Catering to the younger generation is a compassion—forward approach
Column by JAY PERRY
The World’s Happiest Country List was recently released. It was nice to see we Canadians are at number 15 (overall) out of 147 countries listed. Our neighbours to the south are close at position 23. I still find it worth pondering why arguably the two richest countries in the history of humanity are not in the number one position. One significant factor is that the young, defined as those under 30, of our nation (and the U.S.) actually dragged the number down. Our workforce is multi-generational obviously, and when we dissect the groups, we find that the younger generation, Gen X & Z, make up over 47 percent of that workforce. That could be an indicator that almost half of the workforce isn’t as happy as they could be.
This has me wondering how we can create happy employees in the workplace. We know the happier an employee, the more engaged they are in the operations of the company. So, in paying attention to what younger workers want in a career or job, we find from a 2022 study by Gallup that pay (and/or benefits) has risen on the scale to top position. This makes a lot of sense as it is the younger people that are experiencing inflation for the first time in their lives as well as facing the possibility of not having access to homeownership in their future. Financial stress is evident.
This fact cannot be remedied instantly. I feel that most leaders though, are not paying enough attention to the issue. It is not your job as a leader to just give someone more money. It is your job to provide your people with a pathway to increasing their value to the company so that they can earn more money. Compensation is related to development, growth, reward and recognition. That takes foresight, planning and cooperation. This pathway (Career Pathing) is ignored by most companies, as very few have created, implemented and supported them.
Of course, there are other things on the list of what employees want and I think this is where it can get very interesting and even easier to provide. Things such as work-life balance—which includes flex-hours—creative approaches to where and when to work, experimenting with ideas (such as a four-day workweek) and more.
Another very important issue, at 58 percent of workers: an employee wants to do enjoy what they are doing, and that is their main responsibility. This requires understanding people at a deeper level, something we teach in our coaching practice. It can start very simply with leading recruits to a realistically achievable future. Remember career pathing?
Providing mentors, coaches—from staff or outside services—in addition to advanced training courses to help them increase personal value, and this fulfills a lot of what is needed from leadership. Many of you have heard me say, “assess don’t guess” when it comes to hiring. Still, I find few that do this, and it is truly one of the ways to stay the one who’s driving!
