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Employee Engagement Should Be Tailored to Different Generations of Workers
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Employee Engagement Should Be Tailored to Different Generations of Workers

 
November 20, 2014

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By Tracey E. Schelmetic, TMCnet Contributor
 

While it’s generally accepted today that companies benefit greatly when their employees are enthusiastic, interested in their jobs and invested in their careers, knowing isn’t the same as doing. Companies spend a lot of time discussing how they need to improve employee engagement, but often fall down when it comes to implementing real action to make it so. It’s no wonder: it’s not like companies can simply issue a corporate memo that reads “be more engaged.”


In the contact center, a comprehensive employee engagement plan will include a lot of factors: more frequent and comprehensive performance evaluation that is at least as employee-focused as it is company-focused, a fair workforce management solution that gives agents flexibility to swap schedules, bid for vacation time and request overtime, rewards and recognition for a job well done and perks such as a pleasant working environment, social gatherings and special lunches.

It’s important to understand, however, that one size does not fit all employees when it comes to boosting engagement. What may engage a Baby Boomer may not be what engages a call center worker of the millennial generation, according to a recent blog post by Colleen Olphert, Director of Membership and Member Services for Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship at the Carroll School of Management.

“Engaging employees at different career stages is nothing new to corporate citizenship professionals, but the growing numbers of employees at each end of the spectrum are creating a need to think more creatively about engagement,” wrote Olphert.

For example, workers of the millennial generation (those born between 1979 and 2000) may be looking for leadership opportunities that don’t always exist in their defined job. This is where voluntary opportunities such as “Green teams” (to reduce the office’s ecological impact) and volunteer projects can provide them with that opportunity.

“Members found that publicly recognizing younger employees for their contributions and connecting them to senior-level leaders helped to recruit more employee leaders along the way,” wrote Olphert.

This generation is also accustomed to living in social media, so connecting their positive efforts to corporate social media is also a great idea.

For older workers, engagement may be more about being asked to use their experience and wisdom when it comes to mentoring younger workers.

“Companies that provide volunteer activities to tap into this knowledge were able to get more involvement,” wrote Olphert, noting that this generation is not as social-media savvy, so companies need to use a mix of communications for programs aimed at this generation, including company newsletters, emails and internal websites in addition to social media.

If your “one size fits all” employee engagement plan hasn’t been working, it may be time to take a long look at your workers and try to determine what’s really going to get them enthused. 




Edited by Rory J. Thompson

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