FALL NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER EDUCATION

FORUMRALEIGH, NC

SEPTEMBER 20 , 2013 

DR. JANET F. PAINTERLENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY

 DR. JOYCE H . DAVIS

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ASHEVILLE

  Improving Retention of Millennial Teachers

through Effective Induction Practices: What Can Education Learn from Healthcare and

Business?  

By 2020, nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce will consist of Millennials (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) 

For the organization to fulfill its social contract to provide high-quality, cost-effective, and safe services, it must satisfy the needs and manage the expectations of those who directly deliver these services (Piper, 2012)

Who are the Millennials?

The Millennials, also called “Gen Y”, “Gen Why?”, and “Trophy Kids” are typically considered those who were born between 1980 and 1999. This year they are between 14 and 33 years old.

Why does recruiting and retaining Millennials present a challenge for traditional institutions

(business, healthcare, and education)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owwM6FpWWoQ

Characteristics

They have a sense of entitlement.They are not motivated by feelings of duty to the

organization.They find long meetings with a lecture format to be

boring.They need guidance or instruction about how to

interact and deal with older people, including their managers and coworkers.

They are impulsive and want instant gratification.They have a low tolerance for stress.They cannot take criticism well.

Twenge (2006); Tulgan and Martin (2001) as cited in Piper (2012).

What’s important to Millennials?

Producing something worthwhile (they are service-oriented, innovative, and community-minded)

Tangible achievements and recognition are important to this generation—rankings and test scores have become regular status markers.

Benefits and security over salary

Workplace Behaviors“Can’t We All Just Get Along?”

Baby Boomers (born between1946 and 1964) - everyone on the team should work and stay available until the task is completed, whatever their role.

Gen X’ers (born between 1965-1979) want a unique role for each team member, want to go off and do it their way and come back when they are finished. They consider themselves done when their part is done.

Gen Y’ers (Millennials) are team players. But before buying in, they want to know “What’s in it for me? How will I be recognized? Why is this meaningful?” Many are willing, and even eager, to work long and hard, but want control over when, where and how once a deadline is established (Haserot, 2009).

Ways to Accommodate, Satisfy, and Motivate Generation Y

Practice ethical leadership (“walk the walk”)Engender a culture of trust and transparencyBuild loyalty (intentional “branding”)Offer coachingProvide opportunities for collaboration3 R’s: remember, reward, recognize (Piper, 2012)

Who is doing it well?

Case: Deloitte Business, Audit, Consulting and Financial Advisory Firm in Charlotte, NC

Five Components to Successful Recruitment and Retention1. Management transparency -Straightforward

communications with no hidden agendas2. Working with a counselor, individuals make

explicit choices about which job opportunities in the firm make the most sense at different stages of their careers, given the pace, workload, location, and level of responsibility they are willing to take on.

3. Extensive Technical and Professional Training to Accelerate Development: “I still wake up thinking ‘what am I going to learn today?,’ because no two days are the same.”

4. Arrangements like part-time work, job sharing, compressed work weeks, and telecommuting focus primarily on an individual’s need to adjust work location and hours

5. Research shows that the existence of personal relationships is another key factor that determines how long employees stay in an organization. Deloitte goes out of its way to facilitate the development of those relationships in its “work hard/play hard” culture. Network groups meet regularly to talk about issues on the job, and participate in team-building events, like racing go-carts, or conducting a community service project.

1.The firm’s leaders are fanatical in their practice of continually communicating the organization’s business strategy and reminding associates how their current project is connected to overall strategic objectives. Employees of every generation need to understand how their jobs fit into the organization’s overall mission.

2. Collaboration - a nine-member development council of employees makes decisions as a group about the future direction of new engineering products

Cisco Systems (engineering and tech sales)

San Jose, California

3.Heavy investment in career development. Employees who see interesting opportunities and realistic career paths for themselves in an organization are much more likely to be emotionally invested in staying long term.

4. Health and wellness a. The Cisco LifeConnections Health Center includes an on-site medical center, staffed by an independent medical group of physicians, along with state-of-the-art fitness facilities, acupuncture and massage services, a pharmacy, and additional child care center. There are also opportunities for flexible work hours

5. Promote the use of new social networking technologies to build relationships, increase collaboration, and enhance employee engagement.

“We had one incentive where we told our supervisor our favorite candy bar. Then if she noticed or someone else noticed us helping someone out or doing a great job at something we could let her know and she would get us a candy bar, or if we were having a rough day it could be a pick me up… We also had ‘good job’ cards where we could thank each other in writing for something whether it be how awesome a job we did or a thank you for helping out, and it would be displayed for everyone to see. Peer recognition is huge in my opinion.”

Carolina Healthcare Systems

“…We also had "value incentives" which were vouchers that we could get by displaying the core values of CHS like commitment or integrity or one of the other seven core values. Then our supervisor would turn our name in and we would get a voucher for a certain amount and we could turn it in for a gift card to a variety of places like Target or Best Buy or whatever (and these were worth 50-100 dollars)…”

“I think one thing in general that is important in terms of making sure that people feel supported in their job is to provide good communication lines. I would expect that if I sent an email, that you would receive and respond in a timely manner. For me, that would be within a day’s time. If I text, I would expect a text back even if it is 'I got your text, I'll let you know’. When there is no response, the tendency is to assume that either the person did not receive the information, or the person is ignoring the information. Feedback is huge.”

(Healthcare Millenial)

So what should we do?

Orient supervisors regarding what behaviors to expect, and training them in “coaching” behaviors

Custom Formal Recognition Programs - branded goodies given at short term intervals (Bank of America, Baptist Health Care, Bell and Rogers)

Partnerships with Training or Teaching Organizations (U.S. Army, Yale-New Haven Hospital)

Family-Friendly Benefits (vacation, flex time, easier pace) (CISCO, Merck & Co.)

Exit Interviews (Fortune 500 companies do!)(source: Abrams, 2004)

But, what about the recession…?

Yes, the recession and unemployment since 2008 have had an impact.

The Millenials have even been dubbed by some “Generation Jobless” -- Yet, the challenges for their recruitment and retention remain.

What are some of these recession-related effects?

They now focus on career interests earlier (freshman versus senior year of college)

They seek the value of college They seek the flexibility of online

learning They more willingly take part-

time jobs They join the military and

National Guard They seek “fall back” jobs (jobs

that were not their 1st choice – for some, teaching) and see them as temporary

What can we do in educational fields?

Develop an image (or “brand”) that maps back to our higher purpose

Restructure to give more frequent feedback and “promotions”: recognize efforts through customized incentives and overt communications

Improve and support quality mentoring programs (note: Millenials want to be led, not controlled)

Build in flexibility and opportunities (not mandates) to collaborate

Improve the quality of PD and provide choice

Upgrade and sustain investments in technology

Provide family-friendly benefits (on-site child care) and mental health supports (counseling)

Pay attention to “soft skills”

What does all this mean for teacher educators?

The sage on the stage needs to sit down.Students do not feel a need to have a relationship with authority figures.Students feel collectively special in the eyes of their parents and their community.Students expect guaranteesStudents expect to have a say.Students expect a quick response.Students expect affirmation.Students expect you to be friendly and informalStudents expect everything to be negotiable.Students expect that you know they can multi-task.Students expect you to explain the why of assignments or requirements. (Espinoza, 2012)

What can we learn from other’s success and DO to create our own?

Some thoughts to start the conversation: Create community Build relationships Be explicit in assignments and syllabi Expect to be questioned Provide choices and input Embrace social media (EdModo) Explore badges and brands

References

Abrams, M. (2004). Employee retention strategies: Lessons from the best. Healthcare Executive; July/Aug 2004;(19)4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com September 10, 2013. Delong, D. & associates (2009). Case studies: Building a culture to retain Gen Y’s. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Chicago. Retrieved from 

https://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/mmi-multigen-case-study- deloite-touche.pdf.

 Espinoza, C. (2012). Millennial values and boundaries in the classroom. New Direction for Teaching and Learning. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (wileyonlinelibrary.com). Haserot,P.W. (2009). The keys to maintaining professionalism & harmony across the generations at work. The Professional Lawyer; 19(3),3-5,17. Retrieved from http://search.proquest. September 10, 2013. Law, J. (2008). The young and (very) restless. Marketing, 113(17), 39. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com September 10, 2013. Piper, L.E. (2012). Generation Y in healthcare: Leading millennials in an era of reform. Frontiers of

Health Services Management (29)1. Chicago, Ill.