Last week you gave pointers to a young supervisor on how to manage older employees reporting to him.

I have the opposite problem: I’m almost 50 and most of my staff is under 30.  I’m having problems getting them to work independently and staying focused on their assignments.  They stay busy but not necessarily on what they should be doing.  Any suggestions for managing Millennials?

Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials. With three generations mixing in the workplace -each with their own preferences and values- it’s vital that we get know what makes us each generation tick, so we can work harmoniously together.

In your case, consider rethinking your preference that employees should work independently.  You’re staffed with Millennials, and they tend to do better working in groups because they were schooled and parented around team and group activities.  So rather than working independently, they prefer the interaction, give and take, and constant feedback one experiences in a group setting.  So don’t lower your performance standards -but rethink how you can get the same results or even better productivity- by allowing and encouraging them to interact with each other.  Providing group incentives can also help.

The other big driver for Millennials is their desire for some type of meaning in their work.  Not necessarily world-changing type of meaning, but simply being able to link how what they are doing today -right now- is connected to their future goals or those of the company.  If they’re having trouble staying focused on their assignments, try to make a connection between the now and some future outcome with meaning.  If you can do this successfully, you will get their attention and engagement.

Millennials also like multi-tasking, having several balls up in the air and being challenged otherwise they easily get bored.  So don’t be afraid to pile on the assignments.

Lastly, forget about yearly appraisals. Be ready to provide much more frequent feedback, even if it’s a quick and cursory observation, as long as it’s frequent.

So, like I said last week to my younger reader: Once you understand and adapt to the values and style of each generation, you’ll again be a successful supervisor.