Attention all bosses who send lots and lots of e-mails:

I know that e-mail makes the world go ’round. In fact, I can’t imagine how the world would function without it. But that doesn’t mean I want to get an e-mail from you regarding every single detail of operating our business. When I was working in restaurants, for instance, we would sometimes get 10-15 e-mails per day, most from our district manager. A lot were for simple things like “Keep your tables clean today, gang.”

So, this is a formal request on my part that you stop doing that. And by formal request, I mean that I am issuing fair warning that I will likely be filtering your e-mail address.

That’s right. I won’t even take the time to go through and personally delete your e-mails one at a time. I won’t even give them the personal attention required to click “Delete.” What I will do is tell my e-mail account to delete your e-mails before I ever have to see them. I will treat them the same way I treat spam. As a general rule, if you don’t include a question you expect me to answer or you haven’t attached a document I need to use in the immediate future, do me a favor and don’t e-mail me.

I tell you this now so you won’t be upset at me later for deleting that one e-mail that you needed me to respond to immediately. See, the problem was, you had marked it “Urgent.” Just like all the others you send me. I caught on and realized that you thought that reminding me of a long-standing company policy was an urgent matter.

And that is why e-mail filters rule.

My name is Jennifer, I’m a 20-something blogger, and I live in the Suburbs of Chicago. I work in accounting for a Conference Resort.

I grew up in a small town in Arkansas. My childhood was not conventional and I went to live with my Dad when I was little girl. Growing up in a single parent household has molded me into who I am today and the kind of work ethic that I have. I watched as my father worked two and three jobs at once to keep us afloat and to give me what every child needs to survive, learn and grow. This led to me doing the same thing in my adult life. I have worked two and even three jobs at once myself.

With my father working multiple jobs I didn’t have a lot of supervision as I got older. I always had to be home by a certain time after school and I would make dinner for us while he got ready for work. During the weekends he worked another job and during the day he’d get a nap when I got home from school because he was doing odd jobs while I was in school.

I grew up knowing exactly what was expected of me. I managed myself just fine. From an early age my father taught me about finances and that you should always make sure your check book is correct, how to pay bills, etc. People might shudder at the thought of a 14 year old learning how to write checks and pay bills but it was exciting and I believe that this being taught to me early has helped guide my career choices today! My father had an 8th grade education and was determined to teach me what he learned in “life lessons” and to keep me in school to make sure I graduate.

Unfortunately, my Father had an accident at work when I was 15 and was unable to work. As soon as I turned 16 I got a job slinging burgers at a fast food joint. Now it was my turn to take care of the family by working.
I would wake up in the morning and go to school and then go to work in the evenings. I was exhausted but I believe that in the end, it was worth it. We still had what we needed, even if it was very little and I helped us to keep it. It also helped me gain a huge sense of pride for working hard and doing what is necessary.

Because I had an “untamed” childhood I feel sometimes that I buck the reins of those who are in a seniority position. I don’t often get along with my supervisors and we can really butt heads sometimes. I grew up very strong minded and strong willed with little to no supervision. I was told what was expected of me and I did what I was told. Being in the work force I have never felt comfortable with hovering supervisors. You gave me a job to do, now let me do it! Get out of my way.

My job slinging burgers didn’t last long because I was unsatisfied with it and my manager was the hovering kind along with practically zero pay. I saw my father before he got hurt slaving away for minimal money! I wasn’t going to be like that, miserable with no money. So I got a job with a family friend working in her Salon. I started out as her receptionist and quickly learned (with the help of high school courses and just playing around on her computer) the computer and everything else I needed to succeed in the office. And this little push helped me decide that I wasn’t going to “sling burgers” ever again.

I have had many jobs in my 13 years working. I have also met with many managers and their styles. I would have to say that I appreciate those who “let us be” more than I do the ones who are smothering. I pride myself on being independent and smart, a quick thinker and problem solver. These are qualities that helped them decide to hire me. I cant understand why they want me to be something I’m not. I ask questions when necessary but not needlessly. I have encountered many supervisors who would rather you bombard them with your work and silly questions (that we could have figured out on our own just fine) than think for yourself. Don’t our supervisors have other more important things to do than hold our hand like a toddler?

My 1st job was a smothering manager. That turned out not so well… And my 2nd job was great! I managed myself and her Salon just fine while doing my homework! With nothing but a high school education I have went from working in fast food to working for a Prestigious Conference Resort in the accounting department as a “Billing Specialist” aka Accounts Receivables.

I admit to job hopping, I couldn’t quite find what was a fit for me and once I learned all I could on a job I would get restless. Each job I held helped prepare me for the next that would come along. Working at the hospital as a Nurses’ Assistance taught me patience and how to manage stress under pressure in a fast paced environment. Being the administrative assistant for the Vice President of a manufacturing company taught me a lot of work ethics on professionalism, working as an assistant to the President and Vice Presidents of an Engineering & Surveying firm helped me see a lot of different components in a business and how they work together. Even working as an overnight stocker for Wal-Mart helped me appreciate that no matter what position you are in a company that without someone doing it -I should stress doing it RIGHT, the company wouldn’t survive.

It seems like a dream that I ended up in Chicago-land working where I do. Who knew that I would go from a small town girl destined to be barefoot and pregnant with no education to speak of to a successful career woman? Not me. It’s been a long and hard journey and I am not done yet. I think that each little career I have on this working road I drive teaches me more skills and helps develop me for the next one. I cannot wait to see where the next exit on the career highway takes me.

Jennifer blogs regularly at http://geminiwitchtwin.blogspot.com/

So, a few housekeeping issues today:

1. There was some sort of issue with comments in the past, and I fear it may have discouraged some readers from commenting. From the recent comments I’ve been getting, I believe it’s fully fixed and you can now post comments deriding me at your discretion.

2. Tomorrow, I’ve lined up a special treat for those of you who are sick of my voice. As a part of the 20-Something bloggers social network I’m a member of, I am participating in a blog swap. Tomorrow’s post will be by Jennifer, a Chicagoan who has got some really interesting thoughts on being managed. I’m looking forward to reading it, and I hope you will, too.

3. I’ve spent a lot of time lately video interviewing young employees. We use the video in Eric’s presentations, and in the future we may be using them in other projects. It suddenly struck me, though, that these interviews give us an incredible opportunity to ask young employees the questions YOU want to ask them. So, if you have questions you want me to ask young employees, put a comment up on this post, e-mail me (tj@generationwhy.com) or e-mail Eric, and I’ll be sure to ask next time I’m doing an interview. From there, the video will go through technologic magic that I can’t comprehend and will find its way onto the blog. How cool is that?

Until tomorrow (when Jennifer will have the reins)!

A couple friends of mine who have worked together were recently discussing the first time they worked together, and I was listening in. It went a little something like this:

ANDY: The first time you called me for work, you called me to remind me that I needed to at least wear a collared shirt and a decent pair of jeans.

ERIC: Yes, I had previously had a very bad experience with a young guy. He showed up at an event in a “No Blood For Oil” t-shirt that was bound to irritate half of my customers, and then proceeded to do his homework instead of the fairly simple job I had assigned to him.

ANDY: I don’t roll that way, so I found myself a little bit offended until you told me about that.

ERIC: Yeah, I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t want another debacle.

Two things about this exchange that I want to highlight:

1. Eric is my age, and he has already learned one of the lessons that so many managing Generation Y are learning: You have to set clear expectations. While some like Andy will find themselves mildly offended that you are telling them something they already know, it’s much better than the debacle that could ensue. Remember: vague, subjective directives like “dress appropriately” or “wear something nice” are not useful, as some people actually believe that their ratty Grateful Dead t-shirt is as appropriate at work as it was when he was at the show. Clear, objective standards like “wear a polo and a clean pair of pants” are much easier to convey, understand, and follow.

2. Note, also, that by explaining why he was setting the expectation so clearly he managed to solve the problem of offending someone who already knew better. We used to do this same thing when I taught the training class at a restaurant. One of our talking points was “Don’t steal money from the cash register.” I know… shouldn’t have to say it, right? But we said it, and we always told the people in the class that they needed to be told because other people had done it. Remember a nightmare you once had with a Milennial? Use it as a training tool now, so that you can reach your young employees.

I used to tell people that I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Now, I’m considering re-writing my resume and online profiles to simply reflect that I graduated from “A university in Colorado.”

Why? It’s simple, really. I’m unwilling to be associated with that particular institution so long as it employs Ward Churchill. If you haven’t caught the story in the press, it’s pretty straightforward: The guy lied, plagiarized work, said some rather flattering things about terrorists, and some very unflattering things about their victims. He was then fired. A jury recently decided (quite independently of the facts, in my not so humble opinion) that this was a case of wrongful termination, and a judge is in the process of deciding if Churchill will get his job back.

If he does get his job back, I can guarantee you that until the University gets rid of him, I won’t put my name next to it.

So, what does this have to do with your company? A lot, so long as your company exists in the public eye. I know that I’m not the only young person who is unwilling to be associated with those who disgust me.

For some young people, images they prefer to associate with are expressed by what they wear (or refuse to wear). For others, it’s manifested in their voting or shopping habits. For job-seekers, this preference can be expressed by never even applying for a position with a company they don’t like, or even quitting if they do find out the company is doing something they don’t like. It’s simple arithmetic:

Bad image
+ Undeserving young person
= Disappearing young person

In interviews I’ve been doing recently, I’ve heard over and over again that dishonesty from a company is something that will make young employees quit their jobs. If a boss is willing to lie to or mistreat customers, it stands to reason that he’d do the same to his employees.

Mine is a generation that will vote with its feet. If we don’t like our pay, responsibilities, boss, or work-a-day habits, we’re out the door. The image of your company is just one more reason we might do that.

Do you have any strategies in place to help your company develop an image that young employees will want to be associated with?

Thank you to all for their responses!

After my last post asking if someone would hire me based upon a Google search of my name, I got good news: People said they would hire me. Between finding writing samples from this blog and columns of mine that have run in the Denver Post, comments and e-mails indicated that people felt that google had hooked me up by submitting writing samples for me.

There was a downside, though. My long-standing fantasy football league’s website (”The Littleton Drunks”) did leave a bit of a question in most people’s minds. From the responses I got, most said that a quick examination was enough to reveal that the site (titled “Drunk Records”) is related to fantasy football, and not binge drinking. Nonetheless, it did raise a few questions I don’t want potential employers asking about me. You can expect that the site will be getting revised at some point in the foreseeable future so it doesn’t show up and get those questions asked at all.

That said, I do have a few observations on the responses:

1. Everyone noticed the “Drunks Records” page. Clearly, that kind of thing stands out, no matter how innocuous it proves to be.

2. All of the young folks who responded said that . We’re a generation who has grown up with this, so I think that on some level the assumption amongst Gen Y is that almost everyone has a few embarrassing moments that have found their way onto the web. We’re hardly willing to hold that against someone, and I think many would be a bit irritated if we were rejected for this kind of a reason.

3. My distinctive name is a mixed blessing. On the up side, it makes it easy to find the writing projects I’ve completed. On the down side, each typo, misspelling, and alcohol-themed website I’ve ever put my name on is also very visible. Imagine how difficult it would have been to sort me out from all the others if my name were John Smith.

4. Millenials are considering their online brands. One commenter said he recognized why my name popped up in a half-dozen places and suggested a way to help minimize some of the less flattering pages in search results. Another e-mail said that he has been thinking about the same things I have, in terms of carefully controlling his brand, and detailed the steps he had taken on Facebook to minimize any over-disclosure. One thing I think you should take away from this observation:

We know you’re looking at our social media. We know you’re googling us. As such, we’re beginning to look at what we’re disseminating via these channels, and we have a variety of tools at our disposal to help control information. I think you’re going to see a downward trend in the over-disclosures you find on the internet, but I do think that means that finding that your people (or potential people) are sharing a little too much information is that much more telling.