Teen Workers Need Good Communication for Acculturation

Do you hire high school students on a regular basis for part time or seasonal work? These employees need to be brought onboard with an eye toward the particular needs of their age group. This includes making the most of their youthful enthusiasm while taking into account that they may quickly lose interest in a new job. An exciting, informative acculturation onboarding experience can go a long way toward creating loyal employees out of teens who would otherwise see their job as simply a way to make some extra spending money.

Why is It Important to Make a Good Impression?

Responsible, hard working teens tend to hang out with peers who have the same characteristics. If you can convince your best teenage employees that your company is a great place to work, they will tell all their friends. Then, you won't have any shortage of high quality candidates to choose from to fill your open positions. The millennial generation really knows how to spread the word via social networking. You don't want your company to be featured on an employee's Facebook page under the heading "My new job sux!" So, make sure it doesn't.

Give Teens a Voice Internally

Since young people aren't always careful about what they say, asking them to comment publicly on a corporate blog may not be the best idea. However, they should have an online forum where they can vent without it being broadcast to the whole world. Invite teen employees to comment on the company's private discussion board to make suggestions for improvements in the work environment or processes.

Assign an HR staff member to follow up and respond to all comments within 48 hours so teens don't feel like they are being ignored. Make sure you have forum rules posted to prevent flame wars and to ensure compliance with all company policies regarding harassment and discrimination. This is SOP for most online forums, so enforcing these boundaries will generally be viewed as reasonable - even by teenagers.

Once a month, highlight the best suggestion on the corporate intranet website along with details about what the company is doing to make it a reality. This is a particularly effective approach for businesses with more than one location. It gives teens a sense of connection with other workers and makes them feel like part of an even larger team.