SAN DIEGO -
* Experts have warned for years the pending retirement of the baby boomer generation will leave a talent gap. Other analysts have said recent college graduates have been pushed into ultra-achiever mode for so many years, they are unwilling to start at the bottom of the workplace ladder. Trudelle said she has seen evidence both trends are coming true.
"There is a tremendous decrease in the number of applications, and some fill out their applications in 'text speak,' as if they were text messaging a friend," she said. "And, they want to start as close to six figures as possible, or they want assurances they'll be there within three years. They don't want to hear about 'paying their dues.'"
* These new workers also are dressing more casually than their predecessors. Trudelle said one discussion she particularly dreads concerns "appropriate attire." Recently, during one such conversation, she told a younger male teller members have certain expectations when they come into the branch, and feel more comfortable if the CU's staff is dressed professionally. The teller countered that a person his age would feel more comfortable being served by someone dressed like him or her, which Trudelle acknowledged was a good point. "The term 'professional look' will be redefined in the coming years. We'll all have to learn to communicate and find those happy mediums we can live with."
* Another, relatively new challenge is work/life balance. Ten years ago, Trudelle said, people worked whatever hours they were told. Today, they have a busy life outside of work.
* Technology might address both professional dress and work/life balance. With gasoline prices stubbornly high the past two years, she said some CUs will look at telecommuting and remote work stations. "A teller can't work from home, but a call center employee could. The workplace will look very different in another 10 years."
