Technology is what sets Generation Y — and even Generation X — apart from the baby boomers, according to leadership guru Paul Bridle.

And until the baby boomers, most of whom are now in their 50s and in managerial or senior positions, understand the mentality of this new workforce generation, trying to manage them would be akin to trying to manage a group of Martians, he said.

“Gen Y-ers have been brought up by technology. Have you seen them play a computer game? Once they lose the game, they just press the reset button and start again,” the leadership methodologist and consultant told an audience of managers and business leaders.

The UK-based Bridle, who is a faculty member at the Institute for Management Studies, was speaking on the topic, Leading the Future Employee, at a one-day seminar organised by Taylor’s Business School in May.

According to him, this “reset mentality” is an alien concept to baby boomers. While baby boomers may think they have accumulated 20 years of working experience, to a Gen Y, it just means one year of work experience multiplied by 20 years, he said to laughter from the 140-odd audience.

Currently the youngest cohort in the workforce, Gen Y is commonly defined as the population born between 1978 and 1997. This group, also known as the “digital natives”, is keenly studied by managers and marketers as the workers and consumers of the future.

Gen X typically refers to those born between 1965 and 1977, while baby boomers are those born between 1946 and 1964 — before the age of the Internet.

Addressing a common gripe among managers that Gen Y-ers tend to job hop, Bridle advised against the usual strategy of offering more money to entice them to stay.

A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers survey titled Malaysia’s Gen Y Unplugged showed that Gen Y-ers rated flexible work hours as most important (57%), with cash bonuses coming in second (49%).

“Offering more money may make them stay another six months or a year, but they won’t perform well. You should focus on those who do stay and want to be challenged. They’ll be here for another two to three years, so get the best out of them instead of wasting inordinate amounts of money to make them stay,” Bridle added.

Another no-no that drives young workers away is cutting off their access to social networking sites at the workplace. “Social networking is a very powerful part of the younger generation, and trying to block them (from it) isn’t the wisest thing to do,” Bridle cautioned.

Explaining, he said Gen X-ers and Y-ers receive feedback and ideas through social networking: One could post a status message on his or her Facebook and get feedback within minutes.

Instead of trying to manage their young employees with the old rules, managers need to engage them by understanding what they want, which is a lifestyle.

“We now live in an age where everyone wants a lifestyle. The baby boomers feel they deserve it. The Gen X and Y want it now. (They’re thinking) why wait for it?” Bridle said.

Also, Gen X-ers and Y-ers disdain the usual team-building exercises that companies carry out, although they are eager to learn and will work with even those they dislike, as long as they benefit from it, according to Bridle.

“Teamwork is dead, long live teams that work,” he said. “It’s not about bonding but what benefits everyone. The younger generation thinks this is cool, but baby boomers are frightened of it. You shouldn’t be.

“You put together team A and while they’re working, you’re already setting up team B. That’s what Alex Ferguson (manager of Manchester United Football Club) has been doing all these years. He’s even pushed the best players out the door.”

The South African-born Bridle then cited the example of how Francesco Zanasi, co-founder and executive director of award-winning South African restaurant chain Primi Piatti, attracted his Gen Y employees even though he could not afford the salary they wanted.

Instead, he offered them career growth. Understanding that outstanding service came from empowered and confident staff, he provided his employees with haircuts, facials and new clothes. He also gave them language lessons to improve their English, and training sessions in which he and the employees take turns role-playing as customers and waiting staff.

The strategy worked: There are now around 30 Primi Piatti outlets throughout South Africa, and the chain has won numerous national awards. It was even voted one of the country’s “Top 10 Coolest Eat Out Places” in the 2008 Generation Next Youth Brand Survey, showing Zanasi has embraced Gen X-ers and Y-ers as customers.

“This Gen X and Y — it’s not something to be afraid of,” Bridle said. “They’re not just your employees but also your customers. How are you going to attract them if your company is only filled with baby boomers?”

However, he concluded that the key factor for managers is treating every employee as an individual, no matter their age. “You give them confidence and help them set their personal goals. You have people working for you, can’t you be interested in knowing what their dreams are?”

To help employees achieve their dreams, managers should create a surrounding where they could flourish, like Zanasi. But this did not mean it was the manager’s job to motivate his staff, an oft-held misconception.

“It’s not your job to motivate people. Your job is to create an environment that motivates them,” noted Bridle.

This article appeared on the Management page, The Edge Financial Daily, July 6, 2009.