Workplace Challenges
Gen-Xers require whole new management styleThe new generation of worker brings a whole new work ethic to the workplace -- and that requires new ways of managing. Manage them the right way and they will stay. Manage them the wrong way and these workers have no problem jumping ship, taking all their intellectual capital with them. |
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 [ 2002-08-14 ] |
Woven deep into the fabric of that work ethic is a loyalty to oneself, not to a company. This new generation of workers see themselves as free agents and are interested in work/life balance. They are ambivalent about leadership responsibilities, interested in meaningful and challenging work, and are unafraid to jump from job to job.
Some link this new work ethic to the large number of Generation Xers that populate the workforce -- the 20 to 40 year olds who watched their parents give blind loyalty to organizations, work too much, spend too little time with their family and then get little loyalty from those organizations in return.
But from where this work ethic emerged is really of little consequence. What is important is that we're aware it exists and that it requires a different managerial approach.
As open to job hopping as this new generation of worker may be, many prefer to stay with one organization for a while. According to leadership expert Bill Byham, CEO of DDI, a global human resources consulting firm and author of the book Grow Your Own Leaders, "more than 50% of employees would rather grow and develop in their current organization instead of looking for those same growth opportunities outside."
This attitude might be partially due to the recent downturn in the economy. Ship jumpers had some of the air deflated from their life vests as they watched organizations lay off hundreds and implement hiring freezes.
However, jump they still will when marketplace conditions improve, or when they're too miserable in their job.
Therefore, to keep them, managers need to handle these Gen X type workers differently. "These employees want to gain new skills, learn new things and be challenged, otherwise they get bored and leave," Byham says. "If they can have their personal development needs met most of them would stay."
Old school management saw that employees served their time before getting to do the "good stuff." New school says it's important to give the good stuff out sooner.
"Much quicker than they're used to, management needs to give people meaningful and measurable work, as well as the authority and autonomy to complete it. Give them projects and/or extra responsibilities that are theirs," Byham says.
You may have to give orders differently. Another old school approach was to tell rather than sell what needed to be done. When your boss asked you to do something, you just did it.
That's not the case with this new workforce. They need to know why it needs to be done and how it benefits them.
Now that companies have flattened their organizational structures, it's harder for employees to develop a clear and logical career path. Take time with the employee to develop a "learning path." Make sure the learning path clearly shows the employee the skills and growth opportunities they can gain by staying with the organization.
Contrary to what some believe, this new generation is not one to be feared. They do have loyalty -- only it's loyalty to the task rather than loyalty to a title, or company. Although they may talk back to you, they will do a good job. And if you empower them, they will respond as well as any previous generation would.
(Ellen Goldhar is manager, people development at Sun Media Corporation, Canada's second largest newspaper publishing company. Send questions and comments to ellen.goldhar@tor.sunpub.com.)
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