DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT & EXPECTATIONS

If I describe a work environment that included … feeling connected, an opportunity to make a difference, adding & getting value, and enjoying where and with whom you work … does any of that seem bad, irrational, or unreasonable? Honestly, who wouldn't want to work in an environment like that? Nothing about that seems bad. This is what today’s generation craves, yet employers struggle to connect with today’s workforce. Why?

What does it cost an employer to have an environment that allows employees to feel connected, make a difference, get and add value, and like where they work? The right answer is nothing; it costs you nothing but effort and intentionality. 

Dismiss the woke definition of diversity; the real diversity we deal with today is not ethnicity or gender (not that those things should matter when hiring and training), but rather the diversity of thought and expectations. The expectation is for a job to be more than clocking in and out. 30 years ago, most employees had two lives. Their work life and their personal life. Today, when employees come to work, they bring their whole life, their whole self. Employees and people in general want to connect, they want to belong, and they want to make a difference. Why do you think social media is such a big deal … it is this generation's way to connect, belong, engage, and make a difference. 

This is why pre-shift check-ins (whiteboards) make a difference. It provides an opportunity to connect with the whole employee. This is why trainers and monthly check-in meetings (LTO meetings) make a difference. It provides an opportunity to show an employee or manager how they can make a difference, sets expectations, adds value in the moment and beyond, and gives them someone to immediately connect with. This is why working career tracking sheets & using the introduction video make a difference. It gives a visual to employees of points of reference, progress, and it creates miles markers, allowing employees to see and stack success. All activities that cost nothing but effort and intentionality and getting out of an old way of thinking. 

The diversity we need to understand is of thoughts and expectations from different generations. Most employers find it easier to complain about “this generation” when they should celebrate it. The things they value do not require more dollars; they require intentionality. Today’s generation is no more different or less challenging than your generation was from mine. Let’s not sit in a corner and feel sorry for ourselves… adjust. Every moment you complain about “this generation” is a moment closer to being out of touch, frustrated, and underachieving. In my opinion, today’s generation’s ideal workplace seems better than any “ideal” workplace environment from the last 50 years – seriously. 

Just as someone had to adjust to you/our generation, it is now your/our turn to adjust to this generation. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to work with and in it to be successful. May as well own it. Who knows, once you own it, maybe you’ll see that it’s not as bad as some made it out to be. Maybe you will even learn to like the new day workplace. Older employers didn’t have a name for this process. Today’s employers do - diversity. 

We will have far more success embracing this generation’s expectations than complaining about it. Especially when it costs nothing but effort and intentionality.