It’s been reported that people are leaving the field in droves. Why is this happening and what can be done to stop it? What accounts for staff dissatisfactions? How can the heritage industry compete against the for-profit world? Are there incentives beyond the financial that will nurture dedicated employees? This session will look at ways that we can better engage our own workforce by borrowing ideas from the private sector and will feature a panel of speakers that have their feet in both the mission- and margin-driven worlds.

1. #Trending Now: Exodus from the Museum Field

2. Katie Buckingham
Curator
Taylor Felt
Design & Production Manager
Michael Fiegenschuh
Architect, Project Manager
Michelle Bufano
Executive Director

3. https://www.aam-us.org/2017/09/22/leaving-the-museum-field/

5. https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/OOR_2018.pdf

7. salary you would need to earn in order to afford the principal, interest, taxes and insurance payments on a median-priced home
https://www.hsh.com/finance/mortgage/salary-home-buying-25-cities.html#national

8. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-2018-
millennial-survey-report.pdf

9. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-dare/nonprofit-funding_b_1471726.html

10. http://time.com/money/4972232/12-companies-with-the-most-luxurious-employee-perks/

13. Katie Buckingham
Curator
Taylor Felt
Design & Production Manager
Michael Fiegenschuh
Architect, Project Manager
Michelle Bufano
Executive Director

14. So, You Want to
Work Like a Millennial
KATIE BUCKINGHAM,
MILLENNIAL
(AND CURATOR, MUSEUM OF GLASS){

15. Millennials: Who are they?

16. • Born between 1980-2000
• Between ages 28 and 38 today
• Expected to overtake Baby Boomers as largest generation in 2019
(PewResearch.org)
• Ready and willing to engage in non-profits
• 72% stated preference for working in a mission-driven
organization (CASE Foundation)
MILLENNIALS: WHO ARE THEY?

17. Millennials: Defining events

18. Millennials: What can we learn?
• Career Outlook
• Work-Life Integration
• Leadership Lessons
• Life Hacks and Tools

19. career
outlookLIKE A MILLENNIAL:

20. Ogilvy Worldwide

21. Career Outlook
• By 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce (forbes.com)
• Ways Millennials Approach Careers Differently:
• embrace change
• challenge the status quo
• unafraid and more likely to be an entrepreneur

22. WORK-LIFE
INTEGRATI
ON
LIKE A MILLENNIAL:

23. — UC BERKLEY HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
“ Work-life integration is an approach that creates
synergies between work, home, community,
personal well-being, and health.”

24. TIPS AND TRICKSwork-life integration
• Utilize “maximum productivity” hours
• Take advantage of activities close to work
• Focus on your To Do List, not on hours worked
• Remain committed to self-imposed boundaries
• Understand the ebb and flow of work and life

25. leadership
LIKE A MILLENNIAL:

26. LEADERSHIP
• 1/3 of millennials imagine themselves in a more
responsible position at a different organization 5
years from now (Nurturing California’s Next Generation Arts and Cultural
Leaders)
• To a Millennial, Leadership Looks Like:
• project manager vs. department head
• cross-departmental teams and projects
• open, transparent conversations
• giving and receiving feedback

27. Tools +
learning
LIKE A MILLENNIAL:

28. “JUST GOOGLE IT”Tools + learning
• Be curious and seek answers
• Education doesn’t just have to come from
the classroom
• formal online classes
• informal resources
• Learning is life-long

29. A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT’S OUT THEREonline resources

30. A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT’S OUT THEREonline resources
• Podcasts
• searchable by
institution, subject
• FREE
• subscription service
• easy to download on
smartphone

31. A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT’S OUT THEREonline resources
• TED Talks
• “ideas worth spreading”
• FREE
• 100s of topics including:
art, curiosity, history,
criminal justice,
motivation…
• feature leaders in the field

32. A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT’S OUT THERE
online resources
• Coursera
• online classes created by
universities
• features project
management, writing
and other skills
• FREE

33. LIFE HACKS, TOOLS, AND OTHER IDEAS
PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

34. LIFE HACKS, TOOLS, AND OTHER IDEAS
productivity tools
• Time Management
• Pomodoro Technique
• “Kill the Frog”
• Bullet journaling,
planners, lists or
however you need to
be organized

35. LIFE HACKS, TOOLS, AND OTHER IDEAS
productivity tools
• Change Your Office
• Turn off notifications
• Schedule time for email
• Meeting efficiency

36. So next time…
ASK YOURSELF WWAMD?
WHAT
WOULD
A
MILLENNIAL
DO?

37. Notes from the other side
• Or how I learned to how to stop worrying and love…working for the
man

38. About Me
• Started off in fine art
• Managed people to pay the bills
• Hated every minute of working with
corporations
• Ran away to Museum School
• Began working in museums
• Started teaching with the University of
Washington
• Went back to work in corporations (well,
sort of)

39. • Fine art handling and installation
• Fine art transport
• Crating and packing
• Storage
• Framing
• Mount-Making
• Collection management

40. What jobs exist within our
company
• Registrars
• Art handlers and installers
• Crating and packing
• Framers
• Woodworkers
• Mount-makers
• Project managers
• Administrative staff & management

41. Museums
Art and
artifact
handling
companies
Freelance
installation
and art
handling
Private
Collections
Auction
Houses
Conservators
and related
activities
OPTIONS EXIST OUTSIDE OF MUSEUMS

42. Benefits of the For-
profit world
• Workday is never the same…ever
• Interaction with private collections and
individuals with which most people never
have the chance to engage
• The opportunity to effect massive, radical
change with a good idea

43. Drawbacks
• Changing one’s mindset from stewardship of objects to
commerce around the stewardship of objects is a rough
paradigm shift
• Focus on objects of cultural significance as commerce
changes the ways in which art and objects are approached
• The shift from visitor-centered activity to client-centered
activities can be…challenging
• Finally…

44. If a client
wants to…

45. What does Artech offer
• Pretty standard benefits package
• Competitive salary that can be negotiated
• Opportunity for advancement
• Significant skill development in cross-functional areas
• Option for a sabbatical to pursue an art career

46. Fear over leaving
• Many professionals that have left the field
are concerned that they will not be able to
return
• Many also fear leaving because of a
perception that a number of qualified
applicants are waiting in the wings
• The skill development earned in the for-
profit world can often lead to a stronger
resume with direct application back to the
museum field

47. Deficiencies within the museum field (why we leave)

48. Little to no formal management training
• Effects daily operations and hiring practices
• Do we know that we are recruiting and retaining the best employees?
• Do we know that we are effective managers?

49. Salary negotiation is often dictated by budgetary
constraints
• Rather than open negotiation

50. Saturation within the field from a number of programs
across the country
• The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) lists 184 Museum Studies
Programs in the US alone
• UW averages around 30 students a year in various focus areas within
the museum field

51. Discrepancies between perceived skill sets
and salary
• Median Executive director salary: $297,560
• Educational requirement: Bachelors or
Masters
• Median Registrar’s salary: $66,190
• Educational requirement: Bachelors or
Masters
• Preparator’s salary: $46,381
• Educational requirement: Bachelors or
Masters Executive Director Registrar Preparator
Source: Association of Art Museum Directors Salary Report 2018

52. Changes in our perception of what
employers offer
• Our expectations about what the relationship between an employee an
their employer has changed markedly
• Employers and employees have a different perception about what can
be expected from the other that challenges some of our traditional
ideas.

53. My father at 24
• Worked for the same employer for 35
years
• Lived in a company-run town
• Could borrow against his paycheck at the
company store
• Began earing a pension early on though his
employer
• Expected that his company would take care
of him

54. Me at 24
• Multiple jobs and two major career
changes
• No expectation of company contribution to
housing
• Once lived on condiments…for a number
of days
• No access to pension, cost of living has
limited contributions to retirement
• No expectation that my company will take
care of me

55. What would have kept me in
the field?
• Offer more than just a job - stronger
community, clearer path to the future
• Better management training for those
that I reported to
• Stronger recruiting tactics within the
field
• Varied work that challenged me to
continually innovate
• And finally…

56. This Group

57. Taylor Felt
Artech Fine Art Services
taylorf@artechseattle.com
425.264.0211

58. Michael Fiegenschuh
Architect, Project Manager
Mithun
Designing an Amazing
Staff Retention Experience

59. Investing
in Your
Team

60. Chihuly Garden
and Glass
 Organization
 Team Member Roles
 Structure
 Not Non-Profit
 Mission and Purpose
 The Team

61. Employee Lifecycle
There are opportunities to influence retention at every step of the way Hire
Source
Screen
Onboard
Grow & Manage
Train
Develop
Performance Feedback
Engage & Retain
Compensation/Benefits
Events
Rewards
Exit
Promote
Culture
Suggestions for NP:
Screening, onboarding, training, providing job
purpose and opportunities for personal
investment

62. Team Member Benefits
• All employees start with similar benefits,
regardless of their level in the company
• Medical/Dental/Long Term Disability
benefits
• Provide training opportunities
• Three weeks vacation, six holidays, and
exempt staff are eligible for two personal
days per year
• 401k
Suggestions for NP:
Understanding what your staff members value in their pursuit of a work/life balance, providing growth
opportunities in any form, know your levers, make sure employees understand the total compensation
package and don’t keep it a secret during the application and interview process.
• Profit sharing
• $15 an hour minimum wage
• Transportation and tuition reimbursement
eligibility
• Matching gift program for charitable
contributions
• Two volunteer days per year
• Team Member discounts in retail, the
Café, and admission to the Exhibition

63. Transform Moments
 WHY?
 Training
 Coupon booklets
 ACT
Suggestions for NP:
ACT cards with associated incentives, coupon books, training opportunities

64. Team Member
Voice
• Hold regular 1-2-1 sessions with each of your employees, as well as monthly leadership meetings to
ensure communication moves up the chain
• Team Member Council Meetings – twice a year with randomly selected participants
• Internal Communication Opportunities- Glass Notes and bulletin boards in breakrooms
• Q12
• Transform moments for Team Members
Suggestions for NP:
Survey, YOY measurement, focus on supervisors

65. Q12 – Gallup
Survey
 Gallup researchers spent decades writing and testing hundreds of
questions. Their research yielded Gallup's Q12survey: the 12
questions that measure the most important elements of
employee engagement.
 Gallup's Q12 survey is the most effective measure of employee
engagement and its impact on the outcomes that matter most to
your business.
 https://q12.gallup.com/public/en-us/Features

68. Tips for seeking feedback from your
employees
 Ask questions that matter
 Be prepared to act on the results (or don’t bother asking)
 Don’t ask – “how happy are you with your supervisor/pay/benefits/etc…” if you are not
prepared to make changes.
 Be prepared to survey your employees year over year. It doesn’t matter what your initial scores
are, what matters is making improvements over time.
 Foster an environment that encourages employees to be comfortable providing open, honest
communication
 “Sugarcoated” answers stagnate organizational growth and improvements
Suggestions for NP:
Google “Free Employee Engagement Survey”
• One example: https://www.officevibe.com/blog/employee-engagement-survey-template

69. Showing
Appreciation Meeting basic needs of the team
 Events –End of Summer karaoke party, Team
Member Art Show, Holiday Party
 Team Member “Surprise and Delights” – root beer
floats, ice cream bars, etc.
 Breakrooms with snacks and drinks
 Anniversary gift card for use at exhibition
 Cooking competitions (BBQ, Chili, Guacamole),
celebrate weddings, babies, puppy parades
Suggestions for NP:
$500 goes a long way. What is unique to you that doesn’t cost much?

70. Reality of Corporate
CultureNon-Profits
 Success measured by Mission
 Resources are limited
 Wider sphere of influences and interactions
 Flexibility in job: time, positions, leave of
absence
 Employee’s are committed to the
organization’s mission
Corporate World
 Success measured by profit
 Spend money to make money
 Hierarchy of positions limits access
 Corporate culture demands are extensive
 Employee’s looking for the next promotion/to
move up the ladder

71. Thank You
Michelle Bufano
Michelleb@chihulygardenandglass.com
206.753.4925