EFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF MILLENNIALS WITH RESPECT TO THEIR EXPECTATIONS Abstract

EFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF MILLENNIALS WITH RESPECT TO THEIR EXPECTATIONS Abstract

EFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF MILLENNIALS WITH RESPECT TO THEIR EXPECTATIONS

Abstract: The study “Effective Engagement of Millennials”, identifies the various behavioral as well as social traits that junior associates exhibit while working in the organization. Variety of observations were made from their behavior. The study was conducted for junior associates working in TCS Pune for the Diligenta customer. A group activity followed by a structured questionnaire was chosen to derive the observation and identify the problem areas. Based on the observations and responses obtained from the questionnaire, a framework of various initiatives was designed to curb the existing problem.

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Keywords: millennials, workplace, engagement, behavior traits, expectations, etc.

Introduction: Most of the organization face problem when it comes to managing the different generations that exists in the organization, their behavior, working pattern, mindset, etc. In order to remain relevant and productive, the organization needs to come up with strategies and initiatives to bridge the gap that exists between the different generations existing in the workplace.

Objective of the study:

1. To get the inputs regarding behaviors and response pattern of junior associates based on parameters such as gender, age, work profile, work culture, etc.

2. Based on results, come up with a deployable HR plan in action for the associates.

3. Being a pilot study for one of the customers, replication of this in other customer profiles as well.

Literature Review:

Most of the organization largely consists of millennials. Millennials, since they are the youngest generation, experience certain drawbacks when the picture of older generation come into being in an organization. Millennials seek for work-life balance along with a workplace that offers meaningful & interesting job which is exciting as well as one which adds on to their satisfaction index. Management, mainly consisting of baby-boomers, Generation X & Generation Y or Millennials, may have a slightly different expectations within the workplace and it may not necessarily align with the expectations that the millennial generation seeks.

In the workplace, baby boomers and Gen Y are known to find their identity through their jobs and behavior, their characteristics to take up extra work than necessary. The generational difference existing in the organization may make it difficult for the management to engage the millennials in an effective manner at the workplace. This may have negative repercussion for the organization.

India’s millennial generation is bigger than China’s or the U.S., which will boost the nation’s labor force to the world’s largest by 2027, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of United Nations population-projection data.

India is on track to become the youngest country in the world by 2020, with a median age of 29, highlighting the outsized role of it millennial generation in spurring growth. The country’s more than 400 million Millennials—those born after 1982—account for a third of India’s population and 46% of its workforce. They may be young, but they’re already the chief wage earners in most households, with millennial income contributing to 70% of total household income, according to a new report from Morgan Stanley Research.

According to 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey, good pay and positive corporate cultures are most likely to attract both millennials and Gen Z, but the keys to keeping them happy are diversity, inclusion, and flexibility. Unfortunately, survey respondents believe that most business leaders, rhetoric notwithstanding, are not truly committed to creating inclusive cultures. Many respondents, especially in emerging markets, view the gig economy as an attractive alternative or adjunct to their jobs.

There has been various research attempting to understand millennials and their engagement at the workplace as it can potentially impact several aspects of an organization. Inadequacy in employee engagement can result in lowering the productivity of the millennials as well as of the organization ultimately affecting the turnover rate, and company’s revenue.

As traditionalists and baby boomers are getting retired, the organization is slowly and steadily becoming dominated by Gen X and millennials. Every generation is exposed to different socio-cultural and economic forces of their time which govern their perceptions and work-values. Thus, resulting in a clash in values of the different generation existing together in the organization, ultimately leading to the crevice in the workplace.

Inappropriate and problematic work environments leads to a decreased level of employee engagement that can severely impact various different aspects of the organization. Therefore, it becomes necessary for an organization to design and develop a framework for millennials that facilitates organizations to serve the needs of their human resources in a better way. This research seeks to understand millennials in the workplace, using data collected from individuals who were employed at the time of the current study.

Questions asked in the feedback sheet
Behavioral traits and competencies observed
1. Do you have a clear understanding of your career path?
Career Orientation
Self-motivation
2. On the scale of 1-5, rate your satisfaction index for the organization. If it’s below 3 state the reasons.
Organizational citizenship behavior
Organizational belongingness
3. How frequently do you receive recognition from your manager?
Rewards ; Recognition
4. On the scale of 1-5, rate your satisfaction with respect to management’s communication to you.
Leadership connect
5. On the scale of 1-5, rate your supervisor for the on-time guidance provided by him/her.
Need for effective mentoring
6. Three words that you would think of about your current work culture.
Satisfaction Index about the work

7. What do you see as your supervisor’s greatest strength?
Communication with Leaders
8. One positive input which you would like to share with your supervisor.
Check on leadership
9. Do you get regular business updates from your management?
Clear idea about business impact of the work
10. How often you are given a chance to speak out your ideas about the project?
Idea sharing

Methodology:

The target group chosen for this activity was TCSers having experience of up to 2 years, working in the Diligenta account. As the most suitable, a team interaction activity was chosen as methodology for this. Data was collected for the study using structured questionnaire, and observing the behaviors depicted by these associates during the interaction.

The junior associates were divided into multiple batches. Associates in each of these batches were further divided into various teams randomly in order to break their comfort zone and facilitate interaction. The whole purpose of conducting the activity was to derive maximum observation from these associates to identify their working pattern. A questionnaire was given to these associates at the end of the activity. The questionnaire included indirect questions to gain the associate’s insight on various factors such as career path, work culture, satisfaction index, supervisor, project, etc.

Observations made from the activities conducted
Seeking clarifications & communicating

Strategic approach

Leadership attitude

Enthusiastic

Collaboration and Team work

Collective decision making

Willing to go an extra mile
Branding and Sense of involvement & belongingness

Lack of clarity of thought

Creative thinking and approach

Data Input-
The below mentioned graphs are the findings based on the data collected from various junior associates of the Diligenta account.

Graph 1: Clear Understanding of Career path

Inference- Approximately, 81% of the junior associates have a clear understanding of their future paths and career goals.

Graph 2: Satisfaction index for the organization

Inference- Only 41% of the junior associates have rated their satisfaction index on the higher side while around 59% of the associates are not much satisfied with the organization.

Graph 3: Receiving recognition

Inference- 86% of the associates feels that the organization does not give recognition to them for their work.

Graph 4: Satisfaction with respect to management’s communication

Inference- Only 38% of the surveyed associates are satisfied in terms of communication made to them by the management.

Graph 5: On-time guidance provided by the supervisor

Inference- Almost equal number of associates lies on both the side of rating their supervisor for the on-time guidance provided by the supervisor.

Graph 6: Associate’s thought about their current project work culture

Inference- A good number of associates are positive about their current project work culture and think that it is friendly, innovative & interesting. While at the same time a good number of associates also think that it is boring & stressful.

Graph 7: Supervisor’s greatest strength

Inference- Among the various areas, less number of associates has mentioned “clarity of thoughts” as their supervisor greatest strength, indicating that there is a flaw in the communication system between the senior and junior associates.

Graph 8: Positive output about the supervisor

Inference- From the various positive output obtained from the associates about their supervisor, most of them think that their supervisor are responsible, supportive and have good communication skills.

Graph 9: Getting business updates from the management

Inference- 51% of associates are not getting regular business updates which implies that the associates are not aware about the impact created in the business world by their work.

Graph 10: Idea Sharing

Inference- 63% employees feels that they are not given the opportunity to speak out their ideas about the project.

Business Recommendations:
Based on the inferences derived from the responses of the associates below are the recommendations that needs to be incorporated in the business strategy to curb the existing problem of the organization.

Initiatives like career mentoring sessions, support, guidance, and coaching from executives, for career guidance needs to be taken up for associates who do not have a clear understanding of the career path.
Strengthening the communication between the junior and senior associates by organizing Leadership connect, townhalls, joint meeting between them once in a month, can help in making the process of on-time guidance provided by the supervisor more effective.
This will also help in creating a work environment that facilitates mutual growth and collective problem solving of the associates.
Celebrating work anniversaries of the employees, surprising them with small treats, giving them titles such as employee of the week or month for their excellent performance, rewarding employees who come on time every day, or for any “out of the box” idea presented by them; with batches, movie tickets, food coupons, gift cards, etc. can help in improving the satisfaction index of the employees.
According to a study conducted by Cornell University’s researchers, Kevin Kniffin, Jubo Yan, Brian Wansink and William Schulze, listening to music with steady beat at the workplace increases the probability of people being in sync with each other. Music proved to be especially valuable when it came to effortless team work and productivity. The research also showed that happy music has the power to create a supportive and positive environment at workplace. Thus, a similar practice of playing instrumental music or certain cartoons on the screen at the workplace can be incorporated that can help in increasing the productivity of the associates.
Allowing the associates to spend 20% time or a day in a week for working on a project of their interest which is relating to their goals about which they are passionate can result in great positive outcome.
To make the associates aware of the impact created by their work, organization can keep them updated by displaying about it on screen in the ODCs, screensaver or desktop picture on their computers, launching app that provides business update specifically designed for the purpose, etc.
Organization can take initiatives to encourage the associates to present their views and ideas on the project by rewarding them food coupons, gifts, etc..

Current status and outcome:

References:

Journal- Maria Wanda Koperty?ska*, Krystyna Kmiotek** ENGAGEMENT OF EMPLOYEES OF GENERATION Y – THEORETICAL ISSUES AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey – https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/millennialsurvey.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/morganstanley/2017/06/23/indias-millennials-to-drive-growth-in-four-key-sectors/#3fb4384f271a

http://www.themillennialimpact.com/about

https://www.randstadusa.com/workforce360/managing-gen-y-z/#/methodology

https://www.ibef.org/industry/information-technology-india.aspx

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