Harmonics

Did you know most break up’s happen in February?

I had a discussion with a friend this week, they said they wanted to break up with their partner, they have been together just over a year now. Why I asked?

I can’t be myself, I don’t feel there is an emotional connection, but I don’t know what to say and how to say it. Can you help me John, what way would you go about ending it?
My reply was to lighten the air……Well when I was in my teenage years, the most common breaking up advice I got was to say “It’s not you it’s me”:) Seriously I questioned, have you spoken to them about how you feel? No was the reply, I don’t comfortable having awkward conversations like that, I don’t want to make them feel bad. I don’t want to tell them the truth about how I really think and feel………

So now we were getting to the truth- my friend was in conflict avoidance mode and a year long relationship was going to end because they couldn’t have a courageous conversation. Relationship counselling is not my expertise so we will leave this story here for now…….more later in the post.

But I did want to tell you that most work break up’s happen in February.

Many of the most talented people hand in their notice to leave their jobs in February because they have just received their annual bonus and it makes financial sense to move and start afresh.

I have shared above the most recent research from our Future Career Readiness Research study. It shows a massive 42% of people at work today self describe as either having a hit a career ceiling, feel frustrated or in a toxic situation. Why?

The common factor is both managers and employees are failing to have courageous career conversations. Managers we have found avoid the career development chat in fear they may not be able to meet employee career expectations. The view is most often to leave well enough alone and hope they stay. Our research shows talent are looking for new career experiences after just 17 months tenure. Career Progression today does just not mean promotion, it means people want to learn new skills and work on new projects to become more employable and marketable in the future. If you as an employer can’t offer this to your talented people they will leave for new pastures and they are right.
Many Senior Business Leaders I meet are complaining they can’t find and retain talent. It is a tight talent market for sure, but in any relationship be it work or in life where you value the other party, you need to be able to have the courageous conversation.

Harmonics has now developed the Future Workforce Readiness Index for Organisations to measure how their employees think and feel about their career, so they can take pro-active steps to not only retain talent but also provide the career development opportunities to develop them to be at their best.
If you are a Manager of people or an employee, think about having the courageous conversation. The relationship may be worth saving, but like my friend you wont find out unless you have the chat. It may just result in less break ups happening in February!

The Future Workforce Readiness Research is available to download here on https://www.harmonics.ie/study-finds-64-average-score-future-career-readiness/

ADAPTING TO CHANGE IS TOP FUTURE OF WORK CHALLENGE

Skills most in demand, top people challenges and impact of technology explored in Global Survey

A global survey of HR Directors and Talent Managers conducted by Irish firm Harmonics and OI Global Partners (one of the world’s largest career consulting partnerships) has revealed:

• Two thirds of respondents say that adapting to change is the biggest people challenge facing their organisation, followed by attracting and hiring new talent. Retaining key talent is third on the list.
• By contrast, in Ireland, the second and third biggest people challenges are employee engagement and managers lacking coaching skills.
• Collaborating with others is emphatically the most valued skill today (73%) followed by the ability to Embrace Change (63%) and Leadership Agility (62%)
• Surprisingly, 38% believe new technologies (AI/machine learning) will have no impact on jobs in their organisation, 35% believe it will lead to more jobs and just 28% believe there will be a loss of jobs in the coming year.
• However, in Ireland almost half of those surveyed believe that new technologies will result in a loss of jobs in their organisation
• The top 3 most effective activities in developing talent are: leadership development programmes, assessments and one-to-one coaching with external coaches.
• Over a third do not have employer brand strategies in place

John Fitzgerald, managing director, Harmonics, said, “There is a direct correlation between the number one most valued skill and one of the key people challenges that organisations are facing – adapting to change. The speed of change in the global economy means employers are almost always in a restructuring and change mode. So, they are looking for people who excel at collaboration as they can possess an ability to adapt to uncertainty, normally communicate clearly and exhibit the leadership agility required in rapidly changing conditions.”

“It is interesting to note that the potential impact of new technologies on jobs is viewed far more pessimistically in Ireland. The rise of AI and automation will lead to new ways of working but our ongoing research suggests that while certain jobs will be lost, almost twice as many will be created. Organisations need to help their employees to adapt to change and develop the skills they need as well as a growth mindset,” he continued.

“Surprisingly, over a third of organisations do not have employer brand strategies in place. Most leading organisations value such strategies because of their positive impact on talent acquisition, employee retention and positioning the organisation in the marketplace. Organisations that fail to embrace such strategies will face a talent crisis,” concluded Mr Fitzgerald.

This is the fourth annual survey that Harmonics has conducted in association with OI Global Partners on the Future of Work.

About the survey:

The survey was conducted in July, August and September 2019. There were over 1,000 respondents from 25 countries.  Organisations of all sizes weighed in, with half reporting more than 500 employees. Respondents represented every one of 16 major industry groups, with heaviest response from Financial Services, Business Support & Logistics, Technology, Telecom, Internet & Electronics and Manufacturing.

About OI Global Partners

OI Global Partners is a leading human resources consulting firm that helps organizations manage their talent and individuals manage their careers. More than 1,000 consultants strong with 225 offices in 25 countries, our reach assures customers a broad suite of talent management services and a deep base of experienced consultants. For more information, please visit www.oiglobalpartners.com

A personal reflection on resilience and legacy

Last week my Dad passed away. We were lucky as a family to be by his bedside when he passed, and it was a peaceful ending for him. We cared for him in his later years and we have no regrets. I am back to work this week and reflecting on his legacy, three things spring to mind immediately.

He left school at 16 with no formal qualifications, emigrated to England for a short, like many did in the fifties, and worked on the buses. Then at 19 his parents died within a year and he returned home to take over the family farm as the only son. It was not his passion but, in his generation, it was his duty to work the family farm that had been passed down to him. Dad had so many more skills and talents that he never fully got to explore. He always impressed upon me to explore, see the world and never feel limited by the paradigms of family tradition. My career journey led me to experience many different roles and ultimately, find and follow my passion.  Thanks Dad.

When I hit a crisis in my career at 40, unemployed for the first time in my life, I went to Dad looking for financial help for the first time. I had never asked him for money, as he had taught me to always find my own way. This time it was different, I really needed help. We had a mortgage and a young daughter and cash was running out. I shared my hard luck story with him and his reply was straightforward, “You got yourself into this John, get yourself out of it!” His reply maddened me… I couldn’t lodge his career advice into any bank. Did he not understand my situation!?! Of course he did, but he was testing my resilience. Dad always gave me challenges to test me; this was another one – when I didn’t need it. All I needed was money to get by.

It taught me a valuable life lesson. It fired me up to become even more resolute in achieving my career goals. I was going to succeed no matter what, there was no place to hide now. I just had to do it and his advice was the birthing of our business today, Harmonics. This experience gave me the resilience required to set up a new business and more since. I know I have that resilience now to face tough situations again in the future. Thanks Dad.

He was very well read on many topics and seemed to be always halfway through a book that was lying on the kitchen table. He also loved to write and had such beautiful handwriting. He expressed his love of writing by penning a weekly column on rural life in a local newspaper under a pseudonym. I only discovered he wrote these columns a few years ago. He never said anything about them as he never wanted to attract attention. He was a great man for the parish and the community. He wrote weekly notes for our parish Knockainey in the local papers (the Limerick Leader and Vale Star); sharing the local community news and an account of the local GAA games for all age groups, including who played well and who scored. He devoted much of his life to his community and making it a better place.

Today, he would love to see me signing 150 copies of my book “Future Proof Your Career” for dispatch to a corporate client to accompany my talk on “How to become Ready for the Future of Work”. He was so proud that his son got to write a book. He knew it was something I wanted to achieve in my lifetime. I was proud to have been able to share a copy of the book with him before he died.

If there something in you that you want to achieve, my advice is just do it and have no regrets. Dad had almost full hearing loss in his later years, but he could read and write. We had to write everything down in order to communicate to him. If I were to write something down for you now Dad, it would simply be “Thanks Dad”.

John Fitzgerald is the Founder of the Harmonics Group, author of ‘Future Proof Your Career’ and speaker on the Future of Work. Harmonics specialises in helping organisations plan for change, manage change and support their people through change.