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Generation Y is usually described as that generation that comes after the Generation called X. To define them a bit further, Generation Y is posed of 14 to 24 year olds. As the labor pool becomes tighter, the hospitality industry is dipping deeper into this age group for line employees and lamenting the fact that turnover is high and service levels are low. 

Generation Why 

The manager who learns how to motivate and train these employees will earn their undying loyalty. That is the message of Eric Chester, an author and speaker who coined the term Generation Why and the author of four books targeted to teens and parents. He outlines the events that have influenced this group of employees and how to manage, motivate and retain them. 

This is a generation who watched adults get away with murder, literally, (remember the impact of the O.J. Simpson trial) and who have noticed that hard work and character aren't the quickest routes to fame and fortune but rather the lottery and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 

Eric says, "They crave the limelight, having noticed that fame comes to many for simply being in the right place at the right time and they are blunt and expressive." The good news is that all of this stimulus has made them adept at multi-tasking, fast thinking, passionately tolerant in terms of diversity and astoundingly creative." 

Apply Eric's eight strategies for managing and motivating Generation Why in the hospitality industry and adding two extras: 

1. Let them know that what they do matters. When was the last time that you shared your guest service scores with your employees or read the good comment cards at a meeting of your employees? (When was the last time you had all-employee or departmental meetings?) 

2. Tell them the truth. When did you last indicate exactly what was going on -- as in we have half the house checking out today, it is going to be stressful but we can do it. 

3. Explain why you are asking them to do it. When did you last explain to your employees that an athletic group might be difficult to serve but that it is a slow period and they account for revenue that helps the hotel achieve its budget? 

4. Learn their language. When was the last time that you took the time to sit down and communicate to your employees, one on one, about what they did on their day off -- the things they like to do? 

5. Be on the lookout for rewarding opportunities. When did you last hear or see an employee providing good customer service and praise them on the spot for a situation well handled? 

6. Praise them in public. How often do you use an employee meeting to praise a housekeeper for bringing a lost item to your attention so you could contact the guest? 

7. Make the workplace fun. Have you ever brought bubbles bottles to work and taken them to housekeeping just to be silly and play before they pick up their carts? This works with any generation in any language. 

8. Model behavior. When did you last work the desk during a difficult check-in and show your associates the correct way to handle a difficult guest? Do you say negative things about guests within earshot of your employees? 

9. Give them the tools to do the job. Why is it that our front desk, housekeeping and maintenance training is focused upon technical skills but includes virtually no training on the soft skills of customer service? Don't assume that they have empathy for the guest, know how to handle a difficult customer situation or understand what you expect in terms of servicing the guest if you don't communicate the expectations and give them concrete skills to turn basic customer service into good or exceptional customer service. 

10. Understand and appreciate the challenges of Generation Y (Why). This will help to recruit and retain this new wave of potential employees and apply the principals to all of your employees. It's 'best practice' management and it works with all employees. 

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