Dear Aunty,

PLEASE HELP!

I’m fed up with these twentysomethings with their tweets and their texts and their three-second attention spans, rocking up late to work every day oblivious to the needs of anyone but themselves. Apparently I’m meant to call these flickr-and-you’ll-miss-it types ‘colleagues’ and interact with them on a professional level. God only knows how. I mean, I turn up to work every day on time and apply myself with the same passion as I did in my first heady days of employment 18 years ago (and for the record, there was a recession on then too). I get paid a decent wage and I go home satisfied (mostly) with a good day’s toil behind me. I am pleased (even lucky) to be employed and I strive in every way possible to make my job a success – for my employer and myself.  So the question I have is: ‘Why is all of that not enough for these so-called millennial babes? What more do they want? What right do they have to complain so much, expect so much, demand so much? And where, oh where, is their loyalty?’

These are just some of the sentiments held by Gen X and baby boomers alike about their fellow cohort, Generation Y (otherwise known as millennials, generation next or the net generation). Indeed, Gen Y is entering the workforce with an entirely different – some might say alien – set of values, attitudes and expectations. As Graham Brown recently wrote for online blog yourLifeWorks, Gen Y ‘are tech-savvy, travel-mad, self-absorbed, peer-pressured, celebrity-obsessed, Facebook-compulsive, iPod-wearing, brand-conscious 20-somethings who live with their parents and show no loyalty to their employer (and that’s the good stuff).’ So how are we expected to work with them? Manage them? Lead them? And when we’ve got over our annoyance and realise that we need them in order to sustain the workforce, how do we attract them? Engage them? Keep them?

Generational differences

An international survey by global workforce solutions leader Kelly Services (the Kelly Global Workforce Index) recently found that communication styles and attitudes toward rewards are key generational differences that affect workplace productivity. Forty per cent of Australian respondents believe that these differences make the workplace more productive; 23 per cent believe they interfere with productivity; and 24 per cent believe they make no difference.

Kelly Services Managing Director, James Bowmer, said that generational differences can sometimes cause friction between employees but, when properly managed, can also be a source of growth. ‘When the differences between the age groups are harnessed effectively, they can provide a powerful stimulus to creativity and productivity. Rather than trying to smother this diversity, good employers are utilising it to generate fresh ideas and new ways of doing business.’

Among the survey’s key findings were:

• Baby boomers believe they understand the generational differences better than Gen Y or Gen X
• Gen Y are the most positive about the productivity benefits flowing from diverse age groups in the workplace
• In communicating with colleagues, all generations prefer face-to-face discussion over written or electronic communication
• Gen Y and Gen X largely opt for traditional cash rewards while many baby boomers lean toward non-cash benefits such as time off and training opportunities
• Almost half (47 per cent) the respondents said they had experienced intergenerational conflicts in their workplace.

It has long been acknowledged that age-related differences do have an impact on the way people go about their work. Indeed, this survey showed that Gen Y and Gen X employees are more likely than baby boomers to adapt their communication style when dealing with colleagues from a different generation.

Mr Bowmer said it is important that employers recognise the key differences between the generations and manage them effectively in order to achieve a harmonious balance and a productive work environment. ‘Juggling these pressures is challenging but by addressing issues such as compensation and internal communications amongst others, it is possible to reap the benefit from a diverse group of people, and generate conditions that can help organisations to flourish.’

Managing Gen Y

So how do we go about managing Gen Y in the workplace? The following tips come courtesy of a number of HR consultants and commentators on the web:

• Provide challenging work that really matters – Gen Y workers need to feel important
• Don’t look for a Gen Y worker to approach work as you did, i.e. eager to please and willing to do ‘scut’ work or put in extra hours to get ahead
• Offer increasing responsibility rather than cash bonuses as a reward for achievements
• Provide immediate feedback and acknowledgment where possible – Gen Y workers have been brought up on immediate gratification
• Provide ongoing training and learning opportunities – it’s very often ‘lack of training’ that Gen Y workers give as a reason for leaving
• Act as mentors rather than managers – Gen Y workers want to be treated as colleagues, not as beginners or kids
• Allow some flexibility in day-to-day scheduling
• Act as a sounding board – Gen Y workers are brimming with ideas and want to feel heard
• Use innovative ideas for creating a more comfortable, low-key, low-stress workplace – relaxed workplaces are a priority for Gen Y workers
• Focus on work outcomes, but be personable and have a sense of humour
• Make it clear when Gen Y workers can have more freedom to be creative and when they should follow strict guidelines.

So is it a case of managing the unmanageables? Or just a case of changing our expectations?

About the Kelly Global Workforce Index

The Kelly Global Workforce Index is a survey revealing opinions about work and the workplace from a generational viewpoint. Survey results and comments appear courtesy of Kelly Services.

Candice O’Sullivan is Head of Strategy at WellmarkPerspexa, a marketing communications agency proud to have all generations on its books.

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