Generation Y in the Work Place: Tips on Engaging and Motivating Them to Perform
Generation Y refers to individuals in the work place who were born between 1981 and 2000. These individuals currently occupy the mid- management level to the entry level position levels in the work place. In an earlier article we stated the strengths of these individuals as being technologically savvy, family centric, having strong views, optimistic, achievement oriented, egalitarian, multitasking and their weaknesses as impatient, and often described as “lazy”.
The focus on this article will be on how to engage such individuals in the work workforce and motivate them to perform. Theory states that as one goes down the ladder in an organisation the degree of engagement also decreases as those lower in the ranks have less to lose because their span of control is not as large organisation wide. This has lead to a series of questions in management as to how to get Y’s to perform without the take home pay being the major focus of attention as they believe that Y’s have a reputation as people who are more interested in making money quick. Captured below are a few tips on how we can motivate and thereby engage the Ys in the workplace..
Bring them on board: the on boarding process in the organisation is as important as recruiting this high potential Gen Y. The manager is not to take for granted that Ys know what exactly is expected from them. This is a stage where they should be enlightened about the goals of the company, where the company currently stands relative to its goals and how they plan on achieving them. The roles the Ys are expected to play should be clarified as well as skill expectations. A lot of argument has come forth from the employers as to what the Ys are being educated on at the start of work are basic skills that ought to have been acquired before starting work. However, it is worthy to note that the quality of education received in the local environment has dropped coupled with the fact that the world is not stagnant and the speed of change is
The focus on this article will be on how to engage such individuals in the work workforce and motivate them to perform. Theory states that as one goes down the ladder in an organisation the degree of engagement also decreases as those lower in the ranks have less to lose because their span of control is not as large organisation wide. This has lead to a series of questions in management as to how to get Y’s to perform without the take home pay being the major focus of attention as they believe that Y’s have a reputation as people who are more interested in making money quick. Captured below are a few tips on how we can motivate and thereby engage the Ys in the workplace..
Bring them on board: the on boarding process in the organisation is as important as recruiting this high potential Gen Y. The manager is not to take for granted that Ys know what exactly is expected from them. This is a stage where they should be enlightened about the goals of the company, where the company currently stands relative to its goals and how they plan on achieving them. The roles the Ys are expected to play should be clarified as well as skill expectations. A lot of argument has come forth from the employers as to what the Ys are being educated on at the start of work are basic skills that ought to have been acquired before starting work. However, it is worthy to note that the quality of education received in the local environment has dropped coupled with the fact that the world is not stagnant and the speed of change is