Gen Ys or most commonly known as Millennials, use social media during working hours, they don’t expect to stay with your company for long and they need lots of TLC to keep them happy.
Here are six tips to help keep your Gen Y employees engaged and happy while at work.
Key Takeaways:
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Get Gen Ys involved and apart of a team with work-related activities.
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Allow for more flexibility with their schedule because they are often more productive when they work when it’s best for them.
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Give them opportunities for growth and advancement in their career.
Why Should You Employ a Gen Y?
Because in just a few short years, they will comprise half of the entire workforce in the Western world.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Gen Ys are going to play a big role in the future success of your business, so now’s a good time to learn what makes them tick and how to get the best out of them in the workplace.
Gen Ys can be broadly characterized as:
Tech savvy – the internet and mobile devices are their toys, which is why they are also sometimes known as Net Gens.
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Itinerant. The Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts that Gen Ys will work 29 jobs across five different industries during their careers.
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Socially connected. They use social media constantly and view work as a social outlet.
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Easily bored. They are used to being entertained by different media simultaneously, so they look for constant stimulation in the workplace.
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Needy. They require constant feedback and reassurance, which can mean high maintenance.
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Celebrity-obsessed. They want what their idols have and believe they can achieve it. They view their job with you as a mere stepping stone on the way to their dream job.
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Self-absorbed. From Day One they will think they can do your job better than you can.
If all this sounds discouraging, it isn’t meant to be and obviously, you can’t stereotype an entire generation in this way. There will be exceptions to the rule, but, by and large, expect to see at least some of these traits in your Gen Y workforce.
6 Tips to Engage Gen Ys at Work
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Involve them. Gen Ys like being part of a team. They are constantly consulting with friends and colleagues, so use that need for teamwork to involve them in work-related activities. Encourage them to share their ideas, which are their strongpoint. Not all may be good, but they can sometimes bring a fresh perspective to an old problem.
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Give them feedback. Gen Ys crave feedback and this is not a bad thing. Use this to provide constructive criticism when it is required and give them goals to aspire to.
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Give them flexibility. Gen Ys are the ‘mobile’ generation, who can work anywhere, any time. They don’t care for being stuck in an office cubicle from nine to five (well, who does, really?), so allow them some flexibility. If they need a few hours off to go somewhere, let them go. As long as they are prepared to work longer hours when the heat is on (and they usually will do so willingly if immersed in a project), then it all evens out in the wash.
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Stimulate them. Companies like Microsoft and Google know all about managing Gen Ys. They provide a stimulating work environment that is a cross between work and home, with areas for rest, play, interaction and solitude, which employees are encouraged to use as they see fit. Their employees work longer hours, but because it doesn’t all seem like work, they are happy to do so and are more creative because of it.
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Give them deadlines. Gen Ys are not good at time management or working towards long-term goals. They are the ‘cram the night before the exam’ generation, so set them lots of small deadlines that they can achieve.
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Offer them growth. Gen Ys have high expectations of you and of themselves. They want to learn and, if they feel they are learning what they need to advance, then they will soak it up gladly.
Engaging Gen Ys at Work FAQ
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What does it mean to engage your employees?
Employee engagement is the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker has toward their job. Engaged employees often care about the work that they produce and they want to perform at their best for the company. They know their efforts are making a difference in the company. Engaged employees are at the company for more than just a paycheck.
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How do you improve employee engagement?
When improving employee engagement, you should improve communication and efficiency in the workplace. When your company’s procedures or your technology is outdates, the quality of work that your employees produce is going to be affected. This can result in less employee engagement because they are not proud of the work they are doing. Updating to make it more efficient and effective will help improve engagement.
Communication in the workplace is also one of the most important factors. Communication determines how your employees do their daily tasks and engage with their coworkers. Improve your communication with your employees and you will see an improvement in their engagement.
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Why is employee engagement important?
Employee engagement is important because it can help reduce staff turnover, improve their productivity, and improve customer ratings. When employees are engaged with their work and it is something they enjoy, they are more likely to stay with the company for longer and be more engaged with their work. This helps increase and improve their productivity.
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Who is considered Gen Y?
Generation Y is the Millennial generation, anyone born from 1981 to 1996. Generation Y is called Millennials because they became adults around the time of the millennium. This generation was the first generation to have technology as part of heir everyday lives, and almost all activities are mediated by a screen.
Final Thoughts
66% of Gen Ys surveyed felt progression was the main motivation for looking for a new job and 85% believed a clear plan for future development was the main reason to remain with a current employer.
While giving them all this attention and freedom will hopefully encourage Gen Ys to remain and grow with your company, you must still set some boundaries beyond which they may not go.
Just like a teenager, they will take a mile if you give them an inch, so establish the ground rules at the beginning and explain why those boundaries exist. If they understand why, then they will usually comply.
If all this sounds like a How To book on Coping with the Terrible Teens, it kind of is. ‘Extended adolescence’ is a term often used in association with Gen Ys and some of the techniques suggested here are no doubt recommended for dealing with adolescents.
So get ready! As a recent article in Business Week stated, ‘If you thought you saw a clash when Generation X came into the workforce, that was a fake punch. Watch out!’ Gen Y is on the rise and coming to a workplace near you!
Author
Paul Slezak
With over two decades of experience in the recruitment and human capital industry, Paul Slezak has established himself as a transformative force in the realm of leadership and career coaching, group facilitation, and talent acquisition. His unique perspective, drawn from his early career as a leader in global recruitment firms and his entrepreneurial success with his own start-up, has enabled him to make a significant impact on leaders, teams, and organizations across the world. Paul's passion for helping others achieve success and high performance is evident in his commitment to transforming leaders and their teams at local, national, and international levels. He specializes in promoting the importance of human-centered intelligence, focusing on soft skills such as authenticity, transparency, and trust to complement business-centered acumen and drive better workplace outcomes. As an impartial facilitator, Paul brings his expertise to team offsites and strategy days, ensuring alignment on goals, values, and culture while keeping participants on task. His engaging and energetic presence, coupled with his unique "entertraining" and "edutaining" delivery style, enables him to connect with audiences both large and intimate, sharing personal and professional anecdotes that inspire and energize.
