Another one that is really important is to let them know exactly what your expectations are. How long are they expected to be in the office every day? How much work needs to be done? What should the priorities be?

It seems to a lot of Gen X and Boomers that these questions are easy to answer: 9 Hours, As much as possible, and Whatever is most important. The trouble is not, as I’ve been told several times, that Millennials can’t think for themselves, make decisions, or are trying to be lazy. It’s that our priorities may be different than yours. You’re the boss, let us know what your priorities and expectations are, clearly and sincerely, and we’ll meet them. If we can’t we’ll let you know and we’ll go find a different job.

It comes back to that communication point. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told that something was to be done, and let to figure out how to do it, then told that my method wasn’t right because it’s not how my manager would have done it, regardless of the efficacy of the results. What my manager really meant by “Get this done.” was “Do this in this exact way.”