Planning your hiring strategy for the next few years? Consider these two major trends identified by The Herman Group, a business management consultancy:
(1) You’re more likely to be hiring temporary employees, and here’s why: In the past few years, you’ve probably cut your staff to the bone. Yes, productivity is up, but the employees who have stayed with you through all the layoffs and downsizings are burned out and almost certain to jump ship as soon as possible. An estimated 85% of today’s workers will move to different jobs in the next 12 months. As they leave, these employees will have to be replaced fast, and with no back-ups available, employers will depend on temporary staffing firms to provide workers. The advantages of this strategy are that given the uncertain economy, employers don’t need to make a long-term commitment, and can easily turn a well-performing temp into a permanent employee if necessary.
(2) Dreamers and thinkers will lead the next generation of employees. Today’s over-scheduled and technology-swamped children are not prepared to enter the workforce of the future, says The Herman Group, because “the employment skills of the future will be more focused on creativity, communication, and collaboration.” Citing Daniel Pink’s new book “A Whole New Mind,” THG notes that we are moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age—as in seeing the big picture, coming up with big ideas, and dreaming big dreams. “We are already seeing some companies apply these principles, generating among stakeholders a long-lost feeling of excitement,” THG analysts write in their latest report. “Employers will seek young, energetic workers who are open to new ideas. They will want people who challenge the status quo, who ask challenging questions, who are not satisfied with doing things the old way just for the sake of tradition. Regimented educational processes and over-scheduled lives do not prepare young people for tomorrow’s work environment. . . . Employers will seek graduates of liberal arts colleges and secondary schools that have inspired students to make a difference, not merely exist.”
For more information, visit http://www.hermangroup.com.