the skill of looking around the first two months of new employees. Even better, a VP of manufacturing told one of his locations that he would raise the wages to be competitive if each new contract employee got a “buddy.” They dropped turnover by forty percent.
Essential 3: They don’t have to guess how they are doing or who is on their side.
You know this third essential is happening around your organization when
each supportive younger feedback. I
associate say
gets younger
associates because many long-term workers associate feedback with being in trouble or struggling. I’ve heard from hundreds of older employees who resent the initiatives that require the same number of one-on-ones for everyone. The key is supportive feedback. When I began my career as an older Gen Xer, employees had to do something well above expectations to get positive feedback. When Millennials were newer to the workplace they pushed Baby Boomer bosses to give more feedback more often. (Today, both they and Gen Z want less.) Gen Z believes coaching is the central competency of managers and to them that means supportive feedback. I hear from Gen X managers who feel like they are giving a lot more feedback than they received, and they don’t know why it isn’t increasing motivation and productivity. They haven’t adjusted the way they give it so that it starts with support and not just positives.
Gen Z
especially wants to know that you know how they are doing, and you are on their side, you want to help them win--that you see them as more than a means of production.
Essential 4: They have open
conversations with their manager about work, the team, and how both are working for their life. You know Essential 4 is happening
when they don’t surprise you when they leave, and they refer people to your plant. It’s counterintuitive to ask them to talk freely about their frustrations with you , the work, team, and how the job is impacting their lives. We think letting
®
think out loud will only stir things up. But it’s already stirred up. Older generations may have grumbled and stayed, but in this job market, younger associates who don’t talk about it, leave. Ironically, you are more likely to
keep them if you lean into the negative rather than away from it. Here’s an example:
“You didn’t realize how hot
you would get in a foundry and wonder if you should get a job in air conditioning even if it pays less. My second week on the job I thought the same thing. I got used to it because I liked the money, but that’s me. What’s most important to you?” The research is clear, when employees in their twenties have people they can think out loud with, they are more likely to stay.
Essential 5: They know what’s going on in the business and why things are not always the way they want. You know Essential 5 is happening
when they gripe more about situations that caused your leaders to make certain choices than they do about the leaders. Your workforce will complain about a decision they don’t like, just like you do. But do they complain about how selfish or dumb their leaders are or do they complain about the situation that the company faces that led to that decision? You may have heard that Gen Z and Millennials want more transparency than generations in the past. Practically, that means they want to know more about the reasons for a decision. The more things don’t make sense, the more you lose them. Emotionally first, then physically.
Essential 6: They have clear
conversations with their manager about their future. You know Essential 6 is happening
when each person can articulate what their opportunities look like and how they might get them. As we have seen before, not talking about the things makes employees frustrated. But most companies haven’t trained supervisors to have an effective and honest career conversation when there aren’t a lot of career advancement slots. There are ways to make that work.
About Haydn Shaw Haydn Shaw is a leading expert on
multiple generations, Generations Working Together his workshop
change
management, and supervisory effectiveness. He is the author of "Sticking
Points: How to Get 5 in
the 12 Places They Come Apart". Over 100,000 people have attended
"Success
Across Generations". Hailed as a "leadership guru" by the Washington Post and “an expert on cultural differences in the workplace” by TIME. Haydn Shaw has trained over 30,000 managers and helps companies
learn and implement
the 6 Essentials so they see turnover drop and ship on time. He has also created a supervisory course that takes classic management skills and tweaks them for Gen Z and younger Millennials. Ask him questions at
Haydn.Shaw@PeopleDrivenResults. com.
Keynote Addresses Haydn Shaw gave the Keynote Address at the 2024 ICI Business and Leadership
Development in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Conference Keynote
Addresses from past BLDC and Annual Technical Conferences are available for all ICI Members to view by logging into the Members Only area of the ICI website.
May 2024 ❘ 13
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