Excited, of course, because it seems like a cool, fun way to engage employees (and brought back fond memories of watching Mario hop around in a Frog suit)…But also surprised by just how many companies are embracing this trend: A reported 70 percent of major domestic employers used these ”serious games” to train employees in 2008, according to the Entertainment Software Association.  That figure is estimated to increase to 80 percent by 2013.

It’s encouraging to see employers move away from more traditional training methods like white papers, PowerPoint presentations and training calls - many of which seem as if they were designed to be tuned out (apologies if this is news to anyone) – and toward more engaging methods.  According to the article, those who use these training techniques say that video games help employees build business skills by putting them in situations that require critical thinking and decision making. 

Not to mention that being able to interact through computer simulation programs helps employees retain complicated information better than they would using other, more traditional training techniques.

Of course, the obvious downsides to using video gaming techniques to train is that the time and cost spent setting up and designing the customized software could be significant, depending on the complexity of the project.  And then there’s the not-so-minor fact that simulations can’t completely replace actual human interaction…But none of this is to say this technology doesn’t hold value (so long as its viewed as a supplement to, and not a replacement for, real world training) – and many will argue that the business benefits ultimately outweigh the costs.

No Longer Just a Training Tool…
In addition to helping companies develop employees’ business skills, more companies are utilizing video games in their recruiting and branding efforts as well. Here are a few examples:

• Candidate Attraction: The MITRE Corporation, for example, enables job seekers to download a 3D video game that gives players a better understanding of the company’s campus, how the interview process works, and view examples of company projects. Similarly, staffing firm Kelly Services has a virtual community in Second Life that gives job seekers an interactive experience to see what it’s like to work for Kelly, create buzz and differentiate Kelly from its competitors. In August 2009, the U.S. Army opened its Experience Center at a Philadelphia shopping mall, where potential recruits can play military videogames and learn about military bases and career options in an interactive way – helping the Army meet and exceed its recruiting and retention goals.
• Employee Engagement: Kansas City-based benefits provider Assurant launched the gaming suite, “It’s Your Business,” in 2007 with the goal of helping employees better understand the business in order to boost sales. What it ended up with was increased employee engagement and knowledge retention.  Today, employees are even more involved in the project, as they are the source of input for developing new training games.
• Employee Retention: In efforts to help employees relieve stress, refocus and (most importantly) avoid burnout, companies are increasingly relying on video games – turning their ordinary break rooms into game zones.  At the offices of the Chicago-based tee shirt company Threadless, taking a break to play a little Guitar Hero is an everyday occurrence for employees. And recently, Phoenix-based Multi-Systems, Inc. gave its employees a $10,000 budget to design a game room for them to unwind in, as a thank you for making various pay and benefits sacrifices the previous year. 

Where does your company fall among these other companies and their efforts? Does your company use interactive programs to engage current or potential employees? If so, feel free to share your experience in the comments section below…

Here, I give you my list of the 10 biggest trends we saw this year in the world of workforce management.  (Notice anything I missed? Let me know in the comments section below!)

1. Social Media Specialists made their way to corporate America. Recognizing the value in using social media as both a branding and recruiting tool, companies like Comcast, General Motors and JetBlue Airways,  began hiring professionals specifically for the sake of managing and monitoring their social media sites.  (Even Britney Spears got in on the action.) 
2. Internships made a comeback…in various forms. In the tightened economy, internship positions became more competitive among job seekers– as well as an attractive alternative for employers looking for cheap labor and a way to “test” new employees before hiring them full-time. One position that stood out was Pizza Hut’s “Twintern,” an intern responsible for posting updates on – and monitoring – the company’s Twitter account. The experiment turned out to be a success on both ends – come fall, Pizza Hut offered the twintern a full-time position. Similarly, 2009 also saw the rise of virtual internships made possible through improving technology and the growth of social media, and enabling employers to expand their pool of candidates while saving money on office overhead. 
3. Older workers were forced to rethink retirement. Nearly 60 percent of workers aged 65 and older reported that they were postponing retirement due to financial strains, according to a March 2009 CareerBuilder survey. While employers may be worried over how they will manage this aging workforce, multigenerational workforces are actually an asset to employers; they simply need to be “proactive in devising new strategies to harness and harmonize the multigenerational workforce,” advises BusinessWeek’s Roselyn Feinsod.
4.  “Qwittered” entered the American lexicon…joining the prestigious ranks “Facebook fired.” Stories abounded this year of employees getting reprimanded for posting inappropriate comments or – as we saw in this year’s most infamous case - videos on online social media sites. Even celebrities were not immune to this trend, as ESPN’s Sports Guy recently found out.  What can we learn from these stories? For one thing, having a well-thought out and clearly stated social media policy in place can eliminate these sorts of incidents. Make sure employees are aware of the policy and that what they say can be grounds for punishment. (For tips on creating a social media policy, check out Sharlyn Lauby’s excellent post on 10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy)
5. Medical cost-cutting efforts got more creative. As health care costs soared, businesses began looking for ways to reduce medical coverage expenses with a new sense of urgency. Whole Foods, for instance, began offering workers incentives for losing weight and improving their overall health to ultimately reduce medical coverage costs; while other employers started expanding their employee assistance program offerings to include counseling – a less expensive alternative to therapy obtained through company medical coverage… Then of course there were those companies making the case for legalizing medical marijuana, saying the move could save them money on drug costs.
6. Thursday became the new Friday. Taking a cue from Utah’s institution of a four-day workweek for state workers, employers nationwide began to follow suit – hoping to generate the same benefits Utah saw as a result of its experiment.  Not only did the state successfully reduce energy and help workers save money on commuting costs, as it had hoped, but workers took fewer sick days and state services improved, as well. 
7. Women made workplace history. As layoffs hit men at a disproportionate rate, the ratio of women to men in the workforce evened out. As of September, women held half of the nation’s jobs – for the first time in our nation’s history.
8. Sex at the office became a hot(ter?) topic: While sex in the workplace is nothing new, the debate – both in the media and at the water cooler – over if and when it’s ever okay reignited after David Letterman admitted to having an affair with a “Late Night” staffer – and gained even more steam when two other, high profile sex-in-the-workplace stories surfaced soon after. (Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it’s always good to have a refresher on the rules regarding sex in the workplace.) 
9. Year-end bonuses, gifts and holiday parties disappeared. No surprises here: Fewer businesses planned office parties this year – whether due to budget concerns, or out of mindfulness of the hardships clients and employees’ families are experiencing. In the spirit of the season, however, some employers are organizing company-wide charitable events as an alternative. As is the case with holiday parties, the economy is also preventing many businesses from offering the typical year-end gifts or grant bonuses…but that doesn’t mean they’re not trying to appease their employees and clients with alternative gifts, such as car washes, choice parking spots and complimentary breakfasts.  
10. Office personal space became scarcer. In efforts to trim costs and boost productivity, many employers nationwide began reducing per-employee office space – from removing cubicle walls to create open floor plans, to eliminating assigned workspaces for employees who spend a lot of time away from their desks. Despite employers’ good intentions, however, some employees are finding that the closer quarters disrupt their work flow and increase tensions, according to the Wall Street Journal. (The lesson? Know your audience: While some people may thrive in tighter quarters, it can be distracting to others. Help your employees by giving them the option to work remotely or make sure you arrange the office in a way that maximizes the available space.)

What trends did you notice popping up this year? (And what do you anticipate we’ll see more or less of in 2010?)

For me, it raised questions from an employer’s perspective as well:

• Do you encourage “down time” for your employees to help them spark creativity and new ideas?
• If so, do you have any kind of organized process for this?
• Do you think it’s healthier for your employees to be constantly busy, or to have opportunities to be idle and think or explore a topic or project completely different from their normal job duties?

I have included the video below; When you have a moment, it’s worth a watch.

Teimlo’s story

Mobile phone content provider Teimlo’s method of hiring for a marketing position is a bit, well, different. The Wales-based company is requiring those candidates interested in working as a marketer for Teimlo to apply via a single text message (and in typical mobile-phone-text-limit fashion, to do it in 160 characters or less). If a candidate makes it to the next hiring round, he or she will get a response from Teimlo — also via text message (duh).

The company explains this move by saying that they want candidates who work well with mobile phones. How do you prove your superior mobile abilities? Well, according to a recent article on Reuters, the company is looking for a myriad of traits. “If you are qualified, sassy, good with words, dynamite at events, Adobe compatible, having working knowledge of mobile and social mobile, and are a determined multi-tasker and networker we want to hear from you,” the company said.

That’s a lot to prove in 160 characters or less. But Teimlo also said the 160 character limit would help sift the “more savvy” about providing content from those who “just want any job.” The company says it wants people who are genuinely interested in their job — not just any job — and that this limited use of characters will force applicants to be creative. The job application process is open until September, so candidates have ample time to come up with their biggest string of Internet slang abbreviations most illustrious words to land that job.

What we can learn

Teimlo is not the only company dreaming up new methods to attract not only candidates — but well-matched candidates –  in today’s job market, but they are a great example of a business taking stock of the current economical environment, changing technologies, and the evolving online habits of job seekers to take their hiring process in new directions.

Successful candidates may express their excitement in short bursts of text as well, I imagine:

OMG guess what? Just got intvw w/that co.! Call me l8tr! xoxo

Or, you know, not.

So what do you think? Applying via text: Genious or just gimmicky? And if you could only get 160 characters of text from a candidate’s application, what would you want to hear?

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts has made huge strides through their social media efforts, and their latest campaign ties their new product offering in with their Facebook fan page with their “Keep it Coolatta” sweepstakes. This new campaign allows users to turn their profile pics into prizes by taking pictures of themselves drinking the Dunkin’ Donuts beverage and showing how they are “keeping it Coolatta.”

While this campaign may target many customers, it is also getting Dunkin’ in touch with candidates who may not have known a lot about them before and who are curious to learn more about the company. Dunkin’ Donuts is smartly gaining a presence — and an interactive one at that — by tapping into potential employees’ social networks on sites like Facebook. Facebook, as is Twitter or YouTube, is a very viral platform in which to communicate an idea — and if it’s a good idea, it will travel fast and reach a lot of users. They’ll send it to their friends, and then they’ll send it to their friends… and — yeah, you get the idea.

Dunkin’ Donuts executive chairman Jon Luther recently got into a discussion with us here at CB about the company’s leadership philosophy (more to come on that soon). One comment that stood out to me was Luther’s assertion that “People are to us the most important part of the equation. I tell people we’re not cloning genes here, we’re building relationships and making sure they’re the most profitable they can be so we can be the best franchiser in the world.”

And sites heavy on user interaction, such as Facebook, allow companies to more easily build those relationships  that are hard to come by through the traditional hiring process alone. They also enable employers to more seamlessly integrate their brand into the user experience. Take a look at what Sea World has done, for example.

Think like an employer

Creating a social media campaign is all well and good, but still, you must determine your goals in launching an interactive, viral campaign on a site like Facebook. What are you trying to do — and with whom are you trying to connect? If primarily candidates, take a look at other companies running successful campaigns, and decide how you can focus in on job seekers in particular. Pitching your product or creating a fun game is a good start — but take it up a level. How can you connect with people who may be interested in working for you (and who just may not know it yet)?

A recent BtoB Magazine article lists 5 ways to optimize your Facebook marketing. These ideas, although specific to Facebook, can be applied elsewhere, and they are good starting points in your planning process.

Here are a few (full list here):

1. Have a strong presence: Secure your company name on as many social sites as you can. Not only will you beat others to the punch (Facebook custom usernames, anyone?) and prevent squatters or those posing as your company/abusing your company name, but once you secure your company’s presence, you can start interacting and creating interesting content right away under your official name.
2. Create an application: Build an application to engage job seekers with your brand. An application doesn’t have to be expensive or complex — but consider what type of application will allow you to grab the attention of job seekers most.
3. Throw an event: Get people together in support of your business, brand, or a particular product. Better yet, spreading the word through viral sites is cost-effective — and just plain effective. On Facebook, for example, you can invite fans of your page, and through Twitter, you can “tweet” out the event details and a link to your followers. Before you know it, you’ve got quite a guest list.

This is of course only skimming the surface — but it may trigger an idea and get you brainstorming. Any of your own experiences or ideas to share?

You can also click the link below:
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The great aspect of these down-on-our-luck times is that we may, in fact, not be as down on our luck as it appears. Yes, layoffs are everywhere we look. Yes, keeping morale up is a struggle. Yes, money is tight. We know this, but the underlying current running beneath all of the negativity and sad news is a fighting and entrepreneurial spirit that keeps us fighting through – and moving on. CNN had a great feature yesterday about 9 people who are staying optimistic and finding success in the midst of this recession.

This is not to say that any of this is easy, or that we should all be clapping our hands and celebrating or performing a Toni Basil-style routine of joy (though I’m not not condoning that). But if we look a bit closer, good things are sprouting beneath the surface. Many people are starting their own businesses; others are doing the things they haven’t made time for in the past. Many are getting out of their comfort zones and are finally free of jobs they hated but were too scared to leave.

What positives can you take from our current situation – and how can you pass that positivity on to your employees who need it so much? We recently asked all of you what you’re doing to lift your employees’ morale and promote positivity in the workplace. You had some wonderful ideas! I thought I’d share a few, but be sure to read the full list here.

A few highlights from our awesome commenters:

• In light of all the talk regarding Economic Stimulus, our bank put together our own “Stimulus Package” for our employees. We feel it’s important to keep humor and a good outlook intact

• We cut raises for the time being but will give generous gift cards through out the year to each employee. We have also cut some of our positions from full time to part time, same pay. It seems to be working out great!
• Our company recently started a “Lunch In” program where we teamed up with a local deli to have ‘economically friendly’ lunches provided. We wanted to offer something to our employee’s that is affordable, convenient as well as delicious!

• As with many companies, we have had to reevaluate our benefits package and revise some of our benefits in an effort to save money across the company. While some benefits were reduced we were also able to negotiate and add some benefits (like critical illness insurance, identity theft assistance, travel protection, Healthy Rewards program and a Will Preparation Program).

• When my Customer Service Mgr. meet daily with our customer service Reps. the 1st question they ask is tell me something positive that happened in your day the results have been great. Revenue has risen 6% over previous month!

• Dan R’s Automotive stimulus package is to turn off the media , turn on the POSITIVE! We hold monthly potlucks where we do a theme like St. Patrick’s Day — bring in something that starts with a G for green.

So…what are you doing?

If your employees are moping around the water cooler, sleeping at lunch, or sobbing during meetings, it’s likely not a good sign.  You need to get your employees excited about coming into work again — like, now. It’s important to remember that just because employees are on your payroll doesn’t automatically mean they love their jobs or wish to stay with you for the long-term. As an employer, your responsibility for their well-being is just as important as it was six months or a year ago – if not more important.

But when things are so bad, how can you make work fun again? You may be surprised to find that a lot of little things can add up quickly to thaw out your employees’ frozen hearts.

Wellness programs are often a great morale-booster, as an article on The-Daily-Record.com cites. The author also mentions a recent wellness seminar by Dr. Dan Powell, who says that wellness programs may range from no-cost “Biggest Loser” competitions to calling in wellness specialists to work with employees to achieve their goals.

Going green can make your employees happier? Ingram Book Company says they have taken many steps to save energy and reduce waste — and it’s not only saving them money, but has led to higher morale and greater productivity, according to Wes Melo, operations vice president.

We’ve talked in the past about eight ways to proactively improve morale, and those tips still stand. In addition, our 15 fun things that other companies are doing is a great starting point. But sometimes, lack of employee morale may be due to more than just the winter blahs.

An article on EHS Today’ s site, “Five Strategies for Dealing with Workplace Depression,” talks about creating good working conditions by using ecotherapy techniques such as adding live plants and full-spectrum light bulbs, encouraging personalized workspaces, and providing both an outlet to the “outside” world and availability to healthy food. Beyond this, it is important to address workplace depression if you suspect it may be an issue.

What else can you do?

• Initiate mentor programs and volunteering activities. Encouraging your employees to help each other — and reach out to the community to help those in need — is one of the best things you can do.

• Bring someone in for a cooking class — or better yet, find out which of your employees is harboring a secret desire to be on “Top Chef” and enlist them to teach a class in-house.

• Plan a Movie Week and have employees vote for which movies they most want to see. Host the top five choices at lunch each day for a week (or spread it out over a number of weeks), B.Y.O.S.-style (Bring Your Own Snacks).

• Snow Candy party — it’s not just for kids anymore!  Or, really, a party of any kind will do.

TheHiringSite also asked our Twitter friends what their companies have done lately to improve employee morale and help them beat those winter blahs.

BUSYME We held a coworker appreciation day. Handed out 50 Thank You notes per department. Recip could turn in for $10 gift card. Employees LOVED it! We posted the cards on a bulletin board, so everybody could read them. It was awesome! Company spent $500 on gift cards and considered it a successful program.

ExpressPros Ask for employee input on budget cuts. We all know they’re coming, so let staff help decide where to trim! Communication is a key morale booster. People want to be in the loop!

lankybob My company threw a party at the office with indoor bags, beverages, and catering. I was a great meet & greet since half of our people are never in the office. So it was good for the union technicians to meet the engineers.  Oh, and one of the guys brought over the Wii, so we were playing in the conference room.

Has your company done something cool recently? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments here.

Not surprised? I’m not either. And I would venture a guess that in light of recent layoffs at many U.S. companies, the percentage has increased since this survey was conducted.

What does this mean for you as an employer? Well, several things. And they’re not all bad.

The desire to find greener pastures with a new employer offering better compensation and career advancement, more flexibility, and more stability commonly drives many employees to flock to new opportunities. With layoffs on the rise, however – and the fear of layoffs in many employees’ minds – there are suddenly a lot more passive candidates “passively” searching for new opportunities. (Read: safer work environments, higher morale, less tension, solid benefits, and job stability.) And for you, Mr. or Ms. Hiring Employer, that’s a good thing.

As an employer, this is a key opportunity for you to reach out to those passive candidates and get them to take notice. I’m not necessarily suggesting staking out your competitors’ work places and holding up “We’re Hiring!” signs (tactics such as these haven’t always boded well for job seekers) -but getting creative in your recruitment tactics is one of the smartest moves you can make right now.

I recently talked with Jenny Thomas, CareerBuilder.com recruiting manager, about her suggested methods of attracting passive job seekers.

1. Understand their motivation
As Jenny explains, “It’s important to understand what makes candidates move.” As you’re pursuing these candidates, she says, be aware of their motivators, which may vary considerably. For instance, some passive candidates may not get along with their manager. Others might be interested in switching to a completely different industry. Still others might want more compensation. It really depends on the individual.  By building a relationship with passive candidates, you will get a better idea of what makes them “move” – giving you a window to present them with opportunities that fall in line with their motivations.

2. Keep them informed
Passive candidates, as mentioned previously, are often your top candidates – and they want answers. The more information you can provide about your company or the company you’re recruiting for, the better. Be prepared to sell your company and your diverse offerings and benefits to them.  As Jenny notes, it’s easy for managers to get caught up in their own goals, but to successfully reach these candidates, they must focus instead on building mutually rewarding relationships with them. Ask yourself: What’s in it for them?

3. Be inquisitive and interested
While you should give passive candidates a rich amount of information about your company or the company you’re recruiting for, it is also important to ask them questions about what it is they’re looking for. Ask them about their current role. What is their company like? Are their concerns with location? Money? Company culture? Benefits? Diversity? Ask those in-depth discovery questions (assuming you are at a comfort level with them to do so).

Bottom line: What do they not have today that they want? Ideally, by getting to know them better, you will be able to mesh your opportunity with their employer wish list. On the other hand, you may find that your company is not a good fit. But won’t you be glad you found it out before the interview – or before the hire? And keep in mind, while you might not have the right opportunity now, you might later on – and when you do, you will already have built a great relationship with that candidate. Word to the wise: Keep in touch.

4. Keep them engaged
I’m not going to go so far to say candidates are like a fine wine (that would be weird, yes), but do keep in mind that these relationships cannot be built overnight. Like any quality relationship, they must be built on trust and strengthened over time.

Keep them engaged with touch points. Send occasional articles about your business, pick up the phone to check in now and then, or even snail mail some company info or a handwritten “hello” note to them. Add them to your network on BrightFuse and LinkedIn. Be accessible. But remember that candidates have lives, too. If you’re stalker-ish or invasive, candidates will check you off their potentials faster than you can say “Paris Hilton’s music career.” As in any relationship worth maintaining, there is work involved, but if you find a candidate who’s a perfect fit, it’s worth your time. Jenny suggests checking in with potential candidates in some form or another roughly every couple of weeks.

Jenny’s thoughts:

“Attracting passive candidates in recruiting comes down to the relationship a candidate builds with an organization.  It is a time investment from the recruiter and hiring manager.  It is important for both to be involved to understand a candidate’s key drivers and provide them with enough data to compare opportunities effectively.  A candidate is going to take an opportunity that is a little better than both their current position and any others they are considering.”

Stay tuned for Passive Candidates: Pt. 3…

What is it about your company that makes you stand apart in today’s workplace? A creative and nurturing environment? Pingpong tables? An amazing health plan? Unlimited coffee refills? Diversity initiatives? Lunchtime yoga sessions? We want to know.

Threadless, a community-based apparel store, was recently named one of Chicago’s coolest offices by Crain’s Chicago Business. In the video below, Bob Nanna, promotions coordinator for Threadless/skinnyCorp, talks about what makes the Threadless office a little bit different. See the video

Amid changes in our economy, plenty of innovative companies are pushing forward and staying one giant step ahead of their competition by dreaming up new and exciting ways to attract – and keep – employees.

And we think that’s pretty cool