How is the new generation shaping the future of work?
What do six young employees talk about around a Sunday table?
J., 25 years old, working online as a freelancer in a video game design company, talks about the huge fear that her work will soon be replaced by some highly developed AI software.
Ch., 27 with a permanent job in the Public Sector, fixed hours and a guaranteed future career, is not afraid of AI, but of stagnation. "How will I develop if I never get to know any other work environments?" -while claiming to be jealous of freelancers.
G. and M., at 28, will soon leave their parents' jobs to travel the world with a camera - freelance content creation is the new business - and they disagree with Ch, "You know how big the competition is in freelancing? "
K. asks how many hours and for how many employers she can work for, according to the new labor law and O. wonders if he has the right to speak to his employer about micro-discrimination and work culture.
Αn oxymoron combination of great self-confidence along with deep insecurity about the future forms the sense of being a young employer today. Young workers today are more technologically advanced but rightly fear the constant competition, they are young but talk about Burnout all the time, crave for stability and security but grew up doing job hopping, struggle in the corporate environment but want all the benefits it can bring to them.
At the heart of the challenges and fears of young employees today is the issue of (self)care, both at work, but also personally and socially. Young people now not only refuse to work more than 8 hours, demand paid overtime and a balance between personal and professional life, but they are often more eager to quit work environments that are not inclusive and do not align with their values.
Exactly these issues and many more, form the topics of our discussions with Giorgos Korres and Christos Damalas who give us the empirical perspective of the self-created employer on the one hand and creative management on the other, while in the first chapter, three young employees talk to us about the challenges they face in the modern workforce.
Up next, Lydia Peraki, Sustainability Specialist, writes about how companies recognize that embracing sustainability can give them a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining new top talent, while at the end of this newsletter you will find infographics on the latest job trends.
In this newsletter we try to measure the pulse of future employees, outlining the future of work and leadership, listening and understanding the modern needs of our era and its young people, with leniency in judgment and honesty in the gaze.
EDITING TEAM FOR THIS ISSUE:
- Anastasia Makarigaki
- Dimitris Tzimas
- Mirela Dialeti
ARTWORK FOR THIS ISSUE:
DESIGN + WEB:
EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTORS:
- George Korres
- Christos Damalas
- Lydia Peraki
LEGAL RESPONSIBLE:
- FurtherUp
- Skoufa 27, Athens
- info@furtherup-hr.com
- www.furtherup-hr.com
Young Professionals share insights about the most essential employer traits for fulfilling a company’s purpose
3 young employees aged from 24-29 talk about what employer traits & values are more essential when serving a company's purpose.
I am a 28 year old man, born and raised in Greece. My experience in the Greek job industry started in a small multinational technical services company, then in one of the most successful startups in Greece, and now I'm in a Dutch start-up, opening offices in Greece. I studied Economics at OPA and finished my military service in 2019. My background is sales and account management, with 4 years of experience so far, having passed through managerial positions and being a manager now.
What I always looked for, since the beginning of my career, is the connection of universities with the labor market. Being a junior, you're practically in the awkward position where all the jobs you can pick up require experience or are unpaid internships. Practically, you feel that you cannot sell yourself and your knowledge. This puts you in an opportunistic job search process, especially if you want to start your career quickly or if you are in financial need. Let's take for example neighboring countries that, they all somehow have a smooth integration into the labor market through alumni networks etc. I put so much emphasis on the beginning of a career, because the things one will deal with during the initial stages of his/her career, significantly determine what one will deal with in the future.
Moving from a toxic Greek family environment to a start-up, I think millennials (myself included) really appreciate the flexibility in the work environment that focuses on the result, without getting stuck on the way the result is succeeded.. From working remotely on an island to coming to work in whatever clothing you want, that can make you feel free and that you can express yourself. In the end, it doesn't matter how you get results and we want to stick to formulas. If you do a good job, you can choose how you work.
Another reason I stayed at a start-up was that I had a new, brilliant manager who understood me and helped me develop, giving me the opportunity to build a team from scratch and create a small environment myself, as I envisioned it. Being in an environment with new people, with significant earnings and at the same time learning new skills, for me, is the recipe for success.
The work environment in multinational companies, on the other hand, is uninspiring, governed by antiquated ineffective practices and anachronistic perceptions of gender, politics, racism and all social justice issues. Young people are not given the opportunity to develop quickly, an environment of unhealthy competition prevails and the upper management does not have any communication channel open, nor of course does it receive (and give) feedback. By all accounts, an environment that does not promote open communication, flexibility and the recognition of people, an environment that promotes people with toxic behaviors and does not accept bottom-up feedback is certainly not attractive to anyone. The reason people work in such positions is just to gain experience, make a living, and be able to sell their work in the future for a higher price.
A new employee, to stay in a position, does not need just money and prestige. He needs to feel included, to permanently develop his knowledge and to feel that his work has an impact, on him/herself and on society in an indirect or direct way.
To retain good talent, I believe companies should invest first and foremost in people, because people will ultimately drive them forward. They need to invest in HR, L&D, and internal forms of feedback. To invest in someone that an employee can talk to comfortably, without fearing that he/she will be fired, his/her promotion will be cut off, etc. The company should take action and punish wrong practices in a timely manner, while rewarding the positive climate. People in mid and upper management should be constantly judged by their subordinates and promoted based on qualitative criteria and not just quantitative ones. And above all, it’s important for individuals to develop and learn. A very good program I learned from my previous company, for example, included sessions with an organizational psychologist when I was promoted to manager. This taught me how to empathize with my team, communicate my goals better, allocate resources more effectively and in general, how to become a better professional with my team.
But in the end, there is no such thing as a perfect environment. Everyone has different career aspirations, long-term and short-term desires, financial and non-financial rewarding aspirations, and many more. But times are changing. As our generation slowly begins to take the reins, we all want (and should) make our mark, learning from the old and changing the problematic tactics while keeping the great practices.
My career journey began when I was 18, when I first worked in the sector of food\drink and restaurant services. The conditions in the industry are more or less known. Exhausting hours, poor working conditions, half the entitled labor stamps -or no stamps at all-and demanding customers with little understanding towards the workers. Without a hint of irony, I could say that I was one of the lucky ones, even though I was demanded to work up to 12 or 16 hours a day during those 3 years, I was paid when I was due and I always had my bonuses (Easter, Summer, Christmas), earnings that are not taken for granted in the industry.
Because of my degree in Marketing, I was later able to join a company active in the HR industry and more specifically in the field of Executive Search. When I started, all I cared about was improving my working conditions, even if I was getting the bare minimum wage. Things, however, did not turn out that way. From the beginning, I had a very satisfactory salary, but my quality of life did not improve due to the change in my work environment, and I had to reflect on what was really to blame for that.
Working in a fast-growing multinational company at 24, my main needs that I felt and feel are not being met are the work-life balance demand and the quality of life that results from it. Unfortunately, it is a “common secret” that this need, which has emerged in recent years, is used more as a “bait” to attract new employees, than a culture trait meant to improve the quality of the working life of the existing workforce. This is also clearly visible if we notice the exterminating working hours, which from the standard 8 hours\a day, turned into 8 pure working hours with the additional half hour of the legally guaranteed break. However, the problem is neither the 8 nor the 8.5 hours. The problem is the endless hours of overtime we are asked to do, in order to meet the excruciating deadlines, for which the actual workload of each team and individual worker is never taken into account. In order to justify unpaid overtime, companies usually say that your work schedule is solely your responsibility, and it is -always- a good time to improve the soft skill called “time management”.
There are many times when one of us had to cancel a private appointment because the work time at the office just wasn't enough. I think we try so hard to show good will at work, that most of us neglect our personal needs and redefine our limits to achieve better performance at work. Contributing to all this is ofcourse the notion that as a younger generation we are considered by our seniors, "a spoilt” generation that only demands rights without commiting to obligations.
What we really need as a generation is the practical application of work-life balance and its integration into the culture of the organizations we work for.
After all, it is now well known that companies that have happy employees are those that have the best returns.
We spend most of our day in our workplace, whatever that is: In our home, our office or even our car. Therefore, we all want this space- what we call working space in the broadest sense- to be pleasant.
For me it is very important to be able to associate with people with a common vision and dreams in my workplace. With people young who speak the same language (in a non literal way of course). Additionally, I want my colleagues to be polite and receptive, to promote a spirit of unity and understanding. Under no circumstances should I have second thoughts about asking something or, even worse, be embarrassed about what I may not know. In the first years of the career in a certain position or company, we are trying to learn how the work is done and how each company works.
Another thing that I consider necessary and look for in a job is that the position gives me the necessary tools in order to be able to grow as a professional and as a person. I would like to have the necessary materials available in my workplace to be able to develop my knowledge and skills, either through training programs, online modules or even external study programs.
I still notice how important flexibility is at work: To have the possibility of remote working, as well as an office, as well as partial adaptation of our program to the needs of our day/ Some tasks obviously require physical contact with colleagues and this is often necessary, but sometimes it is equally important to be able to concentrate in the peace of your home and complete the work at hand. Of course, everything depends on the nature of the work.
Last but not least, earnings are definitely a motivator. Especially for us young people who have increased needs • Starting our lives, we want to travel, go out, rent a house, get a car etc. We want to live decently, to be able to stand on our own feet and to be able to see the (professional) future with optimism.
George Korres, Pharmacist and Chairman of the KORRES Natural Products Board, talks to us about how businesses are listening to the needs of young workers, optimistically outlining the future of work and what it means to give your best self for the next generation
Overall we have a lot of young employees at KORRES. One thing that obviously saddens us all is that young children find it difficult to find work these days. In the past, in the 2000s we had a big problem finding young people for positions when now the "supply" is very high. Of course, I must say that in the last 3-4 years the situation is actively improving, but we went through a decade of a very difficult crisis and I am really sad for the young people who found themselves starting their worklife during these years-we also have many young people who left during this time. Now it’s about doing what's best for these young people.
Obviously young people today are looking for a decent salary, which I think goes without saying and we can't exclude it as a need. I also think they are looking, certainly more now than in the past, for decent behavior. I feel that the good environment and great attitudes of colleagues and leaders are extremely high in their pursuits. Thirdly and most importantly is that they are also looking for a personal challenge. I believe that young employees are looking to evolve further in work environments where they can become better and achieve more.
Well, I do not think that we should read manuals, but behave in a way we feel is more ethical- and make sure that we have partners who feel the same way. I feel much better when I'm working with partners who understand what's right and then these people become leaders and then these leaders build teams around them, rather than have me or an HR department coming in and imposing whatever we think can form a "culture".
The important thing is to build a chain of people who think in the same and right way, and that this is perpetuated further.
Our next leaders must be young people with corresponding values, who can inspire, direct and set the tone for adancement and evolution. This is the only way to build a good culture.
If someone doesn't understand how important flexible work is to all of us, I think they're out of touch. Remote working is good for everyone and is here to stay. For example, we have a partner who lives in Japan. He moved there 3 years ago with his family and we continue to work together regularly. You see, even in a long-term relationship like this, with such different schedules, at the other side of the world, we manage. As always in life, some may take advantage of remote working, while for others it is a tool of productivity and convenience.
When you have your personal dignity you can be more present from afar than if you are physically present, even everyday, in the office.
I don't think we should force physical contact, in many departments in this job team management can work remotely. Of course, remote working does not replace physical presence at all when we have more complex issues to solve and our most productive moments are of course when we are all together. But being able to remotely enter one, two, three or more ZOOM rooms within the day, if you think about it, can make us more productive and also enrich our inclusiveness. People who couldn't be there, now can be part of the team. This is what progress looks like.
There are jobs where degrees are necessary, for example if you are an engineer, an electrician, a lawyer or a doctor, of course. But there are other types of work, such as social media, communications, marketing or sales, where one can approach them having obtained dozens of other types of degrees. If we look at it from this point of view, I don't know if academic knowledge is really important, because your personal drive and personal culture is what really counts.
One thing that I personally look for, especially in communications, in how we talk about our brand, are those “intangible” elements that are not described by a degree or some seminars. I will say it in a "naive" kind of way, but what really counts is: What books do you read, what music do you listen to, what things do you love, what brands do you like, what trips do you take, what do you post and photograph, what are your hobbies, passions, loves? This is what I want to see. You judge someone more by their personality overall than by whether they have graduated from any kind of university.
Your innovation with the 6 KORRES Labs that you have created, with a core network of ethical collaborations, zero-waste herbal extraction, scientific research, the development of high specification compositions and sustainable production methods, emphasize recycling and make you a brand with a special target group of young people interested in sustainability. What other young employee recruiting initiatives, related or not, are you proud of?
I've always had in my mind that what matters is to do things in the best way we can. We started extracting internally, working in the laboratory, supporting growers, avoiding chemicals in times when these notions were not “fashionable”. I remember trying to avoid chemicals during the late 90s and being told "This can't be done". However, we were trying and we succeeded because I felt that you should pursue what you believe has value.
Try to be your best self. This is what brings success: Being your best self and giving opportunities to younger people to be their best selves too.
This is how a personal path is built, a chain, a way of thinking that has led to the fact that now that we are 400 people and I don't need to lead all of them. On the contrary, younger people have taken over and their personal values are now the values of our company. If you do things that you are proud of and do your best in everything, that is the right way. The labs are an expression of this logic and this is how we continue working, to this day.
No, that didn't happen for me. What I loved was reading. I read many business stories of people who managed to create something from scratch. I was looking to learn things at a time when it was very difficult, I am a Pharmacist and I have also worked on the counter for many years. I remember going to the College of Athens and taking courses like "introduction to entrepreneurship, introduction to finance, management, marketing”-at that time university courses for adults did not exist. I was searching alone, we didn't have the internet, Tedx talks, youtube, etc. So, I wouldn't say that I had mentors, but, of course, many people inspired me with their quality and values.
I am optimistic. I feel that young people are more cultured, more sophisticated, and they have already seen so many things. It is easier to find yourself today compared to the past. Today's younger employees are crossing boundaries, they own a broad and global point of view, they are building companies and communities on their own and not just in Greece. The difficulty of creating a brand in the 90's was unimaginable, today younger people have the opportunity to do unique things and be seen globally. Overall, I think everything is going really well.
For example, we used to work 6 days\week , then 5 days\week, now some are talking about a 4 day working week and remotely, the digitization possibilities of technology are growing and the need for physical presence is now less, we have incredible access to information and the ability to send our message around the whole world. Young people use these possibilities tremendously.
It is very important that we never look at progress negatively. Consider that, when the cell phone came out in the late 80's- early 90's, there were many people who were embarrassed to use it, even though it was clearly a very useful tool. All these accusations about social media today seem a bit funny to me, the contribution is huge, society is moving forward, always finding ways to evolve. Of course a tool's value depends on its use, but we must not forget that young people are the reason that progress is facilitated.
To myself, to my kids, and to friends, what I would say is that it's incredibly important to figure out what you're good at. I don't mean marketing or numbers, but what personally makes you happy. Do you like talking to people, being isolated, selling things? I realized what I'm good at long after 30, at 35-37-38.
Look within yourself to see what makes you happy. When you understand that this is your part, that's where you go.
For example, friends of my children who have finished the Polytechnic University and enter the laboratory often say "I can't work here". This is extremely important because they have an idea of what they want. If you like to do something else, look for directions there. What is easy for you in the most human notion, what excites you is what you ll be able to offer. That's where your future is.
The second thing I want to say is "go with the flow". It's hard to strategize and think in order and positions, it's a compulsion. Life brings things before us. Give your best self even if the work you are doing is "ridiculous" in retrospect to your capabilities. Try to go over yourself regardless. Do it all the way. It has happened to us many times as a company- a person comes to fill a certain position and at some point we just discover that this young person can do other things due to his\her behavior, quality and values. We have seen young people evolve in the organization, in the same and ultimately other positions, because of their character and quality.
So first, do what makes you feel happy and secondly, whatever it is, do it all the way. Trust the direction life gives you.
Christos Damalas, CEO of MSPS, talks to us about the essential needs but also the challenges of young employees in the modern work environment, job hopping and the value of creativity, while urging young people to dare in every next step.
The average age of our employees is around 31 and is higher than the one of 10 years ago. The main reason why this happens is still the post-COVID-effect, which promotes the sense of safety, as a need, very high in the rank of priorities for employees. We didn't have that much mobility. We are also not growing at the rates we grew in all the other periods when we had an organic growth, our normal turnover did not happen during these 3 years - In short, the employees who were young, now grew.
You are a work environment with a core, so to speak, of creativity. We live in a time when many young people report that it is no longer the university education that matters, but work experience and personal drive - especially in such professions. Have you seen such cases in the company?
I think the key word is indeed “drive”. We've seen people with no degree, with a completely unrelated degree, and with a degree in the broader industry, who have evolved tremendously. The main difference is the drive. Although of course higher education does not produce particularly practical knowledge in these professions, those who have a relevant, in the broad sense, degree along with their drive, do have an advantage so to speak, because they understand better the things that one has to learn empirically. And of course, it is the company's job to create an environment with a culture that promotes this.
So how do we build a corporate culture that can foster drive and development and how do we basically listen to the needs of younger employees? Are young people expressing their needs or should companies ask for them?
I don't think young people express their needs as much as I would like myself to express them, as part of the administration. They do not express their needs explicitly and strongly. It is more like their inner feelings and thoughts remain their own. So the best source of understanding them, funny as it is, are the exit interviews.
There you discover the needs of people that in theory you should have had the environment, the process, and the will to have already discovered during their stay at your company. There is a distance between young people's thoughts, expectations, feelings and their expression towards their work environment. We think this is a big challenge for company: To create the right culture and processes that will allow us to manage and understand the needs of young people in advance.
It is essential to be able to express your thoughts. It's not a ” nice to have” trait, it's a must have. The 22-year-old's thinking is the most valuable thing we can shed our light to, based on the projects we are running.
I have no easy answer, no culture manual. I think we are relatively lucky because our company's purpose is inherently creative and every day is a different day in terms of project and collaboration. So practically, every day we all “dig” within ourselves to find creativity, and in reality no one is spared in this. The perspective of someone just starting out is just as valuable as the perspective of someone with 10 years of experience. We are lucky because we provide the space for someone to express their creativity.
According to surveys, the number one criterion for younger employees is the work environment. Team spirit, recognition for effort, opportunities for learning and development. This is the number one need.
Number two is the salary and there is an impressive new feature about that, the earnings are now measured in relation to the effort required. It is not an absolute in itself. Obviously all the other criteria, such as the possibility of development and the name of the company are important, but ranking much lower. These two criteria are the most impressive.
I feel that there is also a significant change in recent years, a trend that started just before COVID but is, post COVID, more evident: Young people are not paying so much attention to planning a career with long-term thinking practice. Young people don't think strategically, they just think about the next step.
Two generations ago we used to join a company and spend our whole lives there, a generation ago we changed 5 companies during our lifetime. Now you can change industry, company, position and genre or do freelancing, the possibilities seem endless. You look at resumes and you see 20 lines of experience, just at the age of 28. This is very similar to the situation we experienced, and still exists in the Balkans in 2006-2007, when we started building our companies, where people had the mentality of just looking to work the next year and then see what happens.
I believe that the next generation is a much more self-confident generation, with a clear goal to further improve their lives. Starting from a high standard of living, compared to the past, in the new generation there is a pervasive self-confidence and optimism that existed of course also in the Balkans that started as a starting point to develop in the 90's. So in 2007, a Balkan 25-year-old was living their own “spring”. These are all signs of a society being recreated.
At the same time, in the current situation, both in the Balkans and in Greece, I believe that the main characteristic is that all these very big changes come from the way young people have grown up. A 26-year-old worker today grew up during the financial crisis and when they entered the university, they were faced with coronavirus, war, inflation etc. Young people today have grown up with the message that you never know what tomorrow will bring. The concept of stability previous generations grew up with has completely changed. It is very normal not to make long term plans. When your life has changed so profoundly, what plans do you make? This is how I can interpret all this parallel mobility.
The latest surveys show alarming rates of burnout among the late generation millennials and Gen Z. Mobility, precariousness and unemployment have brought a sense of frustration. Many young people find it difficult to communicate their fatigue to senior management, who sometimes feel that they are a sensitive and "spoilt” generation.
I think that this fatigue young people are experiencing is firstly emotional.
In a sense I recognize in companies the obligation now, even more than before, to be able to highlight, beyond stability and security, the joy of life. The joy of creation, the joy of work-which allows you to work in balance to your personal life. Because what we did in our own generation, working 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, was not healthy either. Young people no longer want this, they experienced it as children-their parents worked all day and thus were absent. This has emotionally left them with a trauma. Then came the financial crisis, so the whole feeling of young people is logically now that of frustration: They didn’t enjoy their parents as much when they were children and, financially speaking, everything now seems to have been for nothing.
Many young people compare their parents' work lives to their own, and a big part of their mindsets’ distance, beyond job insecurity, is remote working. How important is it for a company to allow remote working and flexibility?
Since Covid we were obviously all working remotely, we gradually built a system that started to allow physical presence in the office. We finally settled for 2 days work from home, 3 days at the office. But we did have a system that allowed this before Covid as a company, we recognized this possibility. It was of finite use, because by definition teamwork is a main feature of what we do. No one can produce anything alone, so you need to work with many people from different departments.
What we have seen is that, in the end, being in the office has the following advantages:
First of all it allows us to form a united culture. Culture means people and that requires physical contact.
Secondly, productivity was extremely low. In a job like ours, micro collaboration, talking in the hallway is everything. It's the momentum that counts. The second important effect of distance was on creativity. Of course, you can brainstorm online, but work is not a moment you call brainstorming. Work, creative work is when you have a conversation in the hallway, when you pick up the phone and share your thoughts, when you are having coffee. All these moments multiply our creativity.
And that's key, that micro-collaboration, because if we want to give people the ability to develop quickly, we have to be able to convey small moments of experience to them in an easy, fast way. That is, convey to them what the person next to them does.
My sense is also that being home too much can emotionally affect you. What we call creativity is produced by being with other people, not because you spend your day googling. We need to socially understand what others care about in order to better understand the perception of our work. Part of socialization, in addition to the environment, friendship and family, are also your colleagues in the office. A world that, by definition, brings you into systematic contact with people from social circles that you would not possibly have the opportunity to meet elsewhere. That can often broaden your social horizons.
Although proud of many things, the need to improve in this area is a big drive for us. The environment has changed and we are called to adapt. We have before us every day a very big challenge for improvement. And this is one of the features we are proud of, because after all we have been living and growing as a company for 30 years. Our ability to listen to what is happening all the time and to adapt I think is one of the main characteristics of our company, but it is also one of the characteristics that if an organization does not have, it cannot survive.
We have about 400 employees, the management team is 50. Everyone works in services that are usually dedicated to one customer. Our cooperation is thus a bit ambiguous, young employees often have to understand our own culture and at the same time the client's culture, so attracting them remains an important bet for us. What we think is a great advantage though is precisely the range of clients and industries that enables everyone working with us to have options and possibilities. It is still a challenge to be able to communicate these possibilities to young people as best as possible.
I was saying back then that young people will always look for opportunities.
The first wealth is having options, the second is having the money.
So I imagine that young people who are more qualified now, more ambitious, more courageous, have more self-confidence, and have a point of view of the world from a small age thanks to technology, have and will continue to look for more options, each time choosing the one that is right for them.
Another feature that I believe will take a more structured form in the future is the need for the people to have much greater ownership of an organazation. A young person now, in order to continue to develop and stay within an organization, will want to feel that they own part of the product. I don't know yet the way, but maybe ownership will be your ability to shape your schedule, your team, the object you are working on, the project you deliver, to shape your work with much more autonomy compared to today. I imagine that this will evolve a lot while growing professionally.
On the other hand, the big challenge is that, precisely because people do not think about the long term, we must find a way for constant job hopping to coexist with chances of personal development. I believe that sometimes job hopping is done to an excessive degree and I feel that this prevents everyone from benefiting personally from staying at a job long enough. I would say that sometimes job hopping is done in a bit of a superficial and “consumer mindset” manner.
A young employee with the mindset of job hopping as you say, could develop personally, learn and advance within the company to a certain extent because of the variety of the industries and the clients.
Correctly. The difficult thing here is to train young managers. This is a milestone in the career of every young person, the moment when they acquire their first subordinates. When you are 28 and trying to define yourself plus one, two, three subordinates, you change a lot while you are still in formation yourself, basically having two full time jobs- to shape yourself and to shape others. And of course take responsibility for everything. This is a special challenge for a company, to teach young managers to manage subtle issues of subordinates, to manage a team and not "burning" subordinates because they haven't found their way yet.
If we add job hopping to this, the margins become even narrower. When the mindset is to evolve, to change, to go to the next thing, the limits of interaction can narrow, employees easily change their subject and do not insist on cooperation with their superiors and vice versa.
Dare to Try. The passion for testing, this is the most important thing, this will lead the youth further ahead.
Businesses only progress if their individual parts progress, most of them at least.So, your own development, the development of each and every member of your group, helps the company to develop.
Coming back to the question, I think the passion to evolve is the driving force. This passion should lead the employer to actions and not to omissions.
Try to act. Dare to Try. These efforts ultimately build your capital.
During a recent interview Obama gave to the LinkedIn Chief Editor, who asked him what he would advise young people to do starting their career, he said that he has seen so many talented people who can describe and do tremendous analysis on a problem, but they don't get things done. I would say the same about one's career: Take steps, even if they are the wrong ones. If you don't do it while tou are 28 years old, when? What do you have to lose now?
So Get Things Done in your work and especially for yourself.
Sustainability is key
The Growing Significance of Sustainability in Career Choices for Young Professionals
In recent years, sustainability has emerged as a key criterion for young professionals when applying for job positions. This shift reflects a broader cultural transformation towards environmental consciousness and social responsibility. Young job seekers increasingly consider an organization's commitment to sustainability as a crucial factor in their career decisions. This article explores the importance of sustainability as a criterion for young people when seeking employment and delves into its significance in the contemporary job market.
The Rise of Sustainability Consciousness
The global community is increasingly aware of the pressing environmental and social challenges facing our planet. This awareness has transcended age groups but is particularly pronounced among younger generations. Millennials and Generation Z have grown up in a world grappling with issues such as climate change, resource depletion, and social inequality. As a result, they are more inclined to prioritize sustainability in all aspects of their lives, including their careers. A study by Cone Communications found that 76% of millennials consider a company's social and environmental commitments when choosing where to work. Similarly, a survey by Deloitte revealed that 73% of Gen Z respondents believe that businesses should take the lead in addressing environmental and societal challenges.
Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage
Companies are increasingly recognizing that embracing sustainability can give them a competitive edge in attracting and retaining top talent. Research by Nielsen indicates that 73% of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products, suggesting that a sustainability-focused approach can also boost a company's bottom line. This alignment of values between employees and organizations can lead to increased job satisfaction and productivity. Moreover, a sustainable corporate image can help companies stand out in a crowded job market. The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that 64% of respondents believe that CEOs should lead on climate change, indicating a growing expectation for corporate leadership in sustainability. Companies that prioritize sustainability in their operations and corporate culture are more likely to attract young professionals seeking to make a positive impact through their work.
Aligning Personal Values with Professional Goals
For many young job seekers, sustainability is not just a checkbox on their list of job criteria; it is a reflection of their personal values. They want their careers to align with their ethical and environmental beliefs. As a result, they are more likely to seek out organizations that share their commitment to sustainability, creating a sense of purpose and meaning in their work. A study published in the Journal of Sustainability suggests that when employees perceive a strong alignment between their personal values and their organization's values, they experience higher levels of job satisfaction and engagement. This connection between personal values and professional choices underscores the importance of sustainability as a criterion for young professionals.
Impact on Employee Retention
The role of sustainability in career decisions extends beyond recruitment. It also plays a vital role in retaining young talent. A report by Nicole Goldin found that 75% of young employees would consider leaving their current job for one with a stronger commitment to environmental and social responsibility. This highlights the ongoing importance of sustainability in shaping career choices throughout an individual's professional journey.
Creating a Sustainable Future
The significance of sustainability as a criterion for young professionals is not limited to individual career decisions. It represents a collective effort to create a more sustainable future. As the workforce becomes increasingly populated by sustainability-conscious individuals, organizations are compelled to adapt and integrate sustainability into their core operations. A study in One Earth through CellPress suggests that employees who perceive their organizations as environmentally responsible are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviors at work. This internal commitment to sustainability can lead to real, positive impacts on a company's environmental footprint.
Conclusion
Sustainability has emerged as a pivotal criterion for young professionals when selecting job positions. This shift reflects a broader societal transformation towards environmental awareness and social responsibility. For young job seekers, sustainability is not merely a checkbox but a reflection of their values, ethics, and aspirations. It influences their career choices, job satisfaction, and even their decision to stay with a company. As organizations recognize the importance of sustainability in attracting and retaining top talent, they are increasingly integrating sustainability into their core operations. This alignment of values between employees and organizations is driving a positive shift towards a more sustainable and responsible future for businesses and society as a whole. In the coming years, we can expect to see sustainability continue to play a central role in career decisions, ultimately shaping the business landscape of tomorrow.
