By 2015, Millennials will comprise the majority of the workforce, surpassing Generation X, and virtually taking the reigns from Baby Boomers. Is your organization prepared for this?

Please join JBC on the “Generational Diversity at Work Grows Up” webinar hosted by Diversity Best Practices tomorrow, February 18, 2010, at 11:00am-12:30pm ET. To register, follow this link …  http://www.diversitybestpractices.com/node/497

We know that generational demographics are shifting, but has your company taken the time to plan? How does your workplace need to adapt in order to be inclusive of these diverse generations? What would your next generation workplace look like?

Jennifer Brown moderated this panel on generational workplaces at 4 GENZ 4 BIZ.

The diversity in generations manifests itself in the way different generations: approach work, relate to authority, view work/life balance, display different work styles, seek feedback, etc. Companies need to prepare themselves to manage this level of diversity in order to recruit, develop, promote and retain the best talent. This will require a new way of thinking about diversity in the workplace. It will also necessitate creating new platforms and processes in order to provide the customized work “experience” employees will demand.

Embracing generational diversity is as much about diversity as it is about the war for talent. Due to the tough economic times over the last several years, many employees have remained in positions and with companies that might not offer the entire package that suits their working needs. Therefore, once the economy improves there, there is a shift projected in the talent market because Millennials, most likely, will be the first to look for new jobs. Can your company afford to lose this talent?

If you would like to gain winning strategies and new insights into:

• Organizations like American Express, Toyota, and Boehringer-Ingelheim and how they have created innovative programs to engage all generations of workers
• Learn about generational workplace trends
• Learn best practices to capitalize on generational diversity in the workplace

Cross-posted in our Webinars section.

A roundup of tweets regarding today’s webinar on Engaging ERG Membership presented by NALC through Diversity Best Practices.

# That concludes our LIVE tweeting of the Webinar today. Thank you for following along and let us know if we can answer any questions! 2 minutes ago from web

# Mark your calendar for October 20th in San Francisco NALC West co-designed by Jennifer Brown Consulting! 2 minutes ago from web

# We have over 60 sites logged in to our webinar today: includes sites with multiple attendees! 4 minutes ago from web

# Webinars and teleconferences can help include virtual workers in your ERGs. 6 minutes ago from web

# Another reason to encourage involvement is the benefit of networking with senior executives. Take leadership roles in resource groups! 7 minutes ago from web

# Regarding succession planning – how to motivate? E&Y: get support of leadership to give formal credit for fulfilling goals: skills. 8 minutes ago from web

# Tie Employee Resource Groups and Diversity Council groups to national organizations that can support accomplishments + increase memberships. 10 minutes ago from web

# At ING: Virtual chapter leadership book discussion conference calls + Breakfast with executives like Speed-Dating + Diversity Symposiums. 12 minutes ago from web

# What is the legwork needed to set up ERGs? ESPN: Present to Senior executives & partnering with Jennifer Brown to present focus group data. 14 minutes ago from web

# Operating guidelines needed in order to make sure that ERGs are realistic and successful! #bestpractices #diversity Approval (HR) important. 15 minutes ago from web

# ESPN also says that there can’t be 30+ ERGs, they had to put a cap on the number and tie to the business case to be successful. 16 minutes ago from web

# ESPN’s answer: just starting out each ERG gets same amount and required to present at end of year on how they met their business goals. 16 minutes ago from web

# ESPN on how they budget money toward ERG groups & events: have a set amount. Audience wants to know what their financial support looks like! 16 minutes ago from web

# Succession Planning – how do you entice people to take on more challenging positions? 17 minutes ago from web

# Don’t assume that just because you sent the newsletter that its being read. Provide something that people want to forward and share often. 17 minutes ago from web

# We don’t see growth ONLY when we don’t execute what we say we are going to do and when we don’t create opportunities to communicate. 18 minutes ago from web

# Get leadership involved, communicate through creative channels (Facebook!) 18 minutes ago from web

# E&Y takeaways: creativity to align to decision maker values, encourage active participation, always comes back to communication & awareness. 18 minutes ago from web

# Membership grew by 100% just by partcipating in one LGBT event. #corporate #diversity 18 minutes ago from web

# At E&Y: Leadership was actively involved in events, cheering them on. Added to the learning and the success of ERGs (LGBT ERG especially). 19 minutes ago from web

# BEYOND: In 2003 they were just an email list of 50; when marriage equality became news, the group became a resource for direction. Now 1600+. 20 minutes ago from web

# Challenges at E&Y: Decentralized population, how to communicate, how to define “resources” differently in this economy. 20 minutes ago from web

# Next up is Ernst & Young talking about inclusiveness and specific issues tackled by their ERGs, sharing about BEYOND: LGBT & Allies group. 21 minutes ago from web

# Develop a standard for measuring ERG progress and success (membership #s, sponsored events, awards, impressions, community service). 21 minutes ago from web

# Share stories with other employees of ERG highlights and reach across to other biz units. 21 minutes ago from web

# Multi-site event coordination (video teleconference web conferencing) allows ING to share events among chapters of the same ERG. 22 minutes ago from web

# To encourage membership, make meetings interesting with speakers and events not just information. Branding + reporting also important. 43 minutes ago from web

# Each ING ERG has national, chapter, and local officers ultimately reporting to the Office of Corporate Responsibility & Corporate Affairs. 44 minutes ago from web

# 50% of ING employees are #women, 2 females report directly to the CEO. Need to continue to develop women and encourage their engagement! about 1 hour ago from web

# ING is proud of their LGBT members in 20 + countries worldwide. #diversity #corporate about 1 hour ago from web

# ING is on deck to start presenting on engaging ERG membership on our webinar! Best practices of a mature ERG membership. about 1 hour ago from web

# Senior executives sometimes join ERGs in support of people their family who may identify with that group such as challenged or LGBT groups. about 1 hour ago from web

# Word of mouth is still an effective tool for recruiting ERG membership. ESPN started with 200 people after first event had 400, now 700! about 1 hour ago from web

# Membership drive is ongoing: internal HR newsletter promotes events going on through ERGs and leadership info. #diversity #corporate about 1 hour ago from web

# Use logos to tie branding for Employee Resource Groups with your corporate brand. #diversity #marketing #branding about 1 hour ago from web

# Loving the names of the 8 inaugural ESPN ERGs, chosen by members of each group. Join the webinar to find out what these are! #diversity about 1 hour ago from web

# ESPN shares some of their best practices with their parent company Disney. #diversity #corporate #leadership about 1 hour ago from web

# When designing the function of their ERGs, ESPN asked for business proposals from membership groups before selecting the final groups. about 1 hour ago from web

# ESPN raised awareness on ERGs by throwing an Expo for two days: booth to provide information for people to start to get involved. #diversity about 1 hour ago from web

# Stephanie is speaking on how JBC conducted focus groups then presented an executive summary to help ESPN plan ERG development. #diversity about 1 hour ago from web

# Stephanie from ESPN is now presenting on what their goals have been to meet diversity as a core value: Created ERGs + diversity council. about 1 hour ago from web

# A trend we have seen is that Gen Y workforce are more comfortable in a multi-cultural group than a race or gender-based group. #diversity about 1 hour ago from web

# We have to work laterally to make sure we are giving the most impact to the business case. Collaboration is key! about 1 hour ago from web

# Keys to ERG membership in the JBC perspective: generational motivators, regional balance w/HQ, succession plan, hybrid groups + biz impact! about 1 hour ago from web

# Now more than ever it is critical that we inspire leadership development. about 1 hour ago from web

# Goal of Employee Resource Groups: Get involved, take leadership roles, and drive business values. about 1 hour ago from web

# We are going to be LIVE-Tweeting the inaugural NALC webinar, getting started right now: Presentations by ING, E&Y, and ESPN moderated by JBC about 1 hour ago from web

Women shoulder financial burden

More women step up financially

By Lisa Fickenscher

Photo by Buck Ennis

As the recession grinds on and job losses pile up, more women are taking the reins of the family finances. Some have become the sole breadwinner, while others have returned to work to supplement their family’s diminished income.

Unlike in past recessions, a significant factor driving the trend this time is the higher proportion of job losses in sectors typically dominated by men—construction, manufacturing and finance.

By some estimates, the number of women working could surpass the number of men during this downturn. It’s more likely that women will only temporarily take the lead until men find their way back into the work force. Nevertheless, the shift is a significant one. Women made up 47.4% of the work force nationwide in March, up from 47.1% in January, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“It may not be their choice to go back to work,” says Jennifer Brown, who heads her own workplace consulting firm, “but the silver lining is that this group of women will cause greater diversification in corporate America.”

Other workplace experts worry that if women are the majority of workers, old gender stereotypes will resurface. “I think there could be a backlash,” says Ilene Lang, chief executive of Catalyst, a nonprofit organization that focuses on women in business. Women who occupy just 16% of the top positions at Fortune 500 companies will be vulnerable to losing their jobs, Ms. Lang fears, because men are perceived as better leaders in tough times.

But for women in the trenches, such macro issues barely register. They are simply reacting to their new circumstances.

The following profiles tell the story of three women who have been touched by the downturn in ways that are intensely personal, and yet are being replayed in homes across the city and the country.

Resettling in NYC

On Jan. 11, Jenn Raithel Newman flew to New York City, leaving her husband, Jim, and 4-year-old daughter, Lyla, behind in their Phoenix home with no idea of when she would return.

Her goal was clear: to find a job that would support her family.

The former stay-at-home mom was attempting to overcome a 14-month trail of financial ruin, one that culminated in the couple’s bankruptcy filing and the loss of their home. Her husband lost his job as a permits coordinator for Lennar, a national home builder in Phoenix.

The Arizona State University grads could not find employment, despite their frantic efforts.

“At some point, survivor mode kicks in,” says Ms. Newman, 32. “We had to cast our net more widely. We had no money, no more savings.”

Turning to Manhattan, where the couple had lived five years earlier, was a gamble. But a close friend offered her couch, and Ms. Newman’s parents agreed to help her financially while she searched for work.

She had been an executive assistant for 10 years. “In New York, the feedback I was getting was, why had I not been working?” says Ms. Newman. “I was up against people who had been recently laid off.”

Undeterred, she landed a job in mid-March as an administrative assistant at New York University’s College of Nursing—and immediately flew to Arizona to bring her family to their new apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

“We are thrilled to be together again,” says Ms. Newman.

Returning to work

When the stock market began crashing last fall, Laura Stein and her husband, Gene Wolsk, moved all of their investments to an account they’d held for the past 21 years, one that seemed to defy the market chaos around them.

On Dec. 11, when Bernard Madoff was arrested, the retired couple realized how disastrous that simple transfer would turn out to be.

“That very first night, I knew I had to go back to work,” says Ms. Stein, 63. At age 80, her husband, a prominent former theatrical producer, is battling health problems and is unable to work.

Ms. Stein switched to a familiar mode: writing. She is the author of the best-seller The Bloomingdale’s Eat Healthy Diet. Now she is trying to re-create her success with an updated version based on a seminar she started in East Hampton, L.I., “Eat Healthy Your Way.”

Her idea is to eventually offer the program online, but getting up to speed on the technology to market the diet in the digital age has been her greatest challenge.

Working seven days a week on the project, Ms. Stein concedes she needs to execute her plan fast. “Our total income does not cover our expenses. There is a significant shortfall,” she says.

In the meantime, the couple is planning to move out of their home in Montauk, rent it for the summer and eventually put it up for sale.

“My life before was just wonderful,” says Ms. Stein. “This is paradise, but it seems like a dream now.”

Double duty

Lisa Concepcion Giassa has held on to her job with a public relations firm, but her husband, Alex, has not been as fortunate.

The six-figure income he had as a mortgage broker dwindled to $30,000 last year and has nearly dried up now.

The couple, who live in Bergen County, N.J., are struggling with the imbalance in their relationship as Alex, 38, investigates a career as a dog trainer and Lisa supports his endeavors as well as their household.

“I’m saving for both of us,” says Ms. Giassa, 38. “And I’m the only one contributing to the account we use for vacations.”

This year, Ms. Giassa encouraged her husband to volunteer at a local animal shelter, where he got the idea to train dogs passed up for adoption. She envisions him starting a business, one she can help promote and be a partner in.

But the uncertainty of that dream and his lengthy unemployment have taken a toll on their marriage.

“He knows it’s been hard on me,” she says of Alex, who was her college sweetheart. “It’s something I wrestle with. I know he didn’t ask to be in this situation.”

Jennifer Brown Consulting is proud to be linked from the CBS 2 HD News web site along with the other links and resources from Chris Wragge’s story on mothers getting back into the workforce.  Check out the other links below!

Jennifer Brown Consulting
Jobs and Moms
Mom Corps
iRelaunch
10 til 2

“Women of my generation, perhaps more than others, understand that leadership doesn’t necessarily mean a linear path of promotion after promotion. Leadership for us means the ability to own something that we care about owning. It’s the opportunities that we make for ourselves both inside our working roles, and outside, in the professional associations we choose to relate with.”

As women, we often hear the phrase that the “glass ceiling” is slowly eroding, or that our presence in the workforce is inching ever closer to matching that of our males counterparts. The truth is, among many of the silver linings of this current economic downturn, is the great opportunity to demonstrate that there doesn’t need to be a glass ceiling for us, as women, as individuals working in the fast moving world of corporations. Countless are the examples of board rooms empty of women, or picture after picture of male executives in the management pages of many Fortune 100, 200, 500 companies. Still more are the methods and strategies meant to facilitate the potential of leadership for a woman. But the problem is this: by focusing our attention on that which is outside of our immediate realm of experience, we are not empowered to change our own, personal circumstances. So I challenge you to look within your own experience, and see where you are empowered as a woman in the workforce.

In my own experiences, I’ve found that yes, women do need to network, but finding the right professional connections can come from more avenues than the traditional “networking over drinks.”  Breakfast networking events, like those sponsored by 85 Broads in New York, are great ways to meet and network with high-achieving women while still running the busy schedule that today’s working woman is known for. For young working women, opportunities for leadership can come in disguised ways, but it’s up to us to take advantage of this opportunity. One such example might be taking the lead on a community initiative that you’re passionate about, or maybe writing a proposal for that new program that is entirely new to your company but you know would be wildly successful if only it were implemented. Women of my generation, perhaps more than others, understand that leadership doesn’t necessarily mean a linear path of promotion after promotion. Leadership for us means the ability to own something that we care about owning. It’s the opportunities that we make for ourselves both inside our working roles, and outside, in the professional associations we choose to relate with.

So what I want to leave you with is this: leadership for women of the twenty first century doesn’t have to be the illustrious breaking of the glass ceiling. Perhaps it’s the breaking of a glass wall, or a glass window.  Or maybe, it just means knowing that as a woman, I am perfectly capable of being a leader. It is up to me to choose how, where, and in what capacity, I choose to be so. In my experience, successful leadership seems to spring from passion, and passion is something that cannot be learned. So yes, be a leader, because we definitely need young women leaders, but be one with passion towards her cause. Then, breaking that glass is only secondary; living your vision comes first.

Fallon Casper

About Fallon Casper: As a young twenty-something, Fallon has worked in a variety of corporate settings as a Management Consultant for a top International Consulting firm, and has more recently developed her own consulting practice in Sustainable Living. She is passionate about social enterprise, women’s leadership, and can be found around the streets of New York searching for the best vegan foods. She holds a B.A. in International Economics & Leadership from New York University.