Human Capital And The War For Talent

It is clear from experience, as well as the vast amounts of information available to employers that the demographics of the global workforce are changing. Patterns of migration, issues of diversity and social or educational development are presenting employers the world over with an increasingly difficult and important challenge - where their talent will come from in the future.

An advantage in the recruitment market

In 2008 a large proportion of ‘baby boomers’ are set to retire, and according to large consultancies like Deloitte and BearingPoint, there will be fewer graduates with the "right critical skills entering the market" who can act as "ready replacements" for those skilled and experienced employees leaving the market. This ensures the war for talent continues to rage as companies compete for the right Human Capital asset to give them the advantage in their market.

In a bid to win the war for talent, companies are increasingly developing more creative employer brands, talent acquisition strategies and retention plans. They are looking at a broader spectrum of factors, other than just salary and security, to attract people into their business and to keep them there. Those entering the employment market are no longer looking for that ‘job for life’, nor are they necessarily motivated by pay alone. This places factors like Corporate and Social Responsibility, flexible working, personal development and total reward much higher up on the agenda.

Not bad for a McJob

One high profile example of a corporation tackling their employer brand head-on is McDonald’s, who rely on a steady supply of Human Capital to give their business and their brand life. After the term "McJob" appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary, being described as having low pay and poor prospects, McDonald’s responded in 2006 with the challenging "Not bad for a McJob" campaign.

The McDonald’s fight-back campaign featured posters including examples of health policies, flexible working hours and prospects for promotion, with the objective of improving their public image as an employer of choice and ensuring their employees felt "McRespected" and "McValued".

McDonald’s represents an extreme example, but other companies across the world dedicate much time and resource to winning coveted places in top employer listings, such as the ‘Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For’ in the UK and the ‘50 Best Employers to work for’ in Canada. And, according to Sheffield University, it’s a case of "Who Cares Wins" in today’s job market.

Now and into the future

Which organisations continue to win the war for talent will be based on many factors, and the demographics of the global work force aren’t going to stand still while businesses try and catch up. This makes having a transparent, consistent and strong employer brand essential, because it allows employers to align their talent acquisition and retention strategies to their corporate values. It also allows companies to project into the market a clear image of themselves, which a potential employee can buy-in to.

Whether it’s encouraging the aging workforce to remain motivated and continue working, whether it’s making the differentiation between themselves and the competition clearer to the smaller pool of Human Capital that do have the skills and abilities needed, or whether it’s continuing to drive a volume of employees into specific market sectors - strong recruitment campaigns, imaginative retention strategies, employee engagement initiatives, flexible benefits and work/life balance can be key ingredients in attracting and retaining talent now and into the future.

Some Truths About Asbestos Lung Mesothelioma

There are various types of mesothelioma but asbestos lung mesothelioma is an asbestos-induced cancer of the mesothelium of the lung, more familiarly known as the pleura, which is the external lining of the lung.

Many of the major organs of the body have a mesothelium, that of the heart being called the pericardium and of the heart the peritoneum. However, it is with the pleura that we are concerned here, and the symptoms of asbestos lung mesothelioma are what you would expect: coughing, discomfort in the chest cavity and eventual pain.

Before we come to possible treatments and palliative care, let’s have a look at what causes it and why we are still seeing new cases today after asbestos was banned for construction use in the 1970s.

Asbestos comes in several forms, the most dangerous thought to be crocidolite, commonly known as blue asbestos. This form of asbestos is in a highly fibrous form, and it is the inhalation and ingestion of these fibers that cause the problem. They tend to remain in the body for a considerable period of time and it can take up to 40 – 45 years before the symptoms of mesothelioma begin to appear, though some people contract it in their 30s.

To complicate the situation, it is not only asbestos that causes the symptoms, but any fibrous silicate, which it is why some compensation cases are not as cut and dry as they could be. To add to this complication, smoking adds to the possibility of cancer and it is argued that many patients would not have contracted mesothelioma had they not smoked.

This is not only an argument made by solicitors in court, but has been established by statistics. It is pretty certain that smokers have a greater tendency of contracting asbestos lung mesothelioma than non-smokers, since attorneys for the employers have used this as a reason for having the otherwise high compensation significantly reduced.

There is a popular misconception that mesothelioma is caused by asbestos, but it is just a misconception. Lung cancer is mesothelioma, and in the USA 80% of mesothelioma cases are caused by smoking. That is an indisputable fact. In order to prove the intervention of asbestos in a case, therefore, not only would the patients have to prove that they had worked with asbestos, but also not to have smoked. Had they smoked, then the award could be greatly reduced.

The term “asbestos lung mesothelioma” is therefore a correct one because that form of the disease to which we are referring is caused by asbestos, and not smoking, is of the pleura of the lung and not of the pericardium or peritoneum, and is mesothelioma.

Its treatment is largely palliative, or intended to ease suffering, because the prognosis is fairly grim. Only about 20% of cases live to 5 years after diagnosis, with most surviving only one year, though much depends on how far the condition had developed by the time it was diagnosed. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment are used, but not successfully, and various degrees of surgery are also used. Removal of the affected lung, pericardium and half the diaphragm is the most major of these, and even that only extends life to a maximum of around five years from diagnosis.

There are new treatments being tested, but all treatment is expensive, and a good attorney is likely necessary to secure the compensation to pay for these. Ultimately hospice care will be required and again compensation money should be kept back for this. Ultimately, in spite of all the treatment given, it is palliative care that will make the last days of the patient bearable, as will the help and support of the family, and this is what compensation can fund.

My Journey With Cancer – Part 2: A Visit To The Doctor

So under the advice and concern of my girlfriend I went to the local medical centre straight after work one evening and saw a general practitioner whom I’d met once before.

This particular practitioner was different to other doctors I had encountered in the past. He was gentle, soft spoken and spent more time with his patients than others I had known. He also explained the problem to his patients in a way that didn’t baffle them with medical mumbo jumbo. If I had to see a doctor at all, then this is the one I would always choose.

So when I told him my symptoms he said “we’d better check if there are any nasties there.”

“Nasties?” I’d never heard that expression before and I assumed he was referring to parasites. That made sense! If I had somehow ingested some kind of parasite and it had been sharing my food with me, or worst still feeding on me from the inside, this would certainly cause weight loss.

The good doctor recommended I undergo some tests: Chest X-ray, ultra sound, blood tests. A bit extreme I thought. Anyway, I booked it at a local centre and underwent those tests. The following day I returned to work as usual.

A week later I returned to the doctor. He went over my blood test results and pointed out some the results that were over the normal range. He indicated there was a “nasty”. By this time I realised this no longer referred to parasites but to something else altogether. He also said my X-ray showed emphysema.

I was in some kind of a daze, and the first thing that came to my mind was “Well, I’ll get to travel to the other side and discover what’s there!” The “other side”, life after death and reincarnation were all topics I had taken an interest in, and had become part of my graduate studies. I was referred to two specialists: One was a haematologist, the other an oncologist. Both these specialists concurred there I had some kind of “nasty” and that more investigations were necessary to determine exactly the kind of nasty it was. A day was set for my admission into hospital.

At this stage I thought I’d take a break from my job. I remember it had been more difficult to gather the energy to get into my day’s work. On a few mornings I’d sat in a nearby park after my bus and train ride to absorb some sunlight in the hope of absorbing some energy. I remember the weather having been excellent. It was bright and sunny, and early enough in the day for it to not be too hot.

Staying home offered little relief. I didn’t have to contend with the public transportation, which I suppose was a good thing; but then I was there with that underlying feeling of malaise, the confusion between hunger and lack of appetite, and the weakness.