Optimize Its TalentsNovember/December 2006

By Debby Cannon, Ph.D., CHE

They have grown up with cell phones, the Internet, virtual pets and the Spice Girls. They are the millennial generation who now range in age from 12 to 25 – and they are an important part of the hospitality work force, now and for the future. As a demo­graphic group, what are their characteristics as employees; and how can we, in the restaurant and foodservice industry, optimize their talents?

The millennial generation is the most culturally diverse group in history. With this diversity comes the ability, for many of its members, to speak at least two languages. The millennial generation, for their young years, is quite global, having lived or traveled outside of the United States. This generation also brings to the workplace advanced technological abilities. After all, this is the generation that, on average, learns four to five new software programs each year. Millennial individuals rely on the immediacy of technology because that is all they have known. Through tech­nology, this generation will have the capability to advance our industry beyond what we can only dream of today.

The potential of this generation, in adding their creative, global techno-savvy abilities to restaurant and foodservice businesses, is immense. As managers of these up-and-coming stars, we soon realize, however, that they do work differently. One management school of thought, in facing these differences, will respond: “What worked for me (30 years ago) can work for them. They have to pay their dues and fit into our structure. Otherwise, we are not the right company for them.” Another management approach will take a different direction: “If we want to recruit, hire and retain these individuals, our company has to be flexible enough to adapt. It is not minimizing what we stand for or compromising our reputa­tion. It is allowing for differences in how we work to maximize the outcomes.” As we approach predicted labor shortages in the next five years, the second, more flexible management style may be a vital key to survival.

The millennial group (similar to the slightly older Generation X workers who are now 26 to 41 years old) places a high priority on learning and growing. A great training and development pro­gram will be one of your company’s biggest assets in recruiting younger workers. Unlike the baby boomers or mature workers who actually joined companies with thoughts of possibly retiring there, it is very rare to find an employee 35 or younger who plans to stay for more than three to five years with any one company. Your company is, therefore, helping these workers get ready for their next employer. If that means that you have a productive and engaged employee for those three to five years, it may not be a bad trade-off. One study found the average tenure for workers under 35 to be three years, in various types of industries, with one-third in their first year with the current employer.

This desire to learn and grow, among the younger work set, is combined with their expectation to also contribute right away and to have freedom in making decisions. The typical millennial worker wants to know the employer’s expectations in advance, but once those are given, prefers to hit the ground running. This combination can create a challenge in training the newer food­service employees while simultaneously allowing some degree of autonomy so that they can “spread their wings.” Special projects can often offer opportunities to make good use of those millennial talents (technology, language skills, global experiences) that can benefit the restaurant and energize the employee.

In addition, studies have shown that younger workers value consistent and frequent feedback and appreciate an accessible and open “coaching” style in managers. After all, coaches are “develop­ers” taking the “players” to the next level, building on strengths and working to improve the weak areas. In researching why certain companies were considered “employers of choice,” it was found that most often it was because these companies were full of “managers of choice” who possessed strong coaching skills.

What else can be done to attract younger employees and keep them engaged in the restaurant and foodservice industry? One of our biggest assets is sociable and enjoyable working environments. Not every type of business can claim this but, typically, in hospital­ity we can. Positive work places have tremendous recruiting and retention potential. Restaurant websites (a must for recruiting the younger worker) should feature photos of employees – di­verse, smiling, busily engaged – with testimonials of how they are learning by tackling projects and problems and putting their talents to use. After all, we are not just recruiting for today. We are planting seeds of interest in the younger millennial set who are just about to enter their teen years. We will soon need them as an essential ingredient to our industry’s success.

Debby Cannon, Ph.D., CHE, is director of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 25th, 2006 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Management.