Top 5 Tips and Tricks for Hiring and Working with Teenagers

Teen workers are a real benefit for many businesses, especially in entry-level and seasonal minimum wage positions. But how can you leverage their strength and their passions without going crazy compensating for the myriad of conditions you have to have working with them? And that's coming up next on Marc Haine Live. Welcome to Marc Haine Live where small business owners and entrepreneurs pick up core skill sets to help them work on their business, not just in their business. I'm your host, Service Expert and Master of Experiences Marc Haine. And we are here on YouTube every Tuesday at noon Eastern Time. Of course, you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram. But please feel free to hit the subscribe button here and ring the bell. That'll give you first dibs whenever I bring out some fresh content. Also, feel free to drop your own fabulous insights about this topic in the comment box below so people can benefit from your experience as well. Okay, it's really important I think that people share their experiences. There is absolutely no doubt that there are many benefits to having team workers in our business. Let's face it. We can give them shorter hours. We can be a lot more flexible with not only the needs of our full-time people but the needs of our business. So, we can really peak up the number of people that we have on shift when we're at our peak. Also, it helps us compensate for things like summer employment. It helps us when people, when our full-time employees are going on vacation. Seasonal businesses really benefit from using youth workers to help staff for the summer seasons when we know people are on vacation. But many employers find that teen workers have very little work ethic. They lack specific job skills and they lack loyalty to their employers. Add to that that many first-time employees swear off staying in the industry where they were first hired based on their experiences in that first job. And I know personally from being a hospitality specialist that hospitality is probably brutal. People work for these small businesses and have such negative experiences that they say, you know what? I am never going to go back to hospitality ever again. So today, I'd like to provide some tips and tricks that you can use to hire and engage young workers. But first, what I'd like to do is I'd like to talk about our Question of the Day. So our Question of the Day is, what is your experience with young teen workers? The good, the bad, the ugly. Please share your experiences in the comment boxes below. I think it's really important when you start thinking about some of the attitudes that we have regarding teen workers, there is sometimes a real dichotomy between having to hire them to fulfill certain niches. But then of course, there's the extra things that we need to do in order to make sure that they have a positive experience. One of our challenges especially again in hospitality, and I know retail is the same thing, is that when you bring people on board, you want to engage them for the long term. You want to be able to keep them on. for a long period of time because obviously, the cost of hiring people is extreme. As a hospitality specialist, having cut my teeth in the casino industry, when I did start working in restaurants and hotels, I had a real culture shock because in casinos, we didn't have minors working for us. Everybody had to be over the age of 18. That's not to say that some of the things we're going to be talking about today doesn't apply to 18-year-olds. But really today, I want to be focused on talking about The needs of younger workers. Working with 14 to 17-year-olds really puts me to the test. I realized that 14 to 17-year-olds really weren't dependent on a paycheck. As much as they loved money, they weren't dependent on making their rent payments or grocery payments because they were living at home. They had high and constantly changing demands for scheduling. It was a real challenge when it comes down to teen workers because it seems like at a drop of a hat, their availability changes. And it seemed like work was not a priority to them. So many times, in fact, I talked to a lot of entrepreneurs and they say, oh, if it's payday on Thursday, I can pretty much bank that my young workers will be absent over the weekend as they go partying, which is not always the case. That's definitely a stereotype on on that belief system. But they seemed like ultimately, they had other priorities other than making sure that you were taken care of as an employer. They lacked what I perceived as common sense, right? A lot of times, people say they don't have the basic common sense. But common sense really isn't common sense. And at the end of the day, I think we have to train common sense. And some of them seemed that if they were not happy for any particular reason, they would just jump ship. I remember one incidence where I had an employee go across the street because they could get 25 cents more per hour. What I failed to realize at the time was the problem was not them. The problem was me. I failed to recognize that their expectations and the reality are much, much different than that of my full-time staff. So, I'd like to get into our top 5 countdown. And this is going to be a countdown from 5 down to 1 of tips and tricks to consider when you're working with minor teen workers. And by the way, today's show is powered by the Speaker Presentation Timer app, helping speakers and presenters who want to develop great stories and compelling presentations without breaking the fourth wall. And if you want to know what that is, you could check it out at the website at speakerpresentationtimer.com. It's available. The app is available for iOS and Android-powered devices and is at the App Store and on Google Play. So, go ahead and visit speakerpresentationtimer.com. So, here we go. Our top 5 considerations when working with teens. Number 5, recognize that many, many, many Teens. This is their first job. I remember when my kids got their very first job. They decided it was time for them to go out and get a job. They perspired over putting together their resume and how do I do this and what do I do. In fact, I remember sitting down with my daughter and she had an application form. And so, she wanted to make absolutely sure she did not mess up this application form. And so, she went through every question almost like, Dad, what's my name? What's my last name? And she wanted to make sure that her printing was beautiful. And so, what this tells me is they tell me that young people do care. They do care about what they're doing and how they're doing. And I remember when they had to go for the very first interview and how nervous they were. Now, we have to understand that when teens get into the job For the very first time. When they're going out into the real world, this is them going out into the real world for the very first time. And really, when you think about it, this is probably the first time in their life where failure is an option. Where they could possibly go and apply for a job and fail at getting that job. So, we have to be, I think, a little sensitive to that. And they're nervous about Everything. They're nervous about how they're going to be judged. They're nervous because they hear the stories. They hear the stories from us as parents about what it was like for us to work our very first jobs. And it sets a kind of expectation that when they go out to meet people and they go out and they're going to be interviewing for the very first time. And again, this is a skill that nobody has. A 14-year-old or a 15-year-old or a 16-year-old has not been trained on how to interview properly. I do know that there's a life skills course in high school nowadays that helps them get through that. But really, until you're in it and it means something, you kind of go, eh, it doesn't really matter until now. And ultimately, they truly don't know what to expect when they go out for a job interview, when they go into their first job, right? So, we have to understand that they are probably a lot more nervous than we are. ever hiring them. They want and they have— they're motivated to impress us, right? And ultimately, I've always said it too. I've always said that the interview is where you will see the very best of that person. No other time in your history with this person will you see the person at their best more so than during this interview. So, if there's anything in this interview, if they come in wearing pajama pants, you know that this is as much respect as they're going to be giving your business. Okay. Number 4, for many, this is the first experience with teamwork. Now, you might be looking at me and saying, but Marc, they do group work at school and they're on teams. Maybe they play football, or hockey, or ringette, or whatever. But really, this is really the first time that they're actually on a team That they still have to be concerned about themselves. Because as much as we'd like to say everybody's on a team, when you have a pool of cashiers, let's say in a grocery store, or you have a group of servers in a restaurant, everybody's still out to do their own thing. They're still working as a team to make sure that your goals and aspirations are being fulfilled. But really, they're independent. And so, we have all that capacity that we learn as adults over a period of time. We have all that capacity of what happens when you're working with a team member. who has a different agenda from you. They want a better schedule than you. They want a better section than you and so on. And so, even though they've been on sports teams, in a sports team, you get together and you're fighting a common goal, right? And even in school, let's say for group projects, it's not the same as being in the workplace. In school projects, we all have the stories about the people who are the keeners, who take the lead and do all the work. And you have a couple of people on the sidelines. We've all heard that. But in a work environment, that is not consistent to our success. And also, this is the first time that they're going to have a boss that they have to answer to, right? Again, in school they have teachers which are their boss. And then sports teams, they have coaches. But there's something a little bit different when the boss is the one who's going to be scheduling you and paying you to do the work. Right? So here, they have to learn some really strong communication skills. And that includes learning to listen to understand. Right? And they also have to learn some patience and tolerance with others. And these are soft skills that it takes a while to develop these things. It doesn't just happen overnight. And so, one of the strongest things I tell people is you really have to make absolutely sure that when you bring people into your environment, That you have a really good orientation process. You really have a way to be able to kind of understand what their expectations are but then be able to set your expectations. And that's really hint number 3. This is tip number 3 is you need to train them about your expectations. In my upcoming book, Lights! Camera! Action!, I talk about this idea that I invested in one of the hotels. We were setting up a brand new pub brand. And we invested 18 man-hours to train our staff to get ready for opening day. 18 man-hours. And at the time, minimum wage was $10 an hour. So, that was $180 per employee that we committed to training to make absolutely sure that when they got on the floor, when they saw a customer for the very first time, they were ready. So, imagine my surprise one day when I walked up and I see the I see one of the servers at the till with her cell phone. And she's doing this. And I said, you're not texting, are you? And she goes, oh no, no, no, no, I'm not texting. I'm not texting. A customer gave me a $50 bill. I'm just calculating the change. And so, part of this idea is that we have to understand where people are at and be able to train for their competencies as well. And all too often, we bring people into our environment and we expect them to be able to perform. Because in our mind, this is really easy. It's really easy to run a cash register. It's really easy to serve a customer. It's really easy to carry multiple plates in your hands. But if you've never done it, nothing is easy. So, I think we have to really focus that we have to remember that we're bringing them into— first of all, we're bringing them into our culture. So, we need some way of being able to acclimate them to our culture of our expectations. But at the same time, we also need to be able to train them to fulfill not only their job duties but the essential skills required in order to be successful. Some of this includes things like safety. One of the things I recognized when I started working with minors is that they are minors. That means that they are in our care. That means our safety standards have to be put onto steroids. We need to be looking out for our younger members. And nothing became more clear. One of the restaurants I was consulting for, I realized that there was a 26-year-old working in the restaurant. And he loved working in the restaurant because he targeted young girls. He targeted the 16, 17-year-olds. And so, we really have to be on our guard to make absolutely sure about things like bullying stays out of our workplace. Sexual harassment stays out of our culture. We have to think about perceptions of favoritism and even perceptions of persecution. In the workplace because perception is people's reality. So, we're constantly having to be on top and we have to be aware of what is going on in our workplace. Okay? So, checking in. I just want to see if there's any comments. So far, there's no comments, no questions. This is amazing. This is great. Okay, so on to number 2. So, counting down from number 5, we're now on number 2. So, one of the things when we hire employees is we hire based— we need to fill certain holes in our scheduling. And we hire people based on their availability. And scheduling and availability of team workers is the number one angst I think for employers. The number of times I've talked to employers who say, I hired this person. He's a young person and they gave me the availability. And then like 3 weeks later, they came to me and they said they had to change their availability. And then they came to me afterwards and said that they needed 2 weeks off for a vacation. When we hire based on that availability, we have to anticipate that these will change. Right? We hire based on the availability. But then, you have to understand that these will change. We have to understand that the expectations of the young person is that right now, when they first start working for you, it's like, oh wow! I'm gonna go out. I'm gonna make some money and life is gonna be great. And then, they get a little bit of money. Then, it's like, oh wow! I'd really like to go shopping on Saturdays. Or I'd like to go and party. Or I'd like to go and hang out with my friends. I'd like to Go out and see if there's anything I could do to spend my money. Right? And so, their priorities will change based on where they are at the time of that particular life. And understand that their 2 top priorities is going to be their personal life and school first. So, one of the things that we have to be so sensitive of, especially if it's between September and June, is we have to be sensitive to the fact that your job that you're offering these people are not their priority during school hours, during school years. They need to be able to focus on their projects. They need to focus on their school. They need to obviously focus on the post-secondary or not post-secondary, the after-school. Events that they commit to. I know one young lady. I was on the phone with her yesterday and I'm amazed at how much volunteerism she does. She is such a giving person and she goes out of her way. Right now, she's selling masks that she's donating. She's donating the proceeds of selling her masks to Make-A-Wish Foundation. And so, this is really important to her. So, how do you manage somebody who turns around and says, well, you know what? I need to commit 20 hours a week to making my masks. How do we support them in doing that? So, we have to do— we have to make sure that we are putting together a schedule. We understand that for young workers, it will change moment to moment. And you could look at me and say, but Marc, I'm the boss. If I say this is when they have to work, this is when they have to work. And that's fine if that's the culture you want to create. What I'm talking about here is some way to use to treat your team worker as a partner in your business. And that means it's reciprocated. So, you understand what their needs are. And the more that you can cater to their needs, the longer that they will be with you. Because trust me, when you become the good person in their life, they will stay with you for a very, very long time. So, you want to make sure that your schedules are posted well in advance. You have to let them know when you expect them to work. And then, You have to expect it to change because they will come to you at some point and say, oh, I know I'm scheduled for Saturday but can John take my shift? And so, make sure that you have a process in place for shift change. It's really quite simple actually. If you say, you're on schedule now. If you need to change your shift, you have to find somebody to take your shift. And of course, that's different. I also know one business that says, if you're sick, you have to find your own replacement, which is I think is ridiculous. If somebody is sick. So, that's the first 5, 4, 3, 2 tips. Before we get to number 1, I hope that you find that this information is valuable to you. I hope that you're picking up some tips and tricks that you can use in your business and maybe shift your thinking a little bit. Maybe you can put a comment in the comment box about what you think is your big takeaway thus far. Let me know what's working for you. Even tell me what doesn't work for you. And I know, I know that one of the number one comments people are going to say is, Marc, you are on crack. When I make a schedule, they have to fulfill their schedule. I know, I know that's going to come. And I'm also probably going to hear, Marc, I am the boss of my business so they have to do what I say. And again, look at the culture you want to create for your business. Okay. But as always, I have a standing offer for you. And it's been going on. This is episode number 11 of Marc Haine Live. And I have a standing offer for you. And that is if you would like to brainstorm some solutions, I will give you 30 minutes of my time with you and your team, your leadership team. I believe that we don't do this alone, that we have teams of people. And so, I will give you 30 minutes free of my time to brainstorm whatever it is You have going for you. And we can brainstorm. I promise I'll do the best I can. But I don't have necessarily all the answers. But what I do have is I have a whole swack of resources I could probably share with you and people I can push you towards. So, please take me up on the offer. 30 minutes free of my time with you and your team. Okay. So, here is my number one recommendation. And to my knowledge, Nobody does this. In fact, whenever I mention it, people go, ah, duh! Honest to goodness, one of the things that I came across was this idea. And owners and managers feel like they are on their own. You have your scheduling. You're a manager. You have these employees coming in. You have all the challenges that go along with hiring young workers. And you feel that you're all by yourself. But you are not by yourself. In many circumstances, these teen workers have someone in their corner and you have someone in your corner to support you. Someone who has a vested interest in the success of the team, of your teen employee. And do you want to know who it is? You want to know who you can turn to? Are you ready? Their parents. My number 1 tip is that when you interview a teen for a position, when you decide that this is the person for you, I suggest that you take time to meet one of their parents or both of their parents. Marc, what for? Why would I ever call their parents? Well, first of all, these are minors. I think it's a great thing to do when you as the employer reaches out to the parents and say, hi, I'm going to be— I'd love to offer Jimmy a job with my place. Do you have any concerns about them working for me? A lot of times, people will just say, no, no, it's great. If you can get them working, that's great. Other times though, you can start prodding other questions. What are your expectations about your child working with me? Are there any indicators you would see that would cause— be a cause for concern? So of course, sometimes they'll turn around and go, well, yeah, I don't want their marks to drop. I want to make— I don't want them to be tired every day. I will— right? And so together between you and their parents, you could formulate something that might work for all 3 of you. Now again, this is really outside-the-box thinking. And like I said, I've mentioned it to a few Owner-operators in their business. And they go, I never even thought of that. But they are minors. So, you can't do that for anybody over the age of 18. But you can do it for the younger workers. And I think if you open yourself up, so a couple of things happen. You open yourself up. You become trustworthy to the parents. All of a sudden, it's like, wow! You're looking out for my child, for my child's well-being. And it's like, oh! You know what? You seem like the kind of employer I want my child to work for. So, what happens on the Saturday if the child was out at— they had a fire the night before on the Friday. They stayed up till 3 o'clock in the morning. But at 9 o'clock, they have to come and work for you. And at 7 o'clock, they're waking up going, Mom, Dad, I'm sick. I don't want to go to work. Well, in my experience, what has happened is people will turn around and go, I've met Marc. And you're not going to mess with his schedule. You said you would work. You have to work. Oh, Mom! And then, people will show up. So, it doesn't happen always. Trust me, it doesn't happen always. But it gives you a person at their house who's on your side. I hope these 5 tips and tricks have worked for you. This whole episode, really what we've been talking about, we've been talking about defining and setting expectations. Like you, your employees want to have a great work experience. They want to shine. They want to come to work and they want to participate. They want to know that what they do matters. And they want to know that you care about them as well. Today's tips and tricks, we will not only create a great work experience but your investment in time and energy will help retain our younger workers. You'll engage them to perform better and you will help them maximize their contribution. At the end, we will give them great memories of their very first jobs. And we will set the expectation of what they can evolve into as emerging leaders in their own right. I think this gives us an opportunity When we deal with young people. I think every time we hire a young person into our doors, we give them an opportunity to learn and evolve. We become part of that growth for them. Well, that's all the time that we have today. I'd love to know what you think about today's episode. So please drop a comment in the box below. And if you think you know someone who could use this information, please go ahead and hit the share button. Information is power, but only, only, only if it's shared. And hey, if you have a topic that you'd like me to cover in future episodes, why don't you drop me a line? I'd be more than happy to uncover a topic that is of service to you. And again, if you haven't done so yet, I would really, really, really appreciate if you would subscribe to this channel and go ahead and ring the bell. And it'll That way, you get notified whenever I go live or whenever I bring you some fresh content. You'll be notified. My name is Marc Haine and I'll see you next week when I bring you some more fabulous content to help you run your small business. I hope that you will stay safe, stay healthy, and dare to be the exception.