Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Next Generation Workforce and Workplace

We help individuals, organizations, and communities think innovatively about the next generation workforce and workplace. Read these forward-thinking stories and best practices from our work and lives.

Bridging the Divide… Education for the Future

A country divided is what we are all hearing. I’m tired of hearing it, are you?

But as I examine the problem, realizing I am, like we all are, a part of it, I think Steve Boese in his HR Technology Blog described the problem best as he summarized the meaning of a chart illustrating the growing income divide in our country:

Their jobs, if they are employed, are worse than the ones they used to have. They have less job security than ever before. They are increasingly unprepared to do many of the ‘new’ kinds of jobs that might improve their situation. And every day some 23 year-old Stanford grad invents some new technology that has the potential to automate, disaggregate, and ‘productize’ with an app or a algorithm the kinds of work they used to rely upon to take care of themselves and their families. Self driving cars are going to be awesome, right? Unless you are a bus, taxi, or commercial truck driver. If you have one of those jobs, well, good luck.

I am stupid and I do think it’s the economy. And I think until we all figure out ways to have this incredible, amazing, technologically wonderful future more evenly distributed we will remain a country very divided.

And I believe, like Horace Mann said, “Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance, wheel of the social machinery.”

Here in lies our solution, education, but it must be education preparing the current and future generations to be prepped for the jobs of the future, not the jobs of the past, as Boese points to.

There are many organizations focused on education of and for the future. One such organization is HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Life science, shaped by our growing understanding of the human genome, is one such industry of the future.

HudsonAlpha’s Educational Outreach team is “helping create a workforce for life science companies of the future. The education programs train future scientists through hands-on classroom modules, digital learning, materials and in-depth school and summer camp experiences for educators and students.”

Many of their resources, like the resources that other people and organizations are creating as we seek to move our educational system to a place of relevance, are free to anyone and everyone. For example, Touching Triton is a free online educational activity that builds an understanding of common complex disease risk influenced by factors from family history, environment, and genomic data. HudsonAlpha also has an app that explains cells at their basic level on various reading/grade levels. Download iCell here.

All major issues, especially education and income equality are complex issues. They aren’t fixed by one golden sword.

But getting technology that can deliver free education into the hands of all allows for learning about and from technology that can equip us all for the future. It can be the mode for delivering free, cutting-edge educational resources, while at the same time providing a mechanism for learning and comfort with technology that is more than required for today’s workforce. And maybe, just maybe, it can help heal divides that result from income inequality in my community and yours.

So, today a challenge: Please share 1) any free digital or online educational resource that you know of that equips students, young and old, for jobs of the future and/or 2) any resource that gets technology in the hands of all so these educational resources can be accessed.

As is so commonly the case, it isn’t that the resources aren’t available, it’s that exposure and awareness of the resources is not. Let’s fix this by making a listing such resources, like HudsonAlpha’s, go viral.

December 6, 2016
Navigating the New Overtime Regulations: Can you classify people in same position differently?
If you are in HR, about all you’ve dealt with in the last few weeks, maybe even in the last few months, has been how to handle the new FLSA overtime regulations. As one of our excellent advisors with Horizon Point, Nancy Washington Vaughn, wrote in a previous blog post about how to navigate the new regulations, “On December 1, 2016, the federal annual salary threshold for white-collar employees exempt from overtime pay will increase to $47,476 from $23,660.”

In dealing with this from a consultative perspective, an interesting question came up with a client recently. Can you classify employees under the same job title and job description differently?

My gut response, was no. You classify positions, not people. In fact, our best practice job description template has at the top of it a field for classification in which the position is indicated as being exempt or non-exempt.

But upon further investigation, you in fact, can classify people under the same job description, differently, in relation to considering whether or not they meet the threshold for exempt status (in addition to considering the duties test related to the roles). Here are some reasons that may effect their pay and therefore warrant different classification:
1. Part-time versus full-time
2. Experience
3. Performance
But employers should proceed with caution. As Paul DeCamp, an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Reston, Virginia said in this SHRM article,“Because any differential in compensation details can seem unfair to employees and thus invite scrutiny and potentially a claim, such as for an equal employment violation, it is important that employers be consistent in how they draw any such lines and that there be a clear and well-thought-out business reason for any pay differences.”

Much of what I have read from various sources suggests distinguishing those who fall into different classifications based on pay in the form of levels as to minimize questions and scrutiny.

What is giving you the most heartburn over the new regulations?

You may also find beneficial: 5 Steps to Efficiently Navigate the New Department of Labor Overtime Regulations
November 22, 2016
4 Tips for Landing the Internship That Will Set You Up for Your Dream Career
Written by guest blogger: James Mitchell of Intern Solutions

In many cases, successful careers with great companies start with an internship. Internships are the best way to prove your value to the company through work ethic, determination, and demonstrations of your capability. Of course, getting an internship is not unlike securing a job. There is a process to follow that includes applying and interviewing, just like a permanent position.

Even if you decide the company isn’t right for you, the lessons you will learn by simply applying and interning will give you the skills you need to land the job of your dreams. Here are a few tips on getting the perfect internship:
1. Don’t Be Too Picky
Yes, an internship that is paid and in the exact department you want to work with would be ideal. Unfortunately, internships, particularly paid ones, are very competitive. Your goal is not to end up in your dream department with a salary just yet. Rather, you should be focusing on getting into the company, regardless of department or position.

Simply getting your foot in the door is a critical first step. Once you have entered the company on your internship, it will become much easier to move laterally into other departments when searching for permanent positions.
1. Always Follow-Up
Many companies will actually toss your resume if you do not take the time to follow up after applying or interviewing. It shows you are not too concerned about working for their company. After applying, follow up within the next day or two. If possible, do a little research and directly contact the person or people in charge of hiring interns. Tell them who you are, when you applied, what you applied for, and ask whether or not they need anything further from you.

If you land an interview, be sure to send a follow-up letter, including anything you may have forgotten to mention and thanking your interviewers for their time.
1. You Have Interview Homework
Before an interview, you should always do research on both the company and the internship. You want to display a basic understanding of the company and job so that you can answer questions like “Why do you want to work for this company?” Doing your research also makes you look more prepared and more invested in securing the position.
1. Never Bank on Just One Opportunity
The modern job market is competitive. There are many other dedicated and educated people who want good internships just like you. This is not to say you should give up on your top position, but you should never focus all effort on just one. Pick a few internships that will apply to your dream career or are involved with the company you want to work for. Maintain hope for that top pick but create a safety net on the off chance your priority falls through.

Getting an internship can seem overwhelming at first but after a few applications, you will quickly have the process down to a science. Do your research, prepare yourself, don’t be overly selective about which positions to apply for, and never take a chance on a single opportunity with just one company. Your dream job is out there; it just may take a little time to find it.

About the author:

I completed my first internship the summer after my freshman year of
college and continued to do so every summer after that. Being an intern
removed me from my college bubble, provided a good dose of reality, and
challenged my self-discipline. In fact, I learned so much from those
summers, I started a site dedicated to providing resources to interns,
employers, and educators called Intern Solutions.

James Mitchell

Image via Pixabay by trudi1
September 27, 2016
Paid Parental Leave

Did you see where Trump announced a plan for paid family leave? Smart move Mr. Trump. Love him or hate him you’ve got to give him credit, this was a smart political move to draw the female vote, especially given that his opponent might have a leg up on the female voter pool.

The day after this announcement, I got this information from a friend (who is in fact pregnant):

The gist is this:

“The United States is at a crossroads in its policies towards the family and gender equality. Currently America provides basic support for children, fathers, and mothers in the form of unpaid parental leave, child-related tax breaks, and limited public childcare. Alternatively, the United States’ OECD peers empower families through paid parental leave and comprehensive investments in infants and children. The potential gains from strengthening these policies are enormous. Paid parental leave and subsidized childcare help get and keep more women in the workforce, contribute to economic growth, offer cognitive and health benefits to children, and extend choice for parents in finding their preferred work-life strategy. Indeed, the United States has been falling behind the rest of the OECD in many social and economic indicators by not adequately investing in children, fathers and mothers.”

I want to nod my head, but then the libertarian in me kicks in, fighting my inner mom and focus on forward thinking practices in the workplace. Do I think it is a good idea to provide paid parental leave? I most certainly do. But is it the government’s job to mandate that employers provide it? That’s where I start to get squeamish about it.

Many of the most forward thinking companies in the nation already offer paid parental leave, or some version of it. And here’s why as you see from this article back from 2015 on why Amazon was just another that announced they would expand their leave policies:

Earlier this week, Amazon announced that it would expand its leave policy for new moms and extend the policy to dads for the first time. It’s just the latest tech company to do so, as Silicon Valley realizes the best way to attract top talent is to offer flexible work schedules and ever-flashier perks. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 75% of the workforce will be made up of millennials in just a decade, and employers are kowtowing to their work-life preferences; a recent survey by Ernst & Young found that “millennials around the world are more likely than other generations to cite paid parental leave as an important benefit.”

Employers do it because it is in their best interest to do so. If they want to attract the best talent and retain them, and then seek to create an environment where they can be as productive as they possibly can, they realize the need to provide flexibility during a time in life when it is needed. Short of people deciding they aren’t going to have babies anymore (and that ain’t going to happen), if you want to recruit and retain the best, it’s in your own self-interest to offer flexibility. The industries and jobs that don’t require a leg-up in talent are becoming fewer and farther between in the U.S. and across the globe.

So what if the government could find a way not to mandate something, but be a catalyst for showing employers that it is in their best self-interest to offer this and other quality of life benefits? Love to hear from you on how this might be done.

September 20, 2016
Millennials Don’t Feel Entitled to Your Job,They Want You to Help Them Chart Their Career

The generation of participation trophies, therefore, the generation of entitlement. Therefore, the group that thinks their degree, or maybe just the mere fact that they breathe, entitles them to the CEO seat 18 months in. You’ve heard it all. And if they don’t get that CEO seat, by the way, well they are also a generation of job hoppers.

But when you talk to most millennials (myself included), you’ll find that they don’t want or expect to have the top job 18 months in, but they may want it at some point in their life. And isn’t that a good thing? Goes against another stereotype of the generation- lazy.

They do, however, want you to help them know what it takes to get there. And before that, they want you to actually take an interest in what they want out of their career. They want you to be a career agent, a mentor, a people manager, which means giving them the assignments and experiences that will help them reach their dreams.

And guess what, this just isn’t true of millennials; it’s true of all generations. It just seems more pronounced with millennials because they have a longer career runway to plan for and manage.

Rajeev Behera, CEO of Reflektive, summarized this need for leaders to be career agents as a guest on HR Happy Hour 255- Modernizing Performance Management. One of the hosts, Trish McFarlane, asked Rajeev, “What does a good people manager look like?” Click through to about 11 minutes into the podcast if you want to hear what he had to say, but the gist of it is this:

“What I think is the difference between a team leader and a real people manager is the people manager actually knows what an employee wants to do in their career and coaches them to become, to get to that point in their career. So career development and helping out on skills and giving projects to them so they can improve on those skills to get them to where they want to be is what a great people manager does…The ones that you remember and that made a real imprint on you are the ones that spent the time with you.”

Rajeev points to what makes a good manager. Really he is pointing to what distinguishes a manager from a leader. This obviously matters because it makes a “real imprint” on people.

But does is matter in terms of business results?

Take what Google found through their googlegeist survey given to employees (check out Work Rules for the details on this). The best managers did 5 to 18 percent better on a dozen of their employee survey “googlegeist” dimensions when compared to those that were the worst. The top things that made those managers significantly better dealt with career: “Career decisions were made fairly” and “Their personal career objectives could be met”, and their manager was a “helpful advocate and counselor.”

So if you feel threatened that a millennial or anyone else for that matter is gunning for your job without deserving it, be a good boss and coach them on how to get there. But first, ask them what it is they actually want out of their career. Besides the fact that this is just the right thing to do, it makes you more valuable too. Go make more leaders.

Like this post? You may also like:

Millennials at Work: Five Stereotypes- and Why They are (Mostly) Wrong

Myths About Millennials: Tips for Managers about Retaining Millennials

And if you’re in North Alabama on September 13 or 14, or in Memphis, Tennessee, September 15, come learn how to be a career agent:

September 13- NASHRM Workshop

September 14- TVC-SHRM Luncheon

September 15- Tennessee SHRM Conference

September 6, 2016