If they are not happy at work, they will readily walk away

Demographic surveys place Kenya at an average population age of 19 years old. This practically makes the country a teenager. This also means that millennials make up the largest percentage of the population in Kenya. Take a look at most organisations, and you will find that they make up majority of the work force. PHOTO | NATION

What you need to know:

  • They make up the majority of the work force, but barely clock three years at their places of work. Big corporations such as Oracle and Time Warner Inc.’s HBO have even retained ‘millennial’ advisers to help them plug high turnover, clearly, it is not just a local problem
  • Worth noting is that they compare note with their friends, and if they feel that they are getting a raw deal at their place of work, then they will jump ship.
  • There is a common scenario of younger people who want to challenge the status quo when they come on board, only to be met with resistance and rigidity  from their older counterparts, making it difficult for them to blend in or be productive.

While no one has definitively established a method of determining when generations change, there has been a general agreement among demographers that currently, there are six different generations; the first was born before 1928, the second, often referred to as the silent generation, between 1928 and 1945, the baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, generation X, born between the early sixties and 1980, and finally, the millennials, or generation Y, those born in the 1980s and 1990s.

Demographic surveys place Kenya at an average population age of 19 years old. This practically makes the country a teenager. This also means that millennials make up the largest percentage of the population in Kenya. Take a look at most organisations, and you will find that they make up majority of the work force. However, the people who call the shots in these corporates, those in mid and senior management, are the Baby Boomers and Generation X, most of whom find the millennials an engima, difficult to understand and manage. It is no wonder then that most companies record high turnover amongst this group.

It is not just a local problem, it is one that is experienced the world over, with big corporations such as Oracle and Time Warner Inc.’s HBO even retaining ‘millennial advisers to help them plug high turnover. 

The Kenyan work space has changed drastically over the years as convention tries to keep up with modernity, digital transformation and changing attitudes in the work place. Enter the millennials, those in their twenties and early thirties, all impatiently fighting for a piece, a big one, of the corporate pie as the baby boomers and generation X purse their lips in disapproval, wondering what the hurry is for.

Millennials are able to multitask; they can eat, work, listen, type and text all on the go, being the tech savvy generation. According to Rael Wanyama, who a human resources professional, they also expect work to be fun, something that their employers find outrageous.

“I mean, come on, isn’t work supposed to be a serious affair? There is also the fact that they do not just want a job, they want the job to be meaningful, and they want constant feedback, they want to know whether they are making an impact in the organisation or not,” she says, adding that they are also not ready to wait a decade for that promotion – they want it now, and if they do not get it, they will simply hand in their resignation and go look for it elsewhere.

Rael, who has been in the HR profession for over 10 years, adds that millennials have no brand loyalty, and therefore tend to have no attachment to the companies they work for.

THE FINE LIFE

“On average, they put in three years or, rarely more than that – for most of them, it is about the money, as well as job satisfaction. If another company offers more, they don’t even think about, they just jump ship.”

 This I want it, and I want it now attitude, says Joseph Orina, a HR practitioner, can be an advantage and disadvantage at the same time.

“An advantage because such a person is unlikely to stay trapped in a dead-end job and is therefore likely to rise up the career ladder faster. A disadvantage because you might come across as unreliable to potential employers, who will question why you keep changing jobs often.”

He adds,

“This generation needs to manage their ambitions; they want everything too fast – the new car, big house in that trendy estate, not realising that it takes time to acquire these things.”

Alex Ajjibu, a 26-year-old, of course thinks there is nothing wrong with wanting the finer things in life, and wanting them as soon as possible. He also thinks that the older generation does not understand them.

 “There is nothing wrong with our generation. The older people need to stop telling us how they did things in the past, they should realise this is now, that since times have changed, we need to do things differently too,” Alex, a marketing executive says.

He is a classic example of the millennial generation. He completed university in 2014, immediately switched careers from journalism to marketing, and is now in his third job.

“There is a lot of exposure that exists today, which actually gives you the freedom to be anything you want or do multiple things,” he adds.

The problem, Alex says, is that the older generation wants to impose everything on them, including how they should behave, how they should work, how they should spend their leisure time, even how they should dress.

Dr Joseph Kwasira, a human resource expert and lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), agrees with Alex, millennials, he says, should be given space to do what they want to do, but with some guidelines.

“When young people are given a set of standards to adhere to and reasonable targets, then their productivity increases, especially when they have a flexible and enabling working environment.”

He adds,

“Most of the millennials want to work flexible hours; some want to work on weekends, others want to come to work early and leave early, while others prefer coming in late and working late - these are not conventional working hours in our society, but if allowed, it boosts productivity, because they have leeway, freedom, and above all, no one forced them to do anything.”

Addressing the issue of high turnover, Dr Kwasira is of the impression that this age group tends to jump from job to job due to lack of incentives and motivation at their work place.

GREENER PASTURES

They make up the majority of the work force, but barely clock three years at their places of work. Big corporations such as Oracle and Time Warner Inc.’s HBO have even retained ‘millennial’ advisers to help them plug high turnover, clearly, it is not just a local problem. PHOTO | NATION

 “It is a fact that job retention among millennials is very low – employers need to find ways of justifying to them why they should stay put for years. One way of doing this is offering them incentives such as bonuses, recognition of their hard work, team building activities, which allow them to socialise and bond with each other – there is so much companies can offer, and it doesn’t have to be expensive,” he says.

Worth noting is that they compare note with their friends, and if they feel that they are getting a raw deal at their place of work, then they will jump ship.

But Google Kenya’s Dorothy Ooko argues that it is not all about millennials verses the older generations, rather, about the culture of the workplace.

Google for instance, allows its employees to dress down, no one has to wear a suit and tie here. They also have nap pods, where a weary employee who feels like recharging can lie in, without worrying that his disapproving boss will walk in on him. The employees can also exercise as they work – there are treadmills within the work place, and yes, you can even bring your baby to work. The company also pays their members’ gym membership. Further, they have embraced flexi time, where you get to work at you convenience, or when work demands it.

“When you take care of the well-being of employees, they perform better - this is what young people want, they also want to work in a fun environment,” She Dorothy.

She adds that ‘Googlers’ a term that refers to those who work at Google, are encouraged to practice mindfulness, a simple form of meditation that involves looking inside yourself, and listening to your inner being.

“Google is really big on the wellbeing of its employees, that’s why we have lots of team activity - it makes you feel much more valued and appreciated,” she says.

Think about it – it is true that employee satisfaction translates to productivity, so if an employee is happy, he will put in more at work, and in the process, will make his employer happy.

“If companies adopted a more flexible culture that allows young people to be, and one where there is constant communication, there will be harmony at the work place.

Majority of the employees that work at Google Kenya are in their twenties, yet, according to Dorothy, they get along very well with their older counterparts.

“It is all about the culture of the work place, not age or generational differences – everyone can adapt,” insists Dorothy.

FRAGILE EGOS

Ken Munyua, a counselling psychologist who also works with a hiring agency, says the power distance between generations comes about because they do not understand one another.

“There is a common scenario of younger people who want to challenge the status quo when they come on board, only to be met with resistance and rigidity  from their older counterparts, making it difficult for them to blend in or be productive,” he says.

Ken points out that managers should realise that the work place is no longer that withdrawn conservative space, and should therefore relax the rules a little, to accommodate this new work force.

“Young people want flexibility, they for instance don’t care what time they report to work provided they get the work done. They don’t understand why they are singled out for wearing rugged jeans and growing dreadlocks, their argument being that it is the stuff that is between their ears that matters, not what they are wearing,” he adds.

Oh, they also wants lots of feedback, and no, scolding or a harsh memo will not achieve the desired result – theirs is a fragile ego, so approach with care.

He however cautions the millennials to appreciate that they are ‘green’ in some areas that pertain to the work place, and should therefore be ready to learn.

“They need to appreciate that they don’t know everything and be willing to familiarise themselves with the work culture first before they start challenging the status quo.”

Favourite companies 

Online and electronic product firms such as Amazon, Netflix, Youtube, Samsung and Microsoft are among the global market leaders. Nike, Disneyland and Johnson and Johnson are the only non-tech global companies that millennials most desired to work in.

1. Google

2. Amazon

3. Netflix 

4. YouTube 

5.  Microsoft 

6.  Samsung

7.  Nike 

8.  Disneyland/Disney World 

9. Johnson & Johnson 

10. Apple 

This is what the millennials want

Young people want flexibility, they for instance don’t care what time they report to work provided they get the work done. They don’t understand why they are singled out for wearing rugged jeans and growing dreadlocks. PHOTO | FILE

According to the Havard Bussiness review, millennials have six wishes

  •  They want to work in an organisation they are proud of, one that is successful, high performing, competent, and has vision.

  •  They also want to be productive, so any employer that underutilises them is killing their mojo.

  •  They want to be treated fairly in terms of pay, and also interpersonally. This means that they want their views heard, and respected. They also want their opinions to count, and they want their contributions recognised and rewarded both financially and psychologically.

  •   While most employers do not agree with this, millennials actually want work to be fun. They want to work in an enjoyable environment, not a rigid and suffocating one.

  •  They also want to work with employers who share the same values. In fact, seven out of 10 believe this fact. Millennials want to work for organisations that can help them grow, and expect their employers to provide these avenues, for instance by providing right mentoring. They feel more appreciated when someone notices their efforts.

  •  They also want the companies they work for to be more people-centered than profit-centered.

The Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited’s fifth annual Millennial Survey sampled at least 7,700 millennials from 29 countries in October 2015, to learn more about their values, ambitions, and job satisfaction.

The study concluded that given a choice, 40 per cent of them would leave their current employers in the next two years. This means that several of your employees have one foot out of the door as you read this, especially if your work environment is not an enabling one.

YouGov, a daily brand consumer perception research service, conducted a study and documented the top 10 companies world over where a majority of millennials would like to work.

Google, whose work conditions are not really that different from what you see in the movie, The Internship tops the list, which is mainly dominated by tech firms.

*****

According to a 2015 survey conducted by Deloitte & Touche, these are the top seven companies in Kenya.

 DHL Express Kenya

 Procter & Gamble

 Kenya Women Finance Trust

 ICEA Lion was ranked top.

 East African Breweries Limited.

 Vivo Energy

 Procter& Gamble