Have you ever heard your daughter talk about being "tagged" in an Instagram post? Or how about your son telling you that his hair is on fleek? You may have no idea what they're talking about... I mean, why not just say that they took a picture with their friends or that their hair looks great on that specific day.
Welcome to the millennial worldview
If the aforementioned are small communication gaps you face on a daily basis with your own children, then communicating with your younger colleagues is probably even more difficult. You might be wondering how you can motivate your young employees or colleagues.
Undeniably, there is a difference between you and them, as you belong to different generations. You may find their taste in shoes abhorrent, but does that mean they should be treated differently at work?
What motivates employees? Generally speaking, a decent salary and financial bonuses incentivize employees to perform better. However, several studies, such as Whitley (2002) , prove that money is not the most influential tool for increasing productivity and performance in the long run. A crucial - non-financial - factor that leads to greater job satisfaction and motivation is feedback; Dobre, (2013).
The old adage "money rarely makes you happy" can be very applicable in this case, and it's no different for the younger generation who are motivated by the same incentives as you.
There are some significant differences in the way a millennial career develops. Frequent job changes seem to be one of the practices that the generation often engages in. Along with scrolling on Facebook and taking selfies, of course. In fact, a clutch survey shows that 32% of millennial employees (aged 18-34) are likely to leave their workplace within the first 6 months of starting their job, compared to only 11-12% of older employees (aged 35-65+). And no, it's not just because people who work for the same company for more than two years are likely to be paid 50% less over their lifetime.
One of the main reasons why people in their 20s change jobs more often - possibly more than you ever will - is that they feel unfulfilled at work and therefore look for opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Read more about: self-management.
So how do you engage them?
Unfortunately, while it might be convenient, buying them candy doesn't help. Feedback, on the other hand, is key to their engagement. According to the aforementioned Clutch survey, 72% of millennials who receive accurate and continuous feedback from their boss find their work meaningful.
This is also the case in another study conducted by Gallup in 2016. It shows that millennials are the least engaged generation in the workplace with a response rate of 29%, compared to 32-45% for older generations. It also shows that constructive and regular feedback doubles employee engagement and contributes positively to the bottom line.
The first step you can take when giving constructive feedback to a young colleague is to have clear guidelines on what their job entails. To put it into perspective, how can you expect people to perform well if they don't have a clear picture of what they need to do? This is especially important for employees who are just entering the workforce and therefore need a little more help - you probably got it when you were a newbie yourself.
Millennials are often surprised by how little feedback they receive in the workplace. They're used to receiving it from teachers, coaches and peers throughout school, at the sports club, or even on social media, where they're constantly getting reactions to their posts. They know exactly how much feedback means to their development.
The next step is to openly and carefully listen to their views before giving them feedback. Just like the football coach, you need to look at the player's performance before giving advice on how to improve it.
Surprisingly, young employees don't need to be affirmed for their skills. According to a study by Forbes, millennials would rather receive helpful and corrective feedback than praise and recognition for their work. In other words, they appreciate their boss giving them clear and specific criticism on how they can improve their work.
So the conclusion is: be honest in telling them how they can develop. They won't cry, I promise.
.png)