I manage an underwriting department for an insurance carrier. These days, everybody is being asked to do more with less. As people leave for other jobs or retirement, they are not being replaced. Those I supervise are responding to the increased pressure in different ways. The people who have been around for a long time simply grumble and seem to find ways to absorb it. But my younger workers let me know in no uncertain terms that they are not prepared to work longer hours to cover the slack. The veteran workers hear this and grumble even more thinking that they’re going to end up with the overload. The young underwriters find a way to fit their work in from 8 to five, but they also commit more errors. On top of this, I am losing about one of these young people a quarter, which adds to the pressure. What do I do?

You have a couple of tough decisions to make: 1) How to argue for restored staffing levels. 2) How to find a way to foster cross-generational understanding about how the work will get done. As much as it means challenging those further up the food chain, the first effort is probably easier to accomplish.

Begin by gathering data. How many people have you lost in the past 24 months? (Calculate the turnover cost of each position and multiply.) How much has the workload increased? (Quantify this with as many numbers as you can.) Quantify the number of mistakes made and calculate the potential liability from these mistakes. You get the idea. Then build a case, based on numbers, that you can bring to your boss. The more specific numbers, the better. Chances are, he or she will appreciate the effort and begin to plot with you on how your department’s situation can be brought to the attention of those who can restore the positions and funding. (If your boss does not support you, begin looking for another job. It’s probably not going to get any better.)

The cross-generational relations are more difficult to resolve. The older underwriters probably feel a certain obligation to “buckle down” and keep their “noses to the grindstone.” They may also feel they have more to lose by agitating about the situation.

The younger underwriters are wired differently for the most part. The job happens to be where they work, not where they live. Additionally they tend to view a job more as a contract. In their view, the company has been breeching this contract by allowing the staff to dwindle and workloads to increase. “But,” they think, “this is not my issue.” Arguably, they may not see any future in the organization anyway, if this is how it manages resources.

For the present, you can take several steps:

1) Begin by acknowledging the situation. That does not mean that you descend into “ain’t it awful” in front of the troops. But letting them know that you are aware of the situation should buy you time to attempt some remedies. Resist the temptation to do this at every staff meeting, however. Once it’s out in the open, it does not need to be beaten to death. That will depress and frustrate everyone.   

2) Remind everyone that the burden is on everyone to find a way to make it all work, at least in the short-run. Even if some positions are restored, there is little chance that staffing will be returned to previous levels.

3) Brainstorm with everyone on steps that can be taken to ease the burden for everyone. Encourage people to contribute ideas no matter how silly or small they might appear at first glance. You might ask a small cross generational committee to sift through them and make recommendations. Not only does this ease your workload, the ideas are being vetted by those who would have to live with them. Reward and reinforce workable ideas. This not about cash, however. This is more about recognition, more flexibility in hours, or maybe a small gift tailored for the person who had the idea.

Remember that all of this takes time. Any effort of this nature is an evolution, especially if it is to succeed in the long run.

In a time of upheaval, who wouldn’t want to know what the leadership believes about the future? While those in older generations have tended to trust those at the top implicitly, those under 30 harbor no such assumptions. This is a group that expects clear communication. They are used to instant access. If you don’t tell them, they’ll research it on their own. They’ll put their thumbs to the Blackberry and poll their friends and colleagues. Reality has a funny way of leaking out of the executive suite, regardless of what is done to lock it up.

Now in some cases, it simply hasn’t occured to those in charge that the front line might appreciate some reassurance. In others, the leader is reluctant to reveal the information. In either of these cases, one has to wonder about the leader’s motives and/or ability to manage others. The younger generations won’t wait to find out.

I have nothing against texting or its allied methods of communication. They are tremendously efficient. I use them daily myself. It is one thing, however,  to get to know someone in person and then use electronic means to stay in touch. It is quite another to collect hundreds of “friends” with whom you have no emotional ties. What’s the point? Meaningful communication can be tough stuff. It can be gloriously vibrant when you look into someone’s eyes and see a gleam of understanding, devotion, joy, or exhilaration.  It can also be frustrating, depressing or irritating when emotions clash. But we need all of these conditions and many others to refine the relationships we will treasure.

So go ahead, take the time to call someone you’d like to know better. Better still, meet them face-to-face. I dare you!

While this is a rather overly simplistic analogy, it got me thinking about the impressions today’s children must be developing about the speed with which all decisions seem to be made. I have written previously on the loss of time to reflect in this busy world. But when I refer to this loss, I am referring to those who remember a time when one not only had a chance, but was forced to reflect on decisions large and small. The technology just didn’t exist in many cases to make instantaneous choices. I can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of choices in purchasing an airline ticket, appliance or automobile. I finally get to a point where I just stop and say to myself, “Wait a minute. Take your time. Make the right decision.” Then I breathe a relief. Of course, I have sources of references outside of today’s pressure-filled point-and-click world.

What about my kids, and so many of their peers, who are coming of age in a society that increasingly forces them to make instant decisions? Some enjoy the stimulation. Others it overwhelms. But in all cases, it prohibits them from reflecting on decisions before making them. I didn’t make the best decisions when I was young. No one does. But I had a chance to reflect on the outcomes, good or bad. I learned from those experiences and use this learning as part of my everyday critical thinking.

I also have the confidence to take the time to think in spite of outside pressures. If I make a mistake, I learn to live with the consequences and move on. But how will my kids handle these pressures when there appears no room for mistakes? You die or go to the next level.

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“That’s a wonderful British accent you have, ” I said.

“Thank you,” she replied. “I grew up in Leeds, just outside of West Yorkshire.” We exchanged a few pleasantries about England and the sites to see.

“Are you living in the States now,” I asked.

“Oh no,” she chuckled. “I’m in Manila in the Philippines.”

“How did you end up there?” I asked.

“Well, this is where my family is from,” she replied. “We decided to move back here a couple of years ago. One day, I’ll come to Colorado where you are. I’d like to climb your mountains.”

So here I was in Denver, receiving technical support from a young lady with a crystal clear British accent who was in the Philippines, who had grown up in England, but is at the present time working for a telecommunications company based in Colorado.

Is it any wonder that there is sometimes a gap in worldly perception between the older generations and those coming of age in today’s marketplace?

When I got the the first window, she greeted me once again and took my money. We exhanged pleasantries while I sat in line waiting to reach the second window for my food. At the same time, she continued to take orders and text her friends, all with a bit of music in the background. The Boomer in me wanted to say, “you should concentrate on what you’re doing.”  But then I asked myself, “Is she accomplishing the duties assigned?” I hear from lots of managers about young workers who seem to have such a desire to keep stimulated while they work. To many of these managers, the work itself should be stimulation enough. But shouldn’t we let the employee decide that, as long as the work assigned is performed within expectations?

There are also those managers who complain about the young person who performs the task assigned and then stops without looking around for something else to do. With so many possible distractions/stimulations at young people’s fingertips, they don’t feel a need to look around for something to do. All it takes is flipping open your hand-held device. It is incumbent on managers, now more than ever, to be assertive with assigning tasks. Complaining that many young workers possess no self-initiative may be accurate. But this doesn’t get the job done. I’m finding that those effectively managing young people work harder to stay on top of what everyone is doing. Is this more time consuming? Yes, at first. But over time, the good performers adapt to those expectations and begin to self-initiate .