DECODE’s very own Eric Meerkamper was on Canada AM on Friday to talk about From Learning to Work Findings.
My name is Jamie Erickson. I am an HR professional and an employee of DECODE.
When I first read this article I was kinda surprised. I was surprised because I had all kinds of assumptions about Gen Y values and what’s important to them in the workplace. The fact that they are seeking stability and security was something that I had not expected. My perception has been that they were more inclined to move from job to job and not look for a place to call home. In addition I had not stopped to consider that they would be willing to take a job that was less ideal in nature when starting out their career. When I stopped and began to realize the implications of my thinking and the assumptions I was making a few things crystalized for me. Let me pose these in terms a series of questions:
1. What are the implications of this kind of thinking to attracting and engaging young employees?
2. How is it possible to orient them to an organization when I don’t fully understand their needs?
3. If I don’t understand them and do manage to hire them, how could I keep them?
When I stand back and look at those questions in a broader context there are huge implications to recruiting costs and building organizational capacity.
So let me ask you this. Do my questions resonate for you? Has your thinking been similar to mine? Is your organization organized and prepared to look at new graduates and young employees in a different way? Do you think that there is a huge strategic advantage in thinking differently about young employees? I would really like to know.
Does anyone have any horror or success stories you would like to share?
Hello and welcome to the blog for the “2008 From Learning to Work” study. Please keep checking back, as we plan on debating and exploring the implications of this important report.
For now, here’s the press release and report.
