Globally employers need to rethink the mantra “our people are our greatest asset” and reshape their talent strategies, radically. The new world of work will be more “What can we offer you while you are here” and less “What will you do for the company” as increasing choice, and talent shortages and a fast changing mindset forces corporates to reshape their traditional workplace for the next generation of worker, Generation Y. That was the message emanating from leading global recruitment firm Antal International’s Leaders Summit held in Warsaw, Poland this week.
The delegates Leaders drawn from some of Antal’s 50 worldwide business units were discussing their role in assisting and preparing their corporate clients for the “New World of Work” in a session delivered by renowned Generation Y expert, co-founder of E3unlimited and AskGenY, Bruce Morton.
The session began with a powerful video stating that in the next 45 seconds 190 babies will be born around the world, 25 of them in India, 20 in China and only 5 in the US and 1 in the UK and that over 230,000 users joined a social networking site in 1 day. Continuing the theme of a changing world statistics were flashed up showing that 50% of India’s population are under 35, that more SMS messages are sent each day than there are people on earth, that 100% of Indian university graduates will speak English in 2008, that on average we are exposed to over 3000 adverts and brand names a day and that in 2015 the number one English-speaking country will be….China.
The new world brings new languages already overheard in coffee shops “double, tall, skinny, soy……latte” or seen in a text message like “dde, sriously, ppl shud knw hw 2 use txt n sms”.
Estimates forecast that today’s job market entrants will have between 10 and 14 different employers before they reach 38, something that would have been a large resume “red flag” only a few years ago. The audience was challenged to imagine what the world would be like for these people.
Already, Generation Y employees are being more loyal to their skill, than to their employer, being specialists not generalists. They see work as something you do instead of somewhere you went to and short term-ism, instant gratification, and immediacy are the new appeals in a world where the lines between work and play are increasingly blurred and people live in a 24/7 connected environment they want to work whenever and wherever they want.
People used to learn about things, visit a library and study, now they use Google. Social networking is no longer about a circle of friends its a way of getting things done, a powerful often global knowledge and support network of many hundreds and in a world made flat through technology people are connecting, collaborating and cooperating across borders in ever increasing volumes, never witnessed before, it is already happening in schools and universities across the world, diverse groups in different locations connecting to solve problems and share experiences.
Taking this into account, the session concluded that employer organisations need to reshape and rethink to get the best and the brightest of Generation Y. It was found that while the common misconception that Generation Y want flexible working they just want some balance as they were often working, talking, thinking, texting or emailing well outside normal corporate hours and were increasing blurring the dividing lines between work and play through use of technology such as blackberries, mobile and SMS usage and Web2.0/ Social Networking sites. Gen Y’ers saw themselves as bringing not only themselves as vital resource to a new employer, but one coupled with their wider network as a “package” and wanted this recognised.
Antal International’s advice to clients comprises practical ideas that flowed from the event and is shown here as a checklist of best practice to get your business into pole position and a list of Generation Y Likes & Dislikes to bear in mind when reshaping an organisation. The points are sourced from Antal’s focus on sourcing Rising Star talent in global markets from Asia, Africa, Middle East, CEE and Europe in over 20 countries, Antal’s own recruitment consultant population which is increasingly attracting Generation Y staff and from Ask GenY and E3’s proven success with their clients.
POLE POSITION
Firms that are well positioned to source the brightest and best were doing the following already
• setting up groups of Gen Y staff to accomplish office moves, redesigns, location selection, strategic planning
• reshaping their traditional boxed / cubicle environments to more open plan and free flowing areas to facilitate networking
• putting fun at the core of work, learning and giving people a multisensory experience.
• encouraging and supporting GenY’ers to job swap and experience different perspectives in the firm
• getting management out and about engaging with staff and demonstrating an interest in them as people not just assets, starting as early as interview stage
• seeing staff as more than just an asset, as living breathing entities with links to expert networks and knowledge, life challenges, desires and needs that you are priveleged to have in your firm for however long they are there and if they leave, to keep them in the brand
• creating blogs, You Tube videos and Facebook groups to show what life is like inside the firm and showing how a GenY’er can fit in
• moving staff around and creating alumni networks
Gen Y Likes
doing work and projects they like
passionate and inspirational leaders
being surrounded by expertise in their team
internationalism socialising
global connectivity feedback, often and immediate
great inductions and onboarding
active participation in decision making
new challenges and opportunity to make a difference
to ask “why?”
great market reflective pay based on the “package” they bring to the company
fun – it has to be fun, you spend half your life there!
opportunities to learn and develop face to face
to be heard & have their input acted on
buddying, coaching and mentoring throughout their career
informal environments access to senior management
good corporate social responsibility
Gen Y Dislikes
micro management top down command & control
inflexibility scarcity of opportunity
waiting too long for promotion poor management
lack of recognition austerity
not enough learning and support working in silos
all work no play being cut off from networking
not having a cause or vision to get behind
status quo, inflexibility, tedium
being undervalued and under-rewarded
To help you get the best of the brightest, you need to act today – take a Gen Y’er round your office and ask them what they’d change about attraction, onboarding, learning, environment, location….you’ll be pleased you did.
About Antal International
Antal International is the leader in EMEA & Asia Rising Star™ Executive Search & Selection. Our office network comprises over 50 offices in 24 countries, recruiting talent in a range of industry sectors & skill functions. Since inception in 1993 Antal has placed people in over 75 countries.
Media Contact: Adrian Barrett. BlueSky PR Tel: 0845 3700 126
Email: adrian@bluesky-pr.net www.bluesky-pr.net
Antal Contact: Graeme Read, Group Managing Director Tel: +44 (0) 870 770 0020, Fax: +44 (0) 870 770 0021
Email: gread@antal.com Website: http://www.antal.com
About E3 unlimited
E3 unlimited engage with the CEO, Board and HR to develop corporate sustainability. Together defining talent, understanding the company aspirations and any talent gap and hiring needs analysis.
About Ask GenY
Ask Gen Y is designed to help bridge the generations. It’s being driven entirely by Gen Y-ers. All the information you get will be coming straight from this horse’s mouth. We’re linking closely with the media, to voice opinion and influence industry across the UK. And we’re driving the research that will be crucial in ensuring that UK businesses don’t get left behind by the globe-trotting
Generation Y.
bruce morton co-founder, e3 unlimited & ask gen y
call / sms: +447912 016977
skype: brucemorton3 email: bruce.morton@e3unlimited.com
http://www.e3unlimited.com http://www.askgeny.com
