Hiring Myth #7

Myth #7: There's no point in investing any time or effort in training and keeping these pesky Gen X and Gen Y kids. They're too disruptive to our business and won't stay for more than a year anyway.

There’s no question that having up to four generations at work all at the same time can be a big challenge. There’s also no question that those born after about 1980 have very different attitudes about work than those who came before them. The answer is not to find more people our age to staff our business… that’s a dead end road. Literally. The real challenge is to help our managers figure out how to create a workforce that harnesses the energies and talents of all our employees and converts those energies into profits.

Contrary to popular belief, these ‘kids’ are generally not flighty and they do not want to skip jobs every year or two. In fact, research continues to show that, like most of us when we were their age, they want nothing better than to find an employer where they can do meaningful work, see the value of their contribution, learn, stretch and grow… and put down roots for a long time. Unfortunately for many organizations, these kids also have a lower tolerance for BS than we do, and they are more likely than we were to move on when they encounter it.

It is possible to find top performers in any generation, who will fit well in your world and want to stay. And you need to understand the unique fit requirements of each. You can rely on the Fit First Philosophy… it will power your business to better results and a stronger P&L.

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