Managing The New Wave of Workers
Managing The New Wave of Workers
by Jennifer Brown, M.M., M.S.
Not since baby boomers swept into the workplace has there been more friction related to generational differences. The fact that most companies are not ready to go on record with their strategies for dealing with it says something about the magnitude of the issue – and the stakes.
Underlying intergenerational workplace friction is a lack of understanding, which leads to emotional reactions that shut down communication and cloud vision. In generational-difference workshops, I counsel each group to educate about the others’ generational identities, the differences, and how those cause friction. In particular, I counsel boomer-age managers to get beyond resentment and focus on what their successors bring to the table: energy, enthusiasm, a fresh perspective, incredible multitasking skills, an almost innate facility with technology, and the ability to integrate it into different areas.
Gen X, sandwiched between the enormous boomer and Y generations, has been challenging the system, to some extent, but also has learned to work within it. X’ers are awaiting their turn for promotion while boomers take their time in senior positions.
Gen Y is poised to create as much change as their boomer parents once did, completing what Gen X began. The offspring of two-wage-earner families that spared nothing in raising them, Y’ers grew up at the center of their parents’ universe. Accustomed to coddling, recognition, and hearing they have unlimited options, they may display an attitude of entitlement resented by boomers and X’ers alike. I often hear comments such as “Where is their work ethic? Commitment? Loyalty? Understanding that you have to pay your dues?”
Gen X and Y share entrepreneurial tendencies and a craving for fast growth, visibility, variety, and challenge. Both want to know how you’re going to help them do meaningful work and build portable skills. Not known for patience, they simply leave when they aren’t getting what they want from their jobs.
Rethink workflow
Intergenerational mentoring is a valuable tool, but it takes time to bear fruit. Gen Y, in particular, demands fast delivery of everything. The employer’s challenge is how to “hyper-onboard,” helping them feel comfortable, valued, and engaged from Day One.
Rapid integration also makes sense from an organizational planning viewpoint because of the looming demographic shift, but it requires a new way to look at workflow. In management-training courses, I counsel managers to reverse their thinking about delegation. The attitude traditionally has been, “Because my work is important, you get whatever I want to remove from my plate. Someday, you’ll have earned the right to do the important work.”
That won’t cut it with Gen X and Y, who expect to plug in right away. Give them challenging projects that take advantage of their skills: problems to solve, messes to clean up, and anything that will benefit from a new perspective. Don’t assume “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Sometimes you need to take a risk and break something to fix it in a new way. Cross train them so they feel they’ve gotten a rich experience and portable skills, even if there’s limited opportunity for promotion.
During a recent training course, a manager who supervised three young engineers said he worked to relieve them of mundane tasks that didn’t play to their strengths. “I see my job as enabling them to turn out the great products that are within their capability. That keeps me motivated.”
Invest in guidance and teaching
Guiding and teaching do require an investment of your time. The most effective approach is to declare a partnership: “We care about and value you, and we’ll work with you to ensure your success. In exchange, we expect you to work within the organization and its systems.”
Gen Y, in particular, needs help in developing interpersonal effectiveness and organizational awareness skills. Mentors can help them understand how to be more successful by avoiding stepping on toes and presenting ideas in a way that will generate buy-in. It’s crucial to position these “soft” skills as being as portable and critical to their success as technical skills.
Provide plenty of feedback. Y’ers are accustomed to receiving it from their parents, and they’ve transferred that to the workplace. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of creating a clear understanding of expectations – the usual performance management things. Explain what going above and beyond looks like in a non-threatening way, and use plenty of examples.
Listen and learn
One thing I often hear from managers is, “Why invest in these people when we’re only going to lose them in two years?” Yes, they’re job hoppers. But if they value their experience in your organization, they might boomerang. And they talk! You want to make sure they’re raving about your organization.
There’s something to be learned from the way Gen X and Y view growth. Listen to their ideas about how they want to be recruited, managed, and motivated and how to create a workplace that makes them want to stay. Become an employer of choice and you’ll be positioned to create a great leadership pipeline.
