Will Gen Y be loyal (if they get what they want at work)?

Young generation may be demanding but they’re willing to stay in one place for their entire careers – at least that is what a survey conducted by DECODE, a Toronto-based research firm, said The survey is http://www.decode.net/fromlearningtowork/. More than 57% of the 27,000 post-secondary students surveyed across Canada said they were looking for an organization where they can spend their whole career.

Survey respondents said they wanted to stay at one company for their entire career because they want a stable income and an even work/life balance. They told the survey the top companies they want to work for are the Government of Canada, Health Canada, Google, provincial governments and Apple.

“The more senior people are, the more shocked they are by a lot of the findings, but younger people understand,” said Meerkamper. He said most companies think young workers are slackers, overly demanding, apathetic, unrealistic and disloyal. “Employers are thinking, `Do I really have to take these people on? What will they to do my company? They’re so different.’”

Meerkamper said most employers are afraid the younger generation won’t be satisfied with their organization and will ultimately destroy workplace culture with their requests for raises and benefits.

In fact, 64% of Generation Y respondents said they wanted a promotion within 18 months of employment.

Meerkamper agrees that younger employees are far more demanding, but what they are asking for isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “They want care, speed, innovation, openness, freedom, but aren’t these values you need to be successful? Young employees feel free to demand or switch companies because they don’t have families to support or mortgages to pay, and they are getting married and having children later in life. They know they have to ask for things and fight for them. A lot of things they asked for, other generations would have loved. It could be resentment that this group won’t say they’ll work with their heads down blindly.”

Meerkamper said employers and graduates entering the workforce don’t need to compromise, but to understand each other. “It won’t be easily done, but students need to understand that organizations have structures that won’t change overnight.”

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