Hold your fire! That’s a direct quote and it’s not mine, although if I didn’t see the grain of truth, I wouldn’t be making this post.
The CU staffer who shared this comment in an open forum at the YES Summit here in Austin shall remain anonymous, but her story is illustrative. She had worked at a credit union and was then recruited to a good position at a bank. When another credit union came calling with a new career move, she was reluctant for two reasons: “It felt like taking a step back” and “Sometimes credit unions are run like mom-and-pop shops.”
Bill Humbert, the session leader on recruiting and retention, gives this tip that credit unions can use during interviews and with young hires to show they’ve moved beyond the mom-and-pop phase:
- Give 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-month goals. Specify the reward for success up-front whether it’s a raise, a promotion or a pool party.
I agree. Young professionals (and all professionals, really) know they have to pay their dues, but they want milestones along the way.
I do take issue with one of Bill’s points: Whereas Boomers have dedicated their lives to their work. Gen Y’ers put more emphasis on “work/life balance.” That’s short-hand for: Gen Y’ers are not willing to work as much you might want. Though it was couched in friendly terms, and I’m sure Bill meant no disrespect, I disagree.
I think most people in a position to say such things to a room full of listeners have worked very hard to get to where they are. I also think they subconsciously universalize their go-getterness to apply to Boomers in general, just as I’m tempted to say that because I am very comfortable switching jobs, so are all members of Generation Y. Classic inductive fallacy. My suspicion: The ratio of hard workers to not-so-hard workers is fairly similar between Boomers and Gen Y. That said, I would be happy to cede my point in the face of data. It could be that I’m just subconsciously embarrassed about being a not-so-hard worker.
Two questions:
- Is there any truth to the “mom-and-pop” label?
- Am I the only one who bristles at the implications of “work/life balance”?
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