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Q.
Many Millennials I hire quit within a few months, saying they're overwhelmed. Is there a better way to assimilate them into the company?

A.
The father in "Bye Bye Birdie" shared a similar view as he sang "Why can't they be like we were? Perfect in every way! What's the matter with kids today?" And in fact, your perceived challenge may share the same enduring misunderstanding. In your case, it likely has more to do with workload and unclear expectations and less with the generation in which your staffers were born.

For example, researchers evaluated more than 20 studies examining age-group differences and determined that there are no significant variances in the workplace. The small dissimilarities that do appear likely reflect people's concerns at a given stage of life rather than being born a Millennial or a member of Generation Z.

I suspect that the "overwhelmed" response you're hearing is more about misunderstood expectations. So, the first thing I suggest trying with new employees of any age is establishing clear definitions about what a good performance and a poor one look like.

Second, when setting that bar, you would be prudent to give those new employees permission to speak up if they ever feel so overloaded that they cannot perform their jobs. Reassure them that if that situation occurs, you may be open to adjusting either your expectations or their workloads. People of all ages leave jobs for money but stay because of the environment. E



Dan Lumpkin, organizational psychologist, is the president of management-consulting company Lumpkin & Associates in Fairhope, AL. Need answers? Email your career-related questions to askdan@exhibitormagazine.com.
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