I get lots of questions about how to on-board Millennial employees. One of the strategies I always mention is to over-supervise them from the get-go.
While it is an over-generalization to say that all young people need need this kind of step-by-step instruction, it is hard for most managers to tell how well they will adapt to the work environment and whether their critical thinking skills are what we expect.
That’s not to say that many, if not most, will do just fine. It’s just that they all tend to say anddo the same things during the selection process. So even if a new employee has impressed you during the interview, there is nothing to say that that same person will not have trouble using their “common sense” on the job.
Most work environments can’t afford to nurse new people through their jobs these days. Time and money are too precious. So you run the risk of taking to too long to discover that a new person is not coming up to speed unless you keep close watch.
Managers sometimes balk when I suggest this. “Who’s got the time?” they ask. But imagine on-boarding a new person, only to discover a month down the road that he or she does not have the skills or training you thought. He or she is reluctant to say anything for fear of getting fired and you never asked.
When I mention this strategy to young people, some of them say, “I am a perfectly capable professional. Looking over my shoulder all the time is going to waste your time and make want to start looking for another job.”
“That’s when a manager should back off,” I tell them, “but only after verifying that the objectives are being met and the person is performing to expectations. It’s hard to tell at the get-go.” Each work environment is different, but each of us needs to set crystal clear expectations from day one and take the time to verify before assuming that because we’ve hired a confident young professional that that person will take the ball and run with it in all situations.