Through various conversations with people in many different organizations over the past 6-12 months I’ve recognized a new trend. It seems that many of these people are very qualified individuals. They have excellent education, excellent communications skills and excellent relationship skills. However, many of them have been finding themselves in unhappy situations in the office.
This group of people (late 20′s to late 30′s) I’m talking about (otherwise known as Gen Y or the Millennial Generation), which I’m right in the middle of, is looking for more out of their lives and looking for more especially out of their employer. They want more fulfillment, they want more value, they want more relationships, they want more connections, etc. The one thing they don’t want is MORE MONEY. Unfortunately, that seems to be the only thing that their employers are willing to offer.
It’s not about the money
Why do employers only offer money? I think it’s because that’s the only thing that they know how to do. They don’t want to go outside the box. They don’t want to try new strategies. Did anyone ever think of offering more holidays? How about working less hours? It seems to work in Europe, in particular France, The only problem is that this highly skilled group of people doesn’t want any more money. This is where the disconnect exists.
We are all connected now
Thanks to Smart Phones we are connected with all of our lives all at once. I am connected with the athlete, the consultant, the coach, the husband 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thus, when one of me is unhappy it affects the rest of us (us being plural for many other mes). We don’t operate like we did 40, 30, 20 even 10 years ago. We don’t eat our breakfast, travel to work, do 8 hours of work, travel home, do home things, sleep. Everything is integrated now, and companies need to realize that we need more fulfillment out of our work day than just receiving a pay cheque.
Below is an excerpt from an article from the Business Insider I found recently and I think it hits home with many of the people I’ve talked to over the past year or so.
This Is The Biggest Reason Talented Young Employees Quit Their Jobs
The biggest reason young, talented workers leave for new jobs? They’re not learning enough, writes Diane Stafford of the Kansas City Star:
“Hirers often complain that their young workers jump ship quickly. A study published this summer in the Harvard Business Review confirmed that young top performers—the workers that organizations would most like to stick around—are leaving in droves.
Researchers found that high achievers, 30 years old on average with great school and work credentials, are leaving their employers after an average of 28 months. Furthermore, three-quarters of them admit to sending out resumes, contacting search firms and interviewing for jobs at least once a year during their first employment. And 95 percent said they regularly watch for potential employers.
Multiple studies find that today’s younger workers have absolutely no intention of sticking around if they don’t feel like they’re learning, growing and being valued in a job. Beth N. Carver, a consultant who has spent 12 years researching exit interviews, finds that a loss of training opportunities and a lack of mentors in the workplace are two of the biggest reasons why young workers leave.
‘Companies need to recognize that these young workers are very mobile,’ Carver said. ‘They have to understand that they want a personal and clearly articulated career path.’ With their social media skills and easy access to job postings on the Web, they don’t have to work hard at all to find new opportunities, Carver said. ‘Sometimes changing jobs is about money,’ her exit interview research reveals. ‘Sometimes it’s because the job isn’t what they thought it was going to be. More often, they weren’t getting the personal attention, the mentoring, the coaching, the training they wanted.’”