Retaining Your Gen-X Employees
By Allan Pulga
Have you noticed commonalities between your younger employees? Do they exhibit a false sense of entitlement or poor work ethic? Are they seemingly selfish and indifferent to store policy and demands?
Cam Marston, a consultant in multigenerational communications and marketing, says your interpretations of your younger employees’ behavior could be wrong. “Things aren’t always as they seem,” he wrote in a recent column. “Perhaps these (trends in employee behavior) are not negative trends, just different ones.”
Cellular retailers’ dependence on a younger, more transient set of part-time workers brings with it a need to understand not only their idiosyncrasies, but also the myths related to these workers.
First of all, Marston says, your younger employees are not like you. “Gen Xers (born 1965-1979) and Millennials (born after 1980) are operating in this world with a completely different perspective. Their definitions of loyalty, time and success are often quite different from yours.
“Rest assured they do recognize all of these concepts and value them in very important ways. The key to your organization’s future success is understanding how (they) view the world and using that knowledge to motivate them.”
In other words: “Meet them where they are and they will achieve your underlying goals; try to force them to fit your definitions and they will run for the door every time.”
Myth: Younger generations have no work ethic
“Younger generations have a self-centered work ethic,” says Marston. It’s simply a difference in perspective. While they work to accomplish their own tasks, they’ve been raised to not look around and see what should be done next.
“The younger they are, the more they view their jobs as ‘something to do between the weekends,’” he adds. “For most, early employment has nothing to do with a career path; it is a way to earn money to have fun in their free time.”
Embrace their true motivation – reliable spending money – and use it to your advantage. They will respond better to something like, “I understand this is not your lifelong career, but to earn the paycheck every week, here is what I expect…” rather than to promises of upward mobility.
Myth: They don’t want to put in the hours to get ahead
Younger employees view time as currency. “While Baby Boomers tend to see time and something to invest, the younger generations view it as a valuable currency not to be wasted.”
Millennials like to live by the seat of their pants. They’re not interested in promotion plans for five years from now. To reach out to them and reduce turnover, tell them you have a plan. But make sure it’s in a timeframe short enough for them to envision.
“Be prepared to fulfill your promise – once fooled, forever jaded,” says Marston. “This approach feeds into their reality, while simultaneously building trust and buying you more time. Reward small successes along the way, string these milestones together and you will soon realize longer tenures for among your staff.”
Myth: They have no respect for authority
It’s not that they don’t respect authority; they don’t respect authority “just because.” It’s gotta be earned.
“In fact loyalty to the individual is the number one reason Xers and Millennials stay in the job, especially during the first three, tenuous years,” says Marston. “Dissatisfaction with the job is the number one reason they quit.”
Managers need to win the affection of young employees. “Millennials have a tendency to seek tight bond – they want a boss who is close, caring and aware. And you can be all that. It is very easy to cross the line between ‘boss as advocate’ to ‘boss as friend.’ That is a slippery slope. It can be especially tempting in situations where managers and employees are close in age. When activities outside of the office become too regular, too casual or largely social in nature, it is time to examine how this will affect your role as a leader. What Millennials need most out of a boss is a guide, not a social life.”
Myth: They don’t want to grow up
“The youngest generations in today’s workforce are facing a delayed adulthood,” adds Marston. “They are getting married later, having children later and just generally facing the ‘real world’ later.”
”Don't waste time wishing they were different. Don't spend your energy comparing today's youth to the desires and drive you had at age 18. Your task is to take this new understanding and use it to reposition how you interact with, motivate and reward your staff.
”Take attire for instance. Your 18-year-old self would have gladly donned whatever uniform was necessary to fit the company mold. Be it pressed khakis and a tie or a specific corporate uniform, fitting in was part of the package. Today's youth wants to stand out. They want their individuality to shine through even when required to provide a consistent standard of service and performance. Balancing corporate needs with individual desires takes some creative thinking.
”Home Depot is one company that has addressed this dilemma at a very basic level – company uniforms. They simply require that all employees wear a standard Home Depot apron. Be yourself underneath (within reason) and show the customer that you are on the Home Depot team with this bright orange apron. Is there a standard that you can adopt to accommodate individual preferences? Something to think about.”