This past spring, my oldest daughter graduated from college. Where did the time go! She came to me with a plan of moving from our small community to the big city of New York. She wasn’t looking for my approval; she was looking for my advice to make this plan successful.
She is a hard-working, very determined, typical Gen Y. She knows what she wants and hasn’t changed much since her second birthday! Ironically, this generation doesn’t want to be told how to do something, rather told how to be more successful.
She is finding out for herself how competitive the job market is, especially in New York. Because of this, she has become a master of “follow up” and “networking.” Remember, this generation has grown up with computers, cell phones, and other gadgets us Baby Boomers hadn’t even heard of. After she has an interview or attends a networking event, she uses all sorts of media to follow up and hopefully sets herself apart from the crowd.
As a rule, Gen Y’ers are looking for challenging positions which will generate immediate success. They want to impress their new supervisor NOW. How do you keep this group engaged and focused on what is most important to your business and retained as an employee? According to research by the Center for Sales Innovation at St. Catherine University in Minnesota, there is a strong, positive correlation between recognition and job satisfaction.
Take a look at my article “To Engage Gen Y Workers, Adopt New Approaches”. Is your company doing the right things to keep this group engaged? I would love to hear about it.
