A challenge facing all of us: education

I’m a little late getting to this story. But it’s one that raises some issues that everyone should be concerned about. Bob Herbert’s column in The New York Times (April 22) — “Clueless in America” — is about as good as it gets when looking at the problems facing our nation unless we improve how we educate current and future generations.

Herbert looks at the alarmingly high number of young people who drop out of school. As reported by the America’s Promise Alliance, an American teenager drops out of school every 26 seconds. And this issue of workforce readiness is one that Corporate Voices for Working Families focuses on.

Herbert writes:

Roughly a third of all American high school students drop out. Another third graduate but are not prepared for the next stage of life — either productive work or some form of post-secondary education.

And then he makes a point that extends this problem way beyond the workforce, embracing the very nature of our democracy.

These and so many other issues of crucial national importance require an educated populace if they are going to be dealt with effectively. At the moment we are not even coming close to equipping the population with the intellectual tools that are needed.

Clueless? Let’s hope not.

by Rob Jewell

Will aging boomers deplete the workforce?

Are companies doing enough — or anything at all — to retain the baby boomers who are beginning to move en masse toward retirement?

That’s the subject of an article in The New York Times, “A Longer Goodbye: Shorter Hours, Lighter Duties and Other Perks Entice Older Workers to Stay on the Job.”

The answer to the question: yes and no.

Three Corporate Voices partner companies, CVS, IBM and Hewlett-Packard, are featured in the article for their programs and activities designed to retain — and continue to benefit from the skills and expertise of — older workers through flexible work strategies and other arrangements.

Yet despite these positive examples, the article mentions that “programs to hold onto older workers are far from ubiquitous.” The article points to a recent study conducted by Ernst & Young:

“The accounting firm Ernst & Young recently asked 150 large companies how they were handling the graying workforce. The norm was benign neglect.”

Those comments mirror the results of a survey conducted in October 2006 by Corporate Voices for Working Families, WorldatWork and Buck Consultants. The primary objective of this survey was to assess the overall degree to which respondents considered the pending retirement of baby boomer employees, and reduced employee available in succeeding generations, to be a significant issue.

Here are some highlights from the study, The Real Talent Debate: Will Aging Boomers Deplete the Workforce?

• Only 42 percent of employers believe that the aging workforce issue is significant, while 29 percent believe the issue has little or no significance.
• More than 80 percent of respondents, regardless of industry, have not surveyed their mature workers to determine future work preferences or intentions.
• The greatest potential risk identified with the exodus of mature workers is the corresponding departure of senior leadership, followed by middle management and technical talent and knowledge workers.

This is a significant issue relating to workforce readiness and working families.

Have an example of how your company is managing this issue effectively and creatively? We would welcome knowing about it and sharing the information with others.

by Rob Jewell

Worlds most innovative companies

BusinessWeek has released its 50 Most Innovative Companies list.  Included in the list are some Corporate Voice partner companies.  Congratulations to:

1. IBM
2. Hewlett Packard
3. Goldman Sachs
4. Bank of America

Companies that made the list have cultures that promote innovation and creativity, even in hard economic times.  With the downturn in the economy, many companies are unwilling to take the risks associated with developing new products.  Research and Development budgets are often the first to be cut.  This is not the case for the 50 companies on the list.

Business week has some very interesting interactive case studies.  One such case study features IBM. The case looks at how IBM has worked to “refocus the company’s R&D without alienating scientists.”

By Susan Holbrook

AT&T and high school dropouts

An article in The New York Times today says AT&T is going to announce a $100 million gift aimed at addressing two huge problems: the alarming number of high school dropouts and the skills of our nation’s work force.

The AT&T action follows closely the recent announcement by America’s Promise Alliance that indicates that about one-third of American high school students leave school before graduating. According to the article in The Times, that’s about 1.2 million young people.

AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson told a business group in late March that the company was having a hard time finding enough qualified employees to fill 5,000 customer service jobs that it plans to bring back to the United States from India. Many companies are facing similar workforce readiness issues.

A comprehensive report — Are They Really Ready To Work — is available on the Corporate Voices for Working Families Web site.

by Rob Jewell

FMLA 15 years old

Today I attended the “15th Anniversary of Family Medical Leave Act: Achievements and Next Steps” hearing on Capitol Hill. The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held the hearing.

The subcommittee is chaired by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA-06) and ranking member Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC-02). Other members in attendance were:

1. Donald Payne (D-NJ-10)
2. Timothy Bishop (D-NY-01)
3. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH-01)
4. Phil Hare (D-IL-17)
5. John Kline (R-MN-02)
6. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA-25)

A distinguished panel of experts testified on the history, implementation and future of FMLA. The first person to testify was the Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards Victoria Lipnic. Victoria’s testimony focused on the DOL’s experience at administering FMLA and the recently published Notice of Proposed Rule Making on FMLA. Victoria said:

Fifteen years ago, Congress recognized that maintaining a careful balance between the legitimate rights of employees and employers in the workplace was the key to making the FMLA a success. Today, after 15 years of experience in administering and enforcing the FMLA, the Department is pleased to report that the FMLA is generally working well in the majority of cases and has succeeded in allowing working men and women to better balance family needs and work responsibilities

Next to testify was the Honorable Pat Schroeder (the “Mother of FMLA”), former Congresswoman from Colorado. Pat’s testimony focused on the history of the passage of FMLA. One interesting quote from Pat was:

It took nine months to deliver each of my children and nine years to deliver FMLA!”

Next up to the plate was new mother Chante Lasco. Chante testified about her experiences being a County Prosecutor and having to take FMLA for the birth of her new child Cooper (who was there to see his mom testify and very adorable). Chante had to use a combinations of paid and unpaid time off for her maternity leave.

Next witness was Jennifer Hunt a flight attendant representing the Association of Flight Attendants. Jennifer testified about how FMLA was supposed to apply to flight attendants, but in practice it does not apply. Jennifer told the subcommittee:

I and thousands of other full time, working flight attendants in this country have unfortunately been unable to take full advantage of this benefit. This problem arises out of the fact that our pay hours are calculated in a very unique way for airline flight crews – flight attendants and pilots – than are those in other industries. Our unique situation demonstrates that one size does not fit all.

Next up was Brenda Cossette who testified on behalf of the Society for Human Resource Management. Brenda has over 25 years experience as an HR manager and is currently undergoing treatments for breast cancer. She testified about her own experiences using and administrating FMLA. Overall, she believed that FMLA has been an overwhelmingly positive program, but did believe there were a few problems in the administration of FMLA. She said:

HR professionals have two primary concerns with the Act’s regulations: the definitions of “serious health condition” and “intermittent leave.” For example, with regard to the definition of serious health condition, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a statement in April 1995 advising that conditions such as the common cold, the flu, and non-migraine headaches are not serious health conditions. The following year, however, the DOL issued a statement saying that each of these conditions could be considered a “serious health condition.” Practically any ailment lasting three calendar days and including a doctor’s visit, now qualifies as a serious medical condition (due to DOL regulations and opinion letters).

Last, to testify was Debra Ness the President of the National Partnership for Women. Debra testified about how she believes FMLA is working well, but should be expanded to include paid leave. Debra said:

I am especially pleased to be here today because this year marks the 15th anniversary of the FMLA. Its passage was a watershed moment for government support of working families in the United States. The law guarantees eligible workers up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave each year to care for immediate family members or to address serious personal health concerns. By making job-protected leave available to all eligible workers, and requiring that health insurance continue through the leave, the law has enabled both women and men to meet their responsibilities for their families without sacrificing their jobs and long-term economic stability.

By Susan Holbrook

Deloitte ethics and workplace survey

Deloitte, one of our partner companies, has released its 2008 Ethics & Workplace survey. And one key finding: transparency and openness by leadership lead to a more productive and engaging workplace.

Here’s part of the announcement about the survey results:

Transparency in the workplace, as described by an open and honest communication channel between employees and leadership regarding work-life issues, has a significant positive impact on workplace culture overall.

While continuing to make the transition to Corporate Voices, one of the courses I teach at Kent State University is Ethics and Issues in Mass Communication. We talk a lot about transparency and about communicating openly and honestly. That applies to the news media. It also applies to organizations. It’s interesting to me to see that Deloitte is looking at these issues from the standpoint of management — and how to create and maintain a work environment that meets the needs of both employees and the organization.

Here’s another part of the announcement:

“Today’s workforce demands a more ‘customized’ career path and a tremendous amount of flexibility,” said Sharon L. Allen, Chairman of the Board, Deloitte LLP. “One size fits all no longer attracts or retains the best talent. By promoting open and honest communications across organizations and setting the tone at the top, our survey tells us that the workforce of today can be motivated in different ways. This is increasingly critical to retaining talent and preserving the health of today’s organization.”

Honest and open communications. Those really are keys to engaging employees — and to the success of an organization.

by Rob Jewell

March madness and graduation rates

OK. By now most everyone knows that Kansas is the NCAA basketball champ. Certainly an exciting game that produced many interesting stories.

Here’s a story not directly connected to the tournament, but one that is interesting and important nonetheless. It concerns graduation rates of African-American athletes and students in general. And the numbers follow the release of information last week by America’s Promise Alliance that show that only 53 percent of African-American students in this country complete high school.

Ted Mitchell and Jonathan Schorr wrote in the Washington Post Sunday that “in addition to all the fast-paced excitement it brings, March Madness shines a light on one of the most troubling aspects of college sports: graduation rates of African American students, who make up most of the Division 1 athletic teams. But while the players’ high dropout rate gets much of the attention, non-athletes fare even worse.”

Mitchell and Schorr write:

A study of NCAA schools released last month by the University of Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport found that 53 percent of African American basketball players finish college — compared with a dismal 37 percent for black students overall at those schools.

But here is the key point in the article — concerning those who even make it to college:

The larger truth is that graduation is the last stop for an academic train whose passengers mostly disembark at earlier stations.

Corporate Voices for Working Families is a partner with America’s Promise Alliance – and this overall issue of workforce readiness is one of our continuing top priorities.

by Rob Jewell

America’s Promise Alliance: Focusing on a national crisis

America’s Promise Alliance released a study yesterday that finds that only about half of all students served by the main school systems in the nation’s 50 largest states graduate from high school.

I had the opportunity to attend the event. And it was exciting – with the room jammed with television and print reporters and with leaders from the public and private sectors. 

Alma J. Powell and General Colin Powell made the announcement and discussed details of the study. Here’s one part:

“When more than one million students a year drop out of high school, it’s more than a problem, it’s a catastrophe. Our economic and national security are at risk when we fail to educate the leaders and the workforce of the future,” said General Powell “It’s time for a national ‘call to arms,’ because we cannot afford to let nearly one-third of our kids fail.”

Corporate Voices for Working Families is an alliance partner – and this overall issue of workforce readiness is one of our continuing top priorities.  We share the concerns of General Powell and many others who recognize that this is a compelling national problem, one that affects the ability of our business community to compete and one that has the potential to substantially reduce the quality of life for our children and theirs. 

But it is also a problem with solutions, if we can harness the skills, resources and vision of all the stakeholders – parents, business leaders, educators, community leaders, policy makers, and young people themselves.

And it is right and necessary to keep the national spotlight on this issue – and that should be applauded. Yet at the same time we need to work with the business community to create real opportunities and pathways to employment.

For instance, at the announcement yesterday, Ed Rust from State Farm challenged the business community to get involved and recognize that “awareness is not enough.” Corporate Voices looks forward to working with State Farm and others throughout the business community to move this discussion beyond awareness and into sustainable opportunity for this population of youth to succeed.

by Tiffany Westover-Kernan

 

Just released: guide for making work ‘work’

Ellen Galinsky just sent us a note and a copy of the 2008 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work!

Here’s a brief description:

“Featuring the latest winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility, the Guide details the latest and most innovative trends in workplace practices, based in large part on employees’ ratings.”

More detailed information is contained in a news release that was distributed this morning. And be sure to grab a copy of USA Today Wednesday morning. The newspaper will feature an advertisement congratulating all of the winners of the Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.

by Rob Jewell

When will I receive my economic stimulus check?

As you may remember from my earlier post, President Bush signed an Economic Stimulus package into law earlier this year. Many people have asked when they can expect to receive their check. The IRS will be issuing checks based on the last two digits of the main filers social security number. If you use direct deposit checks will start being deposited May 2, 2008. If you selected paper checks they will start being mailed May 16, 2008. For more information on when you will receive your stimulus check please visit the IRS website. Please pass this information on to your employees.

Please remember the key to receiving your Economic Stimulus check is to file your 2007 Federal Income Tax. Even if you are not normally required to file a federal income tax return, you must file to receive your check.

If you would like to calculate the amount of your payment the IRS has created an online calculator to help you with the process.

By Susan Holbrook