Page 18 - Australasian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2019

18
LIVE COVERAGE
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019
GAME CHANGERS AT L!VE 19
OVER 100 DELEGATES ENJOYED AN INFORMATIVE AFTERNOON AT PAINT & PANEL'S L!VE CONFERENCE ON 11 OCTOBER AT MELBOURNE'S ARTS CENTRE SPONSORED BY AKZONOBEL. THE THEME THIS YEAR WAS 'GAME CHANGERS' AND THIS WAS COVERED FROM A NUMBER OF ANGLES.
M
ILLENNIALS WILL MAKE UP
75% of our customers and
employees by 2025 and their expectations will require dra- matic changes in our industry. Keynote speaker Claire Madden un- packed what makes both Millennials and Gen Zs tick, what they expect as employ- ees and as customers. In a lively presen- tation with plenty of audience participa- tion, we examined the problems that employers have with their young work- force. Issues from the room were: face to face communication; lack of people skills and a lack of resilience. Positives were
creative thinking and team spirit. Madden explained that, particularly Gen Z have grown up interacting with a screen and social media which can be an issue for real life interactions. Em-
ployers would be rewarded by helping them to develop these skills. She said that social media does not satisfy their social needs and because of this a friendly environment where they feel their colleagues genuinely care about their welfare is top of their priority list - asking them about their weekend will go a long way. If they feel valued they will offer more and go the extra mile. They love collaborating and being part of a ‘tribe’. The need for constant feed- back is another factor that stems from social media and needs an adjustment from their predominantly Gen Z manag- ers. Madden suggested initiatives like end of year awards to recognise team members’ contribution to the business.
One of the suggestion for communi- cating with them is using the screens
they are so attached to. YouTube videos for training and explaining standard op- erating procedures are a great idea. Cranbourne Bodyworks who attended the conference have already implement- ed this with great results. Madden sug- gested that you should have a ‘digital na- tive’ on your team as they can navigate your business through the often confus- ing online landscape.
They also crave jobs that offer fast paced variety. They have grown up in a world of instant entertainment and al- most unlimited choice. They have short- er attention spans so they aren’t suited to doing the same job repetitively, they need a mix of tasks.
Millennials are motivated by being part of a bigger purpose, you have to engage with their hearts not their hands. Explain