Subscribe
In our last post we discussed the first two areas where savvy organizations are helping newly hired Gen Ys enter the workforce – – –
A) Getting them contributing (and feeling valued) very quickly and
B) Establishing clear standards for behavior so the new hire fits into the culture.
Now we’ll talk about the third area where Gen Ys sometimes need help – – – building good people skills.
C) People skills – These are hard to change because they are deeply intertwined with how we see ourselves, the world and other people. People skills are formed, and then selectively reinforced, throughout life. But people can change. I have found that annual classes teaching proven inter-personal techniques for everyone is a great idea and are most effective if taught in a lighthearted, humorous style. Humor relaxes us so we lower our defensive guards and become more receptive to new ideas. There is evidence that such training can bring about lasting changes in how we relate to others if those changes are doable, result in better relationships and are continually reinforced. So enlightened organizations are providing new Gen Ys with both training and with frequent nudges that reinforce the good behavior and correct the areas where they need to improve.
Frequent Feedback
Actually, that is a key point across all aspects of working with Gen-Ys: frequent feedback. Tell them what they did right or wrong and how to improve. Our Gen Y students have told us:
- “I cannot believe my boss waited for a year to tell me about 2-3 things I was doing wrong! I could have been improving since I first got here but I had no idea I was doing those things wrong. What a stupid process the ‘annual performance review’ is here.”
- “Nobody says squat around here about what we do right or wrong until the ‘review’ and that only happens every calendar quarter if we are lucky. I’d like to hear every month what I am doing right and wrong. Then I can do something about it.
This need for frequent feedback goes back to the issues we discussed in Part 1 of this series of posts: an ego that needs frequent reinforcement from others in order to feel secure. So for the first six months, sit down every month with each new employee’s mentor and ask about the employee, how others feel about them, how well (or poorly) they are working with others, early strengths and weaknesses that may be emerging, etc. Then meet one-on-one with each new employee, and discuss how they see themselves, their progress, fears, suggested improvements, etc. And here’s a technique I’ve used: schedule the 2-hour employee “performance discussion” at 4 pm on a Wednesday (“hump day”) and then continue the chat for an hour at a nearby bar or lounge where a medicinal glass of merlot or a beer will bring out the Gen Y’s real thoughts about the organization, him/herself, processes, procedures, and becoming a valued member of the team!
Choice of a Mentor/Boss
The choice of mentor is crucial but the first boss is even more so, impacting a new employee’s career perhaps more than anything else. A poor communicator and/or insecure, overly judgmental boss can drive a new hire out the door for greener pastures. Unfortunately, it has been our experience that the older the boss is, the more likely he/she is to make snap judgments about people and, hence the more dangerous is their assignment to supervise a new Gen Y employee fresh from college. The difference in peoples’ perspectives usually increases with the age gap and if too wide, the two generations may not be able to relate well and no rapport is established. Gen Y behaviors, while age-appropriate, may then trigger irreversible impressions and inaccurate conclusions in the boss’s head. Gen Ys are still very much a “work in progress” when they leave college and often for 3-5 years after that. Give them an initial boss who sees them that way and will help gently shape them properly.
Arranging for new Gen Ys to initially work with other Gen Ys initially also makes for an easier transition than immediately assigning them to multi-generational teams, but emphasize from the start that working well with others of all ages, not just with other Gen Ys, is essential to being promoted and given more responsibility (and more fun assignments) in the organization.
When a new person of any generation joins an organization, an unwritten agreement is formed. Each party agrees to do their share in making the “marriage” work. So far we have talked about what the organization can do for the new Gen Y worker. In the next post we will talk about what the newly hired Gen Y person must do to ease the transition into that new job.
Copyright: Solid Thinking Corporation
—