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Workers Face Dilemma
Gregory P. Smith
I recently struck a nerve in a column I wrote called, "New Ideas
Creating a More Productive Work Environment." I began the column with this
paragraph.
"I recently heard a statistic that in the year 2006; the U.S. will have
a shortage of 10 million workers. Wake up and smell the coffee, here is my
blunt opinion. If you don’t provide a productive and positive workplace,
you may face going out of business simply because talented workers today
have their choice of employers. You may get stuck with all the unqualified
and undesirable workers who can’t find work anywhere else. "
A concerned reader named Philip L. Brodowski, e-mailed me his side of
the story.
Personally, I believe this statistic is correct - if anything, it may
well be understated. All anyone has to do is look at the overwhelming
number of job recruiter websites to see thousands of positions that are
available and this doesn’t include positions that are never advertised
over the Internet. Many of these positions are open for months at a time -
some never get filled and are retracted, which brings me to the point of
this message:
Notwithstanding the fact that thousands of jobs across this country go
begging, recruiters and employers seem absolutely opposed to hiring
qualified individuals once they reach a certain age (mid-40’s, early
50’s?). Many companies have downsized leaving experienced, qualified and
motivated people without jobs. Personally, I have been in the job market
for about 4 months now. I have posted my resume on numerous recruiter
websites and every day check open positions on about 15 regularly used
websites. My resume has been accessed approximately 200 times by
recruiters/employers and I have actively applied for 40 positions, some
more than once. Having held senior management positions, I am looking for
the same level but not necessarily in the same industry.
In most cases, the recruiter/employer does not even have the common
courtesy to acknowledge receipt of a cover letter and resume - I have
received many resumes and interviewed many people over the course of my
career and even though I was always extremely busy, a response was always
sent to the applicant. Many of the positions I have applied for closely
mirror departments I have managed very successfully; yet I have received
canned responses stating I do not have the qualifications to be
considered. The purpose of this message is not to complain about my
personal situation, rather, it is to point out that American business is
deliberately overlooking a vast pool of people that have many productive
years ahead of them. As an example, I am currently 52 and plan to work
until age 62 or 65. That leaves 10 to 13 years that can benefit a company.
We all know retirement age is being advanced to 70 years because life
spans are longer. If American business has a shortage of people now and in
the future, it should look inward and accept responsibility for its
deliberate exclusion of a large, productive group of people who want to
work.
It is apparent from this person, as well as others who have contacted
me, that we are ignoring a major segment of the labor pool. Every business
I know is yelling for help, so I am not sure what the problem is? Are
Human Resource people afraid to hire older people because they feel like
they have to pay them more? Are older workers unable/unwilling to take
lower paying jobs? I don’t know about you, but I know most age 40 plus
workers have a better work ethic than many younger people. So what is the
problem? I would like to hear what you think. Please feel free to e-mail
me your comments.
Gregory P. Smith shows businesses how to build productive and
profitable work environments that attract, keep and motivate their
workforce. He speaks at conferences and is the President of a management
consulting firm called Chart Your Course International located in Conyers,
Georgia. Phone him at (770)860-9464 or send an email at
greg@chartcourse.com. More information and articles are available at
