Millennials like change because they have grown up with it!
“Millennials have grown up changing all the time; they deal better with change, because it’s almost in their DNA,” said Karsh, president of Chicago-based JB Training Solutions, a consultant and training company, and a Generation X-er himself. Those born between 1981 and 2000 (Gen Yers) are so accustomed to adapting, comfortable around authority figures and confident about asking questions that they may be best suited to lead older workers in embracing company change. Millennials have adapted to numerous iterations of mobile devices and computers, grew up with structured sports, camps and “playdates,” and believe that no supervisory communication means they’re doing a bad job, Karsh said.
Karsh described four distinct stages that employees go through when facing major workplace change and discussed each transition through the lens of a Millennial, detailing how that perspective often differs from that of Generation X and the Baby Boomers:
Shock and denial
Companies need to inform, explain, communicate continually and be transparent about what to expect. For Millennials, whose parents tended to arrange their calendars, that means they’re looking to managers for answers. “When Gen X-ers and Boomers had a question at work, they were told to ‘figure it out,’ ” Karsh said. “Millennials love to ask questions. … [they] love to know why.” That means answering questions such as, “What does it mean for me?” “How soon will it happen?” “How will it affect my job?” “Will I get more money?” “Will I get training?”
Anger and resistance
Organizations need to anticipate objections, have a plan for addressing them, and show empathy. Because Millennials are more likely to consider their parents role models than older generations, they are more relaxed around authority figures than Karsh recalls being around his bosses. Hence, he said, the Millennial is not shy about looking to supervisors for mentoring and guidance. “You need to tap into that,” Karsh said. “You want to operate as someone they can turn to, they can trust, who can talk them through things.”
Exploration
Many Millennials are discovering the benefits of the company’s change—whether it’s the ability to access more e-mail accounts on a new mobile phone, or the closer collaboration that comes with an open-office floor plan. Organizations should encourage workers to experiment with the change and learn how it helps them do their jobs. Because collaborating and contributing to a larger objective is important to Millennials, he said, “this is a wonderful opportunity to connect Millennials to what you’re going through. Let them lead teams. They might be moving through the change slightly ahead of Boomers and Gen X-ers.”
Commitment
Once workers are on board with the organizational change, he said, it is the Organization’s task to keep the momentum going. For Millennials, this means frequent feedback. For Boomers, he explained, not hearing from the boss is good news. However, to Millennials, a lack of supervisory feedback tells them they’ve done something wrong. “It’s important for you to recognize that no news about their performance is bad news,” Karsh said. “So … news, news, news.”
Reference: Wilke, D (6/25/2014) Is Change Stressing Your Workers? Turn to a Millennial. SHRM.org