Presentation made at the CII Kerala IR Summit on 17 January 2019

1. Managing Millennials:
Challenges and
Opportunities
M P Sriram

2. 2
Born between mid eighties to
early 2000s
Millennials have grown up in a
time of rapid accelerating
change and
Are seeing a different world, and
have a different worldview
Giving them a set of priorities
and expectations
Sharply different from previous
generations.
Photograph by Kyle Taylor under Creative Commons
58% of global Millennials live in Asia, including over 400 million in
India..
Why are they getting so much attention ?

3. 3
Framework of Mind
Independent, positive and a confident lot,
their hierarchy of needs are different –
Recognition & appreciation matters. They
work in teams.
Homogeneous
A very thin divide between the “East
and West”, in terms of worldviews
Lifestyle
They are value conscious and are
mindful about their health far earlier
than you and me
Research based Decisions
Possessing an innate affinity for
Technology and with access to
information They make informed
choices based on “self-gathered”
information
Social Consciousness
View the world differently, seek
meaning, purpose, care for
authenticity and likes to rally around
important causes.
How are they different

4. 4
They are a Lazy lot
No, they are not ! Being chilled is their
mechanism of not letting pressure get
to them. Their life is not idyllic. They
value work-life balance
Disrespectful towards elders
They have opinions given their access to
information. They are ready to comply
but with fair reasoning. They believe
in a equal world
Glued to games only
It is an innate need to challenge
themselves. They seek high level of
engagement from their ecosystem
ME ME & ME
This generation is focused on viewing
themselves as individuals -Rise in
personal branding
The Myth

5. Views on Career

6. 6
Confidence Level
A Manpower Group Survey
• Millennials are upbeat about their careers.
• Close to 70% are confident that if they loose their MAIN
source of income, they will find equally good or better
work within 3 months
• The majority of the millennials globally see a promising
future and successful careers
• They are the “Can Do, Will Do” generation

7. 7
Career Security
A Manpower Group Survey
• Millennials have redefined job security as career security – it is the journey not the job
• Rather than one job for life, they understand the need for continuous skill development to
remain employable
• Three fourth of working millennials are in full time jobs, only 3% work in gig economy ( Free
lancing). They want full time work to maintain their standard of living
• The millennials want new opportunities with the current employer and not the next

8. 8
• Millennials think about careers in waves with
changing paths, different paces and regular
breaks
• 84% of the millennials foresees significant
breaks along the way.
• Most millennials know that they will work
longer than the previous generation
• 12% say they will probably work till the day
they die
• Over a third of working Japanese millennials
expect to work until the day they die, in India it
is 14%
32%
20%
25%
12% 10%
61%
33%
30%
11% 9%
Birth of
my
children
Childcare Care for
parents or
aging
relatives
Support
partner in
their job
Volunteer
or charity
work
42%
26%
24%
21%
20%
39%
27%
22%
21%
11%
Relaxation / Travel / Vacations
Marriage Honeymoon
Pursue Life Dream or Hobby
Return to Education/ Gain New skills
I am highly unlikely to take 4 weeks…
Career Waves and Breaks
A Manpower Group Survey

9. 9
Learnability
What is Learnability ?
The desire and ability to quickly
grow and adapt one’s skill set to
remain employable throughout their
working life.
93%
• See ongoing skills development as an
important part of their future careers.
7%
• No Desire for training
Courtesy Manpower Group Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision

10. 10
Learner Profiles
7%LOW LEARNERS
• Little or no appetite for learning
• Unwilling to spend their own time or money
on training
• Unwilling to train using the employer’s time or
money
64%
POTENTIAL LEARNERS
• Willing to spend their own time to train
• Willing to spend their own money to train
• Lower confidence
• Fewer opportunities for advancement
29%
HIGH LEARNERS
• Optimistic about job prospects and confident about
ability to get another job
• Take responsibility for their learning
• Willing to spend their own time to learn
• Willing to spend their own money to learn
• Willing to move jobs to learn
• Intellectually curious – determined to upskill no matter
the cost
• Independent, resilient
A Manpower Group Survey

11. 11
Impact on Industry

12. 12
Composition of Workforce
India - Millenials
1/3rd of population : Over 400 million
46% of the workforce
Chief wage earners in most households are millennials
contributing to 70% of total household income
Our customers, partners and employees are
increasingly millennial

13. 13
Challenges for industry
Managing Conflicts
Differeing worldwiews
Do not blindly conform
Question status quo
Articulation of purpose by
organisation/leader is critical.
**Majority experiencing
disconnect between expectations
& reality .
How to provide oppurtunities and
mechanisms for constant learning
/ skill enhancement
Mandays of training is passe
On demand , anytime anyplace
training is the need
Traditional roles /decesion making
process under question
Thinking is done by top
(leaders/managers) & execution by
the foot soldiers.
Policies and systems for
Fulfilment of personal needs
to enable them address
personal priorities.
Existing HR polices and
processes are inadequate
Implementating changes is a
bigger challenge

14. 14
Opportunities
Channelize their energy and enthusiasm
to live the purpose and
make a difference (Impact)
Deploy them on ‘challenges’
that are tough,
& meaningful
Leverage “ Can Do Will do “ Attitude
Democratising Learning :Give them
freedom and resources
to continuously learn
Set Learning Goals Jointly :
Accountable for results & changes in
behaviour
Do not micro manage
Self identification ,enrolment and self pace
learning
Managers to Mentor
Design policies/working
systems to meet their needs;
Open Offices
Collaborative work spaces
Sabbaticals
Work from home
Peer awards
Gamification of goals
Paternity leaves
Re-entry programs
Are not fads
They will certainly deliver on
your goals
Break Silos within and outside
Use their natural ability to
collaborate to co- create and
synergise

15. Thank You
sriram@aventus.in
(+91)9895345133
www.aventus.in
Talent and Change Consulting