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Excerpted from: Generation GapsMillennials may be out of touch with the basics of workplace behavior. By Kathryn Tyler Newly hired millennial employees at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, Va., were creating an impression, and it wasn't good. Some were showing up for work in "flip-flops and revealing clothing," says Lori Ann Roth, Ph.D., director of training and development. "The gentlemen were wearing jeans with boxers showing; the ladies were wearing low-cut jeans with thongs showing and spaghetti strap low-cut tank tops." As a result, Roth continues, "we received many requests [from managers] for a class we call Professionalism at Work. One of the issues covered in the class includes dressing as an office professional and not as a student." GMU took a proactive approach to integrating millennials into its workforce, an approach that other HR professionals could adapt, if necessary, for the younger employees in their organizations. The millennial generation, also known as Generation Y and the Net Generation, consists of 80 million people in the United States between ages 8 and 29. They have been exposed to more technological advances than any previous generation. Most do not remember life without pagers, cell phones, computers or personal electronic entertainment. As millennials flow into the workforce, they present HR professionals with unforeseen training needs. Unlike new hires of previous generations, who may have benefited from training in diversity or technical matters, experts say, millennials need other types of training-- in professional behavior, for example, or in basic writing, confidentiality issues, critical thinking, or how to give and receive constructive criticism. Millennials generally account for the majority in a group of new hires, so training in the ways of the workplace during new-hire orientation can be useful for such groups. Raise millennials' awareness of how different behaviors are perceived, says Arleen Arnsparger, coauthor of 4genR8tns: Succeeding with Colleagues, Cohorts and Customers (Claire Raines Associates, 2007). Millennials are good at multi-tasking, she says. "It doesn't occur to them that it could be offensive. If you're wearing your ear buds hooked to your iPod while talking to me, as a customer, I assume you're ignoring me." Arnsparger recommends providing millennials with training in cell phone and technology etiquette. When and where, for example, is it appropriate to make and receive cellphone calls? Are there times when it is permissible to wear an iPod while working? Is it OK to surf the Internet while talking on the phone? How much time should millennials allow for a response after sending a colleague an e-mail or an instant message (IM)? Issues have arisen when millennials have expected an instant reply to a message. Arnsparger advises telling millennials clearly "what is expected of them and what they can expect from others." For example, GMU's Professionalism at Work course covers e-mail and instant-messaging etiquette in the business world. "We give the class participants five different examples of an e-mail, and they choose which is appropriate," Roth says. Lisa J. Oliver, vice president for training and quality assurance at PRC, a customer relationship branding company with 14,000 employees, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., recommends coaching millennials on customer service skills such as "how to build rapport, effective word choices and loyalty statements. For example, 'We appreciate your business. ... Thank you for calling. Please call again.' " Techno-savvy millennials seem like a natural fit to train via e-learning methods such as podcasts or Internet streaming video. However, experts warn, this decreases the HR professional's ability to demonstrate desired behaviors. Linda Harber, associate vice president for human resources and payroll at GMU says, "We have chosen to use face-to-face training because we can model behaviors and have our participants practice, review and practice again. We ask many questions and give our participants opportunities to voice their thoughts." Janice Smith, HR development specialist for Ernst & Young, a professional financial services organization with 114,000 employees worldwide, agrees: "It's best to deliver [millennial] training in person to take full advantage of the interactive dialogue." Moreover, in-person training allows HR professionals to control the learning environment. Otherwise, a millennial may be listening to the training podcast while trolling the Internet and IM-ing a friend. Marne Reed, HR director of PrintingForLess.com, an online printer based in Livingston, Mont., says the company has made its training more exciting and fast-paced to appeal to millennials. "We use Vision Classroom software that allows trainers to broadcast their computer screens to the entire classroom. Trainees can easily follow the demonstration," Reed says. PRC also uses a blend of instructor-led and computer- based training. Oliver recommends "a variety of interactive exercises, such as role plays, having the participants perform 'teachbacks'-- team exercises that have them develop product advertisements--and scavenger hunts on the intranet. Group activities and hands-on practice are effective with millennials." “Millennials enjoy learning with groups. They are collaborative. They like experiential learning,” Arnsparger says. Oliver says, "The teaching method should provide self-paced and self-discovery learning opportunities since millennials like to learn new things at their own pace." Kathryn Tyler, M.A., is a Generation X freelance writer and former HR generalist and trainer in Wixom, Mich. She may be contacted via her web site at www.kathryntyler.com. |
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