How to interact with Generation Y at work

Back  – 1. Provide Guidance  2. Set Expectations

3. Give constant feedback

Based on some of the responses we received from a recent survey of Gen Y’s,  most of the respondents indicated that they constantly desire to know how they are doing; if they are performing the task fast enough and more importantly if they are performing the task correctly.  As previously noted, Gen Y’s are likely to keep doing the same task over and over until a flaw in their modus operandi is pointed out. It is therefore a good idea for managers to constantly keep Gen Y’s updated on their status. In fact, some of the respondents indicated that they would not mind receiving feedback on a daily basis.

4. Expect Resistance

According to Jordan Kaplan, an associate managerial science professor at Long Island University-Brooklyn in New York, “Generation Y is much less likely to respond to the traditional command-and-control type of management still popular in much of today’s workforce.”  Kaplan further adds that this generation has “grown up questioning their parents” so it not totally unexpected that they would question their employers as well.

5. Take Them Seriously

Another common complaint registered by Generation Y is that they are not taken seriously in the workplace. While this perception is common in most inter-generation interaction, it seems to have more profound effect on the subject generation.  What happens in most work places is that elder co-workers give the impression that the younger generation has nothing to offer them.  In such a case a Gen Y’s performance might slip and possibly lead to a job change as a result.