Generation Gap is Real – 3 Ways for Franchise Owners to Enhance Associate Retention

The generation gap concerning the term “hard work” is real and can affect your business in many ways: associate turnover, training costs, lost opportunity costs, etc.?Successful franchise owners?recognize why there is a gap and how best to overcome it. This knowledge gives you power to?enhance your employee relationships. Everyone has overheard that 50+ year-old man sitting at the counter in Mel’s Diner complaining about the younger generations being “lazy” or “they have no idea what hard work is.” I’ll give you 3 ideas how to use it as an associate retention tool.

The generation gap shows up in every aspect of life. My grown stepdaughter and her father have a stronger than average relationship (8+ out of 10). The friction I have noticed concerns finances and everyone’s obligation to work hard (3 out of 10).

Successful franchise owners recognize the gap and adapt.

Life has been and always will be more convenient with each new generation. The badge of honor to be a hard worker shines less brightly than for the previous generations. The long hours and sweat of hard work in the older generations are replaced with smarter work and more leisure and family time in the next. My stepdaughter is living proof that “work” has evolved into a four-letter expletive for the generation beginning their careers. Successful franchise owners build stronger relationships in the following 3 ways:?

1. Magnify strengths and coach through weaknesses.

• New generation workers know how to multi-task and absorb information rapidly. Smart phones were first introduced in 1992 and the iPhone launched in 2007. The generations born from 2000 on know how to multi-task at a much faster rate than older generations because of all the information flooding their phones. The downside I’ve noticed is difficulty staying on task and completing projects. Satisfaction is realized in the rush of activity, more so than completing projects. Use this strength. Give your younger folks multiple, unrelated projects. Your main input is to keep the projects on track to completion. This amounts to wins achieved for both generations.
• Small milestone wins help keep a younger generation worker energized in the process. You’re training both generations how to best use each other’s strengths and grow a solid team.?Richard Branson?said, “Train your people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
• The younger generations know technology and stay up-to-date on the latest gadgets. Test new technologies in areas of your business. Maybe test a new point-of-sale with?AI integration?in one area of your store. Start small with little risk and, if successful, scale to size.
• Prepare for worst-case scenarios and have plans in place for total blackout. Just think about the?Colonial Pipeline ransomware disaster. This is one topic for all generations to learn from each other.

2. Praise sincerely and often for good work.

• Older generations tend to give less praise. Grandpa Frey would watch me practice basketball in the driveway and comment, “We weren’t allowed to dribble through our legs when I played.” I would beam with pride because I knew that was his way of saying “Wow, look what you can do.”?
• Younger generations appreciate more direct recognition more often. Successful franchise owners make the effort to seek out reasons to praise.

3. Encourage to make an impact.

• Younger generations crave to know they’re making a positive impact on others. This impact can take many forms from small to grand. The selfishness rampant in the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s has been replaced by climate awareness, inclusivity for all, a Facebook biography for the world to see and a greater sense of empathy.

Why is there a gap?

The reason for this gap is easy to explain: the two facts are life is more convenient for each younger generation AND every younger generation gets older. The conveniences sometimes change incrementally and at other times change catastrophically. Here are two examples of each:

1. All distinct ages of humans began with a catastrophic discovery that made life more convenient and complicated. Our ancestors discovering how to contain and use the energy from fire was a catastrophic event. All of the ways to create and use heat for our convenience and survival is incremental.

2. Inventing the personal computer was a catastrophic discovery. We now hold a more powerful computer in the palm of our hands. The changes since that first PC are happening quickly but they are all incremental.

The introduction of hybrid workplaces for some and the fact food is delivered to our front door has made life so easy I never have to leave the house or “work hard” again. Both are incremental results of the PC.

Generational gaps have and will always exist. The main key for all successful franchise owners is to recognize, embrace and overcome differences to retain younger workers and work smart with them to make your business strong.