Pic: INPIX-RF/IndiaPicture

A survey states that young workers worldwide are more satisfied with their employers as opposed to the rest, yet are more likely to be thinking about leaving.

According to Mercer's ‘What's Working' survey, the youngest members of the global workforce represent a perplexing contradiction: compared to the overall workforce, they tend to be more satisfied with both, their organisations and jobs. They are even more likely to recommend their organisation as a good place to work. Yet, despite these positive signs, workers aged 34 and younger - and especially those under 25 - are far more likely to be seriously considering leaving their organisations at the present time.

"This generation has a very different view of work and therefore, of loyalty. They see work as a mutually beneficial exchange with their employer and when it's no longer working for them, they plan to move on. There is no strong sense of allegiance to the organisation or expectation of long-term employment. Their allegiance is primarily to themselves and their careers, and that has major implications for how employers manage this youngest segment of their workforce," says Patrick Gilbert, PhD, global leader, employee research consulting and a Mercer spokesperson.

G R Ramanath, vice president - human resource, Lapp India Pvt Ltd says, "The younger generation is prepared to step into the corporate world right through their academic curriculum. In the reining information age, they are further informed of the trends in the corporate developments and aware of the opportunities India Inc has to offer. Therefore, the youth of today seeks challenges and new assignments that excite them in a job environment. Here, money becomes a secondary parameter, as it is taken for granted that corporates are willing to pay well for the right talent."

Thus, the younger generation would like to take up challenges, execute and get recognised thereon; hence, job satisfaction is only one of the many pivotal factors determining their stay in an organisation.

So, how is India Inc retaining young talent? P Swaminathan, president, SIVA Group says, "It is vital to focus on transparent and consistent communication to retain young talent - for which one should have an objective monthly performance review system through which employees and their reporting authorities exchange information and share concrete feedback. We have one such fast-track programme to nurture and groom young leaders with the support of business heads and and the culture team."  "A two-pronged approach should be followed here - first and foremost, there is a need to openly communicate and maintain transparency about the organisation. This will imbibe confidence and a sense of security about the employer and organisation. The second most important responsibility is to look for creating and administering newer systematic mentoring and coaching programmes, which act as powerful retaining agents. At the macro-level, to avoid the brain-drain phenomena, corporate India will have to shoulder the broader responsibility of educating the youth with opportunities in the country and within their organisation," adds Ramanath.

With more consistency in global work pools, organisations today need to rethink their talent recruitment and deployment strategies in order to assure that the talent that comes into the organisation stays too!

- Arshie Chevalwala