By 2025, 75% of the global workforce will be comprised of millennials. We also know that despite large numbers of Baby Boomers retiring, one in four will go on to have an encore career. The workforce continues to evolve and by breaking down generational stereotypes and promoting strengths and commonalities between the generations we can ensure that each employee, regardless of generation, is seen as a valuable piece of our workforce. By further extending these learnings beyond our employees and sharing with our agents, this information can be used for their staffing and management, as well as part of their sales and customer service strategy.

In 2015, a member of the D&I team became a certified Bridgebuilder Trainer from Bridgeworks, a company that specializes in bridging the generational divide. Since that time, our teammate has conducted sessions for Employees, Leaders, and Agents on the topic of generational diversity. The focus is unique to workgroups, leaders, or selling to customers depending on the audience and any specific issues that need addressed in each session. In 2017, she partnered with our Generation Connection affinity network to offer the workshop for the first time companywide to employees at the Home Office and throughout our footprint by webcast. Another session is planned for 2018 in partnership with the affinity network to focus on generational clashpoints and another employee has since completed the Bridgebuilder certification.

Several dozen employee, leader and Agent training sessions have been held since 2015 and continue to be requested on a regular basis. The 2017 webinar hosted by the affinity network had nearly 300 employee participants across our footprint and a new webinar will be introduced in October 2018 on generational clashpoints. Employees, leaders and agents have reported gaining better insight into what motivates various generations, as well as understanding communication preferences, management styles and breaking down stereotypes for improved team interaction.

Tesha Nesbit Arrington, Director –Diversity & Inclusion and Community Outreach