Generation "Me"
Wow, I just ordered a stack of stuff from Amazon. A couple of DVD's I have wanted for a while ("Kissed" and "Atonement"), along with several books on how to understand, hire and manage members of Generation Y and Z. I am, of course a member of Generation X but I have many old fashioned views when it comes to "making a living". I have always had a strong work ethic and money was pretty much always enough of a motivation for me, because I could do everything I wanted to do in life, if I had the money to do it. Things seem different now. There is this huge sense of "entitlement" that I have no understanding of.
A few months ago I had to "let go" (why do people say that? It's called FIRING.) the TF PA. He was a really nice guy who kind of fell into the job through a friend at a time when the company was just starting to shoot up here (instead of LA). While he could be very helpful, he was also a big pain in the ass and made some huge mistakes that I felt I was very tolerant of not to fire him a lot sooner, but really, the point of this blog is not him. It is more about how I felt I could not understand him. Technically, he was a member of generation X, but his attitude was much more Generation Y....and so far my interpretation of the next generation is that they are lazy, entitled, expect instant gratification...thus are impatient, and have many traits similar to that of a narcicist. Wow, do I feel old posting this or what!!! Mind you, these traits have also made it very easy for me to Dominate those younger than myself LOL!
So....knowing I will be hiring memmbers of the next 2 generations within TF, I really need to learn effective ways to manage them and reward them. Money doesn't seem to be enough. Google rewards it's employees by having them work a 4 day week. Yes, they attend 5 days a week, but every Friday it is "do what you want" day where they make use of Google's resources to work on other projects, etc. Of course, Google can afford to do this.
What I do not want to do though, is what many corporations feel "builds teams" which is compulsary dinners and retreats, etc. Sorry, but the second you make it mandatory it becomes work, not a reward. So, this post is me venting, as well as asking for suggestions. If you're young (born after 1982) please reply and let me know what would make you happy in your job, aside from income, and if you're older and work with younger people please comment with any problems you have had and how you have solved them.
Take care,
Chanta
A few months ago I had to "let go" (why do people say that? It's called FIRING.) the TF PA. He was a really nice guy who kind of fell into the job through a friend at a time when the company was just starting to shoot up here (instead of LA). While he could be very helpful, he was also a big pain in the ass and made some huge mistakes that I felt I was very tolerant of not to fire him a lot sooner, but really, the point of this blog is not him. It is more about how I felt I could not understand him. Technically, he was a member of generation X, but his attitude was much more Generation Y....and so far my interpretation of the next generation is that they are lazy, entitled, expect instant gratification...thus are impatient, and have many traits similar to that of a narcicist. Wow, do I feel old posting this or what!!! Mind you, these traits have also made it very easy for me to Dominate those younger than myself LOL!
So....knowing I will be hiring memmbers of the next 2 generations within TF, I really need to learn effective ways to manage them and reward them. Money doesn't seem to be enough. Google rewards it's employees by having them work a 4 day week. Yes, they attend 5 days a week, but every Friday it is "do what you want" day where they make use of Google's resources to work on other projects, etc. Of course, Google can afford to do this.
What I do not want to do though, is what many corporations feel "builds teams" which is compulsary dinners and retreats, etc. Sorry, but the second you make it mandatory it becomes work, not a reward. So, this post is me venting, as well as asking for suggestions. If you're young (born after 1982) please reply and let me know what would make you happy in your job, aside from income, and if you're older and work with younger people please comment with any problems you have had and how you have solved them.
Take care,
Chanta
posted by Chanta Rose: Bondage Expert at 4:35 PM
4 Comments:
Right, then, so let me respond to your call... to the best of my ability.
First of all, I have barely a very foggy idea of what it might be like to work as part of a crew for the adult industry, so if what I say turns out to not really apply, my apologies.
That said, money would be pretty important, but you've got that down, I see. For me, perks are rather important. Might not be going as far as having a company car, but, say, having a company cellphone would be nice. I would mention flexible schedulle, but I don't know if it applies so well to your medium.
"Instant rewards" might motivate workers, so dangle the twinkie in front of them and make some small promise in exchange for a superb job on punctual cases, such as awarding a day off if some goal is achieved. Mind you, resorting to this kind of thing too often might lead to people refusing to do even a par job without a reward, so use with caution.
Finally, as for team effort, I oppose mandatory dinners and so, but encouraging socializing off work might have a positive impact. My suggestion would be to offer sporadic outings for the whole team, i.e., invite them all to dinner or drinks at the company's expense, the operative word being "invite", as workers must feel at ease to decline so that they may chose to accept. Also on this topic, I've heard of "retreats" and seen depictions of such, but never attended one myself. I'd be reluctant to attend one, but that's me, and if you suspect your team feels otherwise, it might be right to invite them for a weekend at a spa resort (or whatever works for you and them).
Hope it helps. It's swampy ground you're treading on, and I wouldn't want to do your job. Good luck.
I would argue that it doesn't matter what generation you are. This is why you have job interviews, some people are self motivated (like yourself) and some aren't.
People who are self motivated can do a good job (maybe not their best work) when doing things they dislike.
I work in the computer games industry as a middle manager (its generally a young crowd) leading projects to completion. As much as I can sway people with words (for I do not have power to offer any other rewards or punishments beyond this), its always a question of much they want to do a good job.
Doing a good job is affected, by need for the money (if people don't need money they will leave if they don't like their work, otherwise they do it well although usually to their agenda of what they think is a good job), how much they are paid (if too little then again they'll leave and use your place to build their resume), how much they like the work, how burnt-out they are, how professional they are, how good the rest of their life is (people with obviously broken lives often have trouble keeping the job together).
Intelligence is the maximum, but if the work ethics are fucked then they'll never even get close.
I would recommend books by Charles Handy (Understanding Organizations and Inside Organizations), to work out how you operate and then hire people that are more likely to fit.
Of course if your management is offensive, and disrespectful you'll only ever keep those employees whose self esteem is shot to hell. Ball breaking management seems to me to be the best way to get the bare minimum out of people. Management that encourages self belief and responsibility, seems to get the best out of people.
Hope that gives you food for thought.
I tend to agree w/ the above poster in that this is something that all generations go through.
That said, I'm also of the opinion that it's probably best to just avoid "Me first" personality types all together. Find people who share your ideal work ethic. Resumes, recommendations, long/stable work history are all telling signs about whom you can rely on in a business.
And for the above people (reliable, strong work ethic) money is a strong motivator. Performance bonuses, raises, etc.
I think the key is really about passion, whether you talking about X or Y.
For some, money is enough, but others (like myself, born just before Y kicked in) passion about what the job entails makes all the difference in how the job is approached and accomplished. I had a job which was my passion, but they started piling less-than-appealing work which had nothing to do with my job description on top of it all, pretty much killing my passion for the job...which is why I resigned.
If the work ethic (which is also one of those things X'ers and Y's sometimes lack) and passion is there, the employer may get far more than they were expecting.
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