Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles

Do you have a talent shortfall? Open spots that you just can’t fill? The workforce shortage and its impact on the race to 5G is a regular discussion topic in the industry. If you’re feeling the pain of too much work and not enough workers, maybe you’re missing (or dismissing) a large segment of the American workforce. In the next few years, 35% of our workforce will be 50 or older. And 8% of them—about 13 million workers—will be 65 or older. This week’s guest is Miranda Allen. She’s a nationally recognized expert on generational diversity. And she sits on the FCC’s BDAC Job Skills Working Group. She says companies hurt themselves by not engaging with this experienced workforce. Listen and learn as Miranda… Corrects the negative stereotypes of older workers with facts. For example, workers over 50 aren’t less productive. They have the highest level of engagement in their workforce. (And engagement increases productivity… and productivity increases your bottom line.) Advises mature workers how to revise and tailor their resumes to get through automated recruiting filters. And she suggests what companies should look at in their screening processes if they can’t fill positions. Discusses why companies need to include age in their Diversity Programs. Discrimination against workers over 40 doesn’t only hamper your profit potential, it’s illegal. Listen now! Be sure to subscribe to get future episodes and hear past programs!

The fear that AI will take away a significant number of jobs is somewhat exaggerated, says Rana Gujral. Gujral is the CEO of Behavioral Signals and an expert on AI. Behavioral Signals creates software that introduces emotional intelligence into speech recognition technology. Gujral thinks of AI as comparable to major innovations from the past. They improved productivity and the overall economic ecosystem. They took what humans were doing and enhanced it. And, in many cases, they took on tasks humans didn’t really want to do. But, he agrees, some workers will be affected more than others—just as with earlier innovations. In this episode, Gujral explains the difference between AI and machine learning; shares his thoughts on the tasks AI will take on and what it’s already doing to help professionals; and discusses the responsibilities and mindsets people and companies can adopt to adjust to these coming technologies. Listen now for insights on AI and to hear what Behavioral Signals is doing to augment human-to-human interactions and improve human-to-machine interactions. Be sure to subscribe to future episodes.

Every company has a culture, but not every company has a winning culture. One that attracts and keeps talent. With a workforce shortage throughout the wireless industry, though, many companies are wondering what they can do to improve theirs. Every few weeks, 5G Talent Talk will feature a company that has figured it out. Our first culture champion is Tilson Technology Management with guests Josh Broder, CEO, and Adria Horn, VP of Workforce. Broder says Tilson isn’t a hard place to work, despite working on tough and challenging projects. Tilson’s culture is internally and externally focused, which makes it very purposeful. Broder and Horn explain how Tilson fosters its values, creates psychological safety and communication paths for its team, and how they’ve evolved their thinking about retention and success for their employees. They discuss why it’s less expensive to invest in seemingly costly benefits. And they share the importance of not just saying a company is inclusive but of actually being inclusive. Listen now to discover ideas for how to build or improve the culture in your own company. Be sure to subscribe to future episodes.

Robots and AI are poised to make life a lot easier for us. But that reality is causing a lot of people to lose sleep. Workers will be displaced, industries will be disrupted, and our workplaces will be changing. Guest Alexandra Levit doesn’t lose sleep over this. (But other questions keep her awake…) Levit is a futurist—she looks at marketplace trends to forecast what has the most potential to cause disruptions. She is also a consultant and author of “Humanity Works: Merging Technologies and People for the Workforce of the Future.” In this episode, Levit shares a forecast of what the next decade looks like for workplaces, workforces, and careers as technologies expand. And she talks about the critical roles humans will continue to play, the importance of learning agility, and how to start small.  Listen now to discover what we can expect by 2030 and what you can do now to prepare. Be sure to subscribe to future episodes.

By 2020—just a few short months away—millennials will make up over 50% of the workforce. If you don’t understand your company’s average millennial retention rate (not your overall retention rate), it could be costing you a lot.   The average millennial stays in a job for only 16 months. At an average cost of $36,000 to replace a millennial employee, rehiring costs quickly add up. And these costs are usually not in anyone’s budget, so the losses come out of company growth, R&D, or profits.But not all millennials leave. In this podcast, Dr. Kent J. Wessinger, millennial researcher and author of Bridges Over Ladders: Secure growth and fortify profit with millennial employees, customers, and members, shares the single most important thing your company can do to help retain your millennial employees and the simple ways to do it.  Listen now!

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