Sourcing Tip #5: Focus attention on core versus non-core work activities

Brought to you by IBM

As part of its talent assessment, an organization should review those work processes that are core to its current and future strategy and examine the potential for outsourcing non-core activities. By outsourcing activities not central to the organization’s strategy, such as HR administration, IT desktop support and accounts payable administration, companies can shift these functions from a fixed to a variable cost model, making it easier to adjust costs with changes in the overall workforce size.

For example, organizations needing fewer employee call center representatives or recruiters during a downswing in their business cycle can more easily adjust their staffing levels using an outsourcer, rather than continually letting go and rehiring their own employees.

Outsourcers can also provide specialty services, such as merger and acquisition integration assistance, that would be too costly for organizations to maintain on staff. This can enable the firm to act more quickly, as well as reduce the transition time and costs associated with one-time events.

Talent Tip #20: Blending On-Demand Training Solutions

Brought to you by Raytheon Professional Services
By Greg Luckock, Director, Global Technology and Development Strategies, Raytheon Professional Services

Many corporate training functions are being asked to do more with less in this challenging economy. Corporate learning professionals are scrambling to offer more cost effective training solutions. One avenue that these learning professionals pursue is incorporating more on-demand learning options into their training solutions. Because on-demand learning is delivered via a mobile device or the Internet, it eliminates much of the cost associated with traditional instructor-led training (ILT) including classroom, instructor and travel costs. Add these hard-savings to the soft-savings associated with the “lost productivity” time of students sitting in traditional ILT, and it becomes clear that blending more on-demand solutions into the overall training strategy provides a powerful cost reduction option.

But not all on-demand solutions are treated equally. Some require more up-front investment than others to ultimately deliver savings. For example, it may take a larger up-front investment to properly convert ILT materials into Web-Based Training (WBT) than the initial investment required to facilitate that same instructor-led course over the Internet as a Virtual Classroom Training (VCT) session. Both options eliminate the classroom and travel costs associated with a typical instructor-led course. But a WBT also eliminates the instructor cost whereas VCT sessions do not. A return on investment (ROI) analysis can help determine the best option.

It is important to remember that not every on-demand solution is appropriate for all content. The key is to understand how to match the learning objectives of the content to the most appropriate delivery type. Converting an ILT class into WBT format, for example, certainly reduces delivery costs. But in the process, it converts the training from a synchronous experience where an instructor is available to present concepts and answer questions, into an asynchronous experience where the student is on their own to digest and understand the content. The student experiences of each delivery type are very different and may not be appropriate for all content subjects. As a result, the ROI analysis must also weigh the costs versus benefits, not only the lowest cost solution.

Here is a suggested order for converting ILT materials into on-demand formats.

1. Virtual Classroom Training – Because VCT sessions are “live” sessions and often conducted by the existing instructor staff over the Internet, the costs to convert existing ILT materials are low. If the VCT sessions include live streaming video of the instructor and/or students, costs increase for the associated infrastructure requirements. There are typically also some nominal training costs to prepare instructors to effectively deliver training using these types of platforms. One added benefits is that VCT sessions can be recorded and offered very quickly as on-demand video segments for post-class performance support. A variety of hosted VCT platforms are available with reasonable licensing prices.


2. Wikis/Blogs/Discussion Broads – Integrating social learning platforms before, during and after a traditional ILT course can result in compressing the actual number of days spent in the classroom. Because wikis, blogs and discussion boards are largely “user-generated” content, they are typically inexpensive to implement. When it comes to user-generated content, remember the adage, “garbage in, garbage out.” Accordingly, these platforms may require formal auditing of the content posts to be most effective. Instructors must also learn how to properly use these tools to post class materials, offer online office hours, etc. to understand how to best integrate these platforms into a formal training course. A number of social learning platforms are available, some as freeware.


3. WBT – Converting ILT materials into effective WBT courses requires up-front development costs. However, when the audience size justifies it, WBT can significantly reduce overall training costs. Beyond the savings related to classrooms, instructors and travel, WBT courses do not require the training administration activities associated with ILT. So while up-front costs may be higher, the overall savings that can be achieved are more significant.


4. mLearning – Converting ILT materials into mobile learning format may require even higher initial development costs than WBT because mLearning must be designed in small information chunks and for small screen formats.These short nuggets of information have their niche, but delivering the content associated with a multi-hour ILT via mLearning is not practical.

When properly blended, on-demand solutions can reduce overall training costs as well as improve learning effectiveness. By blending on-demand solutions into the overall learning strategy, the entire curriculum becomes more balanced. Some courses in the overall curriculum will remain traditional, “just-in-case” training, while others are converted into “just-in-time” information that reduces costs and improves the relevance and retention of the material.

Talent Tip #4: Incentivize lifestyle changes

Brought to you by Ceridian

Changing employees' lifestyles can help reduce benefits costs – in fact, 75 percent of employers' health care costs and productivity losses are related to employee lifestyle choices (Source: CDC, 2008). Consider offering worksite wellness programs and create a culture of good health at your company. Companies that implement health and wellness programs average 28 percent less sick leave, 26 percent less direct health care costs, and a 30 percent reduction in workers' compensation and disability costs. (Sources: CDC and Ceridian)

Talent Tip #19: 5 Tips for Your Unemployed Friend

Brought to you by Katie Loovis, Director of Business & Society Relations at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Civic Leadership Center

Like most Americans, you probably have at least one or two good friends who are currently unemployed. We all know that the outlook for job seekers is not particularly positive. On nearly all accounts, the “Great Recession” will continue to include a jobless recovery. So what do you say when your friend asks you for advice and help? Are you at a loss and end up giving a sincere but awkward, “keep your chin up”? Good news - there are actually hundreds of free resources out there to help your struggling friend make ends meet and get back on his feet. Here are five to get you started:

Tip 1) Attend a job fair
To land a job, you need to first know about some job opportunities. Monster is making that easier with their “Keep America Working” Tour. Launched in March of this year, Monster has put a helpful twist on the traditional career fair. This signature event, happening in cities across the country, is connecting individuals who are looking for work with job opportunities available now. Additionally, the events feature networking opportunities and workshops with career experts who are providing tips for re-entering a job search, searching during a recession, and staying positive. To date, nearly 2,000 companies have participated in the Keep America Working Tour, providing nearly 50,000 open positions.

Tip 2) Get some free job training
Sometimes landing a new job requires sharpening your skills and acquiring some new skills. In fact, more than half of today’s jobs require some technology skills, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that statistic will reach 77% in the next decade. To help Americans get back on their feet, Microsoft forged a unique partnership with states to provide 1 million vouchers for Microsoft e-learning courses and select certification exams at no cost to recipients. This is part of Microsoft’s Elevate America, which was launched in early 2009 to help train 2 million people in the technology skills critical for our 21st century economy. States such as Washington, Illinois, Virginia, Iowa, and Maryland have adopted the program and, according to Microsoft, reported unprecedented demand among unemployed, underemployed, under skilled and displaced workers seeking to upgrade their technology skills.

Tip 3) Start your own small business
At a time when many feel like they are at the mercy of the markets for landing a job, some are stepping out and starting their own small business. There are all kinds of free resources out there to help these budding entrepreneurs, and a good place to start is the Small Business Toolkit created by IBM and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. The free web portal, which is translated into 17 languages and deployed in 30 countries, is connecting 4 million visitors a year to a wealth of tools that help young enterprises learn and implement effective business management practices and improve their access to capital and new markets.

Tip 4) Get your prescriptions and medical services for free
It is likely that your friend who needs a job is also in want of healthcare assistance. Paying out of pocket for health expenses can be daunting, but the good news is that if you dig a little, you are likely to find a clinic providing healthcare services and prescriptions for free thanks to sponsorships from companies such as Abbot. For example, in Lake County, Illinois, where approximately 30% of residents do not have health insurance or are under-insured, there are two free clinics and a pharmacy called HealthReach. The clinics provide its more than 4,100 active patients with cardiovascular, obstetric, gynecological, dental, and ophthalmology care. From screening and diagnosis to helping find patients access to hospital-provided health care, HealthReach has served more than 30,000 patients since its inception.

Tip 5) Get involved
Looking for a job can feel like a full-time job. Despite the time demands, it’s wise for job seekers to carve out some time to serve the community. Volunteering can not only help them feel better about themselves, but it can help them develop marketable skills, and put them in new encounters that could prove fruitful in the job search. In 2008, about 28 million employees from the private sector volunteered, giving 3 billion hours of service. To put it plainly, corporate citizens are out there volunteering in communities all the time. If you want a job at a particular company, a good first step is to volunteer alongside those employees, see the great things you can accomplish together outside the corporate walls, and then maybe you’ll get a good shot at accomplishing great things with them inside the corporate walls. (*Data from the Corporation for National and Community Service).

As you might have noticed, all the resources mentioned are offerings from businesses. That’s right. To many people’s surprise, the business community is stepping up and offering hundreds of resources to help cushion the impacts of the recession for struggling individuals. The U.S. Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) has galvanized these business offerings into an easily accessible online portal called Together For Recovery. Learn more about the offerings above and hundreds more. www.TogetherForRecovery.org.