We are welcoming a new generation into the workplace, Generation Z. Born after 1998, they are also sometimes referred to as Centennials or iGeneration. Gen Z’ers are your new high school graduates and upcoming college students that will be looking for internships and finding their first job in the next few years.
What can we expect to experience with this new generation of employees?
This is the first completely digitized generation that has always been connected to the internet and as expected, they are proficient in technology. Youth making up Generation Z are diverse and are predicted to be independent thinkers and doers.
Goldman Sachs provides a good look at this new employee pool in their video- “Gen Z Matters More than Millennials.” Generation Z tends to be more financially conservative, associate money with success and is very aware of the financial consequences of their decisions.
Over the course of my career, I have had the pleasure of having 2-3 older friends that happen to be Baby Boomers that have remained interested in helping me grow professionally to this date. It dawned on me in my late 20’s the level of sincerity and genuine nature of their dedication to helping me. When I realized what they were doing and the level of impact that this cross-generational mentoring was having in my personal and work life, I made a commitment to myself that I would “pay it forward” and be on the lookout to become a mentor to others. I love a couple of quotes I recently read in The Daily Walk Bible – “Life is a lot like tennis – the goal is to learn to serve better” and “The object of teaching is to enable those taught to get along without a teacher”.
Guest Blogger: Jen McKenzie, Business Freelancer
Bringing in strong employees is only the first step to making your business thrive. You also have to keep those employees happy within your company. Great employees leave all the time, and it’s not always due to pay or benefits. Interested in learning more about employee retention? Read these five tips to avoid employee turnover.
Why Worry About Employee Turnover?
According to Glass Door, employers report that it can take up to 52 days to fill an open position. That’s almost 2 months where other employees are having to pick up the slack for the missing worker. It’s time that your business isn’t operating at peak efficiency, and you’re likely spending time advertising and interviewing candidates.
Increase Employee Retention
There are certain things you can do to increase employee retention and almost none of them have to do with providing more money for employees. The most common strategies provide a competitive benefits package like a savings plan for retirement or a great health insurance plan. High employee turnover is a hit to the morale for the entire company, and it should be avoided at all costs.
Guest Blogger: Megan Karlin, Agriculture Future of America Marketing & Communications Manager
When it comes to whether or not your company should invest in Agriculture Future of America, I definitely have a biased opinion. However, when it comes to making the most of your relationship with us, I have the inside scoop.
For very nearly five years, I’ve immersed myself in listening to and telling AFA’s story. I’ve interviewed partners, participants and anyone else who would give me a few minutes. I’ve seen what works and what does not.
As I said, I’m biased when it comes to the question of financial investment; so, for the remainder of my time with you, let’s assume you do. That’s the first thing I would tell you. When you partner with AFA, you have a stake in the game. You’re committed to pursuing the opportunities I’ve outlined below. The first, of which, is to connect with our students.
According to The Global Gender Gap Report 2016 by the World Economic Forum, there remains a wide gap between women and men in economic participation and opportunity. When we look at the overall Global Gender Gap Index, Canada was ranked #35, while the United States was only #45. The U.S. ranking dropped due to the decrease in economic participation and opportunity score, with a sizeable gap in estimated earned income.
The Global Gender Gap Report notes the positive effect of increasing gender parity on economic growth – “Making full use of women’s capabilities paves the way to optimizing a nation’s human capital potential.” (p. 27)
In the AgCareers.com Gender Roles and Equality in Agribusiness Survey, women were asked if they felt they would be given more advancement opportunities if they were male. The majority, 72% felt they would be. So, are women content where they are at or do they want to pursue advancement?
Job hopping traditionally was considered moving from one company to the next every one to two years, multiple times. The reasons for these moves was due to something other than a layoff or company closure. However, times have changed and it is unusual for individuals to stay in a position or at a company for over 6 years. Studies show that the average number of years a worker stays with an employer is 4.6 years, for younger employees (20 – 34) it is half that, at 2.3 years.
So, what does that mean for employers? Many employers and recruiters have changed their expectations, but still look for patterns in work histories. One short-term stay in a job is not cause for concern, and neither is a series of short-term jobs that were designed to be short-term, such as contracts or internships. However, when there is a pattern of quickly leaving jobs that were not designed to be short-term, it can become a cause for concern for an employer.
New to the AgCareers.com team is Rachael Powell who serves as the Data Analyst – HR Solutions. Rachael has been with AgCareers.com for two months and works from the Clinton, North Carolina office.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis in your role with AgCareers.com?
So far some of the projects I have worked on are the National Pork Board Compensation and HR Practices Report and the Agribusiness HR Review. My other main task will be to aid in the completion of the Compensation Benchmark Review.
What do you enjoy about working with AgCareers.com?
I enjoy that I get to help compile information that will help ag companies throughout North America make more informed decisions.
What advice would you give to employers using AgCareers.com for the first time?
Make sure you’ve clearly defined the role you are looking to fill. AgCareers.com has some great resources that can help you get started. Among some of the I would challenge employers to utilize are the Compensation Benchmark Review, Career Profiles, and the Agribusiness HR Review.
