Managing the Millennial at work place

Author: Prof. (Dr.) Shreedhar V. Sherigar

Category: Human Resource Management

Abstract:

The changing business environment requires the strategic management approach to adopt the manpower to suit the business environment for which the available manpower is the key factor for the growth of an organisation. The millennial are active working population born around somewhat between the year 1990 and 2000.The researcher has researched into the behaviour of the millennial who has to work along with the personnel of generation gap. Further, there remains fast and vast difference in the thinking process of millennial as compared to their senior colleagues in the working place due to change in the technology, easy access to information/data and facilities which are new and also not easy to handle as are being handled by the young generation. This paper examines the attitudinal behaviour on the part of the manager/Boss towards millennial for an effective productivity thereby adopting participative management style of leadership with team building and also sharing the success in a given venture for the all-round growth.

Full Text:

Introduction:

The organization carrying business can be survived with adopting timely change, suitable technological environment and continuing in the challenging global scenario with strategic planning for its growth. Failure to follow the time bound action on the part of the organizations may lead to loose and/or close down in due course of time. As has been observed from the last about one and half decades after the liberalization of the economy, we have witnessed the industries which were closed down due to some reason or the other including that of untimely requisite business strategic for viability and also enterprises that have made excellent performance despite tough competitions facing in the global market being capital intensive or labour intensive industries.

Individual and group behaviors of the employee largely depend upon the organizational working environment. Accordingly, their contribution in the overall performance of the organization also depends upon their related personalities. It has been observed that majority of the employees particularly in a large organization were being found wasting their time during their working hours including sleeping on duty, taking time for smoking, pan/tobacco chewing, spending time in washroom/toilet, union activities, and canteen etc. Thus, employees__ampersandsign#39; behavior has direct impact on the productivity due to work performance for the organizational growth which is one of the most important factors to be considered and rectified.

The millennial are the working population in the formal and informal sectors, born around the liberalization and thereafter of our economy in the world market i.e. somewhat between the year 1990 and 2000. The majority of the working population depends upon the employment either in formal or informal sectors. These population start to work after completion of their formal education and may get an employment at an approximate age group of 20 years. They work for about 30 to 40 years that depends upon their health and also survival of the institution they work including other circumstantial factors which includes economic, social and political etc. During working life of an individual, who has come across with various types of people and their behavior, religion, gender, age and interaction with the junior age groups, senior age groups including seniors in position and also juniors, peers etc. There are people with generation gaps and thereby finding it difficult in adjusting psychologically due to mismatching of the expectations and also meeting each generation/ individual with different cultural background which is inculcated through __ampersandsign#39;family back ground (Sanskara)__ampersandsign#39;

The globalization of the economy has resulted in sea of changes in the life style of the millennial in respect of their attitude, aptitude, abilities to work performance, knowledge including relevant skills to be required. Accordingly, their thinking process at work also make a difference. These work force have developed work characteristics of their own and also tendencies from interacting with diversified professionals including internet/ computer savvy people, doting parents, structured lives around them.

The major work of their creativities depend upon the fact tract and easily accessible readymade information received from the networking site. These young working population have almost been spoilt for their own choice and grown up navigating their selected brands, products, reviews and form their own result oriented opinions. Hence, their expectations are high due to fast tract success by generating more aspirations, gained during short span of time. They expect fast growth in the career planning in the corporate world. According to a recent study Deloitte study of Millennial in India, about two -thirds of the millennial workforce expressed their desire to leave their current job to join other organizations by 2020. It appears to be an indication to any prospering organizational HRD to think in the line of interaction and understanding the problems of speed aspirations of the current generation by managing their needs and also require to prepare the career planning along with providing better service conditions to minimize attrition rates.

This young generation is used to work in conducive atmosphere with team spirit and want to make friends at workplace. These millennials work well with diverse workforce. Hence, they tend to show respect by emulating the people they aspire to be like and prefer to call their superiors on first name basis rather than __ampersandsign#39;Boss/ Sir__ampersandsign#39;. They give importance to productivity entrusted to them thereby value in reducing authority distance at workplace, building innovative organizations to reach out to accomplish the task in hand. They also need ample space for self-expression in decision making and the organization needs to have change in the policies and procedures for improvements to play the role where employee can be free to speak up voicing individual opinion and can be encouraged across the board. Further, multiple structured platforms like open session forum, question and answer session at the end sessions of the seminars, cross functional interaction, employee suggestions etc. should be encouraged. The effectiveness of motivation at work place have a large impact on them.

With the high aspirations and expectations, the majority of millennial have positive and confident quality. They are so confident to the extent of given task would be completed within the time bound period thereby putting extra efforts whatsoever and expect positive feedback about their work. These young workforce force seek a challenge at every assignment entrusted and do not want to experience boredom. They love to balance various activities such as teams, friends, and social activities and as such want flexibility in work schedule to lead a life away from work.

Major part of the workforce are computer and internet operational experts, the millennial are connected all over the world by email, instant messages, text messages, Face book and the Internet. Hence, this generation is the well-connected fast moving generation in the electronic, information and technology global world.

Required strategic move to manage the millennial are:

i. Job assignment: Nature of job to be performed, title, working hours, activities to be performed daily, preparation of minutes of the meeting __ampersandsign its circulation to the concerned, defining clear goals of the organization and assessment of progress periodically, evaluation/feedback of the work assigned etc.

ii. Leadership: What is most important is that the millennials require constructive guidance for improvement at work and/or for want of learning from seniors and wish to receive daily feedback of their work performance including guidance for work improvements from the seniors. This will lead to enhancement of their self-confidence at work independently. Therefore, cost involved is much more as more time for teaching and coaching the millennials is required when hired fresh which would also self -benefit in future.

iii. Team building: This generation will find comfort to work in group or team for better productivity. Hence, there is an advantage for the managers to utilize their talent as colleague /friend and as one of their team members and complete the assigned task within the stipulated time.

iv. To take suggestions and encourage: Due to good social back ground enjoyed by the millenials, their idea, suggestions , expressed thoughts should be respected and encouraged so that they should take interest to project their views fearlessly and voluntarily for the benefit of the enterprise.

v. Challenging assignment: Millennials love to work in the challenging work environment and are eager to learn in depth to understand the problems before finding the solutions. As such, working environment should be created to suit their requirements. Job satisfaction retains the millennial work force irrespective of the attraction for the marginal hike in salary with other competitive enterprise. The technological advancement with latest innovation is one of the factors which is leading towards disruption witnessing the demographic changes due to globalization of the economy. On the other hand, evolving geopolitical equations are also shaping the world significantly, giving rise to newer opportunities.

vi.Multi-tasking work: Unlike previous generations, the millennials would love to work in multitasking jobs. They attend calls, work on computers, attend mails, attend the customer__ampersandsign#39;s quarries etc. while doing the main job. I have experienced the problems faced by the organization while introducing computers at the work during 90s. Majority of the Employees were against the use of computers and finally settled the matter after paying a separate additional allowance as incentive for computer use. Furthermore, on job training was given at company__ampersandsign#39;s cost. The __ampersandsign#39;speed to market__ampersandsign#39; is critical to success of organization today. It allows them to reach their clients faster with better products, offers and services ahead of their completion and also stay on their toes to constantly evolve these very products and services, sometimes even on the go, to give business as well as the stake holders an edge.

Vii. Millennials are trained to use computers and computer related work: They are good and also majority of them have extensive knowledge in use of computer/network related jobs including collecting/passing information through internet for the organizational benefits. No longer is leadership confined to the traditional definition of __ampersandsign#39;man management__ampersandsign#39; although it is an integral part of the system. The individual leadership concept inspires organizations to develop the leadership ability of its employees regardless of their work location, or position in the organizational structure. It aims to build the capabilities of employees across themselves through empowerment.

Conclusion:

The organization has to use the strength of millennial and their network expertise for collecting the desired information for taking an effective decision in the strategic planning for business development. They are strength and future human capital resources of the nation. The electronic tools viz computer/Laptop/I-phone etc are their present Guide for network searching including Google, yahoo and other websites. They know how at the press of a button to get the desired information/result. They are dedicated to work continuously for 10 to 14 hours with little break intervals. They are like diamonds which needs to be polished for greater value and their services to be utilized to achieve organizational goals with mutual sharing benefits which will also result in national development.

Furthermore, to achieve the desired organizational goals with an effective management, more focus would be extended on the following suggestions for better performance of the millennial employees:

Participative management: Millennial workforce likes to work effectively in a team spirit with group participation to avoid personality clashes and superior/ inferior complex. It will also encourage them to work better and improve results to accomplish organizational goals with the time frame targeted. Credit sharing with the team task will be shared by the entire team members.

2. Stress Management: In an organizational working environment and also due to some of the superior__ampersandsign#39;s attitude towards their subordinates, to some extent there will be possibility of much force from the superiors to achieve the target and/or accomplish the same prior to the projected time target to the management. This is because of the credit/ praise expected from the management including hoping to get the better increments from the management. Surprisingly, it has been observed that the large numbers of this young generation would like to work in such stressful working environment along with the team and participation, and also they would like to work beyond working hours with the commitment to finish the assigned task. Working with the team with available resources and also sharing the task result would give them entire satisfaction at work to some extent and also for considerable period of their prime part of professional life.

3. Support from Top management: In any organization whether it is small, medium or large in size, support from the top management is sine quo none. In other words, without support from the top management, the Human Resources Management would be ineffective. Timely corrective action/s would clear the ways to achieve the projected goals of the organization and current work forces adhere to the timely measures taken and supported by the top management.

4. Defined job responsibility: There must be entrusted job responsibilities for different roles that should be performed by the entire work force. Of course, it may not be required for the lower categories of the unskilled workmen, but responsible and result oriented work expected by the management, requires to design and issue the job description to the concerned workforce to avoid complication including responsibilities and delegated authorities to perform productive work.

5. The millennial are very much concerned to the __ampersandsign#39;Clarity and Transparency__ampersandsign#39; at work to perform the task in hand with confidence. Hence, it is the top management which is responsible for focusing on such organizational policy. Timely updating the know-how for better quality and quantity of productivity, and also enhancing profit and related incentive benefits to the millennial would keep the employee__ampersandsign#39;s morale at high. This would be possible by keeping systems/methods at proper place with guided policy and procedures including implementing systematic/effective HRM process.

References:

https://www.manpowergroup.com/millennials