The Psychology Archives at the University of Akron will continue its fall colloquium series by welcoming psychologist Dr. Florence L. Denmark, on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 2 to 4 p.m., in Student Union 312. Denmark’s lecture, “The History of Women In Psychology and the Development of the Psychology of Women,” is free and open to the public.

Denmark is an internationally recognized scholar, researcher and policy maker. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in social psychology and has five honorary degrees. Denmark’s most significant research and extensive publications have emphasized women’s leadership and leadership styles, the interaction of status and gender, aging women in cross-cultural perspective and the history of women in psychology.

For some reason my reply button for responding to comments does not work. So I am replying here to comments received from Mark and Tim to a previous blog.

In response to Tim, my powers of prediction were based more on history than on moral hopelessness. For some reason, the courts have consistently drawn a distinction between age and other forms of discrimination. Given the only protected class I fall into is age, this does upset me some, but nevertheless it exists. So I do not believe it has anything to do with laissez-faire doctrine or Reagan, it has do do with the courts consistently drawing a distinction between theories of age discrmination and for example sex and race discrimination. Is this distinction based on any science? Harvey Sterns and I point out in our chapter on the law and age that there does not appear to be any theoretical or scientific basis for this distinction. Of course, we have not really conducted research on the difference in theories in this realm, so perhaps it is we psychologists who are at fault.

I would add that most people do seem to believe that a company should take age into account in making personnel decisions. See for example our emphasis on workforce and succession planning. But that is another issue.

As for Mark’s comments, I would not be the first to point out that the so-called balancing of burdens of proof is more of a legal theory than a courtroom reality. the burden is more of a subtle weighing carried out in the processing of information than a matter of one team being the offense until the punt (to poorly use a football analogy).

Anytime a factory closes, there is a tremendous social cost. The question then becomes one of how, if at all, should we compensate those hard working individuals who suffer as a result of the changing fates associated with capitalism. In the US, our solution has been to let them sue, often arguing that they were terminated as a result of discrimination if they belong to some protected class. I think this is the issue Mark is addressing, is this then the best use of the courts? Is this the best method of determining who should be compensated and how much they should receive?

I find it extremely difficult to predict the future. Everytime I try to I am wrong.

So I provide this report from IPMA-HR on job losses in the government. There are of course two issues. One how many losses will there be over the next two years. Two, how will this impact the relative ratio of government to private sector to NGO.

From IPMA-HR, “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there was a decline of 263,000 jobs in September. This marked the 21st consecutive month of job losses and since the start of the recession the number of unemployed persons has increased by 7.6 million. The government sector lost 53,000 jobs in September. All sectors of the government experienced job losses, with the federal government including the United States Postal Service losing 6,000 jobs, state government including education declining by 10,000 jobs, and local government including education falling by 37,000 jobs.”

We have previously discussed the phenomena of employers searching social network sites for information on job candidates. The September issue of IPMA HR News report on a CareerBuilder Survey that finds 45% of employers use social network sites to research job candidates, up from 22%.

Of those:

1. 29% use FaceBook
2. 26% LinkedIn
3. 21% MySpace
4. 11% Blogs
5. 7% Twitter

My question would be what exactly people are searching for on Twitter? Are they following job candidates for a number of days? Again, the lesson, be careful of what you post online.

The newest issue of HR NEWS from IPMA-HR includes an intriguing article on “What’s on the Minds of HR Directors.” My version of their summary is:

1. The economy – the effects of the recession will be felt for a long time
2. Public safety departments are not sharing equally in cuts
3. When openings exist, there are large numbers of applicants
4. Few pay raises
5. Age related 1 – Organizations are staying away from early retirement incentive
6. Age related 2 – current retirement plans may be too generous and may not be sustainable
7. Age related 3 – there are issues with allowing retirees to return to work
8. Greater use of non-monetary recognition
9. And finally — HR systems are under stress

I serve on an IPMA-HR committee that recently looked at Workforce Planning in the public sector. The 2009 IPMA-HR Benchmarking Committee Survey on Workforce and Succession Planning is now available on the website at: http://www.ipma-hr.org/content.cfm?pageid=42. More than 300 members completed the survey which describes how workforce and succession plans are created and implemented. New this year: the report includes ten case studies from various agencies with workforce plans.

I rode my bicycle across Iowa twice in RAGBRAI (the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). I once rode the same bicycle from New Orleans to Chicago while camping in state/national parks over three weeks. I have bursitis in my left shoulder, frequent lower back pain with a touch of sciatica thrown in for good measure, and I quit running a few years ago when my knees began inflaming, swelling and feeling painful after a run. They say the last resort for the aging athlete is golf. Not my game…..yet! I believe the only way to keep doing is to keep doing (at least as much as I can).

So, in this spirit, after a few year hiatis from cycling I began cycling again this summer. No century (100 miles) rides (yet), just a sensible 25 mile ride three or four times a week. Problem is there’s a hill in my area that I could not conquer and I truly hate having to dismount and walk my bicycle up any hill (just like the cowboy heros of my youth who bridled at walking when a steed was nearby). Well having finally reached the point where I knew that my failure to stay in the saddle on this hill was no longer physical, but psychological, I decided to try some basic sport psychology tactics, as follow:
1) Visualization/imagery. Before and during the ascent I mentally picture myself out of breath, but exuberant at having crested the hill. I imagine the air I breath as being full of energy which allows my body to keep recovering and maintaining during the ascent.
2) Positive Self talk. I keep telling myself as I approach the hill that I can and will RIDE to the top (I talk aloud to myself).

Guess what? Using these techniques I road to the top of this hill twice during my ride yesterday. Not a great athletic achievement. Just a lovely little milestone for this 54 year old baby-boomer during the summer of 2009.

Generational issues remain a hot top in human resource management. Predictions regarding baby boomer behavior are especialy important in workforce and succession planning. This leads into the topic of the impacts of the economy on retirement. Counter to the predictions of many, the retirement age for men has been falling. However, financial issues may lead to a reversal in this trend. According to NPR and Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc., a retirement consulting firm, three-quarters of those now planning to postpone retirement cite the loss of savings in their 401(k) accounts as the single biggest reason, the survey showed. The respondents also said they need to work longer because of rising health care costs and fears about price inflation. If Americans do keep working longer, it would reverse a decades-long trend toward earlier retirement.

Of course, the financial crisis has probably had its own direct impact on the process of workforce planning. Many US organizations appear to be putting off workforce planning as a way to respond to the uncertainties of the market and the tightening of belts. As with many human resource practices, we seem to reduce our emphasis on future planning at the very time we need it most.

According to IPMA-HR and Career Builder:

As working fathers face increased financial pressure, fewer are willing to give up the traditional breadwinner role. Thirty-one percent of working dads said they would leave their jobs if their spouse or significant other’s income could comfortably support the entire family, down from 37 percent in 2008 and 49 percent in 2005 .  Working dads continue to explore different options that would free up more time to spend with their families. Despite a tough economy, 30 percent said they are willing to take a pay cut to spend more time with their children, down from 37 percent in 2008. Forty percent would consider a cut of 10 percent or more.

The above suggests that work-life balance remains an important issue and not just for working women. However, traditional issues such as job security and pay never go away either.

Crain’s Cleveland Business has an interesting article on generational issues by Arielle Kass. The article deals with baby boomers putting off retirement. Of course, a little over a year ago we were talking about the problems that would be created when baby boomers left the workplace. Now we are discussing the problems created by baby boomers not leaving their jobs. The article discusses the problems faced by Generation X, caught between Millennials entering the workforce and baby boomers refusing to leave.

This becomes frustrating for the millennial hired to replace a baby boomer once the baby boomer retires. The millennial ends up stuck in place, with little room for advancement.

Once again, one more reason why predicting the future in human resources is so difficult. And probably another reason why workplace and succession planning is so difficult.