Tribe, Inc.

I will no longer roll my eyes when a friend is on a new diet or doing a cleanse while I savor each bite on my bacon cheeseburger. Doing a cleanse was not my idea, it was Elizabeth’s, the CEO and President of Tribe. She weighs as much as I did in seventh grade, but thought it would be a good idea.

“No alcohol, caffeine, gluten, sugar, or animal products and it’s just for 21 days,” said Elizabeth with her usual upbeat perkiness. I’m just an occasional drinker on the weekends; only drink caffeine once every couple of months, so really only giving up three things for three weeks couldn’t be that hard. I agreed to participate and was excited to see how “cleansed” I would become. I was also curious to see if I would lose any weight. Elizabeth typed up a list of what we couldn’t eat, what we could eat, and some menu suggestions.

After the first week, I thought I’d flip through Kathy Freston’s “Quantum Wellness Cleanse” book to see if there were any other food suggestions. I discovered this is actually more than just a cleanse, I was supposed to meditate each day as well. I’ve never meditated before, but since I would also never dream of being a vegan, I thought I would do it for the rest of the cleanse. I flipped to the day to find my daily meditation. It was to say on the inhale “I am” exhale, “stronger than food.” While that simple phrase endlessly entertains me, I decided to only stick to the diet aspect of the cleanse.

After eating beans, rice and salad for a week, I needed to get creative. My boyfriend bravely came over for dinner to be served quinoa spaghetti with vegan gluten free organic pasta sauce. I mixed in a bag of frozen vegetables and a side of Vans’ wheat gluten free waffles. Being the good sport that he is, he just sat down, smiled and said “I’ve never had waffles with spaghetti before.”

I made it through day 19 of the cleanse and decided I had enough. Days 20 and 21 were Saturday and Sunday and I wanted to enjoy my weekend. I lost seven pounds and had a new appreciation for not having food allergies. Taking the time to read all the packages to make sure my food didn’t contain gluten was such a pain.

I also realize I might be lactose intolerant. Either that or maybe my cleansed body prefers not to be filled with deep fried delicious mozzarella gooiness smothered in creamy Parmesan dressing. Hard to say. This cleanse definitely made me more conscience about how certain foods make me feel. And when you think about it, who wouldn’t love to lose seven pounds? I’m happy Elizabeth suggested I do it and I’m glad that I did.

Change happens. For any company that wants to continue to remain relevant in their given industry, it’s essential that they’re prepared to develop new ways to reach their customers. Change may be a necessary ingredient of success when it comes to corporations, but how it relates to an organizations workforce is another matter.

People enjoy security when it comes to their careers. When changes in the company start to occur, it can sometimes cause a bit of anxiety and concern. These feelings can cause employees to think about looking at other job opportunities they believe will give them a stronger sense of security. Your company doesn’t want to lose talent you’ve already invested in, so communication is key to keeping people informed about changes on the horizon and to ease any unnecessary worries. The communication channels Tribe suggests are vehicles such as leadership blogs, internal publications and intranet portals. These are great ways to reach your workforce, but what you communicate is just as important as how you communicate.

Employees need to see the change as an opportunity. Change content should focus on how the company will become stronger and employees will have the chance to update their skills or acquire new career paths. It should be communicated to employees that they are a part of the change. It will be their hard work and dedication that allows the company to alter their direction or make the necessary adjustments to remain competitive in their field.

That being said, the above should be communicated truthfully. If a given change will result in the shedding of jobs and not expanded opportunities, leadership’s credibility with their workforce will take a severe hit and could drastically affect employee confidence in future endeavors.

Simple put, your employees enjoy their comfort. It can be hard for them to accept, but if you focus on the changes creating a stronger sense of stability, and deliver on that promise, your employees will be more likely to support future company endeavors. And that only makes your organization stronger in the long run.

It’s no secret that the new generations think differently about what they want in a job. Companies are adapting in order to be more attractive to these young workers. Recession or not, top tier talent is always hard to find and you need to have some practices in place or they’re never going to pick you for the dance.

Hours are in the eye of the beholder.

It used to be all about the nine to five, but that attitude would never cut it with Generation Y. The line between work and home doesn’t really exist. The new norm is checking your iPhone on the weekend. Gen Y has no problem doing this as long as they have some flexibility during the week. Telecommuting programs are also a big plus. Companies are starting to realize that it’s not when the work gets done, as long as it does get done.

They’ve never known a world without technology.

They grew up with the Internet, cell phones, iPods and Facebook. It’s the fiber of their being and it’s incorporated into every aspect of their life. Telling them they can’t use it is like telling them they can’t breath. If listening to an iPod at work makes them more efficient, than it’s a win win. How’s your intranet? This should be the hub of the employee experience. All your employees need it but the young ones expect it.

Loyalty is with their team not the company.

Gen Y likes to jump jobs about every 18 months. They aren’t loyal to their company but rather to their boss and work. If a Boomer was unhappy with their management they would probably stick it out, but Gen Y will just move on to the next opportunity. Friendship is hugely important and they will often take a job just to work with their friends. They also don’t believe in the career ladder and look at it more like a lattice. They have fluid careers they can start and stop. They just want to be doing what’s important to them.

Making a difference matters.

Support for volunteering is a benefit that Gen Y values the most. According to a recent Deloitte survey more than half of workers in there 20s prefer employment at companies that provide volunteer opportunities. By having volunteer programs you will increase your ability to recruit and retain.

It’s really just work/life balance.

Everyone wants it not just Gen Y. Figure out what works for your company structure and then align it with what new recruits want. Add a technology spin or a volunteer program and you’ll have happy, productive and engaged young employees.