Got a Nanosecond?
Capturing the Attention of a Generation with Little to Spare
Ever catch yourself annoyed at how long it takes to fast-forward through TV commercials? Or get antsy in the middle of a real-live conversation because your cell phone is buzzing in your pocket?
It’s no great revelation that our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Our ability to focus on one thing at a time has been decimated by technology and an onslaught of media that is omnipresent. And while you and I may have been forced to gradually adapt to the insane pace of this go-go-go world, Generation Why grew up in it. They’ve never known anything else.
Most millennials will grow up without memories of Sunday afternoon drives with the family, meaningful conversations ‘round the dinner table, or summer days with mom shouting “Turn off the boob tube, go outside, and find something to do!” The antidote to boredom has gone from inventing an imaginary friend to living an imaginary “second life,” and the rate at which these new worlds are becoming mainstream is astonishing.
You and I see today’s rapid deployment of techno-gadgetry as a collection of toys, tools, or even minor annoyances. Gen Whys see these things as the bare essentials for survival. Show me a kid who isn’t constantly texting and Facebooking friends and I’ll show you a kid who feels severely deprived.
Why does all of this matter? Because as Gen Whys enter the workforce, they don’t check their super-connected tendencies at the door. They’re playlist-driven and if you expect them to focus on their work, you must find new ways to capture their attention and keep them engaged.
The attention span of a sparrow (literally)
Make no mistake: productivity in your workplace is under attack. BusinessWeek explored the issue in a 2008 article reporting on the effects of technological distractions in the workplace. The gist of their findings is that the average knowledge worker in the United States spends about 28 percent of the workday on distractions ranging from checking personal e-mail to checking out funny videos on YouTube.
It all adds up to a mental focus that shifts on average once every three minutes and costs businesses across the country an estimated $650 billion annually in lost productivity.
Even if your Gen Why employees aren’t parked in front of a PC in your workplace, their brains are still wired to jump relentlessly from thought to thought. Their desire to stay apprised of what’s happening in their social realm keeps them checking voice and text messages throughout the day. Left unchecked in the workplace, this behavior results in countless hours of lost productivity and customers who feel like nothing but interruptions.
So what to do?
There are a few actionable measures you can take to capture the attention of your young employees and keep them focused and engaged in their work …and you don’t have to relocate to Gilligan’s Island to do it!
1. Think like the FAA. Commercial airlines know it’s unreasonable to ask passengers to completely refrain from the use of all portable electronics from the moment they board to the time they get off the plane. So each flight starts by laying down the law in clear, concise, easy-to-understand terms (e.g. “Anything with an on/off switch must now be powered down”) and they demand 100 percent compliance from everyone on board.
A productive working environment is one where employees, like airline passengers, understand and comply with simple rules regarding the use of personal electronics on company time. If you schedule several breaks throughout the day specifically for this purpose and allow them to get their connection fix, they’ll respect and appreciate you for understanding and accommodating what’s important to them. As a result, they’ll also keep focused on the work at hand throughout the balance of the day.
As for enforcement? When tech-breaks are seen as a privilege that can be taken away if one person spoils it for the rest, you’ll have them policing each other for compliance.
2. Adjust the Variables. Vary monotonous or routine tasks to eliminate the boredom factor. Don’t stick ‘em behind the grill all day no matter how good they are at grilling or how much they say they like it. Rotate them frequently between tasks (cashier, shake machine, front lobby, maintenance, stockroom, etc.)
Next, instead of telling them exactly how to do something, give them the expected outcome of the task – a delighted customer, a spotless floor, an on-time delivery – and challenge them to create, alter, or improve the existing process. They may choose to follow your method or they may find a better one. Either way, they’ll be engaged in the process.
Finally, vary the environment. Rearrange the furniture. Change the radio station. Alter the schedule. Relax the dress code. From subtle to radical, there are limitless ways clever managers can throw a change into the physical working environment to create variation.
3. Discipline distractions. Most successful adults use self-adopted discipline techniques to keep them focused on completing important tasks or jobs. Maybe you force yourself to complete a three-mile run to work off that hot caramel sundae or weed the garden before watching the game.
Using the same techniques, coach your young staffers to pace themselves to accomplish small goals before inviting distractions in to sideswipe their productivity. For example: Complete three reports/deliveries? Bam! You’ve earned ten minutes to check Facebook. Make five sales calls? Go ahead, check your voicemail.
If you can coach them on how to anticipate distractions and monitor their own productivity, you won’t have to keep doing it for them. You’ll also be giving them a skill that will ensure their success well into the future.
The Bottom Line
As life gets zanier and the rate of communication quickens, attention spans will continue to dwindle—especially among the digitally wired Gen Whys. This means that you can either scream your frustrations into your pillow or devise a strategy for breaking though the chaos. One gets you nowhere. The other provides alternatives.
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Whys
Cracks
Can You Hear Me Now? - Police in Sedalia, MO are looking for pranksters who hijacked a Taco Bell's drive-through radio signal and used it to shout vulgarities to customers. The suspects posed as Taco Bell employees in the Tuesday afternoon episode, which lasted a few minutes.
Police said even though the intruders meant it as a joke, they could face charges. Taco Bell employees said they would press charges if the pranksters are caught. (AP)
“Your honor, we were only doing what their ads tell us to do – Think Outside the Bun!”
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