WAVES For Teenage Workforce Success

Here is an interesting article that I found regarding a teenager who is carving is own path. Regardless if you're a young successful entrepreneur or your average teenage, they have one thing in common. That is they want to be listened to.

"What was interesting was not that he wanted to be the CEO, or was suffering from over ambition, he wants to change the world, and he amongst those of the generation Y that we are seeing crop up in the company want to have a voice. Older managers often discount the voices of the younger members of their team, but he also comes with a proven record of accomplishment."

http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/managing-infosec/he-is-15-and-has-no-compelling-reason-to-work-at-your-company-26807 

Why is it so difficult to keep an open mind when it comes to motivating today's teens? 

I have talked to hundreds of people after a presentations I have given and always hear;  "now I get it!" They seem to understand that today's teens do require a different management approach due to the drastically unique environment they have been raised.  Then when I have an opportunity to communicate with many of these same people some months later, I hear the same laments that they came into the presentation with; "these kid's just don't get it, they don't listen".

A quick query into what has changed in their work environment, how they recognize and reward their employees, adjusted how they communicate or improved their training programs typically yields this answer; "I tried it, it didn't work, these kids still don't listen".

It takes more than casually "trying it" as sometimes the entire culture of a company may need to change to reach young people.  It's difficult, and the realities, responsibilities and urgencies of work tend to get in the way of making progress.

The biggest obstacle I see is that we continue to think about being a teenager from our own experience being that age.  For most of us who went through our teen years more than ten years ago, we simply needed an authoritative figure to keep us line.  We knew and understood the rules and there were consequences when we broke them. We expected to be trained, take orders and the boss was always right... even when they weren't!

Employers need to shift from agreeing with the "theory" on why today's teens are different and transfer that to a paradigm shift in thinking that will result in a fundamental and sustaining way in how you interact with teens and run your business.

Spread the word...WAVES is now offering private webinars. These webinars are for companies that embrace the WAVES training strategies and procedures. Through these webinars, every one of your managers, supervisors, students or shift leads would receive the same information, eliminating the filtration that occurs between management ranks. Not only do these webinars offer a quick and effective way to train, they are also huge cost savers...starting at $50 per employee.

Contact us to learn more or schedule your webinar today!

WAVES has recently introduced 'Question Credits'. Below is an example of what you would expect to receive in response to your question(s). Question Credits are designed to get you and your management team quick and on the spot answers to challenges associated with employing teens. Visit our on-line store to purchase and/or learn more.

Question Credits are for franchises, multiple & single unit operators, and/or anyone with challenges associated with employing today's teens. Get the flexibility to handle situations and challenges as they occur...on a case by case basis.

Read a recent question and answer below:

Question: What is the youngest age at which a teenage should be allowed to start work? An employee's age reflects life experience, emotional maturity and mental capacity. The majority of our staff are teenagers and although we try to hire those who are 16 years and older we sometimes hire younger. Is there such a thing as too young?

"Maturity" can vary widely with the age group.  Some 14 years olds seem to be quite a bit more squared away and work ready than an 18 year old!  Some of that can be seen in the application and interview process, such as;

1. Is the application complete, legible and have relevant experiences.  Even a 14 year old can demonstrate that they can work within a team environment by their volunteering, club, sports and church activities.  Babysitting and/or yard work can demonstrate work ethic.
2. Do they have references from their jobs, clubs, etc. that you can follow up with.  Also personal references.  The young person that is able to and proactively provides this information is demonstrating real responsibility.
3. During the interview, ask open ended questions.  Can they give you full sentence answers?
4. Do they make eye contact and smile?  A very hard thing to teach and if they aren't doing this during the interview don't plan of them doing it after they are employed.
5. How did they dress?  You are seeing their best at the interview... No matter how they look.
6. Were they early for the interview?

I would judge their maturity and mental capacity, not on their age but based on the above experience.

As a side note... I'm not giving legal advice but be sure that a 14/15 year old can perform the tasks necessary for your positions.  The law looks at a 14/15 year old much differently than a person 16 years or older.  Types of jobs and hours of work have limitations.  A work permit cannot be obtained for a person under 14.

Exhibiting at a trade show is always an interesting experience, and the recent California Restaurant Association conference was no exception.  The answers we hear when we lead with; "learn how to motivate your teenage employees" is enlightening.   Most just laugh and shout out "impossible".  Others let us know their motivation "techniques" such as, "use a club, cattle prod, short leash and kick them in the ...".  Many others stop to acknowledge the challenge they have and to hear how on earth our offer could be possible.

Honestly, those comments only encourage us, and confirm that we have real value to offer.  Everyone of these employers are reliant on teens for their business success, yet few are willing to adjust how they manage this emerging workforce.  They will all admit that today's young employees are different, yet few can articulate how they have changed their management approach.

I believe that today's teens are as able as ever, maybe even more capable of being productive than any prior generation. I also believe that they are generally not prepared for the workplace... and that it's not their fault.  The world they have been raised in has not celebrated, or prepared them for the realities, and basic necessities, of workplace success.

Teen don't quit companies, they quit people.  To exceed customer expectations and to improve sales and profits, business owners and their managers must supervise through the eyes of their teen employees, not through the eyes of when they were a teenager.

I wonder what new "techniques" I'll learn at the Amusement Park convention in November.

During the summer, many teens work in potentially hazardous conditions, including landscaping, life-guarding, farming, and construction. Visit USA.gov's link to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for tips on many aspects of employing teens

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/youth/summerjobs/

This site provides safety and health information for the young worker and others. It answers questions often asked by the working teen. Details about workers' rights and responsibilities, and links to training and other educational tools can also be found here.

Resumes have become an essential job-hunting tool, especially because of the explosion of methods job seekers use to get them in front of employers. Young job seekers face a particular problem that's difficult to overcome: no job experience or little bits of job experience, seemingly unrelated. Do employers want all of the gory details?

Erika Cavins, director of campus recruitment at Northwest Mutual Financial Network in Chicago, has been recruiting college juniors and seniors for the company's internship program for more than two years. She's read resume after resume spanning restaurant jobs to jobs in large organizations. Cavins indicates that the trend is to shorter resumes, a page or three-fourths of one, rarely less.

Ken Whiting, president of WAVES for Success Inc., in Santa Cruz, is both a consultant on youth hiring and an employer. His Whiting's Food Concessions Inc. has hired and employed several hundred teenagers for 55 years to work in food and beverage at amusement parks, handling hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza and ice cream. As such, he's aware of some of the most basic work that can appear on resumes....read the rest at

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-workwise0804.artaug04,0,6241008.story

Here are four of the biggest misconceptions about today's teens, from USA WEEKEND Magazine:

MISCONCEPTION: Kids are becoming more violent and risk-prone. FACT: Over the past 10 years, serious violent crime by teenagers has fallen by 70%. Teen pregnancy is down by 33% (to the lowest level ever measured). High school sexual activity is down by 14%. Rates of teenage alcohol and tobacco consumption have fallen to all-time lows.

MISCONCEPTION: Kids are messed up emotionally. FACT: Teen suicide rates have been declining for the past 10 years. Nine of 10 teens describe themselves as "usually happy."

MISCONCEPTION: Kids are beyond the control of their parents. FACT: More than 90% of teens now say they "get along" with their parents, and nearly 80% say they get along "very well" or "extremely well." One survey found 82% of teens reporting "no problems" with any family member vs. just 48% who said that back in 1974, when parents and teens were far more likely to argue over basic values.

MISCONCEPTION: Kids are having trouble in school. FACT: 8 in 10 teens now say it's "cool to be smart," and the average SAT score is the highest it's been in 30 years.

Here is a link to College Recruiter.com website where Ken was interviewed regarding what teens need to do to 'Stand Out from the Crowd' these days during the application process.

www.collegerecruiter.com/career-counselors/finding_the_right_job/- Posted on June 19th, 2008.

Also, just below this listing (on the 17th), read what Ken thinks about Resume.