Engaging Gen-Y workers to retain, unleash their potential

So-called Generation Y workers are strikingly different from the members of previous generations who are their bosses and supervisors, but to deal with them effectively, “Don’t change Gen Y, work on your managers and supervisors,” said James Engel, senior executive director and organisation learning practice leader of APM Group.
“Train yourself. Reprogramme and retrain other generations,” Engel stressed.
Speaking at a seminar titled “Gen Y in the Workplace: They Have a Choice; Will They Choose You?” the APM executive said attracting and blending Gen Y into the workforce will become a huge problem for organisations when the baby boomers retire and younger generations replace them in the workplace.
Gen Y or the “millennial generation” refers broadly to those born between 1981 and 2000, while baby-boomers are often defined as the age group between 48 and 65 years.
Gen Y is full of contradictions, said Engel, citing research done in 2010 by Johnson Controls that described the millennials this way: “They think like entrepreneurs and value relationships, are tech-savvy and creative, and are environmentally conscious and mobile. They will in the future place a high premium on job security and they apparently currently job-hop. They are value-driven and money-grabbing. They are conservative and non-conformist.”
Engel said multi-generation conflicts tended to happen in organisations because of the differences in personality traits of Gen Y people, who are more independent and need guidance but do not want to be “controlled”. This is especially true in the Thai context where “authority” is still a big issue, he said.
While Gen Y members have a strong drive to belong, collaborate to work in teams, enjoy harmonious relationships, enjoy informal, creative, attractive environments without hierarchy, Generation X, who are likely to be their bosses, do not care much for these things, Engel said.
To deal with these thorny multi-generation issues, the APM executive suggested “AIMED solutions”, which is an acronym for attract, inspire/induct, manage, engage, and develop.

--Attracting
Employee brand matters. Don’t wait. Go get them (such as conducting employment branding with children, and forming programme partnerships with universities). They listen to family and peers. Make use of technology and social network. Don’t forget about your (workplace’s) “physical environment”.
Richard Gilman, practice leader for people assessment at APM Group, suggested that firms engage Gen Y in the recruitment process because they speak the same language as the job candidates. Firms can also use alternative channels for realistic job previews that fit with Gen Y. Global advisory firm Boston Consulting Group, for instance, has held “Boston Tea Parties” that open up opportunity for college or university students to meet with experienced consultants.
“Even APM, we are restructuring to accommodate generation BB [baby-boomers] who are retiring and Gen Y who want to work part-time,” Engel said.

--Inspire-Induct
Align Gen Y expectations and goals. You need to grab their attention fast. Wow them. Ensure variety and exposure.
A survey conducted by Novations Group in 2008 found that 26 per cent of Gen Y staff left their firms within less than a month and 51 per cent joined their companies for only one to six months. Speaking at the APM Group workshop, Dr Malinvisa Sakdiyakorn, vice chairman of the business administration division of Mahidol University International College, said some Thai Gen Y members merely e-mailed or texted their supervisors “I quit.”
Gilman suggested that firms adopt a “first 100 days strategy” to retain young workers, connecting and engaging with them via online and face-to-face networks, such as using a buddy system that say: “People feel I belong here. I’m not sitting at the desk on my own, working on some task.”
There is never too much positive reinforcement and feedback for Gen Y. “They need it all the time, every day,” he said.
A study has found that among the important things that Gen Y Thais are looking for in the workplace are reasonable pay, experience with a reputable organisation, chances to work abroad, respect and trust, challenging work, fun, creativity, a relationship-oriented and technology-enabled environment, multi-tasking, and mobility.

--Managing
Change yourself before changing Gen Y. Build a dynamic performance culture. Learn to let go. Make work fun.
A study has found that older workers usually think Gen Y look for competency as the most important leadership trait in their bosses, but “caring” is in fact top in their minds (54 per cent of the survey respondents cited it as the most important), followed by “inspiring” (45 per cent), and “competent” (44 per cent).
Gilman suggested that firms revisit their work policies, including rewards and evaluation systems, as an annual review might be too long for Gen Y workers.
The Gen Y workshop held just before the long Songkran holidays drew much interest from Thai companies, causing the APM Group to close its bookings a week in advance, according to the consultancy’s executives. The attendees included 59 top and senior executives in human resources, marketing, operations, and other fields from various organisations including B Grimm, Charoen Pokphand Foods, Denso International Asia, 3M Thailand, KT Zimico Securities, Merck, Siam Commercial Bank, Minor Group, TMB Bank, Total Access Communication, True Move, and the Office of the Civil Service Commission.

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