Gen Z, please talk to me: what management works and what does not?
I am an Xer who manages a small but crucial team at my workplace (in an EU country). I had a lady resign last week, and I have another who may be about to resign or I may have to let go due to low engagement. They are both Gen Z. Today it hit me: the five years I've been managing this department, the only people I've lost have been from Gen Z. Clearly I do not know how to manage Gen Z so that they are happy working here. What can I do? I want them to be as happy as my Millennial team members. One detail that might matter is that my team is spread over three European cities.
Happy to provide any clarification if anyone wants it.
Edit. Thanks for all the answers even if a few of them are difficult to hear (and a few were oddly angry?) This has been very helpful for me, much more so than it probably would have been at the Old Place.
Also the second lady I mentioned who might quit or I might have to let go? She quit the day after I posted this giving a week's notice yesterday. My team is fully supportive, but it's going to be a rough couple of months.
Try paying them better. It really is that simple.
Everyone's giving you long-winded answers, but this is the ultimate truth.
PAY MORE
I did. I fought with my CEO for two months and got everyone in the department except me a massive raise, 15%-20%.
FYI, it's entirely possible that they've been undervalued so much even that's not enough.
That's not all on the manager though, they're not the final decision maker. Op isn't to blame for that
All layers of management are complicit. It is his choice to continue working there instead of resigning in protest, so he owns every decision he is directed to implement.
As long as he's implementing, perhaps. Raises are not always budgeted at the 1st line manager level. It may be beyond his control.
And quitting a job you don't agree with makes sense if you have other options, it's foolish otherwise. Keep trying to make change from within
"I was just following orders" does not absolve OP, or anybody else. You either quit in protest or you're a motherfucking class traitor.
I barely want to continue this, but I think your view is that it's 1st line workers vs the 2%, the reality is the working class goes a few levels above that, and again you try to change the system from within, you don't resign and live in poverty
Also managers and Nazis are not the same
True lmao. I know someone that was working under a project manager making $15/hr and whenever they got promoted to project manager they got a whopping THIRTEEN percent raise. Which sounds nice and all but it only ended up being like $2 more per hour lol
She is actively taking job interviews now