{"id":3060,"date":"2022-05-31T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=3060"},"modified":"2022-05-30T21:10:40","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T21:10:40","slug":"unions-digital-natives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/unions-digital-natives","title":{"rendered":"How Unions Use Technology To Connect with Digital Natives Entering the Workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demographics of the workforce are rapidly changing as older generations of workers retire and younger workers take their place. It\u2019s also a critical time of transition for unions: Their survival depends on their ability to adapt to the communication preferences of this digital-first generation of workers to rebuild their memberships after retired members leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing so effectively will require union leaders and organizers to prioritize digital tools as the primary means for engaging this next generation of potential members who grew up on digital devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Is Generation Z?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To connect with Gen Z (individuals born between 1997-2012), union leaders must first understand who they are. While there are a number of key identifiers to this generation, one of the most critical to understand is that they are \u201ctrue digital natives,\u201d note Tracy Francis and Fernanda Hoefel<\/a> at McKinsey & Company. \u201cFrom earliest youth, they have been exposed to the internet, to social networks, and to mobile systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They \u201chave little or no memory of the world as it existed before smartphones,\u201d explain Kim Parker and Ruth Igielnik<\/a>, director of social trends research and senior researcher, respectively, at Pew Research Center. This has led to a generation of young people with vastly different perspectives on communication than previous generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Gen Zers Prefer To Communicate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Zoomers, as members of this generation are also called, understand digital technology better than any other generation. They pride themselves as being \u201calways on\u201d via their electronic devices. As a result of this constant connectivity, they tend to have shorter attention spans than previous generations and expect instantaneous access to easily-digestible information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why communication with them must be as succinct as possible. \u201cWe tell our advertising partners that if they don\u2019t communicate in five words and a big picture, they will not reach this generation,\u201d says Dan Schawbel<\/a>, managing partner at research and advisory firm Workplace Intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this mean for unions? It means reevaluating communication tactics to focus on digital technologies and how to use different platforms most effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next generation of workers isn\u2019t going to spend large chunks of time digging for information. They expect it to be delivered to them. That\u2019s why union leaders and organizers have to build communication strategies around the concept of meeting these workers where they are \u2014 on their mobile devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Key to Engaging Gen Z: Reach Them Where They Are<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unions won\u2019t be able to rely on traditional communication channels alone to connect to Gen Zers. Because of that generation\u2019s reliance on technology, organizers aren\u2019t going to build meaningful, productive relationships with them by posting flyers on bulletin boards or canvassing their homes to have a chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoomers are constantly on their mobile devices, so that\u2019s where unions need to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a survey of Gen Zers by the National Retail Federation and IBM<\/a>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n