We all know the benefits of a motivated team. Enthusiasm, creativity, productivity and a positive working atmosphere are all outcomes of employees who like their jobs and want to move the company forwards.
Over the years, companies have adapted HR strategies that motivate their employees and keep them loyal, while requiring certain sacrifices on their part in exchange for job security and a good salary.
Boomers seemed so easy!
The Baby Boomer Generation and the X Generation understood that work hours were generally spent in a physical office space, with little or no contact with family or friends during that time. On balance, they stayed in jobs for a long time, fearing the insecurity of moving around, and didn’t factor living in foreign countries into their career plans. These generations did not actively seek out feedback or constantly varying tasks, rather getting on with the job at hand.
Hello Gen Y
Enter the Y Generation, also known as the Millennials. This is a group that views work quite differently, and whose work patterns and motivations vary quite considerably from their predecessors.
Descriptions of the Y Generation in the workplace are not always glowing; they are often accused of being headstrong and high maintenance, with a frustrating attachment to their smartphones. They are also known to get bored easily, switch jobs frequently, and often rate work as less important than time with family and friends.
For those managers who are unaccustomed to these behaviours in their team, these employees can be a challenge, and their high expectations demand a different set of management skills in order to allow them to perform at their best.
It’s worth it, for their best can be very good indeed. Let’s take a look at some of the positives of the new generation of workers, and how you can use those positives to motivate them.
1. They are very tech-savvy. There are few businesses that don’t appreciate tech-savvy employees in our increasingly digital world. Appreciate their skills and use them to the company’s advantage.
2. They are flexible. Some boomer employees struggle to multitask, or resent being pulled away from one job to start another. This is something that generation Y absolutely excel at, and they thrive in an environment where they are doing varied tasks. You will motivate and hold onto your millennial staff if you ensure they have diverse responsibilities.
3. They are full of ideas. One common criticism about the Y-generation is that they always expect their ideas to be heard, which sometimes grates on the senior staff. But a creative, ideas-sharing workplace is a dynamic and fresh-thinking one, and ideas should be encouraged.
4. They want regular feedback. How can that be a bad thing? Where the Baby Boomers might just want to get on with things and be left alone by the boss, your gen y team members really want to know how they are doing and what they are working towards. They want to be involved and inspired. Once you get over the fact that you will have to set aside some time for more performance appraisals or informal chats, then you will benefit from a motivated staff member who is happy to be guided when they’re going off track. That’s one powerful positive.
5. They are results-focussed. This means that they can work from home to targets with flexible hours- meaning your company can outsource or have remote workers, lowering overheads.
6. They believe in merit over seniority, and want quick progression. This again can challenge the status quo, but good business sense also dictates that those who show the talent are the ones that should be promoted to drive your business forward.
7. They have quite healthy boundaries when it comes to work/life balance. This aspect is often posed as a negative, for many managers bemoan the clock-watching ethos of the younger generation. Yet those who have a healthy social life and don’t spend long nights at the office are much less likely to burn out or become resentful for being overworked, meaning they can be counted on in the long-term.
8. They want an exciting, fulfilled life, and are very adaptable. These are the perfect employees to move about- if you have a new office opening overseas or in another city, Gen Y’s will often jump at this chance. They embrace change; use this to your advantage.
Summary
• Use their fresh ideas to re-energise your business
• Let them work from home to clear targets
• Give them regular feedback
• If they deserve promotion, give them promotion, or at least a clear pathway
• Keep their jobs diverse
Until next time,
Julia
