Why do you do what you do?

Here's another TED video. In this one, Dan Pink discusses intrinsic motivation and its value in future workplaces.

Dan argues that intrinsic motivation is made up of "autonomy, mastery, and purpose." He also says that this form of motivation will be necessary as work moves from simple and repetitive tasks to complex and creative thinking tasks (knowledge/information economies). According to behavioral psychology research he references, traditional incentives such as bonuses are not effective for jobs of the near future.

Last month, I saw a job posting for an employment specialist that advertised $50.00 bonuses per placement as part of the compensation. According to Dan's talk, it should be better to build the bonuses into the salary and offer a higher base pay. Job placements require so many different factors to come together that it's hard to feel a direct connection between placing a job seeker and receiving an extra $50.00 weeks after the job begins. Also, placing someone already feels rewarding; the emotional experience can outshine the monetary reward.

See this post for another view on intrinsic motivation. It identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as factors for intrinsic motivation...2 out of 3 factors in agreement (autonomy, competence/mastery).

The employment specialist world of tomorrow, expanded

Michele Martin presented a workshop on Using Free Internet Technologies to Support Customer Job Searches and Provide High Quality Services at this year's Garden State Employment and Training Association Conference (GSETA). It's a great how-to for following through with using social media and other web tools for workforce development services. Check the conference wiki for the handouts to the other workshops as well.

Here is the outstanding GSETA blog.

Fate or free will?

As the workforce shrinks, it's interesting to see the difference between the media reports of mass layoffs and the actual ways that individuals are losing their jobs. Job seekers can easily interpret the poor economy and continuing layoffs as signs that no one is hiring, but job openings happen every day as new positions are created or as workers in critical positions leave or get fired. Here's a list of how jobseekers I work with have left their employers in the last 8 months:

1. Quit due to not getting along with supervisor
2. Fired for not making it to work (within first 2 weeks)
3. Laid off in order to make room for the owner's daughter-in-law
4. Fired for disagreements with customers
5. Quit due to not getting along with supervisor
6. Laid off for not calling in for on-call work
7. Resigned due to health complications

Of these 7, only 2 appear to have been unavoidable (#3 and #7). The others were the result of poor soft skills such as teamwork, responsibility, following procedure, punctuality and attendance. Soft-skill job coaching is clearly important for maintaining employment.

Of the 2 terminations that were unavoidable, the economy was definitely a factor in #3, which was a residential housekeeping position, a field that is losing demand in these tough times.

I know some of these positions were refilled, but I don't think they all were. Several employers have stated over the last year that they are not actively laying people off but are reducing their staff by not filling positions when individuals resign or are fired. Instead, duties and hours are being spread among the remaining employees.

While large layoffs do occur, they target specific locations and industries, which do not seem to directly include the individuals I serve in Portland. 2o minutes away (Intel, Nike, Columbia Sportswear and others), the story is different.

The employment specialist world of tomorrow

Despite spending most of my day (work and personal time) on a computer, I'm a skeptic about the promises of world-changing web applications. I think MySpace is for kids and I figure that 99% of videos on Youtube are better off not seen. I follow people on Twitter, but don't tweet myself as I don't think my employer would approve. Of course, I do blog.

Still, I think these are all great tools for workforce development. Here's a roundup of the most hyped sites and thoughts on their potential in our field. Real life examples reveal the early adopters and some hiccups with blogs that were suspended after three posts or social networking profiles with zero friends.

Twitter

Basic:
1. Announce Events
2. Celebrate successes.

Advanced:
1. Connect to employers.
2. Advertise specific candidates.

-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas tweets.
-Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande tweets.
-Wise (VA) Workforce Center tweets.
-Worksystems Inc (Portland, OR) tweets.

Youtube

Basic:
1. Recruiting/Informational Brochures
2. Event Recaps

Advanced:
1. Self-produced (targeted) training
2. Employer interviews/profiles

-Workforce Solutions (Houston-Galveston-Gulfcoast) application and interviewing videos on Youtube.


MySpace/Facebook

Basic
1. Announce events.
2. Recruit.

Advanced:
1. Maintain follow-up contact.
2. Connect participants to other resources.

-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas Myspace.
-Columbia-Greene Workforce NY Myspace.
-Worksource Vancouver (WA) Myspace.


Other examples:

Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast blog.

Huron County (OH) employment specialist interview by the Toledo Blade on Youtube.

Cumberland County (NC) Workforce Development montage on Youtube.

WorkOne Southeast (IN) youth commercial on Youtube.

Wise (VA) Workforce Center podcasts.

All other duties as assigned

There are certain skills and scopes of knowledge that should be expected as an Employment Specialist, including: resume & cover letter writing, job search, job development, labor market information, application procedures, professional dress, and interviewing.

Then, there are those unexpected things that we learn along the way. Here are 4 big ones:

1. Public transportation: I commute by bus or bike, but what has really taught me the local bus system is Google mapping employer sites for job seekers, complete with public transportation directions. Here in Portland, I also have the luxury of using the regional transit's trip planner.

2. Criminal justice system: Working with post-prison reintegration job seekers has taught me about parole/probation reporting requirements, diversion, restitution, and other aspects of the justice system. Also, when I lose contact with someone and hear a rumor about an arrest, I can confirm it through the Victim's Notification Network. In Portland, I can also get information on recent arrests from the Multnomah County Sherrif's Office.

3. Trade/Vocational Education: I can have educated conversations about and provide accurate job search counseling regarding phlebotomy, welding, flagging, bank telling, and other trades that I have no experience in due to what I've learned from placing individuals in vocational training programs. Each job seeker is an opportunity to learn about a new field.

4. Driver's License/ID, Social Security card, Birth Certificates: In addition to the classic employment conundrum, "You need experience to get a job; You need a job to get experience," there is this problem: Lose all your identifying documents. Try to get an ID without a social security card, or a social security card without an ID.

Other things learned:
5. identify theft prevention
6. motivational psychology
7. free email (for job seekers)
8. frugal shopping (support services)
9. background/criminal history checks

Recent News Round-up

Onestops continue to be swamped across the country.

Schenectady, NY: Residents wait hours — and sometimes more than half a day — in lines that stretch to the door. (Also a cautionary tale about service consolidation)

San Bernardino, CA: Harmsen said the number of job seekers coming to the county's workforce investment board center's has more than doubled since last year.

Butler County, OH: In August 2008, an average of 194 people came to the Workforce One's WIA orientations. In January, a record-setting 272 people attended orientations, which are held twice a week. In February, that record was broken when 324 people attended, and in March it is estimated that as many as 450 people attended Workforce One's WIA orientation.

Muskogee, OK: Workforce Oklahoma job skills facilitator Jessie Keenon said her weekly job search classes are attracting 24 or 25 people when they used to attract five to 10 people.

Maricopa County, AZ: Last month, Maricopa Workforce Connections had more than 13,500 customer visits, up 100 percent compared to last year and the numbers are expected to continue to rise.

The Rust Belt and other lost souls

States I missed in my roundups:

Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth
Indiana Department of Workforce Development
Wyoming Department of Employment
Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training
Oklahoma Employment Security Commission

The Great State of...Part 2

Here's the remainder of state workforce resources. This is the eastern U.S. edition, of which there are a bit more states plus D.C.

Alabama Office of Workforce Development
Arkansas Department of Workforce Services
Connecticut Department of Labor
Delaware Department of Labor
District of Columbia Department of Employment Services
State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation
Georgia Department of Labor
Illinois Department of Employment Security
Iowa's Employment Security Agency
Kentucky Office of Employment and Training
Louisiana Workforce Commission
Maine Department of Labor
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Mississippi Department of Employment Security
Missouri Department of Economic Development
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
New York State Department of Labor
Employment Security Division of North Carolina
New Hampshire Department of Employment Security
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
South Carolina Employment Security Commission
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Vermont Department of Labor
Virginia Employment Commission
Workforce West Virginia
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Did I miss any?

Wanted: More Sunny Days In Portland

Here's a good article on what it's like in onestops these days: Job center struggles with massive need. Even better, its from my (new) hometown workforce system.

Reporter Allison Linn does a good job of covering the toll on staff, the broad mix of customers, the blend of hope and uncertainty, and the variety of benefits available (from the obvious - training and job leads - to the overlooked - a place to be social and escape the loneliness of unemployment).

Reminder: Worksystems, Inc. has a blog, too.

The Great State of...part 1

Moving from Texas to Oregon has meant adjusting to different workforce models. Still, after a year, I return to the Texas Workforce Commission website to revisit technical assistance resources and see what's new back home. I've also started to look at other states to find ideas or strategies I can use day-to-day.

Here are state employment/labor/workforce agency websites from the western half of the US. (Western based on an arbitrary imaginary line I made in the map).

Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Arizona Employment Administration
California Employment Development Department
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
Idaho Department of Labor
Kansas Department of Labor
Montana Department of Labor and Industry
Nebraska Workforce Development
Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation
New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions
Job Service North Dakota
Oregon Employment Department
South Dakota Department of Labor
Texas Workforce Commission
Utah Department of Workforce Services
Washington State Employment Security Department

Breaking news: Jobs!

Here's an update on the televised Rio Grande Valley Jobathon I posted about earlier in the week. KRGV Newschannel 5 has pictures and video from throughout the day's broadcast on a special job fair page.

The videos highlight employers as well as individual job seekers. Job seekers had less than a minute to make their pitch. Most were only able to give a brief description of their experience, the field they are interested in, and their Work in Texas ID number, which will allow employers to see their full resume and contact information.

Is your elevator pitch ready for primetime?

There is one video moment that made me cringe. In a story about onestop services, a staff person is identified as an UNEMPLOYMENT Specialist.

Workforce Solutions and Workforce Solutions Cameron organized the event.

After these messages: Jobs!

Workforce Solutions (Lower Rio Grande Workforce Development Board) and Workforce Solutions Cameron (Cameron County WDB) will be participating in a televised job-a-thon on April 1st.

The job-a-thon will air on KRGV Newschannel 5 (Rio Grande Valley's ABC affiliate) throughout next Wednesday. Live segments will air from various onestop centers showcasing both employers and jobseekers. Traditional job fairs will be held the same day at the local onestops, which will allow jobseekers to reach employers without having to go on television.

While it's easy to imagine most employers are interested in the free advertising while announcing job openings, this may be quite a challenge for jobseekers. I would certainly be impressed by a candidate who is able to go on live tv and make a good pitch to employers.

And we're back: Self-Motivation and Employment Services

While on vacation and reading through old magazines, I found an article in a 2008 Men's Health about motivation that can be applied to onestop customers.

The article, The Psychology of Motivation, compares the techniques of a successful college football coach with self-determination theory first articulated and later refined by psychologists at the University of Rochester.

The article highlights three factors of self-determination theory that can be applied to program planning and case management:

1. Autonomy: "the choice to do it was made by you, not somebody else." Self-motivated individuals will do better than those who are simply serving a parole/probation officer, case manager, or fulfilling other requirements imposed on them by others. Part of assessment should be to gauge what motivates a customer. Is it external or internal, or a combination of both? Program language, materials, and activities should emphasize the personal benefits of employment and training.

2. Competence: "you know what you're doing, or at least are becoming better at it." Job-search is a challenging activity with many opportunities for feeling like a failure, such as rejection letters and tough interviews. Customers need to feel prepared for the challenge, and need practice that will build confidence. Verbal praise, achievable short-term goals, and other confidence boosters will help customers stay motivated.

3. Relatedness: "the activity connects you in some way to the other people." Unemployment and job-search are isolating activities. Self-directed work in a onestop can continue that feeling of being on one's own. Tools to combat this by providing interconnectedness include case management (with a consistent relationship between staff and customer) and group activities: workshops, networking, training, etc. Jobseekers who are part of a group will push each other to work harder and can create rewarding relationships that bring another motivation to continue in the group.

Another interesting item from self-determination theory is the idea that outside influences can undermine intrinsic motivation. Incentives and support services need to be carefully distributed in order to hold their value as tools for jobseeking.

Also, a major point of the article is that a person is more likely to do something if they consider it fun than if they find it to be a chore (makes sense, doesn't it?). The challenge for employment specialists is to turn job search into something fun.

Free services: Monday - Friday

Tuesday, March 10th is Fedex Office's free resume printing day.

Tuesday is also free resume printing day at your local onestops. As is Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

When I moved to Portland, I used my neighborhood onestop to copy and fax most of my applications. One day, I was downtown and decided I needed to use Kinko's (now Fedex Office). The bill included network time when I connected my laptop to print my resume and cover letter and then a $1 fax charge plus $1 a page. I had a 2-page resume, a cover letter, and a 6-page application to send. I went back to the onestop after that.

Changes

Friday's New York Times article "Job Losses Hint at Vast Remaking of Economy" has me thinking about the workforce of the past.

It begins with this assessment of the present:

“These jobs aren’t coming back,” said John E. Silvia, chief economist at Wachovia in Charlotte, N.C. “A lot of production either isn’t going to happen at all, or it’s going to happen somewhere other than the United States. There are going to be fewer stores, fewer factories, fewer financial services operations. Firms are making strategic decisions that they don’t want to be in their businesses.”

And says:

"This dynamic has proved true in past recessions as well, with fading industries pushed to the brink during downturns before others emerged to create jobs when economic growth inevitably resumed."

My questions are:

1. Aside from manufacturing (which is a huge loss), what industries have been lost in the past 50 or 100 years?
2. What were the 10 largest industries (by percent of employment) at regular intervals during the past 100 years?
3. Once we identify those industries that have been lost, which were lost to competition/trade (such as manufacturing moving overseas) and which were lost to obsolescence?

I would appreciate suggestions of workforce history resources that could help answer these questions.

A healthy workforce system

After writing about how hospital procedures can be transferred to case management, I thought about other ways that workforce development relates to healthcare. Here are some quick illustrations of the workforce-healthcare metaphor:



Onestop career centers see customers who need to regain work health, don't know their options, need intensive immediate assistance, or have suffered work "accidents," such as layoffs. Onestop staff direct customers to other parts of the workforce system after assessment.



Occupational skills training (community colleges, industry-developed training, vocational schools) is accessed by individuals with good work health who want to enhance their abilities or those who need to strengthen their skills.



Workforce investment boards provide direction and explore solutions based on their analysis of system health. Their leadership connects multiple stakeholders.



A healthy system yields productive workers, better business, and stronger communities.