Getting your head around Gen-Y

Increasingly employers are developing strategies and tactics to work effectively with Generation Y to best leverage their talents for future business development. But, all too often HR departments lack staff from younger generations. In a recent survey only 20% of HR respondents were Gen-Y themselves. This leaves many HR managers pondering how they can get their heads around what Gen-Y really want.

Tamty McGill recently conducted a survey of 45 employers, from nine different business sectors, on the characteristics and preferences of Gen-Y in the workplace. The survey included employees who had recently graduated providing HR with some insight on exactly what makes Gen-Y tick.

Flexible timeframes not important to Gen-Y
‘Monetary compensation and benefits’ and ‘interest and fun’ were ranked by Gen-Y employees as the two most important attributes which would attract them to work in a particular company. This view is also shared by their employers. However, employers thought that providing a ‘flexible timetable’ was more important in attracting Gen-Y than ‘professional advancement’ and ‘job security’. This differs significantly from what Gen-Y respondents said, where both working and non-working respondents thought provision of a ‘flexible timetable’ was the least important factor in attracting them to a particular company.

The table below shows a comparison of how employers, working members of Gen-Y and non-working members of Gen-Y ranked various employment attributes in terms of importance.

Supportive mentoring favoured
The study also analysed four different styles of mentoring namely:

1. A directive mentor who provides all instructions and rules
2. A supportive mentor who offers help when needed, according to the situation
3. A collaborative mentor who allows more freedom
4. An achievement-oriented mentor who provides ongoing feedback

It was found that 55% of employers thought the collaborative mentor approach would be preferred by Gen-Y. However, according to Gen-Y respondents only around half of this figure agreed, the majority actually preferred the supportive mentor approach, 52% of working Gen-Y and 43% of non-working Gen-Y.

It was found that many employers do not appreciate that Gen-Y employees treat a clear career pathway as something very important, and that as they are at the start of their career, they also desire more support and guidance from their employers. Moreover, Gen-Y respondents indicated that they would like to take greater ownership of their job remit and be more involved in the decision making process to enhance engagement.

The results of the survey also indicated that money and title recognition were the most important motivators for Gen-Y, with 41% of employers and working Gen-Y respondents citing this as the most important factor. Both working, 31%, and non-working, 44%, Gen-Y respondents indicated that satisfactory performance in their job was a key motivator; in contrast only 11% of employers thought that this would be important to Gen-Y. About a quarter of employers surveyed believed that giving Gen-Y freedom to execute work duties could motivate them to perform well, in fact only 2% of working Gen-Y and 7% of non-working Gen-Y considered this a key motivator.

Advice for working effectively with Gen-Y
With clear differences in employers perception of Gen-Y and what Gen-Y themselves are actually driven by, HR managers are often left scratching their heads about exactly how they can work effectively with Gen-Y. Virginia Choi, Managing Consultant and Country Manager from Tamty McGill Consultants International shares advice with HR practitioners on what they can do to work more effectively with Gen-Y in the workplace.

1. Active listening
   Apart from everyday conversations, hold luncheons, short meetings and informal gatherings to listen to Gen-Y employees’ opinions.
2. Informal communication
   As Gen-Y tend to thrive in a fun, democratic environment, HR should try to limit ‘parental style’ speeches. Rules and instructions have to be communicated seriously, but casual chats and a more jovial approach is usually more appropriate when communicating with Gen-Y.
3. Develop career goals
   As working members of Gen-Y are at the start of their careers, employers should help them better define their career goals. This process of goal setting is something that both employers and Gen-Y employees can benefit from.
4. Enhance exposure and experience
   Training and worldwide exposure to various kinds of duties can attract Gen-Y job seekers and help retain existing Gen-Y employees.
5. Facilitate mentoring
   Since Gen-Y employees have limited working experience, HR should provide more help and guidance to them. Continuous feedback is important and can be made via regular meetings with the staff.
6. Give immediate positive reinforcement
   When Gen-Y employees perform well, employers should try and provide immediate positive reinforcement. Verbal encouragement may be all that is required—a simple ‘well done’ or ‘good job’ can be very encouraging to Gen-Y employees.
7. Avoid stereotyping
   Perhaps most importantly, employers should realise that the above tips are in fact good advice for enhancing relations with many staff members, not just those in Gen-Y. Likewise, HR should take care not to label all members of Gen-Y as exactly the same, as there are different characteristics and preferences within all generational groups.