Your employee Kim is ticked off. He started out doing unskilled labor for your company. He clawed and dragged his way up as best he could, by excelling at everything and working hard. Now he sees these college kids come in and they don't know anything! Kim knows more than half of those punks put together, and has the grease under his nails to prove it. Now that the company's treating kids with four-year degrees like hot commodities, Kim tells you he doesn't want to work as hard.
Discussion
The manager needs to acknowledge Kim's perspective. She needs to tell Kim that he's valued. Make a value statement to Kim, "I appreciate what you've done. I consider you incredibly valuable for this company. I acknowledge how you feel and appreciate your perspective."
The manger then needs to introduce another perspective. She needs to show Kim that the organization plans to succeed by bringing in the very best people to do the job. The people brought in have the knowledge and ability to do the jobs they're put into.
Kim's manager should urge him not to make assumptions. She can say, "You don't know these people individually yet, so you're making assumptions about how they got where they are. What I suggest you do is get to know these people as individuals. Seek to understand their knowledge or skills and see how they complement yours, so you can work effectively together."
Employees become more promotable when they demonstrate ability to work with other people. That's Kim's next step now. Tell him, "Don't worry about why we hired them, or their compensation, or any of that; focus on how you can be successful with them."
As a manager, encourage Kim to keep sharing what he knows and not undervalue himself. Maybe the other employees have degrees, but they will benefit from Kim's history with the company, and by his example of loyalty and hard work. Kim mustn't keep his knowledge to himself. If he asserts himself, and sees these people as colleagues, not competition, he'll see increased success.
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