What You want balance Weve got work to get done
What You want balance Weve got work to get done
“They’re demanding ‘balance,’ and they’re not willing to do what’s needed to get the job done – who are these people – seriously!”
“When I was just coming into the workforce, I was lucky to have a job – I worked hard – I paid my dues — that’s how you ‘get ahead.’”
“Don’t they understand they need to prove their worth – demonstrate their abilities before they get promoted or get a raise?”
The truth is – they probably don’t know they need to demonstrate their abilities or prove their worth. Why would they? They grow up getting a trophy, even when they didn’t play in the game! By and large, the newest generation entering the workforce was spoon- fed, coddled, and now feel left to fend for themselves in the corporate world where the rules were set long ago – where they clearly do not understand what’s expected of them or how to get what they want. Much of the time, they don’t even know what they want – they’re simply acting out what they’ve heard they should want.
With many having had both parents working full time, generation X and Yers had less adult interaction growing up. They played sports only when ‘organized,’ rather than taking initiative to start a pick-up game. They missed the 1950’s rite of passage of having a paper route at age 11, likely not having their first job until they got to college. For many, their first job is right out of college. They watched an average of 30 hours of television a week, adopting the values of popular culture. Along the way, they missed the basic skills necessary in a corporate environment, like goal-setting, strategizing for their future, time management, and communicating outside email or IM! Instead – they grew up with a “faster is better” mentality – seeing the beginning and magical ending, but no struggle in the middle. They were told what to like, where to be, when to be there – they weren’t encouraged to think for themselves, explore who they are, or learn about facing adversity.
So, with this in mind, what can organizations do to retain and motivate generations X and Y – get them to perform and stop griping about things like “balance” so much? Here are 3 great ideas to get you started:
1. Don’t take them personally! When they say things like “I’m going to have your job in 6 months” and you’re a Senior VP of the company, recognize it’s not about you – they just don’t get it!
2. Don’t make assumptions about what they “should” know. When you see a gap, provide the training they need, either one-on-one or through formal programs. As a manager, sitting down with your young employees and helping them see the progressive steps in their career, will help reduce their anxiety and build loyalty – yes, they perceive you care! Also, providing workshops on time management, goal-setting, networking, and career management are very helpful.
3. Ask them what they want/need, and help them see the context in which you make the decision about what is possible to do for them. I have come into companies and facilitated discussions with generation X and Y employees to determine exactly what they want and helped generate a way to give them what they want while keeping an eye on the bottom line. Simply caring enough to ask them what they want makes a big difference – again, they perceive the organization cares about them!
When organizations can let go of “the way it’s always been” and become focused on the benefits of an engaged workforce throughout the organization, so much more can be achieved! I challenge your organization to listen to what your generation X and Y employees are asking for – and generate a plan with them to achieve your bottom line results.
What You want balance Weve got work to get done - To learn more about this author, visit Misti Burmeister's Website.
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So many times I have heard this exact quote when talking with executives about their youngest employees. And so many just like them…
“They’re demanding ‘balance,’ and they’re not willing to do what’s needed to get the job done – who are these people – seriously!”
“When I was just coming into the workforce, I was lucky to have a job – I worked hard – I paid my dues — that’s how you ‘get ahead.’”
“Don’t they understand they need to prove their worth – demonstrate their abilities before they get promoted or get a raise?”
The truth is – they probably don’t know they need to demonstrate their abilities or prove their worth. Why would they? They grow up getting a trophy, even when they didn’t play in the game! By and large, the newest generation entering the workforce was spoon- fed, coddled, and now feel left to fend for themselves in the corporate world where the rules were set long ago – where they clearly do not understand what’s expected of them or how to get what they want. Much of the time, they don’t even know what they want – they’re simply acting out what they’ve heard they should want.
With many having had both parents working full time, generation X and Yers had less adult interaction growing up. They played sports only when ‘organized,’ rather than taking initiative to start a pick-up game. They missed the 1950’s rite of passage of having a paper route at age 11, likely not having their first job until they got to college. For many, their first job is right out of college. They watched an average of 30 hours of television a week, adopting the values of popular culture. Along the way, they missed the basic skills necessary in a corporate environment, like goal-setting, strategizing for their future, time management, and communicating outside email or IM! Instead – they grew up with a “faster is better” mentality – seeing the beginning and magical ending, but no struggle in the middle. They were told what to like, where to be, when to be there – they weren’t encouraged to think for themselves, explore who they are, or learn about facing adversity.
So, with this in mind, what can organizations do to retain and motivate generations X and Y – get them to perform and stop griping about things like “balance” so much? Here are 3 great ideas to get you started:
1. Don’t take them personally! When they say things like “I’m going to have your job in 6 months” and you’re a Senior VP of the company, recognize it’s not about you – they just don’t get it!
2. Don’t make assumptions about what they “should” know. When you see a gap, provide the training they need, either one-on-one or through formal programs. As a manager, sitting down with your young employees and helping them see the progressive steps in their career, will help reduce their anxiety and build loyalty – yes, they perceive you care! Also, providing workshops on time management, goal-setting, networking, and career management are very helpful.
3. Ask them what they want/need, and help them see the context in which you make the decision about what is possible to do for them. I have come into companies and facilitated discussions with generation X and Y employees to determine exactly what they want and helped generate a way to give them what they want while keeping an eye on the bottom line. Simply caring enough to ask them what they want makes a big difference – again, they perceive the organization cares about them!
When organizations can let go of “the way it’s always been” and become focused on the benefits of an engaged workforce throughout the organization, so much more can be achieved! I challenge your organization to listen to what your generation X and Y employees are asking for – and generate a plan with them to achieve your bottom line results.
What You want balance Weve got work to get done - To learn more about this author, visit Misti Burmeister's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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