As a millennial manager, you should not be surprised that a lot more is expected from you. You are younger and expected to be more innovative than your Gen X counterparts. You will be expected to motivate your team and get them to perform better.
Many times, your team could be under-performing, not necessarily because they have lower skill sets, but because they lack the inspiration to be more productive. And as a millennial manager, you will be expected to provide inspiration by employing your value system to increase productivity and get better results even if the conditions are the same.
Sometimes, it is the little things that trigger increased productivity levels. Below are some little things you can do to inspire your team to work at optimum productive capacity.
1. Let them personalize their workstations
The employees under your supervision are not all the same. So do not be surprised to discover that they have different productivity levels for different environment setups.
For instance, while most millennials would prefer to work quietly and peacefully, others would need a measure of controlled noise to perform at their best.
The magic happens when you let them setup their workstations as they like provided it does not take away from their productivity.
For instance, if they do not like noise, let them use earmuffs to reduce decibel levels in their work area. If they like to hear the sounds, let them setup their station near the windows where they can better take in the sound of the streets.
For others, the trick could be as simple as a swivel chair, putting green plants in their space etc. Just make sure to check up on them occasionally to make sure that this strategy is working.
2. Explain to them why they do what they do
Often times your employees are just in it for the money; they do not see the connection between their job description and the overall company objective and could not be bothered about it.
It is your job to help them discover meaning in their work responsibilities; to see the big picture.
You could seize opportunities during hiring and training employees to explain to each employee how the job they do contributes to the company’s final product/service and helps to move the entire company closer to achieving its objective.
If handled well, your employees will realize how their activities fit into the chain of events/actions that form the overall product that helps to meet customer’s needs.
This gives them a sense of purpose, improves their morale, and gives them the needed drive to carry out their tasks in the best way possible. Contrary to ‘The Myth of the Lowest Price Tag,’ investing in quality tools and resources for your team can actually lead to long-term savings and elevated productivity levels.
3. Give them some time off
Even the most energetic among us needs to rest occasionally; no one is built to work without pause. As a millennial manager, institute a company policy that requires your employees to take a break everyday for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on how tasking their job is and how far they have progressed in their daily tasks.
However, make sure your team does not turn this time into a napping session; the brain can get lazy if it is shut down completely for even a short period. You want your employees to be able to get back to work immediately at the same high they were in before their time off.
So, instead of closing their eyes for a nap, they can initiate conversations with each other, listen to music, read up on current news on breaking news sites.
The important thing is to rest the body and mind while still keeping the brain engaged. It is sort of like bringing a car to a halt but leaving the engine running.
4. Give them flexible office hours
One of the most efficient trends in today’s business world is flexibility. Businesses are gradually coming to understand the benefits of having fluid office hours rather than a strict clock in, clock out time.
For instance, if a millennial employee who is a parent has to go pick up his/her child from school, you should let them do that because work-life balance is one major thing millennials ask for to be happy at work. Maybe an employee is too sick to come to work but still strong enough to carry out his/her duties, let them work from home instead of risking them taking a sick day and foregoing work entirely.
Working on the go or from home is not inefficient as some business owners and managers might think. In fact, some employees actually record an improvement in productivity while working from home.
