Entitled and needy — sound like Gen Y? What about generous and innovative? According to Nick Arrojo, owner of Arrojo Studio in NYC, Gen Y has a lot of great qualities — you just need to know how to bring them out. Arrojo maintains, “They are high maintenance and require a lot of feedback as quickly as possible.” However, he says, with the right strategies you can teach them how to manage themselves. “I remind my managers, who are mostly Gen X, that this generation was raised in the digital age and got a trophy for everything they did,” he says. “They are looking to be praised. They’re the 2.0 version of Gen X — they have a lot of self esteem.” Adam and Katie Wright, brother-and-sister owners of Dream State Salon in Tallahassee, Florida, agree that tons of feedback and praise is necessary when dealing with their Gen Y employees. “They were heavily supervised as children and everything they did was fascinating,” says Adam.

Bringing Out the Best in Y

The Wrights created a ranking system within their salon based on military ranks. Upper, Middle and Lower ranks exist, and everyone in the salon has at least one person who ranks above and below them. “With the ranks, the Gen Y staffers are surrounded by people who outrank them. So they can get the pats on the back they need from others, not just the owners,” says Adam. Katie found her Gen Y stylists simply needed an outlet for all the leadership qualities they possess. “They are passionate about something and want to talk about it. They grew up with everyone around them telling them everything that came out of their mouths was riveting — they have great self esteem, and there are pros and cons to that,” she says. So how do the Wrights bring out the best in their staff, almost all of whom are Gen Y? “We give them projects they’re really good at, and then after six months, we give them something they’re not as good at — get them out of their comfort zone and keep pushing their buttons,” says Katie. For example, “the person we put in charge of facilities/maintenance was a 21-year-old former high school gymnast who probably had never held a hammer in her life,” says Adam.

“But if you tell them you’re growing them into a leader, they are IN,” he adds. At Arrojo, Nick Arrojo constantly stresses caring about customer service to his Gen Y staff. “We all agree that’s why we’re here — to do great hair and be really nice while we’re doing it,” he says. And when his Gen Y stylists are happy and being properly managed, Arrojo sees great things from them. “They care and have great pride in what they do,” he says. “They’re also all about charity and think globally — they want to be involved and give back.” The Wrights have also honed in on the qualities that make Gen Y an asset to the salon. “They value being grown up and mature,” says Adam. “They were shocked to discover they would not step out of college and get the income their parents have, but if you tell them the next step, they are on it.” The key is that next step. “They don’t want to feel like they’re on a treadmill and there’s no next step,” says Adam. “They really want that next level of challenge.”

And Remember …

Although Gen Y has their own set of quirks, they are not unique in the work place. “I remind my managers that every new generation of workers irritate the older ones,” says Arrojo. The Wrights put their focus on Dream State’s unique culture and have confidence the rest will fall into place. “I think it’s important to learn about the generations,” says Adam. “But when you see problems with interactions, it’s usually not generational — it’s just being labeled that way. If the tribe is healthy and leadership is well done, people of different religions, races, age groups, etc, will work well together. If people aren’t working together well, it’s a symptom of something else, not just generations.”