Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Beyond Work

Beyond Work is our line of resources for people and community leaders looking for something new and innovative outside, be it a new job, career change, or personal development outside of work.

  • Grown men in tank tops usually aren’t my jam, but… can they teach us something about leading?

    Grown men in tank tops usually aren’t my jam, but… can they teach us something about leading?

    Grown men in tank tops usually aren’t my jam.

    So when Pat McAfee made his appearance on Gameday this year to replace a former Georgia football player that looked really good in a suit (more my jam), I was like what the heck? 

    I watched him for a minute, determined he was there to sensationalize, pull in a different type of audience, and create some new dynamic I wasn’t into. I thought I’d lost a little bit of respect for the Saturday morning football institution, even if Corso is still there picking his favorite team, glorified mascot head and all. 

    But my husband keeps showing me clips of McAfee’s show.  (To note, tank tops aren’t my husband’s jam either.  He’s even more buttoned up than I am when it comes to stuff like that.) 

    “You’ve got to watch this,” he’s said at least three times to me in the past two weeks. Usually when he says this, it is because he’s watched it and he knows I am going to take some organizational psychology/leadership lessons from it and run with it. 

    As I’ve watched, the popular host isn’t really sensationalizing anything- unless you take into account his frequent foul language- which is also, you guessed it, not my jam.  He’s teaching leadership and organizational psychology 101.  Lessons I try to teach myself and others each day.  Like: 

    • “Take care of your people.” Pay people what they are worth. You trying to short change everyone around you only leads to you short changing yourself. 
    • Stand up for what you believe in and don’t back down when people criticize you for it.  Ignore the outside “noise” both the good and the bad. 
    • “Humility drives you to success.” 
    • You have to customize your leadership to the people you are leading. 
    • Humor helps.  Deploy it often. 
    • Surround yourself with the GOATs of the world and listen to them. Learn from them. As I’ve watched and not just listened to the show, you see how attuned McAfee is to listening to his guests. He’s not silently interrupting- trying to think about what he is going to say next while someone else is talking- and he’s not literally interrupting either. He’s sitting there with his ears and mind on and he’s soaking it all in. 

    If you want to listen to the episodes that my husband keeps putting in front of me, here is the two most recent examples: 

    Pat McAfee Responds To Report He pays Aaron Rodgers “Millions” for Weekly Interviews

    Coach Saban Talks Punishment vs Discipline, How He Motivates His Team

    Thanks to my husband and Pat McAfee, I’m learning that it’s not wise to judge a book by its cover.  Leadership 101. 

  • How to Get Millions Back in the Workforce

    How to Get Millions Back in the Workforce

    During the pandemic, it was estimated that between two and three million women left the workforce. While there are signs that women are returning towards pre-pandemic levels, there are still a variety of sectors, especially care workers, that have not recovered and signs don’t point to an optimistic outcome. 

    Why? 

    Women are largely those that leave the workforce to provide care for children and or the elderly. Providing care makes it difficult for women to work, especially in more traditional sectors where workers must be present and work hours that don’t align with school and care options. This is especially true for single mothers. 

    What should be done? There are many thoughtful people across the country that are working on this issue.  As you think about how your company and or community can support labor participation among women by tackling caregiving needs, here are some things to think about: 

    1. What is it that workers actually need and want when it comes to childcare?  In order to address caregiving, we must address quality and quantity and respond to what workers want and need when it comes to childcare.  For example, the West Alabama area has realized that blue collar workers want their childcare close to where they live, not close to where they work.  Whereas one solution would be for large manufacturing companies to build onsite childcare facilities, this would neglect to understand what the population they employ needs and prefers.  So they have launched an initiative to increase in-home daycares in their community.  You can learn more about their program in this Family or Group Childcare Homes Workbook.

    In addition, employers across the state are looking into options like Tootris to provide a customized approach to childcare instead of a one size fits all approach (and most likely saving millions by outsourcing the access to childcare).  In this model, Tootris helps families find childcare that meets their needs through an online network and then the employer provides a financial subsidy to the employee through Tootris to help pay for that childcare. 

    Finally, we also need to consider what people need when it comes to carrying not only for children, but also for aging and/or disabled loved ones.  Often, this is largely left out of the discussion when seeking to address the labor participation issue. 

    1. It is an affordability issue.  Systems like Tootris provide a means for employers to help offset the cost of childcare.  And to be sure, quality child care is expensive.  My youngest child just transitioned from a high-quality childcare program to a public school Pre-K and what we paid for that childcare now almost pays the mortgage on our home each month.  

    Some states are getting involved to try to figure out how public-private partnerships can make an impact on labor participation through subsidizing the cost of childcare. The state of Indiana proposed splitting the cost of childcare in thirds-  employers paying one third, employees paying one third and the state paying one third.  Although this legislation has not passed in Indiana, the research behind it showed that the state would more than offset the cost through increased payroll taxes being collected by those that were able to return or enter the workforce because their childcare needs were now met. 

    1. We need to examine what it means to work and when and how we structure education with working parents in mind.  I mentioned that my youngest child transitioned into a public school Pre-K.  While this is saving us over $800 a month, he now has to be picked up by 2:15 pm each day.  Given he is in Pre-K, he is too young to go to the school’s extended day program. My husband and I are fortunate to have flexibility when it comes to working hours and we have retired grandparents available around the corner from the school we can call on when needed. My issues, to be sure, come from a place of unique privilege.  But when we think about childcare, we have to stop and realize that school days and work days don’t often align when it comes to hours and schedules.  My school aged children are out of school now for fall break- five days- and will be out of school a total of seven days before December (not counting Christmas Break).  People working in traditional fields do not have access to seven days off in less than a two month period. 

    I don’t have the solutions for this issue, but we need to be talking about it.  Employers need to consider what it actually means to get quality work done, and oftentimes we are too rigid on when and how this takes place.  Communities and school systems need to work with employers to consider the demands placed on working parents when every time you turn around, kids are out of school and the hours in which they go to school aren’t consistent with a traditional work day.  Our workplaces would be better off and our schools would too because families would be better supported. 

    What are you seeing that is helping to address labor participation due to caregiving issues?

  • The Evaporation of Male Labor Force Participation

    The Evaporation of Male Labor Force Participation

    Here at The Point Blog, we have been writing a series. Last month, I gave an overview of What’s Affecting the Labor Force Participation Rate? Lorrie followed that up with When Working Costs too Much concerning the benefits cliff and Taylor took a closer look at Baby Boomers Retiring-How do we fill their shoes? This week, I am going to take a deeper dive into some of the reasons that males (age 25-54) are evaporating from Labor Force Participation and some possible solutions for our future workforce.

    The Labor Force Participation Rate is defined as those who are actively looking for or seeking work. According to Male Labor Force Participation: Patterns and Trends there are multiple reasons that males of prime age aren’t seeking employment. Among those reasons are a shift in U.S. industry structure, a decline in male educational attainment, delayed family formation, the rise of substance abuse, and heavy use of video games.

    How can we address the deficit and encourage male workers to get back into the workforce? Read what the Demographic Drought research has to say about solutions to our workforce future.

    1. Recruit beyond traditional demographics-HR directors will need to look into recruiting people that normally would have been overlooked as candidates to fill vacant positions.
    2. Reskilling, upskilling, and alignment-Companies can’t assume they’ll be able to find the right talent. Instead, they must build that talent base for themselves. By working with higher ed to build programs that meet the needs of the job market, offering upskilling or reskilling opportunities to current employees, and providing on-the-job training for new recruits, businesses can close or at least narrow their talent gaps.
    3. Retain students and employees-Colleges and universities must focus on retention, not just enrollment. Similarly, businesses must focus on retaining current employees, not just hiring. 

    In conclusion, we need to value people more. At Horizon Point, we offer a two-day intensive workshop uniquely designed to help business and community leaders examine workplaces of the past and present and explore high-impact solutions for creating workplaces and a workforce for the future. Learn more about our Illuminate content, here.

  • Baby Boomers are Retiring – How do we fill their shoes?

    Baby Boomers are Retiring – How do we fill their shoes?

    This month, we’ve been talking about What’s Impacting the Labor Force Participation Rate.  Last week, Lorrie shared how the Benefits Cliff impacted the participation in When Working Costs Too Much. Another significant factor in this equation is Baby Boomers exiting the workforce. Let’s dive a little deeper.

    Baby Boomers account for 1 in 4 American workers. As they are exiting in droves, their absence will lead to an even wider workforce gap as companies will need to fill positions made available after the Boomers retire. Check out this article from The Washington Post to learn more: The boomers are retiring. See why that’s bad news for workers.

    Who will fill the gap? Here are 3 possible solutions:

    1. Mentorship –  Baby Boomers have a wealth of knowledge to pass along. One promising option to help with the transition is the creation of a baby boomer knowledge transfer and replacement program that focuses on senior employees transferring their knowledge before they retire.
    2. Remote workers – If given the opportunity, Baby Boomers as well as other generations who are willing to work remotely, possibly part-time, may also be a solution in some industries.
    3. Immigrant workers – Foreign workers are already filling the gap in STEM fields. According to 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. workforce increased to 28.2 million foreign-born workers. There are several other fields where immigrant workers can help fill the gap.

    Stay tuned for more solutions to the Labor Participation Rate issue!

  • When Working Costs too Much

    When Working Costs too Much

    Last week, Emily gave an overview of What’s Impacting the Labor Force Participation Rate. This week I’m going to take a deeper dive into one of the areas she touched on; the benefits cliff.

    When analyzing the labor participation rate, you have to look at the poverty rate and public assistance participation rate. 

    The current poverty rate in Alabama is 14.9%, which’s places us #7 in the nation for highest poverty rate. Given the high poverty rate, it’s important to look at the living wage and average wage rates paid. A living wage varies based on circumstances. For example, a living wage for one person with no partner and no children is going to be lower than it is for someone with a partner and children. Is your organization paying a living wage? 

    Alabama ranks among the worst when it comes to the percentage of residents receiving public assistance. Approximately 15% of Alabama residents receive SNAP benefits and 20% receive Medicaid or CHIP. 

    So what does this mean for the labor participation rate?

    To enter the workforce and to advance in the workforce, many employees have to consider the impact wages and pay raises will have on their overall finances, and if there will be a negative impact. The chart below is an example of what the benefits cliff really looks like. (Data based on a Tennessee workforce study 2022)

    The termination of each benefit creates a “cliff” for the employee at which an increase in wages creates a decrease in total income due to the loss of assistance dollars. Therefore, it may be more financially beneficial for the employee to terminate employment and find a lower paying job in order to keep their state benefits or to exit the workforce altogether. 

    In recent years, I’ve had multiple clients come to me for advice because they had employees who asked not to receive their pay raise because doing so would mean they lose their state benefits, and losing those benefits would mean that they actually have less income coming in. Some states are moving, or considering moving, to a gradual reduction in benefits versus an immediate loss. 

    What can employers do to positively impact the labor participation rate for those who are impacted by poverty and the benefits cliff?

    1. Analyze your wages, looking not only at market data, but also the living wage for your region. Then keep your compensation plan up to date, adjusting regularly for cost of living. 
    2. Consider what resources you can provide that may not be wages, but may mean more money in the employee’s pocket. This could include things such as childcare assistance, flexible spending or dependent care plans, or even establishing a food pantry.
    3. Understand how state assistance benefits work, what the income cutoff for each benefit is, and how this may impact employees. 
    4. Develop training programs to support employees increasing their skills to advance to higher level positions that would increase their income beyond the need for assistance. 

    What steps has your organization taken to address the benefits cliff?