Generation “Why?”
Following in his father’s footsteps, millennial Cody Burkhardt explains how to bridge the often-daunting generation gap.
I’m Cody Burkhardt, a 17-year-old high school student. I spend many hours a day reading and studying everything from current events and economics to generational differences and their effect in the workplace. I’ve been involved in the custom installation industry since 1998. I’ve travelled to five continents with my father (SpeakerCraft president Jeremy Burkhardt) and have met and worked with dealers across the globe on all types of installations.
I am also a ‘millennial’ and have been employed as a technical support specialist at SpeakerCraft since I was 13 years old.
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What is a millennial? We are the generation that was born between 1980 and 1994. As a generation, we were taught that we are all winners and no one is a loser. We are all equal, and we are entitled to have and do whatever makes us happy.
We were given more than any other generation in history and we have made the world our playground. We do not think we should have to change or adapt to be accepted; we can be who we are and look and talk without judgment from each other. Many other generations do not understand this and we attribute this to others being closed minded. Social norms do not apply to us and we generally do what makes us happy.
It may appear to others that we are hard to employ and have an exaggerated sense of entitlement. However, if you let us express ourselves, participate in the decision making process, ask us how we feel, and take our feedback, you will have a group of employees that cares deeply and will deliver your company great value and service.
I have noticed some fundamental problems with not just the custom installation industry, but all work environments regarding millennials. With the higher than average turnover rates, millennial employees are perceived as difficult to please. As such, other generations are reluctant to employ us. However, understanding this generation is essential to your business’s success, and as your business expands and time passes, they will become an unavoidable part of your workforce and target market.
Everybody knows that employees work more productively if they enjoy their job and this is especially true for millennials. Employers with strict policies on dress code and flexibility are a dying breed. By allowing your millennial employees to be themselves while they work, you give them a much larger incentive to stick around and work harder to better your company. This can include allowing employees to bring their iPods to work, dress casually, wear their body jewellery, and have tattoos without fear of repercussion.
Flexible hours attract millennials as well. One of their top priorities when looking for a job is that it fits their lifestyle. Being more lenient in their hours will absolutely yield results. When they work, they will do so much more productively. When millennials are comfortably employed and enjoy what they are doing, there is no limit to the lengths they will go to to help your business succeed.
Millennials do not like being told what to do, but they do respond favourably to coaching and proper guidance. They especially like to be told how they are doing.
Having been raised in an environment where communication is instant (email, text messaging, social networking), feedback has become an essential part of the millennial lifestyle. They want to know how they’re doing as often as possible, and how they can do it better.
By giving them the input they need, you are helping them make your company more productive.
The next generation is here. They are sure to help their employer’s progress through their determination and unprecedented productivity in the workplace. Employers that have used these concepts in their businesses have developed millennials into loyal, excited, ambitious, and effective employees that are willing to do whatever it takes to advance the company they care so much about.
The question is: will you develop them?
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