How do I make a Gen Y do a task when he says no?

Dear Aunty B,

I don’t want to get you into any more trouble than you are already are in with your Gen Ys, but my trouble is this. They are driving me nuts! I run a research company, so the people we take on need to be very smart and well-qualified.

My particular gripe is that some of the people we hire only want to do what they want to do. And that they have the cheek to openly tell me what they don’t want to do. Like: “I’d rather not do that thanks. It doesn’t interest me.”

The first time it happened I was so slack mouthed with shock I was rendered speechless. And he said it in such an officious manner that I began to be worried about legal rights. Could I actually make someone do something they didn’t want or was there some discrimination/bully harassment thing they could pull on me for telling them to do it?

The other thing they do which drives me nuts is they have no social boundaries. Like they just walk in if I am on the phone and stand there.

The other day I was on a really sensitive phone call and I waved the guy away OUT of my office and he mouthed it’s okay and gave me this condescending little smile and kept standing there!

I am not Gen Yist and have a few Gen Ys who are great and I would like to clone them but in my view while half are great the other half are pains.

Fed up by half,
TY

Dear Fed up by half,

I think it comes down to recruitment. You need to ask a lot of searching questions to try and suss out their attitudes. You are looking to see that they respect authority and have the ability to look at what the company needs not just what they – the individual – needs.

So ask them some scenario-based questions on real life experiences. Try and dig a bit deeper. For example, ask them about a previous time in their lives when they were asked to do something they did not want to do. What did they do? Did they put aside their needs and assume the person in charge actually knew better?

I regularly ask this question and it works, as they unwittingly reveal about how after just a few weeks they knew more than their boss.

Another handy tip is to look at whether they have actually had part-time jobs and how long they lasted. The type of person you employ may have come straight from university and never worked. Try and avoid hiring them as you don’t want to spend your time breaking them in. Look for staff who showed initiative and had good long-term, part-time jobs.

Ring the employers and see if there was any trouble. Ask specifically about their attitude to authority. Also, look for those who have done volunteer work as this can also show that the individual understands the “greater good”.

Those who have worked in part-time jobs also should be more aware of the social morays of the workplace and not barge in any time they feel like it.

And for those that don’t? Well, do us all a favour and tell them!

Good luck,
Your Aunty B

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