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05.07

Mentoring Generation Y

By Elizabeth Lions

For the first time in American history, four generations are working side by side in the workplace. Never before has there been so much confusion, so many misconceptions and communication misfires. Walking through any engineering department in 2007, you’ll find 25-year-olds sitting next to 50-year-olds. Both age groups have so much to offer, but there seems to be a growing communication divide that's breeding an undercurrent of discontentment between the generations. If the gap continues to grow, we all lose. However, if we can find a way to cooperate and learn from each other, we'll all be better off in the long run.

Who is Generation Y?

Generation Y is a generation between 14 and 24 years old, born from both the Baby Boomer’s and Generation X. A generation full of innovation, fresh ideas and technology sums up this group of 70.4 million Americans. By 2010, Generation Y will make up 32 percent of the population. Impatient to get to the next big thing, Generation Y is very adaptable to all situations in the workplace. While these young people can run circles around older employees gathering information from the Web or utilizing technology as a whole, they don't seem to have a sense of the big picture in business — which is not uncommon for a group that hasn’t yet hit their thirties. It's not that they don't want to see the big picture, it's that they haven't accumulated the life experience to have a mature world view.

One employer recently shared with me that her Generation Y employee will dive enthusiastically into a project without much information to go on, only to realize later that the project is spiraling down a rabbit hole, endlessly chasing information with no closure or conclusion. Endless data gathering can be a problem for Generation Y. Her frustration was not realizing the behavioral pattern before it was too late, losing man-hours of labor and time on the project. My suggestion to her was to provide a mentor for the employee, to help keep them on task. The onus is on the employer to train, re-train and mentor Generation Y along — just as it has been with every generation before it. Although the generation did come into the workplace unprepared, it’s our mission to get them the tools they need to succeed, rather than to discount them altogether.

Generation Y comes to the workplace with a fresh view of the definition of work, which frankly, could serve all of us. To them, "work" is portable and 24/7, meaning they can work anywhere at any time and don’t feel the need to be tied to a desk. That changes the picture for many managers, who like the idea of an employee being visible. Generation Y is not likely to self promote politically, nor want to be tied to a desk, no matter what the job they are hired for. Due to this shift, many employers are making adjustment from time clock management to performance management. Electronics retail giant Best Buy is an excellent example of this new trend. They call it smashing the clock. Employees can set their own hours, as long as the work gets done. No one looks over their shoulders or ask them where they are going. Surprisingly, productivity went up 35 percent after they instituted this change. Other companies are slowly following suit in order to attract and retain Generation Y.

Popular misconceptions about Generation Y

Some of us might have the impression that Generation Y is obsessed with video games, is covered with tattoos and face piercings, and has little to offer professionally. Granted, they do like video games and they seem to have embraced the "body as a canvas" notion more than any preceding generations, but is it fair to say they have little to offer professionally?

Like it or not, Generation Y is our future. If we find Generation Y's behavior or attitude troubling, we must not overlook our own culpability — we raised these children into the young adults they are today. Helicopter parents who swooped in and did all the organization for their children, left them as adults with undeveloped communication and time management skills. We find ourselves with Generation Y in the workplace, struggling to get quality work out of them. It's not their fault. They are not bad employees. Complaining about the new generation is not the answer. Eric Chester, Author of many Generation Y books stated, “They are not like you and never will be.” That was a whole new thought for me.

Think about where you were at 24. Generation Y is not thinking career. They are thinking J-O-B. Their mindset is on paying their car payment and their rent, not on the next five years. If you can tap into that mindset, you’ll soon see a performance change. Adjust your expectations so they meet the bar, instead of forcing them to be just like you.

Mentoring Generation Y can be productive and satisfying. Ever see the light go on for someone, knowing you lead them there? It’s a wonderful feeling. Mentoring does not mean giving all the answers. Furthermore, it does not equate to babysitting. These are adults, and although young in their career, they deserve to be treated with respect. Let them figure out how to approach and solve a problem, but make sure they stay on track. Only through trust, time and consistency can you foster communication and relationship. If you are tired of the results you are getting from your twenty-something employee, you’ll need to change your approach.

Performance Management

Because this generation is new to the workforce and doesn’t understand all of its  subtleties, ongoing training is key. Although time consuming, you will ensure that the work gets done correctly and up to your standards. As your employee, Generation Y will feel valued and heard. It’s a win-win situation. Research shows that feedback is critical to their success. You’ll be surprised to see how quickly they change their work habits if you tell them directly what you need them to do.

One thing that has worked well for me is explaining the big picture to them. For some reason, if they can visualize a project's ultimate purpose, performance goes up dramatically. I usually begin by explaining the job and how it fits into the overall business. I let them know they are important, and that what they do matters. Like any employer, I have no use for coddling them, and expect them to perform. However, I believe that it is leadership’s job to pull performance out of them, rather than expecting them to know through osmosis what to do.

Keeping Generation Y on Board

It’s also a good idea to get some retention statistics broken down demographically. If you are seeing the Generation Y has a lot of turnover, look at the things the organization can do to minimize the mass exodus. Are you training them? Are you able to promote them? Are you giving them feedback? Do they understand the job? Are they frustrated? How do we as an organization reward good performance? Although these are hard questions to ask, it’s better to figure it out by being proactive, rather than filling out another H.R. requisition.

What you might find is that your organization doesn’t have the bandwidth to promote from within. Baby Boomers and Gen X may be bottlenecking the organization, and what you are left with is entry-level jobs. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means you have to be honest with what you have available. Perhaps your shelf life on an entry-level job is a year. Know that and track when people are leaving before that timeline. If you’re seeing lots of turnover with Generation Y, see if it’s really an issue.

Attracting, mentoring and retaining Generation Y can only be achieved through open communication in the workplace (which will also lead to better product designs). It behooves us all to help Generation Y succeed in the workplace — after all, they are our future.

Elizabeth Lions is proprietor and president of Solid Staffing, in Portland, Ore., where she works with placing and counseling engineering talent. She can be found online at www.elizabethlions.com. Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.