Las Vegas remains 30th largest metropolitan area in the nation.
By Kyle Hansen (contact)
Article from LasVegasSun.com

Despite Las Vegas’ spot at the top of the foreclosure and unemployment rankings, Clark County has continued to grow and remains the 15th largest county in the nation, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Las Vegas kept its spot as the 30th largest metropolitan area in the nation, as well. The city had the same ranking last year.

The data is the last annual estimate of population before the completion of the 2010 census. The data is an estimate of population as of July 1, 2009.

According to the Census Bureau, Clark County had 1,902,834 residents on July 1, 2009. That represents a 1.3 percent increase from the previous year, when the county had 1,879,093 residents.

Original article from LasVegasSun.com

According to a new study that was released from the Department of Labor, “Quit Rates” are at the lowest volume since they began measuring the statistic in 2000.  Simply put, jobseekers are afraid to leave the security of their current job without having another job in place.  And until employers begin to hire again, employees are staying put.  This false ‘retention measure’ will ultimately impact employers in Nevada as the economy rebounds and jobseekers feel secure enough to move on.  I have heard of studies stating that some 68% of employees plan to change jobs when the economy recovers.  There has never been a more important time than now to build employee loyalty and work on your employment brand.

Read a more in-depth article here.

Why Jerks So Often Succeed, and How to Avoid Becoming One of Them

Sally Hogshead has a Part II/follow up article on The Talented Jerk vs. the Sweetheart Hack, where she posted the question on Facebook, who would you rather work for? (Click here for Part I article on AdAge.com)

The bottom line conclusion:  You do not have to be an asshole to be a loved and respected leader. But you do have to have the power to influence decision-making. Every persuasive brand does. Just as brands must influence customers, leaders must have the ability to inspire action among employees and clients.

Dan Fietsam of Energy BBDO remarks, “I look for leadership that I can trust on two fundamental levels — I trust they have the talent to make things happen and I trust because their consistent intent is respect, directness, fairness and integrity. I value trust over sweetheartedness. Or assholeness.”

Original article on AdAge.com

According to the annual online Valentine’s Day American Workplace Insights Survey from Adecco Group North America and conducted by Harris Interactive, attitudes have shifted from a year ago as fewer U.S. workers (72%) love their job just as much or more now than they did in 2009 (78%). In fact, only 39% feel the economic situation has caused them to appreciate their jobs more – a significant dip compared to more than half (55%) of workers feeling this way a year ago. In addition, workers’ acceptance to work harder to avoid layoffs (17%) and willingness to work longer hours (19%) are slightly fading compared to 2009 (20% and 21% respectively).

Additional survey findings include:

Gen Y is Nervous and Falling Out of Love with their Jobs:
More than a quarter (26%) of Gen Y workers are nervous about the instability of their job and 27% love their job less than last year, nearly a 10% jump over the 16% who felt this way last year.

Gen X Most Likely to “Do Over” their Career if They Could:
If workers had the option to start their careers over again, about half (51%) would change their current profession, particularly Gen X workers. Fifty-six percent of them said they would start over compared to only 38% of older adults “Silent Generation.”

Less Appreciation and Confidence in Management:
Only 7% of workers noted the economic situation had positively impacted their confidence in their executive team versus 90% in 2009. Additionally, there’s less appreciation for bosses as only 10% of workers appreciate their boss more in 2010 as a result of the economic situation.

Adecco Group North America provides the following tips for employers as they prepare for a potential shift in the job marketplace:

Open the Door to Communicating with Employees:
The best employers keep their staff informed and embrace an open door policy through forums such as town hall meetings, open conference calls, regular email communication, newsletters, etc. – helping to drive employee confidence and productivity.

Make Retention a Top Priority Now:
Retention efforts begin through mutual dialogue and building trust. Managers should engage their employees in the realities of the business challenges to foster employees’ understanding of the market and competition.

Explore Opportunities to Recognize and Reward:
Improving morale just by recognizing good work can help ease compensation complaints. In addition, gestures of appreciation – a thank you email/note, recognition during meetings, a small gift card or surprise pizza lunch, can be impactful and effectively demonstrate appreciation for hard work and dedication.

Original article from Biznet

Yes, Dilbert, there has been a lot of confusion on what employee engagement is really about and if it truly provides a difference to the employee and the employer. A Gallup study published found that companies with employee engagement scores in the top 25 percent had 18 percent higher productivity, 16 percent higher profitability, and 49 percent fewer safety incidents.  

During these tough economic times when productivity and profitability are measured with intense preciseness, the above data proves that employee engagement is important and should be to every organization. And it’s even more important to employers who are trying to hire the best talent.

A recent article on trainingindustry.com discusses the biggest misconceptions on employee engagement and explains in detail the benefits. Let’s hope more companies start to understand employee engagement and not back away from the concept.

Original article

By Amanda Finnegan

Despite Nevada’s tough economic climate and growing jobless rate, casino executives today said they are seeing the benefits of federal stimulus dollars flowing to Las Vegas.

In the wake of national media appearances by two high-profile Las Vegas casino executives, Harrah’s Entertainment, Station Casinos and Hilton International hosted a teleconference Thursday to chime in on the Obama administration and the effects of the federal stimulus on the industry.

Wynn Resorts executive Steve Wynn, who has been critical of the Obama administration for months, voiced his opinion again during a roundtable discussion on Fox News Channel on Oct. 10.

Then Tuesday, MGM Mirage Chief Executive Jim Murren spoke with Fox News. He was less critical of the president but said Obama needs more focus on job creation.

Harrah’s Entertainment Senior Vice President Jan Jones said today’s teleconference wasn’t just a response to Wynn and Murren, but a reaction to those who question the need for the federal stimulus and its role in protecting jobs.

“State government in Nevada would not be operating if it weren’t for the money that came into the state budget from the stimulus,” Jones said. “The number of jobs that have been protected because the government can still operate, that is a direct result of the stimulus.”

Aside from the money Nevada received from the stimulus, the cancellation of indebtedness provision and Travel Promotion Act were important additions that helped the gaming industry, Jones said. She credited Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with both.

The cancellation of indebtedness provision allows companies to restructure their debt and delays tax payments tied to capital gains.

“For Harrah’s Entertainment, that allowed us to protect 31,000 jobs in Nevada alone. This piece of legislation allowed Harrah’s to work to restructure to make sure we kept our employees employed,” said Jones, a former Las Vegas mayor and current member of the governor’s Spending and Government Efficiency Commission.

Station Casinos Chief Development Officer Scott Neilson said his company hasn’t been able to take part in the debt cancellation provision since Station is currently in bankruptcy proceedings, but said the legislation will allow the company increased flexibility as it restructures.

“Even though a lot of the companies in the Nevada economy trying to work through this [bankruptcy] process right now might not have been able to take advantage of this provision yet, I think that they will and I think you’ll see a lot of companies benefit greatly,” he said.

Chris Najbicz, vice president of West Coast operations for Hilton Hotels, said he stands by Harrah’s and Station Casinos on the stimulus.

“We really do endorse the importance of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in saving a multitude of jobs throughout the state of Nevada and believe it’s been very helpful to the Las Vegas business community in general,” Najbicz said.

Jones said some Nevadans haven’t made the connection between the stimulus and Las Vegas job creation in the state. The state’s unemployment rate last month stood at 13.3 percent.

“When we have been so positively impacted, I felt it was wrong for it to be continually mischaracterized,” Jones said of the stimulus. “I think sometimes people forget what the reality is.”

Retention matters now more than ever.  Although you have experienced your retention numbers going up, it is more likely due to the economy and not the retention programs that you have been meaning to put in place.

During economic slow downs, retention levels increase by default.  Simply put:

1. Very few jobs exist right now
2.  Job seekers are afraid to leave their job for another for fear that the new job may not last.  

What is the saying…”The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”  

At the coffee shop the other day I overheard a conversation between two professionals.  One said to the other, “I’m kind of nervous to look for another job right now.  At least the one I have right now pays me each week and I know the company will be around next year.”

I believe this is the general attitude of people nowadays.  So really….there is no better time to put additional focus on your retention programs and really ‘wow’ the employees you have.  Because when the economy rebounds (and it will), there will be a massive movement amongst all of our employment ranks.

In today’s uncertain economy, building workforce loyalty is important.  Employees are on edge.  They are just as, if not more, uncertain about the economy as the employers who are battling to keep the doors open. 

Yeah, we all are looking for areas to cut expenses and save money right now.  But, investing in our employees during this time will pay huge future dividends:

• It builds loyalty (retention) for when the job market does turn around and talent begins to look for new opportunities.  And;
• It buffers the stress that effects daily performance, increasing overall productivity.

There are inexpensive ways to appreciate your workforce…from Pizza Fridays to Gift Cards.  One that I recommend is taking your team, whether that is the entire workforce or a small department, to a sporting event.  A UNLV Running Rebels basketball game is a great way to support the local economy and our local university.  Group tickets can be purchased for as little as $7 per seat.  The Rebels are at the top of their division right now and the games are getting more and more exciting.

Here is the Rebels home calendar for the remainder of the year, if you are interested:

• 2/03/09 San Diego State - 7:30 p.m.
• 2/10/09 TCU - 7:00 p.m.
• 2/14/09 Colorado State - 7:00 p.m.
• 2/21/09 BYU - 8:00 p.m.
• 3/04/09 Air Force - 7:00 p.m.

As a season ticket holder, I can assure you that your team will appreciate the excitement, energy, and camaraderie that comes out of attending a game. 

You can coordinate group (discounted) tickets through Emily Erskin – emily.eskin[at]unlv.edu

The cost of turnover is almost always grossly underestimated.  And many employers never take the time to calculate it.  When reading a blog the other day, Taleo did a great job of bringing to light the cost of turnover in a housekeeping department.  In the gaming industry, we typically refer to this position as a GRA or Guest Room Attendant.  GRA positions have one of the highest turnover rates and typically make up 20% of the casino workforce.   So high turnover = unnecessarily high labor costs. 

Take the time to read the blog post.  It highlights many of the same calculations we share with our clients. 

Congratulations to the Award winners from today’s luncheon:

Micro Companies (1-50 employees)

1. Custom Benefit Consultants
2. Geotechnical & Environmental Services, Inc.
3. Millenium Staffing

Small Companies (51-90 employees)

1. McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
2. Mercury LDO Reprographics
3. Poggemeyer Design Group

Midsize Companies (91-250 employees)

1. KLAS-TV Channel 8
2. Focus Property Group
3. Faith Lutheran Jr./Sr. High School

Large Companies (251+ employees)

1. Ernst & Young LLP
2. ROEL Construction Company
3. Desert Radiology

Gaming Companies

1. Black Gaming, LLC
2. Hooters Casino Hotel
3. Palms Casino Resort

Non-Profit Organizations

1. Opportunity Village
2. Nevada Public Radio
3. Nevada Federal Credit Union

Government

1. Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority (LVCVA)
2. University Medical Center (UMC)

Again – Congratulations to all.  It is quite an accomplishment.  Thanks for making Nevada the Best Place to Work!!