Gen Y Human Resources Case Study

“You have a retention problem brewing, and it’s going to cost you. According to research conducted by author Dan Schawbel in conjunction with job site Beyond.com, more than 60 percent of millennial workers plan to leave their employer in less than three years, with a cost between $15,000 and $25,000 to replace each employee lost” (Prokopeak, 2013, para. 1). Generation Y, also known as Millennials, is numbered in the millions and as they make their way into the workplace, with a highly developed sense of expectation, not only from their career, but of themselves as well, their demands of their employers differ greatly than those of the traditionalists (born before 1945), boomers (born 1946-1964), and even Gen X (born 1965-1977). This generational workplace blend and eventual shift will inevitably change the workplace dynamic and will necessitate a new organizational mindset in order to adapt to this change. “These four differing generations of workers are being asked to coexist and once and managers will be challenged to minimize the friction and maximize the assets of four distinct sets of work values simultaneously” (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013, p. 60), and it will be up to your HR department to have an integrated support system for all these groups to learn how to work together and understand each other’s mindsets.

Each of these generations of workers will have a different way of understanding work, how they do that work, and how they speak to one another. HR can have a great impact in this facet—having a central point where employees can come to learn about each other is crucial to understanding that even with all their differences, each group gets its work done as well as any other group within the company. Appearances are not the sole indicator of a person’s efficiency or intelligence. Blending these various cultures effectively will have a positive impact on employee behaviors, their productivity, and overall expectations.

In order for your...