What Gen Y Workers Wish Managers Knew About Managing

Article #48

Is your company attracting then retaining bright, younger workers successfully? Is your community keeping its best and brightest or are they moving away for greener pastures?

This begs the question: What do Gen Y workers want anyway? And what exactly do they expect from a boss in terms of managing work efforts, effectively?

To prepare for a meeting with city leaders, I recently met with an interesting Gen Y/Xer (she’s between the demographer lines) who works in a professional staff position in my city.

Our city, like others, is attempting to understand how we can do a better job of keeping our best/brightest talent here—and not move away to your city, for example!

When this young lady shared with me how much she had enjoyed working at a previous position in Washington, D.C. (prior to moving to my city of Springfield, MO) especially how she had loved working for the management at that organization, I was really curious. I asked her to explain exactly what the management had done to make it such a great work experience.

Her answer was insightful, it also serves as a good reminder for what many Gen Y workers want today.

What Gen Yers Wish Managers Knew About Managing:

Shed titles. Contrast that with managers who use a title (and its authority) to control others. The managers at the Washington organization weren’t interested in ‘controlling’ but in collaborating with employees more effectively, hence they shed the formality of their titles and got on her level. While they still held a title, of course, they didn’t allow those titles to create distance or tension—as in I’m over you and I’m your boss so I do as I say.

Enthusiastically embrace ideas. Contrast this with managers who ‘hear’ the ideas and suggestions of employees, but just never do anything with the input. To fully embrace ideas, she shared that a manager must be sincere about implementing and acting on the ideas that have merit. Now, that doesn’t mean that a manager must act on every idea, she emphasized, but they ought to follow-up with an employee to give them status on their idea, explain what will be done or why it cannot be acted on at this time, as well as genuinely thank the employee for the input.
Make the employee feel like they are essential. This Gen Yer told me that when the office had a meeting she was made to feel like “they couldn’t have a meeting without me!” Needless to say she knew better, and yet in clearly demonstrated ways her perspective was consistently sought out, and too, it was highly valued as much as any other person’s.
Make the employee feel like they can help influence outcomes. Gen Yers want to ‘own’ their work. Twenty years ago this notion was popularized as ‘get your employees to take ownership.’ Books and seminars shoved that mantra down into our heads until we got it. But did we? Today, with even greater voracity this generation pleads to be taken seriously, implores management to let them own their outcomes! In the words of another Gen Yer, a professional CPA I interviewed for my research, “Give me ownership and involvement in my work and I’ll give you my all”

Bottom-line: Relating to and motivating Gen Y workers to high levels of performance isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Don’t lord a title over them, relate on their level, genuinely embrace ideas, appreciate their input, and give them a definitive role in helping to influence the outcomes.

Mark Holmes helps companies increase sales, service and employee performance. He utilizes twenty-four years of experience advising, training, and coaching some of America’s most successful small and large companies. His ideas on employee retention, employee motivation, customer service and leadership have been widely featured in major national media like FOX, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, BNET and The Wall Street Journal.