Engaging Young Talent: How Do HR Professionals Connect with the New Generation?

Handling the Young Generation in the Workplace

Recent trends show that youngsters are more enthusiastic and need more appreciation at the workplace. How do HR professionals handle the young generation? (I am one of them) Please reply.

Regards

On the lighter side - Since you are one of the "young generation," ask yourself how you would like to be handled. From my experience of dealing with younger employees, I can tell you that first and foremost, a thorough induction is required to get them out of the "college" mood and bring them into a "professional" mood. Expectation setting on day 1 is the key to managing the younger generation.

The biggest difference is that in college, you pay the fees, so professors don't give you a very hard time, but in a job, it is the company that is paying you, so they will definitely make demands on your productivity and quality of work.

Adapting to Corporate Life

Keep the following in mind to adapt to corporate life quickly:

1. Respect the company and the rules.
2. If the company is paying you for your services, be serious about it and focus on your work.
3. Expect appreciation only when A) you did something which your seniors (not you or your colleagues) think is outstanding, or B) your actions have benefited the company in some way.
4. Don't expect appreciation just because you learned something faster than others or if your performance is better than others; the real yardstick is the expectation level of your seniors.

Most companies do have a formal reward and recognition system in which they have various awards for newly joined employees, especially youngsters. Some of them are:

1. Rookie of XYZ Co.
2. Rising Star Award
3. Pat on the back
4. Dynamic New Joiner Award
5. Prodigy Award

The definition, frequency, eligibility, etc., are different in different organizations.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Ritesh Shah

Job Seeker HQ has given useful input on the subject. I would just add that the youngsters should be put under the wings of a sensible mentor who can instill the cultural values of the organization, shape their attitudes, and guide them to grow as professionals. On the part of these young aspirants, their focus should be on performing at their best and acquiring skills rather than on seeking appreciation, since if they take care of performance, rewards and recognition will take care of themselves.

Regards,
B. Saikumar

Dear B. Saikumar, you have given a good suggestion, and it works, but you just need to be careful while selecting the "sensible" mentor. I have noticed that once you assign someone as a mentor (no matter how sensible), that person automatically considers that role as extra responsibility and expects a higher rating during appraisals.

Requirements for Successful Mentoring Programs

For such kinds of programs to be successful, the following needs to be in place:

1. Mentoring responsibility should not be assigned to anyone; the person should volunteer for the role of a mentor. Of course, you can set some eligibility criteria based on tenure, designation, etc.

2. The mentor should undergo an induction to understand their role and what is expected from them, including whether they will receive extra credit during appraisals. The induction is important for the following reasons:
- Standardization
- Clarification of responsibilities
- Prevention of surprises or dissatisfaction at appraisal time.

I have run such programs, and I can tell you from good authority that you cannot simply assign a mentor (no matter how senior or sensible) and expect new/younger employees to receive proper guidance. You need to establish a formal process where people have the opportunity to volunteer for the role of a mentor on a quarterly rotating basis. Mentors also need guidance on what is expected of them, so they should also undergo induction.

We also implemented a process to gather feedback on the mentors' effectiveness, but it wasn't very successful because people felt we were blaming them for what was essentially a voluntary assignment, deterring others from volunteering.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Ritesh Shah

I can't agree more with you that extreme care should be taken in selecting a mentor. Mere seniority is not a criterion for selection, as you said. What is required is that the person selected as a mentor should have an aptitude for such a job, a proper understanding of their role, and should consider such a job as a delicate responsibility, not a delegated authority. They should also be sensitive to the feelings and emotions of their wards.

Thanks for sharing your experiences on mentoring.

Regards,
B. Saikumar

Thank you all for this. As a large population of India is young, I have recently started practicing as a Chartered Accountant. The staff I would be acquiring would be fresh graduates. Thanks to all for the suggestions. More views are welcome.