Generation Y: managed, we think

OPINION: In an earlier article Mary-Jane outlined some of the differences between the "baby boomers" – "Generation Xers" – and "Generation Y", writes Brian Richardson in this week's Work to Rule.

In this followup I hope to be able to give you some guidance as to how the experts say Generation Y can be managed to get the best out of them and to give them some satisfaction in their working lives.

Firstly I must acknowledge the outstanding work of Peter Sheahan and his book Generation Y: Thriving and surviving with Generation Y at Work.

It is a "bible" for people trying to understand Gen Y and is based on actual workplace experiences in Australia and around the world.

To understand how to manage them you've got to understand what they are; they are street smart, mature, resilient, (extremely) fast learners, practical, enterprising and also manipulative.

It has been said that businesses in the 2010s will face enormous, and very quick, change.

There will be lots of good and bad news.

To an extent we've already seen that with the recession. During these times Gen Yers will cope well because they are good at coping with the inevitable chaos that comes with unexpected change.

Because of their willingness to learn and their huge capacity for taking up new technologies they are the people best able to be trialed with new technologies and processes. They will cope best in terms of adaptability and application of new "tricks of the trade".

These young workers are said to be incredibly practical – so involve them in the introduction of new technology or processes. They can help older workers adapt.

These people are also very action oriented. Let them have their head and allow them to show others how things can be done.

While the integration of Gen Yers has huge benefits they also present a few challenges.

They are obsessed with having the latest, the fastest and the best of everything technological.

Managers will have to educate them that there are limits to what can be spent and introduced to the workplace.

A major issue with Gen Yers is that they can be perceived as thinking they know everything because they've read about it or heard of it third hand.

They lack the experience to know that experience is the most valuable knowledge. As a result managers can have problems handling that kind of ego in the workplace.

Because Gen Yers like things wham-bam, they need to be reminded to stay in touch with the strategic vision and build longer-term relationships with people and knowledge/experience.

This can also cause difficulties when they are asked to follow set procedures for specific tasks. They tend to want to set their own best practice.

Consistency is particularly valued by Gen Yers.

This means that where there are rules and guidelines make them clear. You will need to ensure that all policies and procedures are practical and needed.

They will almost always need to know the rationale behind something so they can buy into it and have ownership. If they have any doubt about the worthiness of a rule or guideline then it is likely to be ignored or undermined.

All the best for managing these rewarding but frustrating creatures called Gen Yers.

- © Fairfax NZ News