Practice Development Counsel

Phyllis weiss haserot
Phyllis weiss haserot


President & Founder


212 593-1549
pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com
www.pdcounsel.com

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The Cross-Generational Mindset Of Young Veterans: Not Your Typical Gen Y

As a result of the long-enduring wars during the Gen Y/Millennials’ lifetime, we have a large pool of veterans who, as a group, are recognized, thanked and celebrated by our country’s population. But when they join the civilian ranks, even without having suffered severe physical or mental disabilities during their time of service, many face difficulties getting jobs. This is particularly true in the long economic turndown we are still experiencing (a jobs deficit). And employers often are puzzled as to how best to integrate veterans and use or transfer their skills.

Michael L Faulkner, Andrea Nierenberg and Michael Abrams have co-authored a book, “Networking for Veterans,” which aims to help this deserving group of citizens to obtain jobs, promotions and career fostering connections. What a wonderful contribution to helping veterans help themselves! 

But what about the employer side? Employers are still trying to get their arms around how they need to address the different needs and wants of Gen Y workers. Often those veterans considered Gen Yers by birth cohort present a different challenge. Just think about the life experiences they have had as young adults compared with their peers in age!

A Different Profile

They may be under 35 years of age – many in the 20s – but particularly the ones who have been in war zones have faced death situations and stresses far greater than university students have. They have been separated from family and friends. They have forged bonds with “teammates” that go deeper than most young people’s friendships. They have been trained to take enormous responsibilities and initiative but also to obey a chain of command by necessity more rigid than Gen Yers experience at work in today’s more flexible workplace. They are used to being pushed to their limits and challenged. Many have been trained as leaders and demonstrated those skills. They know the purpose of their work and its meaning for their country.

Few civilians in their 20s have had to make the same levels of commitment or behave with the same maturity. So when the veterans enter the workplace, there is bound to be a disconnect with their peers in age in several ways. And some adjustment will be required on both sides.

One advantage may be that veterans will relate more to older generations and workplace structure. Once oriented they may need less guidance than their age peers and take more initiative and educated risks. Employers can benefit from their leadership skills and their training to be followers.

Adjustment to work culture may mean getting comfortable with looser behavior and more ambiguous (unwritten) rules and hierarchy. Many non-veteran Gen Yers resist hierarchy and want to express their opinions directly to senior leaders.

From the Employer Side

Veterans can make excellent employees but employers need to approach their recruiting in a different way than for Gen Y/Millennials. They may be expecting more formality than the typical Gen Yer does. The interviewers should be from the Boomer or Traditionalist generations.

Recruiters and interviewers need to be trained to understand the veterans’ different competencies, expectations, needs and wants from the overall Gen Y pool. Employers need to think through how younger veterans can fill their particular needs differently than a recent university graduate.

Similar to the case with other “minorities,” retention is a tougher issue than hiring. If the organization hires a sizable number of veterans, a multi-generational veteran Employee Resource Group (ERG, also sometimes known as an affinity group) can be helpful and provide mentors and sponsors. With time, veterans can learn to relate better to their Gen Y nonveteran peers. They may be able to serve as a bridge to older generations and even as role models.

What ideas do you have on more effectively hiring and integrating veterans to an organization and taking advantage of their cross-generational attributes?

Please share your experience and observations on this topic.

Phyllis

© Phyllis Weiss Haserot, 2012. All rights reserved.

Learn about our *Generational Wisdom for Mentors and Mentees* programs as well as multi-generational team facilitation. Call 212-593-1549 or e-mail pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com.

For coaching, training and special programs on inter-generational relations and maximizing the potential of young professionals, call or email Phyllis for an exploratory talk or complimentary coaching session at 212-593-1549 or pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com. .

Phyllis is available to speak at your organization or at firm retreats on inter-generational relations and organizational effectiveness topics. Call or e-mail for a list of topics or to custom-tailor your own. 

11/2012