Retention of a New Generation of Employees

About the Guest

At Apexon, Leila pioneered a marketing-as-a-service approach, where she harnessed the marketing expertise of the team she had built to deliver value to the customer and give them another reason to choose to work with Apexon. That has included the creation of a multiple award-winning YouTube channel – DTV, where she interviews customers, partners, and other luminaries to profile their thought leadership and digital expertise. She oversees Apexon’s global branding and communications, covering everything from market positioning, awareness-building, and employer branding to demand generation initiatives. Before Apexon, she headed marketing at Cumulus Networks where she helped launch the company and define its position in the emerging software-defined networking market. Before that, she was VP of Marketing at DeviceAnywhere, a mobile application development, and testing pioneer. She helped establish DeviceAnywhere’s category leadership and subsequent acquisition by Keynote Systems. Additionally, she has held key roles at emerging technology companies Virtual Iron (acquired by Oracle) and PanGo Networks (acquired by InnerWireless). She regularly speaks at events and has received industry recognition for leadership, marketing best practices, and mentoring of female leaders. She was recognized as a Woman of Influence by Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2020. She holds a BA in Communications from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Connect with Leila Modarres

Key Takeaways

• The new generation of employees brings unique value to the table in terms of storytelling and delivery.
• Both old and new generations bring different strengths in marketing, and there are a lot of opportunities to be gained by combining their abilities.
• Organizations must strive to build a company culture that is welcoming to the new members of the workforce through investing in sustainable initiatives.
• There is a shift towards employer marketing that focuses on the long-term vision and career opportunities for employees.

Quote

“It’s fundamental for employees to be able to discover and be able to contribute what they feel is meaningful at work. Leaders have to make could trust the foundation of all practices and policies.” – Leila Modarres

Highlights from the Episode

How does the new crop of marketing pros (Gen Z) differ from current marketing leaders (Millennial and Gen X)?

The newer generation of employees, millennials and gen X, bring a specific value to the table in terms of tech efficiencies. They are not afraid to speak up, which is an important trait in marketing. While the older generation is great storytellers, Gen Z has helped shift toward efficiencies in how we package narratives into bite-sized and spread them like wildfire. The opportunity to combine the capabilities and tendencies of these generations opens doors to spread the word and get recognized better.

As new employees enter the workforce, what do they expect in terms of culture and team dynamic? How can marketing teams accommodate them?

Managers need to be aware that the Wolf of Wall Street mentality is no longer applicable to the newer generation of employees. The present generation is more focused on social impact and sustainability than the pay-your-dues-and-climb-the-ladder mentality. Managers need to create cultures that are welcoming to newer members of the workforce and invest in sustainable initiatives.

How is the employee market changing for marketing pros, especially given market uncertainty?

With the fears of a potential recession and the continuation of the great resignation, companies have to treat their employees as our most valuable customers by selling them a career opportunity, not a job. Employer marketing is focused on employees and getting to know them better, which is the most important aspect.

Will companies need to change the way they operate to hire and retain the newest generation of marketers? 

It is less about how companies operate, but more about how they view their employees. Companies must focus on seeing employees as individuals rather than workers. The key is to shift to a more human-centric approach to onboarding and making trust the foundation for all practices and policies in the organization.

How can companies retain top marketers (eager for more responsibility) without promoting them before they’re truly ready? 

Companies must consider offering growth opportunities, even if it’s not necessarily thinking about a promotion. Also, employees need to be seen, heard, and recognized.