Who still spends their entire professional career in the same company? Probably not many people. The situation is obviously not about to change with the younger generations. According to all the surveys carried out in recent years, 18-35 year olds are on the move and do not hesitate to leave a job if the grass is greener elsewhere. Or simply because it does not suit them. A libertarian spirit that has turned Generations Y and Z into nightmares for employers who fail to retain them. The phenomenon, already known for years, has even accelerated under the effects of the health crisis, driving recruitment services crazy. How to retain young people in business? This is the theme of a round table organized on Tuesday 13 September by the We Ker network of local missions. Objective: to help companies better understand the expectations of millennials.
Roman is 25 years old. Since the end of her studies in communication two years ago, she has already chained three jobs, to which is added a voluntary mission. “At the end of my trial period, I was offered a permanent contract but I said no because I had an offer elsewhere. I liked it there but I was offered broader missions, more recognition, more salary too. I didn’t think too much, and I left”. The young woman is not the only one in this case. According to the Deloitte Millennial Survey, 53% of 18-25 year olds planned to quit their job within the year. A little more stable, the 25-35 year olds were still 36% in the same case, making their generation look like a zapping fan. “Their aspirations are different. Those under 25 no longer see a career as a linear evolution to climb the ladder. They attach great importance to personal fulfillment, in the sense of their job. It’s a real change,” explains Marlène Legay.
The social psychologist created a consulting agency called “Wave of meaning” to help companies adapt to new trends. It is she who will host the morning show on Tuesday in the face of distraught employers. “Generations Y and especially Z want to show themselves as they are. They expect the company to be honest with them, to be authentic. They need to know what they are going to be used for, ”assures the young woman.
The favorable job market… But not only
Faced with these new challenges, many companies are breaking their teeth, observing with incomprehension the turnover imposed by their young talents. “We have always had trouble recruiting because of the image of our professions, which do not attract many people. But with young people, it is even more marked. We have never struggled so much, ”says Gwenola Richard, who heads the APEF personal service agency in Rennes.
“We have the feeling that there is no longer any sense of belonging to the agency or to the company. »
“We see that they are more on the move. It is also the job market that wants it. If they have another opportunity elsewhere, they don’t hesitate to take the plunge. It’s difficult when you’ve spent time recruiting and training them,” adds Céline Broudic, recruitment manager at ITGA, where the average age is close to 30.
The laboratories of the asbestos analysis group have nevertheless worked on their attractiveness by reviewing the salary grids and by trying to work on well-being at work. “Salary can be a factor but it’s not the main one. It is above all the feeling of usefulness that is central. Young people need their mission to have meaning, to be listened to, to be considered. Having a football table in the office is not enough to be cool. The atmosphere must be good and they will say it around them. Much more than if they earn a lot. And if they don’t feel well, they won’t stay, ”says Marlène Legay.
“I would be able to drop everything if it didn’t go well. I’m young, so if I don’t do it now, I never will. I’m not going to worry about work.” Roman, 25 years old.
For some employers, this “infidelity” even goes as far as a lack of rigor and honesty, generating problematic situations. “Sometimes we have people who do not come to work, without telling anyone. It’s a headache for schedules and it has repercussions on everyone, “says Gwenola Richard, who adds” we wonder every day if they are going to come to work “. Others don’t show up for the interview or snub training. While these behaviors should not be generalized, everyone agrees that they are more frequent. “It’s up to companies to set the limits, to impose a framework. Young people are not aware of the expectations of a company, the school does not prepare them for that. We pampered them a lot and they continue with this performance. The paradox is that they often lack self-confidence while having the impression that anything is possible. You just have to accompany them, ”concludes the psychosociologist. Pamper them yes, but without mothering them. Not that easy.