BY PETER W. BYRNE
I look at corporate trends to see how they can be related to firefighters. The article “Here They Come” (Human Resource Executive) highlights the motivators for incoming young workers, the same group we are trying to attract to our firehouses. They are smart, coddled, civic-minded, team players, and techno-wizards. Can they find what they are looking for in the workplace in the fire service? We can do better than corporate recruiters in attracting these young men and women.
Millennials, as this group is called in human resources circles, were born between 1978 and 1999; they number about 80 million strong. They are in a position to get what they want. This group, just entering the workforce (and the firehouse), is larger than the well familiar baby boomer group (78 million).
What makes these individuals different is that they are harder to lead. According to the article, “Companies [and fire departments] that do not recognize and handle the potential for age-related clashes are setting themselves up for misunderstandings, conflicts, and failures in recruiting and retention. The millenials have a different perspective about work and the role it occupies in their lives than earlier generations.”
Steven Rothberg, founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, states that this ambitious and goal-oriented group seeks “interesting, meaningful” work, not just a paycheck. Yet, they value the security of health and retirement benefits. It is here that we in the fire service have a huge advantage over our corporate friends. There is no more interesting or meaningful work than helping your neighbors in their time of need. Are we conveying this message in our recruitment?
CHARACTERISTICS OF MILLENNIALS
Common traits among millennials noted in “Here They Come” are the following:
• They ask a lot of questions not to challenge authority but to understand their role in an organization. New as they are, they want their ideas taken seriously. Is the environment in your department inclusive enough to allow such questioning, or will such members be “accused” of constantly asking questions? Will their ideas and suggestions be welcomed or ridiculed? How many times have you heard, “You just got here; wait your turn before suggesting things”? Wait their turn? They’ll head right for the door.
• Millennials are multitaskers who like to stay busy, often with three or more projects at once. Will your department give them meaningful tasks? We constantly hear how much work is now involved with being a volunteer firefighter or officer. Will we use this newly available resource to handle this work, or will we just have them perform meaningless tasks and busywork?
• They like to work in teams and are comfortable with shared rewards. The fire department is the epitome of teamwork. A department that is not a team does not last very long. Again, we have such an advantage over our corporate peers with this age group.
• Millennials love the latest technology. How is the technology in your fire station? Do you still have eight-track tape players? Do you have access to and encourage the use of online and computer-based training? Millennials have no problem working and learning anywhere and at anytime. Are we taking advantage of this mindset, or are we resisting it?
• This generation needs to feel noticed, respected, and involved-the result, perhaps, of having been the center of their parents’ lives. Are we noticing, respecting, and involving this group? Do we still have “hazing” or “orientation” of our new brothers and sisters?
There is no stronger bond than that of the brotherhood. When new members join our department, do we go out of our way to make them feel welcome and valued? Are new members part of the family right off, or do they have to “earn” the right? “Everyone has gone through it before” will not cut it with this generation. They have seen their parents right-sized, downsized, and forced into early retirement. They have not lived with or experienced loyalty, and they do not expect it. This is another advantage we have over corporate recruiters-we talk of the brotherhood. Isn’t it just an intense form of loyalty? Are we capitalizing on it? Loyalty, brotherhood-it is in our DNA. We should be using it to our advantage.
• Millennials look for suitable employers, not just suitable jobs. For many, that means a workplace that is diverse, flexible, fun, and community-minded. A firehouse that is running on all cylinders is diverse, flexible, fun, and community-minded. If it doesn’t have these qualities, it isn’t a firehouse.
To attract the millennials, Enterprise Rent-a-Car uses not only its Web site but also targeted e-mail campaigns and job fairs. The company gets involved in colleges by sponsoring student-group projects and providing job-skills presentations, the article notes. Do we? When was the last time we got heavily involved in our local schools? Do we just visit them the first week in October for Fire Prevention Week? Are we getting our message to our “targeted” recruits?
A major difference between the baby boomers and the millennials can be summed up as follows: Millennials work to live; boomers live to work. Married with kids or not, young employees (or volunteers) expect a work/life balance, and that means flexibility. According to the article, “If corporate management [or the firehouse leaders] has a very rigid schedule, that can be a problem …. The millennial’s attitude is, ‘I got my work done, so I’m going home.’ Boomers, who became managers by putting in long hours, may perceive this as a weak work ethic or an unwillingness to pay one’s dues.” Does your fire department appreciate that people have lives outside of the firehouse? Are members perceived as weak and “not paying their dues” when they leave early or on time?
Millennials respect authority but not blindly. They want to be coached, but they balance their elders’ advice against that of peers and other sources. It is a different perception of power. If they’re working (or volunteering) for someone who is a heavy-handed manager (officer), they’ll leave. If they leave, no one wins-not the department, not the individual, and certainly not the community.
In the article, consultants advise, “To retain them, treat them respectfully, as individuals, while providing them with interesting work and chances to expand their skills and contacts ….They don’t want to stagnate and do the same thing.”
The millennials are a larger group than the baby boomers. They will serve our community and us wisely if we tap into and capitalize on their talents and strengths. They really are not harder or more difficult to lead than any other group, but what drives them and is important to them is different. What the millennials are looking for can easily be found at most firehouses. Let’s make sure our doors are open to this next generation of volunteers and leaders. Let’s make sure we get our message out. Embrace change, but respect the past.
Reference
1. Hirschman, Carolyn, “Here They Come,” The Human Resources Executive, July 2006, www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=5931825.
PETER W. BYRNE is a 32-year veteran of the fire service; chief of the Orangeburg (NY) Volunteer Fire Department; and the coordinator of fire services, safety and compliance for Rockland County. He has a master’s degree in finance from Fairfield University in Connecticut.
