Maverick Mastery®

Generation X employees need to educate unruly generation Y employees on the appropriateness of using social networking sites in light of revelations that employees at Waitrose and Tesco have been publicly posting insulting comments about their customers on social networking site Facebook, says Talent Management specialist Judith Germain.

As Waitrose becomes the latest high street chain to fall victim to the widespread visibility of their disgruntled employees via their unreserved comments on Facebook. Dynamic Transitions MD Judith Germain believes that Generation Y employees aren’t intentionally trying to tarnish the brand’s reputation, but simply don’t realise the consequences of their actions online, which for many, is an integral part of their day to day lives.

“Whilst Generation X and Baby Boomers know instinctively that conversations in public forums that involve their employers is a bad idea, Generation Y do not have that belief and struggle to understand the effect on their employer’s brand and the consequences that their actions may bring to their careers”, explains Germain, who specialises in managing Troublesome Talent® in the workplace.

Germain believes that employers must act now by educating their Generation Y employees on how to behave appropriately online and by providing ‘safe havens’ for them to express their views and vent frustrations in a controlled environment and away from the public eye, if they want to maintain staff loyalty and customer satisfaction during a particularly difficult trading period.

“Organisations should consider providing a place internally where staff can have ‘conversations’ with each other in a social networking environment which is away from public scrutiny, however, these kind of solutions must be thought through carefully in terms of how they are implemented and how much intervention or moderation they want to provide. The legal implications of getting it wrong can be quite adverse to a business, although getting it right can bring radical results”, adds Germain.

Dynamic Transitions is a leadership company specialising in managing Troublesome Talent®. You can download their free whitepaper ‘Harnessing Maverick Talents’ at www.developing-leadership.com/whitepapers.html For further information or to find out more about Dynamic Transitions visit www.developing-leadership.com or telephone +44 (0) 208 288 0512.

Recession-stricken employees across the country are set to see more innovative and dynamic initiatives from organisations as they battle to motivate and retain their workforce during the recession, says talent management specialist Judith Germain.

With Tesco leading the way in employee engagement with their new monthly talent competition designed to increase footfall into stores and in turn boost employee morale, Dynamic Transitions MD Judith Germain says that companies have realised that their old methods simply aren’t effective in the current climate and now need to be more innovative in how they motivate and retain their most talented employees.

Germain says “with morale falling and companies predicted to be unable to pay bonuses or increase pay there is an increased risk of employee flight amongst the top performing employees. Tesco may have got the balance right with their latest talent show initiative as this could have the double effect of both increasing customer sales and employee’s sense of partnership with the company”.

However, alongside implementing new employee engagement programmes, Germain, who specialises in dealing with Troublesome Talent®, believes that there is perhaps an even more critical need for companies to ensure that their management teams have the right skills to lead the company during this difficult time and in particular their most talented employees.

“Only 20% of most workforces contain the top talent, yet it is these unconventional thinkers that drive companies forward and can provide real competitor advantage and first mover status. Often customers and clients love their flexibility and their unique ability to sense what is needed and what enables them to get close to the customer’s need in a way that their competitors struggle to”, says Germain.

“The problem is that many managers, particularly Generation X-ers, have not had enough relevant experience to manage in these changeable times and it is this lack of ability that is having a disastrous effect on morale and productivity. In our experience poor management is more prevalent at these times, and is often the main cause of such company disharmony that even with the best employee engagement programmes, companies could find it hard to recover”, adds Germain.

Judith Germain is founder of Dynamic Transitions, a leadership company specialising in dealing with Mavericks in the workplace and Troublesome Talent®. For more information visit www.developing-leadership.com