Organisations must recognise that Gen Y’s or Millennials expect coaching and step up to offer it - and when it comes to recruiting and retaining the best and brightest, companies can build strong bonds by reaching out to the boomer parents of their young employees.

As Gen Yers integrate into companies, they are going to expect ongoing coaching and mentoring. Here’s 3 ways to work collaboratively with Gen Y’s:

1. Coach on explicit and implicit know-how: Explicit means specific procedures, such as how to complete a tax file form or install an air-conditioning unit.  Implicit means the intangible stuff, like how to sell an idea or make the boss look good.  Both are important, but we tend to be more prepared to teach new employees about the explicit things and assume they'll pick up on the other stuff through osmosis.  Don't make that assumption.

2. Be a coach, not a nag:  Millennials have been coached all their lives, so this won't be new to them.  But they expect to be treated like a darling, not a an idiot.  Their parents, teachers, and coaches have addressed them like valued team members.  They'll anticipate the same treatment from you.

3. If you're stuck, call HR: In the battle to manage mismatched expectations you can't always be expected to know what to do.  One Baby Boomer manager of a financial office blushed while admitting he felt paralysed trying to talk about their dress code with Millennial females.  As a Boomer male, the branch manager was in way over his head trying to address the issue, but he hadn't called HR for help.  If he had, a female Millennial HR rep who called all the employees in for a short meeting would review dress code and firmly clarify that no part of the uncovered female bosom should be visible because it made customers uncomfortable (or overly happy in some cases).

In today's workplace, we have four generations attempting to work well together. 

Helping managers better understand how each of their generational associates make meaning is of great importance to the leadership of organisations - since all of the work is done through relationships. 

Effective coaching can help to bridge the gaps and oil the skids of communication between generations.   Effective leadership can happen on the dance floor of communication when engaging in respectful conversations.

Source: Lynne C. Lancaster. “The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workplace.”