Let’s call him Henry – he is a great guy! He is gregarious, hardworking, educated and thoughtful of others. What more could an employer ask for? As it turns out, plenty!

Henry is new to his position. He studies his role, listens attentively to direction and asks pertinent questions. Yet, there is more. As I said, he is well educated and as such he generally adds to the topic of conversation and his ideas often show great insight.

Henry however had some interesting ways – when it was something near and dear to his heart he followed that instinct. Even when it was pointed out to him that his assistance and skill was needed in another direction. Add to this the addition of conversations totally off topic in meetings showed his tremendous need to be noticed.

When told some of his insights did not match the vision and goals of the company he kept pushing for his agenda. He didn’t make any friends of the employer with this one. And, it gets worse! Henry asked for time off to attend a friend’s wedding and an advance as well. An agreed upon date was determined and the advance organized.

Henry did not show up on the agreed upon date, nor did he call. After numerous attempts to connect with him he indicated he was busy working on a business model his employer would be thrilled with. The employer wasn’t interested at this point and asked for Henry to return to work in two days time – it is a long drive from BC. Well, once again the day came and went and no Henry!

You guessed it, Henry lost his job. Although there was much that was positive about Henry’s performance the fact he was childish enough not to call and speak with his boss about his absence and not to return when given direction, showed a lack of business acumen.

Regardless of one’s age, one does need to be accountable for the work he or she is assigned. If not, the organization does not need you and you may find yourself unemployed.

Now, let’s look at the three things we need to put in place to help young people like Henry be good employees wherever they choose to work:

1. PROVIDE CONCRETE EXPECTATIONS

Let your millennial employees know what the expectation is in concrete terms – as was done for Henry; it was indicated to him he had 48 hours to return to his job. Remember, millennials have led a structured life – they have been in sports, cultural activities and camps – unlike Boomers who had to find their own fun because there were fewer opportunities for structure because most had mothers at home looking after them.

As well, millennials live the life of “gamification” where they know when they are winning and when they are losing in an instant. This immediate feedback becomes an expectation at the worksite as well. To help millennial employees know what it is they need to accomplish try the following:

– Lay out the start time and end time of the day or shift including lunch and coffee breaks

– Indicate what real success looks like – when the customer’s machines are fixed and there are 0 recalls because of poor fixes it is considered a job well done

– This report is considered complete when it has no typos or grammatical errors

Another consideration is providing consequences – such as Henry was informed if he did not show up at work within 48 hours he would not have a job. Millennials often have not experienced any consequences for their actions as their family comes to their aid in so much of what they do – it is simply a state of acceptance. Recently a mother phoned the boss to find out why her daughter had to do something a certain way – the mother was sure the organization could find a way to accommodate her 20+ year old daughter’s wishes.

This can play havoc at work so be sure to provide your staff with the consequences of their work.

– If you are late arriving at work you will put in the extra time at the end of the day

– If a customer’s machine is not fixed correctly you will be required to fix it at their timing convenience whether that be evening or weekend and you will still need to complete your regular day’s work

– If you hand in this report with typos or grammatical errors you will stay at work until it is correct regardless of the time it takes

2. EXPLAIN THE CAREER PATH

Millennial employees want to know the direction their career will take within the organization and the timeline – remember, they are used to instant feedback. Upon hiring, it is always best to sit down with your millennial and let them know how this position can move them forward and when they can expect to achieve each position.

Again, this needs to be concrete – one employer we worked with indicated he would move an employee to another city in three months time. When nothing had been set in motion in three months the new recruit wanted answers. It turned out the new facility was not ready for him but this information was not relayed to the employee. It took four months before the employee was transferred to the other city.

This frustration on the part of the new employee could have been averted had he simply been provided the information.

– Indicate the options open to someone starting in your company with their existing skills

– Indicate what new skills will be needed for each new role and how these skills will be attained

– Show the length of time (including education/learning and experience necessary) before a move is feasible

– Put this in writing for yourself and your employee

3. FEAR OF MAKING WAVES

Teamwork is important to millennials – rarely have they ever done anything on their own except play on their computer and even then they are conversing with others over the internet. These are not people who are used to completing individual risks – everything is done as a team.

Your job is to encourage millennials to contribute to the thought processes in the organization. This means you need to help them become assertive and a more functioning part of the team. You can do this by:

– Indicating in meetings or one-on-one situations the ideas brought forward by other employees and the value these bring to the organization

– In meetings, calling on others (by name) and then calling on the millennial so he or she is not feeling alone

– Give credit and kudo’s to those who contribute and explain to the entire group how this will help the department or organization achieve its goals – millennials want to know that what they are doing provides value and they need to know when it is valuable

Millennials are the newest entrants to your workplace. To keep them comfortable in their positions it is important to help them know the ways of business. After all, this is a new road for them. Follow the above and you will find satisfied millennials and happy supervisors and managers. Start today!