We work in a contemporary world. A world where things are changing — whether it's when and where employees are working, how employers are handling their human resources or the constantly changing trends — the world of work is moving and shifting. And as wacky as that world can be sometimes, it's also fascinating if you have the right guide.

This blog is designed to be just that — a companion on your journey through the changing world of work. Here you'll find tips, tools and information on topics as diverse as the workforce itself: the aging workforce, working women, professional etiquette, generational diversity, the talent crunch, and more. So whether you're an employer or an employee, and whether you're beginning or close to finishing your career, I hope you find the information here useful for navigating the contemporary world of work.

Thanks for reading and have fun!

Melanie

I heard somewhere that 16 million Americans have elder care issues and my hunch is that the vast majority of them are baby boomers like me.  Our ability to care for aging parents while doing all of the other things our busy lives require is just one more compelling reason why workplace flexibility is more important than ever before.

What kinds of workplace flexibility would make your life easier?

When I was growing up (in the 50’s) it was unusual for a woman to shake hands.  I rarely saw women get up when a guest walked into a room or joined a table.  And women actually enjoyed and appreciated having doors opened and chairs pulled out for them.

Things have changed! 

Gender makes little difference anymore.  Everyone shakes hands.  Everyone should stand when a guest enters a room or joins a table.  And while I still enjoy having doors opened and chairs positioned for me, it is not the norm.  I counted today and it was 50/50.  I held doors for men half the time and men held doors for me the other half.  And no matter who you are, please don’t forget to say “thank you.”

What else has equalized in the etiquette arena?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that’s the number of Americans who quit their jobs every day.  That gets me thinking about what is important to us at work.  Because if we’re not getting what’s important, we may be among the 83,000 who quit each day.

It won’t surprise you to know that what’s important is different among the generations.  I stress different.  Not bad, just different!

• If you’re over 63 and part of the WWII generation, you work hard, respect authority, follow the rules and you feel that you’ve paid your dues.  You are loyal to your employer and in your eyes, the customer is always right.
• If you’re a baby boomer, you’ve (we’ve) worked hard and long — some may accuse you of being a workaholic.  You’re competitive and you want to be respected and rewarded.
• Gen Xers, age 30 to 45, work smart, not hard — but that’s not a criticism because you get the job done.  You work to live, you don’t want to be micro-managed, you want to be thanked (often) and you want all the boomers and WWIIers to lighten up.
• Finally, if you’re a GenYer, born after 1978, you want important and interesting work.  You want goals and direction — and a mentor rather than a manager.  Finally, and this is a lesson we should all learn, you want to have fun.

Message to employers:  Understand what the different generations want and work hard to give it to them.  Be creative!

Another message to employers:  Since we’re all working together, help your employees understand and embrace the different generations.

Message to the members of the different generations:  Don’t judge your co-workers just because they want different things.  Respect the differences and learn from each other. 

What generational diversity issues do you face at work?

I’m sure you’ve heard about those companies that ban email on certain days of the week.  The hope is the ban will encourage face-to-face or, at least, telephone conversations.

I don’t want to generalize too much, but depending on your age, you would either welcome that ban as relief from the seemingly never-ending messages or dread it, feeling as if you’re giving up food and water.  But whichever way you might feel about ubiquitous email, doing without could help us communicate more effectively.

According to Daniel Goleman at The New York Times, researchers have discovered a flaw in our brains that affects the way we react to what we read on a computer screen.  The good can sound neutral, the neutral can appear negative and the negative can seem downright hateful.

So pick one:  word your emails very carefully to avoid misunderstandings OR get up from your desk and have a real conversation with your co-worker.

How do you feel about email?

One of the age bias issues identified by RetirementJobs.com is a reluctance on the part of employers to invest in training and development opportunities for the mature worker.  The concern is that the we won’t be working long enough to give the company a return on its investment.

But according to Staffing Industry Analysts, today’s average worker will hold nine jobs between the ages of 18 and 34.  Do the math.  That’s fewer than two years on each job.

So don’t stop investing in the young because — obviously — they are the future.  But don’t skip the mature worker either.  One of our most prominent work ethic characteristics is loyalty:  offer me a job, make it interesting and rewarding, be flexible and invest in my future – I’ll stick around for a looooong time.

You’ll get your ROI!

Another TV moment…  Omarosa is back!

This time it’s on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.  (Omarosa?  Celebrity?  Who knew?)  There are lots of other interesting celebrities in the mix, some I know and some that I wouldn’t necessarily consider famous.  And it’s too soon to tell — after just two episodes — how all the personalities, skills and abilities (and celebrity) will pan out. 

But it’s clear that Omarosa is positioning herself as the very talented, condescending, arrogant leader who knows better than all of her teammates.  In week one she angered the Empresario team and she angered me as I was watching from home. 

• She didn’t listen to the suggestions of her teammates — and in fact was very patronizing in her responses.
• The one teammate she did listen to — who suggested the location for their challenge — got thrown under the bus in the boardroom.
• Her superior attitude makes her appear totally out of control — her quips and comments to her team and to the men are ridiculously unprofessional and over the top.

Unfortunately she didn’t anger Trump enough to fire her in week one!  And in week two she was pretty quiet, but I saw it as lying in the weeds waiting to strike.

Love or hate the show — and I’m not sure where I fall because there isn’t much on TV that I don’t like — we can learn about personal styles from watching.  When you’re faced with a decision at work or weighing options or if you’re communicating with a co-worker simply ask yourself, “What would Omarosa do?”

Chances are, you’ll want to do the opposite!

See yesterday’s cryptic post Problem OR Solution.

The population is aging while more and more of us are eligible for retirement.  Some estimate that 43% of the civilian population will be eligible to retire within ten years or so.  If that happens, companies may be in trouble as they watch knowledge and productivity walk out the door.  So is the aging workforce a problem for businesses?  Yes.

Depending on how you read life expectancy charts, most of us can confidently expect to live at least 20 years after traditional retirement age.  That means there are millions of us out there with good work ethic, relevant skills, valuable workplace knowledge — along with a strong desire to work.  So can the aging workforce be a solution?  Yes.

What do you think?

Today’s a big day for me — the official launch of my blog.  I’m having a blast with Contemporary Working and I look forward to a lively exchange with readers.

One huge boost to my launch comes from Paul Secunda, author of law blog extradinaire Workplace Prof Blog.  Thanks for the plug, Paul.  And while I’m at it, I heard through the grapevine that Paul is moving to Milwaukee to work at Marquette.  Welcome to our fabulous city — I’m confident you’ll love it here.  Milwaukee has a lot to offer and the widespread rumors about our weather are always exaggerations!

Thanks again, Paul.

Oh, a P.S.  If you’re interested in law blogs, check out my colleague Mark Toth’s Employment Blawg.

Yes!

I’ve been talking a lot about the aging workforce.  First of all, I’m one of them.  And even though I don’t have a crystal ball I can calculate the impact retirements are going to have on the ongoing success of businesses — now and in the future.

Read some terrific examples of aging workforce flexibility and creativity (and some quotes from me) in an article that appeared in today’s Wall St. Journal.