Auburn is at the forefront of RFID, a technology that’s changed how we live and work
Posted On November 13, 2022
Do you ever think about the technology behind hotel room key cards, or vehicle key fobs, or the wristbands you use to get into Disney World? Probably not. You use them, they work, and you go on about your day. Our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” thinks about it a lot. Justin Patton is the Director of the RFID Lab at the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University. For the last 17 years, he’s been at the forefront of research and developing applications for Radio Frequency Identification, which is the technology behind so… Read More
Categories: Blog, Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston, Workplace
Building better workplaces to compete with working remotely
Posted On November 6, 2022
Much of America’s workforce sent home to either wait it out or work remotely during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of those asked to work from home apparently liked it, since nearly 60 percent of workers who say their jobs can be done from home are still working remotely, according to a Pew Research Center study. What does that mean for traditional workplaces? And for the buildings in which they’re housed? It’s a question faced daily by our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston.” James Lomax is Vice President of Asset Management and… Read More
Categories: Blog, Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston, Work, Workplace
Harnessing the power of an inter-generational workplace
Posted On September 21, 2022
I have long been an advocate of Baby Boomer and Generation X CEOs and managers not only listening to their millennial employees, but learning from them and giving them an active role in the decision-making process. The unique perspectives and skills of millennials are valuable in today’s workplace and can help a business ensure it is reaching the younger segments of the marketplace in the most effective ways. In the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” I spoke with someone who has taken that mindset a step further. Tanya Hart Little met Allison Johnston Frizzo while serving as… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Blog, Entrepreneurship, Generation Y / Millennials, Generations, Podcast, Real Estate, What's Working with Cam Marston, Workplace
Social media and screen time: How will it affect the next generation in the workplace?
Posted On September 17, 2022
For today’s generation of young people, their smartphones are extensions of themselves. That’s how they communicate, how they entertain themselves, how they connect with others. One might even call it an addiction. Screen time predictably climbed noticeably during and after the pandemic, as recent studies show that young people spend an average of almost seven hours daily looking at a screen. How will that reliance manifest itself as this generation of young people enters the workplace? For answers, we turned to Kristi Bush, a licensed social worker, national education consultant and social media safety advocate, who joined us in the… Read More
Categories: Blog, iGen, Parenting, Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston, Workplace
A Conversation with Ag Co-ops
Posted On September 15, 2022
Years ago an audience asserted that my content on generational differences in the workplace didn’t apply to rural communities and the people who work in those communities. “It wasn’t applicable,” he said, “because people in farming communities like ours know how to work.” I assured him that if it wasn’t applicable at the time, it was coming. Today in Nashville I presented to about 125 ag co-op workers and leaders at the request of a fertilizer manufacturer. Their struggle? Finding, hiring, and retaining next-gen workers. I followed an economist – nice slot to have. (Thanks Rich Tiller for the booking!)… Read More
Categories: Blog, Workplace
Forget what you think you know about managing Generation Z in the workplace
Posted On September 10, 2022
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The young people of today’s generation are only concerned about themselves. They have no loyalty. They are self-entitled and have no work ethic. It was said about Generation Xers. It was said about millennials. Now it’s being said about the latest generation to enter the workforce – Generation Z. And it’s not particularly true of any of them. According to Bruce Tulgan, one of the leading voices in generational workplace research, Gen Z is neither lazy nor self-entitled. They are simply reacting to the times in which they’ve grown up. Tulgan, our guest… Read More
Categories: Blog, Generations, iGen, Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston, Work, Workplace
Being nimble: What Navy SEAL training can teach us about building better business minds
Posted On July 22, 2022
The Navy SEALs are an elite fighting force, and it’s not by accident. They are trained to deal with anything, particularly the unexpected. Perhaps that’s why I’ve found that many of them have gone on to succeed in business. Whether it’s that the SEALs draw tough-minded people or it makes them tough-minded, former SEALs tend to be adept and thinking through complex problems in the business world as civilians. So it is with Marty Strong, our guest in a recent “What’s Working with Cam Marston” replay. Strong spent 20 years as a SEAL and then went on to make a… Read More
Categories: Blog, Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston, Workplace
Is iGen the Impatient Generation?
Posted On January 9, 2020
“Take it slow and things will be just fine. All we need is just a little patience.” Axl Rose sang that back in 1989 on Guns N’ Roses’ second album. Some millennials weren’t even born back then, and iGen wasn’t thought of yet. Maybe if they had been, they’d be a little more open to his advice. The leading edge of iGen is entering the workforce, and they expect to move up quickly. The Wall Street Journal recently cited a survey by workplace-coaching firm InsideOut Development, which found that over 75 percent of iGen respondents believed they should be promoted… Read More
Categories: iGen, Workplace
The BP Method: Using reverse mentoring as a talent recruiting tool
Posted On July 5, 2019
A year ago, I spoke with Pershing Advisor Solutions CEO Mark Tibergien about reverse mentoring, where older business leaders enlist the help of younger employees to keep up to date on current trends and the issues important to millennials in the workplace. Now one of the largest energy companies in the world is utilizing the approach as well. According to a recent Bloomberg article, CEO of British Petroleum’s Upstream, 48-year-old Bernard Looney, is taking mentoring from 26-year-old BP petrophysicist Connor Tann. Looney’s goals are more than just making sure BP is meeting the needs of its millennial employees, however. He… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Recruiting, Training Industry, Workplace
Ghosting in the hiring process: Just because both sides are doing it doesn’t make it right
Posted On July 1, 2019
Have you ever been ghosted? You know, that’s when you’re emailing or texting with someone and they stop responding, leaving a question hanging or ignoring attempts to call them back in. Hello? Are you still there? According to an article earlier this year in Barron’s, ghosting has become prevalent in the job application process – by both sides. Many of us have probably experienced ghosting from a potential employer or a company with which we’ve applied for a position. We sent our resume, made a follow-up phone call, maybe even got an interview and then, nothing. We were left to… Read More
Categories: Work, Workplace