No Place for Bias in Management

The 2010 U.S. Census unveiled a trend I find startling. More young people are continuing to live with their parents into adulthood. Specifically, 19% of men and 10% of women between the ages of 25-34 have not ventured out and established their own households (an increase from 15% and 8% in 2005). I’m sure there are many reasons for this, including the state of the economy, but I have some trouble relating to it. When I graduated from college, I was anxious to be out on my own. I shared crummy apartments with friends and worked multiple low-paying jobs at a time until I got my career jump-started and could afford my own place.

This got me thinking about the domino effect resulting from young adults living with their parents. It means that they aren’t renting apartments or buying homes. Most likely, they are postponing marriage. They may be preventing their parents from moving on with their plans, since Mom and Dad assumed that they would be empty-nesters by now. Is Mom still making their meals and doing their laundry? What kind of employees are they in the workplace? Oops. This is where my husband threw a wrench into the conversation by reminding me…

We cannot let our biases affect how we relate to our co-workers and employees. What matters is how well people work within their teams and how they perform in their jobs. It’s easy (and dangerous) to project our own life experiences and values on other people. Everyone’s life unfolds differently, and their challenge is to find a way to meet their personal and professional goals.

As managers, your responsibility is to understand as much as your employees choose to share about their personal situation and avoid judging them. Mentor them in ways that will help them be successful. Create learning opportunities, coach and direct, be a good role model, provide thoughtful feedback, reward successes, and be accessible for help and support.

Regardless of where a person comes from or where they are in their life today, you can provide wisdom and experience that will develop young professionals in a way that may positively impact their lives for much longer than the time they work for you. Wouldn’t that be remarkable?