I see a lot of advice around about how to manage Milennial / Gen Y employees. As a member of that generation, I can state that so much of it is wrong, and, I assume, written by older generations who don’t quite “get” us. You’ve probably heard a lot about Gen Y being selfish and entitled, unable to be managed, unable to stick with any sort of job for an extended period of time.
I’m not going to pretend that this doesn’t describe some of us, but generalising an entire generation like that is inaccurate and counter productive. You’re never going to relate properly to your Gen Y employees if you approach them with such a negative point of view. It is true, however, that managing Gen Y is unlike managing any other generation. They key to doing it effectively is to first understand them.
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Managing Gen Y and integrating their particular skills into your workplace takes some finesse. Gen Y have been hearing for years about workplaces like Google and Dreamworks who offer unheard-of perks (free food and healthcare, nap breaks, video games, extracurricular classes such as painting and karate, even on-site hairdressers and masseuses), and they might become disillusioned with workplaces that don’t offer the same. Staff retention is amazing at Google, but what if you’re just an ordinary workplace without the capabilities to cater to your staff’s every whim? The following 4 tips will get you on your way to getting the most out of your Gen Y employees.
1. Don’t Let Them Get Bored
This will need to be your top priority. I maintain that Gen Y aren’t necessarily lazy – they’re just used to life moving a lot faster than it did in the past and they get bored when things move slowly. They’re used to being exposed to stimulus all day, so trying to sit them down and have them do one thing for 8 hours straight is never going to work. Try to structure their job so they have several different tasks they can work on at any time, and that they can switch between when they want. You can also take a leaf out of Google’s book here, with their infamous 20 percent rule – their employees are expected to do their job 80% of the time, but in the other 20% they are encouraged to work on other projects, or even just to sit back and think. Google credits this rule with many of their innovations, and you might find that if you give your innovation-loving Gen Y staff some time to be creative, they could come up with something amazing.
2. Challenge Them
This flows on from the previous point. If you want to get the most out of your Gen Y staff, push them. Don’t let them get complacent (because then they get bored). The challenges you set don’t have to be massive, they can be as simple as designing a new office filing system, or they can be as big as tripling sales in the next quarter. The point is giving them something to work towards.
3. Show Them the Big Picture
A big mistake many managers use with Gen Y is not explaining the “why” behind instructions. In general, they need to see the bigger picture in order to be enthused about what they’re doing. If you explain what you are trying to achieve, the vision you have for a project, or where you see the company heading in the next 3 years, the tasks that form the steps to this goal will be a lot more appealing. Gen Y like to feel like they belong to something, so explain their part in the context of a bigger picture, then break down the steps you need them to take.
4. Make Them Earn Praise
Given the problem with validation-turned-to-narcissism that plagues Gen Y, I often see people suggest constantly praising Gen Y in the workplace, for every little thing they do right. I’m going to suggest you DON’T do that. When you praise your employees for just doing a competent job, that’s when trouble starts – they develop a mindset that they’re actually doing you a favour just by doing what you pay them to do. Not only will this cause you massive frustration, it will also leave them feeling empty, then bored, then wanting to move on.
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t praise them – just make them earn it. Publicly praise staff who have shown initiative or gone over targets. Make sure all your staff know that they will receive praise only when they go above and beyond, not when they simply do their job. By cementing this as your company culture, you will cause most staff (of any generation) to want to do better, so they will receive that public validation.
Finally…
Above all, try to keep in mind that many Gen Ys are still young and finding their way. They will often be grateful for guidance from someone who appreciates the positives of their generation as well as understanding their weaknesses. Be that mentor for them and you will likely attract some truly game-changing employees.