Work life balance

The best get to where they are by putting in the hours, which is a fact. These exceptional graduates, the ones we provide to our clients, have worked damn hard to get themselves into this position. They have no fear of hard work, but they expect a balance. Every company and industry has busy times of the year, where it is very much a case of everybody stays until job/project completion. This current crop of graduates will do that, but they expect the time back in quieter times. They want to live a balanced lifestyle of work and downtime. If the work life balance of the graduates in your company is poor, your retention rate will soon follow. Look at ways to introduce better work life balance to your staff.

Flexibility

This can be industry dependent, but when possible offer graduates flexibility. They are used to working just about everywhere, be it a train, coffee shop or from home. The time is approaching where giving the option of working from home 1-2 days a week is no longer a suggestion but a necessity. Companies without this flexibility will soon lose their talent (if they were lucky enough to get any in the first place).

Agency

This is a generation who can find faster ways to do just about anything. Allow them the agency to streamline processes and find more efficient methods to carry out tasks. One of the major benefits of obtaining this talent is their ability to seek new more efficient methods for completing tasks. Improved efficiency usually leads to increased profitability. Allow their talents and imaginations to run wild (not too wild) and watch them work their magic.

Responsibility

From early on, give them responsibility. Let them know you believe they can look after certain elements of work. Show that you trust them and give them a reputation to live up to. To this day, there are still employers who use graduates for nothing more than “grunt work”. That is the slow, boring and monotonous tasks that elder workers refuse to complete. Do this at your peril. Modern day graduates know their value, they know what they are capable of and they will not be long walking out the door if not given the opportunity.

Remuneration

Is money the be all and end all for the graduate of today? No. In fact when we spoke to graduates in 2018, they said they would rather work for a company that will develop them professionally and give them opportunities over companies that will not offer this even if offering a higher salary. Pay them fairly, if they are working overtime, acknowledge this verbally and financially. They do not see money as being the most important thing in deciding on employers, but they do know their value, you should to.

Progression opportunities 

This is an impatient generation of graduates. They want to move up through the ranks of the company. The difference between average and excellent graduate talent is that the exceptional talent genuinely work and deserve to move up through the ranks of the company quickly. Hold them back and watch as they move to competitors that will reward their hard work and talent.

As an employer, you need to pay attention to the above. If you are not aware of the above and not working towards providing these things, your talent will leave, if you have been lucky enough to obtain it in the first place.