Hiring a young worker can give employers the opportunity to develop talent from the start. For Flower, who works at Natural Pawz in The Woodlands, that is one of the main reasons she sees value in hiring people ages 16 to 24.
Flower has been hiring employees since she was 21 and says younger workers can bring a willingness to learn and adapt to the workplace.
“When you hire someone at a younger age, that is an opportunity for you to grow and develop the way you see the fit as a business,” Flower said.
Room to Learn and Adapt
For Flower, the benefit is not simply that young employees are new to the workforce. It is that employers have an opportunity to help them learn how their business operates.
She said younger workers can adapt to the expectations of a workplace while learning from their employer’s perspective. That can include developing the work habits and work ethic expected in the role.
“Young people have the ability to adapt, they’re going to be able to learn from your perspective,” she said.
For employers, that means a first job can also be the beginning of a longer process of developing an employee’s skills and understanding of the business.
Start With an Opportunity
Young workers may be entering their first jobs with limited professional experience, but employers can play an important role in helping them build that experience.
Flower’s experience at Natural Pawz shows one way employers can approach youth hiring: give young employees an opportunity to learn the business, understand workplace expectations and develop as they gain experience.
For businesses considering hiring workers ages 16 to 24, that opportunity to teach, develop and retain emerging talent can be an important part of the conversation.
Interested in hiring young talent? Workforce Solutions can help employers connect with youth looking for opportunities to gain valuable work experience.
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