2023 AC&E: Talent Retention at Global Women's Leadership Network

Don Arkell of CULendingAdvice gave his presentation, “Winning the War for Talent: Recruiting and Attracting Generation Z,” at this year's Global Women's Leadership Network meeting.

He started by focusing on what makes Gen Z different, including their general desire to be a part of a movement that is bigger than themselves — something that is built into the credit union mission — before trying to identify why credit unions might be having trouble attracting young talent.

He did this by asking attendees how the credit union — and general — work environment has changed over the last two or three decades, focusing on digital and cultural trends and how they fit into millennial and Gen Z habits.

“We are the good guys and gals. We are not-for-profit organizations, and by the way, we’re local. That right there is a story,” said Arkell, talking about how credit unions already have the qualities Gen Z is looking for, they just need to find out how to communicate that story.

One of the conflicts credit unions face, according to Arkell, is Gen Z’s general desire to not to work with people, which is a difficult audience to attract when your business is all about people.

He also touched on the importance of mental health, and the generation’s need for a workplace that is mentally safe and supportive. Arkell said, whether credit unions understand exactly what that looks like, they need to find out in order to survive with Gen Z.

Arkell asked attendees what their credit unions are doing to address potential employees’ student debt. He stressed, if you have a debt repayment assistance program, to make sure you are communicating that to potential team members, because it is a very big deal to young people.

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