We’ve all seen those articles about the things millennials are killing. Industries like cable TV are falling to digital streaming, and social conventions like face-to-face conversations are giving way to text messaging and social media. Let’s not forget all those accusations of how pampered and selfish most are, too.
Blaming young people for change is nothing new. In 1951, the Falkirk Herald featured an article saying, “Many [young people] were so pampered nowadays that they had forgotten that there was such a thing as walking,” bemoaning how reliant young people were on buses. Back in 1925, The Hull Daily Mail had this to say: “We defy anyone who goes about with his eyes open to deny that there is, as never before, an attitude on the part of young folk which is best described as grossly thoughtless, rude, and utterly selfish.” Indeed, accusations of being pampered or selfish are nothing new. (Truthfully, we can go all the way back to the 4th Century BC, when Aristotle criticized the younger generation for being “high-minded because they have not yet been humbled by life,” and of thinking “they know everything”. Kids today, right?)
In addition to all that hand-wringing, you’ll also find a large number of articles that aim to give sage advice on how to manage train your millennial employees. Many of those articles are good, but the truth is that there’s nothing arcane about connecting with your employees, be regardless of the decade they were born. People are people, simultaneously prone to liveliness and lethargy, passion and apathy, altruism and selfishness, focus and idle-mindedness.
One of the good articles on the subject is from RunningRestaurants.com, and it’s titled, “10 Ways to Get Your Service Training to Stick to Millennials.” Author James Dunne explains that millennials are different from previous generations because they grew up in households where both parents worked, so “they were given a great amount of autonomy,” and, “Because of this self-sufficiency, they command respect. They expect to be treated as equals, and not subordinates.” All of that may be uniquely true of millennials, but let’s not worry so much about that. Dunne’s advice will work equally well for everyone.
There are the three key suggestions we suggest you consider: first, he says that managers must establish their credibility: “Let them know that you are competent, and that you’ve gotten your hands dirty (and are still willing to get them dirty).” Second, Dunne outlines why you should involve your employees in some of the decision-making. Doing so will multiply their interest and give them a sense of ownership in what’s going on around them. And third, always be consistent. “No matter what the rules, the expectations or the standards you set forth, be absolutely sure that you are ready to follow them to the letter.”
So the secret to working with millennials is the same as it is for working with any of your employees. To that end, you must set and maintain high standards, which are so critical for your business’s ongoing success. This is equally true for training, for your employees’ customer service and sales skills, as well as the kinds of products or services you sell. In order to gauge how well those standards are being upheld and how effective the training has been, you need an independent perspective. Reach out to The Brandt Group today and we’ll help you design a mystery-shopping program that can evaluate your most important assets, your employees—be they Baby-Boomers, Gen-Xers, or Millennials. It’s a New Year, so what are you waiting for?
