Yea, I know.  Again I waited until Thursday to write my Wednesday column.  I might have to come up with a new Anagram, however I am newly committed to making sure I really really try to come up with new excuses when I miss my own deadline… Now on with the wryness…

An “Emperor’s” New Clothes

A recent article in the N.Y. Times talked about what an “expert” thinks Boards of Directors should look out for when hiring a CEO.  The bad things to avoid in a senior exec?

• a reputation for shameless self-promotion
• an obsession with acquiring prestige, power, and wealth
• a tendency to create grandiose strategies and plans to carry them out

Sounds like a current soon-to-be-ex-governor.  The advice sounds as good for a voter as it does for a Board of Directors.  Recruiting is finding the right talent for the right job at the right time.  Applicants, like any candidates, have to be vetted before being chosen.

Elders-Care

No, not another discussion on the sandwich generation.  But it sure is a pithy title.  Another article in the Times talked about retired employees continuing to “work” for their company long after they received their gold watch and first retirement check.  One of the companies noted is HP, and their legion of  good will ambassadors, and volunteer sales people. 

Why do they do it?   Because of their loyalty and engagement to their organization.  Not only do engaged employees recommend their organization to friends and family while they are employed, they continue to be advocates for them after they leave. 

However it is a dual-edged sword.  Unengaged employees are dis-advocates for you with your employees, future applicants, and current customers.  Which elders do you want, those who don’t care, or those that do?

Elder-Care Costs

The folks at Met-Life have created an elder-care calculator for businesses to use in developing the costs of elder-care for their organization.  Based on just 10 people with elder-care responsibilities in a 500 employee size company, costs to the company can top $22,000.  These costs include:

• Absenteeism Costs
• Replacement Costs of Workers
• Cost Due to Workday Interruptions
• Costs Due to Crises in Care
• Costs Due to Supervision
• Costs Due to Unpaid Leave
• Costs Due to Reduction in Hours

Trust me, the “hard” financial costs incurred by employees and their organization are just the tip of the iceberg.