Analyst: Businesses must alter management style to retain young employees

LAS VEGAS — Job applicants are getting younger and bringing with them unconventional expectations for the workplace, which can lead to a disruption in the typical small business operation, according to Ryan Jenkins, a researcher, columnist and blogger who specializes in helping businesses hire Millennials.

Last year was the first year in which the Millennial generation, considered to be those ages 19-35, outnumbered Baby Boomers (ages 52-70) and Generation X (ages 36-51) in the U.S. work force, Mr. Jenkins told attendees at the Automotive Aftermarket Parts Expo in Las Vegas last November.

In conjunction with the changing age of the work force, the work environment — the tools, the pace and the methods — has been changing quickly the last five years, and it's only going to accelerate in the future, he said.

Millennials are the most educated generation, with about 63 percent holding a bachelor's degree, he said. They also are restless as more than half expect to leave their current jobs in three years or less.

"The key word here is 'expect,'" he said, noting that in reality, it's more common for Millennials to stay only two years or less at a given job.

This may be due to the younger generation, which grew up with the Internet, mobile technology and a global viewpoint, feeling disengaged at a traditional job and desiring to work independently.

"Entrepreneurialship has never been easier than it is today. You can have an idea, go down to a Starbucks — it has Internet connection — jump online, create a business, market it to the world or via social media, and you're in business," Mr. Jenkins said.

"Today it's a badge of honor to be an entrepreneur, especially with this emerging generation because they want to be entrepreneurs," he said.

"If you're trying to recruit this talent into your organizations, not only are you competing with your competitors for the right talent, you are actually competing with Millennials with ambition and resources to be an entrepreneur. So there are new dynamics at play now.

"That also factors in trying to retain them, because it's easier for them to strike out on their own to try something new," said Mr. Jenkins, noting that it creates more accountability on organizations to attract and retain employees.

While generational friction is nothing new in the workplace, the current situation is different due to technology and the Internet, he said.

"Those two items have leveled the playing field. It's changed the game...coupled with the largest generation on the planet, and that's the recipe for massive disruption."

Attracting Millennials

In his columns, Mr. Jenkins has noted that businesses have to advertise themselves to attract younger job applicants.

When considering a job opening, Millennials usually research the company's culture and values, its perks and benefits, and employee reviews.

Twenty-two percent of Millennials are likely to follow a company on social media to find out more about a potential employer, he added, with one out of three Millennials using social media to find a job.

Mr. Jenkins suggested a company attract job applicants by promoting its business culture online.

A company should consider showcasing its employees sharing their authentic perspectives of the company on social media and on its website. The company also can promote itself by using social media consistently to communicate the company's values, perks, etc., he said.

Retaining employees

Mr. Jenkins said that video and online gaming created a generation that desires constant feedback (they tap a button on a device and something happens); making a difference (they "save the planet" in a video game); and collaboration (many games involve teaming with other online players from around the world).

They are contributors looking for an active role and an immediate impact (due to the influence of Twitter and Tumblr blogging), he said.

Since Millennials are early adopters of technology and seek out opportunities to innovate, they expect the companies they choose to work for to have innovative tools and technology so they can work smarter.

Mr. Jenkins suggested companies engage and retain Millennial employees with four strategies: communicate via emails and texts; implement reverse mentoring; measure output vs. input; and offer self reviews.

Communication brevity

Different generations prefer to communicate differently, he noted. For example, Baby Boomers prefer to schedule face-to-face meetings or phone calls to discuss business matters while Millennials prefer brevityand quick responses through emails or texts.

Millennials believe online communication is more effective, he said, and since they grew up dependent on technology, such as the Internet and iPhones, employers need to use the latest technology to engage young workers.

Reverse mentoring

Anyone who raised Millennials probably experienced kids serving as the household tech support, teaching parents how to fix a computer problem or troubleshoot a cellphone. Millennials have been reverse-mentoring their parents or grandparents on technology for as long as they can remember, Mr. Jenkins noted.

"So they are very comfortable in a reverse-mentoring role because they have been coaching up for as long as they can remember.

"That's why today is different than any other time in history. Never in the history of humanity have we had a generation, an emerging generation, that actually has skill sets and knowledge that previous generations don't have," he said.

In fact, 58 percent of managers believe Millennials have skill sets that older employees don't have, which creates a lot of friction in the workplace, he said.

However, the younger generation can learn to develop communication skills while teaching the older generation about technology, he said.

"When you engage in that reverse-mentoring role, by default you (the older generation) are actually modeling what good communications skills looks like," he said.

"You can model what it looks like to have a firm handshake, the power of eye contact, and what it looks like to have proper body language during a face-to-face interaction."

Output vs. input

Each generation has a different perspective about work, Mr. Jenkins said. Millennials are looking for fulfilling, purposeful work that they can accomplish in a smarter way and get done faster with "smart cuts."

The younger generation is looking at how much impact they can have on a organization in a short amount of time, he said.

So Millennial employees might not be working long hours like Boomers because they can create much more output with a fraction of the time, he noted. This is due to the technology they have now, which has moved their ability to work from an office with fixed communication to work anywhere with mobile communications.

"That's changed the game. That's changed how they do work, how they view work," he said.

Mr. Jenkins noted that managers should focus on encouraging the employee's output and results, rather than the input of time and how long the employee has been in the office.

"We want to empower the next generation to do more with what they have. Rethink the traditional processes or legacy thinking we have in our organizations.

"As leaders, we have to get really good at communicating what is expected of our employees, especially the younger generation. Make it very clear on the outcomes you need them to achieve."

Self reviews

Millennials who grew up on sports teams, video games and social media desire daily feedback from their peers and mentors, and they expect to work in a team dynamic, Mr. Jenkins said.

In the video gaming world, there is no hierarchy but a team of players going after a common goal.

"They see authority figures as equals, and they want to have input. They want to co-create, and a lot of them have no problem shooting off an email to the CEO or president on Day 2 asking if they want to go to lunch," Mr. Jenkins said.

The Internet also allowed Millennials at an early age the ability to customize different aspects of their lives, so now they bring that expectation to the workplace and expect a certain level of customization with their career, he said.

They also expect constant feedback on how they are doing in their jobs, he noted. While Boomers may think "no news is good news" from the boss, Millennials will panic at the silence and think they are not doing a good job, he said.

"If we are honest with ourselves, I think our idea of feedback is dated and it should be revised," Mr. Jenkins said. "When you think about feedback, you typically think of (job reviews as) monthly, semi-annually, annually, perhaps two people getting together scheduling time on their calender.... It's a terrible experience as feedback goes. We now live in a robust and highly connected and fast world where we can deliver more real-time feedback.

"This feedback isn't pats on the head and pats on the back. Feedback is constructive and helpful, that is going to advance the objective or advance your organization."

Mr. Jenkins said the younger generation wants more feedback and more insights on how they are doing their job.

"A lot of times previous generations have a hard time delivering as much feedback as the Millennials want, and often the corporate structure, or how our organizations are set up, doesn't allow for more constant or real-time feedback. If that's the case, then consider more self reviews," he said.

He suggested businesses provide Millennials with a definitive understanding of what they are expected to do and a detailed job description. Then the employee can use apps or programs to complete a review of their own work and get peers to help in the feedback process.

Research indicates Millennials tend to be more critical of their own work if they are the ones evaluating their work rather than a manager, Mr. Jenkins said.

It's hard to lie to yourself when reviewing your own performance, he added, and this process turns managers into coaches — and Millennials want their bosses to be coaches. Millennials grew up on sports teams surrounded by coaches all the time, so they are looking for more coaching from their leaders, he said.

With a self-review, the manager can affirm when things are going well and then encourage or coach where they have identified some weaknesses, Mr. Jenkins said.

Retain with gamification

Mr. Jenkins suggested in one of his blogs that companies use the attributes of online video games to make a Millennial's job more attractive and challenging:

Customize the job: Much like customizing an avatar in a game with certain abilities, traits and appearances, young employees prosper when they can customize their objectives and how they approach a goal, and when they have options for job growth.

Control over their tasks: Just as Millennials could use a game controller to accomplish a mission, they desire having responsibility over their job duties.

Cultivate life skills: In the gaming world, Millennials could use tutorials to improve their skills to accomplish a mission. Likewise employers should communicate to employees what is expected of them and then direct them to where they can go to advance themselves and do the task better and faster.

Collaborate: Millennials are familiar with playing online with other people and then posting their scores. Employers should harness this desire for sharing and collaborating to foster competition and innovation among their team members.

Consequence of effort: Millennials want to have an impact. Just as they struggle through different levels of a puzzle or game to win a mission, they are more likely to put their efforts into a work project if the employer communicates the goal for which they are striving.

Mr. Jenkins said in a blog post that while there are many disconnects between generations in the workplace, there are also many benefits.

"It's important to think of your multi-generational work force as a Swiss Army knife of intelligence, experience, and potential. Each generation carries a unique set of experiences and contributions that can be tapped for new ideas.

A generationally diverse work force can be your greatest catalyst in our ever-changing world."