How to handle young workers in the new age of loyalty

Last week the West Coast got hit by the rain train which was the worst possible timing for our new landscape worker. The poor dude came to us from Tim Horton’s where he made $11 per hour. And he had to endure hail and heavy rains; then winds and tons of leaves. Then he quit on Thursday, his fourth day, after yet another cold, rainy day. I’m sure he was dreaming of leafy piles at night.

When I drove home I was trying to think if we could have done something differently to keep him. We have lots of work in the fall and his services were needed. Training on the job is always provided.

Globe & Mail

I always read the Globe & Mail newspaper on Saturday mornings;  and I have to do it early before the paper gets stolen. Section B19 Globe Careers had an interesting opinion article entitled “Is workplace loyalty dead in the age of the millennial?” The Globe & Mail, Saturday October 21, 2017.

Our new hire broke from the strain and bad weather not because his sense of loyalty was off. But the key ideas in the article are very interesting and related to people his age.

Loyalty

Young workers have been called entitled and self-absorbed; and unwilling to pay their dues. But the author argues it’s a bit too harsh. Millennials have a different take on loyalty we are told. Remember, they grew up when lay-offs were common. They got to see their family members axed after years of service.

Key idea: young workers think of service in terms of months, not years. Workplace loyalty isn’t dead. Employers just have to shift their thinking.

The author compares today’s employees to free agents in a sports franchise. So what can the franchise owner do to attract and keep employees?

Two points

One, you must build a franchise in which players want to sign up for a season.

Two, you must create a working environment that compels them to renew their contracts repeatedly.

Three keys to help you

To achieve the two points above you should consider the three points below.

Provide variety

Engage and excite your employees by changing things up. Also, provide abundant opportunities to learn. And make work fun.

Of course, we can’t do much about lousy weather but we can switch new landscape workers from site to site and train them on new machines. We have crew leaders they can learn from and we offer apprenticeships in landscape horticulture.

Offer flexibility

We are told that work life balance is key. For young workers work and play are two sides of the same coin.

Our company does short days on all stat holidays but when a worker needs to go out of town, it’s OK.  When I had to take my daughter to school on her first day of grade 1, the boss let me start later that day. No big deal.

When a worker attends a rock concert we know he won’t be at his 1oo% best on the next day but it’s manageable.

Give feedback

Young workers are super connected and accustomed to instantaneous feedback. So give lots of feedback. It’s actually a good thing when they ask for feedback.

Studies have shown that employee engagement was highest for those who met with a manager at least once a week. My boss and I are always around and my boss isn’t shy about giving feedback.

I suspect our new hire got a bit too much feedback on his last day. His feedback was all about pile pick-up and efficiency. It didn’t register because he was soaked and miserable.

Key idea

“While we have them attitude” is the attitude employers should take. This is because you can’t assume that in this new age of loyalty your employees will be with you forever. The author compares the workers to house guests you really enjoy having in your house. But you know they will eventually leave.

And some will return for round two. This totally applies in landscaping. Some workers go back to school and come back in summer. Others do the odd weekend shift; and some come back after their travels.

Supervisor’s experience

I’m not a young or a new worker but I can safely say that the three keys above work for me. I get to do lawn care, installation work and training. I can tweak my schedule, if required. And my boss provides tons of feedback on my performance and on our staff.

So there you have it. I encourage you to read the newspaper article and follow the keys if you have new young workers you intend to keep.