Thoughts for 2020 and beyond
As we begin looking ahead to a new decade, two workplace trends are affecting all businesses regardless of size: hiring and regulatory compliance. Both are top of mind entering 2020 and will likely persist the entire decade.
Let’s talk hiring first.
At the end of September
2019, there were only eight people searching for work for every
10 open jobs in the U.S.
(www.bls.gov/ web/jolts/ jlt_labstatgraphs.pdf). The lack of talent is becoming a crisis that is causing businesses to cut services and change business strategies.
Why is this happening?
There are not as many people in the workforce as there used to be, as fewer children were born to the generations after the baby boomers.
Overall, there are more opportunities available for laborers, construction, food service, warehousing, trades and other traditionally hourly workforce members, many of whom do not require a college degree.
Employees do not need to stay somewhere that they are not happy.
Employers need to establish longterm strategies and procedures to overcome the talent shortage. Three focus areas are essential:
1. Retention: It should be the No. 1 focus for any company or organization experiencing worker shortages now and in the future. Focus on creating a best-in-class work environment that employees don’t want to leave. Survey employees and get feedback with exit and stay interviews to monitor your progress. Improve manager training; bad bosses are almost always the No. 1 reason people leave jobs. Finally, show employees they’re appreciated. Savvy employers are demonstrating to employees how much they are valued.
2. Applicant attraction: What are you doing to attract candidates based on what matters to them? Create a workplace that meets the demands of the demographics that work for you. It could mean adding flexible schedules, working from home or other adjustments. Look at your workplace as a product that you’re marketing. Along those lines, attend to your careers page, Glassdoor presence and social media to look your best.
3. Recruiting: Running ads solely on one or two big jobs sites is no longer a viable solution in most cases. Look at pay-per-click services through Indeed and Glassdoor. Proactively search for candidates on LinkedIn, Indeed and
vehicle to the owner. Headlight alignment problems may also come from daily driving. Hitting potholes is a common cause. Another issue is how much weight is in the trunk. That anvil collector may be totally unaware that his lights are blinding people.
Q: I have heard over and over how new cars don’t have to be warmed and actually shouldn’t be because it isn’t good for cars engine. So why are auto starts so popular? Isn’t this the same thing as letting your car run for several minutes to warm it up?
A: Back in the olden days, cars had carburetors. Allowing them to run at a fast idle could cause damage. Today’s engine management systems maintain the fuel mixture and idle speed. But idling gets you zero miles per gallon, so driving gently during warm-up is the best choice.
Q: I have a 2012 Mazda 3 and don’t let it warm up and do not have an auto-start but am tempted to install one because I live in the frigid Midwest. What do you think?
— R.H., Chicago
A: See the previous answer.
Send questions along with name and town to Motormouth, Rides, Chicago Tribune, 160 N. Stetson Ave., Fourth Floor, Chicago, IL 60601 or motormouth.tribune@gmail.com.