Wow. People feel strongly about helicopter parents in the workplace. It seems my July 26 post on helicopter parents in the workplace definitely resonated.
I enjoyed reading each and every comment and thought I would share a few of them in case you missed the lively discussion…
Twitter Buzz on Helicopter Parenting
I appreciated Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) amping up the Twitter engagement with her retweet of my article. The comments showed an entire range of responses:
- Disbelief:
This can’t possibly be a thing.
— Michael Fitzgibbon (@FitzDrum) August 1, 2017
- Resignation:
As a retail manager for 25+ yrs I dealt with many of these parents! I always respectfully told them, I am here to teach them what U didn’t!
— Robin Christopher (@jedzeppelin1961) August 1, 2017
- Common sense:
I’d have died if my parents called my boss. I don’t want to know how my kids do at work. If they have a job and keep it, good enough.
— Lorraine Szontagh (@LorMarSzon) August 1, 2017
And what might be my favorite? Phil Kerpin (@Kerpin), with his ???? as he highlighted this part of the original post. “If you want advice from your mom on how to handle a client visit, definitely call her and role play some Q&A, but don’t do it on speakerphone during a ride-along with your boss, as one manager told me a millennial employee recently did.”
LinkedIn Discussion on Helicopter Parenting
My LinkedIn post on helicoptering also generated numerous comments. One of the most detailed and insightful came from Dean Branson, developer of people and programs at Ball [Ind.] State University (@Dean_BSU) who, by the way, has one of my favorite Twitter summaries of all time: “Gen Xer living in a Millennial World”).
He said, “Employers are experiencing what higher education professionals have lived through for years. At first higher education was resistant to engaging helicopter parents. Since students were becoming adults they needed to make decisions on their own. That philosophy did not work well since parents were often paying the bills. For the universities that embraced this involvement by the parents and recognized the importance of the familial connection (as you point out Lindsey Pollak more than half of millennials consider a parent their best friend) they sought ways to leverage the positive aspects of parent involvement. The context of the work environment is different from higher education, but after 22+ years of an established pattern of parenting this issue is not going to just disappear. Employers need to proactively address the issue and seek ways to use this dynamic to improve company culture, employee experience, and the success of the enterprise.”
And Jennifer Rupert MIIM, MA of Virginia Tech shared another great term, the “snowplow parent,” who pushes problems out of the way.
Want to read more about the overall helicopter parent struggle? Check out #helicopterparenting or #helicopterparents for more articles on the good, the bad and the crazy. They mostly talk about helicoptering kids, vs. young adults, but it gives a great window into how the phenomenon begins, and the reason we need it to end.
And, if you haven’t checked out my post yet, please do, and then share your experience in the comments below or on Twitter.
Lindsey Pollak is the leading expert on millennials and the multigenerational workplace, trusted by global companies, universities and the world’s top media outlets. A New York Times bestselling author and keynote speaker, Lindsey began her career as a dorm RA in college and has been mentoring millennials — and explaining them to other generations — ever since. Her presentations have audiences so engaged that, in the words of one attendee, “I didn’t check my phone once!” Contact Lindsey to discuss a speaking engagement for your organization.
