NexGen Love

Struggling to recruit and retain talent? Can’t figure out the secret sauce? Throwing money at your GenX and GenZ’rs but they’re still leaving? I happen to be a Millennial and pay very close attention to what motivates me, my peers, and the Z generation. Money only goes so far. Do you know what I think it is? The ‘thing’ we all really want from our companies? Love. We want to feel loved. And no I don’t mean in any “whistleblower hotline” kind of way. Love in the professional sense. Valued. Appreciated. Needed. Included. Belonging. Isn’t that how your loved ones make you feel? ?If your eyes are rolling with a “Here we go…” under your breath – keep reading. You probably need this.

I’ve posted a few articles about culture and the message still holds true to me. If a company is loyal to me, I will be loyal to my company. For my First Niagara Bank friends – I’m finally finding peace with letting go (IYKYK). We had the silver tuna of cultures. We felt like family. Everyone hates the “Do you have a best friend at work” engagement survey question but I totally understand what Gallup is trying to get at. ALL my best friends were at First Niagara! I met my husband there. It’s where you spend a majority of your time – you better love the people you work with!

When First Niagara said goodbye, I struggled big time with finding that feeling again in the workplace. I often times really loved the people I worked with but it clashed with the overall culture of the company. Enter GBU Life – and everything clicked. I have finally found my home. My ‘Second Niagara’ so to speak. I feel so settled and happy. That’s huge. I get recruiters reaching out all the time – many times with offers of higher pay – and I politely decline the conversation. Because this feeling is worth more than a pay increase. There’s that word. Feeling. Not salary or benefits. Not a tangible thing. These things are very important, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not everything.

The NexGen wants to feel loved by their company.

Love means work-life balance. If you’re saying…. “I worked 60 hours a week – this generation is soft!”….how did your family feel about that work schedule? How were they impacted? How was your self-care routine and your stress level? Why do we glorify overworking. I did it too. I worked the hours and grinded it out. Until I started hearing the same message from every mentor I had. “Don’t miss these days with your kids – you won’t get them back”. They were expressing advice but it sounded more like regret. I listened.

Love means feeling cared about. Valued. Important to the company. They have your back and are in your corner. They care about your ideas, thoughts, and experience. They trust you to do your job using the skills and knowledge they hired you for. They want you to be happy.

Love means loyalty. This is where you get back what you give. If employees feel loved (valued/appreciated/included) they will be loyal to you. They will be proud to promote your brand. They will talk about their company positively. When I talk about working at GBU the first question I get is…Are they hiring?? That’s how you attract talent. Positive promotion from your people. Your crew. The ones on the inside. The Glassdoor reviews - not the ‘top workplace’ awards. That is where the NexGen is going to see if you’re the company for them.

How do you do this? Well – treat your employees like family. Be nice. Be a good human and treat your people like good humans – not assets, tools, commodities, or a means to an end. Get help if you need to. Plenty of consultants out there can get you started. As the generations that were ‘happy to have a job’ retire and you’re increasingly struggling to attract talent to replace them – try a different tactic. Love.

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