Ready or not, it is expected that, by 2025, millennials will make up 75 percent of the workforce across all industries.1 In addition to the influx of millennials, the next group, Generation Z (Gen Z or iGen), are entering the workforce. Even though some of them have just arrived in the workplace, these generations will be the leaders of modern law enforcement.
Today, it is no longer enough for police managers to stick to traditional leadership models, traditional staffing, and traditional employee development. Law enforcement leadership is still dwelling on the millennial generation, and surprised when newer staff do not fit inside the traditional paradigm. True, some of the traditional structures and hierarchy are still imperative for the day-to-day calls for service, catastrophes, and critical incidents. However, the “old ways” are not mutually exclusive to the progressive, nontraditional work expectations, motivations, and purpose of the workforce’s newcomers. It’s time to create a culture that encourages the success of its employees.
The Case for Change
If no change in professional and growth development opportunities occurs in policing—recruiting, retaining, and promoting staff will remain difficult. As many as 47 percent of respondents to a recent Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) survey found that, compared to five years ago, the length of service has decreased, with 69 percent of voluntary resignations occurring within the first five years of employment.2 So,not only are agencies struggling to attract qualified applicants, boomers are retiring and new hires are not being retained. The low unemployment rate creates a job market that benefits employees; they have the ability to easily leave an employer not in line with their values, expectations, or desired opportunities. Many millennials do not feel obligated to stay in a single position—once professional growth is seemingly stunted, they are on to the next adventure.
The current state of business is not working—tradition-bound organizations have perpetuated outdated ideas and treatment of employees, and they resist changes to culture, making them too slow to react to changing workforce dynamics. If agencies keep moving slowly to improve their cultures and treatment of their newest members, recruitment and retention will continue to be a challenge. Poorly groomed future leaders will repeat past mistakes, which will be detrimental to the organization and the community.
Now is the time to change, to adapt to the generational shift in workplace expectations for millennials and members of Gen Z. Law enforcement must create a more progressive culture that opens the doors to egalitarian leadership, greater employee flexibility and wellness, continued investment in technology and education, and opportunities for upward mobility based on knowledge and fit. All of this must happen in the context of changing community and social expectations, and it requires taking advantage of the current economy to really invest in training, technology, equipment, and recruiting.
Millennials and Generation Z
As defined by the Pew Research Center, the oldest members of Gen Z are now 22 years old; the oldest millennials are 38 years old; and the oldest members of Generation X (Gen X) are 53 years old.3 By 2027, the eldest millennial will be four years away from a sworn public safety pension and will be leading law enforcement agencies alongside Gen X as chiefs, deputy chiefs, deputy directors, captains, managers, and commanders. In addition, Gen Z individuals will be the new field training officers, corporals, lead professional staff, detectives, and perhaps young superstar sergeants and supervisors by that time.
It is important to consider how different events impacted these two generations. Millennials in the United States were impacted by the explosion of technology, the Internet, 9/11, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. They also helped to elect President Barack Obama and came of age during the Great Recession. Gen Z is even more ethnically diverse than millennials and has never known a world without the Internet. This generation will be largest generation on a global scale, and they have been heavily impacted by highly publicized mass shooting incidents. Politically and socially, both generations more closely align with each other than their predecessors. They see a bigger role for government, approve of more diversity, approve of same sex marriage, know gender neutral individuals, and recognize the impact and dangers of global warming.4
Deloitte’s 2019 Global Human Capital Trends survey found that both millennials and Gen Z tend to be disillusioned with traditional institutions, skeptical of business motivation, and wary about the economy and social progress, but they are hopeful regarding the positive impact they can make in the world. They value experiences (like travel and helping their communities) and remain true to their personal values both as employees and consumers.5
According to retired Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsay,
The profession of policing is still based on the principles of Sir Robert Peel, and yet our profession changes and reflects the values, social structure, technology advancements, and political demands of the times.6
Ramsay’s sentiments indicate that the traditional recruitment, development, and grooming of future law enforcement leaders is not going to continue to work. Besides the fact that professional growth opportunities must change, millennials and Gen Z workers are motivated in different ways and have different expectations in the workplace.
To develop Millennials and Gen Z law enforcement personnel, it is important for today’s leaders to consider work motivations such as
■ leadership expectations;
■ purpose;
■ professional growth and development opportunities; and
■ technology.
Law enforcement leaders must communicate their values to attract employees looking to join an organization with values aligned with their own, that encourages approachability and praise, and promotes team-based environments. They should also communicate the organization’s purpose and mission to encourage applicants looking for a meaningful career. Finally, agencies need to develop flexible paths for professional growth, along with development and training opportunities for sworn and professional staff, across all seniority levels, ranks, and classifications.
Work Motivations
Leadership Expectations
Public safety work groups are naturally team-based, so focusing on the promotion of leaders who encourage and empower their employees and develop open lines of communication is a successful strategy.
The incoming generations often prefer egalitarian, value-centered leadership and team-based work groups.7 When implemented in specific organizations, a switch from traditional to value-centered strategies led to a 788 percent increase in return on investment in terms of productivity, absenteeism, and retention.8 When managers and supervisors invite employees across ranks and seniority into the decision-making process, it keeps employees engaged. Their engagement translates into added expertise and perspective that is beneficial to the department.
Officer Lily Duran from Tempe, Arizona, Police Department notes the effect of teamwork and engagement on her motivation, stating,
For me, it’s really the mission, that family structure that we have in our department. I drive an hour and a half to commute to work every day, and I do it happily because I love my agency. We’re about 350 sworn, and we all know each other. We have an inclusive environment where people feel good about sharing what they want to do and how we can help them. That’s the driver for me.9
Purpose
Leadership relates to an organization’s mission, vision, values, and purpose. For incoming generations, meaningful work is important, so agencies need to brand their culture to make sure the fit is right.10 Neuroeconomist Paul Zak argues that both trust and purpose are crucial to finding joy and happiness, both at work and outside of work. In one 2016 study, he found high-trust companies have one-half the turnover of low-trust companies, with 56 percent more job satisfaction.11 Recruitment videos, the proliferation of community events, professional development programs, special community team-based assignments, and social media are all opportunities to brand an organization with this sense of purpose and trust.
A study of 2,400 workers, both part-time and full-time, and across generations, found that the “nature of the work itself” and the “ability to learn, grow, and progress” are more important to workers than money.12 This is a crucial consideration for policing, where monetary incentives are not generally available. According to Forbes magazine, 84 percent of law enforcement managers and 79 percent of detectives believe “their work improves the world.”13 Law enforcement has a profound and meaningful purpose—in every police recruit oral board, the answer to the question, “Why law enforcement?” is most often “to help people” or “to serve the public” or a similar statement. Agencies must take advantage of this perspective and the incoming generations’ drive to serve.
In a report by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Hiring for the 21st Century Law Enforcement Officer: Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies for Success, one of the recommendations is to hire candidates who share the values and vision of the department.14 What is the agency motto or mission? Agencies’ vision and mission statements often read along the lines of “Our Community, Your Police” or “To Protect and to Serve” or “Safety, Service, and Trust.” Agency leaders should consider what their mission statements are about, how they brand the agency and impact values and vision—and how the recruitment and retention of employees should mirror their mission statements. It is all about (or should be about) purpose and making work meaningful, ensuring employees have a sense of belonging and trust in the organization, and ensuring job fit and design are appropriate.15
Growth and Development Opportunities
People learn by doing and trying, so investing in and promoting people both early and late in their careers are crucial. If an officer perceives promotional or special assignment opportunities are out of reach, he or she is more likely to leave the agency.16 In fact, the number one reason people quit their jobs is “the inability to learn and grow.”17 In studies specific to law enforcement, as well as those that look globally across industries, having opportunities for professional growth and development is key to retaining staff. Considering the current significantly low unemployment rates in the United States, it is especially important to develop and grow existing employees as the pool of new applicants is limited. Most respondents (57 percent) in the Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends feel that finding a job outside of their organization is easier than seeking a new one within their own organization.18 This is a crucial consideration and major factor in the growing trend of officers leaving the field within five years of employment.19
What is an agency to do to retain employees? Reconsider traditional mobility and training opportunities. So many agencies hold onto the culture of “traditional” models in which officers spend five to seven years in patrol before putting in for advanced officer training or applying for special assignments. Then they put in another 15 years before applying for supervisor positions, and so on and so forth. Of course, experience is important before climbing the ladder—and there will also always be staff who spend their careers as patrol officers, although their value should not be dismissed either. Advanced officer training, growth and development opportunities, and exposure to different units in the department are extremely valuable. There is a way, however, to implement a program that prepares employees for mobility, growth, and different assignments, as well as ensuring those lifetime patrol officers have every opportunity for success.
Some law enforcement agencies and other organizations have model programs other agencies can adopt. Phoenix, Arizona, Police Department sets aside 80 hours each year for staff to job shadow fellow employees or work a temporary assignment outside of their normal duty shift. Employees can use the hours all at once or space them out throughout the year.20 At Newport Beach, Virginia, Police Department, patrol staff are allowed one day a year to job shadow another employee two ranks above them. On the private sector side, Zappos, the online shoe retailer, encourages continued development through Zappos University, shadow sessions, and coaching, with the goal of keeping employees engaged and happy.21 A program that gives current and future leaders shared space to enrich a sense of purpose and professional development could be one solution to keep employees engaged.
Law enforcement managers should take note that work flexibility is often rated higher than salary perks.22 Deloitte’s study also specifically looked at the government and public service industry and concluded that employers should be focusing on learning, the human experience, leadership, and talent mobility.23
Technology & Automation
Millennials and Gen Z grew up with on-demand experiences and mind-sets. They expect technology to work, and they must be engaged, otherwise they are on to the next thing (like a new job).24 Another consideration for law enforcement is continuing improvements in technology, leading to the automation of many tasks currently completed by staff. Automation of routine day-to-day tasks creates a need for analysts and service-oriented, problem-solving managers.25 With the low unemployment rate and the continued struggle to hire qualified staff, the potential to automate and hire generations that embrace technology may very well be an answer to staffing woes.
Recommendations
There are a variety of improvements an organization can make to increase retention of qualified staff; two, in particular, are recommended herein—job shadow programs and internal mobility opportunities.
Job Shadows
To implement a job shadow program, it is imperative to gain the buy-in of all management staff and to develop some ground rules, leaning on the agency’s vision and values. How many hours or days? Who is the coordinator? What is the goal?
A larger agency may have a payback day each month that could be utilized or a bank of time like Phoenix. A smaller agency may be able to afford a day or two a year and can inquire with outside agencies (such as the District Attorney’s Office, a task force, or a larger agency) about the opportunity for a “ride-along.” To create the program, a diverse job shadow team needs to be created that includes an executive manager liaison (approval authority); human resources; and representatives with authority from training, patrol, investigations, corrections, administrative services, community services, and others—across generations—as well as recent hires for their perspective. The number of the people on this team would depend on the agency’s size. The executive manager and identified job shadow coordinator should send out the ground rules beforehand, do their homework, and schedule one day to develop the program. Remember, the time to act is now. Appointing a job shadow coordinator will assist with the implementation of the program, including connecting interested employees with desired assignments, ensuring no division is unduly burdened with requests and receiving feedback and collecting data for program review.
Once approved, the job shadow coordinator should send a quick survey to staff on potential job interests (e.g., forensics, training, narcotics investigations, PIO); highest desirability of promotion; interests outside of work (e.g., cars, computer programming, sports); and highest level of education and degree field (both will help identify untapped talent). This survey can also be used to identify potential candidates for special project committees, such as assisting with testing, and implementation of a new technology, developing a community program, or assisting with recruitment and retention—creating more opportunities for engaging employees outside of their regular assignments and using valuable skill sets. New engagement programs should not be limited to sworn personnel and should be available to everybody, preparing all interested individuals for internal mobility opportunities.
As an example, if a patrol officer were to spend a day in the auto theft unit, the detective the patrol officer is shadowing would learn about the employee’s observations in the field and the patrol officer would learn about the detective’s cases and what information detectives are looking for when they return to the field. This experience might later encourage the patrol officer to apply to the unit when given the opportunity—a win-win situation for both parties.
Internal Mobility
By creating a job shadow program, an agency is naturally engaging employees and promoting a team-based environment. Next stop? Internal mobility. Co-CEO of Whole Foods, Walter Robb states, “When leaders give their power away to others, they create space for those people to flourish.”26
As mentioned previously, when employees feel stuck and disengaged, they walk away. Both formal and informal (cultural) experience levels for positions should be reviewed. Any changes or modifications must be clearly communicated to all staff, with active encouragement for rising stars to apply for promotions. Training should also match a more accelerated mobility map.
According to Deloitte, at Spotify,
Internal mobility has become such a core cultural element that employees take on a new role, on average, every two years. And at Facebook, employees and managers have conversations about career progression with internal mobility understood as an accepted element.27
Not only do new hires expect the opportunity to grow, it is a necessity for organizations struggling with staffing (ratio of employee separations vs. new hires). Employees should be considered lifelong learners.28 With the implementation of a job shadow program and more progressive mobility, law enforcement leaders will keep employees engaged and better prepared for future roles within the organization.
Conclusion
IACP RESOURCES■ Law Enforcement Recruitment Toolkit ■ “Where Will Tomorrow’s Law Enforcement Leaders Come From?” (article) ■ “The Right Person for the Right Position” (article) |
Law enforcement agencies must think outside traditional cultural norms and work with the employees to implement a flexible environment that promotes growth, development, knowledge, and mobility. Employee engagement and investment is crucial to the success of the modern department. After having conversations with all generations, it seems that Baby Boomers and Gen X employees openly complain about the changing workforce expectations, but, in confidence, admit that spending more time at home with their kids, having greater training and mobility opportunities, and focusing on meaningful purpose and self-wellness are actually desirable… It’s just change, and change is hard. 🛡
Notes:
1 Daniel L. Morrell and Kristie A. Abston, “Millennial Motivation Issues Related to Compensation and Benefits: Suggestions for Improved Retention,” Compensation & Benefits Review 50, no. 2 (April 2019): 107–13.
2 Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), The Workforce Crisis, and What Police Agencies Are Doing About It (Washington, DC: PERF, 2019).
3 Michael Dimock, “Defining Generations: Where Millennials End and Generation Z Begins,” Fact Tank (blog), January 17, 2019.
4 Kim Parker, Nikki Graf, and Ruth Igielnik, Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues: Among Republicans, Gen Z Stands Out in Views on Race, Climate, and the Role of Government (Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2019).
5 Erica Volini et al., “Introduction: Leading the Social Enterprise–Reinvent with a Human Focus,” 2019 Global Human Capital Trends, Deloitte Insights, April 11, 2019.
6 Charles Ramsay (speech, IACP 2013 Opening Ceremony, Philadelphia, PA, October 19, 2019).
7 Lindsay S. Nolan, “The Roar of the Millennials: Retaining Top Talent in the Workplace,” Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics 12, no. 5 (2015): 69–75; Volini et al., “Introduction: Leading the Social Enterprise”; Michael J. Chevremont, “Millennials in Policing: Recommendations for Reshaping the Workplace to Recruit and Retain Millennials in Law Enforcement” (master’s thesis, University of Wisconsin, 2018).
8 Nolan, “The Roar of the Millennials.”
9 PERF, The Workforce Crisis, and What Police Agencies Are Doing About It.
10 Nolan, “The Roar of the Millennials.”
11 Paul J. Zak, “How Oxytocin Can Make Your Job More Meaningful,” Greater Good Magazine, June 6, 2018.
12 Josh Bersin, “New Research Shows ‘Heavy Learners’ More Confident, Successful, and Happy at Work,” Josh Bersin (blog), November 10, 20180.
13 Kathryn Dill, “The Most Meaningful Jobs That Pay Well,” Forbes, August 6, 2015.
14 Kevin P. Morrison, Hiring for the 21st Century Law Enforcement Officer Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies for Success (Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2017).
15 Volini et al., “Introduction: Leading the Social Enterprise.”
16 Fran Boag-Monroe et al., “Police Officers’ Promotion Prospects and Intention to Leave the Police,” Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice 11, no. 2 (June 2017): 132–145.
17 Bersin, “New Research Shows ‘Heavy Learners’ More Confident, Successful, and Happy at Work.”
18 Volini et al., “Introduction: Leading the Social Enterprise.”
19 PERF, The Workforce Crisis, and What Police Agencies Are Doing About It.
20 PERF, The Workforce Crisis, and What Police Agencies Are Doing About It.
21 Trish Christoffersen, “5 Ways Zappos Helps Employees Find Their Ikigai,” Zappos, September 13, 2018.
22 Nolan, “The Roar of the Millennials.”
23 Volini et al., “Introduction: Leading the Social Enterprise.”
24 Emily He, “Gearing Up for Gen-Z: What Employers Should Know About Today’s Young Workers,” Forbes, February 25, 2019.
25 Volini et al., “Introduction: Leading the Social Enterprise.”
26 Zak, “How Oxytocin Can Make Your Job More Meaningful.”
27 Erica Volini et al., “Talent Mobility: Winning the War on the Home Front,” 2019 Global Human Capital Trends, Deloitte Insights, April 11, 2019.
28 Volini et al., “Introduction: Leading the Social Enterprise.”
Please cite as
Jocelyn Francis, “Creating a Culture of Success: The Role of Professional Growth for Millennials and Gen Z,” Police Chief 87, no.4 (April 2020): 46–53.
