Temping - The Future of Work?

This week we celebrated Labor Day, a holiday established in 1822, during a time of much labor unrest. Don’t get me wrong, I welcome all holidays, and an opportunity to take some time off, but looking over the origins of this day it raises some questions for me about purpose and fit with today’s global economy. However, in spite of some confusion about how and what we’re celebrating, one thing is clear – the American worker (union and non-union) is still a very valuable component to our economy.

What we need today are businesses ready to define the qualifications that will shape future jobs and to begin training and hiring those individuals who are out of work but prepared to meet those qualifications. Being realistic, I know we’re not going to see much happen on this issue until after the election in November, but come January, let’s all be ready to take action.

Getting Ready for Change

If you’re one of the lucky ones that has a job, don’t get too comfortable. You may have a job today, but is that job going to be required tomorrow? Can utilizing a computer, robot or technology enhancements make your job extinct or if not redesigned? Could your job change and require other skills?

Now is the time to enhance your skills by building new competencies, establishing knowledge of new technologies, and/or gaining certifications to aid with your employability – internally and externally, if needed.

For the millions of unemployed that are diligently searching for a job as well as those that have hit a wall and given up hope, I encourage you to educate yourself about the future and prepare once again to be a vital contributor to the greatness of our country. There are lots of researchers writing and speaking about this topic; read different points of view and then make your own decisions about what’s right for you. What skills can you develop or enhance in order to better showcase your current and future workplace readiness?

Prospective employers want to hire individuals who are self-motivated and demonstrate their enthusiasm by preparing for the future. And what does that mean? It could mean building new skill sets or expanding knowledge about an industry or profession. It could be investing in education and/or certifications that will add value to an employer’s talent pool. It could involve reading self-help books or being coached on how to update management and leadership styles and communication skills. Certainly it includes a continuous expansion of technology awareness and skills.

Employers will soon be looking for great employees to help them transition their organizations into the flexible, fast-paced, global market of the future. The smart employers are already seeking to make these hires, knowing that the future may not be about creating hundreds of jobs, but more so about the innovation and creativity that will allow them to offer more innovative products and services while controlling costs and expectations. The future of work is not going to look like our workplaces looked like five years ago. Will you be ready?

Have You Thought About SuperTemping?

 

The May issue of Harvard Business Review includes an interesting idea about the rise of the supertemps. In an article on alternatives to full-time employment, Jody Greenstone Miller and Matt Miller share the reasons why the shift to a temp workplace is here and growing. I believe they are right - all the stars are aligning to make the choice of temporary job assignments an easy one for many workers who have years of experience or who are committed to successfully balancing work and family. A high-powered career and the climb up the proverbial ladder are not as attractive as they used to be in light of what we’ve seen all too often as the end of those stories. Here are a few of the factors driving the trend towards supertemps:

• The corporate "social contract" guaranteeing job security and plush benefits is dead or dying.
• Technology advancements promote a plug-in ease that allows working from anywhere.
• A majority of experienced, as well as younger workers just aren’t interested in 80-hour work weeks anymore.

To assist organizations and individuals interesting in trying this option, Miller and Miller offer a few tips for making the "temp arrangement" work. As organizations look for ways to build up their capacities for the future, and workers adjust to the idea of short term assignments rather than full-time employment, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Focus on what needs to be done. Set specific objectives for each assignment.

2. Don’t make the mistake of saying you’ll work out the details as you go along. Clearly define each phase of the work. Any good consultant will tell you that the success of their projects is based on clearly defined and written expectations for deliverables.

3. Be realistic about any additional resources, internal or external, that will be required to support the success of the temp and the project.

4. Ensure that the temp has an accessible and focused project sponsor to help navigate getting the work done through internal systems, as well as act as an advocate to sidestep the politics and workplace history that can often get in the way of success.

5. Schedule success – chart the number of meetings, hopefully every two to four weeks, depending on the complexity and/or length of the project.

In addition to the points offered in the HBR article, I would add:

• Shift paradigms - view these temporary assignments differently from the mindset and systems HR has established for filling full-time positions. We all know what happens when we try to force a square peg into a round hole!
• Watch for scope creep and project shifts and be intentional about rewriting expectations for deliverables, schedules and success metrics.
• And that brings me to my last additional tip – make sure the assignment is clearly articulated, including the success metrics by which the performance of the temp will be measured.

The future offers opportunities for reinvention – perhaps one of the options that will work best for your future is considering temp assignments. Miller and Miller note a number of companies focused on temporary talent; Axiom, Kelly Services, Eden McCallum and Manpower. Once you select an industry, profession, or skill set I’m sure you’ll find others.

I’m not so naïve to believe the economy can jump back quickly from the hole it is in. However, I believe that exploring temp assignments might lead to a new bridge to the future and a totally different view of employability.

　

This article was written by Deborah A. King, President and CEO of Evolution Management, Inc., an 8(a) certified, woman-owned, small business providing customized solutions to the challenging organization development and human resource issues facing private businesses and government agencies. Debbie and her team are ready to assist with professional development, including executive coaching, as well as career transition workshops and coaching. Call us for more information at 770.587.9032, or visit our website at www.evolutionmgt.com. If you enjoyed this Career GPS forum, subscribe to our OD/HR BizNext forum, click here.

Dealing with Discrimination

As an HR professional I get discouraged when I read or hear about hiring discrimination. No, I’m not referring to religious, age, or gender discrimination. This type of discrimination isn’t covered by employment laws, and it doesn’t carry penalties. I’m referring to the short-sighted discrimination employers are exhibiting against candidates who have been laid off for more than 6 months, or those candidates that are deemed "overqualified" as a result of a quick 20-second scan of their resume. 

If you are currently conducting a job search or you are responsible for recruiting and hiring and are currently searching for the "right" talent, I hope you’ll read on.

"Do Not Apply If Currently Unemployed!" – We’ve all had those moments when we’ve been reminded that life isn’t always fair; and in many instances, the seemingly "unfair" situation has pushed us to grow and explore other options that we probably wouldn’t have given thought to otherwise. So it goes with hiring discrimination. You may have to look to others options if presented with discriminatory practices.

It’s not fair that employers and recruiters are overlooking the potential of individuals who may have taken a year or so to "reinvent" themselves, but the disqualified job seeker may have to chalk it up to "a better opportunity, and employer, are just around the corner." Employers with this type of hiring policy are so focused on the last record of employment that they are missing some good connections. Unfortunately, if the last employment was over 12 months ago very few employers are going to take the time to understand why. What they’re missing is that it takes courage, risk-taking, creativity and motivation to step out and do something different. All of these, by the way, are competencies and traits employers are seeking.

"You’re Overqualified For Our Position." – So goes it for the experienced candidate who meets the position requirements, but also offers additional knowledge, skills and abilities. The prevailing assumption on hiring a candidate who appears overqualified is that "the person [candidate] will be bored and not motivated, so they will underperform or leave," this according to Professor Berrin Erdogan, who was recently quoted by Amy Gallo in the Harvard Business Review.

Surprisingly, however, Professor Erdogan’s research indicates just the opposite. Her findings show that these risks may be more perceived than real. This erroneous perception is resulting in missed opportunities for the employer who isn’t thinking beyond the immediate need. The candidate who on the surface appears overqualified may actually be the perfect fit for what the position will require in another 6-8 months. But it takes time to get to know the candidate and make these decisions, and that doesn’t seem to be time some employers are willing to pay for. Short-sighted? I would say yes.

Lessons for the Job Seeker
So what should you do if you are a job seeker who finds yourself falling into either of these buckets of discrimination? I say, get over the fact that it’s not fair and realign your approach to help educate employers and recruiters to the potential you offer.

If you’ve been out of work for any substantial period of time, it’s important that your resume, cover letter, 30-second commercial and networking experiences reflect what you’ve been doing during that time to be productive, contributing to society, and building skills. So how can you do that if you’re not "working"?

• Volunteer - Highlight your roles and responsibilities on your resume for the organizations where you are serving as a volunteer, leader, or mentor.  
• Pro Bono - Take on a pro bono project through a professional organization where you can contribute to serving business needs while aligning your assignments with specific career goals. Be sure to note your role as a pro bono consultant on your resume along with a description of your responsibilities and the knowledge, skills and abilities being utilized to accomplish your project performance goals.
• Consult - Reach out to your network and ask for consideration to assist with projects, at no cost, in order to remain productive and keep your skills fresh. You may be asked to sign documentation that confirms you are offering your services for free; but nothing ventured, nothing gained.  
• Professional Development - Assess the feedback you are gathering from employers who have not hired you and address those issues. Perhaps this involves going back to school for additional education or courses on new technology. Maybe it involves engaging a career coach to assist you with building communications or interpersonal skills. Reinvention is possible – at any age, in any profession.

Note: If you are unemployed and not volunteering, shadowing, or doing something productive part-time, you need to start doing something immediately. The writing is on the wall – employers noting a long gap in employment with no other engagements to allow for growth and expansion will probably saddle you with an image of not willing to take initiative, or not being able to implement appropriate job search strategies. Don’t let that happen to you.

In those situations where you are exploring job opportunities that may require less education or experience than you offer, it’s important that you do your homework and help the person you are networking or interviewing with to vision how your skills will help them in the short- and long-term.

Employers know that the way we do business is not the same as it was in the past. They also know that the way we perform our work today isn’t going to be the same as what we’ll be doing three years from now. I say they should know this, but often you’ll find (sorry to write this) the HR representative fills for the job using the previous job description and doesn’t think to explore what may be needed in the near future rather than what was required in the past. So your job is to talk about what you bring to the table and how that will help the organization today, but more importantly, tomorrow. Help them understand that the additional experience you offer can aid them in getting the best ROI (return on investment) for the current situation, as well as helping the organization achieve goals for the future.

Lessons for Leaders
Change isn’t easy. I keep writing about it, and talking about it, and we still see the evidence that it’s difficult for individuals and organizations to change. The Huffington Post recently noted that according to the Labor Department there are five-and-a-half active candidates for every job that is available. I believe HR organizations disqualifying this segment of the talent pool in an effort to recycle only the current workforce are short-sighted. In fact, some economists are saying this unhealthy trend could prolong the recession as a result of not getting more people back to work.

I’m not suggesting that unqualified individuals should be hired just so we get unemployed folks back into the labor market. If someone does not meet the qualifications of a job, regardless of whether they are currently unemployed or employed, it does no one any good to put them into a position where they can’t be successful and the organization will spend more time and money trying to train them, or trying to document why they have to be terminated.

I believe leadership has a responsibility to encourage recruiters and hiring mangers to hire not just for today, but to keep the bigger picture in mind of what the job will transition into. They should be promoting practices that support getting to know candidates and making judgments about suitability and fit (current and future) only after work history and experience have been explored. Job seekers have a responsibility to sell themselves for today and tomorrow, but HR also should be investing in understanding the business strategies and vision in order to rethink and re-envision how candidate values, knowledge, experiences, skills and abilities fit the bigger picture of workforce planning.

It appears our "old" HR hiring practices are out of date. HR has to source, screen and interview candidates with a mind’s eye on the present yes, but also must be plugged into the needs of the future organization. Organizations should be on-boarding with processes that manage immediate career expectations, but also address how employees will fit into future business strategies. Embracing a policy that declares only employed candidates should apply is going in the wrong direction. This harkens back to the days of discrimination in gender, race, nationality, etc. that served no useful purpose. We need to learn from our mistakes, embrace new opportunities, and celebrate the diversity that all kinds of experiences can bring to spark innovation and creativity.

So What’s Next?
In addition to addressing these two new trends in discrimination, organizations have another opportunity looming on the horizon that they need to address. According to a survey conducted by MetLife, 36% of the currently employed workforce indicates they want to jump ship for a new opportunity! That’s a healthy number of employees feeling disconnected from their employers. As more jobs become available, and if only currently employed candidates can apply, there’s going to be a continuous revolving door of turnover. This game of musical chairs will undoubtedly lead to higher costs as the functions of recruitment, hiring and on-boarding are expensive; not to mention the cost associated with the loss of knowledge. Is your organization on top of this? Losing great workers to competitors isn’t an announcement any manager wants to hear.

I’ve shared these thoughts about some latest trends, now I’m curious to hear from you. Do you think the practices of only considering employed candidates and candidates who have only the required skills - no less and certainly no more - are healthy and appropriate HR practices? What role should HR leadership be playing? Please comment below.

Q&A
Dear Job Seeker:
I recently had an interview where one of the questions I was asked was, "If you were a crayon in a box of crayons what color would you be?" That really threw me off guard and I know I stumbled. What’s up with that?
- Sam

Check out Dear Job Seeker for my answer to Sam's question.