Attention Boomers: The Future Rising (The Gen Y Effect)
Justin is 29 years old and has worked at your company for one year. He is competent, savvy, and hip. He does a good job, and his computer skills are through the roof – he is a team member you don’t want to lose. The trouble is, he is about to leave your employ. He is not unhappy with you, his boss, or the type of work he does. He has simply stopped learning at your company and he feels ready for ‘the next level.’ Sound familiar?
Your young wonder employee is part of Gen Y, a group of over 73 million Americans born between 1977 and 1994. Generally speaking, Gen Y’s are talented, hard-working, and flexible. Are they a disloyal bunch? Not really; but they typically possess a deep distrust of corporate America.
Let’s take a deeper look at Justin’s background. He grew up with computers, video games, and short attention spans. He has baby-boomer parents. In fact, when he was barely a teenager he witnessed his father being laid-off for no apparent reason. Remember the early 1990’s when ‘reorganization’ entered the business vernacular? Justin’s family and his life were thrown into upheaval as result. As he grew older he realized that pragmatically, he needed a job. He is also wired to continuously learn – so as to position himself favorably for his next job. As such, he has worked for three companies in the past six years. Have you noticed your Justin’s thirst for knowledge and new tasks? In addition, if he likes him/her, Justin tends to bond with his immediate boss. On those instances when his immediate boss is promoted or reassigned, Justin soon reassigns himself – to a new employer. His thin bond to your company is broken when his boss departs.
So what is a leader to do in order to retain valuable, young workers? Well, I am not a psychologist, nor have I conducted a study on this issue, but (shockingly) I do have an opinion on the matter. Here is my take on building a wall around good Gen Y talent:
1. Training. Since Gen Y’s crave learning, set up a training program that keeps them in learning mode for years, not weeks. They may stay with your company merely because they are learning more and more things that will help them with that next job.
2. Task Variety. Ensure that Justin and his age-peers have a healthy variety of tasks and/or distractions with which to keep them busy. Remember, these folks grew up with video games – they are the ultimate multi-taskers (think good A.D.D.).
3. Communication. We can’t have a Doug Van Dyke newsletter without the word communication, can we? Well, it is well-placed here. Strive to open up communication with the Gen Y’s. Let them know what is going on with the company so that they feel a part of something bigger than their immediate department.
4. The Boss Connection. No, it’s not Bruce Springsteen’s latest record. It’s tapping into your team member’s tastes and determining if they respect their supervisor. If their manager is going to change positions or leave the company, keep Gen Y’s informed. Also, ask them for their thoughts on the best way to keep morale and productivity high while a change of leadership is taking place.
5. Have a Plan. Create and maintain a roadmap for Justin’s career and learning track. Ask for Justin’s input regarding his future career journey. Track the plan over months/years. Tracking Justin’s accomplishments shows that you are serious about Justin and not offering promises that are nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
6. Make it Fun. Games, small incentives, and celebration go a long way with the Gen Y crowd. For example, at one of Capital One’s sales centers they used a plastic tomato to track team members who were succeeding. Every time someone made a sale they would stand up and call for the tomato, which would be tossed their way from whomever had it previously. Randomly throughout the day, the supervisor would walk into the center and say: ‘who’s got the tomato?’ The bearer of the tomato would then be rewarded with movie tickets or a free lunch at a local restaurant. The bottom line is to be light and creative, and do something your team will enjoy.
As you read this, you may be throwing your hands up in the air and wondering if all the focus and effort is worth it. My friends, Gen Y (all 73 million of ‘em) are the future. A bright future I might add. And a bright future is always worth a healthy investment!
Your young wonder employee is part of Gen Y, a group of over 73 million Americans born between 1977 and 1994. Generally speaking, Gen Y’s are talented, hard-working, and flexible. Are they a disloyal bunch? Not really; but they typically possess a deep distrust of corporate America.
Let’s take a deeper look at Justin’s background. He grew up with computers, video games, and short attention spans. He has baby-boomer parents. In fact, when he was barely a teenager he witnessed his father being laid-off for no apparent reason. Remember the early 1990’s when ‘reorganization’ entered the business vernacular? Justin’s family and his life were thrown into upheaval as result. As he grew older he realized that pragmatically, he needed a job. He is also wired to continuously learn – so as to position himself favorably for his next job. As such, he has worked for three companies in the past six years. Have you noticed your Justin’s thirst for knowledge and new tasks? In addition, if he likes him/her, Justin tends to bond with his immediate boss. On those instances when his immediate boss is promoted or reassigned, Justin soon reassigns himself – to a new employer. His thin bond to your company is broken when his boss departs.
So what is a leader to do in order to retain valuable, young workers? Well, I am not a psychologist, nor have I conducted a study on this issue, but (shockingly) I do have an opinion on the matter. Here is my take on building a wall around good Gen Y talent:
1. Training. Since Gen Y’s crave learning, set up a training program that keeps them in learning mode for years, not weeks. They may stay with your company merely because they are learning more and more things that will help them with that next job.
2. Task Variety. Ensure that Justin and his age-peers have a healthy variety of tasks and/or distractions with which to keep them busy. Remember, these folks grew up with video games – they are the ultimate multi-taskers (think good A.D.D.).
3. Communication. We can’t have a Doug Van Dyke newsletter without the word communication, can we? Well, it is well-placed here. Strive to open up communication with the Gen Y’s. Let them know what is going on with the company so that they feel a part of something bigger than their immediate department.
4. The Boss Connection. No, it’s not Bruce Springsteen’s latest record. It’s tapping into your team member’s tastes and determining if they respect their supervisor. If their manager is going to change positions or leave the company, keep Gen Y’s informed. Also, ask them for their thoughts on the best way to keep morale and productivity high while a change of leadership is taking place.
5. Have a Plan. Create and maintain a roadmap for Justin’s career and learning track. Ask for Justin’s input regarding his future career journey. Track the plan over months/years. Tracking Justin’s accomplishments shows that you are serious about Justin and not offering promises that are nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
6. Make it Fun. Games, small incentives, and celebration go a long way with the Gen Y crowd. For example, at one of Capital One’s sales centers they used a plastic tomato to track team members who were succeeding. Every time someone made a sale they would stand up and call for the tomato, which would be tossed their way from whomever had it previously. Randomly throughout the day, the supervisor would walk into the center and say: ‘who’s got the tomato?’ The bearer of the tomato would then be rewarded with movie tickets or a free lunch at a local restaurant. The bottom line is to be light and creative, and do something your team will enjoy.
As you read this, you may be throwing your hands up in the air and wondering if all the focus and effort is worth it. My friends, Gen Y (all 73 million of ‘em) are the future. A bright future I might add. And a bright future is always worth a healthy investment!
posted by DVD Consulting at
3:04 AM
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