Gen Y Study

• What are the “drivers” to attracting and recruiting this generation?
  
• What “drives” this generation to want to stay at an employer longer versus looking around for another job?
  
• What are the “drivers” which make this generation want to leave an employer?

To gather information we used a variety of methods which differentiate our research from the traditional one-mode survey. We used:

• An online survey
  
• One-on-one interviews
  
• Focus group interviews
  
• Behavioral and Workplace Motivators Assessments

Although surveys are helpful in achieving worthwhile discovery, it is without doubt that we made our most significant discoveries through one-on-one interview and focus groups. We talked with more than 100 Gen Yers to find out how they really view work, feel about their roles at work, think about bosses, expect for their future growth, and overall issues about their real expectations of employers.

Additionally, we administered two highly validated assessments to identify the primary workplace behaviors and motivators—integral to ensuring right fit hiring. Identifying motivators is critical to ensuring that hires fit your culture, particularly since this generation is significantly impacted by desires mostly unique from other generations.

Insight from interviews shed incredible light on ten significant trends in terms of how to successfully recruit, manage and retain this generation. Our findings reach far beyond mere aspects of communication and how differing generations can get along in the workplace.

Here are just three of the trends we uncovered:

• A Desire for Significance. Boomer have worked for 30 years to achieve success and now are turning their energies to achieving significance. Gen Yers, however, won’t wait for twenty or thirty years to feel like they’ve made an impact. They want to achieve significance now. Employers must rethink job design and provide innovative opportunities to have a significant stake in the outcomes.
  
• A Zealousness for Improvement. Status quo will tempt them to go. Status quo is contrary to all they have ever been taught. They were urged to question everything; to constantly think about possible improvements and enhancements, ways to make things better, faster, more innovative. Employers must teach their managers how to effectively engage their thinking and more effectively listen to their ideas.
  
• Trust is a Must. This is a generation that intensely dislikes to be micromanaged. Not because of their dislike for oversight, but more from the standpoint that micromanagement conveys a lack of trust; and that is a red flag for this generation. Trust is a must. Employers must work on ways to create stronger trust at all management-employee levels and between teams and departments. Expect this generation to have a much greater sense of self-management than previous generations.

To learn about all ten trends and solutions for taking positive actions, look for our forthcoming book—GenBlending: 10 Surprising Trends About Generation Y that Will Make or Break Your Business.