Gen Y is here to stay and rule the world: Kelly Services

Strong market presence of employer, corporate culture rank high among this new generation of employees

Meaningful work is most important to the Gen Y employee and mentoring from managers helps them align their career goals, says a white paper 'Generation Y' from Kelly Services.

Once this is established, managers and employers will most likely find their Gen Y employees exhibiting a greater sense of responsibility, applying an “all or nothing” attitude towards the tasks that they are entrusted with, the white paper observes.

“They are smart and they know it. They possess a desire to use their abilities to make a difference at the workplace," said Kamal Karanth, Managing Director, Kelly Services India.

"Gen Y has an innate sense of entitlement and confidence, and abbreviated timeframe for everything ranging from ascending the corporate ladder to getting answers to queries; their presence as a group is especially felt globally, as unprecedented numbers of young people are joining the workforce.”

The paper further states that Gen Y are hardworking, committed, creative and smart and have capacity to process humongous amounts of complex information rather quickly, and when enthused, can dedicate themselves totally to achieve the desired results.

While strong market presence/leadership of their employer ranks first, corporate culture ranks second.

These factors eclipse all others including financial performance, longevity, reputation for innovation, and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

When deciding on one position over another, Gen Y respondents in Asia Pacific said personal growth/advancement and personal fulfilment/work-life balance are the two most important considerations.

If career development and moving up the corporate ladder is a priority for Gen Y, so is meaningful work.

In the Asia-Pacific region, work is considered “meaningful” if they have the ability to excel/develop in their field, or if it aligns with their personal values. Often unspoken but nonetheless important, the workplace should be perceived as being “fun” or “cool” by the Gen Y.

“To attract and retain young talents, companies need to remember that Gen Y does things differently. It is important to take time to explain to a Gen Yer how his work fits into the bigger scheme of things, and how it will impact the organisation," Karanth added.

Because Gen Y likes to be acknowledged for their input, essential and regular feedback is a must – as it is important for them to know that their work is being seen.

It also gives them the opportunity to make improvements to their performance.

Organisations that strive to reach out to the Gen Y in the “right” way will  reap immediate results, and pave the way for a time when they step up to assume leadership roles. This time will come much earlier than for the generations before.

Gen Y, as a group, embraces new experiences. This includes the chance to work with a diversity of people, cultures, ideas, perspectives, backgrounds and identities not only internally, but also externally.

Gen Y will be a huge asset in a marketplace that is becoming increasingly diverse in terms of geography, gender, personality and age. 

Suffice to say, there will soon come a time when your Gen Y employees and your most important clients speak the same language, says the white paper.