Avoiding the Workforce Crisis

How to Cope With the Existing Shortage of Skills and Talent

• How to find leaders and keep them.

• Why many of your existing employees are currently looking for another position.

• The shape of the typical career path and how to keep your employees interested.

Demographic trends and generational differences are presenting quite a challenge for employers these days. A lesser number of individuals enter the workforce, and those that do often have relatively fewer qualifications - and greater expectations! Tamara Erickson explains how different generations of employees view the workplace, and how to take these factors into account to attract and retain workers.

Tamara notes that employers must adopt broad policies including the expansion of their recruiting, offering expanded career opportunities, and encouraging development. With respect to retention, Erickson suggests introducing human resource policies that allows more job flexibility and ensuring that the work given employees is both meaningful to them as well as meeting their values.

Tamara Erickson is co-author of the book Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills and Talent. She is a recipient of the Harvard Business Review McKinsey Prize, and a lead contributor to research initiatives on human resource practices and employee engagement.