Connecting with younger workers
Lynn Schleeter,
College of St. Catherine:
651.690.8762
lfschleeter@stkate.edu
www.stkate.edu
Say what? Closing
the disconnects with
younger workers
“I’M GETTING a faster response by text messaging,” said the frustrated manager of a new sales representative after e-mail and phone calls had gone unanswered for too long.
It’s one of many “disconnects” between employers and their new hires – products of the millennial generation – when they expect business to happen as usual.
Born between 1982 and 2000, millennials have high expectations of themselves and their employers. These technology-savvy workers who are walking into your companies today are well connected to the world through social networking Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Their other faves are cell phones, Internet, blogs, iPods, reality TV, and YouTube. So accustomed to technology, they tend to think in terms of menus with many available choices.
New strategies can help close the gap between generations when supervisors take the time to understand these employees’ perception of their work and how it gets done. Here are three examples:
- As one company was planning to enter a new vertical market, a summer intern quickly gauged product interest among the buying audience – college students – by using the online Facebook community. Although not a scientific market research tool, the incredible response rate helped the company to know where to invest resources and move forward. This intern relied on her own instincts for how to do the job.
- Student interns were asked to demonstrate their sales skills and teamwork by designing a promotion around HIV awareness week for a college campus. As an added service, they called the local city’s health department and invited a nurse to come on campus to provide free HIV testing. It was thinking outside the box without constraints.
- A few weeks after one recent graduate completed her corporate training and was assigned to a sales territory, she started to think of grad school. In her mind, she had already made it: “I’m out driving around and making sales calls – piece of cake. Now I need my master’s degree to move up.” Millennials tend to be overconfident about their own skills and believe they will move up the career ladder quickly.
Speaking their language
What can supervisors do to engage younger workers and manage their expectations? Learn to speak their language and capitalize on it.
“Mentor me but give me my space.” Millennials tend to learn through discovery versus instruction. Assess their skill levels, provide structure and guidelines for possible strategies, then let them do it on their own. (Hint: There’s good reason for the name behind MySpace!)
Give them their space but help them understand how and when to close the loop. Close this disconnect by checking in with them often and asking about results. Remember, they think in terms of menus and choices.
“No spamming.” Millennials see through people quickly. They have trouble with the company line and want managers who can be straight with them. They are willing to listen if you are genuine in return. Be sure to discover what they like to do outside of work and share your own work and personal stories. The more authentic you are, the more they will open up.
Too often, managers shut down a conversation because a younger person’s idea seems so absurd. Close this disconnect by asking more questions and helping them to see how their idea will impact the customer, other business functions and the bottom line.
“Customize my profile.” Ever venture into an online networking community? Members create their own “custom profile,” a personal resume of sorts, by sharing details of their lives such as interests, news, photos, favorite music and video.
Translate that thinking to career path and realize that millennials share and compare their experiences – including salaries, benefits and 401(k)s – with their network of friends. In doing so, they expect their careers to be filled with challenging assignments, gaining new skills and progressing quickly.
Close this disconnect by providing consistent, frequent feedback and clear communications about performance. Without it, millennials think they’ve done something wrong. Feed their sense of worth by limiting mundane projects and providing challenging assignments.
For example, a new rep sets a monthly sales objective that is 10 percent higher than her peers because the goal has never been achieved before. Once it is, this performance milestone helps to build her resume.
“Cool recognition.” This generation has grown up with a feeling of entitlement and the expectation of recognition. They’ve been rewarded for simply showing up to participate in school programs or sports. At work, they expect promotions and raises without understanding what they have to do to earn these. “How fast can I be promoted”? is a frequent question.
Close this disconnect by explaining what they need to do in the next 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, etc. so they understand how performance is tied to being promoted.
All of these strategies are only as good as the strength of the company’s perception and culture in the minds of these highly astute millennials. As one of my college students put it recently, “As millennials enter the workforce, we will have many opportunities to choose from.”
It is important for employers to realize that among other things, company culture can make or break the millennial’s decision to work for a company.
