Should We Reinvent the Workplace for Millennials?

Millennials have been coddled all their lives and are indecisive because every important decision has been made for them. They are the most medicated youth in history because we’ve given a medical term to every trouble they can come up with. They have the shortest imaginable attention span as they, like crows, pursue the shiniest object that catches their attention. They are disloyal and will quit their job and move into their parents’ basement the moment they are critiqued at work; they also don’t believe in “putting in time” and think they should be promoted every year regardless of their performance. They believe they deserve endless learning opportunities – as if the workplace is just an extension of their education. And, they are so good with technology that they will probably waste most of their workday on social media.

Therefore, your organization should bend over backwards and turn all your existing talent management processes, work culture and schedules, benefits programs, etc., on their ear to accommodate them. Right?

So, go to it – set up a meeting to tell your managers about all the changes that are coming. Time is running out and they have a lot of re-inventing and accommodating to do! Some of them have kids; they’ll understand how important this is. Won’t they? Oh, and most of what these Millennials want from the workplace is the same as what the Boomers running your company wanted back in the 60s and 70s, but never got. However, I’m sure they’ll be happy to help these undeserving youngsters get it now. After all, they must be familiar with the concepts (if memory serves).

Okay, so you’ve probably determined that this would not be the best approach. And although it is greatly exaggerated, it reflects the feeling I got while watching an interview with one of the many Gen Y “gurus” recently. He was discussing the radical changes required to attract and retain Millennials. He insisted that you don’t recruit Gen Y - you “engage” them. And you don’t “supervise” them - you “collaborate” with them. And by the way, social networks will be the business “operating system” of the future. Perhaps these statements will all be true one day, but this kind of talk might not go over too well back at the office. It’s no wonder that some older employees feel resentment. Perhaps your colleagues don’t believe all of the nasty stereotypes I described above, but chances are that they entertain at least some of these thoughts.

Now I must confess: I have great admiration for this generation and I don’t pay much heed to the stereotypes I’ve recited in the first paragraph. I firmly believe that all of the highly-invested parenting, technological changes, multi-cultural experience, open access to information, engagement with elders, and social and political changes of the past 30 years have produced a generation of young employees with admirable work values. We also know that they are more generous with their time as volunteers and share a great concern for those less fortunate than themselves; they are concerned with the environment and being socially responsible; they are optimistic through trying times (9-11, the war on terror, and even the current recession); and, although they may be less engaged in formal politics, they are highly interested in improving the society we live in.

Although there are some small truths in the stereotypes I introduced this with, I believe that what this generation really wants from the workplace is both achievable and very appealing to the vast majority of workers of all ages. The challenge is in engaging your leaders and colleagues to embrace change and at the same time tap into the strengths of tomorrow’s workers. It can help to share with them the many reasons for recruiting new graduates – from demographics to talent shortages to the need integrate “digital natives”; but that will only take you so far in changing your co-workers’ attitudes.

Try this exercise: take out a piece of paper and make two columns with the headings: “Hate to have” on the left and “Love to have” on the right. Now put these concepts in the appropriate column based on your own interests: great people to work with; flexible work schedules; a supportive manager; interesting work; personal developmental opportunities; a clear career path; an opportunity to have a positive impact on others; and, job security. I’m guessing that the right hand column is pretty full. Now imagine a great employer (it doesn’t have to be your company) and ask yourself which of these things should be achievable. Put an “A” beside each of the items that should – one day – be the norm of a great employer.

You’ve probably guessed where I’m going with this. What you want, what your colleagues want, and what Millennials wants is very similar. The changes needed to attract and retain today’s young workers are the same changes that will make your workplace a great workplace for everyone. It’s also worth pointing out that the percentage of women in most workplaces is growing rapidly (as is the percentage of women graduating today). Chances are that the women in your workplace feel even more strongly about these changes.

So if you are having trouble convincing your organization to embrace change for the sake of Millennials, focus on getting them to embrace change for their own benefit. Once you’re on that track, you can introduce the positive aspects of engaging Millennials in your workplace – not for what the workplace offers Millennials, but for what Millennials can offer your people and your organization.

What Does it Take to Promise a Career?

In my previous blog post, I discussed the topic of career services offices providing guarantees as a means of building credibility for their programs and services. This caused a flurry of discussions on various LinkedIn Groups, primarily focused on the idea of guaranteeing jobs (to which most were strongly opposed). Although guaranteeing jobs was not the focus of my article, I did provoke the discussion by mentioning the University of Regina’s recent launch of the “UR Guarantee” which promises a great career after graduation. By no means am I suggesting that others should copy this strategy, but I am interested in the implications of this guarantee for the field of campus career development. What can we learn from this strategy?

First a little background.

The UR Guarantee (details are here) is built on the strength of the university's co-operative education program and commitment to experiential learning, and promises all students who complete the guarantee requirements a career-oriented job within six months of graduation. If students don’t get a good job, then they are entitled to an additional year of undergraduate study at no cost. Participation in the guarantee is optional and to qualify students must participate in a variety of career development activities each year during their studies.

The program was launched last fall, so the school won’t know if it attracts more students for a while and they won’t have students graduating with the guarantee for a few more years. Here are a few more important points:

• This is primarily a recruitment initiative driven by anticipated enrolment challenges
• It is being implemented from the senior administration down with the president leading the campaign
• It has been accompanied by a significant investment in additional career development staffing and resources

It’s worth noting that with 12,000 students, U of R is the smaller and lesser known of the two universities in the province; it draws very few students from outside the province and is facing a declining demographic in terms of potential students in the region in years to come. It is also in a province that has weathered the recession extremely well in terms of youth employment.

So what’s a small university that is not well known with a declining enrolment base and great employment programs to do? How about addressing almost every student’s number one priority when considering post-secondary studies: careers!

On one level, this new initiative is so obvious I almost hesitate to call it brilliant. (And I know some are going to call me crazy for referring to this as “brilliant.”) And I can hear a few of the objections:

• Isn’t this just a marketing ploy? (Yes, it is, but one that promotes career development for all students.)
• How can you believe every student will get a job? (You can’t, but you can promise to help those who don’t succeed right away.)
• Doesn’t this take us back to the dark ages of “placement”? (Securing a great career is still the students’ own responsibility. If four years of engagement in career development activities and experiential education doesn’t give them the tools they need then…)
• What about the “unemployable” students we all have but don’t talk about? (UR would much rather give them extra attention than pretend they don’t exist.)

Haven’t we all been yelling from the rooftops for years that universities need to pay more attention to students’ career development? Isn’t this a great way to ensure investment in career services and experiential programs? And isn’t this bound to help other schools understand the value of investing in this kind of support? Sounds to me like it’s good for everyone – except possibly those schools that have to compete with U of R for new students.

It’s not really my goal to promote the UR Guarantee; nor am I suggesting that other schools should adopt this strategy. My interest is in looking at what this program implies for other.

This is what I take from the existence of the UR Guarantee:

1. When confronted with enrolment challenges, universities that take their planning and research seriously must address the fact that no outcome is more important to prospective students than their career opportunities.
2. A real commitment to student career development requires leadership from the president on down and from all corners of the campus.
3. This program clearly recognizes that students’ opportunities for career success are significantly enhanced by integrating career development throughout the post-secondary experience (and one school believes that strongly enough to invest in it up front and risk expense later if it doesn’t work).
4. For a university itself to feel confident that it can deliver on the promise of a successful career outcome, it must offer every student comprehensive programming delivered in all years of study.

Whether or not a university offers a guarantee, or even actively promotes career outcomes, the promise of a better career and a higher salary is implicit in the recruitment process at every school.