What a crazy month we’ve been through… and still a few weeks before the election.

Wow.

I saw Chicken-Little holding a press conference.

Really.  OK, not really, but it made for a funny mental picture, didn’t it.

I’ve decided to spend the next few weeks catching up on my usual Wednesday Ramblings (A Bad Mingled Wryness).  I’ve got a lot of content, a lot of thoughts, a lot of pent up snarkiness.  Perhaps some sarcasm too.  Go figure.

Generation Why?

A bunch of recent surveys have indicated a low level of satisfaction among Generation Y employees.  A Conference Board study found that less than 4 out of 10 of employees under 25 years of age were satisfied with their current jobs.

This is the same group who stay in their job an average of 1.3 years.

These are the same employees with lowest level of engagement of any age group, with only 35% Fully Engaged.

So, why do these employees remain with their organization for such a short amount of time?  According to the 2008-09 Employee Hold’em National Workforce Engagement Benchmark, fewer than seven in ten of Generation Why’s have a job that is satisfying to them.  Only two-thirds have a job that provides a sense of personal accomplishment.  Fewer than six in ten enjoy going to work.

Further analysis on this third biennial study shows that Rewards & Recognition is the second strongest driver of engagement with Generation Why employees.  Fewer than seven in ten employees believe that people are fairly rewarded for their contribution to their company’s success, less than six in ten feel that excellent performance gets rewarded at their organization, and fewer than half believe their manager ensures that the best employees receive the greatest rewards and recognition.

Maybe they should be called “Generation Why Should We Stay?”

A Prescription for Hiring Top Talent

A recent help-wanted ad for John C. Lincoln Hospitals in Arizona gave information on a Registered Nurse (on-call) ioebubg,  In addition to the standard job description was this statement “Our hospitals rate in the top 3% in the nation for employee satisfaction.”

What applicant wouldn’t be impressed?  Or patient?

A Prescription for Retaining Top Talent

Employees at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati can now access an on-site concierge service to request errand running, grocery shopping, car services, event planning, and more.

“The Christ Hospital considers employee engagement and a balance between home and work life critical components to being an employer of choice and a leader in patient-focused care,” said Susan Croushore, President and CEO, The Christ Hospital.

Just plain ‘ol good business sense… and cents.