Time is changing. In parallel, employee profile and expectations are also changing. If you have already started calling your employees “next generation”, you probably have started working with generation Y, whose expectations and traits are inherently different than those you know.
The new generation born roughly as of mid 80s is called Generation Y. Reaching their late 20s, this generation’s attitude to life and expectations from life and work differ significantly from those of the preceding Generation X.
At first gclance, such a difference may not matter for you. However, if you look for a happy team, who fulfill designated tasks in the most productive way, you should take into account all these differences and adopt a fitting approach for long-term profitability of your establishment.
Here is a guide for the accomodation industry as to how to work with Generation Y…
Digital youth
Generation Y is known as the ‘natives of the Internet. They grew up as technology was becoming more and more common and turning into an indispensible part of our daily habits. Thus, their characteristics have developed accordingly.
They can simply and naturally multitask. They know what “speed” means as they are used to finding the answers of their questions online, within seconds. They are in pursuit of advancing their career fast, being rapidly rewarded for their efforts. Therefore, it should not surprise us to see them maneuvering rapidly to another job if they believe that they cannot, under current circumstances, advance as fast as they expect.
In an industry where employee turnover is high, you might consider establishing a rewarding system to ensure the loyalty of Generation Y employees. Knowing how they could be promoted or rewarded with bonuses once they achieve the set goals would contribute to their motivation at work. It would also be a clever idea not to refrain from sharing your positive and negative feedback with them. As most members of this generation grew up by being appreciated, their motivation could easily increase once they hear positive feedback.
Next-gen relations
What they perceive as friendship and social communication is different, as well. Anyone on their social media accounts is their friend. It would be a critical move to organize special training sessions for your Generation Y employees in order to deal with their penchant for adopting such an attitude at work and to strike the balance for their level of communication with guests. Moreover, it would be helpful to remind them of possibility of misunderstandings at work due to some acronyms they commonly use and communication styles they adopt.
The members of this generation also tend to question “why they should like” or “why they should respect” something. They believe that superiority is not a reason alone for love and respect. Therefore, a competitive manager to supervise a team of Generation Y members should also be in a position naturally deserving their respect.
Distinguish yourself with the correct attitude
Generation Y always question the entire functioning of a business and any situation that takes place within an establishment. Give them space and hear their ideas in matters that concern them if you would like to contribute to their satisfaction with the workplace. Generation Y employees work in a more effective and productive way with managers who do not compromise on their limits while, however, caring about those employees’ private conditions.
In brief, we should admit that working with Generation Y members is not necessarily a very easy task to deal with especially for those who are not experienced in this new “territory”. Once you learn how to communicate with them, you would see the productivity of your personnel going beyond what you generally expect. Moreover, note that Generation Y will comprise the majority of your personnel in a short while. Even though it is not the case for your establishment at present, you will indispensably have to get used to them soon.
Good news about Generation Y is their technological skills that could benefit you throughout your online activities for your establishment. HotelRunner is equipped with easy-to-use features for any user at any level. However, Generation Y employees would make use of HotelRunner advantages in a faster and more effective way. Create your HotelRunner account today and see how you or your Generation Y employees can increase the sales figures.
