Experience Works: Something else is going on
It is becoming increasingly clear that a growing number of older, experienced adults will continue – for some time to come – to be productive participants in the world of work.
Recently, The Economist, a global current affairs and finance publication, decided to throw a little bit more light on the subject. Someone at the magazine has begun noticing that “Something else is going on” with older, experienced workers. Here is a short excerpt from an article labeled “Older Workers and the Recession” that appeared in the September 12, 2009 edition:
”Something else is going on. Older workers tend to do better in recessions. They have skills, experience and seniority, and are thus last to be sacked. But this does not explain much of the rise in employment; in fact the unemployment rate of those over 55 has actually risen too, though by less than the average.”
In a previous posting (Experience Works: The 93% solution) on this subject I asked the question: Is this longevity good for the nation’s economy? The answer then and now is a resounding Yes; a conclusion backed by Bureau of Labor Statistics showing an upward revision in its measure of non-farm business sector productivity to 6.6%. This figure represents the largest productivity increase since the third quarter of 2003.
Now The Economist seems to agree.
“Younger workers are having a harder time finding and keeping a job because older workers won’t clean out their desks. But in the long term later retirement counters the trend to slowing labour force growth caused by an ageing population, more years spent in college, and a levelling out of women’s participation. So it boosts the economy’s potential growth rate.”
“In the end, it’s not the years of your life that count. It’s the life in your years”
- Abraham Lincoln
PeopleSoft 9.1: Practical Improvements #3 – Meeting Minimum Requirements
We all know there is a lot that’s new in PeopleSoft 9.1. What is not readily known, however, is how these new features and functions can be translated into practical improvements to your operations. This posting is the third in a series entitled: PeopleSoft 9.1: Practical Improvements.
The PS 9.1 Candidate Gateway (CG), still referred to as “eRecruit” by many long time customers, will include an immediate real-time pre-screening feature. The current system performs screening using an offline batch process. In 9.1, each applicant may be asked a set of questions to determine minimum eligibility. The online application may only be completed if the answers indicate basic eligibility. Otherwise, the applicant is informed that minimum requirements have not been met and consequently is prevented from submitting the form. In other words, the applicant receives an instant rejection.
Why pre-screen online? It is critically important that your hiring managers be able easily to identify qualified applicants. Recently, I did a minimum requirements project for a PeopleSoft eRecruit customer. A major impetus for the project was a real fear that any internet job posting could generate hundreds and in some cases thousands of applicants. Unfortunately, that is the economy in which we now live. Culling just a few qualified candidates from such a large group can be a daunting task. That is why it pays to classify your applicant population by who does and does not meet minimum qualifications. Do so and your hiring managers will thank you.
Looking for a sample of a pre-screening process? Perhaps, this illustration will be useful.
What is your name?
It is I, Arthur, King of the Britons.What is your quest?
To seek the holy grail.What is the airspeed of an unladen swallow?
Please stay tuned for the next posting in my series – PeopleSoft 9.1: Practical Improvements.
Make your next PeopleSoft ERP project 1000% easier
CIO online recently published an article asking the question: Why is ERP still hard?. There is a lot in this article that is on target. However, there is one premise expounded early in the article that deserves closer scrutiny: ERP projects are difficult, lengthy, and expensive because users want too many customizations.
Taser decided to customize its chosen ERP package to meet the business processes that it already followed. “So rather than take an ERP system-which supposedly out-of-the-box has, say, an accounts receivable [process], with best practices that are inherent to the system, we decided…to modify AX to work like this other application because users were comfortable with it,” he says, “and they didn’t want to change.”
I view ill advised customizations as a symptom not a cause. In many cases the root cause is the absence of people with sufficient ERP project experience to properly and efficiently tailor the package. In my experience most PeopleSoft ERP projects become “hard” as a result of having the wrong people doing the right things, having the right people doing the wrong things, and, of course, not having the right people at all.
Want to make your next PeopleSoft ERP project 1000% easier (and less expensive in the long run, too)? Seek PeopleSoft veterans who know the application best. They are the ones who will find innovative ways to meet your organization’s needs. What should you expect from a well seasoned resource?
These are the delivered features and functions that most closely match your requirements. Here is a re-engineering option successfully and inexpensively implemented by another customer. If you make this small, peripheral change almost all your needs will be met.
Of course, there will always be internal needs that cannot be met by an external package. The million dollar question is what to do. Does it make sense to re-write the core delivered components? Or, can a more elegant way be found to meet the need without creating an upgrade nightmare. An experienced person can help your organization make the smart choice. Save time. Save money. Reduce stress. Make your next PeopleSoft ERP project 1000% easier.
PeopleSoft 9.1: Practical Improvements #2 – Outlook is positive
We all know there is a lot that’s new in PeopleSoft 9.1. What is not readily known, however, is how these new features and functions can be translated into practical improvements to your operations. This posting is the second in a series entitled: PeopleSoft 9.1: Practical Improvements.
The PS 9.1 Talent Acquisition Manager (PM), still referred to as “eRecruit” by many long time customers, will soon allow employment interviews created within the confines of the PeopleSoft application to be scheduled automatically on the Microsoft Outlook 2007 calendar. Today, a recruiter has two choices. An interview can be scheduled in the PeopleSoft system or it can be scheduled in Outlook (or, of course, in some other productivity software product.)
The main benefit of PeopleSoft scheduling is that the interviewing process becomes a part of the onboarding data record. Let’s say this question arises: Who all interviewed this guy and when? In PeopleSoft this information is readily available in an understandable format; in Outlook not so much. Also, integrated PeopleSoft data can be accessed by a number of sophisticated analysis tools. PeopleSoft data can be diced this way and sliced that way to provide valuable recruitment metrics.
Today Hiring Managers, and others involved in the recruitment effort, are using Outlook in a laudable effort to exert control over their hectic work lives. Do they really need the additional hassle of using PeopleSoft self service for employment interviews and Outlook for everything else? I think not.
Want to be a hero? Connect PeopleSoft and Outlook in a way that satisfies the needs of your Hiring Managers and yet still collects all the data you need for research, reporting, and analysis. It is always nice when everybody wins. It doesn’t often happen.
Please stay tuned for the next posting in my series – PeopleSoft 9.1: Practical Improvements.
Experience Works: The 93% Solution
The Pew Research Center just recently released a study on America’s aging workforce. The main conclusion is that an increasing number of older, experienced adults will continue – for some time to come – to be productive participants in the world of work.
“..93% of the growth in the U.S. labor force from 2006 to 2016 will be among workers ages 55 and older.”
Is this longevity good for the nation’s economy? There is another way of asking the question: Is the economy becoming more productive? The answer is a resounding yes. A few days ago the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised upward its measure of non-farm business sector productivity to 6.6%. This is the largest productivity increase since the third quarter of 2003.
There are two main reasons that the average age of America’s workforce is increasing. The first reason is that older adults are staying in the workforce longer and the second is that younger workers are staying out of it longer. Makes sense.
We all know that in some part this choice by older workers is driven by economic realities. The other part is less obvious. Mature and experienced adults have a strong desire to continue contributing. They just plain want to accomplish even more than they have already accomplished.
“When asked to identify specific reasons for working, older workers emphasize psychological and social factors: “to feel useful”; “to give myself something to do”; “to be with other people.” Younger and middle-aged workers are much more inclined to cite classic pocketbook considerations: “to support myself and my family”; “to live independently”; “to qualify for retirement benefits”; “to receive health care benefits.”
Younger workers, those 16 to 24, are having trouble finding jobs in this downturn. What are they doing instead? The study found that they are going back to school in droves, investing heavily in acquiring greater knowledge and better skills. I know many in this age group would rather be working but I also know that the best investment you can make is not in a new shiny car, a fancy shirt, or an expensive night on the town. The best investment you can make is in yourself.
“..a rising share of Americans ages 16 to 24 are in school and a declining share are in the labor force — 57% today versus 66% in 2000.”
“In the end, it’s not the years of your life that count. It’s the life in your years”
- Abraham Lincoln