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Engaging Younger Workers

Copyright March 2003 by Arupa L. Tesolin.

How is the sociology of work changing to adapt to younger workers?  I asked Jennifer Corriero, who together with her co-partner Michael Furdyk, are known as the experts.  Hired by technology giant Microsoft in the late 1990's to give feedback on the preferences of younger workers, they didn't expect to become sought after speakers in the corporate world but theirs are the voices informing the collective HR community at leading conferences.  

Both are quick to clarify that they don't directly represent the collective voice of younger workers but they are tapped in to a network of their opinions and experiences.  For the most part, their feedback represents an accurate view. Younger workers range in age from 14 - 24 years.  Currently they are under-represented in the Canadian workforce.

Arupa: How do younger workers differ from the mainstream workforce?

Jennifer: They've grown up with technology and the internet which has shaped their experiences and led to different attitudes, expectations, behaviors, and distinctions between work and play. The blur between work and life is more fuzzy. Accustomed to multi-tasking, they can be listening to music, chatting with a friend, working on a report and surfing on the internet all at the same time. Their notions of how to create, be productive, or be distracted... is all part of daily experience. They use their technological ability and prefer to be actively involved rather than passive observers of media, where they have the potential to both affect and develop the media.

Most have been taught traditionally, where learning and the acquisition of knowledge is separated from experience. They have found that through technology, the internet and interaction with each other that learning, communicating, and creating occurs simultaneously.

Career-wise they have a much wider range of experiences to choose from and a lot more career possibilities and choices than the previous generation. Their On-line experiences may not be reflected on their resumes

Arupa: What do younger workers need from the workplace?

Jennifer: They need to be engaged. Many companies still have little experience with youth. They want to contribute to dialogue and decision-making in meaningful ways. The best way to prepare for their success is to help them tap into a wider range of their skills and abilities and translate them into meaningful work experience.

Success to them is defined by the ability to make a difference, have impact, add value, contribute to something meaningful, even at an entry level. They don't want to be squashed, corrected, or told to get over it. Younger workers have higher expectations of being enabled and empowered to take on things and create that a level of personal involvement in their work. When it's absent, they'll move on. If they work in jobs where the work is disinteresting they will take on meaningful projects outside work.

Arupa: Isn't this an employer downside, an employee who is both unmotivated and under-employed?

Jennifer: Yes. Younger workers also have higher expectations of companies and corporate responsibility....in the environment, social and economic development....ie. labour exploitation in foreign markets may lead to consumer choices to avoid purchasing these products. We prefer to support efforts that create good.

“Young people are a source of innovation and creativity in a time when organizations are distinguishing that competencies like these are setting them apart in their field.” 

Company's should nurture, foster and develop these people but not in a way that exploits them. The unique factor is that younger people have not become "institutionalized" in their thinking.

Jennifer: As an example we recently did a consulting project for Van City Credit Union in Vancouver, where we brought younger workers in to brain storm about youth engagement strategies in HR.

In some companies their potential is not being realized because they don't have the confidence to make the demands that they could if they had more experience. Institutions have not been designed to empower people.

Arupa: Why not have an official body, like a union to support the interests of younger workers?

Jennifer: No, not a union. It's not a fight....like it would be in countries that have regressive labour practices. We don't need to fight for basic rights in Canada because our labour laws are progressive and pre-exist. The larger challenge is to be more creative, and that can't be achieved without greater opportunity for collaboration. Maybe an Advisory Council on Youth would help. We need to have a strategy for affecting progressive change.

Arupa: What are you excited about right now?

Jennifer: www.TakingITGlobal.org has over 13,000 members in 190 countries creating an on-line community to inspire and engage young people in making a difference, sharing interests and develop new perspectives on issues of global importance. I'm working on creating a different kind of organization to show indirectly. Like "Be the change you want to see in world"

Arupa: Did you know that this is a quote from Gandhi?

Jennifer: We hear that quote a lot and it represents a mindset that a lot of youth hold. This is one of the greatest human challenges. It's easy to criticize....but to actually do something is quite another thing. When we see good examples we need to showcase them. The access of a network of influence through the internet is huge.

Steps Companies Can Take to Engage Younger Workers

1. Acknowledge and recognize the current power dynamics that exist. Young people don't necessarily have many avenues to make an impact and need effective strategies in place to engage them.

2. When decisions are made that affect younger people or their work, involve them.

3. Establish a Youth Advisory Group - to involve the group in good communications feedback.

4. Establish a budget for people to propose and implement ideas for improvements in their workplace or a budget to lead community based projects that they are interested in.

 

CURRENT FEEDBACK FROM CANADIAN MANAGERS:

Younger workers desire challenge. At PSI (Payroll Services) Inc. we have found that they are looking for an organization which supports self development and continual learning. Our experience has shown that younger workers desire challenges, they are well equipped to adapt to business changes very quickly and they show a real interest in the direction and success of the company they work for. They bring energy, new ideas, new approaches and in our case great client relations skills. To keep these workers motivated and to retain them you must include them in as many aspects of your business as possible. Stewart Juelich, CHRP, Vice President, PSI (Payroll Services) Inc.

While the IAPA is not an employer of young workers we are significantly alarmed with the high numbers of injuries and deaths that this age group (15-24) is threatened with. In fact, this age group is 24% more likely to be injured on the job than other groups are, particularly during their first few days of employment. As well, young workers are often unable to identify hazards, and hesitant to ask questions for fear of looking stupid. In a Canada-wide survey the IAPA conducted a couple of years ago, 56% of young workers reported that they had not received any training before taking on a new task. We are encouraging supervisors and employers to take a number of direct steps to train, inform, and provide safety protection for these workers. Marilyn Davis, Coordinator,  Industrial Accident Prevention Association

While older managers had problems understanding the younger employees, I had great fun working with them over the last 12 years. They want you to trust them, give them responsibilities and recognition. Their style of doing things is different, but the bottom line result is the same. They want to work in a relaxed atmosphere with no talking down. We work as a team, share successes, and inputs on improvements. Indra Ali, Office Administrator, Pinnacle Financial Group 

Arupa Tesolin is the founder of Intuita, a strategic learning company and "The Intuita 3-MINUTE SOLUTIONS^TM" for INTUITION, INNOVATION, VISION, & STRESS. The Intuita On-Line Learning Institute offers management & employee training programs thru your desktop. She is the recognized author of numerous international articles on intuition in business, a trainer, speaker and consultant. 905.271.7272, www.intuita.com, or email.