For younger workers, time off is best bonus
MIAMI -- It didn't take accounting firm owner Richard Berkowitz long to figure out he had a problem during tax season relating to his younger workers. ``When I told them it was mandatory they come in on the weekend, they looked at me like I was out of my mind."
Berkowitz has discovered what many boomers who lead their companies now face: For most workers in their 20s and 30s, time is currency. And, like most currency, few are willing to give it away.
It's a complex dynamic playing out in workplaces across the country: A significant number of boomers can't figure out why younger workers don't have the pay-your-dues attitude they do. For boomers, success means unrelenting toil and sacrificing family time in order to secure a corner office filled with Lucite plaques. For Generation Xers, success means balance.
``There's a lot of frustration in the workplace," says Cam Marston, a consultant and speaker on multigenerational issues. ``Boomers are having a hard time finding their replica in the work force today."
To motivate younger workers and curb turnover, some managers are rethinking how they communicate with employees. Harmony can be as simple as understanding the generational differences and talking the right language or using the right rewards.
Marston says older managers -- boomers ages 42 to 60 -- must use language with younger staffers that acknowledges the value of their time: ``I know work isn't your life but while you're here, let's agree on what you'll be accountable for."
To motivate Xers (ages 27 to 41), think short-term. Most are not interested in long-term solutions or putting in overtime and waiting for rewards later. Instead of giving them a bonus at the end of the year, Marston says an Xer would prefer this: ``You've really worked hard this past week. Why don't you take off half a day on Friday."
Berkowitz, enlightened by Marston at a companywide meeting, says he now understands the different generational perspectives and will change his approach during tax season. He no longer will refer to overtime as ``mandatory." Instead, he will inform staff that there is a certain amount of work that needs to get done and let them create their own schedules. Even more, Berkowitz says the firm may change its bonus and compensation plan to reward productivity rather than hours.
A few companies already have overhauled their employee reward programs to acknowledge younger workers' value on time. 
