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NORTHBOROUGH, Mass., April 23,
2008/SullivanKreiss/ - Generation X & Y will continue to challenge
us as firm owners and managers; they will test the waters, and will
sometimes go overboard. However, their style is here to stay and
trying to fit them into the what-worked-before model will only cause
headaches
Of course we all know there are fewer
people in the next generations, making it that much more important
to focus on recruiting and retaining them. How can a firm overhaul
its entire approach to employee recruiting and retention when half
their staff is still sold on and used to the old way? Baby steps,
that's how.
Here are some tips to implement into
your day-to-day retention strategy.
Encourage them to use online social
networks - Take the site-block off of MySpace and Facebook and
LinkedIn. These sites offer more than one would think; besides a
good way to blow off steam during the day (we all need a 5 minute
break) they offer much more.
As online social networking grows,
these sites become much larger hubs of information, which, when used
correctly, can benefit your firm. The sites allow people to keep in
touch and see what their friends and connections are up to. Within a
few minutes, you could know who is looking to make a job change
(great recruiting strategy), who is relocating to your area, what
firms are hiring, ect.
Flex-time -The option to come in early
and leave early or come in late and leave later is very appealing to
these generations. Some are trying to balance a social life while
others are trying to balance their family life.
Offering your employees the benefit of arriving at work an hour
early or later gives them the flexibility to schedule 'life issues'
such as daycare, eldercare, or doctor appointments. With this
flexibility also comes a great benefit to the employer; it allows
the employee to be in the office for a "full shift" rather than
having to take extra time off for an appointment.
Flex office - "If I can get it done,
and get it done well, why does it matter where I work?" From working
at a coffee shop to working from home, the technology age has
allowed us to be more mobile than ever. Put together a laptop,
cellular telephone, and an internet connection and you have an
instant office. In fact, most people will never know that you are
not in the office (with calls forwarded to the cell phone).
Reward based on merit - More and more people in the workforce do not
believe in the old equation of time put in = promotion. They look at
their individual contribution to the company and to the team as a
metric for promotion and merit.
Be a socially conscious organization -
Sustainability and Green are the hot words today. The younger
generations are very interested in social and environmental
happenings, both through the media as well as through their
employer. Communicate what your firm does to better society and
benefit the environment. If you come up empty-handed, ask your
employees to come up with a program. It can be as simple as
volunteering at a reading program, spending a day rebuilding or
renovating a house for somebody in your community, planning ways to
make your office "green." Get everybody involved and you create
emotional equity, making it a bit more difficult for these folks to
leave your firm.
Training - Offer opportunities for
your staff to further their knowledge, both for work related
functions as well as career focused training. People are always
excited and interested in furthering their knowledge and see it as a
huge benefit when a firm offers these courses. If you cannot afford
to hold them at your office, send the individual out to a training
program for a day or two out of the office; when they come back, ask
them to make a presentation to the rest of the company about what
they learned.
Management Style - Flat-line
management is top choice lately, and for a lot of good reasons. How
many times have you been on top of, or at the bottom of, a delivered
message only to find out the end person heard a very different
version? This is a good example of the telephone game.
Spend time & Mentor - Make sure you
spend time with every employee, on a project, by the water cooler,
or even at a one-on-one lunch. These conversations will help others
understand who and what management is, and will help you create a
bond with your employees. The same saying goes with being a manager
as it does with networking: if you do not know 3 things about the
other person that are not work related, you need to rethink your
style.
IPod Friday - Quite a few firms have
been banning the use of IPods in the office, noting the loss of
collaboration opportunities between colleagues, loss of
communication, and missed mentoring opportunities that could have
been seized by simply listening to more experienced staff in the
office. The younger generations, however, justify the use of IPods,
saying they help concentration, allow them to be more creative, and
get the job done faster.
Allow your employees to bring in and
wear their IPods on Friday (or another day). Make known the
expectation that it should not hinder their work or ability to get
the job done. Of course, guidelines will need to be set, such as
volume (so they can still hear the telephone), but try to work with
rather than against them.
Gym Membership - Offer discounted or
free membership to a local gym, or build your own. While our belts
seems to be getting tighter by the day, this generation is growing
up with the overhaul in the fast food industry. Ask any of them who
Jared (Fogle) is; I bet you they will mention Subway. Take a look at
the McDonalds menu now, they are offering fruit and milk
Obesity and healthy eating are today's
headlines. I have seen this benefit sway potential employee to
signing the paper with one company versus the other. It is also no
secret that healthy employees tend to take less time off and have
fewer health problems. This benefit is one that can add to your
bottom line.
Are some of these ideas and tips
extremely wild? Of course they are. But so is the next generation.
Being proactive on retention today will yield a much higher return
than the firms who are reactive tomorrow.
SullivanKreiss is a strategic ally to
its clients by way of its dedication solely to the building and
design industry. Its expertise is in identifying and recruiting
top-notch technical and business development personnel to fill
critical positions for its clients.
If you'd like to hear more about his topic, or to schedule an
interview, please contact Justin G. Roy, Chief Operating Officer, at
312-602-9639, or at jroy@sullivankreiss.com.
To sign up to receive the SullivanKreiss monthly e-newsletter that
offers insight into recruiting, employee retention, and other human
resource issues, visit www.sullivankreiss.com.
Source: Sullivan Kreiss
CONTACT: John P. Kreiss, President and
CEO, T: 508-393-4933 ext. 17
E:
jkreiss@sullivankreiss.com
Justin G. Roy, Chief Operating Officer, T: 312-602-9639
E: jroy@sullivankreiss.com
textContact: Justin G. Roy, Chief Operating Officer, T:
312-602-9639, F: 312-893-5505 E:
jroy@sullivankreiss.com
Website:
www.sullivankreiss.com
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