Corporate Alumni Network - AWS | Jobs, Recruiting and Retention

AWS Members Consider Career Changes

Eighteen months ago, AWS surveyed our members and found job satisfaction was high, particularly because individuals were relieved to have a job in a very unstable market. AWS' jobs poll shows 84% of our members still report they are satisfied or very satisfied; in this group 25% were considering other career options compared to 41% of total respondents. AWS members are experienced professionals, many in technical positions and as such have had, and continue enjoying, a higher level of job security.

Of the Alumni who left their current positions in the last 6 months, 30% did so because of a better opportunity elsewhere. Twenty three percent left for a bigger challenge and 33% left for other reasons such as bad relationship with a manager, salary and benefits, selling their company, their company going bankrupt or retiring.

These figures are in comparison to a recent survey by job-placement firm Manpower which reported 84% of employees plan to look for a new position in 2011. The general industry figure of 84% is up from 60% last year. In a survey conducted by Firstdirect, almost seven million workers in the UK have moved jobs in order to find a better boss and improved working environment. The division of HSBC Bank plc has found that one in ten workers have switched careers in their search, while one in 20 has attempted to set up his or her own business.

Similar to findings in the CNN Money article, most ARCO alumni in 2009 to 2010 sat tight through the recession, not even considering other jobs because so few firms were hiring. For the past few years, the Labor Department's quits rate, which serves as a barometer of workers' ability to change jobs, has hovered near an all-time low.

But after years of increased work and frozen compensation, "a lot of people will be looking because they're disappointed with their current jobs," said Paul Bernard, a veteran executive coach and career management advisor who runs his own firm. Contrary to Bernard’s comment on disappointment at work, AWS community members were generally positive about their work, indicating new challenges and opportunities as a result of improved technologies and reorganizations within their companies had kept job satisfaction high.

The Future of Work

Superannuated boomers won’t vanish from the workplace altogether: people in their 60’s and 70’s – because of either need or desire – will be among the 40% of the US workforce that will rent out its skills in years to come.

And in the UK, a 2009 survey of HR professionals found that 57% were increasing hiring of temporary and contract workers due to the uncertain economic climate and 47% found that part-time workers were more appealing to employers that are looking to cut costs.

Enter the baby boomer generation.

“Boomers are already enjoying the perks of work life balance and remaining engaged,” says AWS President Cathy Clonts. “Forward-thinking companies are taking advantage of the technical talent mature workers can contribute. Keeping in touch with their former employees maintains a valuable connection which industry leaders are utilizing today by rehiring former employees for full and part time projects that require technical expertise and specialist knowledge.”

AWS Featured in Publications

AWS was featured in the Houston Business Journal HR Focus magazine and the PennEnergy Industry Review where AWS shares best business practice for keeping in touch with former employees.

In the Friday May 21 2010 Houston Business Journal HR Focus magazine AWS President Cathy Clonts shared the value former employees can play as boomerang employees and referring quality talent to the organization. "Many companies recognize the value the graying workforce represents. By 2012, those 45 and older will account for 40 percent of the workforce"

"This older crowd will also have the most disposable income. Innovative companies offering late career initiatives recognize that this key age group is a valuable source of talent"

The article looked at the top HR challenges for 2010 including re-establishing loyalty in the workforce, changing legislation, re-establishing job duties and recruiting in a high-tech era.

In the PennEnergy industry review Clonts summarized the benefits of online alumni communities. A recent report from the CIPD found 81 percent of HR professionals are experiencing hiring difficulties and 73 percent indicate this is particularly true for specialist skills. As the work force changes and adapts, employees no longer enjoy a long, uninterrupted career with one company. A number of innovative companies in the oil and gas industry are mining their online alumni communities to rehire former employees with newly enhanced skills to bring back to the company. In addition to recruiting boomerangs, alumni communities enable companies to obtain quality referrals and to promote corporate brand and image to a loyal community.

Job satisfaction remains high in oil and gas industry

In a recent Alumni Web Services’ (AWS) survey of its online networking and alumni community members in the oil and gas industry, members were asked how their job satisfaction compared to the 2007 SPE survey where 73% of respondents were satisfied. AWS members’ responses remained consistent to the SPE survey; 43% percent report they are equally satisfied and a whopping 31% report a higher level of job satisfaction than before the economic downturn. This is good news compared with a recent Conference Board survey of job satisfaction levels in the U.S. According to the nationwide survey, only 45% of Americans were satisfied with their work—the lowest level recorded in 22 years of the survey.

AWS and Chevron Alumni Featured in Houston Chronicle

Chevron's welcome mat is out for ex-employees
A summary of the article featured in the Houston Chronicle Feb. 11, 2010

Jay Swearingen loves to fish.

So when he retired from Chevron Corp. two years ago after spending 36 years in offshore production and operations in the United States, South America, Asia and Africa, Swearingen was ready to put up his feet and relax. Hurricane Ike disrupted those plans when it destroyed his cottage at Crystal Beach.

“There's nothing left,” he said. “Not a board or a shingle.”

Figuring it would take a while to rebuild, Swearingen began thinking of going back to work. Other companies were calling with offers, but something better landed in his lap — a job opportunity from an old boss at Chevron. Like many companies, Chevron has an online alumni network to keep up with its former employees and, for those who are interested, to provide an opportunity to come back as contract workers. Three weeks after he signed up, Swearingen got a call that Chevron was forming a team in upstream capability and needed an operations consultant.

“I thought it would be easier coming back,” he said. “I knew operations. I knew people. At some point I worked with just about everyone.”

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