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Highlights from Fall 2000 NECA Newsletter
Have you noticed lately how often the media reports on issues concerning: Violence in the Work Place, Road Rage, Criminal Acts in the communities, and increased School Violence? Why has this behavior been energized? What needs exist that have caused these actions to take place?
In earlier years, one might have surmised that deviant behavior in a specific generation was caused by the need to solicit acceptance from others, for self-preservation, to gain self-respect, for self-expression or some other reason that was not necessarily acceptable, but might have been understandable. It is the "earlier" thinking that may inspire such present reactions as: "I can hardly believe that actually happened right in my office, it was AWFUL." "That driver MUST be crazy!" "Things like that just don't happen here, not in THIS neighborhood." "What would make a youngster DO such a horrible thing?"
In more recent years, the reasons for deviant behavior in a specific generation seem to be at a deeper level and somewhat opaque. The causes even appear to be distorted. Take, for example, the case of a person who was sitting in a car at a red light when he suddenly shot and killed the driver in the car next to him because he "didn't like the music" the other driver had playing on his radio.
Too often, there seems to be no logical reason for abhorrent behavior. Perhaps, that is the problem. We may be trying to apply logic to illogical thoughts and actions. The actions described above are obviously those of people who are having serious problems. They are also part of a troubled generation that they and others have helped to create. The troubled generation is beyond the person who is guilty of deviant behavior. The real troubled generation is the generation that becomes a victim of the causes for deviant behavior. We are in a time when tension, stress and frustrations are not uncommon. These emotions exist for various reasons, such as corporate merging and downsizing, inadequate parental guidance, job loss due to lack of skills for current technological needs, no company loyalty to the "loyal" employee, too little time for "quality time" at home, etc. We are well aware that what ever happens to an employee at work, affects not only the employee but that employee's entire family.
The counselor's training and knowledge are needed now more than ever. There is a need for increased availability of counseling in the workplace, the community and the schools. Counselors are cognizant of changes that are too frequently missed by untrained observers. With increased public awareness of the benefits of professional counseling, counselors can have a definite positive impact on troubled generations.
Our workforce, like everything else, is changing drastically. We, as employment counselors, must work and learn continually to keep abreast of the changes.
Not only are the faces we see in the workplace changing, but the places they work, the hours, the jobs themselves, the process of managing employees - none are the same as they were forty, thirty or even ten years ago. Are we, the employment counselors, flexible enough to change with the workforce? Do we know the newest work force developments and the challenges and problems presented by the changes?
The first issue that comes to mind is the Telecommuter. According to Jack Nilles, founder and head of JALA International, Inc., who coined the term in 1973, there were no more than 2000 telecommuters in the United States in 1970. This number increased to 100,000 in 1980, 2.4 million in 1990, and is expected to jump to a whopping 24.7 million by the end of this year - that's 18% of the US workforce. This trend is projected to multiply annually by 18%. How many employment counselors are aware of the problems presented by the teleworker, much less the answers to the problems? What of the benefits? Do any of us know how to manage this group, how to determine which employees would be self-directed enough to be a productive teleworker, and how to quantify the results of the telecommuter's labors? And then there is the contingent workforce, those self-employed contract employees or consultants, for whom a workday may seem endless, with little relaxation, vacation or benefit package. Are we aware of the solutions to these issues? How familiar are we with the ever increasing number of contingent agencies and the services, benefits and awards they are offering to lure contractors to the ranks of their firms? Do we understand the value of this workforce and the solutions and problems created for the employer by the use of this workforce?
What about the technological/computer industry, with its ever-expanding role and its crucial human resource shortage? Are we aware of the positions cropping up, changing almost daily - do we even know the lingo, or the job specifications or required training or schooling?
We also must consider the issue of rage in the workplace - or rage that spills over from the workplace. Twenty years ago no one would have envisioned this as an employment counseling topic. Then the term 'going postal" was penned. Workers had begun taking their down-sizings, terminations, and even their unrequited loves out on their co-workers, former co-workers, and employers. Guns entered the workplace. Do we employment counselors know how to guide an employer in recognizing the employee or ex-employee who might fly into a murderous rage? Anyone know what to say to a boss whose employees have been taken hostage - how to advise her or him to undo the psychological damage and feel safe again, and back on task?
What do we know of the issue of intolerance: diversity resistance, hate crimes, racial slurs, sexism? How much do we know of the prevalence of these problems, and the ways to teach employees to respect each other and "just all get along?" Do we know why this is continuing to happen? Do we have a plan to keep it from exploding in the workplace?
The last, and maybe most important issue I would wish us to ponder is that of renewal. If we, as counselors, cannot shake off the problems and the negativity of a bad yesterday, how can we walk into each new situation, each new client, and spur them on to success? If our own battery is low, we cannot be the 'beam of light' in the office. How do we cope with walking out the client's door that last day, not knowing if six months or two years down the road those that we strove to help will have found their success, their best path, due in part to our efforts? What keeps us motivated? What keeps us renewed? Think about it. Let's talk.
One of the challenging labor market dilemmas for me when I teach my Career Development class is to let students know how important education is and its relationship to occupational success. My students are at the master's level and have already experienced considerable educational success. They know that if they are to meet their professional goals, they must have a graduate degree and probably additional credentials such as national certification and state licensure.
However, to argue that everyone needs a high level of education to be occupationally successful is duplicitous. In fact, most occupations require less than a bachelor's degree. Current employment projection data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor indicates that only 22% of all jobs require a bachelor's or higher education. Turn that around and you see that 78% of workers do not need a college degree. In fact, over 39% of occupations need only 'short-term on-the-job training' which could be 30 minutes long. There is some evidence however, that jobs requiring an associate or higher degree will grow faster than average but the numbers are still small.
So why the big push for more and more educational achievement for our young people? Won't many be overqualified? Unhappy and dissatisfied? Perhaps even less employable because employers will think they won't stay?
As I talk with my students about the push to encourage high education for everyone despite the fact that most jobs require less than college, I am struck by two related sets of data which temper my remarks. First of all, the relationship between education and earnings per year are incontrovertible. There is a strong positive relationship between the two. For 1997, workers with less than a high school education had median earnings of $19,700. Median earnings for high school graduates was $26,000; some college, no degree workers, $30,400; associate degree, $31,700; bachelor's degrees, $40,100; and master's degree holders had median annual earnings of $50,000. How can you argue with that data? So even if the job outlook isn't good for more highly educated workers, in fact, the majority of them end up with jobs paying a lot more than for those with lower education.
Many workers who are educated at the associate or bachelor's levels in jobs not requiring such education, may become strong candidates for additional training and promotion to supervisory and management positions. The extra education is a clear signal to employers about the workers' intelligence, perseverance, and ability to learn. And they need such workers.
The other set of data which is strongly related to level of education forms an inverse relationship. There is a strong negative correlation between level of education and unemployment.
The more education workers have, the lower unemployment they suffer. For 1998, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that those workers educated below the high school level have a 7.1% unemployment rate. For each level of more education, the unemployment rate experienced is lower. At the highest level of education reported, for master's degree holders, the unemployment rate is only 1.6%. Thus, another clear message appears to be: to lower your likelihood of suffering unemployment, get as much education as you can.
New data published in September of 2000 in the Monthly Labor Review, provides evidence of the relationship between level of education and poverty rates. Using Current Population Survey data, persons in the labor force for at least 27 weeks or more in 1998 (employed or unemployed but looking) have a 14.5% poverty rate if their education level is less than high school. Only 6.6% of high school graduates are at the poverty level. For college graduates, only 1.4% are at the poverty level.
So how can one argue against education when looking at earnings, unemployment rates and poverty levels? The data are clear but remember, there are always exceptions. All of us know individuals with limited formal education who are doing very nicely, thank you. Based on interest, ability level, personality characteristics and a multitude of other variables, higher education is not for everyone. Or, it may make more sense for the individual later on in life. More important to the worker may be job satisfaction, a stressfree work environment, good interrelationships with other workers, and a 40-hour workweek. As it usually does, it boils down to what the specific individual wants given their particular circumstances. First and foremost, counselors must respect that.
Highlights from Spring 2000 Newsletter
The more things change, the more they stay the same. As my year concludes, I am finding NECA providing updated information on multidisciplinary employment counseling to agencies, staff, governors, counselors and the public. The dialog is similar to the training received in the "old days", except for the new vocabulary, technology and court decisions. As NECA members, it is now our responsibility to step up to the plate to advocate and demonstrate how employment counseling works. It will require us to knock on the doors of other professional counselors to design collaborative systems to serve any person and their family who comes in seeking training and employment, but have dysfunction in their lives, e.g., substance abuse, mental health issues, domestic abuse, grief over job loss that is causing family system issues. Administrators are now identifying these case management needs and finding that their current programs are not solving the problems, and staff are stating they don't have the proper training. "A four-hour course in paraprofessional counseling skills is not solving the problem," agencies report.
There is a great need for employment counselors with the NECA competencies, but they cannot find them. Why? Fewer people have selected this college major in recent years, many college counseling programs do not have this major, and staff with this college major are often opting for early retirement. Agencies need help to upgrade staff competencies, so they can perform their job, i.e., work at the One Stop Career Center; understand the DSM-IV words; know symptoms of cocaine usage; help those who are extremely angry or very scared while guiding them to employment as a healthy alternative to treatment. What can NECA members do?
On another note, I do want to tout the success of the NECA Workshop and ACA Convention. Both had dynamic presentations and promoted futuristic trends in our profession. Please mark "San Antonio" on your calendars in March, 2001, as the next events occur. Margaret Robinson is requesting NECA Workshop proposal submissions in this newsletter. Remember that you can claim NCC credits for giving workshops, as well as attending them!
This next year will focus on WIA implementation issues, as well as continued integration of employment counselors in TANF agencies as they begin to seek justification for Congressional reauthorization. Job service is also finding a resurgence in hiring more employment counselors to staff the One Stop Centers. Let's continue helping our customers: private practitioners and staff helping people prepare for, obtain and retain employment; college counseling programs needing to upgrade employment counseling curricula; expanding services at agencies receiving federal funds with employment as their outcomes; and praising politicians for their wisdom in drafting new legislation supporting employment counseling initiatives.
I thank all of you for your enthusiasm this past year as our field was rediscovered and want to leave you with food for thought. Participating in NECA as an officer is unbelievably rewarding at all levels and develops strong leadership skills that will serve you well. It is also a lot of fun! Get involved and help your profession. Start as a NECA Committee Member or Trustee and learn as you go. Our association is like a school of fish: we stick together, support each other, have lots of fun swimming around, and learn things as we explore new cities where the annual Workshop is held. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing old friends at the annual meeting. Come and join us in San Antonio and find yourself welcomed as an old friend from the beginning. Here is wishing you sunrises full of joy, success and blessed events. Most of all, enjoy your work and the assistance you give others to reach their potential. You are very special. Your President, Kathy Buckovetz.
There are two key phrases that we've all heard bandied about almost ad nauseum - customer service and networking. It seems that no business or employment-related discussion can fail to feature one or both. But why? Might it be that both are crucial to employment and business success? Let's take a look.
Today's world, the Twenty First Century, offers consumers myriad opportunities to 'shop around' for the 'best buy.' No matter what industry, no matter what location, the days of being the 'only game in town' are long gone. With the Internet, overnight delivery, fax machines, etc., there is no such thing as a captive audience. No matter what product or service you offer, whether furniture or fashion, plumbing or pruning, counseling or carpentry, it is not your price, or your location, that drives your success. It is your customer service.
Can your clients rely on you for up-to-date skills and market info? Do you know not only the best job search advice, but the most knowledgeable URL's (web site addresses)? Can you speak to them intelligently about the latest workplace equipment and software? Do you actually read, and sometimes contribute to industry publications, and are you familiar with recent legislation and decision makers? Do you vote?
At a time when information, instructions and advice on every imaginable subject can be found by typing a few keywords on an internet search engine, what can you, the real live flesh-and-blood employment counselor, offer? How can you induce a potential client away from the keyboard? You guessed it. Customer service. This is warmth, rapport, instantaneous positive feedback with a smile, a gesture, a personal chat over coffee, and the knowledge through relationship building over time that you take yourself and your professional integrity seriously enough to keep abreast of the latest techniques for career success - yours as well as your clients'.
In the 'success tools family,' networking is a very close sibling to customer service. How many of you have stressed to your clients the value of networking as a job search and career enhancing tool, and how many have preached that their success might be driven by 'who they know?' Yet, how many counselors do not practice what they preach, do not attend their own conferences, read their own journals, chat with their own compadres?
I know, I know - never enough hours, no time for classes, can't fit in the conference. Well, what if I could suggest a tool - an inexpensive, maybe even free, user-friendly-as-can-be tool that would provide instantaneous customer service and networking opportunity 24/7, and leave you available to anyone in the world and you to them at no charge? And, what if this tool could allow you to counsel your clients or brainstorm with your buds from a great distance, anytime anywhere, in any 'kick-back' mode of dress you wished, and would provide you up-to-the-minute dialogue and information resources on the latest industry technology, and all this from the comfort of your own home or office, or boat, or beach chair? Well, I can. It's here. It's been around for quite some time.
E-mail. It'll expand your audience, enlarge your networking base, free up your time, and impress your clients. And it's free. There are numerous web site sources for free e-mail. Yahoo, for example (www.yahoo.com), or Juno (www.juno.com), or hot mail (www.hotmail.com) will all walk you through their very easy installation procedures.
Lead by example. E-mail your comments to me today: Bill@HR-Guides.com
© 2000 The Skills Emporium
The annual NECA Workshop, conducted in association with the American Counseling Association World Conference, was held at the US Department of Labor in Washington, DC in March. NECA President-elect Margaret Robinson, who works for the Department of Employment Services, facilitated the arrangements.
A welcoming address was provided by William Kamela, Chief of Staff in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training. He indicated that the Department of Labor budget request was being submitted at that time and 85% of that budget is for Employment and Training Administration activities. He encouraged more partnerships in states and localities because community-wide solutions are needed and better leverage resources. In short, agencies need to work together including co-locating when possible. Kamela indicated that 1.5 million jobs are now available in America's Job Bank which also includes 700,000 resumes. There is a plan to establish a DOL Leadership Academy to help develop skills and train staff who work in employment and training programs.
O*NET was addressed by Dr. Marilyn Silver, O*NET Project Director, and Jim Wood. Three new assessments are pending and waiting approval before release. Two of these are the Interest Profiler and the Aptitude Profiler. They are intended to be counseling tools. O*NET is designed to replace the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and includes 900 occupations which will be presented in a new occupational classification system dictated by the US Office of Management and Budget to be used by all US government agencies. Dr. Silver announced that the system will go on-line in a "couple of months" although much of the information resources have been available for some time. O*NET expects that many agencies, organizations, and private vendors will use the system in their own ways in the development of materials and computer applications. To see what the State of New York is doing, for example, contact: www.nycareerzone.net. Wood indicated that the O*NET project staff is also working on lots of enhancements to the system including hyperlinks, applications for people with disabilities, text versions, and a high visual version. For more information, you can email Dr. Silver at: msilver@doleta.gov.
A luncheon speaker was Jill Golden who is the Director of Grants Administration for the Center for Workforce Success at the National Association of Manufacturers. She indicated that through surveys, many employers report that job applicants have skill deficits. Also, with the labor shortage, many employers cannot expand or develop new products. The manufacturing sector is still a strong and important segment of the economy and many personnel directors are saying that schools are not adequately preparing students for the work they need to have done. For more information, contact: www.nam.org.
Dr. Claudette McCarty presented an informative and entertaining review titled "A Multigenerational Approach to Counseling and Career Needs." Using information from several 'generational experts,' she presented the characteristics, expectations, and workplace implications for Flappers (1900-1915), Depression Kids (1916-1934), The Quiet Generation (1935-1945) [yes, I am], Baby Boomers (1946-1964), The Lost Generation (1965-1969), Birth Dearth (1970-1977), and Echo Boomers (1978-Present). She provided a thorough handout and indicated that she can be contacted at: mccartyc@cinstate.cc.oh.us. She is affiliated with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College but is retiring soon.
Workshop participants were given another opportunity to learn more about themselves and an assessment device which could be used with clients. Workshop regulars, Dr. Robert Drummond from the University of North Florida, and his daughter, Heather Senterfitt, presented the NEO 4 assessment instrument. The NEO 4 provides information about interests, interaction style, style of activity, information about attitudes, learning styles, and character information.
There were many other presentations including those by our own Michael Lazarchick on employment counseling as a process of healing, and Bobbi Floyd and Roger Gantzarow reviewing their experience with the Career Development Facilitator Training in Michigan and Wisconsin. All three are NECA Past Presidents. Paula Faith Bourne gave an impassioned finale about respecting human potential by "Connecting the Head, the Hand, and the Heart."
Overall, the workshop was very well done with many new presenters and ideas. The two days went very quickly. Next stop - San Antonio in March 2001.
On the first evening of the workshop, a number of us took advantage of a guided bus tour visiting many of the sights and memorials around the capitol. I had never been to the impressive Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial. The gentle mist and rain through much of the tour provided a fitting mood especially for visiting the veterans' memorials, The Wall, for Vietnam veterans, and the haunting platoon of soldiers walking into a clearing representing Korean War veterans. Visiting at night and seeing the memorials with the well-designed lighting gave a perspective I never experienced when I visited in the past during the day. The champagne and the scrumptious dessert goodies on board the bus were well received.
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