BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ZContent.net//ZapCalLib 1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Seminar: Beyond the Paycheck: How Small Agencies Win the War with Y oung Talent DESCRIPTION:You’ve heard the complaints about younger workers: They&r squo;re entitled. They don’t want to work. They’ll leave in si x months anyway.\n\n\nThe data says otherwise.\n\n\nWorkers under 25 are b ringing highly engaged, optimistic energy to work. They want to drive chan ge and have an overall positive outlook on their company’s future an d their own. According to Qualtrics’ 2025 Employee Experience Trends research, young employees are the most optimistic of all age groups.\n\n\ nSo why can’t you keep them?
\nBecause there’s one critic al metric where young workers fall behind: their intent to stay with an or ganization for three or more years.\n\n\nThey’re not disengaged. The y’re unconvinced. Unconvinced that you see them. Unconvinced that th ey belong. Unconvinced that their work matters.\n\n\nMeet the Generations You’re Trying to Recruit
\nToday’s candidates grew up on stories of ordinary people called to extraordinary purpose:\n\n\nThe Marve l Generation (Gen Z): Raised on heroes who struggle with identity and belo nging while using their unique gifts to serve something larger than themse lves.\n\n\nThe Harry Potter Generation (Millennials): Shaped by stories of chosen ones who find their true family among those who share their callin g — and who matter not despite their differences, but because of the m.\n\n\nThese aren’t just entertainment preferences. They’re p sychological frameworks. And they tell us exactly what these generations a re looking for in a career.\n\n\nA majority of Gen Z (89%) and millennials (92%) consider a sense of purpose very or somewhat important for their jo b satisfaction and well-being. Research shows Gen Z values jobs that allow them to live comfortably (77%) and pursue their passions (70%) over becom ing wealthy (31%) or managers (12%).\n\n\nThey don’t want to climb a ladder. They want to join a mission.\n\n\nThe Small Agency Advantage
\nHere’s what most rural and small agency leaders don’t reali ze: You have something big-city departments can never offer.\n\n\nIn small communities, your deputies aren’t anonymous badge numbers. They&rsq uo;re neighbors. The work isn’t bureaucratic processing. It’s protecting people they know by name. The culture isn’t corporate. It ’s family.\n\n\nBut if your recruitment message leads with salary ra nges, benefits packages, and job descriptions, you’ve already lost. You’re competing on terrain where you can’t win.\n\n\nThe rese arch is clear about what drives young employee retention: Having growth an d development opportunities is the top driver of making sure employees fee l that they belong, and a significant driver of employee engagement and re tention. And even though employees believe mentoring would help advance th eir careers, less than a third have joined a mentorship program at work.\n \n\nYour candidates want:
\n~To be mentored, not managed
\n~To b e invested in, not processed
\n~To be believed in, not evaluated
\n~To matter — to you, to your community, to the mission\n\n\nAnd m ore than anything, they want to know your why — and whether it align s with theirs.\n\n\nThe Missing Piece: Your Brand Message
\nMost smal l agencies have never articulated their why. They post job openings that r ead like every other agency in the country. They talk about duties and qua lifications. They never explain why their agency exists, what their sherif f believes, or why this community — this mission — matters.\n\ n\nIn small communities, especially, candidates want alignment. They want to be united with others who share their passions and beliefs. Your why cr eates that alignment experience — or its absence creates a void that no signing bonus can fill.\n\n\nhttps://nsaconf.org LOCATION:207 URL;VALUE=URI:https://nsaconf.org/v2/page/AgendaItem/6210 DTSTART:20260611T131500Z DTEND:20260611T141500Z UID:2026-06-06-21-33-55-0@nsaconf.org DTSTAMP:20260607T023355 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR