Why We Should Invest in Young Professionals

Sign reads please stay on the path

Source: Photo by Mark Duffel on Unsplash

We’ve all heard it, if not said it ourselves, in regard to young professionals: They’re flighty. They have no work ethic. They lack commitment. They’re disconnected (from people. They’re too connected (to technology. They aren’t willing to pay their dues. They’re self-centered. And on and on.

For many in management and leadership positions, these well-worn stereotypes can result in an unwillingness to invest in younger employees. After all, if you’re just going to leave in a couple of years, then why should I spend the time and resources to try to keep you?

And make no mistake, there is a good chance that they will leave. The 2019 Deloitte Millennial Survey (which now surveys both Millennial and Gen Z employees) found that “49 percent would, if they had a choice, quit their current jobs in the next two years.” A quarter of those reported that they had left a previous employer within the past two years.

The top reasons they reported for leaving include dissatisfaction with pay, lack of advancement opportunities, and lack of training and development. Additionally, of those surveyed, over 80 percent said they would consider joining the gig economy for additional income (58%), more flexible work hours (41%), or better work/life balance (37%) than what they feel they are getting in their current full-time roles.

Interesting statistics, to be sure, but what does they actually tell us? Young professionals are looking for growth and challenge, they are looking for opportunities that align with their values or lifestyle expectations, and they are looking for professional development. Of course, that’s not just a young professional thing. I don’t know about you, but I also would like growth and challenge, work that aligns with my values, and intentional professional development. That’s not being an unreasonable young professional. That’s being human.

And that perception we have of the flighty job-hopper isn’t actually accurate. Research by the Pew Research Center shows that “among the college-educated, Millennials have longer track records with their employers than Generation X workers did in 2000, when they were the same age as today’s Millennials.”

The reality is that today’s young people aren’t flighty, self-centered, unprofessional commitment-phobes, or at least not intentionally so. They are products of their environments, as we all are.

he Millennials lived through the Great Recession, Gen Z watched the impact, and both groups have made and are making professional choices that are shaped by that experience. As well, both have been over-resourced, over-supported, and over-protected in their childhood and adolescence, which shapes their expectations for both work and life. But that’s not because of who they are. It’s because of what we, the adults, did.

Think about it. These young adults have been told the following all of their lives up to and through college:

• You are the most important person here
• Your voice matters and deserves to be heard
• You are a winner, even when you’re not
• You have all of the resources, support, and guidance you can ever need, and we will not let you fail
• You can be anything you want to be
• You can, and you should, find and follow your passion.

Not only has this messaging resulted in a good bit of inflated ego and unrealistic expectations (hello, self-centeredness and unwillingness to pay one’s dues!), it has not prepared them well for the professional world that awaits them. There, they are more likely to hear the following:

• You are the least important person here
• You don’t know enough yet to have a voice
• You will be a winner when you prove that you are
• You need to find your own resources and support, and no one here is going to hand it to you
• You’re lucky to have a job
• If you’re lucky, your passions will find you, eventually.

No wonder they are so eager to jump to the next best opportunity!

Today’s world of work is disruptive, global, innovative, tech-driven, fast-paced, and competitive. Employers expect employees to bring with them from day one a high level of executive functioning as strategic problem-solvers, team players, entrepreneurial thinkers, and initiative-takers; a set of skills that includes verbal and written communication, critical and analytical reasoning, ethical decision-making, and use of constantly-evolving technologies; as well as content knowledge related to their specific assigned work role. And, while the young professionals are working to figure all of that out, they are expected to take ownership for their own career path, seeking out growth opportunities, the knowledge needed to be successful, feedback, and coaching.

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Theories around “intelligent careers” developed more than 25 years ago recognizing that traditional career paths—moving up the organizational chain of command at one organization—no longer exist. Instead, today we have “boundaryless” career paths, built across multiple industries and organizations. Employees move on when they feel that they are no longer getting the guidance, development, skills, or opportunities that they need to further their careers.

And while to the organization this looks like a lack of loyalty, to the individual this feels like taking responsibility for one’s own growth and development and staying ahead of the next economic downturn or company merger that ultimately could lead to the elimination of their position.

So why then should we, the leaders and managers and more seasoned employees, invest in these young professionals, when we know that they’re probably just going to leave? For two critically important reasons. First, as of 2017, Millennials comprised the largest share of the U.S. workforce, beating out both Gen Xers and Boomers. Gen Z is just starting to enter the workforce and can’t yet be counted, but very clearly these young people are both the present and the future of our organizations. If we don’t invest in them, who will?

And second, from a more self-interested standpoint, every time that an organization loses a good employee, it loses in both productivity and opportunity costs, which can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. A recent study by Accenture found that “recent graduates are two-and-a-half times more likely to stay for five or more years if they feel their skills are fully utilized with challenging, meaningful work.” Further, “those working for large companies rank a supervisor who will mentor and coach as their top priority, besides interesting and challenging work.”

So, it turns out, investing in people can pay off. Give them challenging work. Have honest conversations about how the work aligns (or doesn’t) with their values, meaning, and purpose. Coach and mentor them (or find someone who will).

Because here’s the secret. Sure, they still may leave. But by investing in them, by showing that you care about them, you are giving them a reason to stay.