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Let’s face it…building a new business or growing an existing one is quite challenging given the economic, social, cultural, technological and political factors that exist in our business marketplace today. But perhaps even more important to your business’ success is the recruitment and retention of top productive staffers and performers.
In the Colorado Human Resource Association’s June Advisor newsletter, Dutch Ross from AON Consulting describes recruiting as “part science, part art and part luck, with a process that involves both finding top quality talent and hiring that talent.” This is certainly true. And there is enough to do within that to keep any business owner or entrepreneur up at night, wondering how he or she can grow a business and reach benchmarks using the right subject matter experts and experienced staff professionals.
For your succession planning requirements, consider the pool of generations you have to choose from, primarily either Gen Y’s (18-25 years old,) Gen Xers (26-41 years old) or Baby Boomers (42-60 years old.) Your choices and decisions to fill certain positions or add temporary help will obviously need to be linked to the skill set, experience, productivity and work and management style you need.
Future Workforce Ill-Prepared
In an October 2006 press release, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest association devoted to HR management, released findings from a survey compiled by The Conference Board (of business research organizations), Corporate Voices for Working Families, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and SHRM. The report found the incoming generation lacking in much needed workplace skills, both basic academic and more advanced “applied” skills. The survey’s objective was to examine employers’ views on the readiness of new entrants to the U.S. workforce-recently hired graduates from high schools and two and four year colleges. The report concludes, “the future workforce is here and it is ill-prepared.”
“Less than intense preparation in critical skills can lead to unsuccessful futures for America’s youth as well as a less competitive U.S. workforce,” said Richard Cavanagh, President and CEO of The Conference Board. “This ultimately makes the U.S. economy more vulnerable in the global marketplace.”
Conventional wisdom has said that Baby Boomers are retiring in record numbers. We know differently, at The Boomer Group we see many Boomers of all different ages. Many either can’t retire or don’t want to retire. Many truly enjoy the inherent satisfaction of work. We believe this to be true and even have a plaque in our offices that reads: “Good Job = Good Life”.
That’s good news for companies that haven’t yet sufficiently addressed their succession planning requirements.
It’s also good news for businesses suffering from workforce management issues. As many companies have discovered, the 21st-century labor market may be flooded with people, but not necessarily flooded with talent and leadership. It’s not uncommon to hear executives express frustration about insufficiently skilled, unproductive, disloyal, and unreliable employees who regularly “jump ship” at a moment’s notice. Businesses need employees who stick around for the long haul, are loyal, and who know the business inside and out.
Boomers Bridge the Skills Gap
Towers Perrin, a global Human Resources consulting firm, released a comprehensive assessment on the role of middle-aged employees in the workplace. The firm notes that “keeping people-at all levels and ages, but especially older workers with critical knowledge, experience and skills-is going to be more important in coming years.”
Towers Perrin’s research also shows that the productivity of baby boomer workers makes them cost-effective and highlights their tendency to be highly engaged in their work and motivated to exceed expectations on the job. Boomers can help employers facing the skills gap, as their professional experience and transferable skill sets allow them to understand the workplace and have solid decision making capabilities.
Be Aware of the Younger Boomer
Another thing we’ve learned at The Boomer Group, is that all Boomers are not created equal. By that we mean that in the mainstream media all Boomers are lumped together and we’ve learned there are really two groups within one. This differentiation is an option to consider in growing and hiring for your business. Remember, Baby Boomers are those born between 1946 -1964, therefore there are some Boomers who are 43 and some that are 63. Those 20 years make a big difference in experience and the values they bring to work.
So Let us Help You Grow…
Since 2004 The Boomer Group has delivered over 1500 talented and experienced candidates to a variety of companies. We have proof that these experiences help business' decrease turnover and training costs and therefore improve bottom line results.We’d like to use the talent we know, to help you grow.
We specialize in recruiting and placing Boomers. All of our candidates undergo a rigorous vetting process to ensure they have the right knowledge, skills, experience, and attitude for your business. What we know for sure is that experience counts.
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