September 08, 2008, 11:50 AM — Generation Y is getting a bad reputation for being difficult to both hire and manage. They're time-consuming, demanding, and they want to be both pushed and coddled. As an employer, you'll learn that your Generation Y employees have different needs and expectations than your other employees, and may respond to a good coach.
Here are five ways to keep Generation Y employees motivated and productive.
 1. Be a leader. Generation Y is used to having a strong role model. This generation grew up being told that there were no stupid questions. They will ask, and you must be ready to deliver. Don’t forget to lead by example too. Gen Y is happy to see their employers get their hands dirty.
2. Train them. Generation X was happy to be shown their desk and left alone. Generation Y might have a heart attack under those circumstances. We don’t suggest recreating Pavlov’s experiments, but don’t throw them in the deep-end either. Give them training wheels for a while. They will appreciate it, and you will receive superior work.
3. Challenge them. Boredom at the workplace is so 1999. This generation craves stimuli. They were brought up during the technology boom and their attention spans have shortened accordingly. This isn’t to say that they can’t concentrate, but they do so best when challenged. These fresh faces are multitaskers.
4. Keep technology current. An iPhone may not seem like a good coaching technique, but it will definitely help you connect with a Generation Y worker. Without the proper technology, Gen Y will feel out of the loop. While they aren’t expecting everything to be state-of-the-art, if they know that there is an easier way to accomplish a task using technology, they will quickly become frustrated without it.
5. Respect generational differences. Gen Y is bursting with new ideas and a desire to share them. Don’t assume that just because they’re young that they’re incapable. A good Gen Y coach will show them how to bring out the best in their ideas. This doesn’t mean that Gen Y always has respect for older generations. Frequently one of the biggest clashes in the workplace has to do with a lack of respect for generational differences. Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y all have different work techniques. Manage these well together, and you’ll have an office teeming with productivity.
