Gen-Y an attitude not an age group

Excel Media Group, publisher of HR Magazine, organised another full-house HR Conference at Cliftons Central training facility. Attended by over 200 HR professionals, the conference featured high profile speakers from eight MNCs including Cathay Pacific, FedEx, and Société Générale, who shared their experience and expertise in managing Gen-Y in their respective workplaces.

The conference addressed key challenges faced by those in HR when managing their Gen-Y workforce.

“Many thanks for organising and hosting yesterday's Gen Y Conference. It was an interesting event, and a great opportunity to hear from a variety of speakers across different sectors. I am looking forward to the next conference! “

Teri Jones, Talent Manager, John Swire & Sons (HK) Ltd

“Great to meet you last week at the HR Event, it was a brilliant day. Emma in particular was very thought provoking…”

Angie Smith, Head of Organisation Development—Asia Pacific, BT Global Services

5 take-home tips shared at the conference to help manage Gen-Y included:

1. Gen-Y is an ‘attitude’ not an ‘age bracket’
2. HR must be willing to change the thinking of the company to keep it up-to-date and thereby not only better suit the newer generations entering the workforce, but also better serve those same generations in their own client bases. This will help drive the bottom line.
3. There needs to be give and take on both sides: HR does need to appreciate the different working ethos of younger generations—and trust and empower them to accomplish tasks on their own. However, Gen-Y also needs to take into account the inherent inertia that exists in most companies because of years of doing things the same way.
4. Working in the modern office doesn’t necessarily mean physically being there
5. Collaborative working is the way forward—among all generations in the workforce.

Paul Arkwright, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of HR Magazine concluded, “We hear so much from older generations talking about what they think Gen-Y wants. HR Magazine ensured that we had a number of Gen-Y present at the Conference to present their side of the story too. It was a great opportunity to hear things from both sides of the fence.”