Earlier this month, Robert D. Childs and Gerry Gingrich of the National Defense University offered advice to federal managers on handling the next generation of government workers: the millennials. These new workers, along with baby boomers and Gen-Xers, form part of three generations currently in the federal workforce. Supervising these different generations, say the authors, can be a challenge, with each generation having “different motivations, different styles of communication and different expectations regarding work-life balance.” This is something that will be plainly apparent to anyone working in large institutions such as the federal government.
Millennials can be particularly difficult for managers ensconced in traditional approaches to work and careers. According to Childs and Gingrich, these young millennials, now in their twenties and early thirties and just starting to enter government jobs, are a breed apart from older generations: “They refuse to be passive. They question authority and believe that authority must be earned.”
This different attitude can lead to frustration amongst their baby boomer and Gen-X supervisors who are used to more traditional hierarchical work structures. At the extreme, this frustration can hamper the operation of federal agencies. In their article, the two NDU faculty members give some advice to supervisors on how best to get the most out of their millennial workers, including “encourage them to offer social media strategies to connect government workers and the citizens they serve”, allow them to “help build recruiting, retention and mentoring programs for other millennials”, and “involve them in re-engineering projects to increase transparency and collaboration across organizational boundaries.”
The authors admit their suggestions will require a different leadership style from managers. However, they argue that the changes are important if federal agencies are going to service the public with maximum effectiveness.
Childs and Gingrich’s advice is prudent. The downturn in America’s economy has caused more millennials to turn to careers with federal agencies, as they seek job security, steady benefits and the opportunity to serve. With this shift, baby boomer and Gen-X federal managers will have to adapt in order to get the best out of these young men and women in the years to come.
Mike Jones is a researcher, writer, and analyst on national and international security. He lives in the DC area.
