2008 Woodie Awards
Issue Date: 9/25/06
Young workers want flexible jobs
By Cindy Krischer Goodman
- Page 1 of 1
It didn't take accounting firm owner Richard Berkowitz long to figure out he had a problem during tax season relating to his younger workers. "When I told them it was mandatory they come in on the weekend, they looked at me like I was out of my mind."
Berkowitz has discovered what many baby boomers who lead their companies now face: For most workers in their 20s and 30s, time is currency. And, like most currency, few are willing to give it away.
It's a complex dynamic playing out in workplaces across the country: A significant number of baby boomers can't figure out why younger workers don't have the pay-your-dues attitude they do. For baby boomers, success means unrelenting toil and sacrificing family time in order to secure a corner office filled with Lucite plaques. For the next generation, success means balance.
"There's a lot of frustration in the workplace," says Cam Marston, a consultant and speaker on multigenerational issues. "Boomers are having a hard time finding their replica in the work force today."
To motivate younger workers and curb turnover, some managers are rethinking how they communicate with employees. Harmony can be as simple as understanding the generational differences and talking the right language or using the right rewards, Marston said.
Berkowitz, enlightened by Marston at a companywide meeting, says he now understands the different generational perspectives and will change his approach during tax season. He no longer will refer to overtime as "mandatory." Instead, he will inform staff that there is a certain amount of work that needs to get done and let them create their own schedules. Even more, Berkowitz says the firm may change its bonus and compensation plan to reward productivity rather than hours.
A few companies already have overhauled their employee reward programs to acknowledge younger workers' value on time. Wachovia, a banking company, started a "manager-awarded time away" program about a year ago that allows bosses to hand out as many as three extra paid days off as a performance bonus, in addition to the cash performance rewards they already receive. And some retailers are rewarding employees with time-off gift certificates for good customer service.
Even more, progressive companies that understand the new generation's emphasis on balance use the concept in their recruiting.
For Fabienne Fahnestock, a 33-year-old Fort Lauderdale litigator, the lure of balance enticed her to change law firms. Fahnestock says Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart made it clear she would work hard but not at the expense of her personal life. Fahnestock says she is motivated by a job she enjoys rather than by titles or promotions and believes most of her generation would agree.
"Give me interesting work; make me feel part of a team; make my time at work valuable so I can have spare time to do other things," she says.
Workers born after 1980 have a different work ethic too, Marston said, adding that they have been coddled and look to the workplace for personal fulfillment.
"They are living at home and having their meat cut for them," Marston says. "They aren't lusting to take promotions because they don't see that as success."
Berkowitz has discovered what many baby boomers who lead their companies now face: For most workers in their 20s and 30s, time is currency. And, like most currency, few are willing to give it away.
It's a complex dynamic playing out in workplaces across the country: A significant number of baby boomers can't figure out why younger workers don't have the pay-your-dues attitude they do. For baby boomers, success means unrelenting toil and sacrificing family time in order to secure a corner office filled with Lucite plaques. For the next generation, success means balance.
"There's a lot of frustration in the workplace," says Cam Marston, a consultant and speaker on multigenerational issues. "Boomers are having a hard time finding their replica in the work force today."
To motivate younger workers and curb turnover, some managers are rethinking how they communicate with employees. Harmony can be as simple as understanding the generational differences and talking the right language or using the right rewards, Marston said.
Berkowitz, enlightened by Marston at a companywide meeting, says he now understands the different generational perspectives and will change his approach during tax season. He no longer will refer to overtime as "mandatory." Instead, he will inform staff that there is a certain amount of work that needs to get done and let them create their own schedules. Even more, Berkowitz says the firm may change its bonus and compensation plan to reward productivity rather than hours.
A few companies already have overhauled their employee reward programs to acknowledge younger workers' value on time. Wachovia, a banking company, started a "manager-awarded time away" program about a year ago that allows bosses to hand out as many as three extra paid days off as a performance bonus, in addition to the cash performance rewards they already receive. And some retailers are rewarding employees with time-off gift certificates for good customer service.
Even more, progressive companies that understand the new generation's emphasis on balance use the concept in their recruiting.
For Fabienne Fahnestock, a 33-year-old Fort Lauderdale litigator, the lure of balance enticed her to change law firms. Fahnestock says Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart made it clear she would work hard but not at the expense of her personal life. Fahnestock says she is motivated by a job she enjoys rather than by titles or promotions and believes most of her generation would agree.
"Give me interesting work; make me feel part of a team; make my time at work valuable so I can have spare time to do other things," she says.
Workers born after 1980 have a different work ethic too, Marston said, adding that they have been coddled and look to the workplace for personal fulfillment.
"They are living at home and having their meat cut for them," Marston says. "They aren't lusting to take promotions because they don't see that as success."
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