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Getting Inside
Generation Y: What They Really Want from Work
Impatient, disrespectful, disloyal or jumpy are often the adjectives that attached to the youngest generation of workers ĄV Generation Y. No matter how you describe them, this generation has never been more influential that changes the workplace culture and somehow causes some headaches for the Boomer bosses along the way.
Prior to labelling the Gen Yers as disloyal, lack of perseverance and impulsive, etc, employers should take a closer look and get a deeper understanding on the roots of their behaviours and thinking.
Gen Yers are individuals born between 1980 and 2000 who are considerably different from those generations that have come before them. Therefore, to motivate, engage and get the most from these young people requires a new approach to management.
Understanding Is Key
"Different generations think and behave differently and might have distinct lifestyles, values and attitudes. These dissimilarities are largely due to the events, leaders, developments and trends of the period. Prior to labelling the Gen Yers as disloyal, lack of perseverance and often times, impulsive, etc, employers should take a closer look and get a deeper understanding on the roots of their behaviours and thinking. The mindset between the generations might be different, but there are ways to resolve these differences, making cooperation feasible and satisfying," says Mr. Christos Malliaros, Managing Consultant, SHL.
Mr. Malliaros suggests managers use various objective tools to assess Gen Yers' personality and/or key motivating factors; thus identifying Gen Yers' key drivers, and ultimately, finding the appropriate strategies to motivate and engage them. "The key is to embrace new ideas and set aside perceived opinion and leverage objective instruments," he says.
| Gen Yers are more concerned with developing their career and
tend to see communication as an important part of work. |
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Mr. Alan Wong, General Manager, Kelly Services Hong Kong agrees that understanding is extremely crucial. He says, "Managers need to understand that Gen Y read and process information somewhat differently, which will translate into a different perception towards work, different work ethic and different working relationships with the other generations."
As told by Mr. Wong, compared to their colleagues from other age groups, Gen Yers look for short-term payoffs at work, including immediate feedback, rewards and praise for a job well done. They will tend to lose interest if they feel that the organisation does not live up to its reputation or does not pay attention to them.
"As they grew up in an environment where technology has enabled work to be done almost anywhere and anytime, they value control over their time and a flexible work environment that allows for work-life balance. Unlike the Baby Boomers and Gen X who value hard work as the way to success, Gen Y are hardworking but only work when work is meaningful and challenging. Managers have to understand that the positive reinforcements that Gen Y received at school and at home such as embracing the power of technology and building meaningful relationships have created a need for them to have the same assurance in the workplace," he adds.
| [Table 1] Top Ten Preferred Job Features |
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Top Ten Preferred Job Features
Speaking of the different qualities, expectations and needs of Gen Y compared to the other generations, SHL conducted a research on employee engagement between Nov 2007 and Sep 2008. Data from three age categories consisted of the Gen Y (aged 18-29), Gen X (aged 30-44) and Baby boomers (aged 45 and above) was analysed. The research explored areas covering preferred job features and job mismatches between the age groups [See Table 1].
"For preferred job features (areas that individuals desire in their ideal job), results indicate that both Gen Y and Gen X view development as the top aspect they would take consideration of when evaluating a job. Baby boomers, on the other hand, see fairness as the most important aspect at work. Understanding these differences would definitely ensure that each group's talents are recognised, accepted and maximised," Mr. Malliaros explains.
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Job Mismatches
In terms of job mismatches (the difference between what the individual currently has in their job and what they would like in their ideal job), all three groups regard career progression, followed by income and payment for results as the top three mismatches in their current job. Interestingly, despite the order of the top three mismatches being the same across the age categories, the sizes of the mismatches are larger in the Gen Y in comparison to Gen X and Baby boomers.
"The research indicates that Gen Yers are more concerned with developing and advancing their career and they tend to see communication as an important part of work (being told the "why" as well as the "what" aspect of tasks). Furthermore, they are interested in change and challenges and might leave a higher paying job to experience something new," he continues.
Mr. Wong points out that, in terms of benefits outside of salary, the findings of Kelly Global Workforce Index reveals that more Gen Yers (43%) rate training as the most important benefit outside of salary compared to Gen X (36%) and Baby Boomers (13%). In addition, Gen Y (24%) rates the importance of vacation or time-off more highly than Gen X (11%) and Baby Boomers (13%) [See Table 2].
| [Table 3] More Concern for Wellness |
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More Concern for Wellness
In addition, the issue of employee health is of growing importance to many employees and employers. The survey findings also support the trend that health benefits represent an increasingly major work-related benefit for many employees.
"Gen Yers enjoy fun at work and love work to be challenging. Besides providing health insurance, gym access/discounts and a favourable environment, employers could also consider creating a sports and recreation committee, cultural and family day events or outings and provide Gen Y with an opportunity in designing their own work area or space," Mr. Wong suggests.
"A workplace where all employees including Gen Y are supported to develop healthy lifestyles is one that is likely to have lower absenteeism, better morale and improved productivity. This can produce a win-win situation for employees and employers alike," he adds. [See Table 3].
| Prior to labelling the Gen Yers as disloyal, lack
of perseverance, employers should take a closer
look and get a deeper understanding of them. |
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|
Turn Challenges into Positive
Given the differences between the three age groups, Mr. Malliaros comments and says, "The workplace has changed dramatically and will continue changing due to technological advances, globalisation and changes in working practices as a result of changing customer demands and products. The often negatively portrayed Gen Yers is indeed a reflection of these changes. Generational differences do create a lot of challenges in the workplace, and these challenges can be negative and positive. It is, therefore, the managers' job to make sure these challenges are turned into positive."
Mr. Wong holds that the challenge that lies ahead for employers and HR is to find a balance between a work environment that leverages the strengths of Gen Y employees and supports the development of a multi-generational workforce.
"As an organisationĄŠs culture evolves with each generation of the workforce, employers will find that they can benefit from a variety of viewpoints and work styles. Flexibility will be important for organisations who aspire to successfully attract and retain talent of all ages, viewpoints and work styles," he remarks.
As the Baby Boomers begin to retire, organisations are indeed in a position now to identify future leaders. Number of studies indicate that Gen X workforce is not necessary large enough to assume business leadership responsibilities. Consequently, businesses are now beginning to turn to Gen Y to fill the gap. Succession planning and leadership pipeline building thus become the hottest topics than ever in todayĄŠs workplace.
Tips for Managing Gen Y
To manage Gen Yers effectively and get the most from them, below are some tips provided by Mr. Malliaros and Mr. Wong:
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Design a comprehensive orientation or on-boarding program |
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Offer more responsibilities to let them know they are important |
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Provide them a greater sense of ownership |
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Provide flexibility at work |
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Communicate regularly and find out what they want |
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Have regular feedback sessions |
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Build relationships around people and work in teams |
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Give instant recognition to let them feel valued |
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Provide opportunities for self and professional development |
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Include professional objective assessment tools in the hiring process |
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Develop a sound talent management strategy |
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Utilise competency model which people performance can be described and measured |
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Identify any potential leadership gaps within the organisations and plan a development and training strategy and consider various development tools |
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