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This is an issue that everyone faces at one point or another. People are dealing with working one or more jobs, fighting long commutes, managing a household, raising kids, attending school or re-training, and/or dealing with aging parents. The list is almost endless. Studies have shown from manufacturing and other industries that two out of every five workers are not happy with the balance (or lack thereof) between their work and personal lives. There appears to be a deterioration of boundaries between work and home, along with increased pressure in a shrinking work place.

This can bring about a variety of undesirable consequences, many of which are health-related. The effects on your health are well documented and include, but are not limited to, substance abuse, back pain, heart problems, a higher incidence of injuries, and mental health problems. Not only is a person’s individual health impacted, but there are also corporate health consequences. There is more absenteeism, attrition rates, lower moral, and a greater number of work-related compensation claims and productivity losses.

Many companies have recognized this growing problem and have taken steps to combat it. They have set up on-site childcare; elder care initiatives, flexible working arrangements; fitness facilities; on-site seminars; and workshops addressing topics such as stress, smoking, and communication.

Does your company have such an initiative and are you taking advantage of it? The companies that have are reporting results such as improved morale, reduction in sickness and absenteeism, increased levels of production and satisfaction, and decreased cases of stress and burnout. It takes a commitment from senior-level management to initiate a program that produces these results. Each company has to create a program that meets its own particular needs and corporate culture, and it must be done with continual input from employees. Both employers and employees must take full responsibility for making the program work.

The first step in addressing this challenge is to accept responsibility for your own work and life results.

Learn how to set limits—and stick to them. Setting limits (for how you’ll respond to demands from both your work and your personal life) will prevent you from over-committing yourself. But limits are only effective if you stick to them, so make sure that you follow through on the decisions you’ve made about what to cut back on.

Take advantage of your workplace's family-friendly policies and supports. If your workplace offers discretion over the methods, timing, or location of your work, use this flexibility to improve your situation.

Prioritize your multiple roles. When you become clearer about your priorities and values, it becomes easier to make decisions and set limits between the demands of work and personal life.

Creating the best situation possible for yourself is a balancing act, and you must aggressively reduce the psychological conflicts you experience between work and personal life to maintain that balance.

View Featured Jobs Online
Please take a moment to visit our two newest featured employers, Nutriscience Technologies and Banfield Pet Hospital. We invite everyone to check out their jobs, which can be viewed online at www.AnimalScienceJobs.com. Links to the jobs are located at the bottom of the main page of the Web site under the heading “Featured Employers.”

Submit a ‘New Product of the Month’
Has your company created an exciting new product in the past 12 months that deals with the Animal Science industry? We can help you introduce it to the marketplace in the Animal Science Monitor. In order to be considered for our “New Product of the Month” feature, describe your product in between 300 and 500 words. In your description, explain what your product is and how it helps your customers.

Email your new product descriptions to dan@consearch.com.

Turning Up the Heat
As most of you know, the Animal Science Monitor is brought to you by two recruiters who work in the Animal Science industry, Dan Simmons of Continental Search & Outplacement, Inc., and Don Hunter of Bay Resource Group. From time to time, we’ll share the most difficult searches on our desks in the hopes that it will turn out to be the perfect position for one of our readers. So make sure you read each issue of the ASM—your future could depend on it.

The Company Side of the Worker Shortage Equation
(By Dan Simmons)

In the last issue of the Animal Science Monitor, I wrote an article discussing how the impending worker shortage is going to affect candidates in the marketplace. But candidates aren’t the only ones who are going to be affected.

It’s estimated that by the end of this decade, some companies will go out of business not because they don’t have the products they need to be successful. They’ll go out of business because they don’t have the professional staff they need.

The Baby Boomer generation will soon start to retire in droves, creating a drastic shortage of workers as early as 2007. That means that not only will the best and brightest talent be in high demand, even second-tier workers will be sought after and wooed extensively. In other words, it’s going to be the exact opposite of the way the marketplace was three years ago.

This means that decision makers and human resources personnel within companies need to start preparing right now for what lies ahead. The good news is that there are a number of things you can do to ensure that you’re still around in 2010.

• First, face the truth. This is going to happen; it’s a demographic fact, not just political rhetoric or savvy statistical spin. With that in mind, the most important thing you can do is take a close look at your succession planning. That means you should be thinking, “If so-and-so leaves, what happens then?” What would happen if your best employee gave you their two-week notice today?
• Second, examine possible ways to transfer knowledge from your most experienced employees, the ones who may leave in the next one to five years, to those employees who are going to remain. This could take the form of job shadowing, a mentoring program, or perhaps in-house training seminars.
• Study your compensation structure. Is it competitive enough to hold the people you want to keep and to attract the people you’re going to need? If not, it’s imperative to upgrade and improve your compensation to put you in a better position to deal with the worker shortage.
• Implement a cross-training program. In other words, strive to spread critical knowledge among your employees. That way, if somebody leaves, there’s not a dead vacuum. Someone else can pitch in for a while until a replacement is hired.
• Look at your recruiting situation. Consider internships, cooperatives with universities, and campus recruiting. Plan to hire more people with two or three years of experience. Overstaffing with top performers at the entry level now will save many mid-sized companies by the end of the decade.
• Strive to create a mentoring environment. This is different than a specific mentoring program. A mentoring environment is one in which continuous teaching and learning is initiated and encouraged, both by the management and by the employees.

The worker shortage is rapidly approaching. Don’t be one of those companies that goes out of business in five years because they didn’t prepare. Lay the groundwork now and be as prepared as you can possibly be.

If you’d like to discuss the worker shortage in more detail or if you have questions about what you can do to fully prepare for it, please contact me at (410) 529-7000 or at dan@consearch.com.

From time to time, the Animal Science Monitor will feature a college or university’s Animal Science or Dairy programs in an in-depth fashion. This month marks the first time for this endeavor, with Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa., in the spotlight. If you’d like your school’s programs to be featured in a future issue, please email your request to dan@consearch.com.

Animal Science Program
Delaware Valley College’s Animal Science program is quite diverse, including three different areas in which students can select a major—Livestock Science and Management, Equine Science and Management, and Equine Studies.

The curriculum in each program provides students with a mix of liberal arts, basic science, and professional courses to assure that the student becomes a well-rounded and well-educated professional in the Animal Science field. Delaware Valley College graduates have found that these majors help them to find a job in an expedient fashion. In fact, an average of 83 percent of the Animal Science graduates obtains employment in the Animal Science industry within six months of graduation.

Students may elect to earn a minor in any major outside of the Animal Science program. These minors, consisting of 15 credits (16 credits for Equine Science and Management), allow students to obtain a high degree of technical and practical knowledge in very specific areas.

In order to illustrate how these curriculums can help you to obtain your choice job, they are discussed in more detail below.

Livestock Science and Management
This curriculum has been designed around the latest technological developments in conjunction with the practical application of hands-on experience. Consequently, graduates are prepared for opportunities in veterinary school, the animal industries, and allied agribusiness fields. Specifically, students who study Livestock Science and Management for pre-veterinary preparation have enjoyed considerable success in earning placement at some of the finest veterinary colleges in the nation.

In addition, students who study this curriculum can obtain research positions within government agencies; in graduate schools of agriculture and related fields; and in the pharmaceutical, agricultural chemical, and nutrition industries. Those students interested in production can become farm or feedlot managers, field representatives of breeders’ associations, extension specialists, livestock buyers, or herdspersons. Industries supporting livestock production and livestock product processing and marketing provide additional employment opportunities. The placement rate for graduates in Livestock Science and Management is excellent, with 90% of students finding a position within six months of graduation.

Equine Sciences and Management
If you enjoy working with foals, yearlings, broodmares, and stallions, the Equine Science and Management major will help you to pursue a career in equine breeding and management. Basic professional courses include Stable Management, Equine Health Management, Equine Breeding, Equine Anatomy and Physiology, Yearling Horse Management, Mare and Foal Management, and Equine Business Management.

And here’s the really good news. Delaware Valley students who major in Equine Sciences and Management have a 99 percent placement rate within six months of graduation. This statistic highlights the variety of employment opportunities available in equine production, agribusiness, education, and government work. Just a sampling of these opportunities include jobs such as stallion managers, foaling managers, farm managers, breed association representatives, livestock specialists, and nutrition consultants. In addition, as a result of training in both equine production and business, many graduates obtain employment with pharmaceutical companies, feed manufacturers, and veterinary supply companies. Some graduates are also involved in education-related careers like 4-H and FFA programs, as well as teaching vocational education and science in high school.

Equine studies
The Equine Studies program provides students with the knowledge and technical skills that are in high demand in today's horse industry. A four-year degree in Equine Studies at Delaware Valley College will expertly prepare you for management positions in equestrian and breeding facilities, horse show personnel management, and business management and marketing, as well as riding, driving, instruction, and training positions. Additional opportunities are available in equine-related industries. Some important support services positions include the manufacture, distribution, and sale of equine supplies, feed, and health products that require confident, knowledgeable, and well-trained people to be successful in today's competitive business arena.

Dairy Science Program
Like its Animal Science program, Delaware Valley College offers a comprehensive Dairy Science program, one designed to prepare students to enter a wide variety of occupations related directly, as well as indirectly, to their field of specialization. The opportunities for graduates in Dairy Science are found in six occupational categories: sales and service, production, teaching, veterinary medicine, research, and agribusiness.

Also like the Animal Science program, the Dairy Science program involves the utilization of in-depth technology and hands-on experience. As a Dairy Science major, your course and laboratory work provide opportunities to study the care, feeding, breeding, and general management of dairy animals and allows additional training in individual livestock species.

And there is definitely a market for Dairy Science graduates. The drug and feed industries are interested in such graduates for sales and administrative positions. In addition, service opportunities are available in state and federal civil services, artificial insemination, state extension services, dairy plant and farm inspection, and cooperatives offering dairy supplies and services. Like Equine Sciences and Management, the Dairy Science program boasts a 99% placement rate for students within six months of graduation.

As you can see, Delaware Valley College can provide students with a wide array of employment options and opportunities, so that you can make the most of your desire to work in the Animal Science or Dairy industries. For more information about the programs that Delaware Valley College offers, visit www.devalcol.edu. And remember that classes start on Monday, August 29.