A recent study by Gallup found that 7.6% of U.S. adults¹ identify as LGBTQ+, double the number in 2012. To put this in perspective, that is more than the number of people who identify as Asian American. More so, one in five Gen Z adults² identify as LGBTQ+.

It’s no secret that training and development offerings are one of the key tools that employers can use today to retain the talent they already have. Per Forbes¹, 70 percent of employees would leave their current employer for another organization that has a reputation of developing and training their people.

Recently, I launched a leadership development program for a non-profit I have worked with for many years. Everybody arrived looking excited to be invited to the session and looking forward to what it was all about. You could feel the electricity and hear the buzz.

Now entering the job market in increasing numbers, Generation Z is on track to make up a whopping 30 percent of the workforce by 2030.  With those figures in mind, employers that want to attract this cohort need to figure out how to offer the incentives that will appeal to those employees and improve their engagement. 

Equity compensation in the form of stock options, restricted stock units, and performance shares is an important vehicle that public and select privately held companies can use to attract, retain, and motivate employees.