1 Session 3: Understanding, Recruiting, and Managing the Gen Y Workforce Future Gen Y Superstar -->

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Session 3: Understanding, Recruiting, and Managing the Gen Y Workforce

Future Gen Y Superstar -->

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Today’s Topics:

Part I: Who are these people? Part II: Getting them to the interview--

What kinds of recruitment strategies/techniques are being used out there, what do they respond to, and what can we do?

Part III: Keeping them around– What management techniques/styles do they respond to best?

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So Who Are These People? SomeCharacteristics of Gen Y:

Born between 1978-2000—they are 76 million strong

They respect the short term—if it’s not instantaneous, it isn’t relevant

They have been bombarded by the media and advertising more than any other generation

They are extremely comfortable with technology

So Who Are These People? Some Characteristics of Gen Y: They are extremely accepting of diversity They consider themselves masterful

multi-taskers (how successful they are is debatable)

They can be contradictory in some ways—they profess to value long term job security but can also be very focused on the short term (What can you do for me right now?)

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So Who Are These People? Some Characteristics of Gen Y:

Gen Yers are more idealistic than any other new youth cohort since the first wave of Baby Boomers came of age in the 60s

However, they are highly skeptical, at times cynical, and often distrustful of corporate America

So Who Are These People? Some Characteristics of Gen Y:

They are more concerned about the well-being of the planet, humankind, and their communities than most older cohorts were in their twenties

Because they are so used to acquiring info so quickly, they can sometimes come across as “know it alls” to other generations

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How Were They Raised? While Gen Xers were the great

unsupervised generation, Gen Y is said to be the great over supervised generation

Determined to create a generation of “super children,” many parents may have accelerated their childhoods in some ways

Typically used to being guided, directed, supported, coached, protected, nurtured, scheduled, measured, medicated, accommodated, awarded, and rewarded

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How Were They Raised?Everyone is a winner, their

feelings are just as valid/important as anyone else’s, and there is no wrong answer

Raised to respect test scores and benchmarks as a way to measure their success/worthiness—can be very competitive in this regard

How Were They Raised? They tend to stay connected to their

parents, often seeing them as friends and trustworthy consultants (called “helicopter parenting”)

Many were raised to question authority rather than blindly accept it

They may expect to be taken seriously before you feel they’ve “earned it”

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What Major Events Have ShapedTheir Lives? 9-11 and Iraq war Shootings at Columbine and other

schools Enron debacle (and other

corporate scandals) Clinton/Lewinsky scandal (and

other political scandals) Tech boom and then bust Heavy downsizing and outsourcing

What Major Events Have ShapedTheir Lives?

Rapid rise of the Internet, social media, and technology in general

Environmental issues/consciousness Hurricane Katrina and other natural

disasters Housing market turmoil/recession All of these events (and others) have

helped make Gen Y highly skeptical of standard institutions and hierarchy

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Some Common Misconceptions Gen Yers are disloyal- they can be

very loyal, but do not expect blind loyalty. They subscribe to “transactional loyalty” (what matters most is whatever you can negotiate as their boss)

They won’t do the grunt work- they will do it if they know you are keeping “score.” Work needs to have a clear pay off if they are doing it for an extended period of time

Some Common Misconceptions They have short attention spans -

there can be some truth in this, but they can switch their focus to be in sync with the world around them faster and more successfully than you realize

They need work to be “fun” – Gen Yers want to be taken seriously; “fun” for them means work is meaningful, challenging, and real

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Some Common Misconceptions They want their managers to do

their work for them – They want to do it themselves, but they want you to teach them how to do it very well and very fast

Money is the only thing that matters–while they want to make as much as they can, they also want to know what they need to do to earn more—they will expect a clear path to follow

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Some Common Misconceptions They don’t want to work up the

ladder- They want to hit the ground running, but they also want to identify and solve problems you have not thought of and make an impact.

They don’t respect the older generation – They really do respect their elders. Mostly, they respect what you can offer them by virtue of your seniority and they want you to respect what they have to offer

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Some Common Misconceptions They are only interested in

learning from computers – Yes, but they also can respond strongly to coaching, mentoring, and interaction—in fact, they most likely expect it due to their upbringing

They won’t stick around – Not necessarily true. But, they need to see their workplace as somewhere that values and recognizes their talent, gives them a “plan,” and keeps its promises

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How Do They View the Workplace? They generally have very high

expectations for themselves and their employers—they will expect the most from their immediate supervisor

They often have been raised to see themselves as the “customer”---this can irritate some managers

They see the workplace as a “second home” that will notice their efforts and successes, no matter how small

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Bottom Line Managers can find Gen Yers a

challenge to supervise, but that’s likely because they are largely misunderstood and not managed in a way that brings out the best in them

Some of their workplace expectations can be unrealistic and unattainable—this is partly due to their youth and inexperience in general

Bottom Line

If you want high performance out of this generation, you need to commit to high contact management

Don’t let any of this discourage you—they really can be valuable, productive, and loyal workers for you with some awareness, grooming, and effort

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Recruiting Gen Y--The Two Biggest Mistakes Managers Make:

Managers who turn a recruitment into an unrealistic sales pitch that seems too good to be true or does not represent what they will actually be doing once they start

Managers who keep them waiting too long to start or do not keep in contact with them prior to starting

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Your Overall Goal: Managers must make a systematic

effort to find the right candidates, develop strong and honest recruitment

campaigns, implement rigorous selection

techniques, and particularly with Gen Y, they must get

their new staff excited to start

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How to Get Their Attention

How a department presents its recruitment campaign can be critical

Ads should be visually interesting and user friendly

They must be able to apply easily online—Gen Yers feel more comfortable and secure applying this way than in person

What Are Other Organizations Doing to Recruit Gen Y?

More companies are realizing the power of their website. They recognize Gen Y wants to knowWhat is your mission?What do you value?What are your career opportunities?What’s in it for me to work for you?

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They incorporate very “you” centric language throughout

They use the latest technology on their websites and career links (i.e. using Flash, incorporating video onto their websites, using “apps,” etc.)

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What Are Other OrganizationsDoing to Recruit Gen Y? More organizations are using contemporary

recruitment methods (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, iPhone apps, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.)

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What Are Other OrganizationsDoing to Recruit Gen Y?

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What Are Some Other State Agencies Doing to Recruit Gen Y?

http://www.calpers.ca.gov/index.jsp?bc=/about/career/home.xml

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Bottom Line…

The message conveyed in the recruitment must speak to them- it must be compelling but honest

Consider what they are looking for in the workforce and try to tailor it to what you can provide in your unit

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So What Are They Looking For?

Flexibility (i.e. telework, seating choice, how they do their work, how they can dress, etc.)—most want a “custom deal”

Opportunity to learn/train/grow Interest in Green Issues“Meaningful” work (their effort

will matter and be recognized)

So What Are They Looking For? Accessibility to the latest

technology/tools (fast information) Your appreciation for work/life

balance—otherwise, they will be gone

Human contact—most enjoy collaborating with others and will covet regular contact with you

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Examples of Recruitment Campaigns Targeted at a Gen Y Audience:

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Examples of Recruitment Campaigns Targeted at a Gen Y Audience

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So What Can Departments Do? Add content to our external

websites which “sell” the State as an employer of choice

Advertise through other mediums (social media, career fairs, Monster.com, etc.)

Modify JOBs to be more in alignment with private sector

Run competency-based recruitments

A First Step: New JOB Templates for the Department of Technology Hundreds of ads were reviewed for

comparable IT positions in the private sector

Trends and verbiage were identified and new JOB templates were developed, one for each Division/Office

Instead of focusing on duty statement content exclusively, the new JOBs incorporate much of the same language used by competing organizations

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A First Step: New JOB Templates for the Department of Technology

JOBs are now very “you” centric and do the following:Clarify the mission of the department

and indicate what the department can offer the employee

Briefly summarize what the position entails

Provide specific KSAs the manager is seeking, and

State how to apply43

Example: New JOB for the Administration Division

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Example: New JOB for the Administration Division

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Interviewing Gen Y Gen Yers can be very good at landing

the job (they can be good at telling you what you want to hear) but can soon demonstrate some poor work habits

Sometimes this is due to lack of experience, but sometimes it’s directly related to their generation

Use behavioral-based interview questions to better assess who they are

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Interviewing Gen Y Give applicants a concrete task

to complete to further measure and demonstrate their skill set and/or competencies. Examples includeAn editing or writing taskA problem to solveA PowerPoint to be developed

beforehand and delivered to the panel

Interviewing Gen Y

Make sure your interview is rigorous and don’t sugar coat the job—always tell it like it is.

Tell them the perks and realities—Gen Yers appreciate honesty since they can see it as a rarity in the workplace

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Onboarding Your New Staff It’s critical that you stay in contact with

your new Gen Yer before he or she even starts. Things you can do: Assign the Gen Yer to another willing staff

member who will stay in contact, answer questions, function as a mentor/advisor, etc.

Send a “welcome” email and add your Gen Yer to unit emails—send him/her background material or info on upcoming projects on which s/he will participate

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Before They Even Start…

Give him/her a tour of the facility and a chance to meet other staff—feeling connected is often very important to them

Whatever you do, avoid silence during the intervening time between the offer, acceptance, and day one—don’t lose a Gen Yer to the competition

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Retaining Your Gen Yer: Day One Day one is vital—your Gen Yer will likely

come to work excited and want to start right away on projects

Make sure they are greeted and made to feel welcome by you in particular

Ideally, they should be paired up with another staff who can function as a mentor/advisor

Do not plant your new hire in a corner with a stack of manuals to read…alone

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How Do You Manage Them? General Advice:

Use a strong but encouraging hand—without strong management, there becomes a void where their parents have always been

Make sure they know that you know who they are and that you care about their successes—you can’t fight the over-parenting phenomenon, so realize that your strategies must take this into consideration

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How Do You Manage Them?Specific Techniques:

1) Show them that you care: This does not mean coddling or catering to

them—it means spending regular one-on-one time with them

Always refer to them by name (Gen Yers often love their own names)

Set individual goals (i.e. if you achieve A, then you get B, etc.)

Try using the Professional Development Questionnaire and Training Plan, the Employee Knowledge/Skills and Training Inventory, and/or a formal Mentoring Agreement

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2) Give them boundaries and structure:Gen Yers want freedom-they appreciate

latitude when it can be givenThey are also used to being hyper

scheduled, so they often expect structure

They will appreciate and respect you more if they don’t think you are wasting their time (i.e. “why didn’t you tell me to do it this way in the first place?”)


Your overall goal:Give them a structure within

which they can function with some autonomy

Spell out expectations, follow up regularly, and have measurable tasks to show you are keeping “score”

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3) Negotiate rewards in small increments:Keep their “customer mentality” in mind

and embrace it—trade rewards for resultsAsk them what they need from you and

tell them specifically what you need from them; put this in writing if appropriate

Reward them however possible--recognition in front of the group, privately, via email, etc.

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4) Give them the gift of context:You will likely need to help them

understand that no matter what, his/her role in any situation is determined in large part by factors that are not in their control

You will likely need to help them anticipate and understand the organization’s dynamics and culture

Don’t be surprised if your Gen Yer tries to go around you to get an answer

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Give them the gift of context con’t: They may need help understanding that

despite interdependencies, they are still expected to meet deadlines (“I couldn’t finish because I was waiting on so-and-so”)

Teach them to focus on tasks they can complete in the meantime

Teach them when it is most appropriate to bring you or another authority figure in to help (your Gen Yer may rely on you too heavily or not enough)

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5) Appeal to their desire for challenging, measurable tasks:

Your Gen Yer may clamor for new tasks before s/he has mastered the previous one

If you ignore these requests, they will feel unimportant and as if their talent is being wasted

If they ask for tasks that are too complex to do independently, try to avoid telling them “no” altogether; give them a small part of a more complicated task and see how they perform

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5) Appeal to their desire for challenging, measurable tasks con’t If successful, assign another part, and

so on. Even small pieces will provide a sense of accomplishment

Gen Yers often respond strongly to checklists, forms, activity logs, or other tools that measure and track their progress that they can show you

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How Do You Manage Them? Specific Techniques

6) Help them understand the meaning of customer service:Your Gen Yer may have the mindset

of “Are you ready to give me a good job experience now?” rather than “What can I do for the customer?”

You may have to teach them that they are in fact not the customer and everyone else they deal with is—their co-workers, managers, vendors, etc.

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How Do You Manage Them?Specific Techniques

7) Teach them self-management:Gen Yers can be very advanced in

their knowledge and technical skills but can lack maturity when it comes to basic self-management

Managers often report that their Gen Yers can be both unaware and unconcerned about skill set gaps

You may need to teach them how to make the most of their time

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How Do You Manage Them:Specific Techniques

7) Teach them self-management con’tThey may need help recognizing time-

wasters and how to set priorities Teach them to use notes, checklists,

templates, and to document regularly—make this part of their work culture from the onset

Try and teach them to live by a schedule—while they say they want freedom, they can respond favorably to this

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7) Teach them self-management con’t:Overall, most Gen Yers treasure time

above all other non-financial rewards because they feel they have so little of it

If you can help them see how they are not using their time more efficiently, they will greatly appreciate, respect, and respond to suggestions

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8) Teach them how to be managed by you:Managers should spell out their exact

expectationsAvoid too many “rules”— too many = they

lose meaning and impactSchedule regular discussions about their

work; use an agendaRegular meetings will send a powerful

message that you care about their success and also expect accountability

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8) Teach them how to be managed by you con’t:The better the employee, the more

attention s/he will likely want Gen Yers often take criticism hard Avoid soft peddling your feedback or

withholding it—this is a disserviceProvide consistent, honest feedback

that is a positive and constructive mix and focuses on their continuous improvement

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Final Thoughts…They may need some help, but

Gen Yers are often incredibly hard workers who really want to please you—they have been groomed to please others

They can in fact be very loyal if they feel you care about their wants and needs and you stay connected to them

Final Thoughts Many companies are finding creative

ways to ensure their Gen Y staff have a strong work-life balance—they are winning (and keeping) talented staff—the State needs to do the same

They are the future workforce—you might as well start learning how to make them the best worker for you that is possible

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Questions? Comments?

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An Excellent Resource…

Not Everyone Gets a Trophy by Bruce Tulgan

1 Session 3: Understanding, Recruiting, and Managing the Gen Y Workforce Future Gen Y Superstar -->

Documents

characteristics of gen

technology slide

outsourcing slide

regard slide

rewarded slide

gen yers

gen xers

major events