Youf kulcha @ Wrk

Far from being illiterate, innumerate and unskilled, many of today's younger workers — have higher levels of education — possess highly developed technology skills — are more able to operate in networked groups — and are more likely to see the world from a global perspective, than workers from their parents generation. And what's more, according to the Flynn effect, the next generation is likely to be more 'intelligent' than us.

This and findings of a study by Loughlin and Barling [1] who argue that we are missing opportunities to involve and keep involved, younger workers in two ways:

First we fail to understand the level that their first employment (which may well be menial, part-time, low-paid work, while they are still studying) shapes their view of work and what is important in their lives.

Second we are not offering them chances to use their existing skills or to develop new ones. Both of these factors rate highly as involvement factors with younger workers so if you want to attract and retain younger workers

give them something interesting to do today

give them something challenging to do tomorrow

remember their first work experiences are shaping how they behave today and act accordingly.

[1] Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology (2001), 74 543-558