April Newsletter

Generational Unhappiness

I recently conducted a workshop on Managing Generational Differences in the Workplace for a group of executives in career transition. Consistent with most demographics this group was predominantly comprised of Baby Boomer men and women over age 45 although there were a handful of Generation X'ers (those born between 1965 and 1980) in the audience as well.

I find the subject of generational differences a fascinating topic and have been conducting workshops on the subject for several years. For the first time in history we have four different generations working together in the same workplace.

• The Matures aka WWII Generation
• The Baby Boomers
• Generation X
• Generation Y aka the Millenials

Each group has distinctly different views on authority, company loyalty and their relationship with their boss. Therefore each group must be managed and motivated differently for companies to truly benefit from the skills and abilities of this multi-generational workforce.

During the session one of the attendees asked me for my view on a recent study that showed both young and old are increasingly dissatisfied with their employer for the first time in over 20 years

There are no surprises here. After all, many retirement plans have been delayed, colleagues have been downsized and company missions rewritten in response to the changing economy. It's no wonder that the remaining employees are disheartened with their employers. "So what's an employer to do?" someone asked. "Aren't we as managers and employers responsible for their happiness?"

My dad used to tell me "Phil, there are folks out there just looking to blame their whole miserable life on somebody else" and I believe that statement to be very relevant to this current state of dissatisfaction. In my view, the job is what you make it and it's not the employer's responsibility to insure your happiness. Sure, there are best practices when it comes to creating a pleasant work environment and I believe most companies strive to achieve a balance between what employees want and what the company can afford. One of my clients has a banner in the lunchroom that says "Choose Your Attitude." To me that says it all.

So after proudly sharing my views, the Baby Boomers applauded and nodded approval. Meanwhile the Gen X folks were stoically busy with their blackberries. It's not that they were unhappy, just disinterested in what the old guy in the front of the room had to say!


Have a safe and happy spring season.

Phil

Top 5 Reasons For an HR Audit
An HR audit is an objective review of your HR policies, procedures and resources to help you evaluate whether specific practices are adequate, legal and effective. Here are the top 5 reasons for conducting an audit

Reason #1- Cost Savings
Employee pay and benefits are the greatest expense in most companies. An HR audit can identify methods to improve pay practices, benefit plans and administrative practices that can save you money.

Reason #2-Protection from Employment Actions
Laws are constantly changing and most business owners rarely have the time and resources to keep track of these changes. Federal, state and local law changes can impact your employment practices and perhaps more importantly, failure to comply with these laws can result in financial penalties and even criminal prosecution.

Reason #3- Consistency and efficiency
As your business changes your policies and practices may need to change as well. The HR audit will identify outdated, inefficient and inconsistent practices and enable you to update those practices that best serve the organization.

Reason #4- Benchmarking
How do your employee policies and benefits match up to similar businesses in your area and/or industry? As part of the audit you will receive insight on current best practices and trends.

Reason #5- IT"S FREE
For a limited time HR Solutions, LLC is offering a free HR audit for our newsletter subscribers. Call our office in the next 30 days at 610-287-1162 to schedule your appointment.


Recent Press Release

Philip S. Brunone, President of Harleysville based HR Solutions, LLC, was recently named as a nominee for the 2010 Delaware Valley HR Consultant of the Year award. The award recognizes the achievements of top human resource professionals who serve as independent consultants or who operate a consulting practice. Winners will be announced at a recognition dinner on May 13, 2010.
HR Solutions, LLC provides human resource consulting and outsourcing solutions for small and medium size companies in the tri-state area.