can also bring in professional management coaches.”

Does your company offer leadership training programs? Do you think they should be mandatory? Let us know in the comments section, below.

Get ready, employers: one in five workers plan to go mad this month…March Mad, that is. (See what I did there? Wordplay!) 

In addition to revealing that 20 percent of workers will participate in March Madness polls at the office this year, CareerBuilder’s annual survey also proves that you don’t need college basketball to stir up that competitive spirit in the office. 

The search for a new pope will do just fine, thanks.

According to the survey of more than 3,900 workers nationwide, employees are finding all sorts of ways to mix things up – none of which have anything to do with Notre Dame.

When asked about some of the more unusual office polls they’ve ever participated in, workers responded with the following:

1. How long someone could keep binder clips attached to his body.
2. What time during the day a co-worker would fall asleep at her desk.
3. The number of words a manager would say in a meeting since he was very quiet. The winner was a co-worker who guessed 11 words.
4. The measurement in inches around a pregnant co-worker’s belly.
5. What a co-worker would use as his next excuse to call off work.
6. How many people would call in sick the day a new video game came out.
7. How late a co-worker was going to be to a meeting.
8. Who would be the next pope.
9. Who would win the National Spelling Bee.
10. Blood alcohol results on drunk patients.
11. How long two co-workers would date.
12. Who could grow the best mustache.

Are office pools a good bet for employers?
While some of these pools may seem silly (and fall into a grey ethical area at times), the larger implication of a survey like this is that, obviously, workers need a little silliness sometimes.

But while many experts agree that allowing employees to participate in some friendly competition in the office can be a good for morale, the debate continues as to whether the possible risks of allowing betting to take place in the office outweight the rewards.

What are your thoughts? As a manager, do you find that betting at the office is harmless fun – or a disaster waiting to happen?

On this 100th (!) International Women’s Day, when women all over the world are celebrating the countless accomplishments of women or being honored themselves, I thought it would be fitting to share results of The White House’s just-released report all about women, called Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being. It was prepared for the White House Council on Women and Girls — a council created in 2009 by President Obama to “enhance, support, and coordinate the efforts of existing programs for women and girls.”

A report nearly 50 years in the making

This is the first Federal report that focuses on the progress of women in the U.S. since John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Women issued 1963′s Peterson Report, which primarily focused on workplace discrimination and issues of workplace inequality — and which helped lead to the Equal Pay Act.

Fast forward from 1963 to 2011 — how have things changed?

Why women’s issues are important (and not just for women)

President Obama himself has stated that the social and economic issues facing women are not just women’s issues; many of these issues can end up affecting entire families.  The report gives a picture of women in America today by focusing on five areas: demographic and family changes, education, employment, health, and crime. Although I’d like to share findings on education and employment specifically, it’s worth perusing the report (PDF) for yourself to get a better sense of how various gender comparisons all fit together in the big picture. Women have achieved so much — and this report reflects that. Unfortunately, in some areas, there is still much progress to be made. Let’s take a closer look.

Women and Education

When it comes to educational achievement in particular over the last few decades, women have made huge strides. This holds true across racial and ethnic groups, and, in some cases, the educational achievements of women have significantly outpaced those of men over the last 40 years.

Highlights:

• Perhaps not surprisingly, high school education rates of women have substantially increased. Between 1970 and 2009, the percentage of women with at least a high school education rose from 59 percent (about the same as men) to about 87 percent (slightly more than men).
• Over the years, we’ve seen a huge surge in the number of women who have paved out careers for themselves and embarked upon that institute of higher learning known as college. The percentage of women ages 25-34 with at least a college degree has more than tripled since 1968, and women earned about 57 percent of all college degrees given in 2007-2008.
• In 2008, women accounted for 59 percent of graduate school enrollment.
• When it comes to doctoral degrees, the tables have completely turned in the past decade alone. In 1998, more doctoral degrees were conferred to men than to women. A decade later, it’s the opposite.

The science and tech gap

While women do earn the majority of degrees overall, they earn fewer degrees than men in science and technology. In the college level of engineering and computer sciences, women possess fewer than 20 percent of degrees earned. The good news is that the lack of women in these fields has not gone unnoticed; women in the tech field, for instance, are banding together and starting conferences, investing money and resources, and engaging in professional networking. These efforts aren’t without criticism, though — some believe that instead making efforts to differentiate themselves, women in these types of fields should be integrating themselves more forcefully into male-dominated events and circles. What do you think?

Women and the Workplace

Over the past several decades, women’s role in the workplace has changed dramatically. But where are women currently excelling – and where are we falling short? Let’s take a look.

Highlights:

• The earnings gap between women and men has narrowed over the years – but it’s still there. Among full-time wage and salary workers, women’s weekly earnings as a percent of men’s have increased from 62 percent in 1979 to 80 percent in 2009.
• Although we’ve seen older persons either staying in or going back into the work force since the 2008 recession, according to the report, the labor force participation rate of persons ages 55 and older began to rise in 1996 for both women and men, but that pace has slowed in recent years.
• Speaking of the recession — during the past four recessions, the unemployment rate among women rose less than the rate for men. This can be attributed to men’s concentration in more cyclically sensitive occupations, like manufacturing production and construction, compared to women’s concentration in more rapidly growing fields like health care.
• Women are considerably more likely to work year round than they were in past decades. In 2009, 75 percent of women worked year round, up from 51 percent in 1968.
• In May 2004, about 30 percent of wage and salary workers reported having flexible schedules that allowed them to vary their work hours to some degree. (That’s likely increased since then, with the larger focus on flexible scheduling that’s developed). What exactly the flexible schedules entailed, the report didn’t say, and it would be interesting to find out percentages of employees working from home or exploring other alternative scheduling with their employers now that 7 years have passed.

So, what do the findings tell us?

Well, as we’ve seen above, women have accomplished a great deal in the realms of education and employment since the 1960s — or even the 1990s. Yet, on average, women still earn less pay than that of men, and few women are venturing into the fields of science and technology. But the fact that this report leaves out legal issues of inequality which were the main focus of the Peterson Report of 1963 is a huge difference in itself, in only 47 years’ time. In addition, this report lays bare the findings that women are not equal in the aforementioned areas — but are there explanations involved that have more to do with lifestyle and culture than with unfair business practices?

And as author and history teacher Stephanie Coontz points out in her article on CNN International, the 1963 report cataloged the once-common practice of establishing quotas on how many women were admitted to educational institutions or sought-after jobs — an issue which has, at least in theory, gone away. Yes, discrimination against women still exists, and yes, some institutions’ or individuals’ mentalities may still be back in 1963. But this White House report chronicles just how big of a leap we’ve taken forward in such a short time.

How far do you think women have come when it comes to the workplace? Have you witnessed many of these changes over the years? Let us know in the comments!

Want to get involved with International Women’s Day? Find events here.

How many alarm clocks would it take to demonstrate the number of times your employees have been late to work — or that you’ve been late yourself? Is it commonplace — or out of place — at your workplace?

A new CareerBuilder survey on worker lateness shows that 15 percent of workers are late to work at least once a week, though that number is down from 16 percent in 2009 and 20 percent in 2008. It appears the recession has been a likely cause of the downward trend in lateness — though it hasn’t made it disappear altogether.

For the most part, surveyed workers shared a variety of “standard” reasons for being tardy:

• Thirty percent said they were delayed by traffic.
• Nineteen percent said they were late because of a lack of sleep.
• Nine percent blamed bad weather for their tardiness.
• Eight percent said there was a delay in getting their kids to daycare or school.
• Other common reasons included public transportation, wardrobe issues or dealing with pets.

Other workers, however, offered more creative excuses for being late to work — here are the best of the best (er, worst of the worst?):

• Read between the (facial) lines  | “My Botox appointment took longer than I expected.”
• Feline fury  | “My cat attacked me.”
• The Keanu Reeves Defense  | “I was delayed due to public transportation (employee produced a note signed by “The Bus Driver”).
• No breakfast in bed that morning |  “I didn’t get any sleep because my boyfriend’s wife threw me out of the house.
• Channeling Nicolas Cage  | “My car was inhabited by a hive of bees and I couldn’t use the car for two hours until bees left.”
• D’oh Nuts | “I knew I was already going to be late, so I figured I’d go ahead and stop to get donuts for everyone.”
• “Ready to pull a Britney  | “My hair was hurting my head.”
• Karma Policing  | “My Karma is not in sync today.”
• It’s not me, it’s you  | “I’m not late — the company clock is wrong.”

What’s your attendance style?

Although the excuses above are “outrageous,” that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not true. Either way, 1) tardiness issues appear to be on a downswing, and 2) most bosses understand that life sometimes gets in the way of work — though 32 percent of employers surveyed said they have terminated an employee for being late. Are you one of those bosses?

As Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder, says:

“Whether it is a result of fear associated with the economy or just a shift in attitude, workers over the last few years are doing a better job of managing their schedules and getting into the office at the designated time. While workers will sometimes be late due to circumstances out of their control, they need to be aware of their companies’ tardiness policies. Regardless of the reason, workers who are running late should always be honest with their managers.”

Communication counts

I would also turn that around and stress that as a boss, you should be open and communicative about policies and preferences for work tardiness.

• Let your employees know what your expectations are in the case that they are running late to work. Open lines of communication will mean more respect from your employees — and fewer headaches for you. And chances are, if you trust and respect your employees, they will return the favor.
• Make sure employee handbooks and guidelines are readily available to employees — and offer to answer any uncertainties or get employees in touch with the person who is able to answer their questions if you can’t.
• Give your employees the benefit of the doubt – they may be stuck with an ornery puppy, exhausted from being up all night with a screaming child, or going through a rough personal time. While these reasons don’t mean you need to give them free reign to do whatever they want, listening to your employees and trying to compromise a plan that will better fit their lifestyle while still satisfying your business requirements is a win-win in the long run: Better work/life balance = happier employees = better business.

What are the most unbelievable late-to-work excuses you’ve heard from your employees — or that you’ve used yourself? Do you think lateness really matters, as long as employees get the work done, and done well?

We’ve all had a weird transportation experience at one time or another (some of us more than others.) From a guy on a bus jumping up and turning around in his seat to “scare” me with fake bloody teeth, to sitting next to a woman chanting incessantly next to me as the plane took off, to witnessing luggage fights with the flight attendants, I’ve had a few odd experiences myself. But none of them quite compare to the experiences workers in Careerbuilder’s latest travel survey reported.

Let’s not delay (travel joke) — here are survey respondents’ most unusual business travel experiences:

• Backwash city: “Woman next to me asked me for a drink from my water bottle.
• No napping on this flight: “Our plane was stormed by the Columbian military who thought there was a drug lord on board.”
• Scenic view? “A client mooned the plane.”
• Maybe he meant to say ‘the bomb’: “A drunken passenger next to me insisted my headphones were a bomb.”
• Room for two? “A naked guy tried getting in my cab in Indonesia.”
• Arrested development: “U.S. marshals arrested a passenger when the plane landed.”
• Strangers with candy: “A guy next to me had a carry-on bag filled with candy, which he kept offering me over and over and over again.”
• Hope she didn’t name her child after the airline: “A woman gave birth on the flight.”
• Upon reflection, not such a good idea: “After waking up, I accidentally walked into the hotel’s hallway instead of the restroom in my underwear. Got locked out and could be viewed by the elevator which was all glass windows.”
• This will make for an awkward rest of the trip: “Manager punched a co-worker on the plane.”
• Possibly more comfortable than airplane seats: “Fell asleep in the airplane restroom.”

Can you top these? Leave your craziest experiences in the comments below and let us know!

What do the travelers have to say?

While workers may joke about their crazy travel experiences, and while travel can definitely be rewarding, fun, and productive, there’s another side of business travel that isn’t always so amusing. While employers may be the ones pulling the strings as far as when, how often, and how their employees are allowed to (or must) travel, employees are the ones forced to sit in cramped airplane seating, get stuck at airports due to delays (hellooooooo, O’Hare), and, most importantly, be away from their homes, friends and families for extended or frequent periods of time. But how many employees are really travel warriors these days?

• The majority of workers (68 percent) surveyed said they never travel for business.
• Five percent said they travel every other month.
• Six percent said they travel every other week or more.

Though the numbers may be low, it’s important to keep in mind that the toll on those who are on a first-name basis with TSA agents can still be quite high. Nearly one in five (19 percent) of those who travel for business said the amount they travel negatively affects their home life — and that’s nothing for employers to take lightly.

To help smooth out the common bumps of travel for your employees, think about your current process:

• What’s working and what’s not?
• Have you asked your employees if they’re happy with the level of travel expected (particularly if it’s recently changed)?
• Communicate with your employees to find out if the frequency of travel is striking a fair balance, and try to work with employees to find a solution for both them and your business if there’s an issue.
• Remember to periodically thank your employees for putting in the time and work to travel on behalf of the company, a move that, yes, is part of their job, but that also actively and often takes them away from friends, family, and personal commitments.

What else have you found helpful in coordinating business travel with your employees (or with your own travel)? And what jaw-dropping experiences have you had while on business trips?

If you’re like many companies, you, in the spirit of budget-cutting, slowed down employee travel in 2010 — or even halted it altogether. According to a new CareerBuilder survey among more than 2,400 U.S. employers and more than 3,900 U.S. workers, 30 percent of companies say they cut back on business travel last year — and it wasn’t such a good move for many of them. Of the companies who cut back on travel, more than one-third (37 percent) said it negatively affected their business. Have you had a similar experience?

Lack of business trips and the bottom line

Budget cuts can often have ripple effects in other areas of the business. Many businesses who cut back on travel in 2010 had fewer opportunities for  face-to-face meetings, leading to communication issues, hurdles in fostering client relationships, and, ultimately, fewer sales. When asked how fewer business trips affected their bottom lines, companies reported the following results:

• Less effective internal communication: 12 percent
• Fewer sales: 11 percent
• Less effective execution on internal business initiatives: 10 percent
• Less customer loyalty: 8 percent

How will this year be different?

Based on 2010′s results, will companies alter business travel frequency in 2011? For the most part, it appears they won’t. The majority of companies (77 percent) report business travel levels will stay the same as last year. Eleven percent said their companies will take more business trips this year (perhaps to counter the negative effects of cutting back in 2010), while 13 percent said business travel will decrease.

Although frequency of travel may be “business as usual” in 2011, many companies have started taking a different direction to help cut unnecessary expense: Altering the way that employees travel.

“Business travel is an important part of many companies’ operations as it lets them stay connected with clients and employees across the globe,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “Some companies are revisiting their policies, though, to ensure they’re maximizing the effectiveness of their business travel initiatives.”

How are companies keeping a closer eye on travel expenses?

• Taking out the extravagance: Nearly one-third (32 percent) of companies are placing specific restrictions on business travel for employees since the recession, asking them to fly coach, lowering entertainment budgets, and having them only travel domestically.
• Virtual meetings: Forty-two percent of companies said they rely more on phone/Web conferencing now to conduct business with clients, with 31 percent saying they get just as much out of virtual meetings as face-to-face meetings.

Tell me — has your business cut down on employee travel, or otherwise changed policies around travel to cut costs? What has worked well — and what wouldn’t you do again?

CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson appeared on CNBC Power Lunch late last week to discuss findings from the Young Presidents’ Organization’s Global Pulse CEO Confidence Index, a survey gauging opinions of CEOs on the future of the economy. He also talked about changes in job activity on CareerBuilder’s site and answered questions about job creation for 2011 and which industries and regions are doing the most robust hiring right now.

YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), a global network of 17,000 CEOs under the age of 50, surveyed 2,256 CEOs across the world representing companies of all sizes (1,144 respondents were in the U.S.) to measure economic sentiment. The Global Pulse CEO Confidence Index found, among other things, that the hiring outlook is improving both here in the U.S. and abroad.

Watch Matt’s full interview on CNBC Power Lunch:

Let’s take a closer look at a few key findings from the YPO survey:

1. CEOs are more growing more confident in the economy.

• Global confidence rose 2.8 points to 64.7.  The U.S. index rose 3.6 points to 63.5, the highest since the survey began in July 2009.
• 61% of CEOS said economic conditions have improved compared to six months ago, up from 46% last quarter.
• 67% expect economic conditions to improve over the next six months, up from 60% last quarter.
• The emerging markets are the most bullish while the European Union has been the least optimistic, though confidence levels are rising there as well.  Lower confidence levels in countries like Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal are tied to sovereign debt problems.  Latin America is the most optimistic.

2. The hiring outlook is improving domestically and internationally.

• The YPO employment index rose 1.9 points to 59.0 in the U.S. Hiring expectations were positive across all sectors, including construction, which prior to this point has lagged production and services.

3. Companies expect stronger sales this year

• The sales confidence index for the U.S. rose to 68.5 from 49.2 in July 2009.   Production and services companies remain enthusiastic about the pace of the sales in 2011.  Construction is growing more confident.

4. Firms of all sizes expect to boost capital spending.

• The investment confidence index for the U.S. rose 1.5 points to 59.7.

How do these results compare to what you’re seeing at your own organization?

If there’s one thing American workers love, it’s each other…at least if a new survey on office romance is any indication.

According to CareerBuilder’s Annual Valentine’s Day Survey, nearly 40 percent of workers say they have dated someone they worked with over the course of their careers, and another 18 percent really get around have done so at least twice.  Of those who have dated a colleague, 30 percent went on to marry that person. 

The survey of more than 3,900 workers nationwide also found that, of those who have dated in the workplace, 10 percent have done so within the last year.

When it comes to gender breakdowns, more women than men report dating someone who was a superior.  One in three women say they have dated someone who holds a higher position in their organization; one in five men report they have done the same. Of the 8 percent of workers who are currently crushing at the office, however, more men then women (11 percent of men versus 4 percent of women) say they currently work with someone they are interested in dating.

Going from colleagues to couples
So what is it that turns people into more than just co-workers? Is it stolen looks across the cubicle aisle? The brushing of hands when reaching for the community stapler? Coy flirtations in the copy room? 

Actually, 12 percent of workers reported that their relationships started when they ran into each other outside of work. Other popular events where workplace romance has blossomed include:

• Happy hour
• Lunch
• Working late at the office
• Company holiday party
• Business trip

Office romance: Business as usual?
The survey also showed that people are getting less apologetic about having interoffice romances, too. “Workplace relationships no longer carry the stigma they once did, as 65 percent of workers said they aren’t keeping their romance a secret,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.

The prevalence of office romances doesn’t surprise Haefner, either, who says that, with economic conditions forcing workers to spend more time in the office, the line between working and socializing has become blurred, creating more opportunity for deeper relationships to develop.

Despite the more relaxed attitude toward it, however, workplace romance can still be tricky, um, business.  According to the survey, 6 percent of workers say they have actually left a job due to an office romance. 

“It is the responsibility of the individuals to understand company policy and make sure they adhere to it,” Haefner says, adding that workers also need to keep their relationships from negatively affecting their professional behavior and the quality of their work. One way to ensure office romances do not affect the workplace is to make sure that if your company has any formal policy regarding office dating your employees are aware of it.  

What’s your take on office romance? Do you find it to be disruptive, or should it be treated as just business as usual?

When it comes to recruiting, limited resources can mean that small businesses are often up against a separate set of challenges than large corporations. Luckily, creativity and innovation can go a long way when solving many of these problems. On Tuesday, for example, we told you about one of the common recruiting difficulties that small businesses face — attracting and retaining employees — and how developing and implementing a strong employment brand can be a creative way to resolve it.

Unfortunately, though, some of the more pervasive recruiting roadblocks that small businesses face can be a little tougher to bypass. According to a new CareerBuilder survey on small business hiring trends for 2011, respondents said that they expect their biggest recruiting challenges this year will be related to accessing credit, government regulations and health insurance costs — all problems which can be both difficult and frustrating to overcome.

The survey, which polled more than 1,350 small businesses, found the greatest hiring challenges to be:

• Cost of health insurance — 50 percent
• Access to credit — 33 percent
• Government regulations — 27 percent
• Marketing expenses and building awareness — 26 percent
• Attracting and hiring top talent — 19 percent

Yet small businesses are nothing if not resilient, and despite these hiring issues, more small businesses still plan to increase headcount this year than in recent years past. Though it’s just a slight increase, 21 percent of responding employers plan to add full-time staff this year, up from 20 percent in 2010 and 15 percent in 2009.

For those who can’t afford to add more full-time staff, but still have personnel needs, contract workers are the next-best thing. To prevent employee burnout and maintain productivity levels, 26 percent of small business owners plan to hire contract or temporary workers in the coming year, with 31 percent reporting that they may transition these workers into full-time positions.

Slightly fewer respondents said they’d meet staffing needs with part-time help. According to the survey, 11 percent of small businesses plan to hire part-time employees this year, up from 9 percent last year and 8 percent in 2009.

Despite a general increase in hiring expected this year, with so many business owners still worried about issues like credit and government regulations, it’s clear that 2011 will be another year of rebuilding.

“Small businesses are a major driving force behind job creation in the U.S. and play a vital role in economic growth,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.  “Small businesses had been in a holding pattern where they were less likely to decrease headcount compared to larger organizations, but also less likely to add new staff. Over the last year, we saw modest, but continued gains in jobs that are carrying over into 2011. Before we see people back to work in greater numbers, we need to find ways to get this segment of the economy hiring again.”

Do you work for a small company? Do you plan to increase your staff this year? What are your biggest hiring challenges?

It seems like just a year ago we were telling you that 72 percent of workers 60 and older were postponing retirement due to financial reasons. Turns out, it was. Where does the time go?

Who knows, but apparently in that year, the situation for mature workers began to improve. According to this year’s survey, 60 percent of mature workers are postponing retirement because of finances. Hopefully this is a sign that nest eggs are improving in a post-financial meltdown world.

For employers, it’s a definite sign that mature workers aren’t following any template when it comes to retirement. Financial concerns are still keeping workers tied to their jobs, but many other factors are playing a role, too. For example, 47 percent of workers intend to find freelance or part-time opportunities after retirement because they want to stay active as well as earn some extra money.

Additionally, 20 percent of surveyed mature workers have already asked their bosses about staying with the company longer. Meanwhile, 29 percent of employers are open to keeping these workers on board. These results suggest you have a good chance of retaining your most seasoned employees on either a full-time or part-time basis if you’re interested. That said, would-be retirees clearly have their retirement plans mapped out, so you should have a clear idea of where mature workers fit into your plan.

Looking ahead

Another positive sign that workers are feeling more financially secure than they were in recent years can be found in the amount who plan to leave the workforce in the near future. Surveyed mature workers were asked when they plan to retire, and most see it happening sooner than later:
•  28 percent will retire within the next two years
•  27 percent will retire in three to four years
•  18 percent will retire in five to six years
•  16 percent don’t expect to retire for at least seven years
•  10 percent of workers don’t expect to ever be able to retire

Financial concerns are the primary reason workers are postponing retirement, but workers are taking other issues into consideration. When asked why they’re putting off retirement, mature workers gave several reasons:
•  58 percent need the health insurance and other benefits of their employer
•  39 percent enjoy their jobs
•  36 percent enjoy where they work
•  26 percent fear retirement will be boring
•  14 percent enjoy feeling needed

What to consider
As you can see, retirement isn’t simply something every worker chooses to do (or not do) for purely financial reasons. Matures workers who are debating what to do once they reach retirement age have several options, and each one comes with questions they should ask themselves. Employers, too, have questions consider:

“Is HR prepared to handle mature worker questions?”
Retirement involves many components, such as planning a budget and knowing the ins and outs of finances. Workers will often turn to HR with questions about retirement funds and the company policy on retirement age, if part-time or freelance workers receive benefits, and more. Human resources departments should be prepared to handle these questions.

“Is part-time the right option for us?”
The survey found that 47 percent of mature workers intend to find part-time jobs after officially retiring. This means that you could have a significant portion of your retiring employees who aren’t prepared to leave the company fully. They might be willing to freelance for you or work as contractors so that you don’t lose their intellectual capital and can more easily adjust to their departures.

“What can they teach us?”
Mature workers have experience that comes from years of working in the industry. No new employee, even with the best education, understands difficult customers or last-minute emergencies like an industry veteran. Before they retire, ask your mature workers if they’re open to mentoring rising employees or leading a training course.

Ultimately, you want to remember that whether your mature workers retire today or in two years, they are going to take an invaluable amount of first-hand experience with them. You don’t want to throw them a farewell party and then realize the next day that you have two dozen questions you never asked them. By then they’ll be swinging in a hammock in Hawaii.

Missing out on the opportunity to catch up on the always-entertaining-for-one-reason-or-another The View, 72 percent of workers go to work when they are sick, according to a new survey released today by CareerBuilder.  Evidently, “presenteeism” and workplace pressures outweigh the desire to see the ridiculous charming banter between Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Whoopi Goldberg, as more than half of those workers (55 percent) say they feel guilty if they call in sick.

(Side note: I can’t help but notice that this 72 percent overlaps slightly with the 29 percent of workers who admitted they have faked an excuse to call in sick in a previous CareerBuilder survey. I’d love to get a peek inside the minds of those who show no remorse at calling in sick when they aren’t, but just don’t feel right about it when they are.)  

While I understand feeling too guilty to take a sick day, is there no shame when it comes to putting your co-workers at risk of getting sick? (Did anyone else not see Outbreak?!) More than half of workers surveyed (53 percent) said they have gotten sick from a co-worker who came to the office sick.

According to Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, it’s important for employees to stay home if they aren’t feeling well – for the sake of their health and everyone else’s.  It’s also in managers’ best interest to promote the health of their employees in order to maintain productivity. 

Haefner offers the following tips managers can use to promote a healthy – and productive – workplace: 

• Insist that sick employees go or stay home. If they absolutely must come into the office, let them work in a conference room or away from others so they don’t spread their sickness.
• If you think your employees might be hesitant to take sick days, talk to them – or have HR talk to them – about how their sick days can be used.  Offer to let them telecommute, delegate or call-in if necessary. Do whatever you can to ensure they take care of themselves, get healthy and get back to work as soon as possible.
• Provide healthy resources. Make sure hand sanitizers, hand soap, paper towels, tissues and other cleaning supplies are readily available for employees to use.
• Develop company telecommuting policies – or, if necessary, adjust existing ones –and determine standards for allowing employees to telecommute during this time to reduce the potential for spreading germs.

If your company is currently hiring, you’re probably also doing a lot of interviewing as well. In most cases, the person who walks through your door is a complete stranger. What happens next is anyone’s guess. As your candidate gets ready to walk into your office, he or she is most likely to:

• A. Give yourself a pep-talk about how you’ve got this one in the bag
• B. Check out your reflection in the glass doors to make sure you look as great as you think you do
• C. Chug the last of your beer and toss the can in the trash

If you chose C. then you actually wouldn’t be alone (though you might want to re-think employing this individual). According to the results of CareerBuilder’s annual survey on outrageous and common interview mistakes, one job candidate actually polished off a beer before walking into the reception area on the day of his interview. And a job candidate with a buzz going is only the tip of the interview-blunder iceberg.

Following are actual examples from hiring managers about the strangest job candidates they’ve encountered.  

• Candidate provided a detailed listing of how previous employer made them mad.
• Candidate hugged hiring manager at the end of the interview.
• Candidate ate all the candy from the candy bowl while trying to answer questions. Continue Reading ...

What do drive-in movie theater dates, Hypercolor t-shirts, and Justin Bieber-inspired haircuts have in common? They’re all trends that have passed through our lives over the years (or, in some cases, are still in our lives). New trends seep into our everyday existence all the time, and the world of hiring and the workplace is no exception. A new CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive survey of more than 2,400 hiring managers and 3,910 workers nationwide identified 10 key trends in business, hiring, work culture and job search to watch out for as we kick off a new year.

Let’s get right to it – here are the 10 top hiring and workplace trends to keep an eye on in 2011, according to survey results:

1) Shifting Business Directions: A whopping 42 percent of employers said their company has changed business directions as a result of the recession. The majority of these employers kept their core business, but added new revenue streams – although 27 percent of those who shifted direction said they changed their core business altogether or expanded into areas that will eventually become their core business.

2) Working Leaner: Thirty-five percent of employers said their current staffs are smaller than pre-recession levels. Of those employers, most don’t foresee adjustments to headcount in 2011, with 57 percent reporting that they have become used to handling the workload with less people.

3) Changing Jobs: Workers are becoming more optimistic about their job prospects in 2011. Fifteen percent of full-time, employed workers are actively seeking a new job, and 76 percent said that although they are not actively looking, they would change jobs in 2011 if the right opportunity came along.

The majority of workers aren’t necessarily focused on a bigger paycheck, either. Sixty-eight percent said affordable benefits are more important to them than salary.

4) Creating New Functions: Along with more traditional job opportunities, employers are adding new functions within their organizations in response to popular movements. Jobs centered around social media, green energy and health care reform are just a few of these “emerging” roles being added in 2011, and hiring managers reported that “cyber warriors,” whose roles are to protect Internet sites from security breaches or fraudulent activity, are in high demand as well.

5) Video Interviewing: With smaller recruiting staffs facing larger numbers of job applications, employers are turning to technology to help find the right candidates. Six percent reported they have conducted video interviews with potential job candidates, while 11 percent plan to do so this year.

6) Less Moonlighting: While making ends meet is still a challenge for many U.S. households, fewer workers are reporting the need to work more than one job. In addition, only 12 percent plan to take on second jobs in 2011, compared to 19 percent in 2010.

7) Taking a Global Perspective: Nearly one in five U.S. employers (18 percent) reported they will be hiring for their operations in other countries in 2011, while 5 percent stated they will likely recruit workers from other countries to work in U.S. locations.

8 ) Relocating Talent: Of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and found new jobs, 23 percent relocated to a new city or state. For those workers looking to relocate this year, good news: 33 percent of employers said they would be willing to pick up the moving tab for select candidates this year.

9) Promoting Without Pay: Forty-one percent of employers are concerned about losing their top talent as the economy improves. While the majority of employers plan to increase salaries for existing staff in 2011, 39 percent will not be providing raises. As a gesture of recognition to employees without pay increases, however, 13 percent are offering higher titles.

10) Going Casual: Employers are becoming more relaxed about set schedules and dress codes as they work to enhance the typical work experience. Fifteen percent reported they will allow for a more casual dress code, and 33 percent expect to offer more flexible work arrangements like telecommuting and alternate schedules in 2011.

Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America, offers his take on the trends:

“The recession produced fundamental shifts in how companies and workers view the market. “Businesses are becoming more agile and changing direction. They’re operating leaner and recruiting for opportunities in emerging areas. Workers are transitioning to new fields, are more open to relocation and are more apt to consider opportunities outside of their current employers.”

Which trends do you foresee most aligning with your business direction in 2011?

Are you one of those people addicted, not to love as Robert Palmer once claimed you were, but to work? Or worse yet, are your own employees stuck to their ergonomic yet stifling cubicle chairs, desperately looking for you to help them regain a sense of balance?

You might have caught my recent blog post about the increased usage of mobile devices, and how the technologically “on” mentality these devices spur is affecting the way many people work — even when they’re not actually at work. While access to mobile devices may add pressure for workers to be available at all times of the day or night, it’s just one of many reasons people are spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about, talking about, and even dreaming about Ryan Reynolds work these days. A new CareerBuilder study of more than 3,100 workers examines signs of work addiction, takes stock of how many workers are suffering from it, and explores ways workers can find a happy medium between work and personal time as we dive into 2011. 

Can you identify with any of the following signs of work addiction?

1. You spend most of your day – including your free time – thinking about work. (24 percent of workers surveyed reported that when they’re at home or out socially, they’re still thinking about work. Nineteen percent say they often dream about work.)
2. You’re more concerned about what your boss thinks than your own family.
3. You would rather be in your cubicle than in your home. (15 percent of workers surveyed said they feel this way.)

Longer Hours and Water Cooler-Themed Dinners

The leaner staffs and heftier workloads of 2010 encouraged (or forced) many employees to work longer hours than usual and take work home with them. One out of two workers said their workloads have increased over the last six months, and there’s no indication that trend is changing:

• More than half of workers (52 percent) reported they put in more than the standard 40 hours a week, while 14 percent said they work more than 50 hours a week.

• As far as taking work home, 31 percent bring home work at least once a week, while one in ten bring home work at least every other day.

• Some workers just can’t stop talking about work to family, co-workers, and friend, either. Sixteen percent of workers said most of their conversations – at work, home or out socially – always tend to focus on work.

A High Price to Pay

If you guessed that all this heightened focus and pressure on work, work, work is taking a toll on workers’ relationships with themselves and with their families, as well as increasing their stress levels and causing health issues — well, you’d be right on target.

• 22 percent of workers reported they don’t have time to pursue personal interests because they say they’re always working.
• 12 percent said the amount of time spent on work is causing friction with their family.
• 27 percent have not taken a personal or sick day in the last few years.
• 26 percent have experienced health issues tied to stress on the job.

“With increased demands at the office and greater accessibility through mobile devices, the workday literally never ends for some workers,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.  “While a strong work ethic is valued, a lack of balance with your personal life can ultimately work against you in the long run.  As the year wraps up, take inventory of your personal time and see where you need to make adjustments in 2011.”

Stop the Insanity

So what’s an overworked soul to do? Well, if you find you or your employees are hitting the Excel spreadsheets a little too hard, and neglecting the gym, the dinner table, or the kids’ soccer games, here are some tips, courtesy of Haefner, for achieving a more manageable schedule and a better work/life balance:

1)    Set aside personal time. You schedule business meetings and events successfully, so do the same for “me time” or “family time” and stick to the schedule you create.

2)    Let go. Learn to delegate work-related tasks and responsibilities to others.

3)   Take off the e-leash. In most cases, that e-mail or text can wait.  Turn off your electronic devices at a certain time.  Take care of personal commitments and put the kids to bed before turning it back on.

4)   Talk to others who understand your situation. Check out support groups such as Workaholics Anonymous and find out what others have done to achieve their recovery.

New Year, New “You” Time?

As we enter a shiny new year, unmarred by any mistakes we will inevitably make (and hopefully learn from), we are ambitious in our determination to make this year better than the last. Rather than solely focusing on revenue, productivity, and the “bottom line,” then, let’s pause and ask ourselves this question: Am I being mindful of balance in my own life — and in the lives of my employees?”

Only you (and your employees) know the answer.

 
It’s a non-denominational holiday miracle! (Okay, ’miracle’ might be a bit of an oversell, but regardless…) Good things are in store for the job market this coming year, if CareerBuilder’s 2011 Job Forecast is any indication. 

Released today, the annual survey shows that more employers plan to grow jobs and increase salaries than last year – indicating a stronger overall employment picture for 2011.  According to CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson, in a statement for the press release:

“More than half of employers reported they are in a better financial position today than they were one year ago…Our survey indicates more jobs will be added in 2011 than 2010, but job creation will remain gradual. The year will be characterized by steady, moderate gains across various industries.”

For this year’s annual survey about the state of the job market and employment trends, CareerBuilder surveyed over 2,500 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.  Below is a summary of the results: 

HIRING AND EMPLOYMENT TRENDS IN 2011

• Continued Growth of Full- and Part-time Staff: According to the survey, 24 percent of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2011 (up from 20 percent in 2010 and 14 percent in 2009), and 13 percent said the same of  part-time employees (up from 11 percent in 2010 and 9 percent in 2009).
• Less Downsizing Planned: In another promising sign, plans to downsize staffs are trending below the last two years.  Only 7 percent of employers plan to decrease full-time headcount this year, marking an improvement from 9 percent in 2010 and 16 percent in 2009; and only 5 percent plan to decrease part-time staff (down from 8 percent last year and 14 percent the year before). 
• Increased Reliance on Contract and Temporary Workers: In order to supplement leaner staffs in the comin year, 34 percent of hiring managers say they will hire contract or temporary workers, 24 percent of whom expect to add more than they did last year. Moreover, 39 percent of employers plan to extend permanent job offers to these workers.
• More Competitive Compensation: Amid increasing concerns over top talent leaving, 61 percent of employers said they will increase compensation for their existing staff in 2011, up from 57 percent in 2010. When it comes to hiring, 31 percent plan to increase their job offers to candidates, up from 29 percent last year. 

REGIONAL HIRING:  Similar to last year’s forecast, the West surpasses other regions when it comes to hiring plans – but only slightly – with 26 percent of hiring managers in the West reporting plans to add full-time, permanent headcount followed closely by 24 percent in the Northeast, 23 percent in the Midwest and South.  As for downsizing plans, 8 percent of employers in the South expect to decrease headcount followed by 7 percent in the Northeast, Midwest and West.

HIRING AND COMPANY SIZE: While small businesses have been slower to recover, hiring is gradually improving among companies of all sizes.  Thirty percent of employers with over 250 employees plan to increase full-time, permanent headcount in 2011, followed by 27 percent of employers with 51 to 250 employees and 14 percent of employers with 50 or less employees.  Five percent of employers with 1 to 50 employees plan to reduce their workforce compared to 6 percent of businesses with 51 to 250 employees and 9 percent with more than 250 employees. 

Download the full CareerBuilder 2011 Job Forecast here.

This post originally appeared on TLNT, an HR blog about “The Business of HR,” with news, insight, and topical information from experts and thought leaders in HR, talent management, and all areas related to HR and managing a workforce.

Post a job, sift through the resumes and interview candidates. Signed, sealed, delivered – you’ve hired someone and they’re ready to work.

It’s hiring in its most basic form, but not so fast – what happens when that candidate doesn’t show up? Or doesn’t fit in with the team? The list of “what if’s” could go on and on.

Unfortunately, poor hires are a common business hazard. So much so, that according to CareerBuilder research, more than two-in-three companies said that a bad hire adversely affected their business in the last year.

The cost of bad hires
The cost of these bad hires is stunningly high as well; nearly one-in-four hiring managers said that one, just one, bad hire cost their business more than $50,000 in the last year, while four-in-10 said a bad hire cost them more than $25,000. With the recession slowly easing and companies beginning to add to strained staffs, losing valuable resources from the fallout of poor hiring choices is something that many organizations simply cannot afford.

One of the resources lost when a bad hire is made is time, plain and simple. Bad hires cost time as the company has to recruit and train another worker.

They’re also a major factor in turnover, which leads to lost time; According to the Harvard Business Review, 80 percent of turnover is caused by bad hiring decisions. In addition, poor hires can have a negative effect on employee morale, which can lead to lost productivity and more.

The CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,400 employers also found that of employers who made a bad hire, 36 percent said they think they made a mistake hiring someone because they needed to fill the job quickly. It makes sense that often when you need help, you need it as soon as you can get it. Hiring the wrong talent for a position, though, can leave you even further behind the second hand.

How to keep hiring on track
With the seriousness for hiring the right candidates so clear, especially as companies finalize recruitment budgets for 2011, many are taking strides to avoid hiring someone who isn’t a good fit. How can you stay on track next year?

Continue reading on TLNT.com

Brent Rasmussen is president of CareerBuilder North America, and in his role, he heads the day-to-day operations of the North American division. An accomplished strategist and industry veteran, Rasmussen drives the innovation, expansion and ongoing revenue growth of CareerBuilder.com the U.S.’s largest online job site, and CareerBuilder Canada. Prior to joining CareerBuilder, Rasmussen served as manager of Business Services for Xerox Corporation.

You know how every once in a while you do a mental check to estimate how much money you’ve spent in coffee in the last year, and you’re all, “Holy $*^@! Did I really spend that much money? On coffee?”

Well, replace the word “coffee” with the term “bad hires” and that pretty much sums up the results of CareerBuilder’s latest survey, in which 67 percent of employers said that a bad hire has adversely affected their business in the last year.

Here’s what else the survey of more than 2,400 employers nationwide revealed:

• 40 percent of hiring managers said that one bad hire cost their business more than $25,000 in the last year.
• 24 percent said one bad hire cost them more than $50,000.

(As a point of reference, $50,000 can also get you: Toyota’s first hydrogen car, Carrie Bradshaw’s dress or a cloned pet…and $25,000 can get you Nissan’s new electric car, an entry into the Kentucky Derby, or Michael Jackson’s coffin. Just in case you’re wondering what you’re missing out on.)

What was lost – a breakdown
When asked for specifics on how a poor hire affected their business in the last year, employers reported the following:

• Lost time to recruit and train another worker – 39 percent
• Loss of productivity – 38 percent
• Lost money to recruit and train another worker – 37 percent
• Negative effect on employee morale – 30 percent
• Negative effect on client relations – 21 percent
• Fewer sales – 11 percent
• Legal issues – 9 percent

Where did it all go so wrong?
While it might seem that the plethora of talent available today would make making costly hiring decisions a virtual impossibility, employers reported that time constraints, strained resources and a lack of insight into target talent have been obstacles to finding the right people for their open positions. Of employers who made a bad hire…

• 36 percent said their hiring mistakes happened because they needed to fill the job quickly
• 20 percent blamed a lack of understanding of where their target talent is
• 9 percent attribute the mistakes to unsuccessful sourcing techniques

Understanding who target talent is and how they will fit into an organization is increasingly important as hiring costs increase. For 58 percent of employers, the average cost per hire is more than $1,000, up from 29 percent in 2008. Nearly 10 percent of employers estimate this cost at more than $10,000. The rate gets even higher when it comes to hiring for specialize areas where there is a shortage of qualified talent.  For example, 80 percent of IT employers said it costs them in excess of $1,000 to fill an open position, and 67 percent of health care employers said the same.

“Among other things, hiring the wrong talent for a position can have a significant effect on an employer’s bottom line,” says Jamie Womack, vice president of corporate marketing for CareerBuilder. One of the best ways employers can proactively prevent bad hires is to leverage data on job seeker behavior and perceptions, which helps employers target the right talent and find ways to improve their hiring processes.

What steps is your organization taking to improve your hiring and recruitment process?

Well, maybe not a lot like recovery, but it’s at least starting to bear a small resemblance…

CareerBuilder’s latest survey on workplace holiday parties and perks reveals that more employers are offering holiday perks this year than last year. The increase could be further evidence of an economy on the mend.  In a survey of more than 3,600 workers and 2,600 employers nationwide, CareerBuilder found that more employers plan to offer holiday bonuses, throw holiday parties and gift employees gifts this year, compared to 2009.

Aside from simply being in the financial position to do so, employers are also hoping that keeping – or re-introducing – holiday perks will keep their employees happy and productive at a typically stressful time of year. According to Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder, “Many employers are financially in a better place this season and recognize the positive impact holiday perks can have on office morale.” 

In addition to giving back to their employees, 45 percent of companies also say their charitable donations will be the same or more than previous years.

So how much of an increase will there be exactly? The gains are modest, to be sure, but they’re gains nonetheless. Here’s the breakdown:

• Holiday bonuses are up by 3 percent: 33 percent of employers plan to give their employees holiday bonuses this year, up from 29 percent in 2009.  Among that group, 59 percent are planning to give the same amount as in previous years.  Nine percent of employers say they will not be issuing holiday bonuses even though they have in previous years, down from 12 percent last year.
• Over half of employers are planning holiday parties: 52 percent of employers are planning a holiday party for their employees this year, up from 49 percent in 2009.  Of that group, 70 percent plan to throw the same party as in previous years.  Eight percent (down from 11 percent last year) of employers don’t plan to have a holiday party in 2010 even though they have in previous years.
• Nearly 3 in 10 employers are giving gifts this year: 29 percent of employers plan to give holiday gifts in 2010, compared to 26 percent in 2009.  Only 6 percent of employers who’ve given gifts in years past will not give gifts this holiday season.  

Keeping Spirits High When Budgets are Low
Since budgets are likely still tight this holiday season, here are a few ideas for workplace holiday celebration ideas:

• Don’t underestimate the power of the potluck: Office potlucks are a great and budget-friendly way to have a low-key celebration in the office with your employees.
• Host an ugly sweater day at the office. You’d be amazed what collectively looking like rejects from Good Housekeeping magazine can do to bring people closer.  Choose a day for everyone to wear and enjoy their favorite gaudy, holiday-themed sweaters and sweatshirts. Give a prize for the most outrageous sweater, and of course, be sure to provide plenty of refreshments for all.
• Pay it forward: Taking a day to volunteer with your team or company at a local charity not only enables you to socialize outside of the office, but it gets everyone in the holiday spirit by making the holiday a bit nicer for someone else.
• Say thanks: Recognition is a welcome gift any day of the year, but if any time of the year calls for saying thanks, it’s the season of giving. Even seemingly small gestures – like a card with your sincere words of thanks, free breakfast one morning or an unexpected afternoon off – can go a long way. Or check out more ideas for giving your employees thanks here.
• Let them choose: Of course, you can never go wrong with this option. Let your employees know that even though budgets are tight, you still want you want to celebrate with them and show them your gratitude for their work and dedication. Give them a few options from which to choose and encourage them to lend their own ideas for creative and fun holiday celebrations.

What office holiday perks are you implementing – or bringing back - this holiday season?

GUEST CONTIBUTOR: Co-Authored by Andrea Briggs, Project Manager, Talent Intelligence and Consulting for Personified, and Sanja Licina, Ph.D., Senior Director of Talent Intelligence and Consulting.

With many organizations claiming that workforce diversity is important in today’s business world, the mystery remains as to why diversity and diversity initiatives are still lacking in many of today’s workplaces.

The latest evidence of this comes in light of a recent study by Personified, which indicates that while many employers and workers agree on the positive impact diversity has on their organizations, many employers are unsuccessful in their diversity efforts.  For this study, conducted in September 2010, we surveyed nearly 500 hiring managers and 2,000 employees nationwide to find out how workers and employers perceive diversity and its effect on both organizations as a whole as well as day-to-day business.

Perception Versus Reality
One of the major findings of the survey was that respondents believe a diverse workforce  benefits  their day-to-day work and the organization overall. Yet, despite the perceived benefits of diversity, evidence suggests that diversity and a focus on diversity initiatives are still lacking at nearly half of all organizations.  Only 54 percent of survey respondents agreed that their organizations were diverse, and at least a quarter of hiring managers believe their organizations are unsuccessful in achieving the diversity efforts they set forth.

None of these findings are to suggest, however, that employers aren’t trying to diversify their workforces, because many are. But like any other business initiative, successfully achieving diversity requires a long-term investment of time and resources. Unfortunately, too few employers make this initiative a priority.  

One of the reasons for this oversight is that very few organizations have a definition of diversity that extends beyond race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation; however, diversity encompasses so many other factors. For the purpose of the survey, for example, we defined diversity as “the variety of differences between people in an organization, encompassing race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, sexual orientation, tenure, organizational function, education, background and more.” 

Creating a more meaningful definition of diversity is an important first step to targeting various groups and creating a strategy around recruiting a diverse set of qualified candidates.  Far too often, we see employers use a uniform advertisement, highlighting only one recruitment message; yet, the same message is not going to resonate with a wide variety of candidates.  By creating multiple messages to speak to many different people, employers can make a substantial impact on their ability to recruit diverse candidates.  For example, additional Personified  survey research shows that advancement opportunities are significantly more important for African-Americans and Hispanics over Caucasians, and for younger age groups over older ones. 

Another reason it is important for employers to keep diversity front of mind when creating their recruitment message: our survey found that 35 percent of job seekers have applied to an organization mainly because of its commitment to diversity.  Yet over half of hiring managers revealed that they rarely or never discuss diversity initiatives in their recruitment efforts.

These findings suggest that organizations miss an opportunity to differentiate themselves from their competitors for an entire third of the job seeker population by failing to discuss their diversity initiatives in their recruitment efforts. 

Mean What You Say
When it comes to diversity, however, it’s not enough for organizations to simply say they value it; they must actually show it. Otherwise, they risk losing highly qualified talent.  According to the survey, a remarkable 30 percent of workers said they would leave an organization they did not feel was diverse enough.

This finding underscores the important role that a company’s commitment to its diversity initiatives plays in its ability to retain top talent. 

Even more disheartening is that over 10 percent of the hiring managers surveyed say their organization does not measure their success in achieving diversity initiatives at all. This finding represents one of the major roadblocks employers encounter when implementing diversity initiatives: they fail to assign objective measurement to these efforts and thus have a difficult time understanding whether their efforts are effective. 

Achieving Diversity: What Does Success Look Like?
So what does it mean when organizations successfully “achieve diversity”? 

When we speak with clients in terms of successful diversity efforts, we’re really referring to two things: not only providing equal opportunities for all groups, but also building a workforce that is truly representative of the clientele they serve. In other words, organizations shouldn’t just recruit people who fit certain standards of diversity, but focus on building a team of people who truly understand customers and clients across different groups, with various backgrounds and experiences. 

Especially now, as the economy recovers and businesses become more financially stable, it is crucial that organizations refocus on their diversity efforts. Not only does today’s qualified talent demand it, but people from different backgrounds, different education and skill sets have a lot to bring to the table in terms of innovative ideas and game-changing perspectives. They will be the drivers who help move these organizations forward.

The business world is as competitive as ever, and if employers plan to stay ahead of the curve, they need to realize that diversity is just like any other business initiative, wherein if they invest the right amount of time, energy and resources, they will see the impact of these efforts in their bottom lines. Otherwise, they will find that as society becomes more diverse, they simply won’t be able to keep up.

Andrea Briggs is Project Manager, Talent Intelligence and Consulting for Personified, a division of CareerBuilder. Briggs works with numerous clients to improve the efficiency of their recruitment strategies. With both a professional and personal commitment to diversity, Briggs completed her Master’s thesis on racioethnic diversity and how it affects team interaction, and has a publication in the Journal of Management examining team demographic diversity and its relationship to performance.

Sanja Licina, Ph.D. is Senior Director of Talent Intelligence and Consulting. Dr. Licina directs the talent management consulting efforts for Personified. Under Dr. Licina’s leadership, Personified has assisted thousands of organizations in leveraging business intelligence to make strategic cross departmental changes in their organizational initiatives. Dr. Licina is an employment expert who is often asked to discuss the state of the job market, hiring practices and workplace issues by trade groups and publications.

So here’s the bad news: your employees are feeling a little burned out these days. But here’s the good better other news: it’s not just your employees.  A recent study by international HR consulting firm TowersWatson shows that fewer than 21 percent of employees surveyed described themselves as “highly engaged” at work, down from 31 percentin 2009. Nearly one-tenth of workers indicated that they were fully disengaged.

The increased lack of engagement comes as no surprise to workplace management expert Holly Green, who recently spoke with me over the phone about how managers can work to re-engage employees. Even managers, Green says, are feeling a little burned out right now, thanks to the extra hours and workloads everyone has had to take on as an effect of the recession.  But before trying to re-engage employees, Green says, managers must take two important steps managers first: inform their employees, and then inspire them.  

Green, who is the author of More Than a Minute: How to Be an Effective Leader and Manager in Today’s Changing World, was kind enough to share some of the ways she helps managers inform, inspire and then engage their employees in today’s workplace.  In the first of a three-part series, below is a checklist for the first part… 

Step One: Inform  – 7 Key Topics
The first key step to engaging employees is to keep them informed. That is, make sure your employees are clear on their goals and the goals of the company. You want to align your employees and get their buy-in, so this step involves taking a moment to consider these goals. Start by discussing with them the following areas: 

1. Mission – Why does your company/team/role exist?
2. Guiding principles – How will you behave?
3. Value proposition – What do you offer key stakeholders?
4. Destination – Where is your company going?
5. Strategic priorities – What are the areas of focus for the organization?
6. Key initiatives – What will you do to get there?
7. Impact – What difference do these efforts make to the individual? The job? The team?

7 Key Questions to Ask Yourself
As you go through the process of informing your employees, keep yourself on track by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Have I provided clarity recently on these six areas?
2. What have I learned in the past 30 days that others on my team may not know?
3. Has something changed?
4. Did I use multiple channels and speak to multiple preferences?
5. Did I keep things positive while discussing the future?
6. What can I do to create ongoing management routines to keep team members informed?
7.  Who can help hold me accountable to do this?

Finally, take a moment to outline the actions you will take to ensure you keep your employees informed on each of these points. Once you’ve clarified your employees’ mission and goals – and how they play into the larger picture, then you’re ready to inspire them.  Check back in to The Hiring Site for part II of this series: how to inspire your employees.

In a scandal of Bristol-Palin-on-‘Dancing-with-the-Stars’ proportion, CareerBuilder’s most recent survey reveals that 27 percent of workers plan to spend at least one hour shopping online for holiday gifts during office time on Cyber Monday. More than one in 10 will spend at least two hours.

The survey of more than 2,400 employers and more than 3,100 workers also revealed that nearly half (47 percent) of companies act like total Scrooges monitor employees’ Internet and e-mail use, and 5 percent have even fired someone for holiday shopping online at work.

While you might anticipate that some of your employees will try to sneak in a little bit of time during the workday on Amazon, you’re also probably hoping they’ll practice discipline and only do so during their downtime. Short of playing Internet traffic police (which, btw, is like the least fun game ever), you may not be able to stop your employees from doing their holiday shopping at work, but you can try to meet them halfway: Be candid and tell them of your expectations to limit their non-work related activities to downtime, and be sure to remind them of your company’s Internet use policy.

General Internet Usage
In addition to holiday shopping habits, the survey brings to light some interesting findings about employee Internet use in general – and how employers feel about it. Among the major findings:

• In news that should shock no one these days, 13 percent of workers said they spend one hour or more using the Internet each day for non-work related activities or research while at work.
• On a related note, 59 percent of workers said they typically send non-work related emails each day, with 16 percent reporting they send six or more personal e-mails during a typical workday.
• 21 percent of employers have fired someone for using the Internet for non-work related activities, and 9 percent have fired someone for non-related emails.
• Half of employers (50 percent) block employees from accessing certain web sites while at work. 

What the survey doesn’t reveal, however (and the question I know we’re all dying to get the answer to), is: Exactly how much online shopping does a person have to do to get fired anyway? (Or maybe a better question is: On which sites were they doing their shopping?)

Care to venture a guess – or share a similar story of your own? Comment below!

Does the fact that you cringe at the sight of your neighbor’s 20 cats and prefer the company of your trusty Lassie companion mean you’re more likely to have a job as a police officer — or a CEO? Does your love of slithering reptiles mean you spend your days as a salesperson or a social worker? Does your strange obsession with your foul-mouthed parrot mean you’re more likely to be in construction or public relations?

Pets bring many things into our lives — including companionship, fun, and, unfortunately, more cleaning duties. Research has shown that pets may also make their owners more trustworthy, better at making connections and more apt to help out others by volunteering — “social capital” traits that can carry over into the workplace. So what do our choices in pets tell us about our professions? CareerBuilder’s newest survey of more than 2,300 workers with pets examines a person’s choice of pets in relation to chosen profession, compensation and job satisfaction — and the results may surprise you:

Which pet owners make the most money — and are happiest with their jobs?

• Highest job positions: Workers with dogs were  more likely to report holding senior management positions like CEO, CFO, or Senior Vice President.
• Most money: Workers with snakes/reptiles were the most likely to report earning six figures.
• Happiest with their jobs: Workers with birds were the most likely to report being satisfied with their jobs.

In terms of career paths, those in certain professions were more likely to have certain types of pets.

Does your chosen profession match up with your pet of choice?

• Dog owners were more likely to be professors, nurses, information technology professionals, military professionals and entertainers.
• Cat owners were more likely to be physicians, real estate agents, science/medical lab technicians, machine operators and personal caretakers.
• Fish owners were more likely to be human resources professionals, financial professionals, hotel and leisure professionals, farming/fishing/forestry. professionals and transportation professionals.
• Bird owners were more likely to be advertising professionals, sales representatives, construction workers and administrative professionals.
• Snake/reptile owners were more likely to be engineers, social workers, marketing/public relations professionals, editors/writers and police officers.

Do you think pets help you be a better person in your professional life?

We may never have the technology that enables us to truly read job seekers’ minds (if only Steve Jobs would channel some of his energy into recruitment and human resources, right?), but darn it if we don’t keep trying…The latest attempt comes courtesy of job aggregator SimplyHired, which recently released a survey profiling today’s job seeker – where they go to look for jobs, what they look for in employers, and what they’re willing to negotiate. 

As expected, the findings are consistent with previous CareerBuilder studies (like this one here) and so, by that same token, include some interesting and useful takeaways for employers.  I’ve included my top 10 below…

Top 10 Takeaways of the Latest Job Seeker Report

1. The “beggars can’t be choosers” attitude has to go: Despite the perception that it’s a buyers market for employers right now, but there are still some things job seekers aren’t willing to settle on: nearly half of job seekers (46 percent) are unwilling to settle when it comes to healthcare, and 24 percent said the same of salary. Other all-or-nothing items included commute, 401(k)/retirement options, and vacation time.
2. The Internet rules when it comes to searching for jobs: A remarkable 86 percent of job seekers search for jobs online, with job boards leading the way as the main go-to source for job listings, followed closely by company career sites. Networking, staffing agencies and recruiters rounded out the top five. Interestingly enough, however, when it came to finding a job, job boards came second to networking, a finding that is consistent with other surveys that indicate that employee referrals are among the most effective recruitment resources.
3. Don’t put all your eggs in the social media basket: For all of its hype (albeit well-deserved hype), social media still isn’t on the radar for over a third of job seekers (36 percent). So while it’s certainly advantageous for employers to utilize sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (the top three social networking sites job seekers look for jobs), social media should only serve as part of their overall recruitment mix.  Otherwise, as these results indicate, using social media alone prevents companies from reaching a significant portion of potential candidates. 
4. Job seekers want love more than they want money. Want good employees? You better have a good offer on the table – and that doesn’t just mean salary.  An astounding 83 percent of job seekers would rather have a job they love than a job that pays well, according to the survey. When asked what would make a job a job they “love,” 37 percent of job seekers said the work itself.  The people came in as the second most popular workplace motivator, with pay coming in third. The lesson? Sell the job, sell the opportunity, and sell your culture first. Then talk pay.
5. Green looks good on you. Over half of job seekers (52 percent) stated that they prefer to work for green companies. And if ‘green company’ gives you visions of solar-powered computers and cubicles fashioned out of moss, it’s actually much simpler than you think: Recycling is the most popular eco-friendly initiatives employees look for in potential employers. Reducing energy use and using less paper tied for the second spot, followed by purchasing green products and carpooling/rideshare options.
6. Choosy moms choose flextime: Of the working mothers who participated in the survey, 43 percent named flextime schedules as the most important working mother program, making it the most desired benefit for working mothers. Child care services and telecommuting tied as the second most preferred benefit, followed by parental leave (for things like child sick days), compressed workweeks and job-sharing.
7. Opportunity knocks out the competition for new grads: For 40 percent of new graduates, the most important thing to them in their first job is opportunities to learn and develop their career. Salary and benefits is most important for 25 percent of new grads, and work/life balance is tops for 17 percent.  Rounding out the top seven ‘must-haves’ were finding a great mentor, testing possible career paths, challenging work, and growing a professional network.
8. Older workers are in the last place you’d expect to find them: If you’re targeting older workers, one place to advertise your jobs might be on Facebook. The number of workers 55 and older on Facebook has increased 922 percent since 2009, according to iStrategyLabs.
9. Healthcare is a must-have.  Forty-six percent of job seekers say they won’t compromise when it comes to healthcare/insurance. Salary was the second most popular non-negotiable, followed by commute/transportation, 401(k)/retirement options, vacation time and stock options.
10. Most job seekers will go where the jobs are, maybe. While 22 percent of job seekers are willing to relocate for a job, nearly the same amount (19 percent) would refuse the job.  The rest, however, say it depends on one of three factors: the offer (for 37 percent of job seekers), the location (18 percent) or the company (4 percent).

Do any of these findings surprise you? What fascinates of confuses you most about job seekers today?

For more information, download the complete report here.

Make that paycheck increases…baby.

The fact is, as the job market continues to pick up, your employees (current and prospective) are starting to get antsy for more cash, and it’s entirely possible they’re getting better offers elsewhere.  According to a recent CareerBuilder survey of over 2,400 hiring managers nationwide, about one third of employers are willing to negotiate salary increases for employees in 2011. So, what’s your story?

If you’re not among this group, hopefully, it’s because you already have a solid compensation strategy that gives you a competitive edge in talent attraction and retention. Either way, you can see where you fall among your competitors when it comes to salary offers and pay raises by checking out the following…

Highlights of CareerBuilder’s survey on employers’ willingness to negotiate salary increases for 2011:

• 31 percent of participants said they are willing to negotiate 2011 salary increases with current employees. 
• Half (51 percent) plan to leave some negotiating room when extending initial offers to new employees.
• 21 percent are willing to extend two or more offers to the same candidate.
• When it comes to industries with the most wiggle room – and willingness – to negotiate salary increases, IT leads the pack, followed closely by retail, sales, and professional and business services.

(Learn more about the survey results here.) 

Salary Negotiation Do’s and Don’ts
So since we’ve raised the subject, here are a few tips on handling employee pay raises (or lack thereof)

DO: Make sure you know of the going compensation rates right now. Check out industry Web sites for your occupational and geographic areas and others that specialize in salary information, such as www.CBSalary.com, or the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You’ll be able to make informed decisions when it comes to salary negotiations – and ensure that neither you or your employees get the raw end of the deal.

DON’T: Give your employees false hope. If, despite crunching the numbers every which way, a pay raise is simply not in the budget, be honest with your employees, and try to give them an ETA for when they might be able to expect to see their compensation levels go up.

DO: Find other ways to compensate employees. Take a cue from survey participants and find opportunities to round out employees’ paychecks by offering some alternative perks. Among the most popular perks employers are offering right now: 

• More flexible work hours (42 percent)
• Bonuses (29 percent)
• Training (23 percent)
• Vacation time (21 percent)
• More casual dress codes (17 percent)
• Academic reimbursement (14 percent)
• Title change (14 percent)

DON’T: Assume you know what your employees want. Take inventory of your employees’ wants when it comes to certain benefits. Not only will you be sure that the benefits you offer don’t go to waste, but your employees will appreciate that you took their preferences into consideration.

DO: Ditch the “employees will take what they can get” mindset.  Because they won’t. Job seekers are being more and more particular when it comes to accepting job offer, according to a recent survey from Personified, CareerBuilder’s talent consulting arm. Of the 17 percent of unemployed workers who received a job offer since becoming unemployed, 92 percent rejected the offer, with over half (54 percent) saying they did so because the offer was too low.

Spoiler alert (or not?): HR officially hates performance reviews. Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh, but HR professionals sure don’t think very highly of them these days.

At least that was the indication from the results of a recent survey from Sibson Consulting, Inc. and WorldatWork.  Of the 750 human resource professionals who participated in the 2010 Study on the State of Performance Management, 58 percent of human resources professionals graded their organization’s performance-management system at a “C” or below.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement the system, eh?

Not exactly surprising, either, though, considering how performance reviews have long been a topic of contention among management experts. And with the release of this survey, we get a little more in-depth look as to why. Other major findings included the following:

• Only 43 percent of respondents view their organization’s performance-management system as effective.
• When asked to name the biggest challenges to performance management, 66 percent of respondents said that managers lack of courage to have difficult performance discussions, 47 percent said the perception that performance management is an “HR process” rather than a business-critical process, and 36 percent identified poor goal setting.
• Over a third (35 percent) of organizations have no targeted method for differentiating individual performance ratings.
• Only 30 percent of respondents believe their employees trust the performance-management system.

Looking at these findings, it’s no wonder HR is so frustrated with performance-management:  For one thing, organizations probably aren’t even taking the time to assess the effectiveness of their performance-management systems (and after all, any attempt to measure success would be virtually impossible if no one is effectively setting any goals). I’m also guessing that a lot of frustration HR professionals are feeling stems from not only the belief that performance management is solely HR’s responsibility, but perhaps an underlying attitude among organizations that  “this is the way it’s always been done, so why change it?” Does that sound like a possibility?

If not, what would you say is the biggest thing that frustrates you about the performance-management system at your organization? If you could, how would you change the performance-management system?

What specific traits do you look for in seasonal workers?

For 31 percent of employers who are hiring seasonal workers this year, great customer service skills top the list of most wanted skills in a seasonal worker they’d be interested in hiring full-time. 

For its most recent survey, CareerBuilder asked more than 2,400 hiring managers about their seasonal hiring plans this year. According to the survey of over 2,400 employers nationwise, of those employers who are hiring seasonal workers in the fourth quarter of this year, 40 percent are likely to hire them as full-time, permanent basis.

Industry and Compensation Breakdown
Unsurprisingly, the top five industries where seasonal workers will be most in demand this season are retail; customer service; administrative/clerical support; shipping and delivery; and hospitality.  As for pay plans, while some hiring managers (13 percent) reported plans to increase pay for seasonal workers compared to the same period last year, 14 percent are planning a decrease.  

• 48 percent of hiring managers plan to pay seasonal workers $10 or more per hour
• 9 percent plan to pay $16 or more per hour
• 32 percent plan to pay between $8 and $9 per hour
• 19 percent plan to pay between $6 and $7 per hour

Planning to hire seasonal workers? Check out these tips from an earlier post on hiring seasonal workers. (Or read the full post: ‘Tis the Season: 7 Tips for Hiring Seasonal Workers)

1. Start recruiting for seasonal positions now to get first dibs on top seasonal talent.
2. Implement screening questions in your application process to weed out some of the unqualified applicants and cut through some of the resume clutter.  
3. Make personality a priority when interviewing. You need employees who can stay calm in stressful situations (like dealing with frantic holiday shoppers and tight deadlines).
4. Recruit from college campuses. College students – with their flexible schedules and high energy – make ideal candidates for seasonal positions. 
5. But don’t discount retirees, either. Like college students, retirees have flexible schedules, but they also have years of valuable work and life experience that they can apply to several different positions.
6. Remember to check references. You may be short on time, but it’s in the best interest of your company to ensure that your candidates have references who can attest to their performance, professionalism and character.
7. Hire for the short term, with the long term in mind. As long as these employees are working for you, they’re representing your company, so treat them just as you would full-time employees.

Does that headline sound like it was ripped straight from The Onion to anyone else?

Sadly (or perhaps somewhat comforting to know, if you’re among this group), it’s no joke: Findings from CareerBuilder’s most recent survey suggest that 36 percent of workers with college degrees said they wish they had chosen a different major in college. 

The survey of over 2,000 workers with college degrees nationwide also found that:

• 26 percent of workers said the market for jobs in their chosen field worsened from the time they entered college to when they graduated. 
• 19 percent of all workers with a college degree still have not found a job in their desired field.
• 27 percent of workers who graduated from college at least 10 years ago still haven’t found a job related to their college major.
• 21 percent spent at least three years finding an opportunity in their desired career path, and 12 percent spent at least 5. 

Not that these findings should come as a surprise to anyone who’s read anything about the job market in the past few years…but what do they mean for employers?

Well, one thing these findings indicate is that future candidates may soon display more diverse skill sets, as workers start to take the initiative to round out their skills: According to the survey, 13 percent of workers plan to go back to school to make themselves more marketable.

Also, it highlights the need to consider workers’ transferable skills. As employers struggle to fill open positions, they may need to be more open to candidates they might not usually consider. Not to say that you maybereallyshouldafterall consider that history major for the engineering job…but certainly there are a lot of majors that cater to many different jobs.  Not to mention that, based on a recent poll of The Hiring Site readers, it seems that many of you feel that soft skills like good communication skills and a solid work ethic trump all other job candidate must-haves.

What do you think? Do you find that you’re seeing more candidates whose degrees are in an area other than the ones you traditionally require for certain positions? As you struggle to fill your open positions, are you more open to considering these candidates?

Twenty-one percent of employers expect to add full-time, permanent employees in the fourth quarter, according to the latest survey from CareerBuilder and USA TODAY (download the full report here) of more than 2,400 hiring managers and human resource professionals and more than 3,100 workers.

While we’re not necessarily “in the clear,” “over the hump,” “on the comeback trail,”breathing a sigh of relief,” or (enter overused phrase here), some aspects of Q3 were positive in terms of hiring, and Q4′s projections put us on track to continue the past several quarters’ positive trends.

The state of 2010: Projections versus reality

• Looking at the state of hiring in 2010 thus far, 24 percent of employers reported adding full-time, permanent headcount in each quarter from January through September — better than original projections for that period, which averaged 21 percent.
• In addition, actual hiring has consistently beat projected hiring for the last six quarters of the survey. If trends persist, we could be looking at the actual number of hires for the fourth quarter exceeding projections as well.

Where were we a year ago?

In terms of actual hiring back in Q4 2009, 20 percent of employers reported they had hired full-time, permanent staff, while 13 percent decreased headcount — so, if actual hiring meets this quarter’s projections (which, as stated above, is likely to happen, as actual hiring numbers have trended to not only meet but exceed projections for the last year and a half), we’re looking a bit better in terms of hiring (and downsizing) than we were a year ago.

CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson on this year’s trends and where we’re headed:

“We have seen positive job creation trends throughout the year, where positions are opening across industries each month,” said Ferguson.

“The return to pre-recession employment levels will take some time.  Although the recession officially ended a year ago, we still have an economy burdened by debt.  Employers are watchful and gradually augmenting their staffs with permanent and temporary hiring.”

What happened this past quarter?

Q3 2010 also showed signs of improvement over Q3 2009:

• More hiring: For one, 25 percent of employers reported they added full-time, permanent employees, up from 18 percent in the same period last year.  This signifies three consecutive quarters of both sequential and year over year improvements in 2010.
• Not as much downsizing: In addition, 12 percent of employers decreased headcount, down from 15 percent last year.  Sixty-two percent reported no change in their number of full-time, permanent employees while one percent were undecided.

What’s ahead for Q4?

Well, things are looking consistent as far as projected hiring, as this is the fourth consecutive quarter where at least one in five employers planned to increase headcount. Specifically:

• Twenty-one percent of employers plan to increase their full-time, permanent headcount in the fourth quarter, while 10 percent expect to downsize staffs.
• Sixty-five percent anticipate no change, while 4 percent are undecided.

Other Forecast Highlights

Temporary Hiring

• Many employers are hesitant about ramping back up to full capacity. As a result, 30 percent hired contract and temporary workers in Q3, and 27 percent plan to do so in Q4. And some employees will be looking at full-time gigs: 24 percent of employers said they’re planning to turn some of these positions into permanent jobs.
• At 27 percent, IT leads the pack as far as most likely to hire temporary or contract workers in Q4, followed by engineering and finance/accounting.

Hiring By Company Size

Although small businesses continue to struggle with accessing credit needed to operate and expand their businesses, some of them plan to add staff by the end of the year (as do some larger companies), while other companies plan to reduce work force in Q4:

• Thirteen percent of employers with 50 or less employees, 24 percent of employers with 51 to 250 employees, and 26 percent of employers with more than 250 employees plan to increase headcount in the fourth quarter.
• Seven percent of employers with 1 to 50 employees plan to reduce their work force in the fourth quarter, compared to 8 percent of businesses with 51 to 250 employees and 12 percent with more than 250 employees.

Compensation in Q4 2010

Many employers aren’t looking to increase salary — but the good news is that only 5 percent anticipate a decrease in salaries, and many employers are looking to give at least small salary increases.

• Forty-one percent of employers anticipate no change in salary levels in the fourth quarter compared to the same period last year.
• Thirty-five percent expect there will be an increase of 3 percent or less.
• Fourteen percent expect their average changes will be between 4 and 10 percent and 1 percent predict an increase of 11 percent or more.

The Worker’s Perspective

As we’ve mentioned before in our mid-year job forecast, only half of full-time, employed workers said they are happier with their employment situation today than they were one year ago.  The other half, predictably, are not.

Why the lack of job satisfaction? Well, workers report several contributing factors; one of the biggest is that they say they’re not able to contribute to their roles at the levels they would like to be.

• Nearly three in ten workers (29 percent) reported feeling underemployed.
• Of these workers, 71 percent stated their skills and experience aren’t being utilized to their full potential, 45 percent don’t feel challenged and 30 percent stated they don’t feel a sense of autonomy in their positions.
• Nineteen percent said they feel underemployed because they took a job during the recession that was lower than their previous position.
• Twenty-seven percent of all workers reported they don’t feel loyal to their current employer.

You can read the full report here.

What do you think about Q4′s job forecast and the outlook for hiring?

What’s special about today? Well, sure, it’s Wednesday, which means we’re halfway through the work week. And, yes, the first U.S. Congress adjourned on this date back in 1789. And it’s also true that writer Henry Robinson opened his Office of Addresses and Encounters – the first historically documented dating service — on this day in 1650. But no, I’m talking about something a little more… delicious.

It’s NATIONAL COFFEE DAY! Judging by my caps, I may or may not have enjoyed some already this morning. (I did.) To celebrate National Coffee Day in all its glory, I suggest you:
1) Consume some of the tasty brewed beverage if you are so inclined (many coffee shops are offering free or discounted coffee),
2) Grab a cup of java for your employees if you are not,
3) Discuss your love of all that comes from the coffee bean on Twitter via #nationalcoffeeday or on Facebook,
4) Read on for a dose of the latest coffee consumption trends brewing in the workplace, courtesy of a new joint survey by Dunkin’ Donuts and CareerBuilder among 3,661 full-time U.S. workers.

According to survey results, a cup of coffee a day helps keep us U.S. workers productive and energetic! But just how productive and energetic — and are your workers benefiting the most? Let’s take a look:

• Too many TPS reports: Nearly a third (32 percent) of workers said they (yawn) need coffee to get through the workday.
• Ridin’ the coffee wave: Forty-three percent of coffee drinkers reported they are less productive if they don’t drink coffee while on the job.
• Younger workers need their fix: Forty percent of American workers aged 18 to 24 admitted they can’t concentrate as well without coffee.
• Time to brew a new pot: Thirty-seven percent of American workers drink two or more cups of coffee during their workday.
• Delivery service might be in order: Seventy-five percent of American workers who buy coffee during the workday only travel a quarter mile or less for their daily brew.
• “I deserve it!”: Twenty-four percent of American workers aged 18 to 34 buy coffee as a way to treat themselves for a job well done.

Certain professions seem to drink coffee to keep them productive throughout the day more than others. Those who said they need coffee the most?

• Nurses
• Physicians
• Hotel workers
• Designers/Architects
• Financial/Insurance sales representatives
• Food preparers
• Engineers
• Teachers
• Marketing/Public Relations professionals
• Scientists
• Machine operators
• Government workers

Why do so many workers perk up when it comes to coffee?

As John Costello, Chief Global Customer and Marketing Officer at Dunkin’ Brands, says, “A large percentage of people start their day with a cup of coffee, and more than any other product, coffee has a unique place among hard-working people looking to make it through their increasingly busy and hectic workday.”

It’s true — we’re all busier than ever, and coffee’s one way many workers are either coping with their jam-packed days, winding down after work,  or catching up with co-workers and friends. In addition, coffee can be a great morale booster. What employee wouldn’t love a fresh pot of coffee first thing in the morning after a long commute? On The Hiring Site, we offered a three-month Dunkin’ Donuts coffee subscription as one of our monthly contest prizes, and our winner, Donna, said it best: “My team will love it.”

Do you provide free coffee for your employees at work? Do you work in a coffee-adoring workplace?

“Employers are at an advantage in our current economy.”
“Candidates will take any offer you make because they need a job.”
“It’s an employer’s market — candidates can’t expect to make what they used to.”

Heard any of these statements lately? Think they’re true yourself and are abiding by this philosophy — or know a company that is? Well, companies with this mentality may be in for a rude awakening, as the idea that all unemployed workers in our current market will “take anything” just to get a paycheck is a misconception. Evidence of this is shown in the survey just released by Personified, CareerBuilder’s talent consulting arm, among 925 unemployed U.S. workers. The overwhelming majority of unemployed workers surveyed who have received a job offer since unemployment have rejected the offer because the offer was too low. In fact, 17 percent of unemployed workers surveyed have received at least one job offer since they’ve become unemployed, and of those people, a whopping 92 percent rejected the offer. More than half (54 percent) reported that they did so because the offer was more than 25 percent lower than the salary they had earned in their most recent position.

Many unemployed workers are looking for the right job

Although many unemployed workers are eager to start earning a paycheck, not all of them are willing to jump at the first thing they can get. And really, as an employer, would you want them to? I mean, sure, you may need to hire people quickly, but you still need to find quality employees who  truly want to work for your company and are going to stick around. Otherwise, you’re just getting warm bodies who are going to walk right back out that door once they find something better (or with better pay, or prestige, or opportunities, or — well, see below).

Job offers not paying off for other reasons, too

While insufficient pay was the number one reason unemployed workers turned down a job opportunity, workers had other things to say about the jobs they were being offered — and the companies offering them.

Other factors cited include:

• A long commute
• A lower title
• The position was outside of their field
• Little room for career advancement
• A poor hiring process.

“Rather than jumping on the first job offer that comes their way, workers are assessing which opportunities really make the most sense for them in terms of compensation and long-term potential,” said Mary Delaney, President of Personified.

While the above factors are not always in a company’s hands, there are certainly things employers can do to improve the hiring experience for candidates and enrich the opportunities of the job position in question. And while it may be true that a job is better than no job, and desperate times call for desperate measures, and (insert cliché phrase here), many unemployed workers are looking for not just a job, but a job that suits their lifestyle and long-term goals — and they’re willing to wait a bit to find it. And didn’t our parents always tell us, the best things come to those who wait?

How often are the hunters hunting?

Speaking of waiting, some unemployed workers aren’t spending much time looking for jobs; 18 percent reported they spend five hours or less per week searching for a job. While it’s true that some of those workers may also have inflated expectations of what’s out there in terms of jobs, thinking they can get the job of their dreams without much or any effort, this appears to be the exception rather than the rule.

Many are treating job searching like the full-time job it often is: Thirty percent of those surveyed allocate more than 20 hours a week, and 62 percent apply to an average of more than ten jobs per week. The amount of time unemployed workers are spending searching for jobs also trended by education and pay levels; see full details in the press release here.

If you mean it, they will come

Candidates and employees, whether in an up or a down economy, deserve to be treated with respect — and even in a down economy, they still need to know you fit into their goals and have their future in mind. If you’ve tried working the numbers every which way, made sure your compensation strategy is solid, and just can’t pay more than you’re offering, you’ve at least made the effort — and that’s when you can focus on making your company offerings shine in other ways. Start with your employees — the things they love about their job are likely the same things a potential employee will love about it, too. It’s not always about the money — and a candidate may really want to work for you because of the great career advancement you offer or your awesome company culture or your stellar reputation. Everyone is different, and that translates to different motivations. Our own readers on The Hiring Site shared the factors — both abstract and tangible — that make their company special and sell their ideal candidates on the job.

It’s the companies with the “candidates will take whatever they can get” mentality, the ones who take advantage of the situation unemployed workers are in by grossly undercutting what workers are worth, who need to adjust their way of thinking.  Otherwise, they’re going to be left with a lot of empty seats where employees briefly sat before moving on to that job they really wanted.

Thoughts? Completely disagree or see it from another angle?

While the current job market has left millions of job seekers frustrated and distressed, it hasn’t exactly been a picnic for hiring managers and recruiters, either: Readers often tell us how the wealth of resumes piling up on their desks – a significant percentage of which often carry no relevance to the job or company – leave them tired, frustrated and overwhelmed.  

Today, CareerBuilder released a survey that sheds more light into this issue, giving a peek inside some of the more bizarre – and exasperating – aspects of the job of screening resumes.  

In a survey of over 2,500 hiring managers nationwide, CareerBuilder asked participants to name the most memorable things they’ve seen from job seeker resumes recently. Among their more notable answers:

• Candidate listed God as a reference. (Alas, the candidate didn’t include a phone number.)
• Candidate listed her hobby as alligator watching.
• Candidate claimed to be a direct descendant of the Vikings.
• Candidate’s email address had “lovesbeer” in it.
• Candidate listed “Master of Time and Universe” under his experience.
• Candidate started off the application with “Do you want a tiger?”
• Candidate specifically pointed out that he was not a gypsy.
• Candidate’s condition for accepting the position was being allowed to bring his pet monkey to the workplace.
• Candidate pointed out, “I’ll have your job in five years.”
• Candidate sent a 24-page resume for a 5-year career.
• Candidate put a picture of her cat on top of her resume.
• Candidate declared himself “the LeBron James of table games.”
• Candidate sent a video trying to hypnotize the HR manager into hiring him.

Certainly, there’s an argument to be made that these job seekers were simply trying to stand out from the rest of the applicants (mission accomplished), but clearly, these applicants didn’t know their audience (perhaps “lovesbeer” would have better luck applying to a position at a brewery). This isn’t the first time we’ve seen bizarre applicant behavior and, I would guess, it won’t be the last. Would you agree?

Got any strange resume stories of your own to share? What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve ever seen on a resume?

CareerBuilder released the results of its most recent employee-focused survey today, in which American workers revealed how they really feel about their bosses.   

When asked to rate their bosses’ professional capabilities, nearly one-third (31 percent)  of the more than 4,400 workers surveyed said that they feel they can do their bosses’ jobs better than their bosses.  

Not only that, but 60 percent of workers said they don’t feel that their bosses were capable of doing their (the workers’) jobs, either.

The Worker/Boss Relationship Status: It’s Complicated
In the survey, some workers cited a lack of focus on career development, feedback and support as the main reason they felt disconnected from their bosses. Here’s the breakdown:

• 61 percent of workers said their bosses do not properly groom them to move up in the organization
• 45 percent said their bosses do a poor job of providing regular and consistent feedback
• 34 percent said their bosses could back them up better

On the upside, bosses earned higher marks from workers when it came to being open to different work arrangements, taking time to listen and providing resources:

• 72 percent of workers said their bosses did a good job offering flexibility
• 69 percent felt their bosses listened to their ideas and concerns
• 68 percent said their bosses provided them with the resources needed to do their job effectively   

So What Does It All Mean?
Despite the good news, these findings should be a wakeup call for employers to realize that they need to step up their efforts to provide support for their employees – especially considering that employees aren’t as afraid to quit their jobs as they previously were.  

The simple solution? Communication, says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.  “The workforce has been through a lot during this recession, so it’s important for workers and bosses to maintain a strong and communicative relationship,” Haefner said in a statement for the press release.  “As many companies recover from the challenges of the last 18 months, both parties need to listen to each other and be flexible, with a common goal of moving the organization forward.”

Are You an Oprah or a Simon?
As a frame of reference, CareerBuilder also asked the survey participants to name the TV bosses who reminded them the most of their bosses….So, if you’ve ever fashioned yourself a bit of a MacGyver, chances are that your employees have, too – he was named among the top of the list, due to his capability under extreme circumstances.  (‘Course, MacGyver’s spastic knock-off, MacGruber, also made the top 10, so it could go either way. Sorry.)

Check out who else made the list – and let the speculation begin!

• Jacob from “Lost” – Employees are never really sure where you are, what you want or what you have in store for them
• Judge Judy from “Judge Judy” – You’re no-nonsense and fair when making decisions
• MacGyver from “MacGyver” – You’re resourceful and can fix any situation
• Jack Donaghy from “30 Rock” – You’re likeable and corporate, through and through
• Oprah Winfrey from “Oprah” – You’re very influential and informative
• Simon Cowell from “American Idol” – You’re judgmental and insulting
• MacGruber from “Saturday Night Live” – You’re terrible with managing projects and deadlines, causing everything around you to blow up
• Michael Scott from “The Office” – You’re bumbling and idiotic
• Lesley Knope from “Parks and Recreation” – You believe your job is more important than it probably is
• Donald Trump from “The Apprentice” – You’re demanding and powerful

Employers may want to pay attention to a new CareerBuilder survey that reveals that one in five workers are having trouble making ends meet. After all, financial worries don’t just take a toll on workers’ stress levels: Studies have shown that money-related distress can negatively affect employees’ quality of work - and, ultimately, the company’s bottom line. 

According to the survey of more than 4,400 workers nationwide, 77 percent of workers live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet, up from 61 percent who said the same last year.  And as many as 22 percent said they’ve missed bill payment in the last year.

You might not be able to manually solve your employees’ financial problems, but you can help them better manage – and feel more in control of –  their finances. As a result, they will be less distracted on the job and more focused on their work:

Ask for feedback.  Instead of guessing what your employees want, go straight to the source to find out how you can be of assistance to your employees. From there, you can negotiate which cost-effective benefits you can provide – such as flexible schedules (to cut down on child-care costs or gas) – to best address their needs.

Focus on what you can offer them.  Maybe providing a bigger paycheck isn’t an option, but again, you’d be surprised by what you can offer your employees that doesn’t scream “cha-ching!” – such as setting up an employee assistance program, where they can go to for financial (or general) advice; inviting financial planning professionals to come speak and answer questions; or providing free educational resources such as classes and webinars or newsletters that contain information and advice on financial planning and fiscal responsibility.

Help them maximize their benefits. Many employees don’t take advantage of their employers’ benefits simply because they are unaware of them or aren’t sure how to make use of them. Step up your communication efforts to make sure your employees know of all the benefits available to them. Set up meetings with various teams or departments and HR to discuss these benefits and answer any questions they may have. 

Finally, check out what other companies are doing: When we released this survey last year, we asked readers to weigh in and tell us how their company was helping employees weather the rough spots of the uncertain economy, and here were some of their answers:

• Offer flexible/alternative work schedules and telecommuting
• Encourage employees to sign up for 401(k) accounts  
• Offer educational literature or presentations specific to specific to investing/retirement planning
• Catered breakfast or lunch (like free pizza on Fridays)
• Provide advances on wages or 401(k) savings  
• Offer flexible spending accounts for commuters

And should all else fail…two words: Power naps.

What have companies been doing in response to tough economic times? Eating their feelings with lots of ice cream. Well, believe it or not, many companies have been busy digging into social media — and some are finding hidden treasure. According to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,500 employers and 4,400 workers, 35 percent of companies have been using social media to promote their company in some way. Let’s take a look!

Of this 35 percent of companies:

• One-quarter (25 percent) of these employers said that they are using social media to connect with clients and find new business.
• 21 percent are using it to recruit and research potential employees.
• 13 percent are using social media to strengthen their employment brand.

And it’s not just those Fortune 500 companies getting into social media, either. Businesses of all sizes and industries report using social media to promote their companies:

• 29 percent of organizations with 500 or fewer employees
• 38 percent of companies with 501 to 1,000 employees
• 44 percent of companies with more than 1,000 workers

• The leisure and hospitality industry topped those surveyed, with 57 percent in that industry saying they use social media to promote their business. Leisure and hospitality was followed by 48 percent in the IT industry, 43 percent in the retail industry, and 41 percent in the sales industry saying the same.

Managing your company’s social media strategy

So, a lot of businesses — of all sizes — are trying their hand at social media. The bigger question (and the one some of  you may be asking yourselves) is, how are businesses managing all of this? We know involvement in social media doesn’t happen magically; it takes people and time and dedication. And, judging by survey results, there’s no one way of doing it:

• 43 percent of employers report that their marketing department handles social media outreach
• 26 percent say public relations handles it
• 19 percent report that human resources does it.

How many people are involved? (Enter “How many social media experts does it take to fix a light bulb” joke here):

• One-quarter (25 percent) of employers have 1 – 3 people communicating on behalf of their organization.
• 11 percent said that more than six people communicate for their company via social media.
• 7 percent report that 4 – 5 people handle the work.

The most troubling stat? A whopping 57 percent said they didn’t know how many people were involved in managing their company’s social media strategy (and I’m guessing many didn’t know who was doing it, either). While this may be common, it’s important for companies to have a plan before they jump headfirst into social media (and if you’ve already made that jump, it’s never too late to clean up your process). You might want to check out our social media e-book that covers the A to Zs of social media for businesses, and then, when you need a quick refresher, read about best practices for using social media for recruitment.

A word on risks and guidelines

Some businesses are avoiding social media altogether because of potential risks involved, but as research has shown, the perceived risks don’t outweigh the proven rewards — and people are going to talk about your company whether you have a social media presence or not (hint: it’s better to be involved in social media so you can listen, participate and respond). If you have a plan, set realistic goals, and create social media guidelines, you can minimize those risks even further. Social media guidelines not only help you set up and communicate company expectations of social media use to your staff, but also encourage learnings and knowledge about best practices. There’s a full list of companies’ social media policies here for you to reference.

What do workers want?

Workers report that they’re using social media to do more than connect with friends; they’re also using it to research jobs and companies. Want to get inside workers’ heads to find out what they don’t like about your social media use — and what will make them flock to your company’s pages on social media sites? You’re in luck: CareerBuilder’s survey talked to more than 4,400 workers and got all the juicy details:

What workers most want to see on a company’s page on social media sites:

• Job listings (35 percent)
• Q&A or fast facts about the organization (26 percent)
• Information about career paths within the organization (23 percent)
• Evidence that working at the company is fun (16 percent)
• Employee testimonials (16 percent)
• Pictures of company events (12 percent)
• Video of new products/services (10 percent)
• Company awards (9 percent)
• Research or studies that the company has conducted (9 percent)
• Videos of a day on the job (8 percent)

Workers’ biggest turnoffs when encountering a company on social media sites:

• Including the company’s communication reading like an ad (38 percent)
• Failure to reply to questions (30 percent)
• Failure to regularly post information (22 percent)
• Removing or filtering public comments (22 percent)

What can employers take from this?

By knowing what the people potentially interested in your company want, you can start making your company pages more engaging and interactive (some great tips here).You might get some great inspiration by reading about what companies like Old Spice did to engage social media users, or you might take a closer look at your own company story to find a unique way to speak to job seekers on their level and tell your story.

It may also be wise to read up on social media recruitment etiquette to learn how to play nice with other businesses, stay away from the social media traps many businesses fall into, and avoid backlash from candidates and even your own employees (ahem, avoid being one of those businesses thought of in the “workers’ biggest turnoffs” above).  It’s clear that workers don’t want to talk to a boring, “corporate,” faceless brand — so use the information above to hear what they’re saying and inject a little extra personality into your online brand.

That internship application from the guy with 15 years of management experience? Don’t send it to the shredder just yet – it might not be a fluke. It may simply just be part of a growing workforce trend in which older workers are competing with their college-aged counterparts for open positions.

According to a new survey released today by CareerBuilder, 23 percent of employers are seeing experienced workers (those with more than 10 years of professional experience) and mature workers (workers aged 50 or older) apply for internship positions at their organizations. (The results are consistent with a 2009 survey that indicated that more mature workers were considering internships as a way to break into a new industry.)

Of the more than 2,500 employers surveyed, more than one quarter (27 percent) said they plan to hire interns during the remainder of 2010 to help support workloads, the majority of whom plan to offer paid internships – with hourly pay ranging from $10 or more per hour (for 55 percent of employers) to $25 or more per hour (for 5 percent of employers). You can see more statistics from the press release here.

The Atypical Intern: Consider It
If you’re among the 23 percent of employers seeing more experienced workers apply for your positions, do yourself a favor and take them seriously. Today’s workers – regardless of age and experience level – view internships as a way to explore new opportunities, according to Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, while the companies that hire them can leverage these workers’ years of professional experience, strong work ethic and extensive skill set to benefit their bottom line.

Could this be a good sign? CareerBuilder’s latest nationwide survey, released today, shows that small businesses will be hiring in the second half of 2010. Considering small business is one of the major drivers for economic recovery and job growth, I think the answer’s a definite …hopefully? 

Findings from the survey of more than 1,300 employers in businesses with 500 or fewer employees indicate that in the second half of the year, 32 percent of companies with 500 or fewer employees plan to add new employees.  Twenty-four percent of companies with 50 or fewer employees said the same.

Seeing these plans for growth mean not only good things for small businesses, but should come as good news about the state of the economy overall. In a statement for the press release, Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America, said, “Historically, it has been the small business sector that has created the most jobs at the end of an economic downturn, allowing the overall job market to bounce back faster.”

And according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses employ just over half of all private sector employees, account for more than half of nonfarm private gross domestic product, and have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years.

For more on these findings, see the full press release.

Okay, not every professional eats the healthiest things imaginable (or is free of legal troubles, for that matter) — a la competitive hot dog eater Takeru Kobayashi. However, according to the results of a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 4,400 workers, many folks are reaching less for the potato chips and more for the straight-up potatoes; less for the cigarettes and more for the treadmill. What gives?

The economy has trickled down into many areas of our lives, and our eating habits may be one of the biggest — if somewhat overlooked — of them. While the negative effects of our economy may be a bitter pill to swallow, it looks like our health is getting a boost. Largely because of tightened funds, workers are making more healthy choices — including packing lunches, smoking less, and walking more.

Let’s break it down fast. (Get it? Breakfast?):

• 47 percent of workers report they are packing a lunch more often to save money or eat healthier.
• 44 percent of workers who smoke said they are more likely to quit smoking given the state of the economy.
• One-in-five workers (21 percent) have already decreased the number of times they smoke during the workday — and 20 percent have quit altogether.

And while healthier habits may be fueled by economic hardship, it may have been the trigger many of us needed to start taking a closer look at our personal health habits — and make habit-forming changes.

“Economic stress over the last year has caused some workers to reflect on their habits, and many of them have turned to healthier routines,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.

“In addition to helping cut personal costs, employees who limit their smoking and lunching out habits are taking better care of their overall health. This type of ‘better-for-you’ behavior can be encouraged by companies who implement wellness programs, healthy living challenges or smoking cessation support.”

HOLD. THE. CHEESE PUFFS.

Like most feel-good stories, this one has a dark side, too. While it’s true that many workers are taking the higher healthier road, it’s also true that heavier workloads and added stress associated with a downsized place of employment may have other workers taking a different, more hermit-like, direction.

Lunch breaks — what are those?

If you ask a co-worker “What’s the weather like today?” because you haven’t seen the light of day since dawn and your body has been molded to your chair, you’ll probably relate to the following:

• Nearly one-third (32 percent) of workers report they take less than a half hour for lunch, while 5 percent take less than 15 minutes.
• One-in-ten never take a lunch break, and 16 percent report they work right through their lunch hour.
• Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) typically don’t leave their desks during their lunch break and eat in their workspace 5 days a week.

So, where do employers weigh in?

Whether your employees are going for a carrot-eating world record or reaching for that candy bar (and eating it at the desk from which they don’t move all day), do you as an employer have a right — or a responsibility — to get involved and attempt to influence your employees’ decisions?

Poor employee health has been pointed to as one of the biggest challenges to maintaining affordable benefit coverage. And with new health care reform going into effect, many businesses, particularly smaller ones, will likely be affected, as they may be penalized for not providing health care benefits to their workers. With more businesses who don’t currently offer benefits soon be incentivized to provide them (or penalized if they don’t), what will the effect be on employees? Will there be more of a Big Brother-like trend of keeping employees healthy to keep costs down?

In the “YES” camp

Many of you appear to be promoting employee wellness for various reasons, from what you’ve recently told us. Many companies don’t hide the fact that they are deeply involved in employees’ health not only because it makes their employees healthier and  happier, lowers stress, and promotes team spirit — but also because it benefits the company’s bottom line. And as a recent New York Times article  points out, 50 to 70 percent of the nation’s health care costs are preventable — which means company wellness initiatives could in fact help prevent employees from costly medical procedures. All good things, right?

In the “NO” camp

Well, not so fast. Although corporate wellness programs help companies keep insurance costs down while assisting employees in getting more fit, many people argue that employees’ lifestyle choices shouldn’t be dictated by their employer — and that it’s really none of their business. In addition, by rewarding employees who choose to participate in wellness initiatives, “unhealthy” employees may in effect be punished. For example, although Whole Foods has quite a robust benefits program, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, in a since controversial move, decided to give his employees discounts on health insurance and Whole Foods products if they maintained lower readings for measurements like body mass index (which many people argue is a poor indication of health). While that’s great for employees who manage to stay within the company’s standard of health, what about those who don’t? Or is everyone motivated to get healthier on this type of plan?

So, which camp are you in?

It’s clear that this is a complicated issue, to say the least. There are pros and cons to both sides, but it’s helpful to everyone to keep the conversation going. If you are considering getting involved in wellness as an organization, we’ve rounded up seven habits of highly successful wellness programs to help. And if you’re not, well, we’d love to hear why.

This Sunday is Father’s Day, and while it’s a great excuse to spoil dads everywhere with the latest gadgets, grill supplies, or bacon of the month club memberships, a little extra quality time with Dad might be in order this year, in light of results from CareerBuilder’s annual Father’s Day survey.

Survey results among 800 working fathers who are employed full-time showed that a still-struggling economy is causing many working dads to experience more stress, more work — and, not surprisingly, less time spent with their families.

Why the stress?

• One in ten working dads said their spouse or significant other has become unemployed in the last 12 months, with 50 percent of those dads indicating it’s causing stress at home.
• Forty-two percent of working dads said they are the sole providers in their household
• Nine percent of working fathers say they have taken on a second job in the last 12 months to provide for their family.

Office overtime on overdrive

As many of you know firsthand, leaner staffs have led to fewer people handling a higher volume of work. This has made it more difficult for working fathers to achieve a healthy work/life balance, as many are stuck at the office working longer hours — and less time with their kids.

But just how many hours?

• Sixty-three percent of working dads said they work more than 40 hours per week.
• Three in ten (31 percent) working dads who take work home reported they typically bring work home five days a week or more.
• Thirty percent bring work home on the weekends.

And how much less time with their kids?

• Close to four in ten (37 percent) of working dads said they spend two hours or less with their children each work day.
• More than three in ten (35 percent) reported they missed two or more significant events in their child’s life due to work in the last year.

How to be a better juggler

These are bleak statistics, but as Mary Delaney, one of CareerBuilder’s own busy working mothers, has said, there are things you can do to better balance work and family. and now, Jason Ferrara, VP Corporate Marketing at CareerBuilder and a father of two, shares his tips for working dads everywhere to better manage the delicate balancing act of providing for one’s family — and being there as a partner and a father.

“Especially in tough times, working dads have to be more creative and strategic to successfully juggle both work and family commitments,” said Jason Ferrara, VP Corporate Marketing at CareerBuilder and father of two.  “Employers understand the importance of working dads’ time away from the office and continue to place an emphasis on work/life balance through benefits that encourage employees to better manage their schedules. However, year over year, we find that nearly half of working dads do not take advantage of the flexible work arrangements offered to them.”

I’m not suggesting getting Dad a juggling set for Father’s Day (though I’m not not suggesting it, either), but the following tips are designed to help working Dads more effectively juggle their professional and personal lives. After all, although our multitudes of work and life commitments won’t necessarily go away, learning to prioritize them is a strong start.

Ferrara recommends the following tips for working dads navigating through difficult economic times:

1. Keep everyone in the mix. Remember that communication is a two-way street.  Besides just listening to what is going on in your family’s lives, talk about what is going on in your office, so everyone understands why you are away or have to do some work when you are home.
2. Learn to say no. In addition to actual work, sometimes activities associated with your job can take a toll on your free time. Determine what additional activities you can turn down and which are necessary so that you can free up more of your time outside of the office.
3. Develop a master family calendar. Add every family member’s schedule to one master calendar so there are no surprises.  Also, save vacation days for important events and talk to your supervisor about flexible work arrangements.
4. Play now, work later. Put down your Blackberry and avoid checking e-mails until after your children have gone to sleep.
5. Plan a family event in your office. Take advantage of the summer months when school is out and the office may be less hectic by scheduling a kid-friendly potluck or other event with co-workers and their families.

What’s worked for you?

Do you have a solution that’s helped you better manage your work and family lives to add? Let us know in comments — We’d love to hear about it!

Would you hire this guy? Would he think you would hire him because he’s wearing a funny hat and glasses and has the confidence of 1,000 vuvuzela-blowing fans at a World Cup game? He just might: As we’ve mentioned in the past, job seekers tend to do some unconventional things in hopes of getting a job — and although we’re starting to dig ourselves out of the recession, recent economic times have still led some job seekers to resort to, shall we say,  unusual measures to try to stand out from the competition. And those unusual measures just may be working.

Unusual Job Tactics — Trend on the Rise?

Nearly one-quarter of hiring managers (22 percent) reported in a new CareerBuilder survey that they are seeing more job seekers try unusual tactics to capture their attention this year compared to last year. This is up from 18 percent of hiring managers who said the same in 2009 and 12 percent in 2008.

“While we are seeing positive signs in the job market as employers gradually add headcount, competition is still high for open positions,” said Jason Ferrara, senior career adviser at CareerBuilder.

“As a result, more candidates are turning to unconventional tactics to attract the attention of hiring managers. While these tactics may work occasionally, they still need to be done with professionalism. That way, candidates are remembered for what they can offer an organization and not just for an unusual antic.”

When Strange May Actually Be Smart

While doing strange things to get a job may have gotten a bad rap in the past, it’s not all “Thanks for your time; these gentlemen will escort you out” on the employer end. Some hiring managers look at candidates who think outside the interview walls and see an innovative new employee in their future; nearly one-in-ten (9 percent) said they have hired someone who used an unconventional tactic to get their attention.

But what really works and what flops? As Ferrara mentioned above, candidates are wise to show what they can offer to an organization when considering an unusual approach. Otherwise, it’s just an empty attention grabber — and employers will likely see through it right away.

When asked what unusual job tactics made them go from “Whaaaa?” to “You’re hired,” here are some incidents they shared:

• Candidate brought in a DVD of his former boss giving him a recommendation.
• Candidate applying for a casino table game position came into my office and started dealing on my desk while pretending to talk to players, which showed me her guest service skills.
• Candidate sent in a letter that explained how to solve an issue our company was having with a certain type of technology.
• Candidate who was a prospective teacher brought in a box of props to demonstrate her teaching style.
• Candidate came prepared with unique business cards featuring our logo and a self-introduction brochure.
• Candidate wrote a full business plan for one of our products with his resume submission.
  
• Candidate created a full graphics portfolio on our brand.

Have you had a job seeker try to get your attention by doing or saying something out of the ordinary? Did it work?

No surprises here: American workers need a vacation now more than ever. 

And thanks to an improving economy, more workers are tending to that need this year, according to CareerBuilder’s annual vacation survey. 

According to the survey of nearly 4,800 workers, 56 percent of workers say they are more in need of a vacation in 2010 than they have been in past years. With less anxiety over job stability and the economy, 36 percent say they feel more comfortable taking a vacation this year than they felt in 2009.

Not only are they more likely to take a vacation, but workers say they’re taking longer vacations, too, with 23 percent saying they plan to take a week off this year (up from 19 percent who said the same last year) and 12 percent will take off two weeks or more. 

And while 21 percent of workers say they still can’t afford a vacation this year, that’s slightly less than 25 percent who said the same in 2009. (Hey, a slight decrease is still a decrease – we’ll take it!)

Beach BlackBerry Bingo
While employees are a little more lax about taking time away from the office, many still plan – and are expected by their bosses – to check in while they’re away: 

• 49 percent of employers say they expect employees to check in with the office while they are away (down slightly from 50 percent who said the same last year)
• 37 percent indicated that checking in would only be necessary only if they are working on a big project or there is a major issue going on with the company (down from 40 percent who said the same last year) 
• And where 28 percent of workers said they planned to contact the office during vacation regardless last year, slightly fewer workers – 25 percent – said the same this year.

Companies Need Employee Vacations, Too
Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, says that it is to a company’s benefit when workers take advantage of their vacation benefits.  “Utilizing time off to recharge batteries is even more important today as staffs have shrunk over the last 18 months and workers are dealing with added responsibilities and pressure,” she says.  

Now that it’s prime time to schedule some days off, help ensure that your employees’ time off is a true break from the office:

1. Encourage your employees to take advantage of their vacation benefits. They’ll appreciate that you’re looking out for their best interests – and the time off…and that can only improve morale.
2. Encourage your employees to check in with one another – If you are operating with smaller staffs, having more than one person out of the office can negatively impact productivity.  Ask that your employees be flexible with one another and work together to schedule vacation time before booking anything. 
3. Encourage your employees to plan ahead – Give yourself – and your vacationing employees – peace of mind by planning for the unexpected. Before they leave, encourage your employees to start keeping a record of important information, key contacts and deadlines that will come up while they are gone and give it to a coworker they have trained to fill in for them while they are gone.
4. Lead by example – If you are a supervisor, you should go through all the steps of planning and executing a successful vacation away from the office. That way, your workers will be more comfortable doing the same. 

Seeing more co-workers stuffing large quantities of cupcakes left after meetings into their purse, or frantically kicking the vending machine to try to trick it into giving them two candy bars? Hopefully not, because that would be messy and violent, respectively — but if you’re eating a little more and are seeing everyone around you do the same, you may be happy to know there’s a reason for all the eating madness: Work stress and economic pressure.

The combination of these two negative forces seems to be a factor in the U.S. labor force’s weight gain, according to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 4,800 workers. But how much of a factor, really?

Here’s the skinny:

Forty-four percent of the roughly 4,800 workers surveyed say they have gained weight in their current jobs – and 32 percent of those workers attribute the weight gain to stress. 

Do you celebrate every co-worker’s birthday with a big ol’ cake, which you eat at your desk, before going out to lunch to celebrate? You’re not alone. Workers’ other reasons for weight gain at work include:

• Sitting at a desk most of the day (49 percent)
• Eating out regularly (25 percent)
• Workplace celebrations  like potlucks and birthdays (16 percent)
• Skipping meals because of time constraints (14 percent)

What do the scales say?

• 28 percent of employees report they have gained more than ten pounds, and 12 percent say they gained more than 20 pounds while in their present positions.
• Comparing genders, women were more likely to put on weight — and more weight — than men.
• Half of female workers (50 percent) say they have gained weight in their current position, compared to 39 percent of their male counterparts.

What can you do to help your employees — and should you?

Employers are divided as to how deeply they should get involved in employees’ personal fitness and health. However, it’s hard to deny that an abundance of stress at work isn’t good for employee morale — and can lead to weight gain in the workplace, unhappy employees, lower productivity, and health issues.

In contrast, company wellness programs have been shown to lower employees’ stress rates, improve health and quality of life, and also save companies money in the process.

“Especially in this economy, it is easier to pick up unhealthy eating habits in the office as workers spend more time on heavier workloads and less time on themselves,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.

“Employers know that employees who are healthier and have less stress are more productive and ultimately stay longer in their positions. Because of this, we continue to see employers taking a more proactive role in their staff’s health by offering perks such as gym passes, onsite workout facilities, wellness benefits and even contests that promote healthy living.”

Even if you don’t want to get too involved as an employer — or involved at all — it’s smart to have available resources for employees should they reach out to you. Haefner recommends the following tips for employees trying to workplace weight gain:

1. Set an eating schedule. Planning out all your meals and snacks will help control your hunger. Set up alerts through your work calendar — or even on your phone — when it is time for you to eat something (and then don’t forget to eat!).

2. Pack a lunch and snacks. You’re less likely to eat something unhealthy if you bring food from home, because you can control portions, take in less calories — and save money while you’re at it. Consider lower-calorie foods for the office such as lean lunch meats, fat-free or reduced calorie chips, celery and carrots, fruit, or low-fat yogurt.

3. Go the extra mile. Especially in this economic environment, every little bit of activity helps, so take the stairs to your floor, get up and walk around the office periodically, and get off the train or bus one stop further from your home or office to get a few extra minutes of exercise.
Read the full press release on workers gaining weight at the office.

True story.  According to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,700 employers and 4,800 workers nationwide, 33 percent of workers said they are likely to start looking for a new job when the economy picks up. 

(Could you imagine losing an entire third of your employee base? That would be like, say your staff was the Jonas Brothers, okay? And Joe Jonas suddenly up and leaves to join another band.  Consider the toll that would take on the quality of…Okay, maybe that’s not the world’s greatest analogy, but the point is, it would be bad.)

Anyway, in the same survey, nearly the same amount of employers (32 percent) say they are concerned about losing their high performing workers in the second quarter of this year (as, apparently, they should be). 

What Makes Good Employees Stray?
Dissatisfaction with pay (32 percent), career advancement opportunities (27 percent) and work/life balance (22 percent) were the top reasons employees gave for wanting to leave their current jobs, an increase from the 29 percent, 24 percent and 20 percent, respectively, who said the same in 2009.  

The increased levels of dissatisfaction could be attributed that increased workloads, longer hours and fewer resources related to the recession may be contributing to higher job dissatisfaction.

What Makes Good Employees Stay?
Understanding what you’re employees want is the first step to keeping them motivated and happy and retaining them.  After competitive pay and benefits, the following incentives topped hospitality workers’ “most wanted” list of employer offerings:

1. Good career advancement opportunities (60 percent)
2. A good work culture (57 percent)
3. Company’s financial stability and growth potential (52 percent)
4. Training and learning opportunities (47 percent)
5. Less stressful work environment (45 percent)
6. Flexible work arrangements (43 percent)
7. Sense of ownership in their position, that they can make a difference (42 percent)
8. Camaraderie, more family-like work environment (34 percent)

Asked what they were doing to hold on to top talent and reduce turnover, employers listed the following:

• Offering more flexible work arrangements
• Investing more in employee training
• Promising future raises or promotions
• Offering more performance-based incentives, such as trips and bonuses
• Providing a higher title without a higher salary

 What is your company doing to keep Joe Jonas in the band retain workers?

Despite a recovering job market, there appears to be no year-over-year increase in employers’ summer hiring plans this year, according to CareerBuilder’s Annual Summer Hiring Forecast, released today. 

According to the survey of more than 2,700 employers nationwide, 22 percent of employers plan to hire seasonal workers this summer, in line with estimates from 2009. Fifteen percent of employers say they are planning to hire the same amount of summer workers as last year, while 5 percent plan to add fewer.

“While companies have begun to take steps in the right direction toward rebuilding their workforces, their summer hiring plans clearly show that they are still waiting to see what the future brings before they move forward with recruitment,” said Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources, in the press release.

Summer plans? Of those employers who say they plan to hire seasonal workers this summer, 

• 71 percent will offer the same pay to seasonal workers this year as they did last year, while 14 percent will offer more…
• …and 57 percent will consider bringing these employees on full-time in the fall.

What’s a seasonal worker worth? Here’s a breakdown of the compensation offerings from employers this summer:

• 43 percent of employers are offering $10 or more per hour
• 30 percent will offer between $8 and $10 per hour
• 9 percent will offer less than $7 per hour
• 6 percent will offer $20 or more per hour

Who’s hiring? Across all industries, those doing the most hiring include:  

• Retail – 40 percent
• Hospitality – 33 percent
• Office support – 28 percent
• Customer service – 21 percent
• Landscape/maintenance – 16 percent
• Research – 13 percent
• Sales – 12 percent
• Restaurant/food service – 12 percent

While the moderate hiring forecast inevitably means more competition among job seekers, it doesn’t necessarily mean recruiting and hiring managers are going to have it any easier when it comes to finding qualified workers. If you’re in the market to hire, follow these tips from QSR Magazine:

1. Think “seasonal,” not “temporary”: The term temporary implies that workers aren’t really invested in the company when in fact you want employees who are sufficiently invested in the company and its future. (Workforce.com also has a great article about how to manage “nonstandard” work arrangements.)
2. Consider rehiring: Managers often keep track of former seasonal workers who are on breaks from school again and may be interested in coming back for work again. You also save money on training this way.
3. There’s no time like the present: Summer workers begin looking up to two months in advance…meaning employers would do well to start their candidate searches now in order to get their pick of the seasonal talent litter.
4. Set clear expectations from the start: To avoid confusion/trouble/plain-ol’-awkwardness later on, ensure your employees understand from the beginning that they are being hired as seasonal help, that their hours or a full-time position are not guaranteed, or anything else they need to understand about their contracts. 

In case you missed the BLS’ employment report released Friday, check out a quick recap in the First Business video below, where Brent Rasmussen, President of North America at CareerBuilder, talks about the highlights of the report and what it means for the current and future state of the job market:

Among the highlights of the report:

• Employment rose by 290,000 in April, surpassing the 185,000 predicted by economists
• The unemployment rate, which hit 9.9 percent, increased due to the number of people who, previously discouraged from looking for jobs, have resumed their job searches (the unemployment rate only captures those who are actively looking for jobs)
• Hourly wages increased slightly last month, to $22.47 from $22.46
• The average work week increased to 34.1 hours from 34 hours in March
• The manufacturing industry sector experienced the biggest boost in growth, adding 44,000 jobs; followed by temporary help services (26,000); health care (20,100); construction (14,000); retail (12,400); mining (7,000); computer systems design (7,000) and federal government (66,000 – due largely to temporary workers hired for the census) 
• The transportation and warehousing and information companies industry sectors all cut jobs last month

While recovery is well underway, its status as a slow one has yet to change. With the economy growing at just a 3.2 percent pace in the first quarter of this year, it has a long way to go to catch up for the 6 percent to 8 percent per quarter gains it needs in order for employers to start hiring significantly.

You may have a dozen reasons to celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, but here’s one you may not have thought of — a tough economy. A recent CareerBuilder survey of 604 women, employed full-time with children 18 and under living in the household, shows that working moms may be feeling more stressed — and less appreciated — in our current economic climate.

Working moms, many of them recently tasked with the responsibility of keeping their families afloat due to unemployed spouses or other financial issues, have had to become more resourceful than ever.

According to survey results:

• Twelve percent of working moms said their spouse or significant other has become unemployed in the last 12 months, with two-thirds (67 percent) indicating that it is causing stress at home.
• Thirty-six percent of working moms said they are the sole provider for their household.
• Nearly one-in-ten (9 percent) have taken on a second job in the last 12 months to provide for their family.

Work/life balance — what’s that again?

As a result, achieving a work/life balance can be a lot of work in itself, as moms are working more hours — which often translates to less time at home with the family:

• Forty-three percent of working moms work more than 40 hours per week.
• More than one-third (34 percent) who take work home reported they typically bring work home three days a week or more.
• Twenty-three percent bring work home on the weekends.
• Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) of working moms said they spend two hours or less with their children each work day.
• Nearly three-in-ten (29 percent) reported they missed two or more significant events in their child’s life due to work in the last year.

So what can working moms do to achieve more balance?

CareerBuilder’s Mary Delaney, a working mother herself, offers other working moms her thoughts and tips:

“The tough economy has taken its toll on family units and working moms are challenged with doing more with less time,” said Mary Delaney, President of Personified, CareerBuilder’s talent consulting division, and mother of three.

“What we’re seeing from these moms is a great deal of resourcefulness and resilience as they provide for their families.  While they may not be able to spend as much time with their children as they would like, working moms are making the most of the time they do have and getting creative in work arrangements.”

Delaney recommends the following tips to help working moms navigate through difficult economic times:

1. Talk to other working moms. Many families are in the same boat as you and having a support network is essential to your personal and professional sanity.  Getting tips from other working moms on how they juggle personal and professional commitments can be a big help.
2. Seek out flexible work arrangements. The vast majority of working moms who have taken advantage of flexible work arrangements said it hasn’t negatively impacted their careers.  In fact, one-in-five (21 percent) said it has actually helped their careers.
3. Have a plan. Structure in your life will save you time, stress and mental energy.  Keep one calendar for business and family commitments to avoid double-booking. Set up a schedule for chores, homework, family activities, playtime, etc.
4. Take advantage of work perks. Companies offer a variety of perks such as wellness benefits, company discounts on entertainment venues, etc.  Talk to your HR department and see what is available to help save money on monthly expenses and fun family outings.
5. Make the most of your family time. When you’re home, it’s all about them.  Wait until after the children go to bed before checking email or finishing up that presentation.
6. Schedule some “me time.” Working moms need to take care of themselves too.  Put actual time on the calendar for an hour or more of doing something you enjoy such as going to the gym, taking a walk, reading, etc.

Working moms (or dads) — any tips to add that have helped your family get things back in order?

In yet another sign of a recovering job market, a new CareerBuilder survey released today shows that laid-off workers’ job searches are beginning to improve as well. According to the nationwide survey of 900 workers who were laid off in the past year, 51 percent of workers who were laid off in the last three months have found new full-time or part-time positions.

The percentage shows a marked increase from the 44 percent of workers who said the same in a November 2009 survey.

“As consumers and businesses grow more confident in the economic outlook in the U.S., hiring managers are beginning to add new staff at an improved, but cautious pace,” says Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America, in the press release.

Among the highlights of the survey:

• 40% of the newly employed workers surveyed reported they were able to negotiate comparable or higher pay for their new position, while 61% took a pay cut.
• 57% of workers laid off in the last six months have been re-hired by their former employer who laid them off from their jobs.
• 71% of workers who were laid off in the last six months and have not found jobs would be willing to work for their former employer, 22% of whom said they would only return if offered more money.
• 64% of workers who were laid off in the last six months and landed new jobs said they found work in a different field than where they were previously employed.
• 63% of workers who found new jobs in the last six months plan to stay with their current employers when the economy turns around
• 37% of workers who found new jobs in the last six months plan to look for new jobs as the economy improves.
• 46% of workers who were laid off in the last six months and found jobs relocated. Of those workers, 93% moved to another city versus another state.

What do these findings mean for you, the employer? A few thoughts…

• While many job seekers are willing to negotiate a lower salary, this may be temporary, as indicated by the nearly 4 in 10 workers who’ve indicated that they plan to look for new jobs as the economy improves, making it crucial that you start thinking about a talent compensation strategy to ensure you’re offering the salary that is not only fair to your organization, but also competitive enough to attract new employees and compel your current ones to stay.
• And while offering competitive compensation can go far in attracting and retaining talent, you also need to think about the intangible benefits employees crave, such as career growth opportunities and work/life balance.  Learn more about ways to retain your best talent.
• Perhaps you only want to consider local candidates, but if you’re having a tough time getting the right talent in your area, think about how 42 percent of workers report that they would consider relocating for a job opportunity, and consider expanding your geographic talent search.
• Finally, as the need for talent increases, don’t discount former employees as talent sources. (Even if your open positions differ from those the former employees occupied, consider the 64 percent of workers who made use of their transferrable skills by taking jobs in a different field).  After all, former employees are already familiar with the culture, have established relationships and may have an easier time making the transition to a new role in a familiar environment than someone completely new.

What are you taking away from these findings?

As many of you are likely aware, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day is tomorrow, April 22. Around the world, people are taking part in everything from planting gardens, to clean water projects, to climate rallies, to people-powered smoothie making to celebrate and raise awareness. The White House is making a splash by dedicating five days of events to celebrate Earth Day.

In addition, Vice President Joe Biden announced earlier today that $452 million in Recovery Act funding will go toward energy-efficient building retrofits in 25 communities. These 25 projects will leverage an estimated $2.8 billion from other sources, which will go toward retrofitting hundreds of thousands of U.S. homes and businesses in the next three years.

Are businesses ready?

So, with all this retrofitting to come — and with many job seekers seeking out socially responsible companies — it’s exciting to hear that many companies are paying attention and have taken steps — or plan to take steps — to become more environmentally friendly, as indicated by a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,700 hiring managers. As Kimberly, a recent commenter on The Hiring Site, wrote:

“Our job descriptions have been revamped to instill a “day-in-the-life” of… to example our culture. We also include our organization’s work/life balance, community involvement and our “green” initiatives.”

According to survey results, one in ten employers say they have added “green jobs,” otherwise known as environmentally-focused positions, in the last 12 months, despite the tough economy, and nearly 10 percent plan to add more in 2010.

Which region’s leading the pack?

Employers in the Northeast (14 percent) added the most “green,” or environmentally friendly, jobs over the last year, followed by 11 percent in the South, 10 percent in the West and 9 percent in the Midwest.

Of those surveyed, which industry’s most green?

Retail led the industries surveyed, with 24 percent indicating they have added green jobs over the last 12 months. What percentage of other industries indicated they’ve done the same?

• Eighteen percent of transportation and utilities
• Fifteen percent of sales
• Fourteen percent of IT and manufacturing
• Ten percent of financial services

Companies are not only adding environmentally friendly positions within their organizations, but they are also strengthening their current in-house green programs. Nearly 70 percent of companies say they have added programs to be more environmentally conscious in the last year. The most popular green programs include:

• Recycling (47 percent)
• Using less paper (43 percent)
• Controlling lighting (40 percent)
• Powering down computers at the end of the day (29 percent)
• Purchasing office supplies made from recycled materials (25 percent)

“Green opportunities continue to grow as companies take advantage of increased government programs designed to spur job growth and reduce the country’s carbon footprint,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “The green category has expanded over the past few years and job seekers are finding environmentally friendly positions in virtually every industry and at every job level.”

What’s going on in the marketplace?

The following are some examples of green job opportunities that can be found at Going Green Jobs, CareerBuilder’s site designed to connect green employers and job seekers:

1. Hydrologist — The median annual income is $78,458.*
2. Solar energy system designer –The median annual income is $65,160.
3.Wildlife biologist – The median annual income is $38,301.
4. Science teacher – The median annual income of kindergarten, elementary, middle and secondary school teachers ranges from $51,373 to 57,537.
5. Waste management engineer — The median annual income is $89,067.
6. Environmental attorney — The median annual income for attorneys specializing in construction, real estate and land use is $99,579.
7. Urban planner — The media annual income is $65,768.

* Salary information from CBsalary.com.

What are you doing for Earth Day 2010?

What is your company doing to take part in Earth Day — or what has your business done recently to become more environmentally friendly? What kind of an impact is it having on your business and on your employees?

If you are looking for ideas of service projects in your local area, check out the Earth Day 2010 list.

The outlook for college grads is not the same as it has been in the past — like, say, in 2007, when 79 percent of employers indicated in a CareerBuilder survey that they planned to hire recent college grads. Still, although it appears the overall job market for 2010 college graduates will remain highly competitive, this year’s job forecast is showing some signs of improvement.

Although the number of employers planning to hire recent college graduates in 2010 is 44 percent — relatively unchanged from 2009’s number of 43 percent, one in five employers (21 percent) who are planning to hire recent grads said they will hire more of them than they did last year. On top of that, 16 percent (as opposed to last year’s 11 percent) reported they will offer higher starting salaries than they did in 2009.

Wait — how high?

• Thirty percent of employers plan to offer recent college graduates starting salaries ranging between $30,000 and $40,000.
• Nineteen percent will offer between $40,000 and $50,000
• An additional 19 percent will offer $50,000 or more.
• Thirty-three percent will offer less than $30,000.

“Even though companies are gradually starting to hire again, the job market will still be challenging for college graduates this year,” said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. “To take advantage of the opportunities that exist, it’s important for recent graduates to start their search early, remain positive and keep an open mind. In addition, networking and showing relevant work experience – whether it is internships, class work or volunteering – can help make your application stand out.”

Work experience — what counts?

When looking at a candidate’s resume, particularly of a soon-to-be or recent college grad, what really counts when it comes to work experience? If you’re only looking at a candidate’s paid work, you ought to broaden your considerations. Experience can come from many places, and particularly in light of a tough economy, candidates are exploring new areas to gain the experience that can sometimes be hard to find in the traditional sense.

Employers reported that the following activities qualify as pertinent work experience for recent college graduates to include on their resumes:

• Internships – 62 percent
• Part-time jobs in another area or field – 50 percent
• Volunteer work – 40 percent
• Class work – 31 percent
• Involvement in school organizations – 23 percent
• Helping managing  sorority & fraternity activities – 21 percent
• Sports participation – 13 percent

More than just that je ne sais quoi

Furthermore, experience, whatever parameters you define it in, is not the only important factor in a candidate’s application. While employers in our CareerBuilder survey said that experience is one of the most influential factors in their decision to hire a recent college graduate, they also pointed to the following attributes:

• Good fit with company culture
• Comes in with good ideas and asks good questions
• Educational background
• Level of enthusiasm
• Comes to interview prepared and is knowledgeable about company

Speaking of recent college grads doing their homework, it may be a good time to make sure you’ve done yours by tweaking those tired interview questions. It’s almost graduation time, and while you may be screening new grads, they’ll be screening you too. It’s a new class, with new expectations.  Are you ready?

You can find the full press release about 2010 college graduates here.

Many workers have likely been saving their pennies for Apple’s iPad, lamenting steep carry-on luggage fees they may now be incurring en route to this summer’s family reunion, or figuring out how they will fit higher gas prices into that “big coffee pots” road tour. But wait! Tax refunds are coming! Problem solved… right? Not so fast.

The reality is much less fun than giant coffee pot pours tours. As it turns out, more than half (56 percent) of workers report they will use the money they get from their tax refunds to pay off the bills that have been stacking up, according to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 5,200 workers. This seems to be in line with what a recent CNNMoney.com article suggests workers use tax refund money for.

Although the majority are planning to use tax refunds to tackle bills, some are planning to use their refunds (or at least that which remains after paying off said bills) in other ways.

What do they plan to do with the money?

• Put it into savings – 34 percent
• Make home improvements – 12 percent
• Go on vacation – 11 percent
• Pay back money I owe to people – 8 percent
• Invest it – 7 percent
• Buy a car – 2 percent

How We’re Living

In the past, many workers have likely been able to spend tax refund money on indulgences or “fun” things. In light of a struggling economy, however, tax refunds have become a needed income boost for cash-strapped workers. Nearly eight in ten workers (78 percent) said they currently live paycheck to paycheck, up from 61 percent who said the same in May 2009.

In addition, economic pressures have resulted in some workers downsizing their investments to help make ends meet. Nearly one in five (17 percent) reported they reduced their 401(k) contributions in the last year.

“Workers’ wallets are still feeling the ripple effects of the past year,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “In addition to scaling back their investments and cutting back on expenses, workers are using their tax refunds to help supplement their incomes. Our survey indicates that more workers plan to spend their refunds on everyday expenses than on savings or other items.”

But, if you’re one of the lucky workers who is scraping enough money together to buy an iPad, at least you can take comfort in some free apps to go along with it.

With 162,000 jobs added in March, the nation’s economy saw its largest job gain in three years, according to the latest Employment Situation report, released by the BLS today.

While the unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent (and will likely stay that way for a while), the increase is a sign that economic recovery is sustainable, and healing in the job market has definitely, finally, offically BEGUN! begun to turn a corner. 

Not exactly the kind of good news that warrants a ticker-tape parade, but hey, I’ll take it.

Highlights from the report include the following:

• Employers added 162,000 jobs in March, the most since the recession began but below analysts’ expectations of 190,000. The total includes 48,000 temporary workers hired for the U.S. Census.
• Private employers added 123,000 jobs, the most since May 2007.
• Among industries: Manufacturers added 17,000 jobs, for a third straight month of gains. Meanwhile, temporary help services added 40,000 jobs; health care added 37,000; leisure and hospitality added 22,000; and the construction industry added 15,000.
• The average work week increased to 34 hours from 33.9 (a positive sign as most employers are likely to work current employees longer before they hire new workers).
• Average hourly earnings fell by two cents to $22.47, but average weekly earnings rose by about $3 to $629.37, partly reflecting the longer work week.
• The “underemployment” rate – made up of Americans who are working part-time but prefer full-time work and discouraged workers who have given up searching for jobs – ticked up to 16.9 percent from 16.8 percent.

Latest Job Forecast Supports BLS Findings
Further evidence of the recovering jobs market can be found in CareerBuilder and USA Today’s latest quarterly job forecast, which showed that for the third consecutive quarter, more employers plan to increase their headcount in the next three months, while fewer will cut staffs.

This morning, CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson appeared on CNBC’s SquawkBox to discuss the results of the forecast and what they mean for the current state of the job market and the economy:

BLS Experts Answer Consumer Questions in Live Chat
Finally, the BLS conducted its first live web chat this morning devoted to the employment report.  You can see of  full transcript of the chat here, or continue reading for chat highlights:

This morning, the BLS held a live web chat with a panel of experts from both the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Current Employment Statistics (CES) programs on hand to answer users’ questions.  Below are some of the highlights of that chat, with user questions in bold:

 Is there an estimate for how many census workers will be hired for the current census and when those hires will occur? Are these employees full, or part-time? How does the BLS treat these employees? Are they counted as “regular” employees? Current information on the census intermittent worker impact on CES estimates can be found on www.bls.gov/ces/cescensusworkers.pdf. To be considered employed in the CES survey, workers need to receive pay for any time during their pay period including the 12th of the month. Workers getting paid for just one hour would be considered employed. The CES survey cannot distinguish between full- and part-time workers. For future hiring expectations for census intermittent workers, you should consult the Bureau of the Census or visit http://www.census.gov/

Why have people on extended unemployment benefits dropped by over 50% since the beginning of the year while those on EUC are up? BLS does not produce the data on unemployment benefits. The Employment and Training Administration is the source of that data. Information is available on the Department of Labor website at http://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims_arch.asp.

Why was the weather effect in February not larger given the severity of the snow storms and past similar storms, i.e. Jan. 1996? It is not possible to determine specifically how weather impacted employment estimates from data reported through the CES survey. The dynamics of the economy, as well as differences in weather systems, vary.

What states are enjoying a growth in employment? Details on statewide job growth can be found in the Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news release issued most recently on March 26, 2010. In February, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 27 states and the District of Columbia and increased in 23 states. The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Florida (+26,300), followed by New York (+5,800), Alabama (+5,600), Wisconsin (+5,200), Nevada (+5,100), and South Carolina (+5,000). Nevada experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.5 percent), followed by Florida and New Hampshire (+0.4 percent each) and Alabama, South Carolina, and Vermont (+0.3 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in 49 states and increased in 1 state and the District of Columbia.

Unemployment rates for Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and cities are issued in a separate release, several weeks after the Regional and State news release, cited above. Currently, data is available for January 2010

Why is this report released on Good Friday? The BLS news release schedule for major economic indicators, including the Employment Situation, is announced prior to the beginning of the calendar year, allowing advance notice to all users, and is rarely subject to change. BLS schedules news releases any day the Federal government is scheduled to be open, based on when data will become final.

Why is the civilian non institutional population listed as 237,159? The civilian non institutional population is 237,159,000. The figure excludes persons under the age of 16, members of the Armed Forces, and those in institutions such as prisons.

Does the payroll data differentiate between part time and full time? The payroll data does not differentiate between part- and full-time workers.  The CPS survey does have employment by full- and part-time workers.   

How are the adjustments to prior months reports determined? The CES survey is a voluntary survey, and respondents report employment for their pay period that includes the 12th of the month. BLS first produces estimates with less than full response. We collect data on a continuous basis and update our estimates during the 2 months following initial release. In addition to additional sample, BLS also recalculates seasonal factors using the latest estimates.  Once a year, BLS resets its employment level (for March) to an actual count and revises seasonally adjusted estimates back 5 years. The latest of these benchmark update was for March 2009, released on February 5, 2010.

Does the BLS make available the raw data results of the surveys? The mission of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is to collect, process, analyze, and disseminate essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor. In order to maintain credibility and trust with our survey respondents, confidentiality protections for our data are essential. Protecting the confidentiality of data is central to accomplishing the BLS mission. More information can be found on this subject at http://www.bls.gov/bls/confidentiality.htm.

What are the standard errors on the employment number and unemployment rate? At the 90 percent level of confidence, the standard error on the change in CPS employment is about +/- 400,000, and the standard error on the change in the unemployment rate is about +/- 0.2 percentage point. For the payroll survey, at the 90 percent level of confidence, the standard error on the monthly change in nonfarm employment is about +/- 100,000.

Who do you survey to get the temp employment number? The CES survey samples Temporary Help companies to estimate employment in Temp Help.  Our sample includes firms of all sizes.

When will the data from the 2010 Displaced Worker Survey supplement be available for download? Those data should be available in the fall of this year.

Does the BLS break out employment by size of firm? The BLS does break out employment by size of firm from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program.  For more details see:  www.bls.gov/cew

How are independent contractors and the self-employed counted? In the household survey, independent contractors and the self employed are counted as employed if they are operating their business. If their businesses are closed and they are actively seeking other employment, they would be considered unemployed.

Why is March selected as the bench mark month as opposed to other months? March is selected for the annual benchmark, because it has less seasonal variation than most months and no holidays.

Where can I find more specific information about the BLS’ unemployment calculation methodologies? You can find a number of documents describing the concepts and methods used in the unemployment calculations at: http://stats.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#ces_cps

What are some of the common reasons why the numbers in a prior months’ report could be revised? CES estimates may revise from additional sample received, corrections to previously reported data, and recalculation of seasonal adjustment factors using the most current data.

Do you have data regarding individuals working beyond the age of retirement? You might be interested to see a recent piece that Emy Sok published on older workers http://www.bls.gov/opub/ils/summary_10_04/older_workers.htm

It goes without saying (at least, I hope it does) that you should know the behaviors and perceptions of your target audience before embarking on any sort of recruitment marketing campaign – that is, any sort of successful recruitment marketing campaign.

…Which is why you might find the recent findings from online advertising network Chitika interesting. Chitika recently studied users on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Digg, to find that each social site has a distinct makeup of users with unique tastes. 

For instance, Twitterers mostly consume news, MySpace users want games and entertainment, Facebookers are into both news and community, and Digg’s audience has a mixed bag of interests.

 Among the most interesting findings from the study:

• Nearly half the traffic (47%) that Twitter generates falls into the news category
• Facebook users top interests appear to be news (which accounts for 28% of traffic), community (17%) and how-to/DIY (13%).
• MySpace users are most concerned with video games (28%) and celebrity and entertainment content (23%).
• Digg users have nearly equal parts interest in news (18%), celebrity/entertainment (18 %), and video game content (17%), but the majority of their interests (26%) fall into “other.”

What do these findings mean to you as a recruiter?
For one thing, as this Mashable article points out, it should serve as a reminder of how integral social media has become as a communications tool. “It’s important information for marketers, advertisers and brands hoping to appropriately leverage each site,” writes Mashable’s Jennifer Van Grove.  

Ditto for recruiting: This glimpse into social networkers’ behavior should give you an idea of not only which social networks your ideal talent is using and how they are using these networks, but also how you should shape your message based on which site you choose to spread that message.

(For instance, MySpace might not be the ideal place to recruit for many employers, but it could be a great avenue for employers who are looking for younger workers with enthusiasm for entertainment or video games to reach this audience. Want to get the attention of news-hungry Twitter users? Don’t just tweet out jobs. Link to interesting articles about something fun /exciting/positive/etc. your company is doing right now.) 

Secondly, and more to Van Grove’s point, these findings represent exactly the type of research employers and recruiters should be conducting in order to build and enhance their recruitment strategy.  As any marketing expert would tell you, you need to truly analyze and understand the behaviors of your target audience – in your case, current and potential employees – to ensure that your recruitment marketing dollars are being spent in the best possible way.

Well, kind of. If you’re imagining a bunch of ladies sitting around spilling their deepest, darkest employee secrets a la “The View,” replace that image with an independent report obtained with survey results from 41 companies and representing a total of 176,000 positions and 1.8 million U.S.-based employees in CareerXroads’ 9th Annual Source of Hire Study.

Still, the study’s findings are pretty interesting — and include survey results about how many companies plan to fill job openings this year,best sources of hire, and information on how companies can use and leverage this sources-of-hire data.

A couple of highlights from the study:

Best sources of hire

• According to survey results, U.S. employers said referrals, career sites and job boards accounted for the majority of their new external hires in 2009 (62.2 percent).
• Career sites and job boards accounted for 35.5 percent of new external hires in the U.S. in 2009.
• CareerBuilder was ranked as the No. 1 source of hire within the job board category at 41.6 percent compared to 11.6 percent for its largest competitor.

Majority report more job openings this year

• As far as job openings, almost half (48 percent) of company respondents say they plan to grow this year, while 37.9 percent of respondents say they will hold steady this year.
• Only 10.8 percent say they will fill fewer openings in 2010.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Although we strive not to self-promote on The Hiring Site, this survey reminded us that some of you who are not customers may not be aware of our T-E-A-M philosophy and the new solutions we’ve recently launched as a response to the changing job market. As we have evolved beyond just a job board, we’ve started offering a suite of human capital solutions like talent consulting, in-depth data analysis and talent flow tracking, niche industry job sites, social media brand management, outplacement services and more. If you want to learn more or get a brush-up on the solutions we’re working on with other customers, you can check them out here.

With fewer employees coming in late to work these days than they did a year ago, you might think the well of bizarre excuses they come up with for being late was running low as well.

You’d be wrong.

According to CareerBuilder’s most recent survey, released today, 16 percent of workers said they arrive late to work at least once a week, down from 20 percent who said the same in last year’s survey.  Eight percent of workers said they are late at least twice a week, down from 12 percent last year.

The decrease in tardiness could indicate that worries over job security may have workers taking punctuality – and their overall on-the-job performance – more seriously, says CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources, Rosemary Haefner, in the press release. 

Of the more than 5,200 workers who participated in the survey, 32 percent cited traffic as the biggest reason for being tardy, followed by lack of sleep (24 percent). Seven percent said getting their kids ready for school or day care was the cause of their lateness, while the same amount (7 percent) said bad weather was the culprit. Other common reasons included public transportation, wardrobe issues or dealing with pets.

And then…there were the following uncommon reasons employees have given for being late (according to hiring managers surveyed):

• “I got mugged and was tied to the steering wheel of my car.”
• “My deodorant was frozen to the window sill.”
• “My car door fell off.”
• “It was too windy.”
• “I dreamt I was already at work.”
• “I had to go to the hospital because I drank antifreeze.”
• “I had an early morning gig as a clown.”
• “A roach crawled in my ear.” 
• “I saw an elderly lady at a bus stop and decided to pick her up.”
• “My dog swallowed my cell phone.”

Perhaps it is hard-to-believe excuses like these that help explain why 34 percent of hiring managers reported that they’ve terminated employees for being late (up from 30 percent who said the same last year).  

Or perhaps employee tardiness indicates a bigger problem at hand, such as the need to better communicate the company’s tardiness policy, or simply a need among employees for a better work-life balance.

What do you think? How much can you forgive an employee for being late before it becomes a serious problem?

There are six words that, when used together, can cause a bit of anxiety (no, I’m not talking about So You Think You Can Dance?).

Consider this scenario: Your employee is rushing to get to work. He or she is driving a car, one hand on the wheel — and one hand on the smart phone. Every once in a while your employee anxiously glances down at the phone, anticipating the inevitable work correspondence. Your employee doesn’t have to wait long, because five minutes into the drive, you, the frazzled boss who’s up early and thinking about a project, decides to e-mail said employee, knowing full well your employee will check the message right away – and feel compelled to respond. You type those six very important words: What is the status on this?

You hit send.

This type of situation may be more of a problem than you realize. Whether you’re a boss who’s always connected and expects the same of your employees, or you’re an employee who feels pressured to be “on” at all times, even while driving – you may need to slow down a bit. According to the results of a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 5,200 workers, more than half (54 percent) of workers who have a smart phone or similar device said they check it when driving a vehicle — and many are risking safety on the road because they feel pressured to respond.

Which Industries are Most Connected On the Commute?

In comparing industries:

• Sixty-six percent of sales workers used their smart phones while driving, more than any other group surveyed.
• They were followed by  professional and business services workers (59 percent).
• Health care workers were third in terms of industry use (50 percent).

How Bad Is It?

It’s bad enough that almost of quarter (21 percent) of workers say they check their mobile device every time it vibrates or beeps — but worse that 18 percent report they are required by their company to be accessible beyond office hours via mobile device. In addition, 14 percent of workers said they feel obligated to constantly stay in touch with work because of the current tough economy.

It’s true that the lines between work and home lives are often blurry at best due to our ability to be connected in so many ways and at all hours of the day. It’s important for bosses to keep in mind, however, that if employees are not at work and you require them to correspond or make work decisions, there’s a possibility you could be putting them in danger.

And while it’s also true that employees are not always in the precarious position of driving while texting or e-mailing, consider that your employees have personal lives just like you. By corresponding during off-hours, you may be forcing them to respond while they’re mid-first-date (and nervous to begin with), enjoying a Broadway show, praying, or even attending to other “personal business” — in the bathroom. Workers with smart phones said they are checking in with the office on their smart phones from virtually anywhere and everywhere, including:

• During a meal:  62 percent
• On vacation:  60 percent
• While in the bathroom:  57 percent
• Lying in bed at night:  50 percent
• At a movie, play, or musical:  25 percent
• On a date:  18 percent
• Working out at the gym:  17 percent
• At a child’s event of function:  17 percent
• At church:  11 percent

Think Before You Hit “Send”

While sometimes communication outside of the office may be necessary, consider your options before contacting — and decide whether the message you’re communicating is important enough to hit “send” regardless of where your employee may be at that moment. And think of your frequency — are you abusing your power as an employer, as well as your employee’s time? Or are you acting in good faith?

“It is challenging for workers to maintain a good work/life balance when they are constantly connected to the office, so turning their devices off is important for their health and safety,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “The lines between work and life can be very blurry these days – 17 percent of workers said they feel like their work day never ends because of technology connecting them to the office. To reduce burnout and avoid potentially risky behavior, workers should allot technology-free time when away from work.”

Consider the three tips below to help you and your employee to work together on a work/life balance:

• Encourage employees to turn off the smart phone while driving. Not only is it illegal in many states, but using a mobile device while driving is dangerous to both your employee and others on the road. Let your employees know that if it’s necessary to leave his or her smart phone on and a conference call or other urgent matter comes up, you want them to pull over to safely handle the situation.
• Help your employee create a backup plan: Help your employee plan to have an out-of-office message or voicemail at the ready, and arrange for them to leave contact information for others on your team familiar with your employee’s area of the business who are able to step in if needed. Alternately, arrange to handle business yourself if you’re able to in a sticky situation. That way, any emergency can be handled appropriately if your employee can’t get to it — and you’ll still be aware of what’s going on.
• Have a personal policy in mind. What are your parameters for getting in touch with your employees on off-hours or while out of the office? Where do you draw the line — and if you don’t, consider whether there are ways you can modify your plan and communicate that out to your employees.

What’s your take on the issue — is it a problem or a necessary evil in our current work environment?

Anyone else looking forward to the day we can say that we’re actually out of the woods with the current financial crisis (if only so we can put a moratorium on the phrase “out of the woods”)?  

Well, we might have to hold out a little while longer, because as the latest employment report indicates, we’re, um…well, you know. Today, the Labor Department released its Employment Situation report for the month of February, and, as is often the case lately, there’s both good news and bad news.

The good news is that the number of jobs in February fell far below analysts’ expectations and that the unemployment rate did not go up. Despite this fact, the bad news, of course, is that unemployment is still at a remarkably high 9.7 percent and that employers cut 36,000 jobs.

Among the highlights of the report:

•  Employers cut 36,000 jobs in February (below analysts’ expectation of 50,000), compared with 26,000 jobs shed in January.
• Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed Americans has nearly doubled to 14.9 million and the economy has shed 8.4 million jobs.
• The U.S. unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent in February, and nonfarm payroll employment dipped slightly (-36,000).
• Severe winter weather in parts of the country may have affected payroll employment and hours; however, it is not possible to quantify precisely the net impact of the winter storms on these measures.
• Looking at various industries: Temporary help services added 48,000 jobs, while Health Care also continued to trend upward in February. Construction and Information both fell, at 64,000 and 18,000 jobs lost, respectively, while both Manufacturing and Retail were essentially unchanged.

Despite the up-and-down numbers over the last few months (36,000 jobs shed in February…26,000 shed in January…109,000 shed in December… 64,000 added in November, etc.), conditions are stabilizing overall.

“The large declines are behind us,” said Joel Naroff of Joel Naroff Economic Advisors in a podcast interview with MarketWatch today, in reference to the job loss numbers.  Naroff added that the latest report gives a strong indication that, while we may not see strong job growth anytime soon, we will see positive growth.

In fact, employers are expected to add as many as 100,000 jobs a month later this year (and if President Obama okays the House’s new $15 billion plan to offer tax breaks to employers, it could further impact job growth in the coming months). 

Thoughts?

Millenials. Comprised of those born after 1980, or those 18-29 years old, they’re America’s newest generation.  (And it’d be more fun if they were called this, no?) But what else are we learning about them, particularly when it comes to the workplace? A new report aimed at Millenials attempts to answer some of our unanswered questions.

Who are Millenials?

Fifty million people currently fall into the “Millenials” category. Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world, has just released a report called “Millenials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change.”

The report, conducted by Pew Research Center’s “Social & Demographic Trends Project,” compares the values, attitudes and behaviors of Millenials with those of older adults, and seeks to shed some light on which formative experiences Millenials will carry throughout their life cycle. Among other findings, the report found that personality-wise, Millenials are confident, self-expressive, liberal, and upbeat, and are open to change.

Dissatisfied With Work Now — But Optimistic for the Future

Interestingly, although Millenials’ careers have been derailed — or at least detoured — with a recession, they are more upbeat than their elders about both their own economic futures and the state of the nation.

Having a high-paying career is cited by only 15 percent of 18- to 29-year-old respondents as one of the most important things in their lives, while things like a successful marriage and being a good parent rank much higher — even though unemployment for this age group is higher now than it has been in more than three decades.

Unemployed Millenials

• Only 19 percent of unemployed Millenials say they have enough money to live the kind of live they want

• 89 percent, however, believe they will have enough income in the future

Employed Millenials

• Just 31 percent of employed Millenials reported making enough money to lead the kind of life they want — leaving 69 percent who are not satisfied.
• They are less satisfied than previous generations; 46 percent of Gen Xers, for example, cite satisfaction with their income.
• Among those employed Millenials dissatisfied with their income, 88 percent are confident that they will be able to earn enough in the future.

How They View Their Elders

They respect their elders. Surprised? According to the report:

“A majority say that the older generation is superior to the younger generation when it comes to moral values and work ethic.”

New Einsteins

This generation is also poised to become the most educated generation in American history — a trend which, according to the report, is driven largely by the demands of a modern knowledge-based economy, but also by the millions of 20-somethings enrolling in educational institutions like graduate school or community college due to lack of a job. A record share of 18- to 24-year-olds (39.6 percent) were enrolled in college in 2008, according to census data.

BlackBerrys in the Bed

As we’ve discussed on the blog before, the lines between work and personal lives are getting blurrier by the minute. And now, Millenials are being called the first “always-connected” generation in history. According to the report:

“Steeped in digital technology and social media, they treat their multi-tasking hand-held gadgets almost like a body part — for better and worse. More than eight-in-ten say they sleep with a cell phone glowing by the bed, poised to disgorge texts, phone calls, e-mails, songs, news, videos, games and wake-up jingles,” the report says.

Social Media? Yes Please!

A whopping 75 percent of 18- to 29-year-old respondents said they have a social networking profile. And although this generation is characterized as wary of human nature and many have their profile on lockdown, there are still great ways to c0nnect on public pages and forums.

If you’re an employer and you’re not involved in social networks, you’re missing an opportunity to get in front of a huge group of potential candidates.

Education

When ranked with older generations at comparable ages, Millenials are shown to be more highly educated (in the formal sense).

• More than half of Millenials (54 percent) have at least some college education, compared with 49 percent of Gen X, 36 percent of baby boomers, and 24 percent of the Silent Generation
• Millenials, when compared with previous generations at the same age, are also more likely to have finished high school
• Conversely,  Millenials are less likely to be employed than their elder generations; 63 percent of Millenials are likely to be employed, compared to 70 percent of Gen Xers or 66 of baby boomers had been at the same age
• Compared with the Silent Generation at the same age, Millenials are overall are more likely to be in the labor force

We’re Different

Like many of us (see what I did there?), sixty-seven percent of Millenials also see their age group as unique, according to the report. When asked why, the most popular response at 24 percent was “technology use.” Other responses included music, pop culture, and tolerance. And 6 percent say it’s because they’re smarter.

There’s much more to the report — you can read it in its entirety here.

Employers, what do you think, based on what you’ve experienced with Millenials in the workplace? And Millenials, do you agree with the report’s findings?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one…Money problems continue to plague American workers.

The latest evidence comes from a new CareerBuilder survey out today, showing that financial restraints are now putting a crimp in many older workers’ retirement plans. 

According to the survey, 72 percent of workers over the age of 60 who said they are putting off their retirement are doing so because they can’t afford to retire.  When comparing genders, the survey found that three-quarters (76 percent) of female workers over the age of 60 who said they are putting off retirement are doing so because they can’t afford it, while 68 percent of males said the same.

It’s Not All About the Benjamins…
According to the release, financial reasons are not the only grounds for postponing retirement for workers over the age of 60.

Other reasons cited among those putting off retirement include:  

• Either enjoy their job or enjoy where they work and don’t want to leave it (71 percent)
• Plan to stay because they need the health insurance and additional benefits provided (50 percent)
• Fear retirement may just be boring (24 percent)
• Enjoy feeling needed (15 percent)

If you work with or supervise mature workers, be ready in case they decide they want to stay aboard a little bit longer than originally planned. “Twenty-seven percent of hiring managers say they were approached about postponing retirements last year and were open to retaining mature workers,” sais Jason Ferrara, senior career advisor at CareerBuilder.    

Employees wanting to postpone retirement could actually be good news for companies that are worried about losing or replacing some their most skilled, experienced and loyal workers during a time when they need them the most.  If you’ve already replaced them, consider whether you can keep them on in another role or department, and see if they’d be open to that.

Help Yourself By Helping Your Employees Plan for Their Future
Whether postponed retirement is an issue at your company or not, right now might be a good time to check in with your employees – who are likely overwhelmed by the effects of the slow economy – and see if you can’t help ease their burdens. After all, if they’re focused on financial strains, they’re not focused on much else (as in, their work duties), and that doesn’t reflect well on you.  

Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources at CareerBuilder, suggests setting up a meeting with your employees and members of your HR department, so employees can learn or be refreshed on what is available to help them save on monthly expenses. (It’s likely that your company offers a lot of benefits employees aren’t even aware of.)  An informal meeting in which employees can ask questions and clear up uncertainties may be extremely helpful for them.