This Week's Herman Trend Alert Navigating the Next Year

The Herman Trend Alert November 12, 2008 Spreading Jellies Each week in cities around the world, people are gathering with their laptops to converse informally, work, brainstorm, and support each other. This new type of group connection is called "a Jelly" and thousands are participating from San Paulo to Sydney, from Boston to Beijing. Young people, mostly 20-something entrepreneurs and freelancers or telecommuters, are getting together in groups of 15 to 20 on a weekly or semi-weekly basis. Jellies are new work forms that are consequences of young people spending so much time working alone at their computers. Sometimes called "casual coworking" or "conjunctured coworking", Jellies are springing up to give these solo workers the sense of community and belonging missing from their occupational lives. According to Amit Gupta, the 25-year-old Web entrepreneur who founded the first Jelly three years ago in New York City, Jellies got their name from jelly beans. He named his non-traditional coworking opportunity "Jelly" because of the "collaboration and co-creation with people of varied skill sets and backgrounds". In August, Yahoo agreed to sponsor Jellies on a national level because they recognized the Jellies' potential for fostering creativity, However, employers must also be aware of the vulnerabilities: "Don't let the excitement of the Jelly cause your employees to forget that exchanging ideas does not include sharing your trade secrets," said Garry Mathiason, Corporate Compliance practice leader for Littler Mendelson, the largest employment law firm in the world. The other danger is that employees may be tempted by the job offers that are common at Jellies. Turning the tables, some employers may want to consider the recruiting opportunities at Jellies. A safer alternative for employers: sponsor Jellies for your own telecommuting employees and you buy the refreshments. Your people will enjoy the social interaction (missing from telecommuting) and appreciate your support. Our forecast, Jellies will spread. What's next? The future is here today in Austin and Houston, Texas, where groups of mobile and independent workers have taken the Jelly concept a step farther. They have established spaces to provide quiet, non-residential areas where they can work together and share their creativity and love of technology. © Copyright 1998-2008 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." RESOLVE TO ADDRESS EMPLOYEE TURNOVER IN 2009 If you knew just how much money turnover is costing your company, you would have handled it ages ago! Turnover costs A LOT and it comes right off the bottom line. Let The Herman Group and its team of very experienced consultants help you address your turnover issues right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carol at 800-227-3566; international, call 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call. EMPLOYEE RETENTION BEGINS WITH GOOD SELECTION If you are not using pre-employment assessments, you are flying without radar---not very smart in today's highly competitive environment. Let us help you better understand your candidates and your employees. In less than 30 minutes, you will know if they can do the job (abilities); their work behaviors, even their personality and attitudes (like integrity & ethics), and those can't be trained. It's very cost effective, too! For more information, contact Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail assessments@hermangroup.com. Validated for many countries and cultures. We offer in-depth help with job descriptions, too! GET INSIDE THE MINDS OF YOUR EMPLOYEES Find out what's really going on inside the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-648-1918 or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. To read this Herman Trend Alert on the web: http://www.hermangroup.com/alert/archive_9-24-2008.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? 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