Over the last few years, there’s been an explosion of information about how to manage a multigenerational workforce.

There have been countless articles, seminars and books on how to keep Generation Y (aka the Millennials) engaged, and how to help Baby Boomers and Gen-X employees work with them more effectively. I think that’s all a big waste of time.

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Last week I stumbled across an awesome presentation by Jessica Lee of Fistful of Talent fame. The topic was onboarding strategies for Gen Y.

Now I’ll admit, I’m pretty damn sick of hearing about Gen Y (and I’m not the only one). I’ve written before that most of the articles on managing Millennial don’t teach managers how to effectively manage young people. They teach managers how to more effectively manage everyone. Who doesn’t want to be involved in meaningful work, be challenged but not overloaded, be provided with support on day one, and so on?

Anyways, it’s a pretty good presentation (and relatively short, too). Just remember that the strategies it offers aren’t for Gen Y. They’re for everyone.

(email subscribers may need to click through to view the presentation)

I hate reading articles about Generation Y (my cohorts’ generation, ranging from still in high school to around 30 years old – also known as the Millennials or Echo Boomers). I can remember being 23, new to the workforce, and excited to see that people actually thought we were influential enough to write about us. I tore through article after article. Hell, I even attended a seminar on managing Gen Y.

Then I came to a quick and somber realization: About 90% of the articles written about Millennials are complete and utter crap. Most of them focus on how my generation needs constant coddling, and then go on for pages about how to effectively “manage” us.

This article isn’t about how to manage Gen Y. It’s about what Gen Y can teach you about managing an entire workforce.

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