|
September 2004 John Bachmann |
|
|
|
|
Is your management Generation Y-ready?
By John Bachmann
John Bachmann is Corporate Sales and Marketing Manager at Wainbee Ltd. (wainbee.com) and Chairman, Canadian Fluid Power Association (cfpa.ca).
You canít pick up a trade journal today without reading about another program by an industry association or government intended to attract students into technology careers. But getting new blood into Canadian manufacturing plants and related industries is only a necessary first step to confronting the looming skills shortage. Keeping the best talent in a highly competitive employment environment is going to be an even bigger challenge for Canadian industry.
 How does the employment-competitiveness of your industrial workplace stack up? Does your performance appraisal system put a lot of emphasis on evaluation and correcting deficiencies or does it focus on linking what the employee is doing with the companyís stated annual goals? Does it encourage employee actions and training that support these goals? When answering these questions remember that both Gen X employees (born 1965-1980) and Gen Ys (born after 1981) tend to be focused on results and want to be recognized as contributing to the success of the enterprise.
Is each of your managers somebody that you would want to work for? Are they good at coaching new employees or staff that are having difficulty? Are they confident in their ability to evaluate staff and proceed to termination if circumstances warrant? Do they continually look for ways to enrich the work experience of ambitious and competent staff for whom promotions are not currently available? If any of your managers are weak in these areas, expect trouble motivating and retaining the best new employees.
In the past, most companies have promoted at least some employees into management positions without providing training on supervisory and employee development skills. To compound the error, we have then not acted to demote those who, subsequent to promotion, demonstrated an unwillingness or inability to acquire and use these skills. Consequently many companies carry a few ìlegacyî managers (and staff) that are very real demotivators for competent new staff.
The skilled employment crunch is already here. To keep the new staff that you are working so hard to hire, you must act today by reviewing your management group and separating them into two categories: ìour futureî and ìour legacy.î Use the ìfutureî managers to implement and strengthen a comprehensive management and employee development program. At the same time move the ìlegacyî members to spots where they canít turn off new employees and focus on developing those ñ managers and employees ñ that are your future.
|
