Workplace Challenges
Burning questionsQ: I manage a small office, and am having trouble with my staff. They are younger, and just don't seem to have any respect. What can I do to make them respect me? SHANNON JACKSON |
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 [ 2004-06-02 ] |
A: Your concern is a common one among managers of the "new employee."
For today's twentysomething, respect is not a right acquired through title, but rather a reward earned and exchanged through behaviour. Respect is a two-way street for the new employee. You have to give it to get it.
The new employee is a quick-thinking, independent, highly capable, techno-wizard with high expectations of work/life balance and a new concept of company loyalty.
Traditional concepts of a dedicated work ethic and position-based respect have been rejected by this generation of workers who witnessed their parents being downsized in the re-engineering of the 80s and 90s. And who can blame them?
Be fair and consistent in your management approach, be mindful of work/life balance (theirs and yours), encourage and listen to their ideas and input, and lead by example. Seek to understand what motivates each of your employees -- be prepared, they won't all be motivated the same way -- and you may be surprised at the level of contribution this generation has to offer.
Shannon Jackson is the national recruitment manager for Manpower Services Inc.
(Shannon Jackson is the national recruitment manager for Manpower Services Inc. www.manpower.ca)
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