Even experienced managers can have a hard time managing young staff. Young people often have different needs than older staff. What are these needs and how can you apply them if you starts working as a manager? Read this article for 6 tips for managing young people.
Many young people face a high degree of uncertainty in the workplace. They often do not yet have permanent contracts and do not have much work experience. If you go working as a manager with young staff, your way of guiding them is an important factor in their success and enjoyment within the company. Young staff need security, and they look to you as a manager to provide them with this.
That all sounds well and good, of course, but how do you, as a manager, ensure that young people feel more confident in the workplace? It's not an easy task, but these 6 tips will go a long way.
Direct and 1. Show appreciation
Young employees want to be heard and seen. They naturally enjoy showing appreciation in the form of compliments about their work, so try to do this regularly when they have done a good job.
What is at least as important as complimenting the work is respecting the young employee. Listen to the ideas they have about the company or project. Involve young people in decisions where possible, as this has an effect on their work. This isn't possible? Then explain why certain decisions were made. Make sure that the young employees feel involved and that you respect them enough to listen to them and include their ideas in decisions and projects.
2. Make agreements and keep them
Make clear agreements with your young employee and keep them. If this does not work, communicate this clearly to the employee. If you do not comply with these more often, you run the risk that the employee's sense of security decreases and he or she is therefore less happy in the workplace.
3. Trust your young employees
Give your young employees the freedom to make their own time schedule and realize projects in their own way. If you give them this space you will bring out the best in them because they can apply their own creative and productive ways of working.
4. Be honest with your staff
Young people like to stay informed about possibilities and developments within your company. Honesty lasts the longest, even in a management position. Be transparent about developments within the company and the team. In addition, try to communicate clearly about opportunities for growth in the company, salary increase, training, etc.
5. Be accessible
As a manager, it is important that you appear accessible to the young staff, because they need to be able to talk to you about their problems. Make sure you listen carefully to them when they come to you with a suggestion or problem. Think along with them and show that you really do something with their suggestions and problems.
6. Give good feedback
Don't hesitate to give feedback on assignments, but do so in the right way. What you want to prevent is that young people get the feeling that they are not valued within the company or lose confidence in their work. Therefore, in addition to saying something negative, always try to say something positive about the work done and give constructive criticism. Young people can learn a lot from this, without it taking away their security or self-confidence.
These tips could easily take you to 'top manager' level. But one way to find out is to try them out!