????如果想讓高級經理人活躍起來，就和他們談談年輕員工的話題。談話氣氛會突然變得熱烈非凡，大家各抒己見，話題五花八門，從穿著人字拖上班到他們獨特的說話風格。經理們抱怨道：“他們總是三心二意。他們為什么需要那么多反饋意見？怎么就不能自己動腦子想想？”

????勞倫?斯蒂勒?瑞克林成，對于出生于1978年到2000年的千禧一代，經理人不免把自己當年身為新員工的行為舉止和年輕員工的態度相比較，他們遲早會提到“自以為是”這個詞。勞倫?斯蒂勒?瑞克林是研究跨代問題的專家，最近為波士頓學院工作和家庭中心（Boston College Center for Work and Family）撰寫了千禧一代領導力的報告。

????最近，咨詢公司Workplace Solutions對637名美國勞動者進行了調查，有68%的人表示，他們認為和老一代員工相比，千禧一代缺乏責任感，不能很好地完成工作。

????瑞克林說：“在工作中，管理者對千禧一代的工作動機和熱情的認識出現了顯著偏差。他們之間更多的是溝通隔閡，而不是代溝。”

????雇主開始認識到這個問題，談論在工作中對待不同年代員工的方法，管理者可能會很容易認為，年輕雇員非常嬌氣，直率的談話會讓他們坐立不安，必須小心翼翼地對待他們。但是，越來越多的公司希望，管理者和千禧一代能夠在溝通方式和工作習慣上達成妥協，用折中的方式實現目標。

????各個組織也制定了計劃，確保千禧一代了解職場的處事準則和成功技巧——這些計劃的設計參考了了這一代人從學齡前幼兒游戲班到足球隊乃至大學學習小組的發展軌跡。

????波士頓學院的這份報告指出，有多家公司已經圍繞千禧一代獨特的個性，制定了網絡、計劃和培訓機會。比如說，德勤公司（Deloitte）組織了地區Y世代委員會，向高管提供反饋意見以及交際機會。近來，德勤公司召開峰會，聚集了所有委員會和高級經理人，主要討論彌合溝通隔閡的問題，建立在線社區，為下一代領袖提供資源。

????If you want to liven up a group of senior managers, raise the topic of the youngest employees in the workforce. Suddenly, the conversation turns animated, with strong opinions on everything from their flip-flops to their conversational style. "They are always multitasking," managers complain. "And why do they need so much feedback? Can't they just figure it out?"

????Sooner or later, the word "entitled" is bound to come up, as executives compare the way they behaved as new workers with the attitudes of the Millennial Generation, those employees born between 1978 and 2000, says Lauren Stiller Rikleen, an inter-generational consultant and author of a new report on Millennial leadership for the Boston College Center for Work and Family.

????In a recent poll of 637 working Americans published by consultant Workplace Solutions, 68% said that they felt that Millennials were less motivated to assume responsibilities and produce good work than their older counterparts.

????"There's a significant disconnect in the workplace regarding how managers perceive the motivation and work ethic of Millennials," Rikleen says. "But this is much more of a communication gap than a generation gap."

????When employers first identified this issue and began talking about dealing with different generations in the workplace, managers could easily have felt that their young employees were too precious to upset with frank talk and had to be handled with kid gloves. But increasingly, companies are expecting both managers and Millennials to compromise on their communication styles and work habits, with a goal of meeting somewhere in the middle.

????Organizations are also setting up programs to ensure that Millennials learn how to behave and succeed in the workplace -- all designed on structures familiar to a generation that progressed from preschool playgroups to soccer teams and study groups in college.

????The Boston College report identifies a number of companies that are designing networks, programs, and training opportunities around the unique characteristics of Generation Y. For instance, Deloitte runs regional Gen Y councils that provide feedback to senior leaders as well as networking opportunities. A recent Deloitte summit brought together all the councils and senior management to focus on bridging communication gaps and creating an online community with resources for the next generation of leaders.