Managing Gen Y in a Downturn

Just because some of the latest graduates to enter the workforce have had to resort to asking their parents for rent money doesn't mean they don't still have high standards for their employers. "We may be stuck working for your organization and be unable to hop to the next company willing to buy us a company iPhone, but that doesn't mean we have to like it," Phil Jones writes in the Echodemic blog, written by Gen-Yers who know they are on the track to replace retiring Boomers."Keeping us happy, especially as your lackeys and entry-level professionals, will make your lives easier by creating more positive employees who aren't just showing up to work every day and hating their jobs like some Office Space reality show."Even though this Gen-Yer knows he doesn't have a sea of options available to jump ship, he knows that the companies need employees like him as much as those employees need a paycheck.Jones offers three simple and inexpensive tips to improve relationships with younger workers.*Let them have fun—this could entail nights out to bond together or "goofy office challenges."*Recognize them for their work—just a compliment is fine, no money needed.*Interact with them."No man is an island...unless his manager is never there," Jones writes. "We're used to having attention, receiving constant feedback and being told exactly how to succeed. In a recession, we know you get busy. However, we still would like to have you talk to us, buy us a cup of coffee, and tell us jokes.To read the full blog, click here.