Remember how much we had to learn? Let’s give younger employees a break
My daughter is 15, and 15 has brought a lot of firsts for us. The first year of high school, first job and the first time behind the wheel of a car. Now only one of these firsts has caused me additional gray hair – the first time driving a car. Consequently, I bought the “student driver magnets” off Amazon. Well worth the $6 investment, by the way.
All of her adventures have caused me to pause and think about the first time I did the same things. When I think about it, I realize I had so much to learn, and also realized I was probably the cause of my mom’s shift from salt-and-pepper hair to full gray. If we really think about it, we can all remember how much we had to learn the first time we tried something new.
The Workplace Perspective
If that’s the case, why is it we expect young employees to walk in knowing everything? We had a lot to learn. No, really, we had a lot to learn! One of my first jobs was at an art store – with a great discount, so I’m not sure I made a lot of money. The store used credit cards, in the old machines where you used carbon paper and slid the carriage over the top of the card and paper to make an imprint.
One of the things we had to do was check a box to indicate what type of credit card was being used. This was a step several clerks skipped to speed up the checkout process. They’d go back and check the box of what type of card it was when the line slowed down.
What no one ever told me was that each type of card, Visa, Discover, MasterCard, each had the same four starting numbers. I didn’t know that. I would randomly checkboxes. It was an easy enough mistake to fix, however, the store manager called me in to talk with me. I felt stupid and embarrassed that I should make that mistake.
To clarify, when I look back on it, I realize I should have asked, and someone should have explained it to me. No one starts knowing these things. The same is true for our younger employees. We can make them feel embarrassed and stupid, or we can explain something they likely have no reason to know.
For example, this hilarious viral video shows young people trying to figure out how to dial a rotary phone. They have no reason to know how it works, but we laugh at them for not knowing (and it is funny).
A Serious of Firsts
There’s a lot this group of young people are facing as firsts in the workplace. First professional phone calls, letters that go out, hold on for it – via snail mail, written reports going to management. The first time managing a team they have no authority over and the first time they’ve received formal feedback.
Why do we expect they know what to do? We didn’t. We honestly didn’t. Therefore, let’s give them a break and the hand they need to figure things out as they face their first time doing so many things. The young people I work with want to learn. They want to do a good job. They want to figure things out and do them the right way.
Give Them A Break
Moreover, they remind me of an earlier generation who wanted to learn that too – even though instead of asking, they may have checked off random boxes indicating the type of credit card used. We have a lot more in common with younger employees than we think we do. It’s just our memories have to be jogged a bit to really appreciate what it’s like to do something for the first time.
Here’s a fun challenge for you this upcoming week. Try something new. Something you haven’t done. Pay attention to the number of questions you have to ask as you learn how to do this new thing. Certainly, it’s more than we realize and that there’s a lot to learn. You’ll walk away feeling slightly more generous with the younger colleague who asks a lot of questions. I bet you’ll remember how much we all have to learn.
Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.
