It’s easy, when someone from another generation is driving you crazy, to overlook the unique contributions she can make. In the next three blogs, I’m going to spell out how each generation prefers to interact, helping you create a cohesive team.

Baby Boomers love face to face interactions. They grew up with large groups everywhere, before the age of the Internet. They thrived on mass protests, mass rock concerts and large families. The idea of IM’ing or texting, when they could be having a face to face meeting is foreign to them. So if you’re Generation X or Y, be flexible with Boomers. Try to increase your face to face interactions every month with them…by the water cooler, at meetings, during lunch, and even during coffee breaks. You’ll be surprised at how fun it can be to actually talk live to a person!

I saw this video this afternoon, and wow, does it ever get to the point.  Especially spending time reflecting on things people are thankful for recently with Thanksgiving, this is a great video to watch.

Let’s try not to take everything for granted, and actually be a little thankful, and a little less entitled.

Now this is what I am talking about! Generation Y at it’s very best!

by Jayne D. Frank

As frustration and anger over our government’s current domestic and foreign policy increases, conservative Americans are now focused on taking back Congress in 2010 as well as the Presidency in 2012. This is obviously the only hope one has now since the Obama bullet train has left the tracks and is speeding towards total fiscal irresponsibility, decreasing military presence and morale and a growing welfare state. However, we cannot possibly achieve our goals of taking over Congress and the White House and putting our country back on the right track until we understand why Obama won in the first place because it is destined to happen again without an “intervention” of thought and action on our part. Millenials are those approximately 60 million people born between 1974 and 1990 that accounted for 24 million votes in the 2008 election. This generation was born into a peacetime, growing high-tech society, the sons and daughters of a late-blooming, late-to-everything Baby Boomer generation. The work ethic of the post World War II generation and their children, was soon giving way to kids brought up in a world where their communication skills were fostered through having them babysat by computers, MP3 players, cell phones, and virtual games. Teachers in their classes no longer applauded or recognized excellence, but rather surrounded students with an environment where expression and acceptance was the norm, where no one is better than anyone else and no one loses and a pat on the back is the most you should expect. As a result, these students graduated not with knowledge of how to behave in a business and corporate society where excellence, attendance and hard work were expected and rewarded, but rather expected everyone else to conform to what they wanted and felt; many of them still jump from job to job without commitment or loyalty to any. All this generation understood going into the beginning of the elections, particularly where Barack Obama was concerned, was that certain things were acceptable to them in life, e.g., allowing gays to marry, divorcing as opposed to working it out with your spouse, or just not getting married at all. Most of this generation had no ties anymore to an institutional form of religion, and they, in large numbers, lacked the personal responsibility training and background, to care about such things as moving out of their parents’ house and taking care of themselves, buying their own insurance, and preparing to have families of their own. With all of their technologically advanced skills, this was such a fertile ground and population for the Obama campaign to latch on for their victory. Obama’s team emailed, twittered used the internet, day and night, to win the hearts and souls of this group, giving them flowery promises, and giving “false meaning” to their lives and manipulating them into a frenzy for the star power that he represented. And win they did, overwhelmingly with the Millenials; a full 66% share of the vote among 18-29 year olds. Patriotic and disgusted Americans have done much over the past 10 months to try and stop .the socialism of our country; tea parties, communication with their representatives, blogs, trips to Washington; and we have done it solely for the future of our children and Generation Y. My family counts itself as among those demonstrating our rejection of the government’s present policies and attending those rallies and protests. But nothing will change in 2010 until we all learn why Obama won and who gave him that win. We will not take back the Congress or Presidency until we present cogent and persuasive arguments to the Millenial Generation about why government-run healthcare, our cap and trade legislation and unchecked congressional spending, are all a disaster and why Obama’s policies will result in higher taxes for them and in their loss of the liberties and freedoms they so enjoy – even the loss of their internet and communication liberties that they hold so dear. Just like Generation X before them, who are in the peak of their earning power, establishing families and looking to share in the investment prosperity their parents had, the Millenials will mature and grow wiser as they age, but it is OUR responsibility, during 2010, to focus our efforts a great deal on educating and bringing under our wing, this important voter group in trying to get them to see through the smoke and mirrors, articulate, eloquent speeches of their leader, and hope that we will not be too late. Without a change in the direction of our Government, Generation Y will be, along with their children, indebted forever, and will have forfeited the freedoms and liberties enjoyed by prior generations.

I read a recent article by Carol Phillips the other day, on how Boomers who don’t have Generation Y children generally believe that there is no generational difference, only an age gap.

It made me remember how, when I’ve spoken to various audiences about generations, almost every time I hear the same grumble, particularly from older generations, that there is no ‘Generation Y, X..’ etc, just people of different ages. Everyone’s needs are the same, so why not just cater to everyone the same?

Well, if this is the case, then why are there persistent misunderstandings and tensions in the workplace between people of different ages? Every Boomer and Xer knows what it’s like to be the age of a Generation Y; they remember being thrust from the safe bubble of university into the uncertain world of work. They had needs and dreams which were typical for people their age, so surely it should be easy to communicate with someone who is basically a younger version of them, right? Wrong.

Generation Y gets a lot of stick from older generations not because they think different, but because they look the same. We see a Japanese person and Pakistani person in the same room and we immediately assume they are very different people. If we’re being honest, apart from the obvious cultural, religious and language disparities, the feature we see first which indicates their difference, is their appearance. This visible difference makes it easy to grasp the concept that they might think differently too.

A generation is essentially formed by a group of people within the same age-bracket, who undergo shared experiences and so build a set of rules and models to help explain their world, creating what is commonly known as a culture. This suggests that when it comes to generations, looks are deceiving. Even if they share the same ethnic background, Generation Y, X and Baby Boomers each have their own culture, with values, assumptions, beliefs and behaviours which manifest differently in business. This means that, while communication challenges are inevitable, there is great opportunity to leverage the cultural strengths of each generation to create a dynamic and vibrant workforce.

They’re beautiful people.
In search of the truth
They’re looking for answers,
No matter how uncouth

They want to find out
What the meaning of life is,
What it’s all about
And how they might access
The sweet souding songs that they hear each day

The warmth of the beauty that fills her gaze
His strength and valour,
Freedom from callousness
It’s just a mask.

Cos the past hurts you see,
So we have to flee
And make the best of NOW!

But they’re beautiful people,
needing some guidance.
Wanting someone to see behind their shy glance
And nourish their soul,
Lead them to pasture and feed them the good stuff;

They don’t want gruff,
Cos they’ve been taught that sterile and smooth is the way to be.
When really it’s all just broken glass wrapped in two year old brown newspapers
Look behind tower blocks with your wall paper widget and you’ll see that your scraper is lacking some digits.
It doesn’t add up.

So let’s work together, appraising the vulture,
Unmasking the hands that are all over our culture
And show them that it’s really all airbrushes and lenses.
Helped along nicely by slick care-free vens fizzing.

Showing the business,
Is growing the pension.
While we tighten the belt.
And they aren’t even mentioned.
But their presence is felt.
We wonder what might become of our children tomorrow:
For p
eople of laughter, not people of sorrow.
Yes, they’ll still be beautiful people.

For those like me looking to relocate, here’s a list to help you out.

Full List: America’s Fastest-Recovering Cities via Forbes.com

This particular article was one of my first big lessons in writing search engine optimized material. Everything I’ve read has told me that the current generation of college students would prefer to be called “The Millennial Generation” rather than “Generation Y” (and why they wouldn’t just prefer to be called “the current generation of college students” is beyond me. It’s not like I walked around when I was in college and said to people, “Hey, I’m Generation X. So suck it.”). But guess what search term people use most often when looking for information on this generation? Yup.

Of course, what people probably find out when they search on “Generation Y” is statements like “The current generation of college students would prefer to be called the Millennial Generation.” So there’s that.

Deezer, plateforme d’écoute gratuite de musique sur Internet, lance une offre payante de mise à disposition permanente de la musique. Le principe est simple : vous payez 9.99 € par mois, et vous avez accès à votre musique en permanence, sur différents supports (pc, i phone, black berry, …) et cela même si vous n’êtes pas connecté à Internet. Au-delà de l’innovation en terme de service, c’est un nouveau modèle économique que Deezer met en place.

Or, ce modèle économique est loin d’être novateur. On peut dire qu’il est né avec la génération « Y », cette catégorie de la population qui s’est développée avec les nouveaux usages d’Internet : blogs, réseaux sociaux, discussions en ligne, … En effet, nombreuses sont les plateformes sur Internet, à partir du moment où elles comportent une notion de partage (de fichiers, de musique, de connaissances ou d’informations anodines), qui proposent un service gratuit mais limité … qui est en fait un produit d’appel pour le service complet, payant. Parmi elles, nous pouvons citer Viadeo, last FM, ou encore le très connu Meetic.

Comment fonctionne en réalité ce modèle économique ? Les services non payants offrent des solutions basiques qui s’avèrent rapidement limitées dès que l’utilisateur se prend réellement au jeu. De plus, en s’inscrivant à ce genre de plateforme, l’utilisateur emmène avec lui plusieurs de ses connaissances. Ainsi, un phénomène de partage et de reconnaissance peut rentrer en jeu : « tiens j’ai écouté ça sur Deezer, sauvegarde le dans ta playlist » Problème, vous n’êtes pas abonnés… La pression sociale, culturelle ou même personnelle fait qu’au final, l’utilisateur passe à l’abonnement premium afin de s’insérer dans la communauté.

Check out how East Carolina University is engaged in stealth marketing to attract Millennial students.

As I watched this video, I was struck by how hip it was, but I wondered if such an approach is a college’s best friend.  On the one hand, it certainly engages in a form of speech accommodation in which the speaker adopts the idioms, tropes, and vernacular of the target audience to create a sense of connection.  On the other hand, no freshman course I took or teach remotely resembles the high energy rave that is depicted here.

Reaching out is important, but at what point do you grab the hand you’ve reached for and pull them into your world rather than joining theirs?  Organizations must treat Millennial socialization as a two-way street.  Feel free to let your Gen Y freak flag fly to get them in the door, but be careful not to bait and switch.  From the get go, they need to know that part of joining your organization involves them learning your vernacular too.  Now, that’s love I can feel.

Gather ’round smart leaders and let me tell you a story.  A story that’s being repeated in workplaces across Canada as I type…

Once upon a time, there was a smart, uber talented MBA graduate who had invested $60k of his hard earned cash to earn the credential that was his ticket to the management echelons.  Years passed and the young, hardworking, MBA-holding leader was finally given the big opportunity he’d dreamed of… a big step up into a high profile, challenging role.  His new boss gave him an encouraging smile, mentioned something about an “open door policy” and left him to get on with the task at hand.  The classic “sink or swim” approach to stepping into a bigger role.

But our hero is no management “sinker”.  He knew he needed help.  So, he did what every smart employee does: he sourced some management courses and even went to HR to get more recommendations on courses he could take and coaches he could hire.  All fired up and clear on the support he needed to avoid a potential career flameout, our guy headed to his bosses’ office to get approval on his development request.

When all of a sudden… disaster struck! The economy tanked… training budgets were cut… and his boss fed him the standard party line that went something like this…”you’re an important member of the team but my hands are tied until Q3 when we can maybe access that cash.”

Unfortunately, the tanking economy didn’t wait for Q3 to turn up the heat on our fearless leader. His team downsized and his deliverables upsized.  The pressure was building… his career was sliding… he wasn’t sleeping… and the only person who was happy was the barista that was serving up our hero’s twice daily dose of venti double Americanos.

Insert dramatic, tension-building musical interlude here…

Will our hero survive this impending career crash?  Will his boss see the light and pull the measly $5k out of the photocopy budget to hire him the coach he so obviously needs???

But more importantly… will our smart, MBA-holding, fast-tracker stop waiting for his organization to help him get the development he needs and look after himself?????

Okay… I’m being a little bit overly dramatic here.  But only a little bit.  Consider this blog a thought provoker.

For all of you out there that are under the continued belief (some, less kind people, would say delusion) that your organization should and WILL pay for all the development you need (and you WILL need it) post-grad school, it’s time for a reality check.  If you are a GenX or GenY leader you should KNOW by now that there are no jobs for life and you should KNOW that you have to build your resume to ensure your future job opportunities (which, frankly, has to include keeping your skills up to parr)… so why are you still waiting for your boss to foot your development bill?  Why are you potentially putting your career at risk by not getting the support you need, when you need it?  On YOUR terms?

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask your boss to cough up some bucks when your skills are obviously going to help the company.  But, what I am saying is that – at the end of the day – you HAVE to look after yourself.  Don’t spend more money buying Venti Americano’s or Bell Expressvu or that snappy new suit each year than you do in investing in your biggest asset… YOU!

The Wealthy Barber  espoused putting 10% of your salary away to “pay yourself first”.  Well, I’d like to suggest you take 5% of your salary and invest in yourself first.  Don’t wait for your boss to do it for you.  Afterall, if you’re not hitting your deliverables, I doubt you’ll get an apology from your organization for not giving you the support you need.  And, if you do hit those deliverables, the raise you’ll be getting and the opportunities that will be in front of you will far outweigh the money that you’ve invested in yourself.

Your career’s worth more than a thousand no-foam-double-hot lattes.  Isn’t it?

Happy leading!

The job market is a tough one these days, and whether you are a recent high school grad, college grad, or simply looking to make a career change, finding a job that offers you a challenge and the chance to give back to the community can be a daunting task. The U.S. aggregate producers that comprise the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association have joined forces to develop new recruiting materials that’ll show that this industry can provide just that.

Did you know that the aggregate industry gives back to America, adding almost 40 billion dollars to the U.S. gross domestic product? In fact, for every $1 of industry output, $1.58 is returned! More than 100,000 men and women are currently employed by the NSSGA, and have been seeing the benefits firsthand for years. Currently, there are many and varied employment opportunities available within the industry.

In addition to propelling the economy, NSSGA and its members also feel it is important to protect the environment. They have developed several sustainability goals with a focus on being as environmentally conscious as possible. Members not only realize that wise, environmental choices are good business and good for business, but that life depends on Earth’s finite resources. NSSGA understands that we must make smart decisions now to ensure quality of life is preserved for future generations.

So what type of positions does the aggregates industry offer? Everything from:

• Human Resource Specialist
• Accountant and Manager
• Safety and Health
• IT and other office and management functions
• Engineering
• Operator of heavy equipment
• Truck drivers
• Production Manager
• And so much more!

To learn more about what the aggregates industry can offer you and to complete a survey, simply visit: http://www.foundation4thefuture.com. And be sure to check out NSSGA on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Stone-Sand-Gravel-Association/46772849391

So what can Gen Y teach Boomers and Gen X? Technology! *They* are the digital natives. If you’re Gen X, you’re a digital immigrant. If you’re a Boomer, you’re the parent of the digital immigrant, still living in the old country.

Gen Y’s were born with technology; they get it. I’m not talking about asking a Gen Y colleague for help with current technology. I’m talking about letting Gen Y show you where technology will be in the next 10 years. They knew what the iPhone was before it was even invented; they also know what technology can do for your organization in the next 20 years. So let them find global best practices and show you the future of technology.

Remember, Gen Y wants to be taken seriously. They want their expertise to be acknowledged. Technology is an area where they have expertise, and a vision of what can be accomplished, that you just can’t match, because you weren’t born with it. So ask for their mentorship in the technology area, and be sure to show your appreciation. You’ll not only build innovation and morale, you’ll likely also save resources in the long run.

This is the end of my *mentoring *series. I hope you use it as a tool for creating workplace harmony—and incidentally, for running a more successful business.

So what can Gen Y teach Boomers and Gen X? Technology! *They* are the digital natives. If you’re Gen X, you’re a digital immigrant. If you’re a Boomer, you’re the parent of the digital immigrant, still living in the old country.

Gen Y’s were born with technology; they get it. I’m not talking about asking a Gen Y colleague for help with current technology. I’m talking about letting Gen Y show you where technology will be in the next 10 years. They knew what the iPhone was before it was even invented; they also know what technology can do for your organization in the next 20 years. So let them find global best practices and show you the future of technology.

Remember, Gen Y wants to be taken seriously. They want their expertise to be acknowledged. Technology is an area where they have expertise, and a vision of what can be accomplished, that you just can’t match, because you weren’t born with it. So ask for their mentorship in the technology area,and be sure to show your appreciation. You’ll not only build innovation and morale, you’ll likely also save resources in the long run.

This is the end of my *mentoring *series. I hope you use it as a tool for creating workplace harmony—and incidentally, for running a more successful business.

Je n’aime pas beaucoup ce terme de “relations publiques”. De plus en plus souvent d’ailleurs, en entreprise, on appelle les relations publiques “marketing opérationnel” (même si le champ d’intervention de celui-ci est plus réduit), peut-être parce que cela semble plus parlant et plus “orienté retour sur investissement”, surtout lorsque l’on s’adresse à des décideurs.

Les relations publiques ont pour but de créer et d’entretenir l’image et la notoriété d’une entreprise.  Il ne s’agit pas de vendre directement un produit ou un service, mais de renforcer le capital confiance et sympathie envers l’entreprise. Les relations publiques sont souvent liées aux relations presses : les journalistes sont souvent conviés aux événements et manifestations diverses.
Les relations publiques ont aussi pour but d’entretenir le dialogue entre l’entreprise et ses publics “prescripteurs” : le monde politique, les organisations économiques (CCI…), les associations locales, etc.

Les types de manifestations associées aux relations publiques :

L’événement : il est organisé par l’entreprise pour marquer un temps fort (fusion, lancement d’un produit, anniversaire, nouvelle orientation stratégique…). Il permet de valoriser un message spécifique dans un contexte festif.

Le salon : La participation à un salon relève avant tout de la politique commerciale. Il s’agit globalement de se faire connaître, mais aussi de présenter produits et services, de développer des contacts commerciaux et si possible…  d’enregistrer des commandes ! La dimension communication reste essentielle dans ce contexte, car l’image de l’entreprise passe à travers la décoration du stand, son animation, ou encore la prise de parole des intervenants.
Un bon salon est une excellente occasion d’enrichir son carnet de commandes, mais un “mauvais” salon ou simplement un mauvais emplacement peuvent faire perdre beaucoup de temps et d’argent ! Il est indispensable de prendre à l’avance un maximum de renseignements (et idéalement d’avoir déjà visité une édition précédente du salon en question).

Le parrainage : ou sponsoring, ou mécénat. L’entreprise s’associe à un événement ou une activité qui n’est pas lié à son coeur de métier. Le sponsoring est en général associé au sport, le mécénat concerne le champ de la culture, de l’éducation, les actions humanitaires ou liées au développement durable…
L’objectif est de valoriser l’engagement social de l’entreprise. Si c’est un facteur de notoriété et de crédibilité auprès du grand public (si l’engagement est réel, bien entendu !), c’est aussi un facteur très fédérateur pour les salariés de l’entreprise. Je me souviens d’une chargée de recrutement qui m’avait expliqué avec énormément d’enthousiasme qu’elle aimait sa société parce que les dirigeants de son entreprise s’étaient engagés dans une action de mécénat auprès de chirurgiens qui oeuvraient auprès d’enfants du Tiers-Monde. La semaine dernière encore, j’ai discuté, à l’ESCP, avec le commercial d’une marque de soupes, qui expliquait, avec des étoiles dans les yeux, que ses dirigeants reversent chaque année 30 % de leurs bénéfices à diverses associations humanitaires (c’est un autre sujet, mais je pense que si certaines entreprises s’engageaient de manière pragmatique, elles recruteraient beaucoup plus facilement des jeunes de la génération Y).

La semaine prochaine, nous parlerons de communication de crise…

Generation WHY??

2009 marked the year of six babies I knew of being born- joyous events.

However, these innocents were born to members of Gen Y who hover around 30 with no college educations and no want of such.

It seems as if children are the new accessories for some- who see kids on the hips of Hollywood’s young, hot and not so sharp.

The mothers of these newborns I have noticed- put them in the hot tub at one month of age, still do drugs and drink and then pump breast milk, expose their new borns to loud reality tv where people yell at each other all day, etc.. What’s worse is the fathers of these children are not motivated either.  They don’t work steadily or have educations.

In these LA cases, the new “parents” valet cars part time, then surf, sell junk they find on the streets, go to auditions, and dj. The other part of the time, they mooch off their parents, the child’s grandparents.

It’s the new parental welfare. It’s “keep paying my rent so I can go out- because you wouldn’t want the baby to be homeless now, would you?” mentality.  The party kids with everything given to them who became socially irrelevent, thought that having kids would somehow validate them. Babies are the new “look at me”. 

Here are two real life examples of new non-famous LA moms (names changed) with no career skills and no personal hobbies except for reading tabloids and watching reality shows.

Amy is 28 and made it through high school. She has two DUI’s- crashed a car into a building after drinking too much. Got knocked up by a guy, was pregnant in jail, waiting around for unemployment from yet another restaurant job she’s gotten fired from in the same beach town.  Told everyone everywhere she went she was pregnant, even perfect strangers.  Her guy goes out to bars and clubs and tells her people try to rufie him. hmm. Thought about getting her kid into show business, until she found out she couldn’t touch the money. Doesn’t have enough money for rent, but will buy 300 dollar sunglasses and drive to Beverly Hills to have her hair done. Family- upper middle class.

Christen is a former heroin addict. Found a nice guy, best friend of her former boyfriend and got knocked up. The baby daddy had to drop out of college. They moved in with his parents who have money.

Louise has never had a job- druggie. Her guy’s parents have old Hollywood money. He’s never had a job.  They popped out a kid and were given his grandparent’s old house to live in. They’re selling off the contents inside of it.

You would think women of Generation Y would be more self-developed, and not rely on the oldest tricks in the book, but yet it persists–even with more focus on self esteem building and more information out there.

There was the case of Casey and Caylee Anthony, where the mother wasn’t done partying and killed her child.

Too bad you can’t make parents to be take classes on the potential harm they could cause their kid.

Listen to the wise Karyn Murphy and just don’t have kids until you are prepared to give them everything they need, after first being able to stand on your own two feet and have some accomplishments for which your child can  be proud of you.

Also mind poet Philip Larkin:

This Be the Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.

My name is Kim Burnett, and I am a public servant. I am young, and therefore I am creative, energetic, and tech savvy. I am optimistic about the possibilities available to me as a government worker in terms of both my career, and improving the lives of Canadians. I haven’t become disillusioned or disaffected, yet.

These sort of stereotypes / assumptions serve me well, some of the time (especially because I am creative and energetic, and pseudo-tech-savvy), but I worry about what logically follows for my less youthful counterparts. Are they old, and therefore bereft of creativity, energy, and the ability to use the internets? Can they not find the googles? These stereotypes / assumptions also do not serve me well sometimes: youth is also associated with inexperience, naivety, and unfamiliarity with bureaucratic processes.

Are these stereotypes helpful? Should our renewal attempts be founded on them? I’m “young”, and I can’t fix your blackberry. Being “old” doesn’t mean you couldn’t. I assume what I am saying isn’t new or jaw-dropping to any of you. But, I think there is value in repeating the message when renewal is on the minds of so many. Especially when some initiatives (e.g., canada@150), although awesome, are still geared specifically toward young public servants.

I think that ignoring or excluding “more seasoned” employees from renewal initiatives

1. ignores / excludes a huge pool of potential creativity from people with a ton of public service experience,
2. reifies stereotypes and dichotomies about and between “young” and “old” public servants, and
3. is kind of toxic and ageist .

(Side note: Yup, I used the a-word. And I mean it. I remember joking to a friend when I was going through  canada@150 application process (sigh, I was rejected)  — imagine if it was only open to men? to women? to Caucasian-Canadians? But it is okay for a government initiative to specify young public servants? Bwaa?? — I often use humour to talk about serious things.)

It isn’t my contention that Gen Ys are the same as Gen Xs and Boomers, rather, I believe that efforts to renew the public service need to be inclusive of people of all ages. IMHO as a public servant and former facilitator, your employees will be as creative, energetic, and 2.0 savvy as you allow them to be, no matter their age, generation, or years of service. If people planning to retire within 5 years are expected to be disillusioned about their potential to make change, then they will be. Let’s not put people out to pasture because they are over 60. Or, *gasp*, over 35. Let’s create and foster an environment where employees at all ages and classifications are encouraged to harness their creativity, energy, and web 2.0-savvyness (hereinafter referred to as CE2.0).

How do I create a Creative, Energetic, 2.0-savvy (CE2.0) environment?

I don’t have THE answer, just suggestions.

1. Don’t always call upon your token CE2.0 types for your CE2.0 needs. When you bring new faces to meetings (where they are expected to participate and engage) you increase the likelihood of your non-usual suspects sharing ideas — they may even get excited about work.
2. If you want 2.0 savvy employees, provide them the opportunity to become 2.0 savvy. In my section, for example, we’re trying out Sharepoint, we want people to use it, so we’re offering training.
3. Create creative space. THAT SOUNDS VAGUE, Kim. You say. It’s not, actually. Get your group together to brainstorm to troubleshoot issues facing your group. You might be surprised with what they come up with. You might not. But, there is value in giving people the opportunity to influence the environment in which they work. There is value in expecting your employees to think outside the box, engage, and participate. (This value will be diminished if such an exercise isn’t undertaken sincerely, and if employee suggestions are ignored.)

Hm, and that’s all I got, for now, suggestions-wise. What are your suggestions? How can we facilitate our employee engagement, creativity, energy, and 2.0-savvyness across generations in the public service? And how did you feel about me dropping the a-bomb like that?

P.S. Here is an interesting CBC Spark interview on the future of aging, retirement, how we think about our lifespans, and how that needs to change.

P.P.S. Splash!

zunächst sollte geklärt werden, worüber wir hier überhaupt sprechen. da machen in aller regel definitionen sinn! anbei je eine aus meiner perspektive treffende definition:

social media unterstützt das menschliche verlangen von sozialen interaktionen mittels technologie und wandelt mediale monologe (one to many) in mediale Dialoge (many to many). zudem unterstützt es die demokratisierung von wissen und information und entwickelt den benutzer von einem konsumenten zu einem produzenten (heraus kommt eigentlich so eine art „konsuproduzent“, denn konsumiert wird ja auch weiterhin).
 
employer branding ist eine unternehmensstrategische maßnahme, bei der konzepte aus human resources, public relations und marketing angewandt werden, um ein unternehmen insgesamt als attraktiven arbeitgeber darzustellen und von anderen wettbewerbern im arbeitsmarkt positiv abzuheben.

so – nun zu meiner „social media für employer branding-verteidigung“!
aktuell kann man eine menge aussagen finden, die das thema etwas nüchterner einschätzen – als beispiel mögen folgende aussagen aktueller studien dienen:

• „nur jeder zehnte personaler in deutschland hat im rahmen seiner arbeit schon den microblogging-dienst twitter besucht“: ifok studie „social media und personalarbeit: potential erkannt. und genutzt?“
• social media befindet sich in der aktuellen universum studie zu employer branding bei den aus personalersicht relevantesten employer branding kanälen nur im mittelfeld und mit 54% zustimmung weit hinter dem ersten platz, nämlich der recruiting website mit 92% zustimmung.

ist social media im kontext employer branding und human resources also vielleicht doch nur ein „one hit wonder“ nach dem motto „jede woche eine neue kuh durchs dorf…“?! – ich bin mir sicher, dass die antwort auf diese frage ein klares NEIN ist. und das aus folgenden gründen:

1. massive steigerung der nutzung sozialer netzwerke
social networks wie xing, linked-in oder facebook boomen. so ist facebook von 2008 auf 2009 regelrecht „explodiert“. Laut Allensbacher Computer- und Technik-Analyse ist die wöchentlicher Nutzer-Zahl von facebook seit 2008 um sagenhafte 376 % gestiegen. Bei xing sind es „nur“ 48% wachstum, aber immerhin…
wer meint, dass diese netzwerke aus employer branding perspektive keine relevanz haben, irrt meiner meinung nach gewaltig. inzwischen gibt es arbeitgeber-fanpages mit mehr als 20.000 fans – und auf diesen plattformen findet oft ein reger austausch zwischen arbeitgebern und ihrer zielgruppe statt. vermutlich wird der trend der steigenden nutzerzahlen bei den social networks so nicht anhalten, es wird irgendwann auch hier eine sättigung geben. aber die jüngere zielgruppe der 14 bis 29 jährigen ist zu 89% online, wächst mit dem thema social media auf und wird sich meines erachtens auch definitiv über social networks mit der wahl des richtigen arbeitgebers auseinander setzen.

2. technikgetriebene veränderung von bedürfnisstrukturen
neue technologien – beispiel iphone – ermöglichen ortsunabhängige kommunikation und information, jederzeit. dies führt sicherlich zu mehr und schnellerer kommunikation – insbesondere kurzkontakte werden relevanter. kommunikation im kontext von marketing wandelt sich von einem monolog zu einem dialog, denn die zielgruppe erwartet mitreden zu dürfen. und auch wenn manch ein zeitungsredakteur das beklagen mag: der user entscheidet im internet selbst, welche informationen er sucht, wann er sie sucht und welche infos für ihn relevant bzw. irrelevant sind.
es kann dann schon vorkommen, dass ein student bei der auswahl seines praktikum-arbeitgebers eher der meinung aus seiner peer group auf einem social network vertrauen schenkt, als den offiziellen statements auf einer website.
die annahme, dass eine printbroschüre für das arbeitgeberimage ausreicht, dürfte vor dem hintergrund dieser überlegungen in die irre führen. aber auch – etwas zeitgemäßer gedacht – eine klassische recruiting website erfüllt das bedürfnis nach dialog nicht (zumindest dann nicht, wenn sie – wie derzeit noch die meisten websites – nicht um social media inhalte angreichert wurde).

3. aus unternehmenssicht: kosten
zumindest momentan (lt. captain’s logbuch schreiben wir das jahr 2009) ist social media noch gut bezahlbar. größere marketingbudgets wie für print oder tv sind (noch) nicht notwendig, um eine social media kampagne zu fahren. „nur“ manpower und kreativität sind erforderlich. natürlich kostet beides auch geld, aber oft nur die sogenannten „eh da kosten“. diese rechnung geht nur dann auf, wenn man in seinem eigenen team leute hat, die lust auf web 2.0 haben. ansonsten ist man gezwungen auf agenturen zuzugreifen – und das kostet natürlich wieder geld. wichtig zudem: social media kann natürlich auch zum bumerang werden, da die zielgruppe ja auf einmal mitreden kann. und die kommentare aus der zielgruppe müssen nicht immer höflich und positiv sein. es muß ja nicht gleich ein jack wolfskin desaster entstehen…
dennoch: um in facebook eine fanpage zu starten, benötigt es erstmal nicht viel. und auch videos auf youtube kosten nicht die welt, wenn sie zielgruppenkompatibel eher einfach und spontan wirken.

4. aus bewerbersicht: authentizität und glaubwürdigkeit
die generation y hat ein erheblich größeres bedürfnis nach authentischen, echten informationen. das internet mit den neuen möglichkeiten, transparenz zu schaffen, hat zu massiven änderungen im konsumverhalten geführt. durch produktbewertungen wie auf amazon oder holidaycheck ist das urteil der „peer group“ inzwischen erheblich relevanter für die kaufentscheidung als die darstellung von produkten in hochglanz-katalogen. Und dies hat bei der jobsuche eine ganz besondere aussagekraft. schliesslich ist die entscheidung für oder gegen einen bestimmten arbeitgeber erheblich grundlegender als der kauf einer cd oder die buchung eines hotels.
vor diesem hintergrund ist es extrem wichtig, einen dauerhaften kontakt zur zielgruppe aufzubauen. diese kontakte müssen gehegt und gepflegt werden. und es geht darum, den arbeitgeber authentisch, echt , ruhig mit ecken und kanten aber letztlich natürlich positiv darzustellen. personalmarketing ist natürlich nicht „nur“ social media – schließlich geht es darum, ein glaubwürdiges bild über den gesamten maßnahmen-mix darzustellen. aber social media ist nun mal besonders gut geeignet, um mit der zielgruppe in den dialog zu treten, die zielgruppe dauerhaft zu pflegen und feedback von der zielgruppe zu bekommen (siehe ganz oben die definition zu „social media“).

5. nachwachsende personaler-generation
yes – auch der eine oder andere personaler (bitte agg-konform weibliche form stets mitdenken) interessiert sich für social media. und von solchen personen gibt es immer mehr…
im ernst: natürlich gibt es noch viele human resources experten, die das vorurteil unserer gilde trefflich bedienen, indem sie sich vornehmlich über administrative tätigkeiten („tadellose gehaltsabrechnung“) definieren. aber aus meiner tätigkeit beim dapm oder im jobstairs kontext weiss ich, dass die zahl der it-affinen menschen auch im personalkontext stetig zunimmt. und dort das internet in den letzten 8 jahren die arbeit massiv verändert hat: lange, bevor das internet beispielsweise in deutschland seinen siegeszug im konsum-kontext angetreten hat, gab es anfang 2000 einen massiven rutsch von der print- zur online-stellenanzeige. davon hat sich print nie wieder erholt. personalmarketing war seitdem ein absoluter treiber für die entwicklung hin zu mehr IT in der personalarbeit. dafür reicht ein blick auf aktuelle karriere-websites, die oft alles an state of the art technik zu bieten haben, was der markt momentan so hergibt. und so wird auch für jüngere personaler der umgang mit social media immer mehr zur selbstverständlichkeit (werden). zwangsläufig, denn: wir müssen einfach da sein, wo unsere zielgruppe ist.

zahlen beziehen sich auf:
allensbacher computer- und technik-analysen, acta 2007 und acta 2009
ifok studie zu social media in der personalarbeit, 2009
universum global employer branding suvey, 2009