Bend YP creates programming to help employers retain young professionals

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Attracting top talent is very challenging in Bend and Central Oregon as a whole. The lack of affordable and available housing, child care capacity issues, and paying a competitive wage are all acting against employers.

But, let’s say a company does secure that top talent. How do they keep them?

Simple… invest in them. Especially the early to mid-career employees. Year over year, studies show that investing in the growth of employees leads to greater engagement, productivity and the ability to retain talent. This is particularly true for millennials. In fact:

• According to the LinkedIn 2018 Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees say that they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career and development.
• By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the U.S. workforce, and 87% of millennials rate development as important to them in a job.
• Gallup finds that organizations that have made a strategic investment in employee development report 11% greater profitability and are twice as likely to retain their employees.

Bend YP, a program of the Bend Chamber, along with sponsors US Bank and Facebook, announces the third annual Young Professionals (YP) Summit. If a company has employees under the age of 40, roughly, the YP Summit is a powerful investment in the development, engagement and retention of staff members.

“With all the disruption from the pandemic, this year’s YP Summit won’t be business as usual. The Bend YP team created a new “hybrid” event style that allows attendees to gather in small group pods across Central Oregon to engage together with livestreamed speakers and workshops,” says Talena Barker, Bend Chamber Vice President of Leadership Development.  

These pods are limited in size, with a health department approved safety plan in place. Registrations for in-person pods need to be made by Wednesday, August 19. Attendees can also opt for a full virtual-only event, and still engage with speakers and peers in real time through the event app, Whova.

This year's YP Summit focuses on themes of resilience, connection and communication.  

Participants will:

• Lean in and look at failure and risk through new lenses of learning, growth and opportunity in a segment featuring keynote speaker, Kristen Hadeed, renowned entrepreneur and author of “Permission to Screw Up.”
• Examine how teams thrive and succeed when shared values and trust are established early in a session with David Salciccioli, executive coach and educator with Coachwell.
• Dig into aspects of interpersonal conflict and learn the skills to bring diverse perspectives together for even more powerful outcomes as they engage with Moe Carrick, coach, consultant and author of “Bravespace Workplace” and “Fit Matters.”

Event Details

Date:     Friday, August 28

Time:     12:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Cost:      $50 per person

Registration: https://whova.com/web/ypsum1_202008/