4 challenges associations face in engaging young professionals

4 Challenges
Associations
Face in
Engaging
Young
Professionals

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4 Challenges Associations Face in Engaging Young Professionals

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Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry

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Today’s Presenter
Christopher Schrader, SPHR
President – Schrader and Associates
• Human Resources consulting firm focused
on helping businesses excel and grow
• Director – Government Affairs for the
Indiana State Council of Society for Human
Resource Management
• Specialties: Human Resources Leadership,
International Human Resources
Management, Management Development,
Operational System Development,
Government Affairs


Today’s Presenter
• Presented at 2013 WebLink Summit
• Keys to understanding and leveraging
generational differences to improve
results for your organization



Generations as a Culture
Culture: Edward B. Tylor said that culture is "that complex whole
which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any
other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.“
Generational characteristics are determined by:
•
•
•
•
•

Demographics
Early life experiences
Headlines that defined their times
Their heroes, music, sociology
Early days in the workplace



Demographics
Greatest & Silent Generations: Born 1921 to 1945 (7%)
Baby Boomers: Born 1946 to 1959 (42%)
Generation X: Born 1960 to 1977 (29%)
Generation Y: Born 1978 to 1994 (22%)
Also called Millennials

Generation Z: Born 1995 – 2012 (>1%)



Greatest Generation: Depression, WWII & Korea



Baby Boomers: Culture change, Vietnam,
growth of federal government, and drugs



Generation X: Economic disruption, women enter workforce
in huge numbers, “latch key” kids



Millennials: Economic boom, unrivaled education,
women outnumber men in college, “participation trophies”,
explosion in personal technology



Generation Z: War, severe economic disruption, next generation
technology, government dysfunction



Greatest Generation: First job involved physical labor and was hard;
labor competitor was literally everyone else



Baby Boomers: First job involved physical labor, but was not as hard
due to technology development; labor competitor was another
Boomer, but there are lots of jobs.



Generation X: First job happened later and was likely in a mixed
service /light physical labor; labor competitor was a late birth Boomer
whose numbers dwarfed yours.



Millennials: First job was in retail or service; physical labor jobs have mostly
disappeared or are held by adult immigrants; labor competitor was another Gen Y’er.



Generation Z: First job is in service role but retail is disappearing;
labor competitor is an older Boomer, and there are few opportunities.



4 Challenges Associations Face in Engaging
Young Professionals
•
•
•
•

The value proposition of networks
The concepts of time and space
The concepts of speed and adaptation
Communication



The Value Proposition of a Network
V.P. Membership:
“Our organization has
more than 1,500
members you can
connect with and
potentially do
business.”



Gen. Y’er: “That’s all? I have 800
Facebook friends and get more than 15
“likes” per day from them and 700
LinkedIn contacts. I also have 600
Twitter followers who Tweet all of the
time. And oh yeah, another 120 people
in my smartphone contacts who I text all
of the time. Facebook, LinkedIn and
Twitter are free, and I have a cheap
unlimited data plan since I don’t use
phone minutes. Why do I need your
network when mine is already bigger,
growing faster, and costs me fraction of
your annual dues?”




V.P. Membership: “Good for
you, like most your age you
have been building networks
for much of your life. The
better question is do you
know how to best leverage it?
How do you optimize learning
and financial opportunities?
Having a network and using it
optimally are two different
things. We can help with
that.”



We need to change
how we speak to
the value of
networks to this
generation



Concepts of Time and Space
V.P. Programs: “We are going to have
a local marketing guru speak on this
very topic at the Holiday Inn on
Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. Let’s
get you signed up for the event.”




Gen. Y’er: “Thanks, but I’m going
out with my friends that evening.
Are you going to record it so I can
listen to it in a podcast when I’m
ready?”



“I understand, but a great added
value of attending is the ability to
ask questions in real time and meet
other members with similar
interests who might have a great
idea of their own. Who knows, you
might get an idea you can start
working on right away. What do
you think about bringing your
friends along? It will only last an
hour.”



We need to figure out
how to set up a chat
session with the speaker
for those who listened to
the podcast and how to
better stretch time with
our programs



The Concepts of Speed and Adaptation
Gen. Y’er: “I just found out you had
a presentation last week on tips for
Gen Y to succeed in business. I’m
disappointed I missed it. Can’t you
offer it again?




“I’m sorry you missed it; we usually
don’t repeat programs in the same
year. We sent emails out and posted
it on the website. Did you not receive
the email or visit our site?”



Concepts of speed and adaptation
Gen. Y’er: “I may have gotten the
email at work, but I get more than
fifty a day, and no, I did not check
the chamber site. I use my smart
phone for everything . If you had
updated your Facebook account or
sent a text to me I would have been
there.



We need to figure out
how to leverage
Facebook and send texts
to our younger members
rather than email.



Communication



Preferred Communication Channels
Veterans
Brief Memos
Meetings
Mail

Boomers
Brief Memos
Phone
Face to Face
Meetings

Gen X
E-mail
Phone
Face to Face
Meetings


Gen Y
Text
FaceBook
MySpace
Email
Phone

Gen Z
Twitter
Text
Pintrest (females)
FaceBook


Three Things to Remember
• Communicating to four generations will remain a durable
challenge; people are living longer and working longer. A
multi-phase strategy is required.
• The value proposition of the network is being challenged
as never before; you must develop a strategy for
addressing technology and user
• Algorithms designed to plow through big data are
transforming personal expectations at a rapid rate;
members will soon expect similar outcomes from their
organizations.




Coming up: 3 Questions




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3 Questions
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Contact Information
Email: Chris@christhehrpro.com
Phone: (812) 322-0380
Web: www.christhehrpro.com
@ChrisTheHRPro



4 challenges associations face in engaging young professionals

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