Do you have any CAVE dwellers at your company? (CAVE: Consistently Against Virtually Everything.) The Q12 Gallup Survey calls them disengaged workers. Our keynote speaker today referenced the term in a recent You Tube speech. And he stressed results of the Gallup poll in his presentation today.
All these disengaged workers, about 15-20% of Americans and 13% worldwide, are still hovering out there in the work place. Yikes. One stat even suggests 71% of workers are either disengaged or actively undermining all the other workers. This sounds like a huge problem.
Keynote
Keynote speaker Brian Mohr is convinced, after getting an inside view of many companies over the years, that the lack of magic in the work place (you can either feel it or not when you walk in the doors of a company) all comes back to passion. Is each employee passionate about the company and the company’s purpose? (Some would ask, based on the data, if employers or employees even know what the company purpose is.)
Brian’s Mentor: Thoughts on life’s challenges and the secret of life
During his presentation, Brian introduced his mentor, Dr. Jason Kolber, who has been an important influence on both Brian’s professional and personal life. Jason gave an overview of the rhythms of life we all go through, referencing examples from his own personal experiences. Stages he highlighted included 1. Nothing works 2. You’ll be happy when… 3. Feeling stuck 4.Taking my power back, referencing the triumphant Rocky in the popular movie. He concluded his portion of the presentation with a story about the gods and the secret of life. As the story goes, the gods discussed where to put the secret of life. Should they put the secret on the mountain? No, because someone would find it. Should they place it under the sea? No, again. Too easy to find. Finally, they decided to place the secret of life inside people. “They’ll never look there.”
Purpose
At one point in his career, Brian began to journal, trying to figure out what he should be doing. As he wrote, the words just poured out and he decided that ultimately he wanted to have a positive impact on other people. He decided that giving to a cause greater than self is probably the greatest purpose any of us can aspire to. He’d personally like to be a beacon to every interaction he ever makes.
Having a purpose can be hard to describe. These days, he avoids asking his children, ages 8 and 10, what they want to BE when they grow up. Instead, he asks them, “What do you want to be a PART of when you grow up?”
Bananas in the tailpipe as a metaphor for employees undermining efforts
As for that 70-some percent of the workforce who are, as Brian puts it, somewhere between bananas in tailpipes (movie Beverly Hills Cop) and sleepwalking , what’s the solution?
The Q12 Gallup Survey results place workers into three categories.
- Engaged—passionate, feeling profound connection with the company
- Not engaged—checked out, sleep walking
- Disengaged—emotionally detached, sometimes to the point of undermining the efforts of others
After many years, the disengaged worker stats remain unchanged, despite new processes and other attempts to change this. It continues to hurt profits and negatively impacts retention of employees.
Answer to the dilemma of the disengaged workforce
Brian’s convinced the answer to this disengagement problem involves creating a passionate workforce, but the responsibility rests on both the employee and the employer. The employer must create the atmosphere where workers feel dedicated to the purpose of the company. Employees must do their research and find these purpose-driven companies and settle for no less than a match.
On a bright note, Brian says the job market is strong. Jobs are out there. But companies are struggling to find the talented workers the jobs require, even as employees are struggling to find the companies they can be passionate about.
It’s up to the employer to create an atmosphere where the devoted, passionate employee can thrive. But the employee must be focused and do their research to find companies compatible with their own life purpose. To find these employers means networking, engaging, meeting people, in addition to Internet research and interviewing people at the company.
Once again, we’re reminded that technology can be a magnificent tool, but the bottom line is people meeting real live people and making connections. Businesses are overwhelmed with the volume of resumes passing through their systems. Job candidates must proactively look for companies whose purposes align with their own. It’s a lot of work, but the payoff is that meaningful job you’re passionate about.
(For an analysis of the Gallup Survey, and to see the 12 Q12 Gallup questions, visit this link.)
Hiring Companies
Northcentral University
Khristine Anderson & Becky Neal, Talent Acquisition Specialists
Northcentral University, an online University voted one of the best places to work, maintains a 100% doctoral faculty. The largest percent of their students are graduate or doctoral students, so they are quite suited to help working professionals. Current positions at the university include their academic team, along with positions in accounting and finances, information technology, and training and learning development. For more information about the university, and to apply for positions, visit their website.
Nextiva
Amanda Dziuk, Corporate Recruiter
Nextiva, part of United Web, was named the fastest growing tech company in Phoenix by Deloitte’s 2014 Technology Fast 500 Ranking. The cloud-based company offers a variety of telecommunications products. A number of positions are available including sales, support, and upper level management. No positions are outsourced. Benefits include 15 days PTO, medical insurance, company paid life insurance, short and long term disability, 401K, and free catered lunch every Friday. For more information and to apply, visit their website.
US Census Bureau
Marjorie Watkins and Starla Curley, Recruiters
The US Census Bureau has selected Maricopa County as one of its test sites in preparation for the 2020 census. Locally the Census Bureau will be hiring approximately 1000 people, including field services workers and supervisors. Candidates may take both the supervisory and non-supervisory tests. For information on taking the required test and applying, call 1-800-361-6891.
Revana
Octavio Duarte, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Revana is a professional inside sales organization which outsources sales and marketing solutions for some of industry’s leading clients, including Google, Verizon, FedEx and Toshiba. Octavio stressed that Revana is not a staffing company but a company with fulltime workers and benefits. Benefits of working in their call center include paid training, competitive salaries, and career development. The company has a current need for inbound/outbound sales reps and sales managers. They’re also still looking for a fluent French speaker for their customer service department. The company has locations in Tempe and North Phoenix. To apply, visit their website.
Resources
Canyon State Institute
Steve Carparelli, Acting Director
Canyon State Institute is a training company and a partner with Career Connectors. The school offers training in several areas of certification including vocational rehab, SHRM and more, all of which are nationally based. The training can be completed in anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks and funding is available. For information on funding or applying, visit their website.
Closing
Executive Director of Career Connectors, Jessica Pierce, closed the formal part of the meeting by reminding everyone they are invited to take for free the DISC assessment, usually $99. Attendees were also invited to speak directly to hiring companies, get expert advice on resume writing and using LinkedIn, and pose for free professional business portraits.
The next event for Career Connectors is scheduled for Thursday, January 27, 2015, at 9: AM in Gilbert and features a keynote presentation by Kirk Wilkinson: The Optimist’s Advantage.
The next Scottsdale event meets Thursday, February 12, 2015 and features Sandi Ashton’s presentation: DISCovering Your Unique Value.
For more information on these events, including addresses and directions, click here.