A No-Brainer Way to Get Lower
Worker Productivity and Not Ev |
By Dale Clifton |
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There is a lot of talk these days about the shoot the moon
costs associated with college and university expenses. Average
annual raises of 7 to 10 percent are common. In four years the
fees will be 1/3 more than they are right now. Big deal! What
does that have to do with the workers, employees or associates
of any company or corporation? Four years at a state institution
will run from fifty to sixty thousand. Private schools are in
the hundred to hundred and fifty thousand bracket and more.
Most parents, those who will be paying the bills, will deplete
their 401k?s, sell real property, cash in life insurance
policies, empty savings accounts, borrow, borrow, borrow, and
what may be worse than any of that start moonlighting without
telling anyone. When a person decides to work somewhere else,
for someone else, regardless of the circumstances, things start
to happen. They may be late for their primary job. At first, not
much, but then they're late once or twice a week. A habit is
setting in. Working the extra hours means that their decision
making processes are not quite as sharp. Mistakes are made.
Profits are lost. What started out as hundreds and thousands of
families are in the same boat, turns out to be one persons job
in jeopardy.
This scenario occurs year after year. Those
directly affected say, Yes, I know my work has slipped a
little, but it will get better. Maybe it will, but more likely
it won't. The employee is given an ultimatum and eventually let
go. Another person is hired and trained with a good chance of
the process repeating itself. And, few managers make the
college connection.
But, for the sake of argument,
lets say the next person doesn't do any of those things to
finance a child through college. She just takes out loans and
gripes about how little she gets paid for doing a stellar job.
This person becomes an attitude problem-again affecting
productivity. Not only hers, but those around her.
Then,
there is another person. He started early savings plans for each
of his three children. He will be in great financial shape when
his students are college bound. He feels sorry for his
co-workers who weren't as diligent as he was, and he lets
everyone know it. Another attitude problem starts to manifest
itself.
Every state has a 529 plan in effect.
Universities have developed unique savings plans. But, the same
force that kept people from developing early savings plans keeps
people from participating in any savings plan. That force is
procrastination. There is always tomorrow because tomorrow never
comes until the day of reckoning. What can be done
A
relentless program of educating employees must take place. Find
out what government and private savings programs are available
in each state and then hammer home the results of failing to
follow through with an adequate plan. What will be the
ramifications of lost opportunities for them Encourage
heads of families to discuss college with their children.
Explain the benefits of working closely with their children
schools to achieve the desired ends of having well-rounded
students with better than average GPA .
This message can
be relayed on bulletin boards, lunch table settings, paycheck
stubs, in email broad casts, with in-house newsletters,
seminars, and workshops. Current listings of college
scholarships at all levels, local, state, regional and national
will serve as motivators for parents, making them feel directly
connected to the educational process. Most children cannot bee
expected to generate enough enthusiasm for the academic and
college scholarship processes.
Parents must lead the way.
And, companies, at very low cost, can be a driving force by
providing materials and information for families. Businesses can
keep families from disintegrating at the mere mention of ?the
college financial crunch. Corporations can be the strength and
energy that keeps its workforce intact. |
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