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Employing Generation Y may appear to be more trouble than it's worth with their constant demands for advancement and perks. But managers who think they can steer away from hiring them had better think again.
Robyn McArthur, of training and coaching firm David Forman, says managers need to
shift out of their 1980s management style and get up to speed with the younger people they are employing.
"Employers need to be able to adapt to change," she says. "And they need to have open communication with their staff, which is different to the 1980s when it was all a bit 'closed shop'.
"With the employment market the way it is at the moment - with a shortage of good candidates - you can't afford to think 'I am not going to take on Gen Ys'. Because otherwise you are going to be really stuck for choice. So companies have to take them on and adapt."
McArthur says Gen Y cannot be compared with baby boomers, whom she describes as being more patient than today's new generation of workers. Although that appears to be starting to change.
"Baby boomers used to be more patient and were prepared to work towards their long-term goals and put plans in place to get there. But Gen Ys want everything straight away.
"They tend to want the good salaries, to be promoted and they want good packages attached to their salaries and they want it immediately."
And this, says McArthur causes employers and managers big problems in trying to keep Gen Ys satisfied. It seems Gen Ys look for a clear career path and perks such as company car, laptop computer and mobile phone.
"They like to have those tangible gimmicky things as well as the money and a nice role title to go with it. If you can't satisfy them quickly enough then they could potentially be out the door and moving on quite quickly.
"A Gen Y may arrive on the job but almost straight away they are looking for ways to move up. They need to see how and where they can develop and grow and keep moving forward - that is what is attractive to them.
"It means companies have to communicate more and keep showing their staff what is ahead."
Gen Y commentator Peter Sheahan says managers are better to think of Gen Y not as a group who are all the same but as an emerging mindset.
"The demands and expectations of this new generation are trending upwards," he says. "That is, older generations are adopting the desires and wants of Gen Y. Any why not? Who doesn't want flexible working hours, respect and the opportunity to do work that makes a difference?
"The real distinguishing feature of Gen Y is that they are the ones screaming the loudest for what they want and talking with their feet when they don't get it."
Sheahan says the old paradigm of pay your dues, work hard and then you will be rewarded, has not been adopted by Gen Ys, who want instant gratification.
"Today it is a case of 'reward me now and then I will work hard'. It is this attitude that gives rise to the baby boomer mantra that 'Gen Y has no work ethic'.
"But is this really a bad work ethic? If you had seen your parents right-sized and down-sized, even when they dedicated their life to the corporation, would you be prepared to make the same sacrifices for the same empty promises?
"Think of the implications this has for the 'one day all this could be yours' promise still being espoused at orientation programmes.
"Organisations need to create lateral career paths through systems such as interdepartmental transfers, or even international exchanges."
He says firms should offer diverse job portfolios and realise that if there is an absence of a clear career path, an employee's only option is out.
While Sheahan admits the boring jobs still need to be done - and Gen Ys are likely to have to do them - he says employers could do a lot more to dress them up.
"How can you repackage the jobs you offer to make them more exciting? Start by not having one person domail all week, and another onreception. Have them rotate between tasks to create variety.
"Allocate your managers 'fun budgets' - money to create a more enjoyable environment to work. Perhaps it is a better lunchroom, a lick of paint or maybe it is a games room for those much-needed breaks after two hours of customer complaints in the call centre."
