This document summarizes research on engaging and managing Gen Y and Gen Z employees. It finds that both generations value coaching and mentoring from leaders, as well as effective communication. Gen Z prefers flexibility in working hours and dress code. The research provides recommendations for organizations, including offering flexible work arrangements, prioritizing work-life balance, and involving younger employees in social responsibility initiatives to attract and retain Gen Y and Gen Z talent.

1. How to Lead and Engage
Gen Y and Z Effectively
INSPIRING YOUR
FUTURE WORKFORCE

2. INTRODUCTION
Every generation is unique with their distinctive
values, priorities and beliefs. When a new generation
enters the workforce, it affects the existing workplace
symmetry as management, human resource personnel
and older employees have to learn new management
strategies and approaches so as to better understand,
engage and inspire them. Oftentimes, this results in
tension and an us-versus-them mentality.
In the spotlight in today’s workplace are Generation
Y (Gen Y), with Generation Z (Gen Z) on the verge of
joining the corporate world.
Understanding the challenges that executives and
managers face within their organisations when they
deal with younger generations, Centre for Executive
Education (CEE) embarked on a research study to bridge
the gap between generations and help employers
overcome managerial challenges positively, while
accommodating the needs of the various generations,
their diverse viewpoints and working styles.
In this study, we explore the unique values and belief
systems that these two generations embody, their
attitudes to work and life, their highly ambitious
and inquisitive nature, and how to best fit them
in organisations locally and around the world
in the context of today’s economic reality and
diverse workplace. At the same time, we examine
their loyalty level, and suggest ways to establish
better understanding with them to foster greater
collaboration and cohesion within your organisation.
RESEARCH AREAS
Talent Attraction: What do Gen Y and Z look for in
an organisation?
Talent Retention: What factors will attract Gen Y
and Z to remain in an organisation?
Talent Engagement: What do Gen Y and Z value in
their bosses? How do they like to be led?
Organisation Culture: What work culture suits them
the best?
Gen Y
aged 20 – 34 years
Gen Z
aged 16 – 19 years
201 respondents,
engaged in full-time
employment
103 respondents,
polytechnic and
university students
METHODOLOGY & RESPONDENT PROFILE
Survey data was collected from 304 respondents from both Gen Y and Z in Singapore during the period
of September 2014 to January 2015. Their views were obtained via an online survey and the results were
further validated during focus group interviews.
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3. Considerations
To Gen Y, career growth/advancement is their primary
concern followed by job satisfaction, while for Gen Z
job satisfaction is a priority. The latter also value career
advancement and a positive work environment. For
Gen Y, salary is important whereas Gen Z favours other
benefits such as health insurance, dental care coverage
and annual leave. Consideration for bonuses, both
fixed and variable, figure more prominently in Gen Z
than Gen Y. Gen Z prefers greater flexibility in working
RESEARCH FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS
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0.70% (81)
30.10
%
(31)
73.79%
(76)
44.7
2% (89)
Ask for Leads
from Parents,
Siblings or
Relatives
Recruitment /
Staffing Firms
72.86%
(
145)
69.90% (72)
61
.31% (122)
57.2
8%(59)
69.90
%
(72)
38
.69% (77)
70.87%
(73)
30
.15% (60)
Company
Websites to
Learn More about
Perspective
Employers
Online Job
Boards
Social
Networking
Sites
Newspapers
Advertisements
Gen Y (Aged 20 – 34 years)
Gen Z (Aged 16 – 19 years)
hours, telecommuting facilities or a work-from-home
arrangement, with Gen Y favouring the traditional
hours and method of working.
Gen Z ranks the location of office as very important
while both generations value the company leadership,
the organisation’s reputation and brand recognition
(including employee value proposition) equally well.
Conversely, job titles and in-house training are not
major areas of consideration for both Gen Y and Gen Z.
JOB
CONSIDERATIONS
Financial
Security
Job Stability
61.54%
(64)
61.31%
(122)
40.70%
(81)
55.77%
(58)
Career
Growth /
Advancement
79.40%
(158)
69.23%
(72)
Job
Satisfaction 73.87%
(147)
83.65%
(87)
Working in
a Positive
Organisational
Climate or
Environment
66.83%
(133)
69.23%
(72)
Gen Y (Aged 20 – 34 years)
Gen Z (Aged 16 – 19 years)
TALENT ATTRACTION
Job Search
Gen Y make employment decisions based on the
company websites where they learn about the job
openings and their prospective employers. On the
other hand, Gen Z select their organisations through
recruitment/staffing firms. Other avenues like online
job boards, social networking sites, newspaper ads
and leads from friends and relatives figure less and
in varying degrees for both generations.
Work-Life Balance
– balancing
professional
and personal
obligations
58.79%
(117)
33.65%
(35)
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4. TALENT RETENTION
Factors influencing job change
Gen Y tends to switch jobs if they are promised higher pay, while Gen Z is more swayed by better perks and
benefits. An equal amount of ambition is visible in both generations. For both generations, commuting distance and
dissatisfaction with immediate supervisor have the lowest influence on their decision to leave a job.
RESEARCH FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS
LOYALTY
1–2
years
35.32%
(71)
43.27%
(45)
3–5
years
39.30%
(79)
50.96%
(53)
6 years
or more
Unsure
8.46%
(17)
0.96%
(1)
16.92%
(34)
4.81%
(5)
LEADERSHIP
QUALITIES
Effective
Communicator
& Great
Listener
71.00%
(142)
78.43%
(80)
Good
Leadership
Skills
67.50%
(135)
48.04%
(49)
Pleasant, Easy
to Get Along
With and
Approachable
66.50%
(133)
58.82%
(60)
Understanding
and Caring
48.00%
(96)
66.67%
(68)
85.00%
(170)
Able to Coach,
Mentor and
Guide Me
96.08%
(98)
Flexible
Leadership
Styles and
Open Minded
71.00%
(142)
42.16%
(43)
Respects,
Values and
Appreciates
Employees
75.00%
(150)
15.69%
(16)
Gen Y (Aged 20 – 34 years)
Gen Z (Aged 16 – 19 years)
TALENT ENGAGEMENT
Qualities valued in a manager/supervisor
Both Gen Y and Gen Z value immediate managers who have the ability to coach, mentor and guide them. This
quality is followed by effective communication skills, listening power, flexible leadership style, open-mindedness
and the capacity for respect and appreciation of subordinates for both generations.
Loyalty
When it comes to loyalty and longevity at work, Gen Z generally expects to stay
in their current position for at least 3 to 5 years. Gen Y, however, is less hopeful.
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Gen Y (Aged 20 – 34 years)
Gen Z (Aged 16 – 19 years)

5. ORGANISATION CULTURE
Work Culture
Gen Z prefers a more flexible dress code and is
more comfortable in business casuals. Gen Y is
more flexible and is willing to dress according to
the situation.
Workplace Priorities
Gen Y and Gen Z both value similar aspects of the
work environment. Having a perfect work-life balance
has been rated as important by both generations,
but having a good office space does not really count
in their eyes. For both these generations, working
with state-of-the-art technology systems is the last
thing on their minds. The only exception is that while
Gen Y favours working with a supervisor that they
can respect and learn from, Gen Z places working
with people they enjoy as a top priority for an ideal
work culture.
RESEARCH FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS
WORK
CULTURE
Business
Attire
Business
Casual
Jeans &
Sneakers
Depending
on the
Situation
14.43%
(28)
5.94%
(6)
36.08%
(70)
65.35%
(66)
41.75%
(70)
4.95%
(5)
7.73%
(15)
23.76%
(24)
Work Culture Gen Y Priority Gen Z Priority
Working with a supervisor/manager I can respect and learn from 1 2
Working with people I enjoy 2 1
Having work-life balance 3
Having a shorter commute 4
Working for a socially responsible company 5
Having a nice office space 6
Working with state-of-the-art technology systems 7
5
Gen Y (Aged 20 – 34 years)
Gen Z (Aged 16 – 19 years)

6. CEE recommends the following key areas with regards
to attracting Gen Z graduates and engaging Gen Y
employees at the workplace.
Recruitment
Apart from ensuring that job openings are advertised
on their corporate websites, organisations must
remember that Gen Y prefers online job boards
whereas Gen Z prefers social networking and
recruitment/staffing firms when looking for career
opportunities.
Career Progression
Often, Gen Y workers are dubbed as unreliable
job-hoppers. Here organisations will do well to work
on staff retention plans and continuous professional
development. Provide them the right opportunities
at the right time to excel at what they do, bearing in
mind their interests.
Freedom and Flexibility
Gen Y employees are truly knowledge workers who
are used to options and alternatives on their side.
Therefore, allowing them the freedom to pursue goals
in their own way is advisable. Managers should allow
these employees to make choices as to how to best
achieve results and give them the flexibility to work
from anywhere.
Coaching and Mentoring
95% of Gen Z and 85% of Gen Y cited their ideal
manager as a coach or mentor figure. They also
expect their leaders to be effective communicators
and good listeners. Managers should be authentic and
lead from the front and by example or adopt servant
leadership, instead of a commanding or directive style.
These younger generations need guidance through
mentoring rather than control and micro-management.
Feedback & Recognition
Gen Y puts emphasis on personal interaction and
acknowledgement. By providing feedback and
acknowledging progress, you can make a Gen Y
worker feel purposeful. A highly engaging and
interactive management style characterised by open
communication works best for this generation. Offer
rewards and recognition for their contributions as they
are motivated by instant gratification.
Work-life Balance
Gen Y values work-life balance more than other
generations, their motto being “work smarter,
not harder”. Balance can be restored by reducing
time spent on things like commuting by making
arrangements for them to work from home, for
example. Gen Y workers value open-minded
employers in this respect. Gen Z prefers to work for
an organisation that offers flexible working hours and
telecommuting.
Sabbatical & CSR
Both Gen Y and Z involve themselves in causes outside
work. They are drawn to organisations that are socially
responsible. Tap into that interest by involving them in
charitable activities. Come up with a sabbatical policy
that would allow these employees to embark on paid
leave in support of worthwhile causes.
Retention
Managing Gen Y in the workplace is only one part
of the deal; retaining them is more challenging. 75%
of Gen Y and Z indicated they expect to remain with
an organisation for less than five years. Engage them
effectively so that they do not feel tempted to jump
over to your competition.
RECOMMENDATIONS
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7. SUMMARY
Flexibility is vital to managing Gen Y and Z, especially
if your organisation comprises a multigenerational
workforce. By understanding Gen Y and Z and
adapting your management styles accordingly, you can
effectively harness the potential of future generations
of employees while maintaining the loyalty of
other staff, thus effectively attracting and retaining
employees, building teams, dealing with change and
increasing employee engagement.
TRAINING BY CEE
At CEE, we collaborate with companies to create an
environment that will inspire your future workforce.
Beyond the younger generations, our programmes
are designed to support companies in managing
multigenerational staff. We guide companies to
recognise the strengths of each generation and learn
how to leverage them so as create value for your
clients and organisation.
Our training sessions are facilitated by highly
credentialled consultants and executive coaches
lead by our Master Executive Coach, Professor Sattar
Bawany.
Programme 1: Leading & Engaging a
Multigenerational Workforce
Highly interactive, informative and practical, this
workshop will provide participants with a deeper
understanding of what the differences between
generations are, how those differences impact
their own perception and leadership style, how
they manifest themselves in the participants’ own
organisation and effective ways to lead the people
in their organisation to become more harmonious,
productive and mutually respectful.
Programme 2: Enhancing Team Effectiveness at
a Multigenerational Workplace
An intensive multigenerational team effectiveness-
training programme, this workshop combines proven-
in-action techniques and S.C.O.R.E. framework
with peer interaction help the participants gain a
clear understanding of the differences between
Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and
Gen Z and how to lead these employees of different
generations into becoming a unified, high-performing
team. Participants will also learn practical strategies
that can be implemented in resolving conflicts at the
multigenerational workplace.
TESTIMONIALS
Prof Bawany provided an informative and energetic presentation to
more than 75 managers and 20 HR professionals on understanding the
generational differences and how to engage and harness the potential
of a multi-generational workforce to create value for our customers.
— 3M Singapore
Thank you for the successful delivery of the series of workshops on
‘Developing Multigenerational Team Effectiveness@CAG’. From the
participants’ feedback, your presentation was professional and well received
with more than 95% rating the sessions as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’. Thank you for
making the workshops a great success.
— Changi Airport Group (CAG)
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8. ABOUT CEE
Centre of Executive Education (CEE) is a premier network of established human resource development and
consulting firms around the globe. We design solutions for leaders at all levels to help them navigate tomorrow’s
business challenges.
The CEE suite of executive development programmes includes talent management and succession planning,
management and leadership development, executive coaching, CEO and board mentoring and advisory services.
We help corporate leaders and small business owners optimise their performance and accomplish their business
and professional objectives. Our programmes are designed to equip these leaders to support growth, execute
change and develop people to build high performance organisations — leading to increased productivity,
exceptional business results and greater profitability.
ENQUIRES
For more information about the CEE Suite of Talent Management and Executive Development Solutions or
our Multigenerational workshops, please email us at enquiry@cee-global.com.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
To view our other publications, please visit www.cee-global.com/6/publication.
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RESEARCH TEAM
Prof Sattar Bawany, Principal Consultant
Adam Bawany, Associate Consultant
CENTRE FOR EXECUTIVE EDUCATION PTE LTD
259 Tampines Central
Singapore 915209
Tel: +65 6789 0977 Fax: +65 6789 0911
Email: research@cee-global.com
Homepage: www.cee-global.com
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