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Myra's Customer
Service Articles
Attendance
Issues with Generation X
I have spent the last three
years studying Generation X-- their behavior, working styles,
and the best ways to retain and motivate them. This intense
study of my very own peers has equipped me to help managers to
much more effectively work with Generation X in such areas as
giving feedback, coaching performance, holding employees
accountable, and dealing effectively with unacceptable
performers.
Generation Xers were shaped
and molded by different times. These times were largely
"flexible" in every area from the way they were
parented to the attire they were allowed to wear in school.
Flexibility is all they know and that's why you will likely
have "issues" with getting Xers to work on time,
getting them to come in early for a mandatory staff meeting,
or getting them to work overtime. They are accustomed to being
able to "negotiate" everything and saying
"no" at will. When they are tardy or absent, they
are not usually being defiant, they are simply responding to
your rigid rules with an assumed "right of
flexibility" the way they have all of their lives.
The flexibility perspective of
many Generation Xers will be manifested, not only with
attendance, but also with attire, work ethic, and attitude.
This week I will discuss how to talk to a Generation Xer about
attendance concerns.
Am I suggesting
that you should put up with the Xers flexibility needs and
allow them to come and go as they please? Absolutely not.
You've got a business to run and compliance with company
policy is a reasonable expectation. Here's how you address
attendance issues with the Generation Xer.
1.
Establish crystal clear expectations about attendance.
Saying "I need you here by 8:00am." may not
be effective. Instead, you'll want to say "Your shift
is from 8:00am - 5:00pm. This means I need you here, clocked
in, in your cube with your computer booted up and ready to
take calls by 8:00am. Walking in the building at 8:00am is not
acceptable."
2.
Explain the impact on incompliance on co- workers, customers,
and any other relevant parties.
You must get the point across to the Xer that her or his
actions go beyond simply being late or tardy. The bigger
picture consequences are much more likely to motivate positive
performance change in your younger employee. Try this
approach, "When you return from lunch 15 minutes late,
it throws the entire lunch schedule off for your co-workers
and results in even longer hold times for our customers. As
I'm sure can imagine, this is frustrating for me, your
co-workers, and our customers."
3.
Lay out the consequences of failure to comply with the policy.
Sadly, establishing clear performance expectations and
explaining organizational impact, alone, will not be enough to
get your Xers to comply with policy. You'll have to clearly
relay the immediate consequence of incompliance. An easy way
to do this is "I need someone who can and will be here
by 8:00am every morning. I hope that person is you. If you
can't do that, I will be forced to take progressive action
that may include termination." I know it sounds
harsh, but you cannot afford to leave room for
misunderstandings.
Supervising
Generation Xers is not rocket-science and you can learn to do
with ease and effectiveness. For a detailed live discussion
on the working style, challenges, and expectations of
Generation X and Millennial employees, tune into my live
enlightening and riveting 90-minute webinar on Managing &
Motivating Generation X Talent. We feature both live broadcasts
and webinar recordings. Click
here for the full outline.
About
the Author
Myra
Golden is one of the service industry's most prominent
trainers and a highly regarded business growth strategist.
Companies hire Myra and her team to help them build, recover,
and strengthen customer relationships. She can be reached at
866-873-8419 or by email at myra@myragolden.com.
She also has a website: www.myragolden.com.
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