74% of Millennials and Gen Z want to build their skills – just maybe not at your company.
Millennials and Gen Z are often on the receiving end of negative stereotypes around their relationship to work, the need to feel passion for the cause or the need for work/life balance. I have been working with these 2 generations for years while teaching at college and know that this is not the full story. While their values and needs in the workplace may be different from generations past, their appetite for working hard and learning (both hard and soft skills) is high.
The pandemic has had a brutal impact on their career trajectory.
Results from a recent Amazon/Workplace intelligence report state:
- 58% of feel their skills have gone stale since the onset of the pandemic
- 70% feel unprepared for the future of work
AND
- 83% state that improving their skills is one of their top priorities
So where does this leave the employers? In the words of Eric Adams, Amazon’s Vice President of Talent Management and Compensation as reported in Forbes Magazine:
“The past few years have shown that skills development, career advancement and professional mobility are no longer nice-to-haves but are the key to recruiting and retaining top talent across our workforce,”
You offer programs and access to courses and it is natural to feel frustrated. Why is what you are offering not working? You might throw up your hands and say “enough is enough.”
What can you do? Double down on soft skill training for managers.
Tips:
- Encouraging managers to deepen their executive skills and emotional intelligence will make them better mentors and coaches
- Managers with higher level skills will better recognize where their reports need skill development and be better equipped to help them
- Share this simple skill evaluation with your managers
- Junior reports will stick around longer if they like and are learning from their managers
- Building soft skills helps people get to the next level with their hard skills. It is not one or the other – but both, and…
Introducing the Skillpod manager training series.
At Skillpod, we are getting ready to launch a mini skills training series for managers. It is designed to help build psychological safety and reduce burnout in your teams. The training series consists of 4 x 15 minute audio episodes on topics with practical information and tips, specific actions to practice and downloadable cheat sheets.
Sound interesting? Contact us.