During a conference call with a client this week, one of those on the line related a story of having a young engineer look out the window on his first day of work and ask for the remainder of the day off because it was so nice. “I’ll make up the time,” he promised.
“Is this kid nuts!?” some of us might react. But rather than ranting about the lack of work ethic among those in the emerging generation, we should consider the context.
This bright young individual and his peers have come of age hearing about life balance. They have spent the past four years having almost complete control over their time, with the exception of classes, which probably total 12-15 hours per week. Finally, the media has sold them a bill of goods about the anomalous organizations like Google and Facebook that drink beer, play softball and barbeque on the beach while making billions. Sad to say, work is not like that for most people, at least for the foreseeable future.
So what’s the solution? First of all, we should be thankful that most don’t appear to think this way. So we need to be careful not to cast everyone in the same light. The average Millennial has known all along that there comes a time when work begins. But this doesn’t mean we need to lecture them on paying dues and getting used to doing “this” for the next fifty years. The first few weeks on any job set the stage for the employment relationship over time. While we don’t want to go around bursting bubbles during orientation, it is crucial that we provide a balanced picture or opportunity and responsibility.
One of the best ways to do this is to introduce new hires to recent hires who have made a successful transition. A 22-year-old never hears the message from a 40-year-old the same way as he hears it from an age peer. While we don’t want to parade young performers in front an orientation, simply adding them to the mix during welcoming events will do the trick. The new hire will get the message and the recent hire will see his or her stock in the organization rise a little by doing this.
No, they’re not nuts. We just need to help them with their perceptions.