Communication Key During a Crisis, Study Says
October 30, 2008
New Randstad study released
By Alexandra Haake
A study conducted by Atlanta-based Randstad, an employment services provider, found that concentrating more on employees now can improve business in the long term.
Eric Buntin, managing director, marketing and operations for Randstad, says that one interesting finding was not visible in the survey, but was more of an undercurrent, which shows that productivity pressure remains high during this volatile economic period. "People are doing more with less because of technology, and being as productive as possible in a global economy. That is when managers have to make sure to remember to communicate. It's an obvious tactic in good times and bad, but it's something that you have to remember to do when you are faced with other tasks as a boss as well. One of your key jobs is to communicate." At the same time that communication from top down is crucial, Randstand identified varying reactions to the current crisis along generational lines.
The primary differences are between the youngest generation in the workforce, Generation Y, and the older generations. Gen. Y is still at the entry point in their career, so they are still building the experience and the knowledge to grow within their organization, says Buntin. "It's the first tough economic market that they have seen in their career, so it's a new experience for them."
Generation Y is also at the point in their careers where they're examining the work-life balance; what is required to make them successful and happy at work and also in their personal life. "With that experience under their belt and looking at the current economic situation they are moving into a phase where they are willing to invest more time in their career, and maybe sacrifice some of the balance that they have in their personal life to do that." This explains why 28 percent of the Gen. Y respondents are willing to socialize with their boss out of the office, but only 15 percent of Gen. X, six percent of the Boomer generation and four percent of the Mature generation are willing to do this.
Other examples in the survey, demonstrating how Gen. Y is erasing the line between work and personal life, even if at least just temporarily until the economy improves, include spending more time training and higher wiliness to do personal favors such as run errands for bosses. This generation is "realizing that the current economic situation makes the market much more competitive. To remain competitive they are going to invest in themselves and turn that self investment into career investment for their company also," says Buntin.
At the same time, this generation may be more willing because they are in the early stage of their career and they have the most social connections at work. For them, "it's about social interaction, social networking, so that just spills over into how they are willing to interact and connect with their bosses. The key is communication, and especially for Gen. Y, they want to know what the strategy is, what the current reality is and what part they play in it," says Buntin. This holds true in tough economic times, according to Buntin, but employers should keep in mind that things always change.
"The market may be tough now but it will change again, and they [employers] need to make sure they are engaging their employees and connecting them to their core business and making the company successful regardless of what the external environment is like. That way, they will keep and motivate those employees that are really critical to the success through all the different cycles that they face."
Communication across all generations in the workplace is crucial regardless of the economic state, says Buntin, however he emphasizes that the frequency of communication should change to meet the challenges brought on by a volatile economy. "People always want to know in uncertainty: what’s the strategy, what’s my purpose, what's our mission and what is my particular role in it as an individual employee."
|
RSS
