Engaging and Motivating Younger Employees Using Technology

Over the last couple of years, I have seen a sharp increase in new behaviors, which for a lot of leaders Gen X and Baby boomers would find quite disrespectful. For example, the ‘boomerang employee,’ whereby a candidate accepts a job then days before their start date, sends a text advising that their existing employer decided to give them a pay rise, so they do not need the job anymore. Quite frustrating for my hiring managers, who have gone through the recruitment process and have burnt a whole cohort of potential and must now start the process again.

‘Quiet quitting’ is also making headlines, and it is where younger employees have been posting online videos of them ignoring after-hours messages from their boss or, at 5:01pm, disconnecting from Slack. Some people are even posting how they are working from home doing everything other than work, suggesting that they have quit without their bosses knowing. It is pretty bad form, but realistically- it comes down to ineffective management and a disengaged employee. As a leader, you should have the tools to measure the engagement and a strong enough connection with your employee that your employee trusts you well enough to share any concerns with you. As a leader, this is your responsibility, even if it is the employee who is deciding to disengage.

So how do we better engage and motivate younger employees using technology? Well, to start with, make sure you get the basics right, and for Gen Z and millennials, it comes down to respecting and treating them as equals. If you are a leader in your organization, talking to them like subordinates or hiding information from them will only lead to distrust and disengagement. So, if you decide to utilize technology to facilitate productivity, communication, and engagement, make sure you give your younger employees a voice and focus on transparency. If you are considering technology to measure and track engagement, be clear on your definition of success and make sure it aligns with the values of both your company and your employees, including your younger staff. Your technology systems and platforms should be an extension of the relationships and positive working environment that you have designed and not just a tool to ‘fix’ disengagement.

Organizations are only now understanding how many more dimensions employees measure the companies they work for. If you want to be an employer of choice, start by listening to your workforce, then act. In the same way, you would use the voice of customer feedback to drive decision-making, your voice of employee data should drive your decisions. It is a great opportunity for people leaders to consider technology to scale their engagement and be better at collecting feedback and data and even using predictive modeling to further enhance their engagement capability.

If you are serious about change and recognize the importance of creating strong working relationships with your younger employees. It is time to acquire a Bluetooth connection with them because until you have a connection, there is not much you can do or say, they will always be disconnected. Your younger employees have high standards, and the days of expecting your staff to just do their job because you pay them are long gone, and if you do not put in the effort, neither will they.