THE RETURNING RESERVIST DILEMMAWritten by Sharon Winston
In past year and a half, hundreds of thousands of military reservists from all branches of service were called to active duty, sending their employers scrambling to manage around their absences. Soon, many of these brave men and women will begin returning home to resume their lives and professions, which creates a new challenge for management teams across country, who must reintegrate these employees back into work flow. Lee Hecht Harrison was faced with these very issues when a valued senior consultant, who also happened to be a public affairs officer in Navy reserves, was deployed to a post in Italy after September 11th. While Lee Hecht Harrison regularly works with organizations to manage change, we know that many companies have never experienced losing an employee temporarily to military service and may be unsure about how to handle situation. First, it’s important to remember that reservists are protected by Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA). Employers play a role in maintaining a strong national defense and, as part of that role, must protect jobs of reservists by making original, or an equal, position available on reservists’ return, whether they are gone for six months, a year, or longer. Employers can learn more by visiting Employer Support of Guard and Reserve website at www.esgr.org. Prepare a reintegration strategy as soon as possible. Returning reservists often face mixed feelings from colleagues, particularly those who took on additional roles that will need to be relinquished. It’s important to ensure that all members of your team understand roles they will play moving forward and to update reservist about who stepped up to plate during his or her absence. You may also need to reassure reservist that he or she is positioned correctly in company, since transition from high pressure position he or she held previously might seem abrupt. Coping with sudden departure of a military reservist can be a complicated issue. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions for effectively managing reservist dilemma: Develop a contingency plan. If possible, develop a strategy for redistributing workload before reservist is called, cross-training other employees as needed. Can your existing team handle additional responsibilities or will you need to hire contractors? Be sure to gain buy-in for plan at all levels of management. Remember that a reservist’s immediate supervisor may change during time he or she is away, so any transition policies must be firmly established. Communicate, communicate, communicate. During times of stress, it’s important to maintain a precise and constant flow of communication. Tell everyone involved what is happening and what you expect of them. And take time to communicate to your team importance of work reservist has been called to do and how much you appreciate their extra work during reservist’s absence. Motivate your team. You may need to "reframe" situation, in order to help your remaining staff view their additional responsibilities in a positive light. Persuade them that this is an opportunity to stretch and grow into new roles. They may find that they learn new skills during process, which could eventually lead to a promotion. It’s not enough to simply tell people what to do, you need to inspire them to buy into entire process.
| | Career Management in a Jobless EconomyWritten by Rebecca Sohn
Recent news from Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting anemic job growth in a recovering economy and election of thousands to quit looking for work continues to baffle experts and depress unemployed. If only there were jobs… politicians would get elected, company profits would soar and individuals would be able to earn a living. Behind statistics, politicians’ promises and corporate reluctance to hire, is a larger idiom dictating a shift in how we think. Whether 150,000 or 1,000 new jobs are created, numbers belie a new reality that we, as individuals, must embrace if our employment continuity is to be maintained. For over a decade, irrespective of economic downturns, combination of technology and globalization has wreaked havoc in workplace. The "workplace" has become "workspace" reflecting virtual nature of worker output. The movement of work product knows no geographical boundaries or world time zones. The electronic tethers allow engineers in Bangalore to develop IT applications and interpret CT scans for American-based banks and hospitals, aeronautics specialists in Russia to design parts for US aircraft manufacturers and accountants in Manila crunch numbers for US corporate audits. Additionally, there is an eclipse of world markets with that of US. Companies are looking for population growth that ensures demand, under-developed areas that ensure need and highly educated, cheap labor that ensures profitability. North America as a market is losing its "glitz". Yes, it’s important but (swallow hard) possibly not as important as other world locations. No labor law can out-legislate quagmire of immigration, citizenship, security, nationalism and corporate interests relating to job creation. Waiting for economic reports portending job growth is folly for individual job seeker. The availability of jobs will always ebb and flow based on factors well beyond any single person’s control. The responsibility for staying employed rests with us as individuals—not with economic statistics, government programs or corporate initiatives. It is time for individuals to take control and adopt career management strategies that recognize this new world reality. New strategies include: Understand labor market: Acknowledge your competition sits not in next cubicle but in another country. The reality is your company can hire an engineer with a master’s and five years of experience at $1,000/month in India versus paying you $7,000/month. It’s critical to demonstrate value you deliver for this additional cost through new ideas, recommended improvements and specialized expertise. Embrace technology: Stay current in applications appropriate to your field. Master your company’s business software and that of your customers. Don’t wait for company sponsored training, seek out external providers and commit to maintaining a given level of computer literacy. Key systems (e.g. SAP, SixSigma, ERP, People Soft) are common to many companies and their knowledge can only increase your marketability. Know your industry: Become a student of your industry. Know products of your competition, trends, supply chain, your company’s strategy, product life cycles, market share and labor challenges—the big picture. Fluently conversing about your industry and carrying out responsibilities within this framework can set you apart. Make yourself global: Remember your faceless competitor across ocean, speaks two, three and possibly four languages. His or her English, is likely better than that of yours. Develop proficiency in another language. It will differentiate you and level credential playing field. Also recognize, your international colleague has probably lived in different countries and understands several cultures, labor laws and markets. An expatriate assignment helps strengthen your credentials especially given increased likelihood of working for a non-American manager. Money is secondary: Often, compensation is defined in monetary terms and is paramount in accepting a position. Over emphasis on salary can be very shortsighted. Instead, jobs instead should be assessed for opportunity to add expertise missing from one’s portfolio. Companies can no longer promise long-term employment, career paths or pay increases. The only true benefit of a position is quality of its content. The average time on a job in American companies is three years and four months. Money does not guarantee employability but expertise and in-demand skills do.
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