Learning Consultancy Partnership
In This Issue
Date Change - Coaching for senior leaders Oct 22/23 Brighton
Good luck with the results
Generation Y - What lies ahead?...
Our top 10 tips for working with Generation Y
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date change - Coaching for senior leaders
Oct 22/23 Brighton 
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Good Luck
 
All of us would like to wish any of you who are involved with GCSEs and A levels the best of luck with the results

LCP Newsletter
Greetings!

 

As A level and GCSE results are upon us we thought it would be topical to look at this next generation of young people who are joining the workforce.
 
Much has been written about Generation Y and in our first article we have considered some of the questions surrounding their place in the employment market and in our second we have consolidated some of the top tips for getting the most from them by providing the appropriate leadership and support.

Generation Y - What lies ahead?
 Genb Y

Generation Y are those born between 1980 and 2005, sometimes referred to as the 'Millennials'.  With this generation now entering the employment market a lot has been written about their characteristics and they are often described as:
  • technologically competent
  • impatient
  • ambitious
  • team-orientated
  • valuing work/life balance
  • having high self-esteem and confidence
  • caring about the environment


Fortune magazine (2007), argued that Generation Y is potentially the highest performing generation in history because they are better informed, technically competent and have higher expectations of themselves than previous generations.

 
The characteristics of Generation Y are ideally suited to the fast-paced, constantly evolving, global environment that many businesses are operating in today, so it is important that their managers provide them with the right opportunities to contribute to the best of their abilities.

Before the 'Credit Crunch' most of the material written about Generation Y focused on how to recruit and retain this pool of talent.  See Deloitte's 'Generation Y moving with the times' (2007)'Generation Y moving with the times' (2007) and the CIPD and Penna's 'Gen up. How the four generations work'. (2008).

However, articles appearing in this month's People Management (August 2009) paint a very different picture.  They refer to a report by the Princes Trust and Sheffield University 'The prospects of this year's school leavers'which warns that school leavers could face the bleakest employment prospects since 1929 with the number of unemployed NEETS (not in employment, education or training) fast approaching one million; 928,000 to be exact.
 
Generation Y are the leaders of tomorrow, in fact some are already leading their own entrepreneurial businesses, and there is a real danger that due to the current climate organisations will fail to invest in their recruitment and development. 

 
The Association of Graduate Recruiters in their Graduate Recruitment Survey 2009 found that graduate vacancies have decreased and 46% of employers think they will hire fewer graduates this year.

 
Recruiting and investing in younger employees is a long-term strategy and we would advocate it as we believe organisations that do will reap great dividends in the future.
Our top 10 tips for working with Generation Y
 
Generation Y are said to be the highest maintenance generation, and yet, with the right encouragement and support they could also be the highest performers.
 
Here are our top 10 tips for working productively with this talented pool of individuals.
  
 
1.Get to know them and understand what makes them tick. Do this by encouraging  consultative communication patterns where they are able to freely express their views, opinions and ideas.


2. Give them ownership and autonomy. Generation Y have high expectations of themselves and will be motivated by challenging targets and ownership of projects and processes.  They are also used to multi-tasking, so vary roles and responsibilities.
 
3. Involve them in decision making.
Generation Y are used to getting information at the touch of a button and this makes them one of the most informed generations - don't waste it!
 
 
4. Encourage creativity and innovation. They have been taught to be curious and question things - use this curiosity to develop new products and services.
 
5. Acknowledge their achievements and deal with their development areas by providing regular feedback.
Tell them what they are doing well and what they can do differently to get the results they want.
 
 
6. Explain why what they are doing is meaningful.
Generation Y enjoy challenging work that 'makes a difference'.  They are socially and environmentally astute and aware of the wider community.
 
7. Provide opportunities for collaborative working. They are used to building relationships through social networking sites such as Facebook and understand the power of sharing information and resources.  Think about how they can work with institutions outside of the company such as colleges or charities.
 
8. Allow flexible work schedules. Generation Y are said to 'work to live' rather than 'live to work' and appreciate more flexible working arrangements.  Unlike previous generations, they are far less likely to spend a significant part of their working lives commuting or working long hours.
 
9. Provide opportunities for learning and development. The acquisition of skills and knowledge is important to Generation Y. Developing them for future roles such as running a 'future leaders programme' will help with engagement, retention and motivation.
 
10. Mentor and share information willingly.
Previous generations can help Generation Y to get 'up and running' more quickly if they share their wealth of experience through regular mentoring and coaching sessions.
 
 
Finally, it is important to remember that we are all unique individuals and there is a danger of grouping and labelling so take time to undertand each individual employee and their needs and motivations!
Learning Consultancy Partnership provides bespoke coaching and development solutions to meet the specific needs across all levels of an organisation.
 
To find out more, please visit our website at http://www.lcp.org.uk.