But, even with all this insight on the tactics necessary for capturing young talent, the word on the street from some managers is in spite of doing what they were told, Gen-Y employees are still leaving after only 6 - 18 months of employment. As you can imagine, that’s pretty frustrating to some Boomers who, against their instincts, embraced the ‘give the kids what they want’ methodology, only to see them still walk out the door. I expect to see dialog soon on the idea that giving Gen-Y what they want is ‘helicopter managing’ – and like helicopter parenting, it has its drawbacks. Just like the parenting version, helicopter managing is paved with well-intentions, but when your best efforts to impress, motivate and engage a workforce still ends in them leaving you, the result is often a wounded ego and some bitter feelings towards a generation that ultimately doesn’t really know what it wants – yet. And, as some job-hopping Gen-Y have learned recently, the reaction to their decision to move on may include some ‘tough love’ commentary from their bosses. I recently heard of a Boomer owner of a mortgage company who decided to hire a pool college grads in an effort to create a young, hip culture. 20 months later, and with 95 percent turnover, the figure moved to 100 percent, as his top 23-year-old producer, who was making a high, five-figure income, gave her notice. His response, “Go ahead and leave like the rest of your !@#$% generation. I don’t need you!”
Now, do I support tough love and a desire to see Gen-Y humbled? Of course not. In fact, I share with managers why this approach only serves to hurt both sides. The employee jumps jobs without learning what it takes to stay happy in the role, and has ill-will to boot. Meanwhile, the boss and his company end up with a tarnished reputation amongst Gen-Y workers (bad news travels fast), an empty seat, and the turnover costs associated with it. For companies hiring Gen-Y talent, the answer to keeping them lies in addressing the four elements vital to creating a corporate culture that supports retention of human capital. Yet, as you can imagine, some of those companies who have given it their best shot to woo Gen-Y but are still failing to keep them, are starting to think the answer is to refrain from hiring young professionals altogether until they ‘grow up’ and have life changes that will cause them to appreciate their jobs a bit more.
Gen-Y readers, are you thinking, “So what? They’ll be back, there’s a talent shortage coming.” Don’t be so sure. There are several alternative talent sources savvy companies are starting to utilize in order to diminish their reliance on you. They are:
1) Stay-at-Home Moms - These women are educated, resourceful and looking for opportunities that will let them keep their skills current and their brains engaged while their little ones grow up. I spoke to one executive, who recently put together the company’s first job- sharing program say, “The moms in this program are the best employees we’ve got. They can get 40 hours worth of work done in 20, and they aren’t constantly looking for praise or advancement.”
2) Semi-retired Baby Boomers & Matures - ‘Stepping down’ is a lot different than ‘stepping out’ of the workforce. The older generations don’t want to retire completely; they just want to find careers that let them leave ‘work’ at the job. Consulting, part-time opportunities, and even jobs as individual contributors as opposed to management roles are appealing to this generation, who knows work helps them feel productive in life.
3) Foreign-born Workers - For many young professionals born in other countries, working in America is still a dream come true. Some companies are finding that foreigners who now live in the US have more positive outlooks and are more appreciative of their employers. It’s no surprise that they tend to excel on-the-job and are more loyal as well. I know a brilliant Slovakian-born college grad who wrote her Bachelor’s degree thesis on a famous American bank. She applied and started out as a teller with them. Two promotions later, and in less than two years, she was her branch’s top-producer as a personal banker. And, when she wanted to reduce her hours so she could help her husband in his business, they accommodated her schedule.
I don’t want to see the friction between younger and older workforces continue. It’s time we bridge the gap and learn to work with each other. Boomers must recognize the need to partner with young talent. At the same time, here are two proven approaches Gen-Ys can take to find and stay at a job for say, 2-3 years, without going crazy.
A) Seek professional help. No, not a psychologist, but a career coach, mentor, etc., someone who has the experience and know-how to help you identify and pursue your unique vision of career success. You need to assess your strengths and get some guidance from an unbiased advisor. Your family or friends should not be your sole advice sources – they think everything you do is great and can’t be objective about what you should do to move forward. Not to mention, many parents today (sorry Boomer Moms & Dads) are providing their offspring with outdated career advice or unfairly pressuring their children to meet their own expectations of professional success. It’s time to seek the help of someone who can effectively help you leverage your strengths and create a two-year career plan that will let you feel focused and fulfilled.
B) Identify how to motivate yourself to stay past the honeymoon stage of your next job. What I love most about working with Gen-Y is the fact that they want to have satisfying careers that support asuccessful life. In short, they plan to make work-life balance a reality. However, while this generation believes that ‘what you do’ shouldn’t define you as a person, I can tell you ‘how you do it’ does. If you want to find professional satisfaction for the duration of your life, identify ways to stay satisfied on-the-job so you can build your professional reputation as an employee with patience. Give your employer the confidence you are going to stick with them for a bit and they just might give you what you want. Mentors don’t grow on trees and your managers are not your parents. They aren’t required to support your hopes and dreams, but, they can be enticed to do so if you show them loyalty works both ways.
In closing, let me stress that I’m not saying a Gen-Y who is truly miserable shouldn’t move on. What I am suggesting is to complete some personal assessment and to seek some fresh perspective before making your next move. There are 70 million Gen-Y. That’s a lot of competition, and here’s what we’re seeing to date: Gen-Ys who succeed at connecting with Boomers and exemplify greater patience on-the-job are the ones who are having the torch passed to them sooner.
