FALL NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER
EDUCATION FORUM
RALEIGH, NC
SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
DR. JANET F. PAINTER
LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY
DR. JOYCE H. DAVIS
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
ASHEVILLE
Improving Retention of Millennial Teachers
through Effective Induction Practices:
What Can Education Learn from Healthcare
and Business?

By 2020, nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce will consist of
Millennials (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
For the organization to fulfill its social contract to
provide high-quality, cost-effective, and safe services,
it must satisfy the needs and manage the expectations
of those who directly deliver these services (Piper,
2012)

Who are the Millennials?
The Millennials, also called ―Gen Y‖, ―Gen Why?‖, and
―Trophy Kids‖ are typically considered those who were
born between 1980 and 1999. This year they are
between 14 and 33 years old.

Why does recruiting and retaining Millennials present
a challenge for traditional institutions (business,
healthcare, and education)?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owwM6FpWWoQ

Characteristics
 They have a sense of entitlement.
 They are not motivated by feelings of duty to the
organization.
 They find long meetings with a lecture format to be boring.
 They need guidance or instruction about how to interact
and deal with older people, including their managers and
coworkers.
 They are impulsive and want instant gratification.
 They have a low tolerance for stress.
 They cannot take criticism well.
Twenge (2006); Tulgan and Martin (2001) as cited in Piper (2012).

What‘s important to Millennials?
 Producing something worthwhile (they are service-
oriented, innovative, and community-minded)
 Tangible achievements and recognition are
important to this generation—rankings and test
scores have become regular status markers.
 Benefits and security over salary

Workplace Behaviors
―Can‘t We All Just Get Along?‖
 Baby Boomers (born between1946 and 1964) - everyone on the team
should work and stay available until the task is completed, whatever
their role.
 Gen X‘ers (born between 1965-1979) want a unique role for each
team member, want to go off and do it their way and come back
when they are finished. They consider themselves done when their
part is done.
 Gen Y‘ers (Millennials) are team players. But before buying in, they
want to know ―What‘s in it for me? How will I be recognized? Why is
this meaningful?‖ Many are willing, and even eager, to work long
and hard, but want control over when, where and how once a
deadline is established (Haserot, 2009).

Ways to Accommodate, Satisfy, and Motivate
Generation Y
 Practice ethical leadership (―walk the walk‖)
 Engender a culture of trust and transparency
 Build loyalty (intentional ―branding‖)
 Offer coaching
 Provide opportunities for collaboration
 3 R‘s: remember, reward, recognize
(Piper, 2012)

Who is doing it well?
Case: Deloitte Business, Audit, Consulting and
Financial Advisory Firm in Charlotte, NC
Five Components to Successful Recruitment and
Retention
1. Management transparency -Straightforward
communications with no hidden agendas
2. Working with a counselor, individuals make
explicit choices about which job opportunities in
the firm make the most sense at different stages of
their careers, given the
pace, workload, location, and level of responsibility
they are willing to take on.

3. Extensive Technical and Professional Training to
Accelerate Development: ―I still wake up thinking ‗what am I
going to learn today?,‘ because no two days are the same.‖
4. Arrangements like part-time work, job sharing,
compressed work weeks, and telecommuting focus primarily
on an individual‘s need to adjust work location and hours
5. Research shows that the existence of personal
relationships is another key factor that determines how
long employees stay in an organization. Deloitte goes out of
its way to facilitate the development of those relationships in
its “work hard/play hard” culture. Network groups
meet regularly to talk about issues on the job, and participate
in team-building events, like racing go-carts, or conducting a
community service project.

1.The firm‘s leaders are fanatical in their practice of
continually communicating the organization‘s business
strategy and reminding associates how their current
project is connected to overall strategic objectives.
Employees of every generation need to
understand how their jobs fit into the
organization’s overall mission.
2. Collaboration - a nine-member development
council of employees makes decisions as a group about
the future direction of new engineering products
Cisco Systems
(engineering and tech sales)
San Jose, California

3.Heavy investment in career development.
Employees who see interesting opportunities and realistic
career paths for themselves in an organization are much
more likely to be emotionally invested in staying long term.
4. Health and wellness a. The Cisco LifeConnections
Health Center includes an on-site medical center, staffed
by an independent medical group of physicians, along with
state-of-the-art fitness facilities, acupuncture and massage
services, a pharmacy, and additional child care center.
There are also opportunities for flexible work hours
5. Promote the use of new social networking
technologies to build relationships, increase
collaboration, and enhance employee engagement.

―We had one incentive where we told our
supervisor our favorite candy bar. Then if she
noticed or someone else noticed us helping
someone out or doing a great job at something
we could let her know and she would get us a
candy bar, or if we were having a rough day it
could be a pick me up… We also had ‗good job‘
cards where we could thank each other in
writing for something whether it be how
awesome a job we did or a thank you for
helping out, and it would be displayed for
everyone to see. Peer recognition is huge in my
opinion.‖
Carolina Healthcare Systems

―…We also had "value incentives" which were
vouchers that we could get by displaying the
core values of CHS like commitment or
integrity or one of the other seven core values.
Then our supervisor would turn our name in
and we would get a voucher for a certain
amount and we could turn it in for a gift card
to a variety of places like Target or Best Buy or
whatever (and these
were worth 50-100 dollars)…‖

―I think one thing in general that is important in terms
of making sure that people feel supported in their job is
to provide good communication lines. I would expect
that if I sent an email, that you would receive and
respond in a timely manner. For me, that would be
within a day‘s time. If I text, I would expect a text back
even if it is 'I got your text, I'll let you know‘. When there
is no response, the tendency is to assume that either the
person did not receive the information, or the person is
ignoring the information. Feedback is huge.‖
(Healthcare Millenial)

So what should we do?
 Orient supervisors regarding what behaviors to expect, and
training them in ―coaching‖ behaviors
 Custom Formal Recognition Programs - branded goodies given at
short term intervals (Bank of America, Baptist Health Care, Bell
and Rogers)
 Partnerships with Training or Teaching Organizations (U.S.
Army, Yale-New Haven Hospital)
 Family-Friendly Benefits (vacation, flex time, easier pace)
(CISCO, Merck & Co.)
 Exit Interviews (Fortune 500 companies do!)
(source: Abrams, 2004)

But, what about the recession…?
Yes, the recession and
unemployment since
2008 have had an impact.
The Millenials have even
been dubbed by some
―Generation Jobless‖ --
Yet, the challenges for
their recruitment and
retention remain.
What are some of these
recession-related effects?
 They now focus on career
interests earlier (freshman versus
senior year of college)
 They seek the value of college
 They seek the flexibility of online
learning
 They more willingly take part-
time jobs
 They join the military and
National Guard
 They seek ―fall back‖ jobs (jobs
that were not their 1st choice – for
some, teaching) and see them as
temporary

What can we do in educational fields?
 Develop an image (or
―brand‖) that maps back to
our higher purpose
 Restructure to give more
frequent feedback and
―promotions‖: recognize
efforts through customized
incentives and overt
communications
 Improve and support
quality mentoring
programs (note: Millenials
want to be led, not
controlled)
 Build in flexibility and
opportunities (not
mandates) to collaborate
 Improve the quality of PD
and provide choice
 Upgrade and sustain
investments in technology
 Provide family-friendly
benefits (on-site child care)
and mental health supports
(counseling)
 Pay attention to ―soft skills‖

What does all this mean for teacher educators?
The sage on the stage needs to sit down.
Students do not feel a need to have a relationship with authority figures.
Students feel collectively special in the eyes of their parents and their
community.
Students expect guarantees
Students expect to have a say.
Students expect a quick response.
Students expect affirmation.
Students expect you to be friendly and informal
Students expect everything to be negotiable.
Students expect that you know they can multi-task.
Students expect you to explain the why of assignments or requirements.
(Espinoza, 2012)

What can we learn from other‘s success and
DO to create our own?
 Some thoughts to start the conversation:
Create community
Build relationships
Be explicit in assignments and syllabi
Expect to be questioned
Provide choices and input
Embrace social media (EdModo)
Explore badges and brands

References
Abrams, M. (2004). Employee retention strategies: Lessons from the best. Healthcare Executive;
July/Aug 2004;(19)4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com September 10, 2013.
Delong, D. & associates (2009). Case studies: Building a culture to retain Gen Y‘s. Metropolitan Life
Insurance Co. Chicago. Retrieved
from https://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/mmi-multigen-case-study-
deloite-touche.pdf.
Espinoza, C. (2012). Millennial values and boundaries in the classroom. New Direction for Teaching and
Learning. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (wileyonlinelibrary.com).
Haserot,P.W. (2009). The keys to maintaining professionalism & harmony across the generations at
work. The Professional Lawyer; 19(3),3-5,17. Retrieved from http://search.proquest. September 10,
2013.
Law, J. (2008). The young and (very) restless. Marketing, 113(17), 39. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com September 10, 2013.
Piper, L.E. (2012). Generation Y in healthcare: Leading millennials in an era of reform. Frontiers of
Health Services Management (29)1. Chicago, Ill.