One of the questions we hear most often from employers is “How can we attract talented young people to work for us?” In other words, what do young people actually want from a job?
Young people consistently tell us that culture is one of the most important factors in deciding whether to take a job or, once they have started a job, whether or not to stay in that role long term.
Of course, all young people are different and each individual will have their own preferences and priorities. Over the years, however, we have heard from thousands of young people about what matters to them most in their professional lives. From that data, we have identified these ten themes.
Great salary and benefits
We all go to work to earn a living, and young people–like all employees–are seeking a competitive salary that compensates them fairly for their work and allows them to enjoy a good standard of living.
Don’t forget about benefits, too. These additional perks can make your job offerings far more appealing. Just some of the benefits young people have told us they enjoy include:
- A generous allowance of paid time off
- Free food and drink at work
- Health benefits such as private medical insurance and mental health support
- Flexible working arrangements (we will discuss this in more detail below)
- Childcare subsidisation or support for young parents
- Pensions and future planning benefits
- Gym memberships
- Pet-friendly workplaces
Diversity and inclusion
Diverse, inclusive workplaces are more important to today’s young people than to any previous generation. It is essential that you prioritise equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at every level of your organisation, from your hiring practices to the demographic makeup of your senior leadership teams.
You will need to recruit from diverse sources and ensure that you are using inclusive language in your job ads, strive to make your interview process more fair and equitable, and take steps to ensure that diverse voices and perspectives are valued in your workforce. If your teams are too homogenous, many young people will simply feel that they do not belong and self-select out before they even apply.
The opportunity to make a positive difference
Young people are socially conscious and want to make a difference. To attract the best talent, you will need to demonstrate how your organisation’s work does good. Charitable initiatives, corporate donations, and volunteering opportunities for staff also help to fulfil this need.
Meaningful career progression
When they take on an entry-level job, many young people will view it as the first step on their career journey. To keep your best people, you will need to offer them meaningful opportunities for career progression.
Does your organisation offer chances for promotion or have a culture of promoting from within? If so, make these aspects clear at the earliest stages of your hiring process. In other words, show that you offer not just a job but a career.
Job security and stability
In today’s uncertain financial landscape, young people are increasingly seeking job security and stability. This means offering a minimum number of guaranteed hours in the case of part-time work, or a fixed and stable salary for full-time work. It also means limiting or eliminating short-term or fixed-term job contracts in favour of long-term and stable employment.
Training and development opportunities
Most young people want to grow and develop in their job roles, improve their skills, and take steps up the career ladder. By offering training and development opportunities, you show that you value their growth and progression.
You might offer workshops or seminars in the workplace, opportunities to travel to conferences and industry events, funding for industry courses or qualifications, or even funding for college, university, or other higher education courses.
Flexibility
The COVID-19 pandemic normalised remote working, and young employees still value flexibility enormously. Are you able to offer a choice of on-site, remote, or hybrid working? If so, you immediately open up your roles to more prospective young employees.
Flexible hours can be valuable, too. Can you offer flexible start and finish times or a degree of freedom in where and when work is completed? This will not be possible for all jobs but where it is possible, it can make jobs much more appealing.
Work/life balance
Young people do not want to have to choose between career success and enjoying the rest of their lives. This means it is vital to offer a positive and sustainable work/life balance.
To offer a good work/life balance, try to restrict the amount of overtime employees are expected to work. If unsociable shifts such as evening and weekend work are part of your organisation’s needs, aim to divide up these shifts fairly and equitably. In addition, ensure that employees are able to fully “switch off” by limiting work communications outside of working hours and letting them know that replies out of hours are never expected.
Caring and supportive management
Young people, like everyone, want to feel supported and cared for by their managers. They want open and communicative relationships, to feel listened to when they raise issues or concerns, and to know that their managers will stand behind them if needed.
Great management is an art, and you might need to provide additional training to managers of young employees to ensure that they are able to offer the level of support and care required to give these employees a truly great experience of working for you.
A positive company culture
Coming to work should be a positive experience, and a great company culture is perhaps the biggest contributing factor to this. A positive company culture should be friendly and welcoming, diverse and inclusive, open to feedback, aligned on important values, and working towards a common goal.
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