Looking For Stupid

In talking with a group of managers about the Next Generation I was trying to explain the differences between the generations and this guy from my audience says, “I don’t know what’s up with my younger employees but someone was handing out stupid and they were grabbing all they could get!.” Sure everyone laughed, but he failed to see the joke – because he didn’t have a mirror in front of him.

This new generation of workers is more intelligent, more technologically savvy, and better able to accomplish a multitude of tasks than generations prior. They are not stupid.

They also will not tolerate boorish managers, incomplete information and lack of proper training. There is where the stupid lies – in how managers are treating this generation that have the potential to make your organization soar!

What the older workers tolerated and grumbled about (still do) are things the younger generation just won’t tolerate. The older generation felt that if they made a mistake even though they never received proper training it was somehow their fault and they would accept the dressing down mangers gave out.

The younger generation feels if you don’t take the time to properly train them and teach them the job then the mistake is the company’s fault and no need to sweat it. If the company doesn’t care enough to take the time and make the effort to train, why should I bust my hump to learn it on my own, is an attitude that honestly is hard to argue with.

Stupidity rarely lives in the workforce. If you feel you have stupid employees, check the following areas for where stupid really lurks.

Training

Because of the current economic times companies are eliminating training positions, shortening training times and generally hoping employees learn new tasks by speed osmosis. Then they wonder why there is no buy in and mistake happen? An old computer term was “Garbage in and garbage out” It still applies to training. Saving money in training is like saving car expenses by not changing your oil or rotating your tires. You have to invest in the important areas of your business. Skill, talent and knowledge are the most important areas of business that bring growth. Technology is worthless of you don’t have the right people to use it and know what they are doing.

Hiring process

Are you attracting the right people? Do you know the makeup of what the right person is? Do you know how to get in front of the right person? Does your company deserve the talent you desire? What do you offer that keeps the right talent excited about what they are doing for you?

Most organizations are begging for help, expecting disappointment and failing to hire exactly what they need as well as preparing the workplace to maintain the interest of the talent you want. If you are simply filling positions and hoping the new hire lasts 90 days then look in the mirror and you will see stupid. Any manager that sets that low of expectations is never going to get the right employees to fill the right jobs and it has nothing to do with the Next generation of employees.

Managers

In the food service industry the greatest problem is keeping good employees. The average annual turnover in this industry is 300%. That means for every 50 jobs you have to fill you have to hire 150 people just to keep the jobs full, and that’s the average! In light of this I’ve been asking every good waitstaff I encounter if anyone thanked them for coming to work today. It has been five years and hundreds of waitstaff asked and I have yet to find one, just one tell me their manager thanked them for coming to work today.

Do you thank your customers? What about your regulars who do business with you over and over, do you show appreciation to them? Your employees expect a daily appreciation of some sort for working. Not because they are needy, not because they are insecure and want to be loved, but because they are giving you their time talents and efforts and they could be giving it to anyone they want to. Calling them stupid is NOT how you earn their loyalty, respect and best efforts.