en
Candidates

Together, we’ll map out career-defining, life-changing pathways to achieve your career ambitions. Browse our range of services, advice, and resources.

Learn more
Services

We understand that no two organisations are the same. Find out more about how we've customised our recruitment offerings to help clients across South East Asia meet their needs.

Read more
About Robert Walters Malaysia

Since our establishment in 2006, our belief remains the same: Building strong relationships with people is vital in a successful partnership.

Learn more

Work for us

Our people are the difference. Hear stories from our people to learn more about a career at Robert Walters Malaysia.

Learn more

Managing Gen-Y employees

Generation Y, also known as the ‘millennials’, are the fastest growing segment of the workforce. Raised in a time of global economic prosperity during the mid-80s, Generation Y is sometimes perceived as the most high maintenance cohort to ever enter the force. Often dissatisfied with their jobs and employers, these educated and confident youngsters need proper guidance to bring out their potential.

So how do you bring out the best in your Generation Y workforce?

Understand their motivation

The first step to managing Generation Y workers is to understand them. Generation Y workers were socialised in a digital world and are therefore known for being technologically savvy. Continuously wired and connected, Generation Y workers are highly informed social creatures who value human connections and enjoy team work and collaborative tasks.

Goal-oriented

With a desire to be intellectually challenged, Generation Y workers are also known for their goal-oriented mindset. However, as highly skilled multi-taskers, they often suffer from a lack of direction and can end up taking on too many tasks at once.

Make sure you set goals and targets that can be easily measured throughout the process. With unparalleled intellectual authority, Generation Y employees have less respect for organisational authority based on ‘rank’, and instead respond to individuals – no matter the level of the organisation they are at - who portray exceptional intelligence and results. So, you can’t assume that the title ‘manager’ will automatically entitle you to respect from your Generation Y employees.

Ambitious and driven

Generation Y employees are ambitious. With an abundance of financial and personal goals, these employees enter the workforce with high expectations of success, looking for early rewards rather than long-term investment pay-outs.

Although they may be branded as ‘me-centric' workers, Generation Y employees have a strong sense of morality and fairness, openly questioning the actions of their superiors if they seem biased or unjust. This ‘why’ generation has little trust in organisations. Consequently, their career path may consist of a series of short term transactional employment relationships, unless management exceeds their expectations and provides them with a sense of belonging.

Managing expectations

Firstly, as a manager, you need to tell Generation Y employees what is expected of them in a clear and concise manner. By informing them about how they fit into the ‘big picture’, you can motivate Generation Y employees to work towards an end goal, providing them with a sense of ‘value’ in the firm.

By laying out the company’s rules, processes and expectations in detail, Generation Y employees will be able to approach their tasks with proper guidance. If you show them that success can be reached through dedication and hard work, Generation Y employees can be motivated to dedicate themselves to the task while enjoying the challenge.

For more customised career advice, please contact our specialist recruiters on +603 2303 7000 or email malaysia@robertwalters.com.

Share this article

Related content

Submit a Vacancy
Salary Survey
Hiring Advice
Get in touch

Find out more by contacting one of our specialist recruitment consultants

Related content

View All

How to motivate staff in turbulent times

As a business leader, you simply never know when your organisation is going to face hardships. Whether it’s due to reasons within or entirely outside of your control, inspiring leadership is needed more than ever when times are tough. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, companies and leaders had to face

Read More

How to effectively manage your staff remotely

Working from home or remote working has become the norm today. With the rise of remote working, businesses need to ensure that their managers and team-leads are well geared up to ensure successful remote management that drives productivity in their remote workforce. With remote working becoming the

Read More

5 reasons why employees resign - and how to stop them

The reasons why an employee wants to resign may be commonplace or obvious, like wanting to pursue other opportunities or feeling undervalued. But before an employee takes the plunge, employers are usually already aware. About 85% of employers in Asia claim they can tell when someone on their staff i

Read More

I'm Robert Walters Are you?

Come join our global team of creative thinkers, problem solvers and game changers. We offer accelerated career progression, a dynamic culture and expert training.