Post-80s and post-90s employees have their own understanding of communication styles and workplace hierarchy. They emphasize democracy and fairness, and when encountering the following communication styles, they internally develop strong resistance, though their personalities differ, leading to different forms of resistance. But whether it's passive resistance or open conflict (or even quitting on the spot), these are typical results of failed communication.
1. Preachy and Serious Lectures Post-80s and post-90s employees possess a rebellious spirit that previous generations lacked. They are highly averse to traditional, outdated ways. They grew up watching Stephen Chow's "A Chinese Odyssey." When you start lecturing them seriously and earnestly, they picture a ridiculous, laughable Tang Seng. While you persist in nagging, they no longer hear your meaning; they only sense a fly buzzing around their heads. Like Sun Wukong in the movie, they want to swat the fly but know they can't. Yet they find the scene absurd, and you are the comic lead—Tang Seng. So you might see them smile. That's not a reaction to your lecture but complete daydreaming.
2. Reserved, Implicit, and Beating Around the Bush Post-80s and post-90s youth grew up in environments where everyone around them tried hard to understand them. Parents and elders demanded they speak their minds, fearing that any oversight in their studies or life would collapse the blueprint for success. Parents often used closed-ended questions, and they only needed to answer within that structure. They didn't care about the outcome because parents would understand and accommodate.
As a result, when leaders are slightly implicit, it's like fog to them. They don't understand vague phrases like "very important" or "high priority"; they can't distinguish between "do it immediately" and "do it as soon as possible"; and they can't tell whether "you decide" means trust or dissatisfaction. This mystifying communication style makes them dizzy and leads to thoughts like "I'm not putting up with this," prompting them to resign.
3. No Feedback After Reporting A sales manager, Mr. Zhang, required employees to send their weekly summaries and next week's plans by 10 PM every Friday. Initially, they were uncomfortable, but he justified it as a key method of process management and self-management. So they complied. For the first few weeks, he discussed each person's summary and plan on Mondays, but gradually he loosened up. Employees continued submitting, but it was like throwing stones into the sea—they never knew if he read them.
Because there was no feedback, the weekly submissions seemed increasingly pointless. Salesperson Xiao Li stopped reporting on his own. After two weeks, Zhang criticized him at a meeting for not following the requirement. Xiao Li jumped up: "We submit every week, but you don't read them. What's the value?" Zhang replied calmly, "How do you know I didn't read them?" Xiao Li said, "Then tell me what I wrote in my last summary and plan." Zhang was stumped, paused, and said, "Are you my boss now, checking my work?" Xiao Li glared and spat out, "Bureaucrat! I quit!" Then he turned and left.
How often does this happen around you? Quite a bit, right? Maybe you've done it too. If this happened to post-60s or post-70s employees, they'd handle it fine. They're used to it; they'd arrange their work regardless, ready for sudden inspections. They're veterans who know how to read the wind. If things are strict, they'll do their homework even without checks; if it feels relaxed, they might slack off naturally.
But post-80s and post-90s employees strongly resent lack of feedback. They subconsciously link feedback to respect. They don't think your higher position gives you the right to ignore their work. Since they report on work, you as their leader should provide comments and feedback. If you just say "mm-hmm" and move on, the report is useless—at least that's how they see it.
Reporting is a good communication method, but it must be paired with feedback. Without feedback, reports are worthless and show disrespect to post-80s and post-90s employees. It's one of the best ways to anger them.
4. Making Decisions Without Consulting Me When post-60s entered the workforce, they believed in the theory of "a brick in the revolution, moved wherever needed." So participating in decisions was not something they considered unless asked.
Post-70s entered with the belief that "gold will shine eventually." They hoped to participate in decisions and actively sought opportunities, presenting their value. But if the boss had already decided, they could accept it.
Post-80s and post-90s employees expect that "everyone on the ship has the right to know where it's going." They have the highest enthusiasm for participating in decisions, viewing it as a basic right. Post-80s show clear negative emotions when bosses decide without asking, though they might not express it openly, but they may resist privately. Post-90s might show displeasure on their faces immediately, and some might even question the decision on the spot.
They don't necessarily object because the decision is wrong, but because they weren't involved. Post-80s and post-90s already have significant decision-making power in family and personal matters. According to a study by Horizon Research Group, post-90s have over 60% decision-making power in household consumption, and about 30% even for big-ticket items like houses and cars. They're used to democratic decision-making, so when leaders decide without consulting them, it's uncomfortable. Therefore, ignoring post-80s and post-90s employees and making decisions directly—especially those affecting their interests—risks resistance.
5. Communication by Intimidation In organizational management, hierarchy exists, and there are superiors and subordinates. That's a key rule for harmony and stability. But many managers treat their positions as capital, using power to suppress others, ignoring their feelings. They communicate arrogantly, acting like officials. They seem to derive satisfaction from this. Typically, such managers are as docile as Persian cats before their superiors but glare like Siberian tigers at subordinates. They can't tolerate any disrespect or challenge to their authority. If anyone dares to cross them, they'll surely explode.
Using power to intimidate is never a good communication method for any generation; it only breeds resentment. Some managers used it because many subordinates submitted, so it seemed effective. But they submitted because they valued their jobs and didn't want to lose them. So older employees might outwardly obey but curse behind their backs, or occasionally confront, but rarely.
Post-80s and post-90s don't care about that. They already have high voluntary turnover rates without such treatment, let alone with it. Such behavior with post-80s and post-90s is like gasoline meeting a spark—it ignites immediately.
In response to requests from many dealer friends, our platform's third B-end e-commerce inspection class will visit Wanshang Yizhan, Yunbao Shangmeng, and Weijie Chengpei from July 9-12. Dealers interested in transformation can join us for on-site inspections:
Organization Format
- Company visits
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Participating dealers only need to pay a registration fee of 200 yuan. Time: July 9-12, 2016. Location: Changsha, Xiamen.
Interested dealers can register by scanning the QR code below.
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Previous Inspection Cases:
- Yishang Logistics Model Inspection
- Caiba Model Inspection
- Jinhuobao Model Inspection
- Beiquan Model On-site Inspection
- Piduoduo Model On-site Inspection
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