I met with a friend of mine today who is a HR guy at a major Fortune 100 company and he told me that his company is considering a plan to block its employees from using Facebook or Myspace at work. At first, I thought I misheard him. And then he continued by telling me that a recent survey of over 200 companies showed that 50% of businesses currently restrict employee web surfing with automated web filtering systems and that that most businesses expect this number to grow in 2008. Why are they doing this? Publicly, they say that they are worried about viruses, etc. But privately, they will admit that they are worried about their employees’ productivity. They also worry about their liability if an employees does something illegal from work. Man — what are these guys thinking? Talk about frustrating their employees and cutting 0ff their lifeline to new technologies — cutting off Gen Yers and others from the outside world. And what about the trust issue. I remember once sitting in a conference room with Intuit’s CEO, Steve Bennett, when someone asked him why would we ever want our employees posting on the web. His response was ‘hey, why would we hire someone we didn’t trust. Of course, we are going to trust them.’ Limiting someones web access at work is old school. Next thing you know, they will be having metal detectors at the front door and confiscating Blackberry’s, iPhones, and Palm Pilots. With any of those devices, I could go into an office (where no one can look over my shoulder or monitor my PC movements), log on to FaceBook and poke someone.

Sun Dec 30, 4:08 PM ET:  YAHOO News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than half of Americans visited a library in the past year with many of them drawn in by the computers rather than the books, according to a survey released on Sunday.

Of the 53 percent of U.S. adults who said they visited a library in 2007, the biggest users were young adults aged 18 to 30 in the tech-loving group known as Generation Y, the survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project said.

“These findings turn our thinking about libraries upside down,” said Leigh Estabrook, a professor emerita at the University of Illinois and co-author of a report on the survey results.

“Internet use seems to create an information hunger and it is information-savvy young people who are most likely to visit libraries,” she said.

Internet users were more than twice as likely to patronize libraries as non-Internet users, according to the survey.

More than two-thirds of library visitors in all age groups said they used computers while at the library.

Sixty-five percent of them looked up information on the Internet while 62 percent used computers to check into the library’s resources.

Public libraries now offer virtual homework help, special gaming software programs, and some librarians even have created characters in the Second Life virtual world, Estabrook said. Libraries also remain a community hub or gathering place in many neighborhoods, she said.

The survey showed 62 percent of Generation Y respondents said they visited a public library in the past year, with a steady decline in usage according to age. Some 57 percent of adults aged 43 to 52 said they visited a library in 2007, followed by 46 percent of adults aged 53 to 61; 42 percent of adults aged 62 to 71; and just 32 percent of adults over 72.

“We were surprised by these findings, particularly in relation to Generation Y,” said Lee Rainie, co-author of the study and director of the Pew project. In 1996 a survey by the Benton Foundation found young adults saw libraries becoming less relevant in the future.

“Scroll forward 10 years and their younger brothers and sisters are now the most avid library users,” Rainie said.

The survey of 2,796 Americans was conducted by telephone from late June through early September and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. It was funded by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, an agency that offers federal support for U.S. libraries and museums.

(Reporting by Julie Vorman; Editing by Bill Trott)

Okay…this is a classic:

http://www.arcamax.com/zits 

I hear this story constantly “When your mother and I were your age”…that really doesn’t work.  If you are a boomer, just remember your parents telling you about the walking 5 miles in the snow to go to school and then walking to work just to earn $3.00.  We rolled our eyes and said “yeah, yeah…heard it all before”.  But, I have to say that I have said the same words of the mom and dad in the above cartoon (and the mom’s comment is classic…I can so relate!)

Harvard recently made a big announcement that will impact anyone attending college or grad school. To help with the high tuition costs, Harvard announced last week that it would begin reducing tuition costs on a sliding scale based on a family’s income. This is good news for all ‘consumers’ — or young people wanting to get a good education. While it places more pressure on other the admission’s offices of other schools to follow suit (they will loose applicants to Harvard’s favorable approach), it enables Gen Yers and beyond (which really means younger than Gen Y or sometimes referred to as Gen Z or the Silent Generation - cause they are on their computers all the time) to improve their ability to pay for college!This helps low income families and six figure income families, who despite what some people would like to believe still struggle to pay for college. Under the new plan, for example, families with incomes $60K to $120K will pay anywhere from 0% to 10% of tuition.Harvard can do this because they have the largest endowment of any university. Some universities have followed suit such as the Duke Blue Devils (I like that school)This should help those parents who sacrifice a great deal to help pay for their kid’s tuition. They do amazing things for money!Harvard University leaders have made an important decision that may lead the way in making higher education more accessible. Bringing down the cost of going to a college or university is an important step forward.

As you know, each time you interview a young recruit, he/she is going to feel a LOT of stress.  And…it never feels great to get an e-mail or form letter saying “Sorry…you didn’t get the job”.

Each time this happens, a young recruit goes out and tells 20 people that the denial came in such an impersonal way.

As you are interviewing young hires, make them feel at home.  Be upfront about the job they are seeking and what exactly you are looking for.  If the candidate is not a good fit for the position, do yourself a HUGE favor and give them a telephone call explaining exactly why they did not get the job.  Fill them in on what they can do to be a stronger candidate in the future (because they DO want to know).

Great report on why Google is so attractive to young recruits:

Grab the report here by the Great Place to Work Institute

I am sick of hearing that Gen Y is too demanding. Yes, they expect to be paid well. Yes they expect good benefits!. But is this really unreasonable. Hey buddy, the world has changed. Just take a look at Free Agents in Sports. Not all of them are Gen Y. Times have changed. According to a survey by CareerBuilder.com and Harris Interactive, 80+% of Gen Y feel a sense of entitlement.

My advice. Forget asking the question of whether or not they are worth it. Just make the call and decide whether you want to keep up to date with the latest technological and internet trends. Unless it is in your blood, it is too difficult to try and catch up.
And you see us older folks trying to catch up all the time — just walk around your office and watch how people type on the keyboard. If they use that chop-sticks style — using just their index finger on both hands – you know they trying to keep up with the Jones Yers!

So join the 15% of companies who have modified their hiring and compensation policies. 15% — that is pathetic! That is almost as bad as not giving a woman maternity leave.

So stop the old music and get iTuned in!

Great stuff…very funny! 

How to write a paper in college/university

1. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well lit place in front of your computer.

2. Log onto MSN and ICQ (be sure to go on away!). Check your email.

3. Read over the assignment carefully, to make certain you understand it.

4. Walk down to the vending machines and buy some chocolate to help you concentrate.

5. Check your email.

6. Call up a friend and ask if he/she wants to go to grab a coffee.  Just to get settled down and ready to work.

7. When you get back to your room, sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lit place.

8. Read over the assignment again to make absolutely certain you understand it.

9. Check your email.

10. You know, you haven’t written to that kid you met at camp since fourth grade. You’d better write that letter now and get it out of the way so you can concentrate.

11. Look at your teeth in the bathroom mirror.

12. Grab some mp3z off of kazaa.

13. Check your email. ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR YET?!

14. MSN chat with one of your friends about the future. (ie summer plans).

15. Check your email.

16. Listen to your new mp3z and download some more.

17. Phone your friend on the other floor and ask if she’s started writing yet. Exchange derogatory emarks about your prof, the
course, the college, the world at large.

18. Walk to the store and buy a pack of gum. You’ve probably run out.

19. While you’ve got the gum you may as well buy a magazine and read it.

20. Check your email.

21. Check the newspaper listings to make sure you aren’t missing something truly worthwhile on TV.

22. Play some solitare (or age of legends!).

23. Check out bored.com.

24. Wash your hands.

25. Call up a friend to see how much they have done, probably haven’t started either.

26. Look through your housemate’s book of pictures from home. Ask who everyone is.

27. Sit down and do some serious thinking about your plans for the future.

28. Check to see if bored.com has been updated yet.

29. Check your email and listen to your new mp3z.

30. You should be rebooting by now, assuming that windows is crashing on schedule.

31. Read over the assignment one more time, just for heck of it.

32. Scoot your chair across the room to the window and watch the sunrise.

33. Lie face down on the floor and moan.

34. Punch the wall and break something.

35. Check your email.

36. Mumble obscenities.

37. 5am - start hacking on the paper without stopping. 6am -paper is finished.

38. Complain to everyone that you didn’t get any sleep because you had to write that stupid paper.

39. Go to class, hand in paper, and leave right away so you can take a nap.

Over the last month, I have had 22 phone calls from business leaders asking the question:

“Do you speak to organizations on how to recruit and retain Gen Y”?

I do indeed speak on this subject, and I want to start by posting some basic information.

As I hear this question, I often respond by talking about the article recently published by the Great Places to Work institute on Google.  I am then met with the response which says “Well, we don’t compete with Google”.  This mindset has to change if you are going to start competing in the war on talent.

You see, simply because you are a 10 person mortgage, insurance or temporary agency does not mean that you are not competing with Google.  The goal here is to look at what some of the larger organizations like Google and McKenzie are doing in order to attract the best and brightest young talent coming into the work scene.

Here are a few thoughts to consider in answering the recruiting/retention quandry (or as I call it an opportunity for your company to advance):

1) Recruits are looking to be tomorrow’s leaders. Provide them with opportunities to advance and move globally will be a means to that end.

2) Recruits want to know that your company is aligned as a team around the company’s vision and mission. The worst thing you can do in a job interview with a young recruit is to bad-mouth or roll your eyes about a fellow employee.

3) Young recruits want to know that you know about them , their lives and their roots. One of the best steps you can take as a company recruiting a young, talented Gen Y leader is to educate yourself about their college, their college sports team, their hometown, their interest, all the while adding in names of people you know who they know into the interview process (commonality is always attractive).

4) Young recruits want to know there is room for advancement in the company with the perks that go along with it. They also want to know what steps they will have to take to get there.

5) Drop the “you have to pay your dues” conversation and the “Gen Y is entitled” mindset. Talk with them about their aspirations in life, where they are going and how you can help them get there.

More to come on this subject

 WorkForce.com recently had a good article that focused on recruiting Gen Yers and instead of describing training programs and mentor programs, it discussed the importance of having a good damn website. One that is ‘fast and engaging.’.. one with which they will not get bored. So it is important to add a bit of interactivity, such as YouTube Videos. In fact, “sstreaming videos are good not only for acquainting a candidate with what it is like to work within a company but also for showing diversity within the organization.”

Tonight I had dinner with a representative of a company that planned to hire professionals to create their recruiting videos. That is absolutely ridiculous and their perspective Gen Yers will call them on it. Hell, I would call them on it. Why not let your employees create their own and then help them put them on the website to help recruit.

 Ironically, us folks in the USA are a little behind in using interactive technologies to recruit Gen Y. Asia and Europe are a head of us. They use text messaging more than we do. Sometimes I wonder if our Fortune 500 companies are afraid of change. Why have so many of them been afraid to take the plunge and use Facebook or Myspace for recruiting? Or why haven’t they had their employees who are Gen Yers involved in recruiting and providing feedback on the company’s image and marketing. Why not have them help determine if the company website appears to Gen Y.