Next Going PRO Training Grant Application Period Opens October 1: Many of ASE’s members take advantage of the Going PRO Talent Fund each year. This is state grant money available to employers for employee training. In addition to skill-based training, this grant money can be used for some of ASE’s most popular supervisory and leadership courses. Under the Going PRO grant program, employers can get up to $2000 per employee to use for training. The next cycle’s application period starts October 1st and closes October 18th. To apply, work with your local Michigan Works office in your county. It is free to apply. ASE is hosting a complimentary informational webinar September 25, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. Register here. Visit the ASE Going PRO Talent Fund webpage for more information.
Be flexible when scheduling single parent interviews: 44% of single parents in the U.S. have had to turn down job interviews because companies were inflexible about scheduling times, according to the results of a recent survey by Careerminds, an outplacement and career development firm. When they’ve had to give up an interview, only 34% were offered an alternative, per the survey. Of the 3,000 single parents surveyed in August, 68% identified childcare as the biggest barrier to attending interviews, while 16% said school pickups and after-school activities were the main challenges. 42% of single parents said they never thought they needed to hide their status during the interview process, but 48% said they always, often, or sometimes felt pressure to keep their status a secret, the survey found. This situation leads to diversity win opportunities to assist flexibility for the single parent and not dismiss them when they issues arise. It also shows that the employer is caring and supports their employees – a real positive in today’s employment world. Source: HR Dive 8/21/24
Underperformance causing layoffs: One year after they cited over hiring as the primary cause of layoffs, some 30% of HR leaders, in a new report, blame underperformance for cutbacks—placing it in a tie with over hiring as the number one factor. Restructuring and incompatible skill sets closely follow, according to data from LHH, but the focus on performance has surprised many experts. They say it may reflect corporate leaders’ views of both employees and remote work since the pandemic ended. So far, the tech industry alone has already laid off almost 125,000 workers this year, according to Layoffs.fyi. And surveys indicate that there’s more to come: Three-quarters of organizations are undertaking or considering 2024 layoffs. But firms rarely talk about the issue of performance as a motivating factor. “Out of respect, you don’t want people leaving with the messaging that they’re the worst performers,” says organizational strategist Maria Amato, senior client partner at Korn Ferry. There is a caveat: Decades of research suggests that women and people of color consistently receive lower performance ratings. “If managers are deciding layoffs off of performance ratings, they’re going to reinforce inequities,” says Andrés Tapia, global diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist at Korn Ferry. Source: Korn Ferry 8/22/24
As expected, benefits are important for retention and hiring decisions: More than two-thirds of employees said that health care benefits are second only to salary when considering a job offer, and 78% said they would find a new job if their benefits package was inadequate, according to recent research from Intuit QuickBooks and Allstate Health Solutions. The 2024 Intuit QuickBooks Allstate Health Solutions Benefit Survey noted that the survey results emphasize the important role health care benefits play when it comes to an employer’s ability to retain and hire employees. The survey found that 23% of employees surveyed across small and large companies said they struggle to afford their employer-provided benefits, and most workers (62% at smaller and 66% at larger companies) think their monthly contributions are too high. However, the vast majority of employees are satisfied with their companies’ benefits (81% at small companies, 83% at larger ones). Most workers (68% at small companies, 64% at large) find the plans offered are better than they expected for a company of that size. Source: Intuit
When do you plan to retire? According to a survey by Equitable, nearly half of consumers (47%) polled believe it is unrealistic for them to retire before or at the traditional retirement age of 65. Instead, the survey results show they expect to retire nearly a decade later, at an average age of 74. This is despite only 18% of workers saying that they want to continue working beyond 65. The top three obstacles cited to retiring “on time” were increasing living expenses (68%), fear of not having enough money saved (66%) and a lack of guaranteed income for retirement (39%). If given the choice, Equitable’s survey shows, 64% of consumers would prefer a consistent and guaranteed paycheck in retirement rather than having to determine how much to withdraw from retirement accounts to make their money last throughout their lifetime. This sentiment was generally consistent across all age groups, with millennials expressing the most interest at 70%, followed by Gen X (65%), Gen Z (62%) and baby boomers (59%). Equitable’s survey further reveals that 57% of Americans view the current economic conditions as highly volatile — reinforcing the need for strategies that offer some protection for their investments, in addition to a steady stream of income. Source: ALM Think Advisor 8/16/24
China is raising the retirement age: China has for years had one of the lowest retirement ages among major economies. Men started life’s next chapter at age 60, while women did so as early as 50. But now, China’s next generation will have to work for longer. To address looming pension-system shortfalls and economic strains, Beijing on Friday moved to gradually raise the statutory retirement age to 63 for men and 55 for blue-collar women. The retirement age for other women will increase to 58 from 55. The increases will be gradually implemented over 15 years and affect most working people in China. China is one of many big economies trying to shore up pension systems and maintain economic productivity as people live longer and have fewer children. What makes China different is its exceptionally low retirement age, which even after the overhaul will still be lower than the U.S. and Western European norm of 67. China’s demographic challenges were also heightened by its decades long one-child policy, which was scrapped in 2016. Chinese authorities must also be cautious about how the new retirement age might affect high youth-unemployment rates, which hit 17.1% in July. Source: The Wall Street Journal 9/13/24
Team building gone awry: A worker on an office hiking retreat to a national forest in Colorado had to be rescued after 14 of his colleagues allegedly left him stranded on a 14,230-foot mountain, authorities said. "In what might cause some awkward encounters at the office in the coming days and weeks, one member of their party was left to complete his final summit push alone," Chaffee County, Colorado, Search and Rescue said in a statement. The team-building expedition gone wrong unfolded on Mt. Shavano in central Colorado's San Isabel National Forest, according to search-and-rescue officials. While 14 employees made it down the mountain safely, rescue officials said one was left to complete the summit push alone. The lone employee made it to the summit at 11:30 a.m., but when he tried to descend, "he became disoriented," according to rescue officials. The man, whose name and company were not released, used his cellphone to pin-drop his location to his co-workers, who informed him that he was on the wrong route and instructed him to hike back up to the summit to get to the correct trail down, officials said. When his colleagues didn't hear from him, they reported him missing to Chaffee County Search and Rescue at 9 p.m., some eight-and-a-half hours after he started his descent, officials said. Eventually the employee was found safe. Source: GMA 8/28/24