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IHK Swabia: Focus should not be solely on Generation Y

Companies are facing a paradigm shift as they navigate the demands of both long-term employees and the new Generation Y professionals. Flexibility, understanding, and adaptation are key to becoming an attractive employer in today's evolving workplace landscape.

IHK Swabia: Focus should not be solely on Generation Y

Today's professionals do not want companies from yesterday. But even long-term employees have demands. An attractive employer lies somewhere in the middle - between different value concepts and various leadership concepts. Companies are facing a paradigm shift.

Studies show: Generation Y exhibits the highest level of willingness to perform ever measured. However, this drive is also accompanied by demands and expectations. The new professionals are aware of the high demand for them in companies. Instead of the employees, it is increasingly the employers who must adapt. The pressure on the birth cohorts from 1985 to 2000 is accordingly low - according to the theses of Prof. Dr. Jutta Rump, Director of the Institute for Employment and Employability IBE, Ludwigshafen. So, what to do?
Between "Baby Boomers" and Generation Y
The keyword is flexibility, and that in almost all areas. Where different generations meet, opportunities for understanding must be created. When young and old get along in a company, this is a crucial platform for an attractive employer, according to Prof. Dr. Rump. This is not always easy, as a younger generation has always tended to separate itself from the previous generation. While the "Baby Boomers" (born before 1970), for example, link their performance to duty and discipline, Generation Y focuses on fun and meaningfulness. More transparency, involvement in decision-making, and a good work-life balance are demanded. Not an easy task, as Prof. Dr. Jutta Rump knows.
Companies face various challenges
"A single measure does not make an attractive employer," also stated Christian Dierig, Deputy President of the IHK Schwaben, in his welcome at the 15th IHK Schwaben Skilled Workers Day in Augsburg. This struggle, however, is fought on various fronts. Staff shortage is not the only challenge companies must face: digitization, globalization, competition, and innovation pressure require attention and energy. So, where to find the time to adapt to the needs of Generation Y without neglecting the concerns of long-term employees, asks Prof. Dr. Jutta Rump.
250 participants at the IHK Skilled Workers Day
Following these questions, speakers at the IHK Schwaben Skilled Workers Day addressed in four forums. Around 270 guests had registered for this event and had come to Augsburg. Topics included daily life, dealing with conflicts, or working conditions in companies as building blocks for successful personnel development.
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