I am happy to share today, how to manage your workforce with real and practical tips. The traditional workforce has evolved today into a workforce concentrated with millennials and predicted that in next ten years, they will be the predominant group in the work place.
The millennials are the most educated and culturally diverse of any generation before them. They are known for job hopping because they will not be tied down with wool pulled over their eyes. They dislike bureaucracy and distrust traditional hierarchies. This was the best definition of the new workforce I came across.
The new work place environment must be flexible and creative. Continuous improvement is the order of the day. The young ones want the freedom to work at home more and have more of video conference meetings and less of face to face meetings. There will clearly be a great reliance on social networking that is social media even more than the traditional networking cocktails.
They will sacrifice pay for increased vacation time and the ability to work outside the office. Offering flexible scheduling, occasional telecommuting or even unlimited vacation time providing performance remains consistent is very appealing.
There are predictions that in the not too distant future, office space will almost be completely eradicated. Of course, a manufacturing plant will always exist but many professional service firms may be opting out of office space.
The new workforce expects on-going collaborative training. Many in this group want to advance and have tied this to knowledge so they believe that good opportunities for growth and development are one of their top professional priorities. Assigning stretch projects, bringing in speakers or sending employees to leadership conferences is especially welcome in this new workforce dispensation.
They love peer collaboration and are not as competitive as the older workers. They believe in what they can achieve and believe together they can achieve more than enough to generate fantastic rewards.
They thrive on encouragement and regular feedback. Some things are not important but acknowledgement of work done is important. Not necessarily a ceremony. Just a quick pat on the back, a quick thank you a congratulatory message or even just supportive feedback. One of the products of my company is that we get companies to outsource their HR function to us. They recruited some on who was fairly senior and they put me in the loop when corresponding with the man.
The language was so toxic I had to write to the manager in utter shock that in 2019 anybody can berate their fellow worker like that. They eventually let him go just when he was also about to throw in the towel. Nobody needs to stay and listen to such toxic communication. The work places a few years may have stood for that but not the current workplace. If it happens there will be a high turnover and the organisation will be left with the dregs of the workforce.
Other criteria of the emerging workforce are the creation of in-between steps and titles. Gone are the days when the workforce is ready to wait in line five years before they are promoted. With this creation the workers can meet their desire for career progression. It provides incremental training and experience that will aid them later with larger career advancement opportunities.
Even though this new workforce are team players personalised rewards are much appreciated. So, you can reward the team but you should personalise the reward. They also appreciate prompt credit. We know that they are described as an entitled lot. They thrive on encouragement and regular feedback. Some things are not important but acknowledgement of work done is important. Not necessarily a ceremony. Just a quick pat on the back a quick thank you a congratulatory message or even just supportive feedback. One of the products of my company is that we Get companies to outsource their HR function to us. They recruited some on who was fairly senior and they put me in the loop when corresponding with the man.
They expect to be listened to. It is a constantly changing environment where the organisation is constantly making changes to reflect feedback. Very clearly technology that inspires use must be the order of the day.
The new workforce wants to understand the company vision. On boarding is of utmost importance. Jeremy Kingsley describes it well by saying “if you can explain the whole picture, it connects the meaning to the person.” They are apparently more likely to look for meaning and impact in their work and are not satisfied simply signing in and collecting a salary at the end of the day. Helping them understand their role in a larger plan gives them a clearer sense of purpose.” It makes them feel valued, which in turn boosts productivity.”
This may be difficult for a lot of traditional organisations that expect employees to be grateful they have been employed and can’t understand why they need the touchy-feely stuff.
They, more than the old workforce are very interested in charity because They have less of a poverty mentality. The organisations need to be respectful of the things the new workforce care about.
We just recruited for a company that has a middle-aged HR Manager who is perplexed by the fact that his really senior team is made of men and women in their early thirties and the men were asking for paternity leave. He says in his time he did not even think along those lines let alone think of demanding it. The young men want to be involved in raising their children and are not going to compromise that.
They prioritise their personal lives. The organisation must be ready and willing to give them the space they require for personal things. Work life balance is one of the most significant drivers of employee retention among the new workforce. They thrive on encouragement and regular feedback. Some things are not important but acknowledgement of work done is important. Not necessarily a ceremony. Just a quick pat on the back a quick thank you a congratulatory message or even just supportive feedback. One of the products of my company is that we Get companies to outsource their HR function to us. They recruited some on who was fairly senior and they put me in the loop when corresponding with the man.
They are very keen on collaboration and as I said before teamwork. Even the office space is beginning to look different. In times past managers prided themselves with having an open-door policy but the present work spaces are open plan offices so there are no doors. This is to encourage and aid collaboration which is a cross fertilization of ideas.
In times past workers appreciated bonuses as well as stocks in the organisation. They apparently were ambitious and goal oriented liking promotions and an acknowledgement of their expertise and skills. They wanted to be valued and desired authority.
Next time we meet we will talk about what to do with our aging workforce.
LAMIDE BALOGUN
