PULSE POINTS
Millennials Value Increased Flexibility in the Workplace
According to Ernst & Young ’ s ( EY ) Global Generations Research , maintaining work flexibility is one of the most important factors in making career decisions among young employees worldwide . The research surveyed nearly 10,000 young working professionals located in the U . S ., Germany , Japan , China , Mexico , Brazil , India and the U . K .
“ As management shifts to younger generations and more women are in the workforce , we wanted to get a pulse on the challenges employees at different companies face by country , generation and more ,” says Karyn Twaronite , EY ’ s Global Diversity & Inclusiveness officer . “ We were especially interested in millennials who are facing a perfect storm of increased responsibilities by moving into management and becoming parents simultaneously . Knowing that millennials and parents are under increasing pressure , we wanted to understand what employees seek in a job and why they quit , why they stay and how this differs by generation .”
Millennials are almost twice as likely to have a spouse or partner working full-time than the baby boomer generation . Twenty-six percent of millennials
said they are working more after having a child versus 13 percent of Gen X and 16 percent of baby boomers . In addition , the partner or spouse of millennials was also more likely to have increased his or her amount of time at work .
Across the board , millennials say they would be more likely to recommend a company to others , be more engaged , less likely to quit , more likely to join the company and work longer hours if flexible schedules and paid parental leave were offered .
How are you reaching out to the millennials in your workplace or making your company more attractive to this generation ? Have you considered offering a more flexible work environment to cater to the growing needs of dualworker households ?
“... millennials are facing a perfect storm of increased responsibilities by moving into management and becoming parents simultaneously .”
OUTSIDE THE WORKPLACE and inside a spa , what do millennials want ? For a closer look at millennials ’ attitude toward visiting a spa , turn to page 32 to read “ A Snapshot of the Millennial Spa-Goer .”
16 PULSE ■ March / April 2017