Engaging Gen Y
Strategies for Success
by Gina Kellogg-Gardner


Employee engagement is the discretionary energy, effort and initiative an employee puts toward their work. Engagement is achieved when employees have a clear understanding of how their role impacts the organization and feel their contribution is meaningful. Generation Y is asking employers to provide interesting work, a sense of fulfillment and the ability to thrive in an entrepreneurial work environment; all factors fostering engagement.

Leadership impacts employee engagement levels by 48 – 57% (Melcrum Publishing 2008). Six organizations interviewed for this research stated leadership as their organization’s number one employee engagement lever. Leaders who directly manage Gen Y employees impact their engagement.

Literature and Gen Y blogs confirm leadership is key to leveraging young workers. The formula for engaging them, according to Brazen Careerist and Employee Evolution blogs, is trusting them with decision making, giving challenging and fulfilling work, providing growth opportunities, and providing open, honest feedback.

Organizational structures must also support engagement in areas such as:

Leadership Development – If you want to increase GenY engagement, team leaders, supervisors and mid-level managers must learn to lead effectively.

Job Design – Job design has the second greatest impact on engagement. Show Gen Y you trust them with decision making and offer roles that are interesting and fulfilling. Design jobs that have distinct and important roles in the organization, are meaningful and foster a sense of contribution (Harvard Business Review 2008).

Career Culture – Involve Gen Y employees in their career development plans. Allow employees to identify the pace, limitations and values they want in their role, and to adapt it based on personal goals and needs.

Engagement Survey – Use a survey to measure engagement. 10% of the process is administrating the survey and 90% is responding to results.

Online Action Planning – A great way to engage Gen Y is to use technology and incorporate an online action plan. This allows employees, managers and leadership to view engagement plans, monitor progress and recognize wins.

The relationship between employee engagement and an organization’s success in leveraging Gen Y is driven by leadership. With Gen Y having the largest employment share by 2011, leadership’s ability to engage and leverage this new generation will give organizations the competitive advantage.

As seen in this issue of Connections Magazine

Gina Kellogg-Gardner