Put this forecast in your Christmas stocking

he coming new year has significant promise for employees, according to Joyce Gioia, who published the Herman Trend Alert's 2010 Workforce/Workplace Forecast on Dec. 16, 2009. Gioia is a strategic business futurist, Certified Management Consultant, author, and professional speaker.

She predicts:
1. Workforce cutbacks and re-engineering will continue into 2010: She recognizes that this may be the last straw for the 54 percent of today's employees who are ready to jump as soon as the economy improves.
2. Shortages of certain skill sets will become more acute: High-demand workers will be empowered to demand more flexibility in their work schedules, environment, etc.
3. Employees will find their innovative ideas embraced as a reward to recognize their value.
4. Fear and apprehension continue to reduce productivity: A significant percentage of employees continue to worry about the future. These negative feelings will persist, unless addressed with transparency.
5. You will have more varieties of health-care cost-cutting strategies available - such as onsite clinics and health coaches, for example: For some candidates, this will be the deciding factor of employment.
6. Focus on engagement will replace the focus on retention: Employers recognize that with engagement comes not only retention, but greater productivity and profitability.
7. Attention to succession planning will increase: Around the globe, we see an increasing attention to succession planning and management. Unfortunately, the issue of succession preparation has not kept pace and will be felt in 2010 when Baby Boomer retirements combine with the lack of trained people to become a critical problem.
8. You may be paid more for your experience: Organizations that did not take the opportunity presented by this business slowdown to send their people for more training will have to pay more to hire trained, experienced people.
9. Beware that some rewards programs may disappear: Some employers will eliminate reward programs, misunderstanding Dan Pink's new book, Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us: This ill-advised shift will cause significant, negative, unintended consequences.
10. Burned out employees will begin leaving employers: Over 80 percent of today's employees feel overworked and under-appreciated. Too many organizations have survived and maintained some level of profitability by over-loading their long-term employees. Once we begin to see positive job growth in the second half of 2010, some employees will feel confident enough to leave their companies.
11. Older workers can expect unprecedented accommodation: The exodus of their long-term employees will challenge some employers to get the work done, without resorting to hiring expensive contract help or paying high fees to recruiters. Enlightened employers will mine the rolls of their retired workers and hire them back on a part-time, temporary, or seasonal basis. These seasoned professionals will be welcomed back, in spite of the fact that they will dictate their own terms.