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UAE - EnglishWith baby boomers approaching retirement, a restless new generation of business leaders is waiting impatiently in the wings. Known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication, the Generation Y is expected to be the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing in history due to a greater technological skill and higher expectations of its members.
Like it or not, Generation Y is your organization’s talent pool. And you need to understand how to recruit, attract and retain its members and work with them to unlock their talent.
The challenge
Social, demographic and economic changes are causing a severe skills shortage.
Recent research shows that many businesses globally are failing to engage people, and business leaders are failing to provide meaningful work and the learning/personal development opportunities that people crave1.
Generation Y members are obviously pushing for this situation to change. Whilst keeping managers on their toes, as they attempt to understand and respond to how Generation Y work and communicate, younger employees use communication technologies that may be unfamiliar or threatening to technology-challenged elder generations.
Attracting Gen Y talent
So what should employers, real estate and facilities professionals do in their workplaces to recruit, retain and develop the Generation Y? An array of questions can help address this unknown area:- What workspace design would they prefer?
- What technological equipment would they prefer?
- How do they prefer to get to and from work?
- What other facilities would they prefer to have on site?
- How important are the sustainability initiatives in their choice of potential employer? Does the workplace support a green and healthy environment?
- How important is having a choice of when and where they work?
- How does the workplace contribute to job satisfaction?
OXYGENZ, Johnson Controls latest global research project, is making a significant contribution to companies’ knowledge of how they might use their real estate and facilities as strategic assets to attract and retain younger talent. And some of the initial findings in the UK from the survey reveal that:
- 99% of young people would like their office to be environmentally aware/friendly
- 67% would choose to work in an urban location
- 79% want to be a mobile worker with 63% a flexible working pattern – but only 19% expect their employer to offer flexible working
- 83% prefer a modern/contemporary workplace interior with light colours
- 68% want their own desk with access to a team spaces – only 21% prefer a formal meeting room space
The top 3 criteria when choosing an employer are:
- Work colleagues
- Opportunities for learning
- Location
The early findings from OXYGENZ research reveal that younger managers are networked, collaborative and highly social, expecting to be constantly connected to their social networks, within and beyond company boundaries, and to work within a sociable environment with other people. And if having to adapt to how they work, communicate and use new technologies was not challenging enough for businesses, the Generation Y is demanding a new reality from work. Specifically, the Generation Y wants to work flexibly, choosing when and where they work to suit their lifestyle.
We now know people are attracted to workplaces where values are clearly communicated. Generation Y members in particular are ‘ready to engage in companies that provide the environments in which they thrive’. Those environments will include the physical space. Workplace design is likely to become a strategic weapon in the battle to attract and retain scarce young talent in today’s increasingly competitive global economy. While these young employees are happy to blend work with the rest of their life, they value family life and expect to work in a way that reflects their values and priorities.
Managing young talent in the workplace will be a strategic imperative and a critical success factor for organization. Are you ready to take the challenge?
We now know people are attracted to workplaces where values are clearly communicated. Generation Y members in particular are ‘ready to engage in companies that provide the environments in which they thrive’. Those environments will include the physical space. Workplace design is likely to become a strategic weapon in the battle to attract and retain scarce young talent in today’s increasingly competitive global economy. While these young employees are happy to blend work with the rest of their life, they value family life and expect to work in a way that reflects their values and priorities.
Managing young talent in the workplace will be a strategic imperative and a critical success factor for organization. Are you ready to take the challenge?
1 Towers Perrin, 2007
Contact:
Dr. Marie-Cecile Puybaraud, Director of Global WorkPlace Innovation at Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions, on +44 (0) 7966 563 167 or Marie.C.Puybaraud@jci.comSave or print this article in Adobe PDF format
RELATED LINKS
- Create your own virtual workplace Oxygenz
- Research on Global WorkPlace Innovation
- Learn more about Flexible Working
Generation Y – so what?
