Demographic shifts in the United States and around the world are reshaping management concerns, according to report from the commercial real estate firm of Cushman & Wakefield.
“We are entering a decade of seismic demographic change,” the researchers observe. The Baby Boomers are leaving the workforce and Generation X will march ever closer to retirement age, to be replaced by Generation Y (also known as Millennials), born between 1981 and 1996, and Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, as the dominant generations in the workplace.
Boomers control 70% of U.S. disposable income, with similar figures being found in other parts of the world. However, retirement is right around the corner for those born between 1946 and 1964. By 2025, two-thirds of the Boomers will have hit the 65-year-old threshold, and by 2030 all of them will have reached this milestone.
Raised by realistic (and often cynical) Generation X parents, growing up in the shadow of the Great Recession and being natives to a fast-changing world has led to Generation Z to be driven and more competitive than their Millennial peers.
“This attitude will make young workers an excellent addition to any business and will also lead them to have high expectations of the organizations for which they work,” the C&W researchers explain.
Generation Z is the first generation to live their entire lives in a digital world. Having grown up surrounded by the Internet, ecommerce, smart phones and social media. They will enter the workplace with the experience that all of life is both physical and digital, but they will lack social skills.
In a work environment that is becoming more technologically enabled, the real worth of an employee will be in soft skills and activities that cannot be automated, the researchers say. They note that 92% of HR leaders believe emotional and social skills are increasingly important and. 61% believe Generation Z workers will need extra support in developing such skills.
<h3>Railroad Climate Stance Slammed</h3>
One of Congress’ most powerful members, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), attacked several major freight railroads for backing organized opposition to the reining theory of climate change.
In a Jan. 13 letter that was addressed to Ian Jefferies, president of the Association of American Railroads, DeFazio took note of accusations that the four largest Class 1 railroads took an active but secret role in efforts that are trying to discredit climate change beliefs.
The railroads – BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and CSX Transportation – are all members of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, which DeFazio said in 2014 called climate change a “hypothesis” and claimed that carbon dioxide is 400 times more beneficial to the population than it is harmful.
“I write with a simple question: Is this true?” he said in his letter. “And if so, how can your organization continue to tout the environmental benefits of freight railroads while these same railroads are funding organizations who deny climate change?”
The chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, DeFazio also demanded that Jefferies explain his members’ policies.
“Such actions are extremely troubling. Contrary to the junk science members of AAR allegedly funded, climate change has had a profound and measurable impact on the United States,” DeFazio opined.
“And if so, how can your organization continue to tout the environmental benefits of freight railroads while these same railroads are funding organizations who deny climate change?” he demanded to know. AAR said it would respond to DeFazio privately
</h3>Employers Not Hiring Disabled</h3>
In spite of laws prohibiting discrimination and incentives that are available, many employers continue to be reluctant when it comes to hiring the disabled, recent research finds. A new report on workplace disability inclusion finds many human resources professionals and hiring managers are ill-prepared when it comes to hiring, retaining or advancing individuals with disabilities.
The research was conducted by SHRM Foundation a nonprofit affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management, and The Workplace Initiative, who joined together to strengthen the skills and abilities of professionals who hire, retain, and advance this high-potential labor force.
The study found that fewer than 15% of organizations invest in disability inclusion initiatives at work, and that 61% of managers and 50% of HR professionals have never participated in disability inclusion training.
However, nearly all HR professionals (97%) and people managers (92%) reported that employees with disabilities regularly perform the same or better than their peers who are without disabilities, the researchers point out.
At least 52% of HR professionals say that the organizations they work for do not train managers on disability awareness or disability sensitivity.
Even more concerning is the fact that legal requirements regarding disability non- discrimination and accommodation are included in employee training only about a third of the time.
“It’s time we busted some myths about hiring people with disabilities,” commented SHRM President Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. “We’re talking about a high- quality talent pool that remains untapped and underemployed for no good reason.”
<h3>Trump Attacks Online Fakes</h3>
President Trump signed an executive order aimed at stopping counterfeit consumer goods from entering the United States through ecommerce sales.
The president told the Department of Homeland Security to create new regulations designed to help identify companies that were already suspended from importing these goods into the U.S, and are believed to be evading enforcement.
“The trafficking of counterfeit and pirated goods is a scourge that causes significant harm to our workers, consumers, intellectual property owners, and economy,” said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
The administration will continue its efforts to stop is those who steal American intellectual property and seek to profit off of counterfeit products, he added, pointing specifically to China.
In late Jnauray DHS also issued a report on how it is combating the influx of fake products. Among other things, it intends to organize and Anti- Counterfeiting Consortium to Identify Online Nefarious Actors (ACTION) Plan.
Among the actions the department is seriously considering are making sure that entities with financial interests in imports bear responsibility, and suspending and barring repeat offenders.
The government also is looking at applying civil fines, penalties and injunctive actions against these products, and re-examining the legal framework surrounding non-resident importers.
Plans include creating a modernized ecommerce enforcement framework, assessing contributory trademark infringement liability for online platforms, and creating an awareness campaign.
“Consumers must be confident in the safety, quality, and authenticity of the products they purchase online,” said DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf. “This illicit activity impacts American innovation and erodes the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and workers.”