DJHP /Leaders Yes, it's just 2016. But is your company ready and planning for what's rapidly coming? How many of us can honestly say our work is fun? Interesting, sure. Challenging, sometimes. Frustrating? More often than we’d like to admit. But fun, well, that can be a rarity — or it used to be, at least. More and more companies are looking for innovative ways to make “fun” part of the corporate culture, and it has a little something to do with what’s being called the 2020 workforce. By 2020, an estimated 86 million millennialswill be part of the workforce. That’s 40 percent of the total working population. And of this workforce, 88 percent want their employers to provide the means for work-life integration. Not to be confused with work-life balance, of course. With work-life integration, employees blend the personal and professional to succeed in both realms. They check business emails at home while hitting up Instagram or Pinterest at work. It’s almost as if the division between the two worlds no longer exists. To ensure your company attracts (and retains) the best and brightest of the 2020 workforce, I’d recommend making some distinct changes straightaway, including: Lead with your values. Roughly 64 percent of millennials are in the business of good will. Start looking at your corporate values and emphasize community stewardship if you want to attract the attention of young hires. Once your core values are in place, identify initiatives that align with them and develop outreach programs [...]

DJHP /Careers Not too long ago, my brother had his first child. We’re close and talk regularly. But since the birth of his child, the conversations have changed a bit, and there’s definitely a trending topic: working while raising a baby. All the things that were so easy before have suddenly become really, really hard. Even finding time to go the grocery store, filling up his car’s gas tank, or grabbing a bite to eat seems like big events. So, me not completely understanding the situation, I asked others for their opinions, and who better to ask than my parents? I talked to my mom about how I couldn’t imagine working and having a child. Finding a balance between my personal and professional life is already difficult. To throw a child in the mix, I’d be lost. Though difficult, she reassured me that it could be done. Naturally, I take the idea one step further. What happens if you’re a single parent? How in the world do you find the time to support a family and do everything you need to do to raise a child? One of my clients is in this exact situation. She’s a Super Woman! But hey, even Super Women need assistance sometimes, right? I’ve been helping her teenage kids get ready for the next steps in their lives. One is a senior in high school and starting the college application process. The other is only a sophomore, so there’s a little time. But we’re teaching [...]

DJHP /Leaders Culture does more for a company than provide employees a great place to work. It can set you on the track for long-term success. When you actively develop your culture based on a clear set of values, beliefs, principles, and expectations, you’re essentially establishing a personality for your business, and that personality helps to differentiate you in a number of different ways: Supports recruitment efforts. Developing and cultivating a company culture has two main advantages for your recruitment efforts. The first relates to your company. When taking the time to define the unique characteristics of your company, like vision, values, purpose, and guiding principles, it’s much easier to identify the right candidates. You know who fits and who doesn’t. The second advantage is all about the talent. A clearly defined culture can be used as a recruitment tool. It’s a benefit of working for your organization. If part of your culture involves community outreach, which I’d recommend, you’ll attract that young, socially connected, and well-educated talent who want to commit to a bigger cause. With them comes a fresh energy, new ideas, and a desire to innovate. Improves retention rates. Companies with rich organizational cultures are more likely to experience turnover rates of just 13.9 percent, while those with not-so-rich cultures can often expect a turnover of 48.4 percent. Why the huge difference? Culture influences the happiness of your staff. Investing in your culture is like investing in your employees. You’re telling staff exactly what your company stands [...]

DJHP / Leaders Today’s workforce looks a lot different than it did even two years ago. Between 2013 and 2015, the number of Millennials in the workplace surpassed that of both Gen Xers and Boomers. We’re now looking at nearly 54 million Gen Yers employed in the U.S. That’s more than one-in-three workers. With this change comes a shift in priorities. No longer is job security, compensation, or time off the most important reasons to take a job. It’s culture, and for many companies, culture is their greatest challenge. Today's employees want to work for an employer that has a clear vision of its values. They want to know that their work has meaning — and if not the work itself, then that the company is doing something greater to benefit the community at large. In other words, your company culture is more important than it ever was before. To attract, retain, and engage today’s workforce, you need to develop a strong culture. And this often starts by asking yourself, “ What do my employees value in their jobs?” But don’t just look to Millennials. You need to be inclusive with your culture, so take stock in what all those non-Millennials value in their jobs, too. When actively developing your culture, I suggest you consider the following: 1. Seamlessness. Work and life are seamless for the younger generations. Seamlessness often means finding ways to add more flexibility into the work environment. Consider instituting flexible work hours or providing the option [...]