Hospitality employers need to become “Gen Y-savvy”: research
Tech-savvy Gen Y hospitality employees are willing to forgo higher wages in return for greater flexibility and more time on their mobiles at work, according to new research.
The three-year study, a joint project between The University of Queensland and Hospitality Training Association (HTA), has confirmed some popular perceptions of Gen Y workers, such as their desire for greater recognition, responsibility and job variety early in their careers.
However, HTA CEO Phillip Charlton said that the study’s findings might surprise some in the hospitality industry.
“There is a perception that Gen Y employees are a generation of job-hoppers, or that they don’t value job security as much as their older co-workers do,” Mr Charlton said.
“But this study has found that since the GFC, job security rates very highly among the Gen Y cohort.”
The study, led by UQ’s Dr David Solnet, makes 10 key recommendations for hospitality employers to hire, train and retain Gen Y hospitality workers, including relaxing policies about mobile use at work, and training them to place stock orders or read basic financial reports to keep them engaged.
Mr Charlton said with the industry’s skills shortages expected to worsen, it was important for employers to take on board the report’s findings.
“By 2020, the proportion of Gen Y employees in the workforce will reach 42%. This will obviously have a significant impact on the hospitality industry, which relies so heavily on the ‘human factor’ for success,” he said.
“Cold hard cash is not necessarily the prime motivator for Gen Y. They are more interested in job variety, a flexible roster and recognition from supervisors.”
Over 900 Queensland hospitality workers of all ages were examined for the study, which set out to gain a better understanding of the particular challenges and quirks of Gen Y hospitality workers.
“There are a lot of assumptions and misconceptions in the industry about the attitudes and behaviours of Gen Y workers, but very little scientific evidence to back them up until now,” said Mr Charlton.
“This report finally provides hard evidence about what makes this generation of workers tick, particularly those in the hospitality industry.”
Click here for the full report
