1-Millennials bring a new way of using technology- they will be able to get more done in less time, more efficiently. This will not negatively effect interpersonal relationships as some older people claim, but can actually improve the way employees interact with each other if employers are conscious.
2- More experienced workers are more likely to feel threatened and concerned that they will be perceived as dinosaurs and become obsolete. Millennnials will have to move beyond the perception that they will be ignored or their knowledge invalidated because of age and lack of experience. The sharing of information and cross mentoring between older and younger employees will create organizations that are huge repositories of knowledge.
There are actions that employers can take so older employees will feel respected and acknowledged and be more willing to share what they know, and so younger employees will feel appreciated, and respected, be willing to learn from older employees and share ways in which technology can be used to help everyone be successful.
3- Millennials are more outcome based as opposed to having to sit in an office all day when it is unnecessary. Some organizations have telecommute programs, using web-ex technology to allow millennials to work from home, from coffee shops or satellite offices. This will also benefit older employees who are taking care of parents at home, have little kids or find that they get more done out of the office.
If employers are aware of these three things, it can help them leverage millennials along with members of the other generations.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
I went to lunch this week
at Mixt Greens, a restaurant in San Francisco that specialized in different
kinds of salads. It was the kind of restaurant where you gave your order to
employees behind the counter.
I’m the type of person
that you don’t want to stand behind if there are more than three choices, and
you’re in a hurry. I was hungry, and everything looked good. As I stood there
pondering, the guy behind the counter smiled at me, and asked, “Is this your first
time here?”When I answered in the
affirmative, he said, “I know what it’s like when this is your first time at
Mixt Greens. It can be overwhelming.”
I was pleasantly surprised
that he understood my dilemma, and suggested I get the salad that was most
popular, and that he’d fix it for me the way he liked it. I knew I could trust
him with my salad, so I nodded yes. I watched as he put a heaping portion of
ahi in the bowl, along with lettuce, mango, cucumbers, macadamia nuts and
carrots.
The next decision I had to
make was what drink I was going to order. I was contemplating the pomegranate
lemonade, out loud, when the guy serving the drinks said, “The pomegranate
lemonade is great and it’s even better mixed with tea.”‘OK, I said.” I got my salad, my
drink and sat down to eat.
The drink and salad were
delicious, and my taste buds were happy. The next day at lunchtime, I went back
to Mixt Greens, and brought five more colleagues. The same men were behind the
counter, and both greeted me out loud. When I stood at the counter, they asked
me if I wanted the same salad and the same drink as the day before. I couldn’t
believe that they remembered me, and my salad and drink were just as good as
the day before.
I had to compliment the
two men on their service. I told them how welcome I felt and told them I was
surprised they remembered me. One of them said, “It’s our job to remember
customers. We like what we do, and we like serving people great food.”
I took their card, so I
could send a note to their manager about the outstanding service.
These guys, who probably
are not at the high end of the pay scale, can be happy at work, and empowered
by their management to make customers happy.It’s unfortunate that leaders at a lot of other
organizations don’t understand the need to invest in employees at every pay
scale, and organizational level. When employees are not happy with their leadership,
they won’t take the time to give their customers that extra attention.
If you think you don’t
have time and money to train and empower front-line employees, think again, or
you may be mentioned on twitter, facebook and blogs with the subject line, …. (The
name of your organization) sucks!
But when consumers feel
welcomed by employees, and get that extra attention, they bring their friends
and pass the word to the world through twitter, facebook and blogs.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
Don't
waste time developing a culture change strategy unless you're going to implement it throughout your
organization.
I was
consulting with an organization that had launched a diversity and inclusion/culture change
initiative. Previously, they had conducted an organizational culture
assessment, made some changes, added domestic partner benefits, and had trained
their senior managers.
They were
on several "best places to work" lists. After meeting with senior management, I
was impressed with their sincerity and passion, as well as their stated
business strategy. They asked me to conduct additional training, using case
studies.
As I was
leaving the building, one of the senior managers, Jasmine, who had been in the
meeting, approached me. She said, "if you use any case studies that mention
LGBT people, (gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender,) please don't ask me to volunteer." She then went on to tell me
that she was a lesbian, and did not feel safe at all being "out." Jasmine told
me that other LGBT people in management didn't let people know their
orientation or even take advantage of domestic partner benefits.
According
to her, the diversity and inclusion/culture change initiative was stuck two levels
down from the executive suite, and had not been shared with mid-level managers,
supervisors or front line workers in manufacturing.
People
still were making homophobic, racist and sexist jokes and not being chastised
or suffering any consequences at the lower levels. Jasmine let me know that she
had to interact with people at the lower levels and needed them to respect her
and accept her leadership. Since the initiative had not been fully implemented she was not comfortable
with people finding out that she was in a same-sex relationship for over twenty
years.
After
working with the organization for a while and meeting different employees, I
found that in fact, a lot of time and money had been spent on assessments,
planning and meetings, but there was very little implementation. All employees still
weren't included
in the initiative, and therefore weren't engaged in making it a success. At the
lower levels there was no understanding about inclusion, or understanding how
diversity and inclusion could benefit them.
If you
want to create a workplace where employees love to do their best work, and
customers love to do business, you need to develop a strategy for inclusion and implement that strategy.
The five "I"s of a dynamic workplace are; Inclusion, Implementation, Individual Convenience Perks, Immersion and Integration. You can't get the last
three, or realize the first without Implementation.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
Do
your employees love to come to work everyday or do they dread getting out of
bed, knowing they have to work at a place they hate? Do you want your employees
to love to do their best work and provide outstanding customer service?
There are five key components to creating the workplace
where people love to do their best work and customers love to buy. These
components are the five Is.
1- Inclusion
2- Implementation
3- Individual convenience perks
4- Immersion
5- Integration
If
your workplace culture is inclusive, it means that employees are engaged and
everyone has an opportunity to succeed. People at all levels can have a career
path strategy if they want.
Inclusion
also means that employees can bring their whole selves to work. If they have to
leave part of who they are at home, then part of their focus and creativity
will be left at home. They’ll be spending time and energy trying to hide part
of themselves, when they could be spending that time and energy working on
their success and helping your organization be more successful.
I
recently spoke with Tom Johnson who is the CAO of Clorox about his twenty five
years of working with the same company. I have to confess, I couldn’t imagine
working anywhere for that length of time. He told me that he had held several
different positions, and worked in several different locations, including
London, over those twenty-five years.
I had to
ask him what kept him there other than the fact that he liked what he did. He
said that as a gay man, he felt included as a whole person. “I’ve been with my
partner for over twenty-five years. When I came out at Clorox, they made it
easy for me to bring my whole self to work. Leadership has set the tone that
people are our Number One Strategy. I’ve been able to integrate my personal and
professional life. I also feel like my talents are recognized and I’m able to
contribute to our success.”
He told
me that Clorox was actively involved in branding strategies that engaged
multiple cultures. Employee resource groups that represent diverse employee
segments were viewed as value added business resources.
Are you
allowing your employees to be present, focused and productive or are you acting
as an obstacle to their creativity? Do you shut them down when they present new
ideas, or do you welcome their different perspectives?
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
I
discovered that executive speech coach and close colleague, Patricia Fripp has
been helping entrepreneurs perfect their ten minute “speed dating”
presentations to venture capitalists, so I asked her for seven of her best
tips.
Here is
what she shared with me:
Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse, so
you can internalize your speech, and not sound unsure or stilted.
Speak to be remembered and
repeated.
Choose your words carefully. Use short sentences and phrases, and eliminate
unnecessary words. Example: You need to make a decision today. Today is the unnecessary word. Get rid of it. Decision is the “punch word,” and will be remembered. Every comedian knows that if you step on the punch word you kill the laugh.
Don’t be too technical. If they
don’t understand your idea, you won’t get any money.
Use your best story, which is how
you came to your idea and the realization of its viability.
Do a dry run for a friend who is
willing to poke holes in your presentation and point out the weaknesses.
Probe the market and do your
research so you can be prepared for any question.
Close with the same idea you
started with and leave on a high note. Your passion needs to be contagious.
All of these
principles need to be used in business, sales or leadership communications, as
well as in venture capitalist speed dating, if we believe in our work and want
to engage, enlist and influence others.
I also understood
why her clients usually get the funding they are seeking.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
How to Go From Eggshell Walking to Multicultural Festivity Making
Many people feel they walk on eggshells around the holidays, always trying to watch out for and not say the wrong thing to the wrong person, so they say nothing. This is one approach to the holidays, but it's boring and does nothing to create an inclusive, caring culture in the workplace.
Think about the holidays as a time when many people celebrate a variety of things. It is a time when a lot of people get swept up into feeling good, helping others, reconnecting with old friends and family and working on self-improvement for the coming year. In working toward an environment where differences amongst people are recognized and respected, we are all bound to make mistakes. We need to be able to talk with others about our differences, assume good intentions, and if necessary correct people in a kind way. By sharing our differences at this time of year, it makes it easier to see our similarities and be comfortable asking questions.
Since so many holidays can be in November and December (Ramadan, Hanukah, Denali, Christmas, Las Posadas, Kwanza, New Year's Eve and the Greek Orthodox Christmas) this is a good time to do research. Find out what these holidays mean, what the customary observances, food, greetings, and traditions are. Being able to give people the appropriate holiday greetings for their culture can help people feel included, build relationships and create more of a team spirit. Not only might you learn something new but you might be invited to share their celebration and eat a good meal.
I admit I love to eat, so almost any celebration that includes food sounds good to me. As a Jewish person in a multicultural family and community, I love this time of year. I usually have my own Hanukkah party with people from different cultures and I feast with my friends at the close of Ramadan, walk in procession for Las Posadas, eat tamales on Christmas with friends from Mexico, attend Christmas concerts, eat potato latkes and sufganot (jelly donuts) on Hanukkah, discuss the principles of Kwanza, and dance, eat and sing wherever I get invited.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
After writing and speaking on the topic of cross generation
communication for over seven years, I’ve collected best practices from clients
and people who have attended my programs and/or read my articles.
Here are five ways people have told me they were able to
leverage generation differences to recruit, hire and retain talent and create
work environments where people love to do their best work:
1- Advertised on Craigslist for entry-level positions
that needed to be filled quickly. “We got
responses before we were able to finish posting the full job description.
“ In the past we had only advertised in the newspapers, but
we didn’t get the cross section of candidates we wanted. and had no idea how to
get younger people in our recruiting pool.”
2- Provided feedback on a regular basis instead of
waiting for their semi-annual performance evaluation.
“We heard that Gen Y people needed feedback more often. I
decided to try giving feedback at least once a week, focusing on strengths and
suggesting ways to correct mistakes. Not only did this improve my relationships
with Gen Y, but baby boomers and Gen Hers told me that frequent feedback helped
them feel more engaged.”
3- Showed appreciation for baby boomers and the seniors
in the workplace.
“ I’m younger than many other employees that I manage. I’d
heard that there was some resentment because of my age, and felt that I wasn’t
taken seriously. I began to ask my older employees to share some of the lessons
they’d learned through the years, and let them know how much I valued their
experience. It didn’t take very long before they were willing to share their
knowledge and be less defensive.”
4- Created a series of technology classes geared for
different levels of understanding.
“We didn’t make the assumption that all younger employees
were technology savvy and all older employees were out of touch. We had Gen
Yand Gen X employees who took the beginner classes. While some of them knew how
to use technology they didn’t know how to apply it to our workplace. There were
baby boomers in the advanced classes who reminded us that Steve Jobs and Bill
Gates were over 50 years old. We even had a couple of seniors in those classes,
who were able to bring merge their knowledge of technology with their knowledge
and years of experience.”
5- Set up cross-generation mutual mentoring programs.
“It’s amazing how much we get done now. Not only is there
transfer of knowledge, but also there is less suspicion and stereotyping of
people based on age differences. There is more cooperation, and employees are
more willing to help each other.”
I know how much I’ve learned, how my business
continues to grow and how much I appreciate working and collaborating with
people years older and younger than me.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
When I told a colleague that
today World AIDS Day, and that I was going to attend a panel discussion, she
gave me a surprised look and said, " I thought we had solved that problem," to
which I replied that while AIDS was no longer a death sentence for everyone
infected, there were still large numbers of people infected in the world
particularly amongst women and people of color."
Today's program was moderated
by award winning broadcast journalist, Belva Davis. One of the panelists was Barbara
Williams from the National Coalition of Black Women, and also a senior manager
at Sun Microsystems.
I heard her make two key
points that resonated with me. The first was her belief that corporations
needed to not only think about the bottom line but needed to do the right thing
and do what's right, by contributing ideas and resources to prevent, detect and
support treatment for people with AIDS.
The second point was that if
someone has AIDS, it impacts everyone around they are close to, so that if an employee
has an immediate family member who is infected and needs care, unless they get
the support they need from their workplace, they won't be able to do their best
work. If they have provided any
kind of innovation in their organization they will no longer be able to focus
on their work, but will be spending most of their energy worrying about the
person who is home.
If organizations want to
create workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to
do business, executive leaders need to take a more holistic view of their
employees. HIV testing should be included in physical exams and wellness
programs.
This is another reason why health
care benefits and work time flexibility are so important. There does need to be
a great awareness of HIV and AIDS in the workplace and in the outside
community. Just like any other type of illness, employees with HIV and AIDS need
to have access to the right treatment so they can continue to come to work and
contribute their skills and talents.
Strong leaders are aware that
what impacts work life impacts personal life. The days are long gone when
people were faced with the impossible task of leaving all of their personal
life at home.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
After writing and speaking on the topic of cross generation
communication for over seven years, I’ve collected best practices from clients
and people who have attended my programs and/or read my articles.
Here are five ways people have told me they were able to
leverage generation differences to recruit, hire and retain talent and create
work environments where people love to do their best work:
1- Advertised on Craig’s list for entry-level positions that
needed to be filled quickly. “We got responses before we were able to finish
posting the full job description.
“ In the past we had only advertised in the newspapers, but
we didn’t get the cross section of candidates we wanted. and had no idea how to
get younger people in our recruiting pool.”
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
2- Provided feedback on a regular basis instead of waiting
for their semi-annual performance evaluation.
“We heard that Gen Y people needed feedback more often. I
decided to try giving feedback at least once a week, focusing on strengths and
suggesting ways to correct mistakes. Not only did this improve my relationships
with Gen Y, but baby boomers and Gen Hers told me that frequent feedback helped
them feel more engaged.
3- Showed appreciation for baby boomers and the seniors in
the workplace.
“ I’m younger than many other employees that I manage. I’d
heard that there was some resentment because of my age, and felt that I wasn’t
taken seriously. I began to ask my older employees to share some of the lessons
they’d learned through the years, and let them know how much I valued their
experience. It didn’t take very long before they were willing to share their
knowledge and be less defensive.”
4- Created a series of technology classes geared for
different levels of understanding.
“We didn’t make the assumption that all younger employees
were technology savvy and all older employees were out of touch. We had Gen
Yand Gen X employees who took the beginner classes. While some of them knew how
to use technology they didn’t know how to apply it to our workplace. There were
baby boomers in the advanced classes who reminded us that Steve Jobs and Bill
Gates were over 50 years old. We even had a couple of seniors in those classes,
who were able to bring merge their knowledge of technology with their knowledge
and years of experience.”
5- Set up cross-generation mutual mentoring programs.
“It’s amazing how much we get done now. Not only is there
transfer of knowledge, but also there is less suspicion and stereotyping of
people based on age differences. There is more cooperation, and employees are
more willing to help each other.
I know how much I’ve learned, how my business continues to
grow and how much I appreciate working and collaborating with people years
older and younger than me.
How Sun Microsystems Fans the Flames of Employee Passion
How does an organization like Sun Microsystems create a
workplace where employees love to come to work?Bill MacGowan Chief Human Resource Officer for Sun
Microsystems, was gracious enough to share some of their best practices.
He told me that they value and appreciate good, smart people
who enjoy change, innovation, and other people.“ Leadership at Sun has been successful at creating a real
meritocracy. We allow people to speak their minds, and not be afraid to learn
from failure.”One of the key
elements in creating workplaces where employees love to do their best work is
to listen to their ideas and give them freedom to act.
I was impressed
by that statement as I’d just worked with an executive of another organization
who was particularly harsh on employees any time an idea failed, and he
wondered why employees seemed less willing to participate and make new
suggestions.
I asked Bill how Sun developed so much of the loyalty that I
had heard their employees express. He spoke about Sun’s flexibility. “ We
appreciate that people do their best work in different ways, so we allow our
employees to work from home when possible. If an employee doesn’t need to make
the commute but they prefer not to work at home, we have satellite centers
where they can work that are closer to their homes.”
That made sense to me since so much time spent on the road
is wasted and interferes with either personal time or productivity time.
Their flexibility, plus their fitness center, childcare, and
the way they use technology encourages life balance. I asked him how he set the
example for everyone else. He told me that he works hard during the week so he
can enjoy weekends. His collects rare books, is a sports fan, loves movies, opera,
travel and enjoys his role on non-profit boards.
MacGowan went
on to tell me that executive leadership supports diversity and inclusion and
both are integrated into their business culture, from the Board of Directors to
employee orientation where a message is delivered from the CEO.I’ve found that too many organizations
speak about diversity and inclusion but their succession strategy does not
reflect it. At Sun, they find and nurture high potential candidates at every
level who may not be visible, rather than restrict development to certain
levels of management.
Like other organizations Sun has Employee Resource Groups
that represent different employee population segments, but unlike some other
organizations they view these resources groups as crucial to their business
success so they fund them and include them in their overall business strategy.
One-way to gage how employees feel about their workplace is
by how they treat people when lay-offs are unavoidable, and what ex-employees
say after they leave.
At Sun they encourage remaining employees to keep in contact
with people who have left as opposed to employers that discourage any contact
and treat laid-off employees like pariahs. Bill informed me that there were
even networks of ex-employees who support each other.Eighty percent of people that leave want to come back and
many have been hired back when there were new openings.
I know that these are stressful times for Sun employees as
the merger process continues with Oracle. Time tables change, no one knows
exactly what will happen to their jobs, or where they’ll be a year from now,
but they have a strong culture, believe in treating employees like adults and
providing them with information, and there are leaders like Bill MacGowan who
take the time to listen to concerns, appreciate employee brilliance and support
them as they continue in their work.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
