Are you frustrated that your new hires aren’t anything like your hard-working seasoned employees who are more dependable and loyal? You’re not alone, and you’re not crazy for thinking they’re from a different planet! But before you judge newer (often younger) workers as lazy, entitled or having no work ethic, take a quick look at who we’re dealing with here.
- Millennials (workers 20-37) were raised in the 1980s and 1990s when divorce and downsizing were running rampant. We saw our parents split and get laid off (multiple times) during our formative years, so in many cases, we don’t know what loyalty looks like!
- New hires don’t have the “golden handcuffs” many of your seasoned workers have, such as multiple weeks of PTO and VIP status, which they’d have to give up if they switched jobs. The newer workers won’t lose much by switching from company to company, which workers with 10+ years at one organization will have to start back at the bottom of the totem pole. It’s no wonder those with shorter tenure are a greater flight risk!
- Everyone is entitled today. Thanks to drive-thru windows, personal credit cards and Amazon’s two-day Prime shipping for free, we all want what we want when we want it. Most people won’t go to a car lot looking for a red sedan and go home with a blue one that’s a better deal. We’ll keep looking until we find the red one we want. That’s entitlement and it’s become more pervasive in our entire society over the past three decades.
Want to more effectively attract and retain your talent?
Get to know who exactly your new workforce is and be intentional about building a place where people WANT to work. That’s the key! About the Author: Workforce thought leader Cara Silletto works with companies across the country to reduce excessive employee turnover. “Workforce” magazine named her a game-changer and Recruiter.com recognized her in their “Top 10 Company Culture Experts to Watch” list. She’s the author of the 2018 book, “Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave & How to Keep Them Longer” and is an “entitled” Millennial herself and Forty Under 40 honoree from Louisville, KY.
