Millennial Mindset

I must admit I've gotten away a bit from my efforts to learn more about the millennial generation; who they are, what they think and what motivates them. Yesterday I came across a great resource to help better understand the perspective of people born between 1980 and 1991, a perspective developed by Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin.

According to the college website, "Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college. It is the creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Emeritus Public Affairs Director Ron Nief. It is used around the world as the school year begins, as a reminder of the rapidly changing frame of reference for this new generation. It is widely reprinted and the Mindset List website at http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/ receives more than 300,000 hits annually."

What a wonderful resource. 11 years of profiles, each year different. And, looking over the profiles, what an awakening for those of us in the "older generations," and especially those of us whose hair is turning quite gray. Here's just two examples from the 2013 list (people born in 1991 who are entering college now as the graduating class of 2013):
"19.They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.
23.The European Union has always existed."

Or how about the ones who graduated in 2002:

"15.They have likely never played Pac Man, and have never heard of 'Pong.'
39.The Titanic was found? I thought we always knew where it was."

What a wonderful resource for those of us trying to understand, supervise, manage and motivate millennials. Thank you Beloit College.

p.s., Carrie -- if you are out there my millennial friend -- what do you think?

About Pelleyblog: Pelleyblog is designed to be a resource for supervisors and other first line managers. Currently most of our readers are from Rhode Island (RI), Central Massachusetts (MA) and Eastern Connecticut (CT). But everyone interested in management topics is welcome. We also welcome your participation. Feel free to comment on this or any other post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

A Tweeting Intern

Millennials are the workforce of the future and I've been blogging this week on the new ways millennials communicate. Texting, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc. My focus was on issues that may arise when employees use these mechanisms and how to deal with them. In short, companies need to be aware of these issues, decide what is appropriate and what is not in their workplace, and then develop policies, procedures and guidelines for these issues. Just as companies have done in the past to address issues faced by other generations of employees.

In addition to being the workforce of the future, millennials will also be the customers of the future. And companies need to be thinking now of how to communicate with those customers. People selling products that appeal to the younger generation are already into this. But companies selling to "middle aged consumers" need to get started as the millenials are coming. Of course if you are selling on a business to business basis instead of directly to consumers, you need to be aware that more and more millennials are occupying roles where they make buying decisions for businesses, and even more of them will be occupying those roles in the future. How will we communicate with them? What will be the appropriate media? What will be the best targeted message?

I recently read of a company hiring an intern for the summer to create a presence for the company on Twitter. The company didn't know a lot about Twitter, but the intern did. So they've put their heads together - the seasoned veterans of the company and its present ways of doing business with the new millennial with no preconceived notions and many fresh ideas on how to communicate with her peer group.

What a great way to go. I've always been a supporter of internships. The intern gains solid experience while earning a paycheck while the company gets fresh perspectives and fresh ideas at a very reasonable cost. Perhaps this is something you should be doing. Exploring Twitter and Facebook and MySpace and texting and what-have-you. And what better way to find out what the younger generation thinks than by having a young person as an intern.

Yes, the summer is half over. But internships are not limited to the summer either. And the seasons are very short in the world of emerging technologies. Wait too long to get into these new ways of communicating and you may find they've already become "old school thinking."

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Occasionally we include topics of general interest, topics about Dan Pelley's background and experiences, and a rare occasional rant. We welcome your comments on this or any other post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Dealing With Negative Tweets

Today's post continues our look at "millennial employee issues," the subject matter of the last two days. You may want to read those posts first.

Should an employee use personal communications devices to perform personal tasks at work? We dealt with that on Monday. What if one employee texts a derogatory remark to another employee? We dealt with that yesterday. What if an employee makes negative comments about the company, co-workers, customers, their boss, etc. on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc.?

Of course that's not good. But what exactly can you do about things employee's do on their personal time outside of work that reflect poorly on the company. Especially an employee who does all the right things at work (Dr. Jekyll) and is just the opposite outside (Mr. Hyde).

If you have a well-written legally correct policy covering social networking, then you should be able to deal with violations of the policy as a disciplinary issue. Understand though, that because of "employee rights to privacy" and "freedom of speech" issues, a policy covering social networking using company time and equipment must be carefully written. And while it's possible to write a social networking policy covering employee activities outside of work, those must be even more carefully written. Such a policy should also be thoroughly reviewed by an attorney specializing in employment law prior to being issued. None-the-less, as with so many other issues we deal with as managers, written policies, procedures and guidelines can definitely help with social networking issues. Click here to read an article on this topic written by the Baird Holm law firm for the Nebraska Bankers Association.

But what if you don't have a written policy. Then your task of dealing with the issue becomes far more difficult. But not necessarily impossible if you have a good rapport with your employees. Along with good leadership skills. And if you are skilled at a counseling technique called moral suasion. What's that? It's the subject of our February 24, 2009 post titled "Do Me a Favor - Discipline." Click here to go directly to that post.

About me: Before becoming a full time educator, my career experiences included being vice president of a consulting firm, vice president - finance of a publishing company, vice president - sales support services for a manufacturing company and vice president - operations for a distribution company. As a full time educator working principally in Rhode Island (RI), Connecticut (CT) and Massachusetts (MA). I am pleased to share my experiences and business philosophies with managers at all levels.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

They Called You a What?

Yesterday's post looked at some of the issues associated with the ways millennials communicate. Texting. Twitter. Facebook. You may want to read that post first.

As part of the source conversation for yesterday's post, someone mentioned that the nature of fast-paced texting could result in people making caustic or derogatory remarks to others, statements that they probably wouldn't make face to face or on the telephone. Interesting comment. But wasn't the same thing said about e-mail? Too impersonal. Encouraged sharp words. Caustic remarks. Things we wouldn't normally say in person or over the telephone.

I don't see this as a "millennial" issue. I see this as a policy issue regarding standards of proper conduct at work. If one employee were to make an offensive verbal remark to another employee and the employee complained about it, we would expect the supervisor to deal with the issue. Indeed, if the supervisor heard the offensive verbal remark we would expect the supervisor to deal with it even if the recipient didn't complain about it.

In a similar fashion, if one employee sends an offensive memo or e-mail to another employee (whether or not the recipient complains about it), if the supervisor is aware of it and it violates the company policies, standards or norms regarding workplace behavior we expect the supervisor to deal with it.

Is texting any different? "Oh yes," I was told, "the company has no record of the offensive comment because it's on the employee's personal communication device." Well that may be. But if the recipient is truly offended, then the recipient should be willing to show the message to her or his supervisor. And if the recipient wasn't offended enough to report the offensive text message, then I wonder if we really have an issue in the first place.

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Topics include handling difficult employees, leadership, counseling, coaching, discipline, problem solving, lean thinking, motivation and time management. We welcome your comments on this post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Millennial Policy

Had another interesting conversation regarding millennial employees. One of the issues the company mentioned were the new ways that millennials communicate. Texting. Twitter. Facebook. Should employees be allowed to text at work? Should the company get involved with Twitter? What happens when an employee makes derogatory comments about their company on Facebook?

It seems to me that these are policy issues to be addressed. Just as companies had to address personal use of photocopiers and toll-free lines at work for one generation. Cell phones and internet access for another. These were the new technologies of previous generations. Companies addressed them. And very often the way companies addressed those issues changed as times changed.

As with previous issues that led to workplace policies, companies need to address the appropriateness of each millennial issue as it applies to the company and the clientele it serves. Is it okay for people to use their personal cell phones at work? That's a policy issue. In my book, if the usage of personal cellphones is for a business reason, that seems to be okay. As long as there are no safety or other issues involved; i.e., should a driver be talking on a cell phone (business related call) while driving? Not in my book. I thoroughly agree with those who say that driving while talking on a cellphone is quite hazardous. And to my way of thinking, that ban on use of cellphones while driving applies to lift truck operators in the warehouse just as much to over-the-road drivers on the highway.

What about customer service representatives? Can they use their personal cell phones to talk with a customer? Or to check with an internal department to determine an order status? From my perspective, why should they? We should have sufficient communication devices such that CSRs don't have to use their personal ones.

But what if a millennial CSR finds it more convenient to text another millennial employee for information. Both employees are happy using their personal texting devices. Is there anything wrong with that? For work-related issues, I don't have a problem with it per se. But if texting is more efficient, perhaps we should incorporate it into our company equipment so people don't have to use their personal ones. And as more millennials enter the workplace and become customers, we may have to look into texting as one of our "normal" ways of communicating.

"Hey Dan," some of you are thinking. "What if those personal cellphones and other texting devices are being used for personal things at work?" Then that's a policy issue. The same type of issue we've had with people making personal calls on company time using a pay phone (remember those). The same type of issue we've had with people using their company phone to make those calls. The same type of issue we have now with people accessing the internet for personal reasons.

"Yes, Dan", some are thinking, "but we can put monitoring devices on our company telephones and computer systems. Personal cellphones and other communication devices are a whole different story. We don't know if their use at work is indeed work related." No we don't. And that's a policy issue. We could make a policy to ban them if we wish. We could make a policy that their recent call records are subject to scrutiny by our managers if people choose to use them at work (just as some companies routinely check briefcases, lunch boxes and purses). On the other hand, if we have good performance measures on what people accomplish at work, then perhaps our policy will be to simply allow personal communication devices.

Oh, and one more point today (with more on this tomorrow). It seems to me that the better we measure and keep track of the tangible output of each employee, the less we need to worry about how a person goes about their day. If they get their work done on a timely basis with high quality, good productivity and do not violate safety or other rules, then who cares that they checked twitter from time to time or even posted a tweet?

About Pelleyblog: Pelleyblog focuses on management topics for supervisors and other first-line managers. We are an extension of Dan Pelley Educational Services which conducts management development programs primarily in Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA) and Rhode Island (RI), although we also serve the other New England states. Pelleyblog welcomes and looks forward to new readers from any geographic location.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Continuing My Research

I've finished one of the three books recently purchased on the topic of understanding the millennial employee. The book has a lot of good background information, but seemed limited in its scope. Most information centered around well educated millennials, principally from ivy league or well recognized schools, many with advanced degrees and working for very large companies. The book shed light on many issues, but failed to address a key concern raised early in my search for a better understanding of millennials.

In a meeting at a client company that viewed millennials as being problematic, I stated my continuing belief that many millennials had a good work ethic and were highly motivated. By way of example, I went on to talk about the many high school students who work hard to get into a good college.

My client responded that, while my example may be true, their millennial employees were not people who went to college, did not have a strong work ethic and were difficult to manage. At that time, I didn't have a good response. And the book I just read, while giving much information about millennials, didn't help in regard to millennials in non-professional positions. My research continues.

I'm on my second book now. It tends to be more practical and applied. It also deals with millennials in lower skill entry-level positions. I've just finished the third chapter.

You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned the book titles. Simply because I want to finish the three so I can compare them for you. At that time I will make any appropriate recommendations. In the meantime, you will find the books that I've been recommending for years on my recommended reading list in the right hand column of the blog.

I also urge those of you who have information to share regarding millennials to comment on this post or to e-mail me with comments. Click here for my e-mail address.

About Pelleyblog: Pelleyblog is designed to be a resource for supervisors and other first line managers. Currently most of our readers are from Rhode Island (RI), Central Massachusetts (MA) and Eastern Connecticut (CT). But everyone interested in management topics is welcome. We also welcome your participation. Feel free to comment on this or any other post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

A Millenial Example

I got an e-mail last week from Barry J. Wojtcuk, Vice President of Operations, Connecticut Ambulance Billing Service, Inc., Norwich, CT regarding millennial employees. Barry shared a past experience at a different company involving a millennial. I thought you might be interested in reading it and learning what Barry did to handle the situation. Here's the e-mail, reprinted with Barry's permission.

"I read your recent blogs on the 'new' employee attitude, Millennial Employees. I thought I would share with you an experience I had many years ago as a Nursing Home Administrator at a very small nursing home.

"One young, but adult, Nurse’s Aide had requested a Monday off so she and her boyfriend could spend a long weekend away. She was granted the day off and was to report for her regular next shift, the Tuesday following the long weekend. When that day showed up, and she did not, calls to her home were placed and to the person that was listed as a contact. No results were received, she was essentially AWOL. Upon her reporting to work the following shift, she was given a written warning for a “no show, no call” (her actions had compromised staffing ratios, causing hold-over till a replacement was found) She protested. Loudly. It wasn’t her fault, they were having a great time and had decided to stay another day, and she had called and asked that her mother call her out. It really wasn’t fair that she got a warning because her mother hadn’t called her out; at least that was the way her thought process was going.

"My response was, I thought, kind and to the point. I reminded her that SHE was my employee, that SHE was who the relationship was with, and that as an adult, SHE had the responsibility of contacting us. As she could contact her mother, she could also have contacted us. I was sympathetic to her plight, but really didn’t think there was anything I could do because her mother didn’t call in for her and frankly, her mother was not our employee. I did however, suggest that if that was the case, she should discuss her mother’s inaction and the result with her."

Thanks for the input Barry! Expect more posts on millennials coming up.


About Pelleyblog: Pelleyblog focuses on management topics for supervisors and other first-line managers. We are an extension of Dan Pelley Educational Services which conducts management development programs primarily in Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA) and Rhode Island (RI), although we also serve the other New England states. Pelleyblog welcomes and looks forward to new readers from any geographic location.

Young, Competent and Nice

She worked at a restaurant that was slightly more than a fast food takeout place. I'm sure you're familiar with them. You place your order and get a number, choose a table, and wait until you're called to pick up your order at the counter. When you finish your meal, you can either return your tray and trash to the counter or you can leave them on the table for disposal by a dining room attendant.

She looked very young, typical of the high school student a restaurant like this tends to hire. She was very pleasant in greeting us and taking our order. Her product knowledge and competency came through as she made a special effort to show us how to order our meals in a slightly different way that would lower the total cost.

Later, when our number was called and we went to pick up our meal, she realized that she should have given us our drink cups at the time of order. She apologized profusely, gave us our cups and suggested we get our drinks while she carried our tray to the table.

We finished our meal and began to carry our tray and trash to the front counter. She happened to be walking our way and said "I'll take that for you. I'm on dining room clean up now and it's part of my job."

What a wonderful employee. I told you this story because I'm sure she's a millennial employee, a generation of employees we've begun to discuss on Pelleyblog. See the post yesterday and the day before. As I've said before, I have difficulty with the idea that "all" (or even "most") young people are not good employees. I simply refuse to believe that.

While it's true that some younger employees, and some older ones as well, are not good employees, it is equally true that some young people are motivated, dedicated, and choose to do the best work they possibly can both in school and for their employer. Indeed, the need to do well in all that they do seems to be a common trait among millennials. Yet their non-traditional approach to work and their significantly different approach to life does create difficulties in the workplace as well as challenges and opportunities for the manager of millennials.

About me: For 25 years, Dan Pelley has presented supervisory management development programs in Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA) and Connecticut (CT). He is the 2004 recipient of the Richard Fontaine Award for Teaching Excellence awarded by Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson, CT.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

The Child at Work

Yesterday's post recognized my beginning efforts to better understand "millennial" employees and how they should be managed.

Last evening I read several chapters of a book on the subject. I was struck by the terminology used by many Human Resource Professionals (HRP) as they were quoted on the increasing involvement of parents in their children's careers. The words "kids," "children," and "child" appeared far too frequently in my opinion. Why your "child" should apply to our company. What's included in your "child's" benefits package. What your "kid" is doing at work.

The vast majority of the quotes did not focus on young adults right out of high school; young adults who by the way can vote, enter the military and (in most states) get married without parental permission. No, the subjects of most of these quotes were generally college graduates and some had advanced degrees. These "children" were in their 20's and held one or more academic degrees. While some resented their parents involvement in their careers, many others did not.

I'm having a real problem with this. At what point is it time for someone to grow up? At what point should someone be viewed as an adult? In my mind, when you go to work as an adult, have the workplace responsibilities of an adult, and get paid as an adult -- it's time to act as an adult.

Ah. that was so easy to say. But frankly, it appears difficult to do in view of the nature of the millennial generation. Fact: this is the workforce of the future. We need them. And, of course, we want to hire and retain the most capable and skilled ones. Do we really want to turn away young Einstein or Edison because he or she wears flip flops and jeans, stays connected with an iPod all day, wants to come and go at will, and is not interested in routine work? That's the challenge companies face.

About Pelleyblog: Pelleyblog is designed to be a resource for supervisors and other first line managers. Currently most of our readers are from Rhode Island (RI), Central Massachusetts (MA) and Eastern Connecticut (CT). But everyone interested in management topics is welcome. We also welcome your participation. Feel free to comment on this or any other post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

That's Incredible

Several months ago I had a conversation with a Human Resources Profession (HRP) who was telling me about the "new generation" of employees. Labeled "Generation Y," or "Generation Next," or simply "Millennials," these employees have a quite different approach to the workplace.

The HRP told me the millennials were self-centered, wanted to start at the top, and had little clue about how to conduct themselves at work. They wanted to use their cell phones and iPods without restriction at work so they could stay in touch with their friends throughout the day. They thought nothing of taking a day off for "personal reasons" (such as going to a concert) without permission or even the courtesy of "calling out." They challenged work assignments, their dress was sometimes quite unusual, and basically they wanted to do what they wanted when they wanted.

Then the HRP told me about "Helicopter Parents," parents who continue to hover over their children even as the "child" is out of school and employed as an adult in the workplace. Parents who come in and ask for applications for their "child." Parents who fill out "applications for their "child." Parents who call to ask why their "child" wasn't hired. The most incredible part was when the HRP told me about the parent who wanted to have a meeting to talk about "why their child had received a disciplinary action from the company."

Soon thereafter I mentioned this during a program at another company. Turns out they were having similar experiences as well. I mentioned it again during an open enrollment program and also got an earful. One bank branch manager said "You wouldn't believe how some of them dress coming into work as a teller. Sometimes I have to send them home because their dress is totally inappropriate."

During these conversations, I was struck by how many people would tell me "that's how they all are." Even when I challenged "they can't all be that way," most people pushed back with "Yes, they are."

While I still find it difficult to believe that "all" millennials take a non-traditional approach to the workplace, I also believe that its time for me to investigate further. I'll share some thoughts with you as I go along. But I also welcome your thoughts as well. If you have any experience with millennials that you'd like to share, please post a comment.

About Pelleyblog: We are striving to be a communication device for managers where many people can share their thoughts, ideas, opinions, perspectives and points-of-view. We focus on topics of interest to supervisors, group leaders, foremen, department managers, project managers, team leaders, assistant managers, associate managers, office managers, nurse managers, crew leaders, unit managers, and other first-line managers. But managers at all levels, and people interested in management topics are welcome and are encouraged to join us both as readers and participants.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.