Creating Meaningful Experiences for the New Generation of Employees with Mark Valentino

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This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:

1. How are Gen Z employees changing workplace culture? 
2. How does employee satisfaction relate to customer satisfaction? 
3. Why is flexibility important for retaining today’s workforce? 
4. How do younger generations redefine professional success? 
5. How does improving the employee experience lead to better customer service? 

Top Takeaways:

• Today’s young workforce expects a different career path compared to previous generations. Many no longer want or expect to stay with one company for their entire career. Instead, they are more interested in new experiences, learning new things, and feeling that their work has purpose.  

• A recent survey from Citizens Bank shows that younger workers value meaning and opportunity over titles or tenure. For employers, this means that engagement, personal and professional growth should be prioritized over pay or seniority. 

• Money is no longer enough to keep employees. While money is important, the new generation is more interested in work that aligns with their values. They want to feel like their efforts matter and that they are making a positive difference.  

• Flexibility means more than just working from home. It can include flexible hours, opportunities to work in different locations, and even the ability to move between roles or projects within the same company. For example, Google has allowed some of its engineers to spend time on projects outside their scope. This allowed them to work on projects they were interested in, so they could learn from them and gain fresh, innovative ideas.  

• When workers feel connected to the people they help and the communities they serve, their jobs become much more meaningful. When employees take pride in what they do, customers and the company benefit. 

• Plus, Shep and Mark discuss Citizens Bank’s credo, which centers around its three pillars: colleagues, customers, and community. Tune in! 

Quotes:

“If we want to engage this next generation of workforce, we have to be prepared for them to come in and work on a specific project or a specific mission. Hopefully, we can create enough meaning around it that they will want to stay..” 

“Money is important, but the new generation is also looking for a workplace culture that brings meaning to what they are doing every day.” 

“Create a culture that embodies meaningful work, allows for flexibility, and allows for creativity and thinking.” 

“When you have happy employees who are finding meaning in their work, you’re going to get far better customer outcomes.” 

“The barrier for this new generation to do different types of work has never been lower, especially with technology. The onus is on corporate America and small businesses alike to really figure out how to create meaningful opportunities for this generation to participate.” 

About:

Mark Valentino is the Head of Business Banking at Citizens Bank. He oversees strategy and growth for commercial banking nationwide and brings 17 years of experience in finance and healthcare. 

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.