My Campus Chronicles
Our college blog dedicated to helping students prepare for life outside of college.
Ryan Boscow archive
One of the biggest challenges in advising managers on the Generation Y "problem," is answering the question "Why do Gen Y workers act like this?" Bloggers, journalists, and lecturers across the nation suggest different views on this, but here's a new perspective. We (Gen Y workers) have grown up without being allowed to fail. We have been entitled to success in all we do, so that when we do fail, we have problems coping.
For example, some junior high and high schools have either abolished failing grades or lowered the standards for passing grades. In May of 2005, the Arizona Republic ran an article that reported AZ State Officials lowering passing grade standards for graduating senior exit exams for High Schools Diplomas. Outside the classroom, consider secondary school athletics. In my secondary education in Seattle's Eastside suburbs, no student was ever cut from any school athletic program. Everyone had a chance to play, because to cut someone could damage their self-confidence.
So now Generation Y-ers are leaving school and getting into the workplace; guess what? We're failing in ability to complete tasks. We leave jobs that don't give us the benefits we want or end up being much harder than we thought during interviews. We complain that we're not being treated fairly, and then when we are treated well, we ask for more.
To the managers, the best way to combat this is to mentor your employees. When an employee makes a mistake, remind them that it happens and help them back to their feet. Be patient, but firm - they must understand that they need to move on and learn from failure. Do not tell them "it's okay, you gave it your best shot, you're still a winner." If they failed, it probably wasn't their best shot.
To the Generation Y-ers, get used to the fact that life isn't going to be as easy as high school or some of college. You will fail - it's going to happen and the only thing you can do is reflect on it (briefly), then learn from it and move on. You are not entitled to never-ending success, you are merely entitled to develop your potential, and that requires both success and failure - both result in learning.
When some of my past managers were my age, they would tell me that having a job meant for you to go in to the office, work from eight to five, and do your work to the best of your ability. If a call came down from the manager or director's secretary requesting your presence, it meant one of two things: either it was time for the annual review, or it was time for a tongue-lashing for something you did wrong.
We're past those times now. Whether you're in a small, medium, or large-sized company, more frequent communication between employees and management is required. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently ran an article about how such improved communication helps to improve retention. It reassures managers that tasks are being completed and Gen Y employees that their work is an integral part of the company's strategy and mission.
What is sometimes more important than the act of communicating, is the way in which it is done.
E-mail communication is great - as a supplement to interpersonal communication. If you have a serious topic to discuss with a manager, schedule a time to talk with them. Don't e-mail personal or private topics of concern. Not only because it is inappropriate, but because there is no way to track where the e-mail may go after you send it or if the e-mail is read by a secretary or assistant first.
This is a two-way street. Managers also need to take the time to engage in personal communication with their employees. If you are going to take the time to congratulate an employee on exceptional performance, walk down the hall and tell the employee. If you need to discuss a specific concern, talk about it in private.
Whenever I have a temp-to-hire or direct hire candidate going into a formal interview with my clients, the younger candidates always ask what is expected of them. I tell them that they need to conduct themselves positively and in the best light, while also maintaining honest integrity and professionalism. When the time comes for an interview, it is up to the applicant to determine what is expected of them, based on both the questions asked by the hiring manager as well as questions posed to the hiring manager.
But when a job offer comes along, it is up to the manager to make it clear what is expected of the new hire, right from the beginning. It is also the manager’s responsibility to clarify what the new hire can expect of the manager, the position, and the company. Too often, we assume the other party has a good idea of what is wanted and unknown expectations cause too much workplace animosity.
At times, I’ve believed that my managers ask too much of me; that their expectations are too great. Other Generation Y-ers just up and quit at this point, or at the least begin polishing their resumes for new jobs. When you’re faced with what you believe are unrealistic expectations, try to do one of two things. You can go right to the manager, and innocently suggest a bit of guidance in completing the task or better understanding what is wanted and by when.
For those of you (like me) who aren’t always as brave, the second option is much easier. Find a mentor in the office who can guide you, but isn’t going to do the work for you. You have to challenge yourself to grow in the company, and having that extra person there to coach and teach you will always help you erase your self-doubt when faced with a seemingly impossible task. You don’t want to become dependent on the mentor, but you do want to use their experience with the company and in personal development, to expand your abilities and develop your potential as an asset to the company.
I would also encourage managers to take the proactive approach and setting up new hires with a mentor right away. Mentorship programs will lead to better retention of employees and a reduction in younger employees jumping ship.
After the dot-com bust in 2000-2001, many companies decided that in order to retain their position in their given markets, it would be best to shift a low-cost strategy for all areas of the company. Many Gen-Y workers land a job only to find the company's HR department has a low-cost mindset, especially so among small-to-medium sized businesses. I can understand that when you're operating a business, always trying to make it to the next month requires thinking on a short-term level.
Here's the catch - it will almost always be more expensive for you to recruit, hire, and train a new employee than to retain a current employee. Here's a very simplified low-end example (most recruiting and training costs for small businesses are higher than this): If it costs $1000 to recruit an employee and $500 to train the employee, and you're having employees leave twice a year, then your recruiting cost per position is $3000 for the given year. But if you set the employee up with basic insurance benefits of $150 employer co-pay per month and give out twice-annual bonuses of $500, then that total annual cost is only $2800. Plus you have the intangible benefits of having a long-term employee who can build lasting relationships with your clients.
Sometimes retention will require those kinds of benefits and compensation. Other times it as simple as modifying the schedule of hours. One previous manager of mine required each employee to be in their seat by 8:00 AM each morning unless they had a very good excuse, then work until 5:00 with an hour for lunch. My current manager has made it clear that if I want to come in at 8:00 one day and work until 4:45 with a 45-minute lunch one day, and then work from 8:30 to 5:30 with an hour-long lunch the next, that's fine. His view is that as long as I am completing my job duties and serving my client(s), then I'm doing well. Assessing these "benefit" differences, I prefer the style of my current manager.
Treating your employees as assets rather than expenses (especially with a low-cost strategic focus) will lower your HR costs and create a better, more attractive workplace for Generation Y workers.
In recent months, there has been a growing amount of controversy over the recruiting, hiring, and management of Generation Y workers. I've read two articles today, one editorial from New York telling Generation Y workers to wake up and work hard first, and another piece from Australia discussing the downfalls of Generation Y workers. Both seem to pass the message that there is a problem with this new generation of employees and candidates.
Having been born as a Generation Y-er in the semi-recent year of 1982, I think I have good insight as to what workers my age and a few years younger than me are facing, as well as how they are acting and performing in the workplace. Also, I'm armed with a shiny new MBA from an accredited business school, and I've had the opportunity to discuss with many managers who repeatedly ask why Generation Y workers are so difficult to manage, giving me a glance into the managerial view as well.
So first, I want to ask a real basic question: "Are Generation Y workers at fault for being difficult to manage?" My answer, from both the managerial and Generation Y point of view: Yes and No. As I see it, there are four primary misconceptions when it comes to managing Generation Y workers: Strategic Focus, Expectations, Communications, and Entitlement. But here's the catch: both the new workforce and the management leading it are at fault in their own ways.
Over the next four weeks, I'll cover each misconception and how it relates to both the Generation Y employee or candidate, as well as the manager in charge of that employee or candidate. Tune in next week for "How Strategic Focus Confuses Gen Y Workers & Managers."
