The research report compiles best practices from companies who have successful Next Gen E(B)RG’s.
• While diversity has traditionally been framed in terms of demographics, equal opportunity and representation, it is said that Millennials, the largest workforce cohort of 2025, favor “cognitive diversity.”
• The key focuses of the Next Generation groups are talent development, retention/engagement, communication and innovation/customer outreach.
• Next generation ERGs make the biggest business impact by focusing on two areas: consumer insights and market penetration, both which help to expand the customer base.
• More and more next generation ERGs are working on a value proposition that includes helping their companies on multicultural marketplace outreach.
• Deployed the Campus Ambassador Program
– This program allows NGN members to form connections with their alma maters to recruit interesting and diverse candidates for intern and full time positions
– Critical in expanding the outreach of the company, as we are not limited to only the core schools where Human Resources typically focus recruiting efforts.
• Created an internally award winning intern mentoring program which reaches across the globe.
– This program matches up existing Merck employees with interns throughout the company based on location, expertise, and other factors
• Helped to achieve this goal by spreading our EBRG worldwide. Next Gen Network is only three years old, but currently has chapters in over 13 countries, with 1700+ members.
• MIC raised over $200K in funding from Capgemini Business Unit and Service Line leaders and Shared Service Teams (Marketing, HR, CST, and Recruitment)
• Four charities received tangible solutions that advanced their technological assets (ex: a new donation pool)
• Stronger client and partner relationships through inviting clients to mentor, judge and provide their technology environments for participants to use during the event
• Capgemini’s Group Investment Review Board were provided a repository of all the ideas coming out of our hackathon to
• The Marketing team received tens of thousands of coverage views from articles covering the events and millions of impressions through social media the success of MIC’s hackathons garnered the attention and support from Capgemini’s global Chief Learning Officer, Head of Talent and HR , and Chief Technology Officer
• GenNEXT members teamed with Pencils of Promise (PoP), a non-profit organization that builds schools and increases educational opportunities in the developing world.
– The organization was founded by Adam Braun, a Millennial, has global reach, and aligns with GenNEXT Philanthropy’s mission, of helping the “Next” generation – children.
• The group surveyed ELC Millennials to obtain specific information about preferred technology, technology-related behavior and key areas of opportunity.
– The resulting report, “How We Like to Work”, provides actionable recommendations to integrate into ELC’s Global Information Services strategy
• 70 percent of Millennials see themselves as working independently at some point, rather than being employed within a traditional organizational structure.
• Gen Y wants to work for organizations that foster innovative thinking, develop their skills and make a positive contribution to society.
• They want work flexibility, mobility and non-traditional workspaces.
• Mission-driven institutions are going to be particularly attractive to Gen Y, both as employees and as customers.
• 2017 was the first college graduating class
• They will be the college talent for the next 15 years
• Largest generation ever – by 2025, Gen Z will make up 29% of the population
• Gen Z grew up differently than millennials, which leads to some stark differences in the way they view the world. They saw what the Great Recession did to their parents, have been bombarded by technology and ads since they were young, and grew up in an equality-minded world with President Obama. It’s what has shaped Gen Z to make stability their top factor in choosing a job, a mistrust of corporations as part of their DNA, and equality a non-negotiable.
Next Gen groups will serve a critical purpose in helping organizational leaders understand what’s coming: over the next 10 years, Millennials will make up half the U.S. workforce, but their attitudes towards their career prospects are strikingly different from previous generations. These ERGs are poised to not only retain these professionals, but also collect data on the changing workforce. Companies could benefit from a veritable professional laboratory in their own back yard.
