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Newsletter #16 April 24, 2018 |
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Don't Tell Me You Can't Find a Job . . .
Labor Commissioner Mark Butler says that there aren’t many good excuses to be out of work these days. 2016 and 2017 set new records for employment, workforce size, and the number of jobs available in Georgia. “Politicians are always talking about jobs, jobs, jobs,” Butler told the audience at last week’s GEA Spring Conference, “I’m here to tell you that jobs aren’t a problem. We have to create more workforce.”
According to the Commissioner, unemployment across the state has held steady at 4.4 percent for over a year. Georgia has the least unemployment since 1990, when there were 2 million fewer in the workplace. The average time on unemployment is down to 8 weeks, the shortest unemployment period for any state in the U.S. The statistics look great, but it all means tough competition for the best employees.
Read more about the Labor Commissioner's presentation in the News section of the GEA website.
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| | | HRCI Certification Training Series Begins July 31
Obtaining a PHR or SPHR certification is a crucial step in your career development as an HR professional. HRCI certification provides industry accepted recognition as an experienced HR leader. The knowledge gained from the certification process can increase your value to your organization and improve your overall marketability.
GEA's PHR/SPHR Certification Series will begin July 31 in Macon. This six session series allocates time for each topic area that is covered on the exams. Participants should be ready to take the exam in September at the end of the course. |
| | | The Best Spring Conference I've Ever Attended!
That’s what Georgia Automotive Manufacturers Association (GAMA) CEO Rick Walker had to say after attending the 2018 conference at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort. Golfers skirted the rains on Sunday and attendees learned a lot during the Monday and Tuesday morning sessions.
Here’s a sampling from the presentations:
Georgia’s Garden City port is the largest container terminal in North America. It covers 1200 acres. 10,200 trucks go through the facility each day and it’s served by two railroads. And it’s growing . . . container volumes were up 11% last year.
Bart Gobeil – Senior Director, Georgia Ports Authority
Changes to the FLSA wage and hour exemption standards are dead, but the proposed increase in the salary limit increased awareness of the overtime provisions. FLSA exemption cases are up 400 percent.
Alyssa K. Peters – Partner, Constangy, Brooks, Smith, and Prophete, LLP
21 million Americans suffer from substance abuse disorders. Drug overdoses killed more people than traffic fatalities last year. Opioid abuse resulted in $702 billion in lost productivity last year. Georgia is 11th in the nation for opioid abuse.
Jody Jernigan, Southeast CEO of the National Safety Council and Judge Elizabeth Gobeil, Director, Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation in a panel discussion on opioid abuse.
The Savannah Conference is over, but you should plan now to attend GEA’s Legal and Benefits Workshop at Lake Lanier Islands, scheduled for May 21 - 22. Click the link or the image below for more information. |
| | | | Thundering Tarnations
Customer Service in a Rainstorm
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The sign on the McDonald’s drive-through window said “Please turn off your windshield wipers before placing your order.” It was a reasonable request in a steady rainstorm to prevent the employee behind the sliding glass from getting soaked, so I complied. But the rain didn’t explain the disembodied hand that projected through the crack in the window to take my money. Nor was the sign helpful when I had to dive into the mud puddle under my car to retrieve the bills and coins that the aquaphobic cashier dropped.
The young employee could have apologized, but instead she got mad and passed her anger to the next window where the bag containing a Big Mac and fries was literally tossed into my car. There were no napkins, so I waived for attention, finally receiving a scowl, a curse, and a handful of napkins also thrown mostly into the window.
To be fair, McDonald’s makes a commitment to being America’s best first job, and they do focus on providing job skills to new employees who are just entering the workforce. In this case, though, the message didn’t get through. This story is an extreme example of less than exceptional service, but it underscores the importance of customer service training and continual efforts to improve.
What’s happening in your customer service center? Are there new CSRs that need basic training or experienced representatives that could use a refresher course? GEA’s Exceeding Customer Expectations course is a half-day training session that emphasizes the customer service experience from the customer’s viewpoint. Click the image below to learn more. |
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Georgia Employers' Association |
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