Managing Millennials

socal78

socal78

Well-known member
Can anyone here recommend a good source for info on managing millennials? This is a challenge I didn't expect to face.

I just purchased the book "Managing To Change The World" by Alison Green of the addicting website "Ask A Manager". Really looking forward to reading it since I've already gotten hooked on A.A.M. However, I don't think this topic is specifically covered in the book.

I'm not that much older than millennials, depending on whose definition you go with. I guess I'm right on the cusp of GenX & GenY. However, I'm seeing some very different attitudes and work ethic from those who are 15+ years younger than me where you're really getting deep into Millennial territory. The biggest problems I've seen: Not taking initiative. Lack of accountability. And just general laziness. My degree is in Business Management but this type of information was not something that was covered way back then. Suggestions are welcome.
 
I was kind of looking for more of a book than an article. Something that digs a little deeper and I can keep as a desk reference. When I Googled it, I mainly saw articles. I figured there are probably some really experienced people here on T.I. who are in managerial roles.

What's funny is, I hadn't even thought of checking Amazon for books on the subject because I didn't think it would be a popular topic... I often feel really alone in this! I'll be at work and think, "What the hell is going on here?!?" But now that I look there, I see there are actually lots of books on this topic! That is a relief. It's not just me.
 
Iho, funny you should mention my millennial boyfriend, Todd. While I can't say he has their bad work ethic, he is a millennial and has some of their traits. I would say being cocky / overly-confident. Of course, that applies to young guys of previous generations as well. He actually stood there and argued with me that he's NOT too young for a woman my age because he's not 22 like I thought but corrected me to say -- he's 26! Oh, wow, 26. Old enough to date his babysitter. **Swoon** Catch me, I'm fainting.
 
Funny thing is the next generation, Z, is totally opposite.  My 2 are even further right of me if you can believe that. 

They don't like drugs or gay marriage, and they HATE tattoos: Is 'Generation Z' the most conservative since WW2?


Youngsters, part of Generation Z, surveyed on range of social topics
They were more conservative than some older generations on drugs
Teenagers were more cash savvy than all but the prewar generation
Experts think teens 'don't have enough time' to engage in 'risky activity'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3790614/They-don-t-like-drugs-gay-marriage-HATE-tattoos-Generation-Z-conservative-WW2.html
 
Just want to share another millennial experience: One of the guys, mid-20s, who is there to be my helper when we work the same shifts, actually bragged to me, saying one his job skills is and I QUOTE: "I'm a good bullshitter." ??? Noted. I wouldn't be surprised if he put that on his r?sum?.

He also shows up each time, not wearing what he is supposed to wear. His excuse is always: "It's at the cleaners."  ???

One night, he came into my office and was like, "Aaaahhhhh!! It's so bright in here! Ah, it hurts!" He was covering his eyes. I could totally tell he had been sleeping in the dark on his shift because I've seen him do it. I've crept up on him and scared him awake before. I said, "Awww, were you sleeping? Poor baby." He absolutely denied it but began yawning, stumbling around. Hey, if you're not going to find things to do, at least fake it and try to look busy.  ::) Isn't that something we all learned at our first jobs as teenagers?  ::) Problem is -- I don't think these adult-kids have ever had jobs before.

The only time he's come to ask me for help is when he needs a plastic fork for his Chinese food because they forgot his chopsticks. All he does is sleep, eat, and play games.

Another guy, 22, spends so much time doing his homework that he lets callers believe he doesn't even work there. A couple days ago, a lady came in and mentioned she spoke to our "volunteer". I asked for the name of this "volunteer". It was him!

Okay, one more, we had a skylight leak in our lobby due to the really heavy rains we had. When I showed up, the receptionist (also 22), said she's been hearing water drip her entire shift. I asked if she went to check it out. Nope. I walked right around the corner and the marble hallway was completely flooded in front of the doors, presenting a really bad slip & fall hazard for the elderly residents who walk into the building. They could fall, hit their head, and die. She didn't give a hoot. It's this "not my problem" attitude that I can't stand.

The most I've seen done about it is memos sent out to everyone, instructing them on proper behavior. That's it.
 
Sounds like your workplace needs a shake up. You need people who understand and believe in your organization's core mission. You need leaders who promote excellence and a willingness to take the corporate culture to the next level.
 
iacrenter said:
Sounds like your workplace needs a shake up. You need people who understand and believe in your organization's core mission. You need leaders who promote excellence and a willingness to take the corporate culture to the next level.
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if upper management is just sending out memos, you can't fix it.  They don't care, hence the employees don't care and it's just disposable cogs working a disposable job.

My local McDonald's has signs up advertising starting positions for $15.

$15 doesn't get care or passion, it's get a cog.

Now for what you do.  Your a new manager, your not their friend.  If sleeping boy sleeps again, you tell him it's unacceptable to sleep during work.  And before you do that, verify with HR it is, I've seen HR fold on stupid stuff like that before.  For volunteer person, if he does it again, you tell him sin from it's unacceptable to intentional misinform our customers of our employment with the company.  For both you follow the words up with an email, restating the event and the unacceptable nature of their actions.

If they do it again after that, you tell them it's not acceptable and proceed with a formal verbal warning or written warning per HRs corrective action guidelines.

The you do it again, and you eventually fire them.

Real managers fire people when they need firing.  It's good for the team.
 
Thing with fast food cogs is that I do notice the ones from chik fil a and in and out are friendlier.

Back to the topic, I think it's just a generational thing. Much like the older generation complained about how lazy we are with the computers and MTV when back in the days they walked 30 miles to school in the snow and foraged for food, etc etc

Yeah, I like the idea of having efficient operations but too many companies are much too lazy to do anything.  Attrition is their hope. 
 
nosuchreality said:
Your a new manager, your not their friend.
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I should clarify, I'm not their manager. This is referring to the last 2 kidults. Their manager is actually my manager. Since I work 2nd shift, I'm a manager in absence of management but have no rights to penalize anyone. However, the only person that usually works with me at that time is the lazy boy / first guy who is actually not even an employee of our company. He's security. He works for a 3rd party hired by my company. So, technically, I'm his customer. It's his job to provide a service to me but he has his own command from that company.

My manager / their manager (last 2) who does have the right to re-train or fire is the one I posted about not too long ago who is 72 years old and losing it. She is totally apathetic about her job. She's just there to collect a check since she can't afford to retire. She's been delegating more of her duties to me. I try to do my homework on my own time about managing millennials because I see where this is all headed. I want to be prepared. Even if I don't become their manager, I think they need some general guidance. Although, I'm trying to be realistic. I don't expect to be able to undo years of bad parenting.

It would be great to fire all of them. However, I'm concerned about the trend. Millennials will make up 40% of the workforce by 2020.  :-\
 
I find the workforce to be shrinking.  I don't really need many underlings, since I just do it all myself.  With computers and gadgets and technology, a manager doesn't need employees anymore.

Since I own my company, every person I don't hire is money for me.  I just do everyone's job....and still I post a lot here.  I probably need to fire more people cause I'm not really that busy.
 
Posting the above reminds me of how my customer is always looking for ideas for productivity and efficiency and cost savings.  He said any idea would be considered!

My idea was to fire everyone in his company and slowly re-build with what he really needs from the ground up.  ....however, I couldn't tell him that.  It's a stock traded company, so he doesn't own it....
would he get compensation for making his work load go up?....nope.
 
The Simon Sinek video above provides a good perspective, and I would have recommended that too.

Have you noticed that the media loves to talk about the "problems" with Millennials, but they rarely explain the root cause?  It's usually passed off as "oh, they graduated during a recession" or "oh, they use too much social media".  That's all nonsense of course.  Many Gen X'ers graduated during recessions (early 90's and early 2000's), and many Gen X'ers spent tons of time on AOL Instant Messenger, BBS boards, Yahoo forums, etc.

No, the real problem with Millennials is that they were raised by Baby Boomers, and since the media is still controlled by Boomers, they don't like to talk about the mess they made raising their own kids.  It's widely acknowledged that Boomers are the most self-centered generation of all time, so of course they raised their kids to be exactly like themselves, self-centered and entitled.  This is just on average of course, as there are many great Boomers and many great Millennials out there.  You can't generalize the 60 million Boomers and 80 million Millennials with too broad of a brush since that is almost half the country, but the "failure-to-launch" Millennials likely have screwed up Boomer parents that live a life of entitlement also, living with no savings and ruining the world for everybody else.
 
Liar Loan said:
No, the real problem with Millennials is that they were raised by Baby Boomers, and since the media is still controlled by Boomers, they don't like to talk about the mess they made raising their own kids.
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You may want to look up how Baby Boomers are defined. Millenials would only fit the tail end of the boomer generation. If anything the parents of millenials belong to the baby bust that followed the boom. What's that? Beginning of Gen-X?

 
I like the current crop of 70 year olds complaining about the protesters, saying they just want to enjoy their retirement years in peace and quiet, forgetting the chaos their generation created in the late 60s.  They say things like, can you believe the disrespect these kids show the president, completely obvious to how their peers reacted to Nixon.
 
Loco_local said:
I like the current crop of 70 year olds complaining about the protesters, saying they just want to enjoy their retirement years in peace and quiet, forgetting the chaos their generation created in the late 60s.  They say things like, can you believe the disrespect these kids show the president, completely obvious to how their peers reacted to Nixon.
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I feel like time is going backwards right now.  Obama reminds me of Jimmy Carter, a likable guy but not as effective as people wanted.  Trump is now more like Nixon, has some good policies but his style is abrasive and paranoid.

peppy said:
Liar Loan said:
I looked it up for you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials
Millennials are sometimes referred to as "Echo Boomers" due to a major surge in birth rates in the 1980s and 1990s, and because Millennials are often the children of the Baby boomers.
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You are right. I must have failed to realize that alll those millenials have parents born in the 40s and 50s. And I thought those were the grandparents ...
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Mathematically, the Boomers have to be the majority of parents because Gen X is only half the size of the Millennials (40 million vs. 80 million).  There are some Millennials with older parents of the Silent Generation, and others with younger parents that are Gen X, but most of them came from Boomers.
 
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