21st CENTURY WORKFORCE
decade. He tries to foster an environment of knowledge sharing through interactive discussion in meetings and has been more purposeful about documenting processes and procedures, which isn’t always easy: “There is lots of nuance in customer relationships,” he says. Conte encourages former route salespeople to cross-train for different roles as they age, but he says that some resist because they enjoy what they’re doing.
Crafting a Culture Employee engagement is an important part of overall organizational culture, says Schochet, who urges employers to identify what’s important to employees and develop targeted programs. “These may be relatively low-cost but can go a long way,” she says. For example, are a majority of employees taking advantage of the benefits offered? “You may find that younger employees prefer cash rewards,” she says.
TIPS FOR MANAGING A MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE • Consider phased retirement and inviting retired skilled craftsmen and knowledge workers to stay on as coaches or consultants to help with potential “brain drain” of mass retirements. • Be proactive about documenting processes and procedures. • Identify what’s important to employees and develop targeted incentive programs. (Younger employees often prefer cash rewards.) • Take a hard look at your total compensation strategy. Think about using a third-party resource to evaluate for market competitiveness and link incentives to company, team, and individual performance. • If you want loyalty from your workers, you must also be loyal.
Schochet also recommends taking a look at your total compensation strategy. Use a third-party resource to evaluate for market competitiveness and link incentives to company, team, and individual performance.
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At Niagara, Still knows they have a strong culture: “We work people more than other companies work them. There is not much margin in private-label bottled water, so we make our money on volume. But we try to show people that there is opportunity and to highlight the many examples of promotions from within.” Niagara recently looked at its compensation, benefits, and rewards, and conducted extensive benchmarking. “We pride ourselves on our suite of benefits, and try to offer a competitive package without going broke,” says Still. Blackhawk has tried to develop a culture where employees can see a clear career path for themselves, says Castro.
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