Generation gap and war on talent

You can gripe about Gen Y all you want. But if you can't attract them, you're going to lose the war on talent. To tap into their future workplace power you need to know how to attract the best and brightest millennial workers to ensure the future success of your company.

A new study by MTV called "No Collar Workers" focuses on Gen Y's perspectives about the workplace and careers, and what often comes to light is how different their views are from that of their parent's generation, the boomers.

Millennials grew up digital. They are not intimidated by technology, and they have little patience with those who shy away from using it to its full advantage. They expect to use technology to make work and life more interesting and productive, surfing the web wirelessly via smartphone or iPad. In fact, to a Millennial, failing to use technology to its fullest is almost as bad as not using it at all.

When it comes to the workplace, millennials crave more flexibility than previous generations. This is probably because these new grads and young workers have grown up with technological tools making it easier to work remotely and time-shift traditional 9-to-5 hours.

A report by LifeWay Research shows that transparency was one of the four characteristics millennials wanted in a leader. Millennials want to feel like they are part of a community at work—nearly 9 in 10 want a workplace to be social and fun—and have a genuine desire to listen to organizational strategy sessions. Instead of being a small cog unaware of any larger mission, millennials like being in the loop regarding their company's vision, and how it is going to innovate to stay ahead of the curve.

The old business model – where you get one job out of university or school and work until you retire, and the company takes care of you for that entire time – is dead, and millennials all know it. A worker can do everything right, and still get retrenched when tough times hit. If you want your millennial workers to value the opportunity to work for your company, you need to demonstrate that you value your employees' contributions in return.

If your company can transform the way it operates to match the way these new workers think, live, and work, you will reap the rewards. Do you want to tap into the hot-shot Millennial talent out there? Contact Communicate Recruitment, we are a specialist recruitment agency that focuses on the Finance, IT, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Freight industry. With over 35 years of experience in the employment market, we will help you connect with the talent out there that your company needs.

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