The professional workforce is getting geared for the huge onrush of Gen Yers to join them and most managers are wary of handling them despite the confidence and positivity that these youngsters seem to project. What is the reason for this fear or rather uncomfortable attitude? Gen Y-ers were born between 1978 and 1998 and this young workforce is raring to go to conquer the work scene.
The media of course has constantly led people to believe that Gen Y is all about drugs, sex and iPods. And with the influx of the internet, Gen Y is one of those generations that grew up with it and did not learn it later as an acquired skill that had become an absolute must to survive. All this seems to have stacked the odds against the Gen Y and this is why managers need to learn a bit more about Gen Y-ers so they can manage them successfully and establish the right kind of work relationship between them.
- Open Mind – When managers begin with a closed mind and have fixed notions about Gen Y, then they’re not helping their case. First of all they need to have an open mind and understand that Gen Y-ers are not lazy and have no sense of direction.
- Fair treatment – Gen Y-ers too deserve a chance to prove themselves so make sure you give them that chance before coming to a decision about them. Treat them as adults because they are, and give them a sense of belonging to the team. Don’t be condescending towards them. You will only be widening the bridge between them and you.
- Be a teacher – Gen Y-ers often react favorably to their teachers. So make sure that you constantly provide them with feedback so that their learning curve doesn’t go down at any time. This will also make them feel much better with regards the relationship they have with you. Just remember not to be a patronizing teacher.
- Appreciate – Appreciate them for the work they have done and show them the right way, just as you would with any other person. While on one hand it is a good idea to treat them equally, you would also have to remember that the Gen Y-ers are intrinsically different in many aspects and you would have to keep that in mind while working with them.
- Helping hand – Gen Y-ers brim with confidence and this is born from a need to prove themselves. They would ideally like to accomplish as much as possible in as short a time. Help them meet this need of theirs and you will find that they’re not only grateful, but also won’t feel the need to assert their confidence in ways that you may not approve.
- Loyalty issues – Some people are of the opinion that Gen Y-ers are not a very loyal bunch. This is not true. Gen Y-ers are actually very skeptical of the whole concept of loyalty but that doesn’t mean that they’re disloyal. They can be loyal, provided you compensate them fairly for the work they’ve done.
Working with Gen Y-ers is a wonderful way to learn more about the new generation and finding out what makes them tick.
