HR practitioners have been scratching their heads as to how they can better manage younger employees in the workplace now.

Line managers and HR practitioners have numerous complaints about Generation Y. Loosely defined as those who entered the workforce after 2000, the grievances range from chronic job-hopping, the lack of employer loyalty, the refusal to perform mundane and tedious tasks and even listening to their ipods at work.

Most of the complaints are valid indeed. Younger employees are indeed more prone to job-hopping for higher compensation, and always want to be recognised for their contributions at work. Furthermore, they expect employers to plot a career path for them in the company, or they are out of the door the minute they find better career prospects.

Some smart employers are seeking answers at the other end of the generational cycle by recruiting older workers (see this month's cover story on page 20). But with Singapore's aging demographic, companies would eventually have to recruit young blood in order to replace those who are retiring in droves.

But all is not lost when it comes to managing Generation Y workers.
At the recent AIESEC forum, PricewaterhouseCooper's advisory partner, Subramanian Iyer, recounted a survey which asked young employees were looking for in a career. He listed answers such as an interesting job, rewarding and engaging work challenges and respect at the workplace.

"And at the end of the day, are these attributes so different from what I want in a career?" Iyer asked.

To recognise its younger staff members, PwC has started holding its bashes of the end of each audit period at nightspots which cater to the Generation Y crowd. Unilever, on the other hand, tasks its line managers to coach and mentor their younger employees, and even includes this in senior manager's KPIs. (See this month's Q&A on page 39 for more.)

HR practitioners should also be more proactive and communicate the company's talent management plans with Gen Y employees. If employees know that their time in the company will be fruitful, it would certainly make them think twice before heading out the door.

So while younger employees do have to shape up to meet the current demands of the workforce, HR practitioners must also keep in mind that this group of workers isn't so different from employers of the older generations. With some communication and effort to engage younger workers, the Generation Y mystery might just be easier to unravel after all.

Lis Cheong

Editor