I. INDICATORS THAT AN INDIVIDUAL IS A MICROMANAGER
Individuals that micromanage their staff do not realize that they are utilizing this particular approach. These individuals primarily focused on attention to detail, verifying that the day-to-day tasks are being completed accordingly. However, they tend to go over board while supervising and managing these employees. The following are some different signals that indicated if an individual is micromanaging their staff as per Wilkins (2014):
The superior is not satisfied with the deliverables of the staff.
The superior feels frustrated most of the time for the reason that they would have utilized a different approach to fulfill the task.
The superior mainly focuses on details and constantly looking for corrections.
As a routine, the supervisor must know where the staff is located and what tasks are they working on.
The superior requests frequent updates on all tasks.
Any correspondences (emails) between the staff, requires them to include the superior within them.
II. MILLENNIALS ARE THE NEW WORKING FORCE IN THE 21 CENTURY
Millennials or Generation Y occupy about 36% of the workforce and is constantly growing. It is estimated that by 2020, Millennials will occupy about 46%-50% of the workforce compared to the other older generations: (Generation X, Baby Boomers) as per Jackson (2016). Millennials are made up of roughly 80 million young adults that were born between 1976 and 2001 according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. Millennials grew up around technology and have a different mindset compared to their predecessors (Generation X, Baby Boomers). They are considered to be technological-savvy and multitasking is a norm for these young adults.
Millennials pride themselves in constantly leaning, personal development and overall growth. This group is categorized as independent learners. When population is micromanaged, it results in loss of productivity and disengagement (Bielaszka-DuVernay (2007); Romero, 2012). When micromanaging takes place, this group becomes discouraged and begin to start losing interest in their job. This is due to the fact that they feel that they have no ownership within the process of the work being assigned to them and their superior is the one that does (Romero, 2012, p.8).
III. EFFECTIVE APPROACHES ON MANAGING MILLENNIALS
Tulgan (2009) reported that if managed correctly, millennials will be the most productive workforce the U.S. has ever had (p. 4). The following are different approaches that can be utilized by superiors when managing the millennial group.
a) Creating a Desirable Working Environment
In order to retain and keep employee moral high at the workplace, creating a desirable working environment is vital. Generation Y seeks a new working environment in contrast to their predecessors who accepted the archetypical working environment (Cahill & Sedrak, 2012).
b) Improving Recognition Programs
Continuous feedback on performance are different techniques that the millennial group has adapted to in order to stay on track during changes within an organization. Suleman & Nelson (2011) explained that providing feedback and praising serve as a reinforcement and a corrective mechanism tool.
c) Assigning work that has a Purpose
In order to obtain trust from this group, superiors should assign tasks that have significant meaning towards the organization. Millennials seek to complete tasks that have significant meaning in which contributes to the overall mission and vision of the organization (Hewlett, et al., 2009).
d) Incorporating Sophisticated Methods Communicate
To When a member of this group sends a message to their superior, they expect a response immediately after as per Cekada (2012). Most times, they value the rate of response rather than the accuracy behind it. Superiors should practice on their turnaround time when providing a response to this group. Utilizing other means of communication can also be beneficial such as instant messaging, blogging, texting, and e-mails (Cekada, 2012, p. 42).
IV. CONCLUSION
Managing employees can be a difficult task at times however; it is the responsibility of that superior to understand which management style or styles will be most effective with the staff. Millennials are a group that have opposite views and were raised differently from past generations. Individuals in leadership roles need to focus on understanding how to properly deal with these differences, in order to support the organizations mission/vision as well as keeping these employees satisfied. As a result, managers will become aware of the generational differences within the workplace and understand how to adjust management techniques in order to achieve positive results with this generation of employees.
