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Employers and young workers

Mary Tresize-Brown Brotherhood of St Laurence

February 2005

Refereed paper presented to the

Transitions and Risk: New Directions in Social Policy Conference

Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne

23–25 February, 2005

Mary Tresize-Brown: Employers and young workers

Introduction

The Employing Young Workers project emerged within the Brotherhood’s

Transitions Unit, which was established in 1997 to enhance young people’s

transition from school to further education, training or employment, ensuring the

decisions they make about their future are informed ones. The Transitions Unit

expanded in 2003 to assist parents become effective career and transition support

(through the Parents as Career Transition Support Program) for their adolescent

children through educating themselves about career transition and all the options.

Staff of the Transition Project became aware of differences between employers of

their young clients, and noticed that young people would recommend particular

employees to each other over another one and it got them thinking. If we are

assisting young people to become ‘work ready’, can we assist employers to

become ‘youth ready’?

Research on youth employment from an employer’s perspective has focussed on

what employers want young people to have. The report ‘Employability Skills for

the Future’ (ACCI 2002) identified an employer perspective and made the

education sector more responsive to the needs of industry. The subsequent

Employability Skills Framework was developed to identify personal attributes,

skills and abilities that contribute to the overall employability of a young person.

This framework is a key component of the many programs being undertaken in

schools to prepare them for the workforce.

The Employing Young Workers project sets out to discover the other side: what

are the possibilities for developing a framework that identifies the skills, abilities

and workplace practices that contribute to employer’s effectively inducting,

managing and retaining young workers; to be an employer of choice of young

people.

The Employing Young Workers project is a strategic component in supporting

young people and their transition to independence.

This paper is a summary of the research findings, based on the longer project

report, Employing young workers; How well are we managing them (Tresize-Brown

2004).


Background

Employer groups and peak bodies recognise that young people are critical to the

future of business and the economy, but also acknowledge there is a deepening

problem in attracting young people into certain jobs, and/or keeping young people

as employees. According to Alison Rich from Industrial Psychology Consultants,

‘Younger employees are less likely to speak out about dissatisfaction, and more

likely to change jobs rather than go to their manager’. She also says ‘No longer is it

purely the case of employees selling themselves to employers; the situation has

flipped to an extent’ (Rich 2004).

Business results depend on your people. To

thrive, even to survive, businesses must meet the

challenge of today’s generationally diverse

workforce. (Raines, 2003)

Employers need to look closely at how they attract young employees to work in

their business, particularly in light of the national skills shortages. An

investigation by the Department of Education Science and Training (2002) found

that despite some of the issues being generic across all or most skilled occupations,

the solutions and plans for action really need to be tailored to the conditions

applying in particular industries.

For example, most industries believed that the skilled trades had an image

problem in terms of their appeal to young people thinking about potential careers.

The National Industry Skills Initiative (NISI) is being undertaken by government

to improve the image of industry and their recruitment practices, and to engage

employers in training.

Our present research should assist employers to consider what they are doing to

attract, recruit, manage and retain young workers.

Generational differences

Research conducted by the Australian Leadership Foundation shows that the

biggest divide facing our society today is the generation gap, and for those

involved in engaging young people it must be remembered that the gap between

us and them is constantly growing (McCrindle 2003). Each generation is shaped by

different values that define their age group’s beliefs and attitudes about work.


Table 1: Features of each generation at a glance

Seniors Builders Boomers Gen X Gen Y

Born before 1925 Born 1926–1946 Born 1946–1964 Born 1965–1980 Born 1981–1994

5% of population 25% of population 15% of population 26% of population 28% of population

Factors –

World War 1

Factors –

Great

Depression

World War 2

Factors –

general

economic

prosperity

suburbia

colour

television

Vietnam War

Factors –

divorce

increase

technology

boom

recession

1987 stock-

market crash

dual-income

families

increased drug

abuse

cable TV

corporate

takeovers

personal

computers

Factors –

September 11

attacks

mobile phones

continued

leaps in

technology

environmental

awareness

increased

educational

opportunities

internet

Mark McCrindle (2003) says each generation is influenced by environmental,

social and economic factors that determine their view of the workplace, with some

key points as follows:

A generation ago our society was based on a hierarchical structure and so older

people were managers and leaders in the head office while younger people

were likely to be trainees, and workers in the field. This physical structure

meant that different age groups rarely mingled in the workplace, today it is

different.

Many Xers are now in their 30s and there is a new generation moving into the

workplace: Generation Y. This emerging generation have been empowered

from a young age to take charge of their own future … Throughout their

education they were empowered to choose subjects, assessments, and

outcomes … they want input over their career, their training, and their role. By

understanding what today’s youth most value, we can determine how to most

effectively engage them.

The core values of the Builders and Boomers generations included a strong

work ethic, respect for authority, loyalty and commitment, financial

conservatism, long-term planning, and delayed gratification … The values

today of Generation Y are drastically different: flexibility, variety, choice,

freedom, pragmatism, and personal leadership.


Our research indicates there are obvious communication gaps between employers,

young workers and other workers that suggest generational differences are at

play, and no-one has realised it. In the words of one employer about managing a

team of people from varying age groups, ‘Some of the older ones have real trouble

understanding the young ones. I have to continually intervene between two

specific workers to smooth out ongoing issues about how each of them wants to

work’.

According to Robert Wendover, Managing Director of the Centre for Generational

Studies, being aware of generational differences is the first step in managing a

multi-age workforce. What do employers know about the new generations? The

way Robert Wendover puts it:

You have to look at yourself before you can figure out how other

generations tick. The generations are divided into four groups, each

shaped by different values and cultural icons that define their age

group. There are no rights and wrongs, just generational differences

based on shared experiences. (Wendover 2003, cited in Alexander

2001)

The labour market climate for this generation includes estimations that 300,000 full

time jobs for young people were permanently lost over the twenty-five year

period to 1991 (Youth Affairs Council of Victoria 1992). Full-time jobs for

teenagers and young adults have declined by 15.2 per cent in Australia since 1995

(Dusseldorp Skills Forum, 2003) and there has been an increased casualisation of

the workforce, particularly for young people. The labour market conditions and

their parents’ attitudes to work may have shaped Generation Y attitudes to work.

Dwyer et al. (2003) argue that the people of Generation Y are balancing a range of

commitments in their lives and have a tendency towards horizontal mobility

(across different work settings and experiences) rather than the upward social

mobility of their parents. Their study showed an overwhelming emphasis on

achieving balance in life, involving space for the development of personal

relationships and a downplaying of the centrality of work as a source of identity.

The young people of this generation do not live to work - but rather they work to

live. A job merely provides the income to do what they want to do. Once we have

a foundational grasp of their characteristics, communication styles, and social

attitudes, we will be well equipped to effectively reach diverse generations.

In completing this report, we investigate the specific needs that young people

have when first entering the workforce and how employers can effectively meet

The employer of choice for Generation Y has to be one

that demonstrates values, both environmental and social.

McCrindle 2003


those needs. It documents the result of examining survey data collected from

employers and young employees, together with an investigation into services,

programs, activities or events that currently exist, and the extent to which they

contribute to skilling employers in all the facets of employing a young person.

Aim of this report

The overall aim of the report sets out to identify:

The needs of young people when entering the employment market, and the

extent to which employment practices examined are able to effectively meet

those needs

The views that employers have of young people and what they are doing to

assist young people entering their organisation, often in their first job

Effective techniques for managing young people in the workplace

Gaps in employment practices relating to young people and critical issues for

program development in this area

A summary of youth-friendly employment practices/models in Australia or

overseas

Identification of the need for any additional work/program development to be

undertaken

Stage 1: Interviews with employers and young employees

The basis of commencing the project was to learn more about the specific needs of

young people, and what employers currently do to effectively meet those needs.

Initially, interviews were held with a number of employers in big and small

business from a range of industries, the local group training company, young

people in employment, the Job Network and parents, where we collected

information about employing and managing young people in the workplace. The

purpose of these discussions was to provide a framework for development of the

research. The employers interviewed were a combination of large and small

business from the following industries:

Hospitality

Community services

Engineering

Automotive

Horticulture

Music

Clothing and design.


The response from all of these employers was tremendous; they were very

enthusiastic to talk about their experience of employing and managing young

people. Some of the employers were unsure to begin with. This they indicated was

because the majority of contacts they receive by agencies were asking for job

vacancies or some kind of support. They appreciated the opportunity to have their

say and spend some time focusing on their role.

Interviews were also held with a number of young employees. Again, the young

employees were happy to share their experiences, although some were cautious

about their responses, perhaps due to uncertainty about reactions from their

employer.

We also spoke with a group of parents to gain their views about young people in

employment. Many parents are grateful for an opportunity to talk about their

children and employment and this was no exception, they were enthusiastic and

willing to share. One parent pointed out that having other young people in the

workplace can be helpful, for example, a third-year apprentice linked to a school

leaver in a structured mentor relationship. Another parent said it was important

that employers respect young people and not just see them as cheap labour.

The interviews centred on:

what skills and knowledge are effective in managing a young person in the

workplace

the challenges for employers and their young employees

induction programs that may include a youth focus

ideas about what could be helpful for employers to develop skills and

knowledge to effectively manage young people.

Themes

Themes that emerged from employers were the need to have comprehensive

understanding of young people’s needs when first entering the labour force, and

the characteristics they present in the workplace. Communication between

employers and young people was possibly the most talked about topic during

these interviews, but views on this varied greatly depending on all the factors that

can influence how well this occurs. As the manager/director of a small engineering

firm put it, ‘You need to spend lots of time explaining lots of things, the why, how,

when and where’. Another manager in a child-care centre said, ‘Communicating

well on a regular basis is what’s important. You need to put aside time to make

yourself available’. Employers also expressed a keen interest to learn more about

generational differences and their impact on workplace productivity. Anecdotal

evidence from the interviews with employers suggests they would like to see

young employees better prepared for the workplace, with some commenting that


schools and parents need to teach young people more about the realities of

starting in their first few jobs, including things like reliability, initiative and

common sense.

The young people we met with believe that employers need to understand and

acknowledge that they are learning, so adequate time to train and teach is very

important. They also talked about the need for clear expectations and boundaries,

as well as employers having realistic expectations about the young person’s

capacity in a new job with limited skills and knowledge. All of the young people

interviewed said that communication was critical to them understanding what is

expected of them, and that employers or supervisors need to give them the time

they need to learn. As one young employee in a motor mechanics business said,

‘Managers should know how young people think, and what their capabilities and

energy levels are. They shouldn’t expect too much too soon, and make sure we’re

well and truly ready’.

The Job Network agency highlighted the importance of communication between

young people and their manager/supervisor, and said that learning about

generational differences could help understand the different sets of values held by

each. An example of this was pointed out by an agency staff member who had

recently met an employer who made the following response when asked about

their young employee, ‘He’s still employed here isn’t he, if he wasn’t doing a good

job, he wouldn’t be’.

Communication in its broadest sense was highlighted by all employers and

employees as vital to the relationship with both the employer and other team

members.

Stage 2: Surveys of employers and young employees

Using the information collected from these interviews as the basis for questions,

two surveys were developed – one for employers, one for young employees. The

surveys concentrated on obtaining information about:

Induction practices

Workplace characteristics

Skills and/or practices in managing young people

Potential improvement

The Frankston Chamber of Commerce and the City of Frankston supported the

request to assist with distributing the surveys, focusing on the

Frankston/Mornington Peninsula region. We also approached the Business


Council of Australia to distribute the surveys to large employers across a wider

area stretching from Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula to the Gippsland

region, and across the southern part of metropolitan Melbourne.

As Table 2 shows, surveys were distributed to 250 businesses, made up of 245

small businesses (employing fewer than 50 people) and 5 large employers

(employing more than 50). We received 139 responses, including multiple

responses from some workplaces. The response rate by large businesses was very

much higher than by small businesses. As a result, the findings are influenced by

the experience of large workplaces.

Table 2: Survey responses, by business type and survey type

Large business Small business Total

No. of businesses invited

to complete surveys

5 245 250

No. of businesses which

returned surveys

5 22 27

% of businesses which

returned surveys

100% 9% 11%

No of responses to young

employee survey

68 20 88

No. of responses to

employer/manager survey

31 20 51

Findings

What employers said about induction processes1

The induction processes adopted by employers varied greatly, with less than half

of the employers reporting that information given to new employees does not

form part of a formal induction process. Just over a third of young workers

reported they did not complete a formal induction program, so it appears that

induction receives varied importance. The most common type of information

provided to new employees concentrates on pay, work hours and superannuation

(Table 3). Of concern is the finding that 10 of the 51 employers surveyed did not

report providing OH&S training, information or support to new employees. In

spite of the efforts by Work Cover to raise awareness through the media about

workplace safety for both employers and employees, and the support offered to

assist employers implement OH&S processes, these results clearly demonstrate

the need for employers to seriously consider the potential risks of not including

this information for new young employees.

1 Induction is a process that introduces a new employee to all the aspects of the organisation. Workplace orientation is

one part of induction and includes information about things like organisational structure and departmental functions.


Table 3: Training, information or support provided to new young workers

Type of training, information or support

provided to new young workers

Percentage of employers

who report providing it

Information about pay, bonuses/incentives 96.1%

Information about work hours 94.1%

Information about superannuation and tax 92.2%

Internal job-related training 90.2%

Workplace orientation 84.3%

Occupational Health and Safety 80.4%

A mentoring system 64.7%

A ‘buddy’ system 45.1%

Job rotation system 43.1%

External job-related training 37.3%

It is interesting to note that buddy systems and job rotation are not commonplace,

and yet there are many organisations that have benefited from implementing these

systems. For example, the Australian Public Service Guidelines for Workplace

Diversity list the establishment of mentor and buddy systems as one of the

methods for attracting and developing people from culturally and linguistically

diverse backgrounds (APS 2001). A report from the Adult Learning Inspectorate in

the UK (ALI 2004) highlights the benefit of assigning a workplace buddy or

mentor to young trainees, with one of the key messages saying ‘If you want young

trainees to succeed, provide a mentor or buddy’. The report ‘Successful Learning

at Work’(Hatton 2003) looks at effective methods of guiding people through work-

based learning and finds that offering a new trainee a ‘buddy’ (a more experienced

trainee who befriends them) or mentor makes it more likely that the new learner

will attain their work-based qualifications.

External job training is a low priority for employers, yet in contrast, internal and

external job training is a high priority for young workers, with more than a third

of them indicating they would like internal and external job training (see Table 12

below) – higher than any of the other categories of ‘additional support and

information’. Despite the low number of employers who indicated that they

provide information about external job training to new employees, over half of

them said they recognise that the provision of opportunities for training and

development is of greater importance when managing young people.

How do young workers rate their induction?

Young workers were asked to rate the quality of the information they received at

induction (see Chart 1, which shows their average ratings, on a scale where the

lowest score indicates the highest satisfaction), with results indicating a high degree

of satisfaction with information about working conditions (hours and leave), and a

moderate level of satisfaction with information about training. The information

received about other areas was rated as less satisfactory.


Chart 1: Young workers’ average ratings of quality of information provided

Scale 1 to 6, where 1 = very good and 6 = did not receive any

Type of information

Orienta

tion

Tra

inin

g

Ent

erp

rise a

gre

em

ent

Hou

rs a

nd le

ave

Sup

era

nnuation, ta

x

Pay

OH

S

Ave

rage

rating

3.0

2.8

2.6

2.4

2.2

2.0

1.8

1.6

The ‘Maximising Youth Employment’ report conducted by Penrith Chamber of

Commerce details the results of conducting focus groups, where highlighted as

one of the common mistakes made by employers is poor induction. It was noted

that very few employers admitted to having an induction procedure, yet there was

almost universal agreement as to its importance (MYE Report 2002). Induction for

any person in a new job is absolutely critical, for a young person it is even more so

to ensure there is clear understanding about how an organisation functions and all

the practices and systems that are particular to that business. They don’t have the

benefit of previous experience in other workplaces to draw from, so their need for

this information is much higher than others.

Some 14% of the young employees (see Table 4) ranked the quality of information

they received about the award/enterprise agreement or contract as poor or did not

receive any. Employers and young workers need to become more aware of the

importance of this information both now and in the future with the introduction of

more contract based work.

According to ‘The Future of Work’ (Department of Education, Science and

Training 2002):


The world of work has changed fundamentally in the past twenty years

and is set to change even more radically. The notion of a job-for-life has

been turned on its head. The workplace is now responsive to constantly

changing global needs. Some of the changes that will have an impact upon

traditional ideas about the labour force in Australia and worldwide are:

o The workplace will be dominated by contractors rather than permanent

employees.

o Working life will extend beyond the nine-to-five.

o A larger percentage of the population will be in paid work.

Young people need to have confidence in discussing and establishing workplace

contractual arrangements, while employers should be providing the full extent of

information that young workers must know about their workplace. ‘Young people

are set to encounter a workplace where contractual agreements are the norm, and

where individuals identify with fellow workers in their profession more than the

company that employs them’, says Michael Vitale, Dean of the Australian

Graduate School of Management (Vitale 2002).

Table 4: Percentage of young workers that rated the quality of information

received as poor

Type of information Percentage that rated the information

they received as poor or very poor or

indicated that they did not receive any

Award/ enterprise agreement or contract 14.4%

Superannuation and tax 12.2%

Pay arrangements, bonuses/incentives 10%

Workplace orientation 8.9%

Training on how to do my job 7.7%

Occupational Health and Safety 5.5%

Work conditions such as hours, breaks and leave 2.2%

Is the quality of information affected by the presence of a formal induction

process?

Over a third of employers reported that information given to new workers does

not form part of a formal induction process, and yet on average young workers

consistently rated information that was delivered as part of an induction process

as being of a higher quality. This implies that a thorough induction process could

enhance the ability of young workers to function well within the workplace.

Chart 2 shows the average ratings (again, on a scale where the lowest score

indicates the highest satisfaction) by young workers who received this information

as part of a formal induction process, compared with ratings by young workers

who received this information outside a formal induction process. Young

employees who had gone through a formal induction program were substantially

more satisfied with the information they were given about orientation, training


and OH&S than those who had not had a formal induction program; however,

both groups had similar levels of satisfaction with the information received about

enterprise agreements/contracts, hours and pay. Interestingly, employees who did

not receive a formal induction rated the quality of information about

superannuation and tax significantly better than other employees.

Chart 2: Young workers’ levels of satisfaction with information as part of

induction Scale 1 to 6, where 1 = very good and 6 = did not receive any

Categories of information provided

Ori

enta

tio

nT

rain

ing

En

terp

rise a

gre

em

ent

Ho

urs

an

d le

ave

Tax,

sup

era

nnu

ation

Pa

y

OH

S

Ave

rag

e r

atin

g

3.0

2.8

2.6

2.4

2.2

2.0

1.8

1.6

Provision method

Part of a formal

induction program

Not part of an

induction program

How did young people assess the information received in small and large

businesses?

Table 5 shows that young workers from small business rated information at a very

good level from three of the seven areas covered. Also, a very good level of OH&S

information provided in small business was rated by over double the proportion

of young workers in large business. A small number of young workers in large

business did not receive any information about OH&S, agreements or contracts,

training or orientation.


Table 5: Young workers’ assessment of information received when starting

work, in small businesses and large businesses

Rating OH&S Pay (incl.

bonuses,

incentives)

Superannuation and tax

Hours

and leave

Enterprise

agreement

or contract

Training

(how to

do job)

Orientation.

Business

type

Large Small Large Small Large Small Large Small Large Small Large Small Large Small

% Very

good

39.4 12.5 33.3 50.0 21.1 56.3 40.3 56.3 23.5 25.0 46.5 43.8 30.6 28.6

% Good 31.0 62.5 30.6 37.5 28.2 18.8 34.7 43.8 27.9 56.3 23.9 50.0 40.3 42.9

%

Adequate

23.9 18.8 23.6 12.5 36.6 18.8 22.2 30.9 12.5 19.7 6.3 19.4 21.4

% Poor 6.3 9.7 9.9 6.3 1.4 5.9 4.2 5.6 7.1

% Very

poor

2.8 1.4 2.9 1.4

% Did not

receive any

5.6 2.8 1.4 8.8 6.3 4.2 4.2

Table 6 (below) shows that managers and supervisors in large businesses were

more likely than those in smaller businesses to report that information was

provided as part of a formal induction program.

Table 6: Formal induction programs in small and large businesses

Business size Providing induction program Not providing induction program

Number % Number %

Large business 29 97% 1 3%

Small business 7 37% 12 63%

Note: More than one manager/supervisor responded from some large businesses

However, further data analysis showed that where small employers did provide a

formal induction program, 100% of employees rated the quality of the information

highly. By contrast large employers who provided a formal induction program

were not as successful in satisfactorily delivering information: of their employees,

20 individuals indicated that the quality of the information that they received was

poor and 9 individuals indicated that they did not receive any. Where induction

was not provided by small employers, 100% of employees still rated the

information that they received about pay arrangements, bonuses and incentives,

work conditions and training on how to do my job, as good.

Ten per cent of employees who did not receive a formal induction rated the

information that they received about occupational health and safety,

superannuation, tax and orientation as poor. Again, a small number indicated that

they did not receive any information about award/enterprise agreement or

contract. Even where there was no formal induction process, the level of

satisfaction recorded by employees of small businesses was higher than the

satisfaction levels recorded by employees of large businesses.


How young people rate the importance of various workplace characteristics

The young workers we surveyed consistently rated workplace characteristics that

involved their employers, supervisors and managers possessing effective

communication skills more highly than other workplace characteristics, as

illustrated in Table 7.

Table 7: Workplace characteristics regarded as important by young workers

Workplace characteristics Percentage of young employees

who considered this important

or very important

Having things well explained 98.4%

Clear and regular communication 93.3%

Adequate information and support 92.3%

Good rapport with supervisors 92.2%

Patient and tolerant supervisors 92.2%

Clear explanations from my supervisors 92.2%

Being encouraged to ask questions 91.2%

Having clear responsibilities 91.1%

Opportunities for training and

development

90.8%

Having scope to use initiative 90.0%

A well structured job role 89.2%

Reasonable expectations of my work 88.9%

Understanding where my job fits 87.8%

Regular feedback from supervisors 85.6%

Being allowed to make mistakes 71.1%

The two workplace characteristics that young workers rated as the most important

were having things well explained and clear and regular communication. These

results support anecdotal evidence that effective communication skills in the

workplace are a feature that young employees consider to be very important. The

flip side of this is that young workers rated being allowed to make mistakes as

considerably less important than other workplace characteristics. This is a point

where employers and young workers held divergent attitudes. Forty-one per cent

of employers indicated that allowing young people to make mistakes was a more

important skill/practice when managing young people, which meant that it was

the eleventh most important workplace characteristic for employers out of 16

characteristics.

Work undertaken by a US firm specialising in customer loyalty and customer

retention makes a significant argument about employees making mistakes:

Let employees make mistakes. Give new employees more than adequate training,

assign them a mentor, and then know and accept that they will make mistakes. If

the mistakes are significant, discuss what could be done in the future to prevent

them from occurring again. With the rapid pace of change in the working world,


we all are constantly learning. Most workplaces have an environment where

employees are fearful of making a mistake. The result is that employees work more

slowly, overanalyse situations, are reluctant to take a stance, and do not offer new

and innovative solutions.

Mistakes are the stepping stones to great solutions (Thomas, 1999)

What employers said about managing young people compared with managing

others

Over 50% of employers indicated that they considered the first five characteristics

in Table 8 as being of greater importance in the management of young people. It is

important to observe that the employers were not asked ‘Are these workplace

characteristics important?’, they were asked to indicate whether these

characteristics are ‘more important when managing young people’; therefore these

statistics provide an indication of what employers believe are more important

when managing young people. In this light it is interesting to compare what

employers identified as being more important when managing young people,

with the characteristics that young people indicated they thought were most

important. Clear and regular communication is ranked second highest by both

employers and young workers, and is further verification that communication at

all levels is one of the key factors for both groups.

Table 8: Employers’ views about practices with greater importance when

managing young workers

Skills/practices Percentage of employers who

believe that these are of greater

importance when managing young

people.

Encouraging to ask questions 68.6%

Clear and regular communication 54.9%

Having clear expectations 53.1%

Opportunities for training and development 52.9%

Making responsibilities clear 51.0%

Being patient and tolerant 49.0%

Being aware of differences in behaviour and

attitudes

49.0%

Spending time explaining things 47.1%

Providing scope to use initiative 45.1%

Encouraging feedback 43.1%

Allow them to make mistakes 41.2%

Providing structure in the job role 41.2%

Developing rapport 39.2%

Taking time to explain processes 39.2%

Encouraging good time management 37.3%

Adequate information and support systems 35.3%


Over 55% of employers indicated that they felt that the following characteristics

are of no greater importance in the management of young people:

Developing rapport

Taking time to explain processes

Encouraging good time management

Adequate information and support systems.

If these results are compared with the values of young workers some quite

significant differences are revealed (see Table 9). Over 90 per cent of young

workers indicated that having good rapport with supervisors was either

important or very important, and yet more than half the employers indicated they

did not consider this workplace characteristic as being of greater importance when

managing young people. Additionally, young people said they need clear

instructions, yet employers do not believe that time to explain processes is more

important in managing young people. It is possible that these results come from

employers who believe these characteristics to be important in dealing with all

employees, rather than of greater importance for young workers. However a

general lack of recognition of the importance of good rapport and of explaining

processes could severely affect a young person’s capabilities to meet employer

expectations. With an increasingly diverse workforce, managers of every age are

encouraged to be a teacher and a learner at the same time.

Table 9: Comparisons between young workers’ and employers’ views of

workplace characteristics for young people

Young workers’ views of importance of

workplace characteristics

1. Having things well explained

2. Clear and regular communication

3. Adequate information and support

4. Good rapport with supervisors

5. Being encouraged to ask questions

Employers’ views of workplace

characteristics which are more important

when managing young workers

1. Encouraging to ask questions

2. Clear and regular communication

3. Having clear expectations

4. Opportunities for training and

development

5. Making responsibilities clear

Next steps: What employers and their young employees want

We gave employers and their young employees a list of supports that might assist

workplace relations, and asked what would be useful.


What employers are saying

It is enormously encouraging that employers are most interested in services that

help facilitate communication about expectations after starting a new job and

education about different attitudes and expectations across generations (see Table

10). On the other hand, they also said that they would not be interested in these

options being provided by an external agency. This could be related to the cost of

engaging an external agency but it also raises the question about employers and

their perceptions of external providers, which was also indicated in their response

to seeking external job-related training for young workers. This ranked lowest in

the types of information that employers give to new employees, yet most young

workers indicated they valued all opportunities for training and development. We

might also presume from this that employers prefer to provide the training

themselves, nevertheless, they also require the skills, knowledge and ability to be

able to do so.

Table 10: What employers thought would be useful in the workplace for

managing young workers

Service Percentage of employers who consider

that service would be useful in supporting

their management of young people to a

medium or a great extent.

Workshops for young people about employer

expectations after starting a new job

54.9%

Education about the different attitudes and

expectations between generations

50.9%

Workshops for young people about workplace

and employment practices

47.0%

Facilitating communication between young

employees and others in the workplace

39.2%

Network meetings with likeminded employers 27.4%

What young workers are saying

Young workers were most interested in workshops that helped them

communicate with others in the workplace; Generation Y value personal

relationships and their development (see Table 11). Both employers and young

workers rated workshops for young people about workplace and employment

practices as useful.


Table 11: What young workers thought would be useful in the workplace

Service Percentage of young workers who considered

this service would be useful in their workplace

to a medium or a great extent



50.0%

Workshops for young employees about

workplace and employment practices

46.6%



42.2%

Supervisor/manager training about the

different attitudes and expectations between

generations

41.1%

Communication between young workers and others was rated by half the

respondents as a useful service, further confirmation of the pattern emerging

around enhancing communication in the workplace. This is not surprising when

you consider the experience of an Apprenticeship Liaison Officer with the

Department of Education and Training who meets with employers and young

people every day, mostly to resolve issues in the workplace, especially ones that

involve training for young apprentices and trainees. This person commented in

relation to communication in the workplace:

Schools are now more open to discussion, workplaces are still hierarchical. Young

people have to learn that they will go from being self-directed to directed. They get

to their first job where the boss has been taught as an apprentice in a directed style,

and he goes on to do the same. Their approach can be illustrated with statements

like ‘Do what you’re told, I’m the boss, don’t ask questions’. This is one of the

major problems with communication between employers and young people.

The two types of additional information and support that really stand out relate to

job training, which indicates that young people have a strong desire to learn and

develop in their jobs (see Table 12). On the basis of this result we can conclude that

young people are likely to be enthusiastic and committed participants in any

opportunities (to develop or enhance their job-related skills) that employer and

outside agencies may be able to offer them.


Table 12: Ranking by young workers for additional information or support

Additional information and support Percentage of young workers who indicated

that they would like more information or

support in relation to these areas.

External job-related training 35.6%

Internal job-related training 36.7%

Information about pay, bonuses/incentives 21.1%

Information about superannuation and tax 22.2%

Occupational health and safety 11.1%

Information about work hours, breaks etc. 8.9%

Job rotation 14.4%

Workplace orientation (people departments

etc.)

10.0%

A mentor system 12.2%

A buddy system 4.4%

These responses are supported by a survey conducted by recruitment agency

Kelly Services who canvassed more than 1500 working youth in Australia about

their attitudes to the workplace. Kelly Services Managing Director, Dianne Ward

says:

Young people are attracted to a sociable work environment where they have the

opportunity for growth and learning. A stimulating workplace environment where

they have the chance to grow and learn amongst their peers is more attractive than

a job with a high salary but none of the developmental benefits. (HR Manager

2004)

Conclusions

The categorical message from employers and young workers about working

together is communication, with three key areas to focus on: induction,

generational differences and management skills.

Induction processes varied greatly between the employers responding to surveys;

the following highlights key areas from the findings about induction:

Young people rate the quality of training, orientation and occupational health

and safety information as significantly better when it is provided as part of a

formal induction program.

Large employers are more likely to provide formal induction programs.

Some employers do not provide a formal induction program.

The lack of information about occupational health and safety by some

employers is alarming.


Employers recognise the importance of providing opportunities for training

and development for young employees; yet external job training is a low

priority for them. Young employees indicated both internal and external

training as important.

Young people need to be confident enough to discuss and establish

award/enterprise agreements or contracts. Some employers are not being clear

about this with their young employees.

Management skills in their broadest sense are critical to the workplace, and the

following key areas are highlighted in the findings about management skills:

Communication at all levels in the workplace is rated as important by both

employers and young employees.

Clear and regular communication is the one area that both employers and

young employees rated equally as highly important.

Over 90 per cent of young employees rated good rapport with supervisors as

important, yet less than 40 per cent of employers rated building rapport with

young employees as more important than with other employees.

Job-related training was ranked as the most important workplace characteristic

by young employees.

Employers and young workers are most interested in services that focus on

increasing knowledge to bridge communication between employers, young

workers and others in the workplace. More than half the employers surveyed said

workshops for young people about employer expectations would be helpful,

while half of the young workers said facilitating communication between young

workers and others in the workplace would be useful – both recognise that

understanding about other groups in the workplace is essential to being effective.

Research into generational differences concludes that to engage effectively with

young people, employers must work at understanding them. In this study, young

workers also expressed some interest in understanding the generational

differences between employers and young employees however they ranked this

below other options suggested. Employers were more positive about training

about generational differences, which they ranked second to workshops for young

employees about employer expectations.


Table 13: Comparisons between employers and young workers about useful

services

Service % of employers % of young workers



54.9% 42.2%

Education about different attitudes and

expectations between generations

50.9% 41.1%

Workshops for young people about

workplace and employment practices

47.0% 46.6%



39.2% 50.0%

Further investigation into induction, generational differences and management

skills is vital to continuing support for young people making the transition to

employment, whilst simultaneously assisting employers to maximise the potential

of engaging young people in the workplace. Employers have a level of

responsibility equivalent to schools and parents in providing adequate

management skills and workplace practices for young people. Additionally, they

need to be responsive to the values and beliefs of Generation Y as the future of

business.

Productivity and well-being in the workplace should be important to employers;

they should consider research conducted by Diener and Seligman who found that:

Job satisfaction and positive mood at work both contribute to the productivity of

organisations. Happy employees are better organisational citizens than unhappy

employees … The costs of unhappy workers to economic productivity are

enormous. Policies aimed at producing a happier workforce make sense both

because they can enhance well-being in an important realm of life and because

they can increase economic productivity and profitability … Furthermore, studies

reveal that experiencing more positive emotions on the job is associated with both

better performance and higher levels of organisational citizenship. (Diener &

Seligman 2004, pp.10–11)


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