Those of us who have been drifting in the labour market for years have experienced, and are still experiencing, many changes. There is no one tried and tested method that, if followed, will result in motivated, satisfied employees.
Latest from our article focuses on Generation X leaders born between 1960-80, and now, in 2019, they are trying to reach out to younger Generation Y and Z as leaders. Let me reassure you, it's not easy.
"Everything used to be better". It is often said in all walks of life. But this is not entirely true. It was not better, it was different. There weren't as many opportunities, there weren't as many decision situations, so we were happier with the little things, we were more loyal. The fact that this is not the case now is not the fault of the new generations, so I think it is important to talk about how we encourage them to adapt to today's environment.
Remember when you were 20 years old?
Did you need a secure job where you would be respected and where you could work in peace until retirement?
Did you want peace and a calm environment for your future family?
And if you had a good salary to go with it, did you feel you had everything?
This was natural. At least until the 2000's. After the 1990's, the world opened up after the regime change, Western brands appeared in this country, and it was easy to travel. With the great development of technology and Hungary's accession to the EU, everything really changed. 15 years have passed since 2004, and the changes have not stopped.
What does this "other world" mean for staff?
Generations Y and Z are born into opportunity. They don't really know what it's like to grow up without the internet, what it's like not to have so much choice in the shops, to have to have a passport to cross the border. They don't understand these things, and we can't blame them for that, because they were born into a "better world". But they are motivated by other things. Generally speaking.
Today's 18-36 year olds are highly mobile, not staying in one place for more than two years. They don't want to do the same thing for several more years, or because they believe they can quickly find another place where they can face new challenges, build new relationships, try something new. Competitive pay is important to them, but it's no longer enough if a company wants to keep them. Increasingly, it's about how much they feel comfortable there, whether they are proud to work there, how much they can learn from more experienced people, whether they have the opportunity to develop professionally and build their career. If all these things are available to them in the company, they might imagine their future there in the longer term (King, 2014).
You see, this sentence was already available 5 years ago in the online at. We are not really talking about a new situation, are we?
Perhaps you, dear reader, have encountered a situation where a recent graduate came to a job interview with almost zero experience, but already had a salary request that left you open-mouthed. And then he hasn't put anything on the table. So yes, they are motivated by pay, at least in the beginning. They have an idea in their heads about their salaries (plus let's add that the statistics of the KSH add a lot to this, unfortunately in the wrong direction) and if we can offer them that, we have gone beyond the first motivational level. We have got them. But it does not stop there.
Keeping their attention, and it is increasingly shifting from pay to feel-good. They care about the environment they go to work in and what the company says about itself, how well known it is, how likeable it is. This can be coupled with things like how green the operation is, how environmentally friendly it is, what CSR activities it does. So you need both internal and external PR.
"For example, when people visit us for the first time, they often think of our company as being like Google. We've tried to create an environment where the result is that employees like to come in because they feel comfortable in that environment. " (Marietta, Y-collective)
Okay not money, but then what motivates you?! We have collected some a general motivating element:
- a cultured working environment
- individual solutions: flexible working hours, bicycle storage, for kindergarten / school
- adjusted work schedule
- the employee gets attention from the manager. He inspires, enthuses, sets attractive and challenging goals
- have the opportunity to work independently
- development opportunities, training
- the leader mentors, gives feedback.
To some extent these are universally true everywhere, but unfortunately it is not all black and white. It depends on the company. That's why we've given a few examples.
In the case of an IT company, there are incentives such as a team going out for lunch after a successful development project, paid for by the company. Another good example is if it's not a team effort, but someone excels at their job, they get a more special tool to make their job easier: they can choose a more expensive, rather than ordinary, mouse or monitor lift. Is it that simple? In many cases, yes. It shows the attention to detail that Generation Y and Z desperately need. It's not enough to get a pat on the back, not enough to get a regular pay rise, you need little things like that.
I had a relationship with a company where every month there was a salary meeting, where the employees sat down separately with the management and discussed the previous month. This gives the participants space to spend time with management where they can enjoy the attention of management alone. They can share negative and positive experiences. I think this is a fantastic solution. It is time consuming, tiring, but incredibly motivating.
Let's look at another example. Pharmacy. Pharmacy assistants collect points during their work, which they can use to buy products available in the pharmacy. That's a slightly different motivation again, but if you feel that if you do your job well or a little bit better, and in return you can get some of the products available in the pharmacy (not just medicines) for free, that's motivating. After all, he is doing his job, no one is asking him for extra things, but he is getting extra things in return.
I have another good example. This one is more interesting because it is not a modern example. Let's jump back in time to the 1980s. Back then, I heard several stories of companies giving out free loans to build houses. It was a tool that certainly made the employee loyal and "tied him down" for a good few years.
But finding everyone's motivation is not easy, and, of course, there's also the possibility of wanting something that goes beyond the ordinary. It's not always someone who spends all day reading the wishes of their co-workers. That's one of the things Beeward. Try it with your team!
