Gen Y workers want flexi-time

Bosses, the next time one of your fresh out-of-school employees asks for travel leave or a couple of hours off from a regular work day, think twice before saying no.

Employees between the ages of 19 and 30 - otherwise known as the 'Generation Y' demographic - are likely to demand more flexibility, have unrealistic goals in work and life, and would normally job-hop.

These are some of the findings from a recent survey conducted by the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI). The study, titled 'Harnessing the Potential of Generation Y Workforce in Singapore', was designed to uncover the general characteristics of Generation Y in Singapore.

Based on the results of this survey, SHRI has put forward suggestions for keeping the fickle pool of Gen Y talent happy in the workforce.

'Remuneration packages may not be the best option to attract and retain Gen Y talents,' said SHRI's executive director David Ang. 'HR practitioners will need to explore and adopt differentiated HR practices and solutions to help them fit in with the employment landscape.'

Some of those practices include allowing travel leave and a flexi-time system.

A total of 245 respondents were involved in the month-long survey which started in May. About 42 per cent of them are Gen Y workers, and the remaining, their non-Gen Y parents, bosses and colleagues.

Currently, Gen Y-ers make up 20 per cent of the population and those economically active.

A summary of the study's key findings: Gen Y-ers are confident, tech-savvy, innovative and ambitious, but are also individualistic, proud and disloyal.

However, Mr Alvin Lim, 28, an online marketing executive, disagreed with the last description.

His current job is his fifth in three years, having entered the workforce as a graphic designer, then switching to become a freelance art director- cum-videographer, corporate communications executive and a portal manager.

He said: 'I like challenges, so if there are jobs that involve new targets and learning experiences, I will leave my old job.'

SHRI hopes that Singapore employers can accept change and not shy away from creative solutions that could accelerate young workers' performance.

But it may take some time before changes take root.

Mr Leslie Wa, 37, group chief executive officer and executive director of homegrown precision engineering company HLN Technologies, believes in rewarding older and younger workers alike.

He said: 'We believe in meritocracy. We have the same key performance indicators for all our key employees.'

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