Engaging Multiple Workplace Generations
In part one of this two part blog, AJO Team & Leadership Development Instructional Designer, Renee Guzanek explains why and how to blend team building with philanthropy to engage multiple workforce generations.
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’Bob Dylan
In 1964, singer-songwriter Bob Dylan crooned about a future of change in American culture, brought about by a new generation of young adults, the Baby Boomers. And while the 1960s certainly have historical relevance as a decade of tremendous cultural change, Dylan’s lyrics still ring true today, especially as we look at changes taking place in the American workforce. The Baby Boomers, who have dominated the workplace for decades, are beginning to retire and new generations are claiming a bigger piece of the workplace demographics pie.
According to recent U.S. census studies:
- By 2015 Generation Y will outnumber Baby Boomers in the workforce
- By 2020, Generation Y will account for over 40% of all U.S. workers
- Gen X and Gen Y will make up over 70% of our workforce by 2020
This demographic upset means big changes in business practices are ahead.
The Business Benefits of Volunteerism
What’s likely to attract the younger generations to your business? What’s likely to keep them engaged at work? Turns out, providing them with meaningful volunteer opportunities is a significant factor related to attraction, retention, and employee engagement.
- According to the 2011 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, 61% of Millennials (Gen Y) said a volunteer program would help them choose between two jobs that offered the same pay, benefits, location, and responsibilities.
- PriceWaterhouseCoopers reported that 88% of Millennials are attracted to companies with distinct Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, and 86% said they might leave their employer if the CSR no longer met their expectations.
Not only is service to others an attraction and retention factor for the changing workforce demographic, there are other significant benefits as well.
- Reputation Institute’s 2011 Pulse Survey indicated that 40% of a company’s reputation is determined by volunteering and CSR.
- McKinsey’s CSR study showed that volunteering programs create value by helping an organization maintain a good corporate reputation or brand equity.
- Deloitte’s 2010 Volunteer Impact Survey reported that 64% of executives surveyed believe that corporate citizenship produces a tangible contribution to the bottom line.
- In a survey of Fortune 500 HR managers, 91% said that volunteering knowledge and expertise to a charitable organization can be an effective way to build leadership skills that ultimately improve the employee’s daily work such as project management, communication, and goal-setting.
- The National and Community Service organization, a government agency, has been studying the health benefits of volunteering and has discovered a strong relationship between volunteerism and health. Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression. This is especially true of older volunteers and has positive implications for Baby Boomers who are still in the workforce.
And let’s not forget about the feel-good factor associated with volunteerism and charitable giving.- In a 2006 study, Jorge Moll and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found that when people give to charities, it activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust. Scientists also believe that altruistic behavior releases endorphins in the brain, producing the positive feeling known as the “helper’s high.” The presence of these endorphins in the body are known to increase collaboration, cooperativeness, and engagement– all good behaviors to have in the workplace.
Look for our follow up blog in which Renee advises how to get started with your philanthropic team building event. Plus, we'll share AJO's video of our most recent philanthropic team-building event!
About Renee Guzanek: For over 25 years, Renee has focused on the field of organizational development, where she has assisted leaders, teams, and individual performers improve their communication, business practices, teamwork, and job performance. As a learner and educator, Renee has extensive experience developing and facilitating training programs and solutions that address workforce growth and viability.