Not all that long ago, an orientation program for a class of new hires would consist of a formal welcoming speech and a series of presentations by practice group or department heads that described the major functions of the organization’s sub-units. With the Millennial Generation now arriving in most workplaces, orientation programs that focus on “talking head” presentations will no longer suffice.

 

Born between 1982 and 2001, the Millennial Generation shares a number of unique attributes. In my own conversations with Baby Boomer bosses, HR professionals, and the Millennials themselves, I have identified the following key characteristics of this generational cohort:

 

They are very informal, both in terms of their personal presentation and in their communications, even with their seniors. I have heard, for example, about a summer associate at a major New York City law firm who opted to wear shorts into the office—not a nice pair of Bermudas with a jacket, but a pair of shorts that was described by the head of recruiting as more appropriate for the beach or car wash. I have also heard about other new hires who wore embarrassingly revealing attire to work. And virtually every employer I encounter complains about e-mails they receive from juniors, which contain strange spellings and inappropriate grammar.

 

They are wired to the max. Senior partners have told me of new associates who walk up and down the hallways of their firms conducting cell phone conversations, completely oblivious of their disruption to the more senior lawyers who are hard at work. Similarly, virtually everyone has expressed frustration with their new employees who thumb away on their BlackBerrys during training sessions and meetings with seniors. And I have encountered one employer who actually decided to prohibit new employees from listening to their iPods while at work.

They are confident. Supervisors have spoken about new hires who have no interest in undertaking some of the more mundane tasks of the job. Heads of HR departments have related stories about new hires, who after participating in their first performance review, are quite literally crushed to learn that for the first time in their young lives they had not received a perfect 5-star ranking. And one senior lawyer shared a conversation he had with a junior who was being told he simply did not fit in at the firm. When informed that he was about to be dismissed, the junior lawyer’s initial reaction was, “But what will I tell my parents?”  

Many have virtually no real-world work experience, especially those who are graduating from this nation’s top business and law schools. In fact, one partner in the Washington, D.C. office of a nationally-ranked firm spoke of the absolutely amazing résumés that so many of their newest hires bring to work. Those résumés showcase young lives that have taken part in a series of fascinating experiences. Most, however, have never held a real job—not even an after-school or summer position.

Work-life balance is their all consuming concern.  Virtually every manager and supervisor I have encountered relates stories of job candidates and new hires who inquire about the number of hours they will be expected to work long before they ask about the nature of the work that they will be asked to do.

 

If you are responsible for welcoming and successfully integrating a group of Millennials into your workplace, keep the following in mind as you plan your orientation:

Set expectations clearly. Do not assume that what more senior professionals view as common knowledge is similarly understood by members of the Millennial Generation. Because so few Millennials bring real work experience to their first jobs, employers must be prepared to explain in detail their expectations of new employees. And I do mean “explain in detail.” If managers expect new hires to be at their desks and working by 8:30 a.m., tell your new hires this as part of the orientation program. (And emphasize they do need to be at their desks working—not at the nearest Starbucks grabbing their morning jolt or on their computers surfing the Internet.) If appropriate attire has been an issue at your organization, show images of clothing and styles that are and are not acceptable.

Wire them at the end. If your new employees will be given a BlackBerry, if at all possible, avoid distributing them until the end of your orientation. In my experience, as soon as new hires receive their BlackBerry, or any other PDA, they view it as a new toy and immediately are moved to play with it. As much as Millennials believe that they can both thumb away and learn at the same time, all the scientific studies dispute this. Multi-tasking new hires will likely miss out on some of the important nuances of your orientation program. 

 

If your new hires do receive their BlackBerrys before your orientation program, insist that they be turned off throughout the course of the program. Send e-mail alerts to all managers reminding them that the new hires will be unavailable via BlackBerry to respond to inquiries during the entirety of the orientation program. And include within your orientation some basic instruction regarding the appropriate use of a BlackBerry around the office. (I always like to remind new hires to turn off their BlackBerrys whenever they are invited into a meeting with a more senior employee unless, of course, they are expecting an emergency message.)   

Clearly explain your organization’s evaluation process. I often refer to the Millennials as the “T-Ball Generation.” As children, many of them were enrolled in T-Ball leagues, and it is from this game that I think so many learned the lesson: I will be awarded a prize just for showing up. 

 

For many new hires who are integrated into your workplace, their initial evaluations will be the first event in their lives in which they will not receive the highest ranking possible. Beginning on Day 1, prepare them for this reality. Explain in detail how performance is evaluated, and clarify the requirements for achieving any top rankings. (During one law firm orientation that I observed last year, I was impressed to hear a partner explain that top-rankings were issued only to lawyers who brought significant new business to the firm, and no one expected a new associate to do that.) 

 

By the way, take some time right now to explain to all of your managers that they must provide ongoing and continuous feedback to these newest employees. Waiting until a performance evaluation to provide feedback will result in extremely disgruntled Millennial employees.

Explain work-life balance. Help your newest employees understand that, on any given day, achieving any semblance of balance between work and life will be a challenge. Encourage them to seek to achieve balance over periods of time rather than right away.  Explain that sometimes they will need to put in extra hours when projects require extra attention. Don’t forget to add that, when work permits, they should make every effort to recharge their personal batteries.

 

 

In addition to these recommendations, keep a few other thoughts in mind. Formal presentations should move rapidly and be kept relatively brief.  Remember, the Millennial Generation has grown up with their iPods at hand, and they are used to flipping from one tune to another at lightning speed. Long presentations that drone on will lose this group’s attention almost immediately.

 

When possible, work to incorporate team activities into your programs. From the time they were youngsters, the Millennials have been working in groups and teams. They will relish the opportunity to continue to do so at work.