Millennial Movement

If there is one consistent thing when looking at workforce patterns, it is that the millennial generation is on the move.  However, how that movement is perceived seems to be a bit of a glass-half-full/glass-half-empty view.

GIF with caption, " I don't want to freak you out, but I may be the voice of my generation".
Source: alastairadversaria.wordpress.com. The above content constitutes a link to the source website.

A recent article in the Huffington Post provides us with survey-based information related to the high patterns of millennial workers wanting to quit their jobs.

Click Here to Read the Article.

The Canadian HR Reporter also posted an article recently that looks at the rationale behind the high rates of workforce movement for the millennial crowd.

Click Here to Read the Article.

As HR practitioners, we have a choice as to how we capture the challenges and opportunities offered by these millennial created patterns. The known benefits of a staid and stable post-millennial workforce may be just that, offering a steady flow that is predictable, unchanging, and perhaps, a bit dull.  It should be no surprise that the millennial workforce is vibrant and full of movement. This is a generation that is young, well-educated, and connected to the virtual world in a way that has never been seen before.  It certainly seems that the decision to move to the next best thing, for a person of the millennial generation, comes at a faster rate when existing things like career limitations or organizational values based fit are no longer comfortable.

Should we hold this generation back or let them go, knowing that this millennial pattern too, shall change?

Discussion Questions:

  1. As an HR professional, how does the statistical information about millennial workforce patterns assist in HR forecasting?
  2. If the patterns for millennial workforce movement are accurate, then a) What types of HR activities would be least effective for retention purposes? and b) What types of HR programs would be most important and effective to have in place?
  3. How does the survey information, including the identification of age/generational categories, reflect your own career experience or expectations?

The Delphi Technique

All HR professionals are expected to understand the basic tools necessary to determine HR Demand.  All the HR textbooks cover the topic, and all HR provincial regulatory examinations will test you on the subject.  Learning the concepts and applying the concepts, are two vastly different tasks. Many HR Professionals use the Delphi Technique, outlined in this Belcourt’s, Strategic Human Resources Planning, to determine HR Demand.

The Delphi Technique is described as:

“A process in which the forecasts and judgments of a selected group of experts are solicited and summarized in an attempt to determine the future HR demand.”

Now let’s take the theory behind the Delphi Technique and make it practical.  The following step-by-step guide for application, was written by Project Manager, Duncan Haughety:

Step 1: Choose a Facilitator

Step 2: Identify Your Experts

Step 3: Define the Problem

Step 4: Round One Questions

Step 5: Round Two Questions

Step 6: Round Three Questions

Step 7: Act on Your Findings

Click here to read more about Haughety’s Step-by-Step Guide.

The next time you are asked to predict HR demand, pull out this step-by-step guide to help you along.

Discussion Questions:

  1. You are the HR director for a solar panel manufacture, currently employing 500 engineers, project managers, sales people, general assembly workers and installers.  Your current annual production is 100,000 units.  Your sales forecasts predict that your sales will double next year, and 500% in five years. Develop an action plan by using the Delphi technique and predict the future HR demand for employees in your industry.