A Millennial is someone born between 1981 -1996 (Age range 22-38)
Generation X is someone born between 1965-1980 (Age range 39-54)
It is widely accepted that there are massive cultural and behavioural differences between the two generations. The challenge at present in a lot of organisations is that the middle / senior management are in the Gen X category and the new up and coming talent are firmly Millennials.
The handling of these cultural and behavioural differences will be vital to the success of organisations going forward and I would like you to consider the rise of apps such as Tinder as an example of those differences in practice and understanding the potential impact.
When a Gen X went out looking for a date, they would probably spot a potential date in a bar or nightclub and ask them if they wanted a drink. It was a limited pool and you most certainly didn’t know much about the person you were talking to. You simply got to know the person over the following day, months or even years.
Millenials on the other hand now locate potential dates on apps like Tinder and whilst in the bar or nightclub, access their instagram / facebook etc and can pre-screen that person’s usually carefully curated airbrushed life, prior to any contact.
That carefully curated image of potential dates often leads to disappointment when reality bites. But hey don’t worry, swipe left, right, up, down, north, south, east or west. Just move on, after all there’s plenty more fish in the sea.
So what’s this got to do with Millenials and Employers?
Most businesses are finding it increasingly frustrating to retain employees. It is a huge expense to recruit and train. Increasingly, a high percentage of under 25’s jump ship, often if they haven’t made the board by their 6 month anniversary.
In essence, if the reality of their job doesn’t match their short term vision, like Tinder they just move on……..
This post, whilst tongue in cheek is not a dig at millennials by an old fart. I think their confidence and self assurance to not settle for second best is to be respected. The aim of this post is provide a different perspective to support millennials to play a more infinite longer term rewarding game than the short term win / lose finite Tinder app type.
Why employers selling the job can be part of the problem?
Sounds counter-intuitive but hear me out. Organisations trying to improve attrition levels often start with a massive recruitment drive about how working for them is the career equivalent of winning Willy Wonka’s Platinum ticket.
This above approach relates strongly to Tinder App example earlier in this post. If you curate the perfect profile at the recruitment stage and in the first few weeks the reality does not match the vision, the employee will just move on.
It’s just like this…..
What can we learn from 29th December 1913?
You may have seen this hugely famous advert placed in The Times newspaper by Ernest Shackleton over 100 years ago for his polar expedition
Research suggests this advert attracted up to 5000 applicants. It’s brilliance is in being hugely and brutally honest aligned with the chance for potential candidates to be involved in writing history (the why?)
The recruitment process whittled the thousands of applicants down to the 28 man team that left for Antarctica in 1914. I think it fair to suggest the 28 selected went off with their eyes wide open and clear with their personal reasons why.
- Is the vision you are pedalling to prospective candidates actually the reality of the environment they will be dropped into. Environment is much more important than recruitment for improving attrition. People tend to gravitate in behaviour to the environment they are in
- How are you recruiting for Polar style grit and resilience when considering new team for your organisation?
- How clear are you about what the challenges are and how it will help your team build capability that will last a whole career?
- What is your equivalent of Ernest Shackleton’s Times Job advert?
