Getting to know Y

2010 PricewaterhouseCoopers
Generation Y Survey
Introduction

Gen Y are clearly a fast Generation Y are the individuals born between 1979 and 1990. In the labour
market, these are employees who just turned thirty or are in their 20s, a
growing segment of majority of whom have just joined the workforce.
Kenya’s workforce In Kenya, Gen Y is the group who were born around the time of the coup.
The defining events over the past decade for this Generation have been
multi-party elections, the NARC government, post election violence, the
coalition government and the referendum.

Gen Y are clearly a fast growing segment of Kenya’s workforce. 66% of

the respondents of the PricewaterhouseCoopers 2009 National Human
Resource survey reported that Gen Y employees already make up between
25% and 75% of the workforce. Gen Y are not just the next generation
of employees, but the next generation of consumers who will ultimately
determine whether future businesses will succeed or fail.

Gen Y are not just

the next generation
of employees, but
the next generation
of consumers
who will ultimately
determine whether
future businesses will
succeed or fail
Understanding the needs of Gen Y
Charles Simba is a manager in
Technology in the Advisory Department at
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Generation Y searches
for information online,
rather than reading
manual books or
articles
I would characterise Generation
Y workers as nice, optimistic and
happy. We believe that life is
good and we can succeed. We
have huge, sometime outlandish
expectations of life, the world and
the workplace. In many ways,
we are returning to traditional
values but we also find it easier to
communicate with our friends online
than in person. Technology is the
key to our hearts and minds.
Generation Y’s expressive social
networking may have a downside,
however; the time that we spend
online, interacting with friends in
cyberspace and playing video
games may be at the expense
of face-to-face interactions. For
many of us, it is socially acceptable
to conduct lively text message
conversations or post status updates
online whilst ignoring present
company.
Although radio and television still
stand out as the most popular media
for this generation, Internet use
is rapidly growing. It is assumed
that Generation Y is too engrossed
in using the Internet and new
forms of technology for them to
notice traditional media. However,
Generation Y has not abandoned
TV for new media and interestingly,
we enjoy many of the same
programmes and websites as our
older peers.
Generation Y is absorbed in a
world made possible through
technology. We are well aware
of how social changes affect us
and we use the Internet to stay up
to date. While Generation X and
earlier generations participated in
rallies, protest, and group meetings,
Generation Y prefers to launch
a movement in cyberspace and
encourage the masses to join in via
a Facebook group page.
Generation Y searches for
information online, rather than
reading manual books or articles.
We regularly read more blogs than
any other generation and we receive
our news from multiple online
sources.
Generation Y wants to be rewarded
for carrying out the most mundane
of tasks. We are children of the
‘trophy age’, where there were no
real winners or losers in competitive
sports. Instead, we all received
prizes ‘for participating’. Ours is a
mixed bag. Many of us are hard
working and efficient, especially
because we have the technologies
and tools to get more done in
less time. The others tend to be
downright lazy and self-indulgent,
wanting all of our needs to be
fulfilled now!
For this generation, work is not a
place where we go—it is ‘something
Showing up on time and we do’. Showing up on time and
putting effort in without results,
putting effort in without therefore, does not count as ‘work’.
Our generation is hesitant to adjust
results, therefore, does their lives in order to fit into the
not count as ‘work’ workplace. We would prefer to
adjust the workplace such that it
suits our lifestyles. We are therefore
keen to leverage technologies like
mobile computing and the Internet to
make our working schedules more
flexible.
According to
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2010 HR
Survey, the top three most sought-
after benefits amongst Generation
Y workers include access to online
social networks, flexible dress code
and flexible working hours. This
generation also values professional
networks and gym memberships.
Generation Y has been built for the
fast lane. With fantastic team work,
Employers are struggling to accommodate flexible
working hours, according to PwC’s HR Survey,
but they are learning to manage Generation Y’s
expectations
advanced skills in technology, social
networking and the ability to focus
on multiple tasks at the same time,
the sky is the only limit.
Companies that will reap the most
value from this generation must be
ready to make some adjustments
and adapt to the changing
demographics of today’s workforce.
These companies will demonstrate
successfully that Generation Y adds
real value to their organisations,
taking their opinions seriously and
creating clear progression paths.
Employers are struggling to
accommodate flexible working
hours, according to PwC’s HR
Survey, but they are learning
to manage Generation Y’s
expectations so that our hard work
is rewarded appropriately without
alienating older generations.
Generation Y
Recognition, Engagement and Personal
Development
Recognition, engagement and
personal development are some of
the outstanding characteristics of
Generation Y. Almost by definition,
‘the Millennials’ are a generation
of question askers, according to
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2010 HR
Survey.
They are driven by praise,
entertainment and instant
gratification. Not only do they
desire to be fully engaged in their
workplace but they also want to
contribute to major decisions. The
traditional career path based on time
Nicholas Odhiambo, is a consultant
in People & Change in the Advisory served and rungs on the ladder is
Department at PricewaterhouseCoopers. not a concept that they relish.
Employers face a number of
significant challenges with regard to
attracting and retaining Generation
Y workers. At the same time, the
innovation and creativity embodied
by Generation Y is having a
profound impact on the business
landscape.
Born between 1978 and 1990,
Recognition, Generation Y workers possess
engagement and high self esteem and a tremendous
need for mobility and flexibility. The
personal development availability of information is essential
are some of to keeping them engaged and
performing effectively.
the outstanding
They need to know that their work
characteristics of is meaningful and contributes to
Generation Y major corporate decisions, and
they require constant constructive
feedback about their contributions
and suggestions. However, they can
also have outsized expectations
which need to be managed carefully.
Research conducted by the
Chartered Institute of Personnel
Development in the UK shows that
50% of Generation Y workers who
join an organization leave within
three years. PwC’s HR Survey found
that 66% of employers report that
Generation Y makes up between
25% and 75% of their workforces;
high turnover must not be ignored.
Many Millennials have watched
their parents work for the same
organisations for their entire
professional lives only to be laid
off. Generation Y workers want to
own their own careers; traditional
development plans are not enough.
Generation Y workers look for work
that interests them, adds to their
skills base, accords them validation
for their contributions and extends
to them plenty of opportunities for
growth.
Generation Y workers often want
help in areas like financial success
and stability, relationships, health
and fitness and career development.
Mentoring, feedback, tutoring
and relationships with leadership
enhance their experience.
For Generation Y, Challenging assignments and
effective leadership, flexibility,
accountability gives personal freedom, higher rewards
and policies supporting work-life
them a sense of balance are the keys to Generation
ownership Y’s staying power.
Many employers struggle to hire
and retain Generation Y workers.
Employers must demonstrate
creativity, resourcefulness and
patience to generate results and
keep this generation engaged.
An employee attitude survey by
Gallup in 2009 indicates that an
engaged employee is one that is
praised, feels encouraged and who
enjoys plenty of opportunities for
development.
For Generation Y, accountability
gives them a sense of ownership.
Extra time spent in validating the
ideas they bring, allowing them to
participate in brainstorming and
transparency, continuous feedback
and positive reinforcement signify
recognition to this group.

Employers must demonstrate creativity,

resourcefulness and patience to generate results
and keep this generation engaged
Generation Y places new
demands on employees
Janet Ouko is a bright upcoming
engineer with the leading
pharmaceutical agency. She
consistently performs at par or
superior to her peers. She is bright
and confident just like most of her
peers at the company.
While working on a project, she
came up with what she considered
as brilliant ideas to resolve issues
on the project. She discussed them
with the project manager who puts
the brakes on implementing them
as they were fairly radical. She
constantly shared her frustrations
Wairimu R. Njage is a manager in People
and Change, in the Advisory Department
through Twitter and Facebook with
at PricewaterhouseCoopers. her colleagues in the office. On a
separate occasion, Janet bumped
into the Managing Director of the
company at a golf tournament and
in an “elevator” speech presented
her ideas. She immediately
tweeted her colleagues with the
news and updated her blog. Which
the Chairman liked, which he
recommended that the manager
implement. Welcome to the world of
Generation Y. Hungry and in a hurry
for success. Constantly in need of
feedback.
Organisations around the world are
grappling with the challenges arising
from managing different generations
at work. The Baby Boomers (those
Generation Y can born between 1955 and 1964) are
now at the top of their game in the
be considered as work place. According to research,
nearly 90% of the world’s top 200
technology savvy and firms are currently led by Boomers
highly ambitious or people from an even older
generation (probably older Boomers
who were born before 1955). Only
23 of them are led by members of
Generation X (those born between
1965 and 1971). It is worth noting
that by 2014, nearly half the
employees in the world will those
born after 1980. For purposes of this
article, Generation Y also known as
Millennials can be defined at those
born between after 1977). However,
research shows that there are
various and conflicting age-based
definitions.
The Baby Boomers created a
corporate, political and economic
landscape dominated by hierarchical
pyramidal structures underpinned by
command and control. Generation
Y are coming into the workplace
against a world context in which the
world is flat, dominated by the free
flow of information, extensive use
of social media, rapidly changing
environments and markets and
complex issues.
As the short fictional anecdote
illustrates, Generation Y can be
considered as technology savvy
and highly ambitious. In speaking
with HR managers, Generation Y
is typically described as selfish to
being very generous particularly with
regard to social causes. But is this
really the case? There is still room
for in-depth academic research
to bring out the clear dimensions
of the generational issues in the
workplace, particularly with regard to
Generation Y.
Despite the dearth of research,
there are emerging themes that
define this generation. Research
has identified what we consider
as the top five characteristics of
Generation Y particularly those
who are young professionals.
These are generalised but provide
useful roadmap for organisations to
manage this cohort of employees.
For Generation Y, work is a key part
of life and therefore issues around
work-life balance although important
should be set against the context of
fulfilling and enjoyable work. They
seek careers and job assignments
that are challenging, stretching and
intellectually stimulating.
Secondly, they tend to be high
achievers and therefore it is
important for organisations to
engage fully with their staff. They
expect clear road maps for success
with clear, consistent and constant
feedback offered. They prefer self
managing their work. In line with
this they prefer managers to coach
and mentor them given that growth
and development is important to
them. In addition, in a research
study conducted by PwC, 80%
of Generation Y participants said
that they would leave an employer
whose corporate sustainability
practices no longer met their own.
Thirdly, PwC research shows
that they will increasingly view
the organisation and the world
without boundaries. Their focus
will be on interest and opportunity,
not necessarily on monetary
rewards. They will happily begin
careers in Kenya or their home
countries but will follow well paid
opportunities internationally while
spending spells in their home
country. They are likely to shift
across functional areas, roles,
multiple cultures and economies
without the need to return to their
home counties until later in their
careers, if at all. The launch of East
African Community Common Market
Generation Y are coming into the workplace against a world context in which
the world is flat, dominated by the free flow of information
Protocol in July 2010 will amplify
this trend. With regard to internal
dynamics, colleagues are important
to Generation Y employees. The
network of friends that they make at
work is also important.
Fourth, they see their careers
defined by an infinite number of
possibilities and developing in
different directions. They believe
that they are in charge of building
their own careers through working in
positions that would develop them.
In line with this, they are keen to
learn self management and personal
productivity skills as well as gain
industry/functional knowledge as
well as technical skills. They do not
expect jobs for life and also do not
intend to work in an organisation for
life. One can expect them to leave if
not promoted.
Fifth, gender equality is now
expected and taken for granted. In
addition, Generation Y will tend to
settle down later than their parent’s
generation.
In looking at these characteristics,
they may not differ from the
expectations of different
generations. However, Generation
Y tends to be more vocal about their
expectations.
The challenges for organisations
and HR Managers in designing
talent management programmes to
take these issues into account will
focus on the following:
Work Management: Given their
need for constant, immediate,
constructive feedback managers
are bound to be put under pressure
in managing Generation Y staff.
Emphasis should be put on how
this generation can manage their
own learning and work with peers to
provide a regular flow of information
and feedback.
Management of Boundaries:
Generation Y tend to use technology
at lot more than other generations.
They reach out to peers in their
organisations, build a virtual network
of associates around the globe. The
challenge is around managing the
flow of information, deciding what
information should be maintained
in the public domain and what can
be brought into the work domain.
Creating norms and frameworks is
important.
The Design of Work: Developing
intellectual, social and emotional
capital is important for this
generation. Organisations will need
to focus on designing work that
is meaningful, delivers sufficient
autonomy for the individual to
develop themselves, allows for rapid
learning, is meaningful , challenging
and has within it opportunities for
regular feedback.
Flexibility: Providing flexibility
around working hours, packages
and benefits. Most married
Generation Y couples will be in the
work place as for them, family is not
a women’s issue but a issues for
men and women.
www.pwc.com/ke

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