I was conducting a session for a group of employers and someone asked, "What do we do with young people who don’t seem to show self-initiative?" When I asked him to be more specific, he said, "I’ll give them something to do. They’ll do it, and then they’ll just stop. They don’t look around for other things to do. Instead, they just start texting their friends or doing something on their cell phones."

I’ve been asked this question any number of times. After doing lots of thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that this behavior is not about laziness, as some have suggested. It is more about fear. Put yourself in the place of someone who has come of age immersed in the external stimuli of today. Menu-driven options that help you navigate through the day. Media messages that preach convenience. A host of others who convince you that you should have total control of your surroundings, your appearance, your career, your job, and all other aspects of your life. Then there are your parents and friends who tell you that you are special and can do no wrong.

Now, imagine yourself in a new workplace. You’ve not held a job before. You’ve learned in school that do-overs are okay and that you can talk your way out of difficulties. Your parents are forgiving and society has told you that because you’re a Millennial, you’re entitled. But none of this seems to be true in this new work environment. You’re just one more cog in the machine. Just show up on time and do your job. You realize if you screw up there will be consequences. So you do exactly what you’re told. But when you get to the end of the assignment, it doesn’t occur to you to look around for something else to do. No one told you to do so. You don’t want to do something wrong.

So you stop. Besides, there are those friends on your Smart Phone who have sent you dozens of text messages in the past hour and you need to respond. The manager gets irritated when she sees you texting on the job. But you were finished with your work or it was a slow time. So why would she be mad because you were just talking to your friends?  Hmmmm.

So what’s a manager to do?

1. Provide a picture of what work looks like from the get-go. Rather than assuming that new young employees will simply embrace the rhythm of the workplace, explain it to them. This should include an explanation that workers are interdependent and it is everyone’s responsibility to look around for what else they can do. Show them how to anticipate where there may be challenges and opportunities to help others. Let them know that it is better to be doing something than simply standing around waiting to be directed. Finally, let them know that everyone takes time to get used to the rhythm and that they should embrace the mistakes they make and learn from them rather than fear them.
    
2. Answer the question – "What do I do when I have nothing to do?" When you’re new to any job, it can be difficult to understand the nuances of what needs to be done. Take each one through their work area and suggest tasks that can be accomplished when things are slow. You might even provide them with a list of items, even the small ones.
    
3. Recognize self-initiative when you observe it. Some young people embrace these concepts right away. Some get it as they begin to understand the workflow and observe others’ behaviors. In either case, it is critical that you recognize those actions. Compliment them on their self-initiative. Even in the case of someone who makes a mistake or two, you must separate the difference between the mistake they made and initiative they took in the first place. There doesn’t have to be a ceremony. It can just be a kind word or even a pat on the back. They just need to know that they’re okay and accepted in the workplace.

There is a small percentage of people who try to fit jobs into the rest of their busy lives. So any time they have finished the work assigned, they assume that the spare time is theirs even if they’re on the clock. But those people are a topic for another time.