Want 21st Century Workers To Be More Productive? Do Like Trader Joe’s

MALIBU, Calif. - Sept. 12, 2013 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, Calif.—Society today, in general, is moving at a faster clip than ever before. We’ve become accustomed to a faster pace in everything we do. Yet, work is where we expect our employees to spend eight hours every day mired in convention, repetition and paperwork and still be fulfilled with what they do. That’s an unrealistic expectation, especially of younger workers, says Dr. Noelle Nelson, a career and workplace expert and author of Make More Money By Making Your Employees Happy (Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Money-Making-Employees-Happy-ebook/dp/B007Y9ZW12/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336576781&sr=8-1), $7.99).

         “Everything not only moves faster, it happens in shorter, more condensed bursts,” notes Nelson. “Video and computer games are fast, intense, and over quickly. Texts and tweets have replaced phone conversations as well as lengthy emails, and emails long ago replaced most snail mail. No wonder younger generations of workers are bored and are quick to leave jobs that aren’t stimulating.”

         According to a study by Millennial Branding (http://millennialbranding.com/2013/08/cost-millennial-ret...), a Gen Y research and consulting firm, 85 percent of companies say it costs between $15,000 and $25,000 to replace a millennial employee (born in 1981 or after) that they lose. Of those companies surveyed, about 40 percent employed 50 or more millennial workers. “Considering that data shows over 60 percent of millennials stay at their jobs less than three years, retaining younger employers is a real challenge and will continue to be a challenge as older workers, who typically stay longer at jobs, retire,” notes Nelson.

         The study showed that companies are putting retention programs in place in the workplace by offering flexibility options and mentoring programs. “For millennials, so much of the way work is structured is the opposite of how the rest of their life goes,” explains Nelson. She advises employers to take a page from companies that have learned how to make work more interesting with some simple, easy to implement, changes.

         “Trader Joe’s, a chain of specialty grocery stores, rotates its workers, such that each worker staffs a position for only one hour at a time. So, for example, any given worker will man a cashier stand, stock shelves and return shopping carts in the course of an ordinary morning,” says Nelson. “Not only does this alleviate the tedium standing behind a check stand for eight hours would engender, it means that every worker knows every aspect of the store. Every worker is able to help with whatever department is most in need at a moment’s notice. And every worker knows every product throughout the store.”

         Not every company fits the Trader Joe’s model, but Nelson suggests other easy-to-implement ideas: break goals down into smaller, sub goals; celebrate the accomplishment of small goals loudly and joyously; actively solicit and put into effect employee ideas for improvement.

         ‘Companies need to jettison 20^th Century operating procedures and adopt 21^st Century ways of doing business,” says Nelson. “Today’s workers bring a different set of experiences, talents and expectations to a job. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to bring out the best of your workers. If you do, they’ll be more productive and remain loyal—qualities that will make an impact on profits.”

         For more practical workplace tips, go to http://www.noellenelson.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/HappyEmployeesEqualProfits (https://www.facebook.com/HappyEmployeesEqualProfits) or at Twitter.com/HappyProfits.