Managing younger workers

You may need to adjust your management style to get better results from younger workers.

by Robert W. Wendover

How does a “fifty-something” manage a “twenty-something”? For that matter, how does a “thirty-something” manage a “sixty-something”?

People in other generations don’t think right. They don’t act right. They don’t have the right values. Why don’t they all act like normal people? It can’t possibly be us, it’s got to be them!

In order for managers to effectively lead people from different generations, they must first understand them.

Today’s workers can loosely be divided into four generations. The oldest of the groups is the Matures, born prior to 1946. They grew up in extended families, lived through or heard endless stories about the Great Depression and World War II. They believe in the concepts of hard work, sacrifice for the common good, respect for authority and loyalty to the organization.

The second oldest group is the Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964. These are the offspring of the Matures. Instead of being surrounded by extended family, Boomers were surrounded by television and their neighbors in suburbia who may not have shared the same values. They lived in tumultuous times, where peers experimented with sex, drugs, rock-n-roll and joined the civil rights movement. Many have returned to values like loyalty and hard work that they learned from their parents; they just wanted to explore their own ways of doing things.

The third generation is Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, in an era that saw Vietnam, Watergate, corporate downsizing, AIDS and terrorism. They have also grown up with a dose of technology that earlier generations never experienced. As technology has advanced, the pace of society has gotten faster and faster. All of these experiences taught the average Xer to be self-reliant and personally focused. When an Xer leaves a job at a moment’s notice and the Boomer manager says, “Where’s your loyalty?” the Xer may respond, “Why should I be loyal? You could lay me off tomorrow.”

The youngest group is called the Millenials, or Generation Y, born between 1981 and 1991. They are the most diverse generation in U.S. history, with one in three considered a minority. One in four comes from a single-parent family. They grew up in a menu-driven society that allows them to make choices without doing the research. “If it’s not on the Internet, I don’t need it for my term paper.” This results in a surprising lack of critical thinking skills the rest of us take for granted.

Differing work views
One of the major differences between Baby Boomers and Generation X is their approach to problem solving. Boomers are more likely to believe in the system, at least initially, while Xers bring their inherent skepticism to the table.

Consider the rules and procedures you implement within the work place. Xers are used to problem solving and looking for ways to use resources to their best advantage. Unless you clearly explain the spirit of the rule, and have their investment, be ready for some of them to interpret it in a way you didn’t expect.

Then there are the Millenials. Because of the explosion of technology and America’s focus on convenience, the Millenials have developed a different set of expectations about the world of work.

While Generation X grew up in tumultuous times and learned to fend for themselves, Millenials matured in a world where shortcuts, manipulation of rules and situational ethics seem to reign. Teachers tell me of countless efforts on the part of some parents, for instance, who ask them to re-evaluate their child’s unsatisfactory work rather than letting the grade stand. These youngsters witness the fudging of rules and expectations within organizations when adults attempt to use the system to their advantage. They watch organizations, large and small, lobby within governments to push legislation that will produce the outcome the organization desires.

As this generation leaves school and enters the work world, this all lands in the laps of businesses. Increasingly, I hear from employers who tell stories of parents calling to explain their child’s absence from the job, or to simply make sure “everything’s going okay.” At the same time, these managers relate frustrations of young workers being unable to make quick decisions when the situation is less than clear. “They may have straight As in school,” said one, “but they don’t seem to have the street smarts we’ve taken for granted in Generation X.”

How to lead workers of all ages
What’s the solution? While the jury is still out, here are some quick suggestions to address some of the challenges these new workers present:

Be extremely clear in your delegation of tasks. Provide straightforward steps for decision-making when dealing with the variety of situations likely to come their way.

Provide proper support. While we would like to think that new employees will use their common sense, their version of common sense may be different from ours. Maintain closer supervision until they are comfortable working on their own.

Speak from the corporate values. When a manager explains what the company defines as good performance, there is little room for employee manipulation. Managers who make supervisory decisions based on personal beliefs will increasingly find themselves challenged by younger employees who do not share the same values.

Have the courage to correct behavior. Managers are sometimes dissuaded from taking action for fear of litigation. But failing to act clearly when rules and practices are violated communicates a message to everyone that organizational policies are inconsistent. Take action, document and follow through.

Learn all you can about other generations. The more you know about the shared life experiences of other ages, the more you can understand their expectations, values and fears. That’s right, fears. Once a person has been programmed with certain values in their formative years, most become uncomfortable changing their core beliefs about work and society in general. Telling a Mature, for instance, that he can’t work overtime has the same effect as telling an Xer that she must. Both feel their rights are being violated, one because he can’t earn more money and the other because she can’t spend time with her friends or family.

Manage according to values and attitudes. There is nothing Xers like better than to be given a desired outcome, the necessary resources and a chance to prove themselves. Delegate the outcome instead of the individual tasks.

With Millenials, the exact opposite appears to be true. The lack of critical thinking skills many employers observe in these individuals means that delegating by tasks is the tool of choice. This does not mean they will remain this way forever, but they are different in their expectations from Xers. That requires balancing two differing styles of management at the same time. If you don’t master this balance, the alternative can be costly.

Provide the opportunity to grow. If there is one universal chance that people embrace, it is the chance to grow, but on their terms and with their priorities. How well do your people see the big picture and where they fit in? How often do you take the time to tailor those messages to what they value? When was the last time you spent some real one-on-one time with your younger workers? Knowing that most of them have grown up as latchkey kids, it’s easy to understand why they value quality time with people they respect.

If we are to lead the generations, we must first understand their priorities. But when we take the time to discover those values, the leadership will come with ease.

This article originally appeared in the STAFDA 27th Annual Convention issue of Progressive Distributor. Copyright 2003.

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