Lack of authority and an inability to see where their contribution fits into the big picture is leaving Generation Y, or Millennials, disengaged and disenchanted with work, according to a report by BlessingWhite.
Surveying more than 7,500 people and interviewing 40 HR and line managers, the report found that lack of seniority appears to be the problem: put simply, “senior executives are generally more engaged than frontline managers or individuals”, says Christopher Rice, BlessingWhite’s CEO.
In a worldwide survey, BlessingWhite compared engagement levels of Baby Boomers (b.1946-1964), Gen X (1965-1977) and Gen Y (1978-1990).
Defining “full engagement” as: “an alignment of maximum job satisfaction (’I like my work and do it well’) with maximum job contribution (’I help achieve the goals of my organisation’)”, it found Gen Y employees wanting, especially in south-east Asia and China. Levels of disengagement are shown below.
| Baby Boomer | Gen X | Gen Y | |
| Australia /New Zealand | 13 per cent | 24 per cent | 25 per cent |
| China | n/a | 34 per cent | 33 per cent |
| Europe (ex.UK & Eire) | 18 per cent | 20 per cent | 28 per cent |
| India | 16 per cent | 12 per cent | 14 per cent |
| North America | 17 per cent | 20 per cent | 25 per cent |
| Southeast Asia | 16 per cent | 20 per cent | 35 per cent |
| UK & Eire | 18 per cent | 22 per cent | 30 per cent |
Most feel under-used and not connected to the organisation’s overall strategy, and are struggling to define what it is they want from their work, says the survey.
The UK’s millennials are also showing signs of restlessness. They want ‘more opportunities to do what I do best’, with career development and training also highly important. The majority trust their managers, but the least engaged feel bosses could do more to encourage and reward them. Only 48 per cent of all of the Britons surveyed trust their senior leaders, though.
Contrast this with India, where engagement levels are high across the age categories and fairly consistent across job titles. BlessingWhite suggests this is a result of India’s dynamic, knowledge-based business culture.
Disengaged Gen Y’ers may either just look for another job or — potentially worse — stay, complain and not produce. It may be possible to coach them to higher levels of engagement. If not, Rice’s verdict’s tough: “Their exit benefits everyone including themselves.”
Those who want to try the coaching approach can pick up some ideas from BNET’s feature on managing millennials.
