Recruiting has never been easy. It’s not getting easier. Organizations across the country are facing a double dose of hiring difficulty. The workforce is facing a brain drain as Baby Boomers near retirement. And, as one generation prepares for its exit, another is preparing its entrance. The challenges that this generation brings are novel. Smart recruiters are using creative solutions to manage these new challenges.

1. Get to Know Them. Recruiting to Millennials means you have to get to know who they are, what they like, and what they are looking for in a career. Before you recruit Millennials, go out and meet some Millennials. Find out what they want from an employer, how they think they would get it, and what makes an organization appealing to them. Remember, Millennials are not motivated by the same things as either Baby Boomers or Gen-X-ers, so before you set out to recruit some Millennials you need to know what your organization has or does to make it attractive to the best Millennial talent.

2. Think Digital. There is no doubt that Millennials are wired into all things digital. In order to reach the best candidates, you need to adapt your recruiting practices to their digital world. That’s not to say that you need to launch text-messaging recruiting; however, you do need to seriously consider the best way to attract Millennials to your organization. You also need to promote how tech savvy your organization is, otherwise, Millennials will not consider your organization at all.

3. They are Team-Oriented. Millennials are peer-oriented and are accustomed to working in teams. Instead of trying to recruit a Millennial to your whole organization, consider recruiting Millennials to more discreet areas of your business which already work as a team. Also, make sure when you promote your organization’s atmosphere, you emphasize group dynamics rather than individual performance. Millennials don’t necessarily like to “go it alone.”

4. They are Civic-Minded. Millennials are likely to grow up like their civic-minded Baby Boomer elders, which means that recruiting Millennials is a great way to boost your company’s community profile. If your business is already involved with charitable organizations, make sure you highlight those efforts when you recruit a Millennial. If your organization is not involved with charitable efforts, consider allowing employees to create opportunities for your organization to do so. The result may be that your new hires are quickly folded into your organization’s culture and they have an immediate attachment with their peers and their new boss. Plus, your organization gets the PR benefit.

5. They are the Future. Finally, your organization’s leadership must understand how important Millennials are to your business’s future. Despite the bad rap Millennials seem to be collecting (i.e., the new MBA who won’t travel without advance notice or the new hire who won’t look at his Blackberry on the weekends), they are unavoidable. Employee recruiting, management, and retention will absolutely change as a result of the infusion of Millennials into the workforce. HR experts predict that more employees will seek out companies that allow flexible schedules, reward creativity (rather than long hours), and provide meaningful challenges (rather than merely putting in time to climb the corporate ladder). The consequence is employers may need to re-vamp their culture and commit to some of the changes Millennials demand. In short, your organization’s leadership needs to buy into the idea that in order to recruit the most talented new hires, you may need to emphasize different aspects of your organization’s culture and reward structure.

The bottom line is Millennials remain a largely untapped asset and your organization will benefit from their talent. As long as you remain creative and strategic, your company has the opportunity to recruit the most talented Millennials.

Delaware attorneys are not strangers to civility. In 2003, the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Bar Association promulgated the “Principles of Professionalism for Delaware Lawyers.” The Principles provide insight into the practice of law in the First State. “Civility” is defined in the Principles and is taken seriously by the courts and bar as a whole.

The Principles demonstrate that civility in the workplace is not limited to the cubicles of corporate America. Jerks at Work are not welcome in any workplace, including the lawyer’s workplace—the courtroom. Here’s a story about a judge outside of Delaware who is an advocate of civility:

U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange sanctioned lawyer Gerard Pignato for his extraordinarily jerky conduct. Pignato was reprimanded for comments he made in letters to his opposing counsel. As penance, the judge ordered the sharp-tongued Pignato to write an article on civility. He must include why he is writing the article and direct it to new attorneys, so they might avoid a similar embarrassment.

Here are some examples of his noxious and debasing comments:

Your self-serving comments are putting me to sleep.
Can you not say anything in a page or less?
You’re just a broker who refers difficult cases to experienced attorneys.
Be like a potted plant and sit quietly in the corner.

{The court’s full Opinion can be read here.}

You don’t have to be a lawyer to experience this type of attack from a colleague, vendor, or customer, even. This conduct is very effective—no matter how illogical, it is difficult to jut brush off degrading comments.

I think Judge Miles-LaGrange should be applauded for taking action when she saw what can be described only as unbecoming conduct. And her response is commendable, as well. Unlike a monetary fine, Mr. Pignato is forced to sit down, pen in hand, and mull over his behavior and put into words just how dishonorable his actions were and how embarrassing this type of attitude is for other members of the bar. Plus, if his article deters even a single junior lawyer from scribing a seething note to opposing counsel, he’ll have made a real contribution to the profession.

The Preamble to the Principles of Professionalism states:

The purpose of adopting the Principles is to promote and foster the ideals of professional courtesy, conduct and cooperation. These Principles are fundamental to the functioning of our system of justice and public confidence in that system.

Maybe Mr. Pignato can use the Delaware Principles as a reference as he writes his article for the Oklahoma Bar Journal.

[Hat tip to the Legal Profession Blog]

John Phillips at The Word on Employment Law noted the ABA Journal’s post on this story, as well.

Inter Alia, (a/k/a) the Best Legal Research Blog, features Delaware Employment Law Blog as the Blawg of the Day

Inter Alia is the favorite weblog for legal research and reference (if you didn’t already know). Each day, Tom Mighell, blogger extraordinaire, posts about a legal research “blawg” (law + blog). Today, the Blawg of the Day is the Delaware Employment Law Blog!! Many gracious thanks to Tom for the recognition.

As a side note, for those of you who may still be new to the world of blogging, Inter Alia is the ultimate resource to find blogs of interest as you develop your list of feeds.

But, wait! There’s more! Tom also publishes Internet Legal Research Weekly, an e-newsletter readers can subscribe to for free, that covers anything and everything legal research, and then some. It often contains great information about other resources, such as Web 2.0 and other online tools. The current issue of the ILRW is available online or via subscription, and, when you have something specific in mind, check out the Internet Legal Research Weekly archives.

Really, there’s more! Tom and his co-author, Dennis Kennedy, recently published the hottest book in the world of Legal Technology and Law Firm Practice Management, The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together. Published by the ABA, the book is written in plain-English suitable for both the tech savvy and the not-so-tech savvy and provides detailed information on how to effectively collaborate using the multitude of online tools availble in today’s internet-driven world.

The book is the talk of the blogosphere at: Between Lawyers, at David Maister’s Passion, People, & Principles Blog, and the Illinois Trial Practice Weblog, just to name a few.

And Dennis Kennedy has a comprehensive post on his blog with lots of information about the book.

AMERICANS WANT NEXT PRESIDENT TO FOCUS MORE ON SAVING U.S. JOBS AND HEALTHCARE; LESS ON IMMIGRATION REFORM

With the spotlight of the political world shining on the Delaware Valley today, a new “America at Work” national opinion survey by the non-partisan Employment Law Alliance (ELA) shows that Americans overwhelmingly want their next President to focus more on improving their standard of living, providing universal healthcare, and stemming the outsourcing of jobs overseas than making it easier for immigrants to live and work in the United States.

The poll is based on a sampling of 1,125 working Americans surveyed between April 4 and 9 and is believed to be the only national survey to date focusing exclusively on a wide range of workplace-related issues that will likely confront the next President.*

You can not walk outside today and not hear people talking about Wednesday’s debate and the impact of the upcoming elections on jobs and healthcare. Life in the workplace is often the centerpiece of concern for so many Americans getting ready to elect a new president.

While issues such as immigration get much of the press, I believe that the poll shows that what a typical voter is interested in might vary.

A summary of the results reveal:

· 87% of Americans want their next President to focus on increasing the proportion of the workforce earning at least a living wage, closely followed (86%) by making it tougher for companies to outsource U.S. jobs to foreign countries, and (83%) rounding out the Big Three, providing healthcare coverage for all U.S. citizens.

· 76% of Americans are also concerned - but not at the same intensity level - with having the next President work toward increasing workplace safety regulation, 70% support focusing on expanding family leave rules and 69% think beefing up enforcement of workplace discrimination laws should be a priority.

· In sharp contrast, 40% said they are concerned that their next President focuses on immigration issues, ranging from making it easier for professionals to work in the U.S. to granting amnesty for illegal aliens.

· Workers were also significantly split along racial lines regarding both views on workplace issues and immigration reform with, for example, 55% of non-whites supporting relaxing immigration laws for professionals versus 36% among whites.

· Geographically, 46% of workers in Western states thought the President should make increasing legal immigration a priority compared to a low of 25% among Midwestern workers.

· 45% of Americans want to make it easier for unions to organize workers.

ELA members concentrate on labor and employment law issues in every American state and more than 75 countries. The survey was conducted prior to Wednesday’s democratic debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania primary on April 22nd.

“The message to the next President is raising the standard of living and getting better healthcare is more of a priority than organizing unions or immigration concerns,” said Sandler.

Dr. Ted Reed, President of Philadelphia-based Reed group and Poll Director for ELA, said the input from ELA’s attorneys around the country was invaluable in shaping the questions for the survey. According to Dr. Reed, “This survey is important because of the extent of demographic detail, including gender, race, income, education, and geography. The focus on pocketbook issues across the board as a Presidential priority is unmistakable.”

*The error interval is +/- 2.99% at a 95% level of confidence.

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Sheldon N. Sandler, a partner in the Employment Law Department at Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor in Wilmington, Delaware, members of ELA.

Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, one of Delaware’s largest law firms, counsels and represents national, international and local clients, handling sophisticated advisory and litigation matters involving bankruptcy, corporate law and intellectual property. Now in its fifth decade, Young Conaway also guides regional businesses and individuals through a myriad of employment, real estate, tax, estate planning, environmental, and banking issues from the firm’s offices in downtown Wilmington.

The Employment Law Alliance is the world’s largest integrated, global practice network comprised of premier, independent law firms distinguished for their practice in employment and labor law. Comprised of more than 3,000 lawyers, there are member firms in every jurisdiction in the United States and over 75 countries around the world. For further information, including access to the survey charts and graphs, visit: www.employmentlawalliance.com