The Great Resignation Part 1

 The pandemic has created a historic mess in the labor markets.

Shutdowns, layoffs, work at home (WAH), medical leaves, changing business models, quick reaction to new events, --- all of this has made a mess of the labor market.

Some employers took the pandemic seriously, others treated it as a personal and business insult to be worked around.

So what do we know:

 Employers prefer employment-at-will, that is an employee can be let go anytime for any or no reason. Employers forgot that employment-at-will goes both ways, the employees can walk at any time.

A lot of older employees took the retirement option. Can they be seduced back into the work force? Worth a look.

Moms are having trouble with day care. We need both business and government to work this probblem. so far not much.

After decades of minimal bargaining power for employees, and the proliferation of low wage service jobs, the situation has been reversed. Employees are taking advantage and the market is playing catch up with wages.

"Bad bosses" the screamers and bullies are having trouble retaining help. This also covers supervisors, many of whom have minimal training and minimal skills.

Part-time jobs with irregular hours are difficult to staff, except perhaps for young people looking for less than full time. 

More information and recomendations in Part 2.

After the Pandemic

 

Someday the pandemic will end, or at least feather down to an annual endemic.

We will greet this with aew g feeling of exhaustion, after battling for so long in such a confused environment.

This may be a time for new business models, new human resource models (possibly forced by the employees), new mercahndise and service models, new geographical locations and a fresh approach to business.

Business evolution is always in motion, but now it will be in motion faster and the staskes will be higher.

We will produce a series of posts on business models and how to do business in a new world.

Here We Go Again

 

The pandemic and business in general have delayed and derailed lots of activities, including this blog.

We are back and will be rolling out some new ventures and adventures.

This is free advice, but in this case good things can be free.

Appreciate questions and comments.

Tom

A Management Model: Part 1

What is management? Is management a part of something bigger? Who should be a manager? Who can be a manager? 

Management is one component of a three part structure.

Two parts, supervision and management, are mandatory. The organization cannot function without them.

The third, leadership, is optional and often missing from organizations.

Supervision: real time, task focused, get the immediate job done for the customers, clients or patients.

Management:

 a cycle of Planning > Organizing > Directing >Controlling > Feedback. 

Management must be customized by organization and level of authority within the organization, so the CEO of the company has a different approach than a plant manager who has a different approach than a store manager.

Leadership: the ability to inspire, to create movement and action, the ability to improve people and create future managers and maybe future leaders.

A title does not insure leadership. Authority does not create or insure leadership.

The presence of management and supervision does not insure leadership.

More information will follow (we think shorter posts read easier).