10.1108@bij 05 2018 0132

Benchmarking: An International Journal
Generation Y: Perspective, engagement, expectations, preferences and

satisfactions from workplace; a study conducted in Indian context
Nidhi Arora, Vijay Dhole,
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Generation Y
Generation Y
Perspective, engagement, expectations,
preferences and satisfactions from workplace;
a study conducted in Indian context
Nidhi Arora
Department of Management, Received 28 July 2017
Revised 20 May 2018
Neville Wadia Institute of Management Studies and Research, Pune, India, and Accepted 5 June 2018
Vijay Dhole
Department of Management,
Neville Wadia Institute of Management Studies and Research, Pune, India and
Sinhgad Institute of Business Administration and Research (SIBAR), Pune, India
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine expectations of Generation Y (born between 1980 and
2000) entrants to Indian industry, in respect of their perspective, job experiences, considerations and initial
employment expectations. Keeping in mind that organizations are required to prepare for the expectations of
Generation Y. Human resources (HR) practitioners should consider the next generation as strategic business
partners in the twenty-first-century workplaces, questions ignite about Generation Y’s values and aspirations
and how we can engage them in our workplaces. This study was an attempt to look at Indian Gen Y
employees who comprise almost half of the Indian working population and are growing at a rapid pace.
Effective understanding of Gen Y will lead to the designing of effective HR policies and environment.
Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing quantitative research methods, an exploratory study was
undertaken with 520 employees (all of whom fell into the category of Generation Y) from various industries.
Findings – The study found that many of the propositions contained within the Generation Y literature were
reflected among participants in relation to their future career and lifestyle aspirations. This hints to the need for
industry to carefully benchmark employee expectations and experiences to ensure commitment to the sector.
Research limitations/implications – Being an exploratory study, the results are not generalizable to the
wider population. The findings frame a future longitudinal study on the careers of Generation Y graduates as
they move from the anticipation to the encounter stage of their career development. This will seek to further
explore the implications of Generation Y values, including those relating to diversity and equality which were
not raised as an issue in this preliminary study.
Practical implications – The findings of this research contribute to our knowledge of the career aspirations
of Generation Y. The paper indicates to employers some of the future benchmarkings in recruitment and HR
practices that they might adopt to meet the needs of this generation of employees. It is anticipated that this
paper will interest new and experienced HR practitioners. Interest might spark ongoing inquiry into effective
approaches for employee engagements, specifically to Gen Y employees who will be ruling the workplace in the
coming decade. The Gen Y has also led to attrition problems. Therefore, this paper will help in the effective
understanding of Gen Y and designing strategies for internal benchmarking in various policies.
Originality/value – This work is a unique effort to look at the common expectations of the Gen Y
employees, from the workplace. The findings highlighted the general expectations which are normally
neglected in high strategical environment of today’s tech-savvy industry.
Keywords Benchmarking, Human resource management, Expectations, Generation Y, Perspective,
Considerations
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Organizations that truly engage and inspire their employees produce world class levels of
innovation, productivity and performance (Rt Hon Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business,
Innovation and Skills). Benchmarking: An International
Journal
A question ignites about Generation Y’s values and aspirations, and how we can engage © Emerald Publishing Limited
1463-5771
them in our workplaces. It is important to note that Gen Y will be ruling and dominating the DOI 10.1108/BIJ-05-2018-0132
BIJ work environment in the coming decades. The employees of Gen Y are very young, brash,
smart and strong, comprising almost 77m of the population. Generation Y are generating
start-ups at an overwhelming rate and their attitude is comparatively different and distinct.
Organizations need to take them seriously and plan out the approaches to engage them and
retain them; thus, making them more work oriented and productive. This study will be
important for the developing countries and significantly country like India where the study
on the generation is quite neglected. Organizations from different countries located in India
do not have resources to do so, seeing the trends and growing expectations of today’s
generation with the technological advancements and the ride of globalization. This study is
an endeavor to look into the expectations of Indian Gen Y employees who include nearly
half of the Indian operational population and is rising at a pace. Generation Y appears to be
highlighted as the cause for the issue of employee turnover (Queiri et al., 2014).
As the generations of Baby Boomers have almost retired and Gen X is gradually retiring
from the workforce, it is essential to give priority to the recruitment and retention of Generation
Y. Therefore, this research determines the perceptions and expectations of Generation Y as a

means to enhance the recruitment and retention process of organizations in India. The non-
availability of the suitable workforce and leadership qualities can have negative impact on the
overall growth of the Indian economy and social status. This study fills this gap in research in
terms of expectations in the beginning of early stages as employee about employment that may
attract and retain them for long period of time. This brings us to a more important question: do
they have the rightful leadership quality which entails the organizational retention? This study
can act as an initial manuscript and material resource for budding forthcoming researchers and
human resources (HR) practitioners, who might be concerned in understanding Indian
Generation Y employees and their expectations concerning work to develop the difference in
approach in engaging them across multinational and Indian organizations.
Literature review
Defining Generation Y
The phrase Generation Y was first used in an August 1993 Ad Age editorial to define
teenagers of the day, in which they were demarcated as different from Generation X; at that
time they were aged 12 or younger (born after 1981), as well as the teenagers of the next ten
years. Ever since, the establishment has occasionally used 1982 as the starting birth year for
the generation. “Generation Y” alludes to a succession from “Generation X.” The name
“Echo Boomers” mentions the extent of the generation and its connection to the Baby
Boomer age group. Figures by the US Census Bureau assess that Generation Y encompasses
about 25.7 percent of the world entire population in the age group of 18–38 years. Statistics
explains this generation as having an upbringing in a world patent by neoliberal approach
on the road to politics and economics known by amplified usage of communication, media
and digital technologies. The generation is also sometimes stated as the “Wired Generation”
which desires to be connected always and feels most contented in digital surroundings.
A study by Deloitte Consulting in 2005: Who Are the Millennials? A.K.A. Generation Y:
attempted to understand Generation Y or Millennial generation by way of understanding
what ticks them; why are their expectations and how do they link to their workplace.
The study reveals that the millennial:
• work well with friends and in teams;
• are collaborative, resourceful, innovative thinkers;
• love a challenge;
• seek to make a difference;
• want to produce something worthwhile;
• desire to be a hero; Generation Y
• are impatient;
• comfortable with speed and change;
• thrive on flexibility and space to explore;
• partner well with mentors; and
• value guidance and expect respect.
Generation Y employees (the Indian context)

The employed population of India, as per Census Report (2011), between the age group of 15
and 59 years encompasses 56.9 percent of the total population, out of which nearly half
contains of the youth in the age group of 15–24 years (UNESCO definition). It is assessed by the
UNESCO that though the current world young population stances at almost 1.2bn (which is
18 percent of about world’s population), it will upsurge by almost 72m till year 2025. It will pose
a boundless challenge for establishments, as this mushrooming young population is planned to
move in and penetrate the existing workforce putting numerous challenges in consideration to
values, attitudes and perceptions affecting potential opportunities at workplace.
Remarkably by 2010, almost half of India’s working people, almost 362m, were less than the
age of 25 which has been only increasing with the time making it one of the youngest countries
of the world. CRISIL (2010) Report on Skilling India points out the incredible prospect and
challenges for Indian corporate. India with increasing population of 1.2bn (as on 2010) has
almost 17.6 percent stake in the world population pie, marking it the second highly populated
country after China in terms of demography. By 2030, India will be the largest populated
country with 1.5bn populations. Though this looks challenging, it brings opportunities to the
developing country like India as working population (15–59 years) here will increase from
749m to 924m by year 2030, making it the most preferred site of talent procurement (employee
availability) enhancing occupational progression and growth in the country.
Need of the generation study

Paul M. Arsenault’s (2004) extensive study authenticates that generations create their own
traditions and culture by a shared collective field of emotions, attitudes, preferences and
dispositions. In addition, the study illustrates significant differences in how these generations
rank or admired leadership characteristics, which correlates to their preferred leadership style
and favorite leaders. The conclusion is that generational differences are a genuine diversity
issue that organizations need to distinguish and understand and an issue that needs to be
focused in developing current and future leaders. Every generation has its unique set of
pooled field of preferences and exemplified activities through events, movies, television shows,
music, individuals or groups and favorite leaders. The results from this study authenticate the
importance of generational differences as a genuine diversity issue. This research is an
encouraging step toward reducing the criticism by increasing the acceptance and appreciation
of generational differences. This study is limited to the sample of the USA.
Generation Y’s expectations

On November 8, 2011 Keith Coats in her blog has beautifully compared and correlated the
expectations of various generations, Baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y. According to her, Gen Y
has expectations peculiar to technology: Gen Y has grown up in a world where access to
technology especially that of social technology is certainly available. It defines them and any
constraints to such would be like talking to a fish about life without water. Second expectation
is related to a cause. Gen Y wants something to believe in, bigger basis that underpins all
BIJ we do in business. Third and the most important expectation is: But why? Gen Y will
interrogate everything. They have been brought up in a world of transparency (everything is
on Facebook) and information is “on tap.” These expectations make Gen Y unique in their
approach. Keith has taken the time periods of generations in the South African context,
therefore may have gaps in understanding the expectations of various generations. “Indian
Gen Yer’s are no different from those in the European world; they just have more opportunities
in their buoyant market right now. Young Indians are viewing to accelerate their learning
experiences and their rank, and job hopping seems to be a worthy way to accomplish both.”
According to KPMG Annual Compensation Trends Survey India 2017, top 3 reasons
reported for attrition are:
(1) better pay elsewhere (28.1 percent);
(2) better career opportunity (23.4 percent); and
(3) personal reasons (19.6 percent).
Kathleen Koster (2012) quotes in her article “The current generation has stumbled on an
incredibly powerful and important model for changing the world and the workplace: the
network.” She describes Malcolm Gladwell message for 13,000 HR and has benefited
professionals at the SHRM 2012 Conference in Atlanta. The New Yorker reporter and the
author of several best-selling books including “Outliers: The Story of Success,” shared what
the millennial perspective brings to American society and workplaces. Gladwell added that
the most innovative companies today understand the dynamic of network and hierarchical
paradigms, for example, Apple Inc. used both principles to build the most successful
company in the world, he said. Under its leader Steve Jobs, the company infused openness
and flexibility into a hierarchy to achieve remarkable innovation and impressive revenues.
Gladwell recommended that employer’s emulate Apple’s approach to combine the best of
the network and hierarchy models.
Managing Generation Y
As Tulgan and Martin (2001), authors of Managing Generation Y, note, “Organizations that
can’t or may not customize training, career tracks, incentives and work accountabilities to
Gen Y, want a wake-up call.” This is the new reality for companies. Indeterminacy is no
longer a choice, though this report and developed model is not globally demonstrative as
unique understanding comes from the US sources, whereas the statistical confirmation
comes from the UK sources. Therefore, western bias is felt in describing Generation Y. Thus,
the understanding and model are unlikely to be applicable to, e.g., Brazil, China or India
where there are relatively large cultural differences to the USA and Western Europe.
Association of Graduate Recruiters (2008): this survey was conducted for the Association
of Graduate Recruiters. One of the main issues discovered was that the survey was
conducted in the UK and the figures here support the expected importance of Generation Y.
Initially, the oldest Yer’s were found to have reached an age of 27. A good salary is of high
importance to Yer’s. From the employer’s perspective it looks slightly different as salary
expenses increase on an annual basis. The qualification expenses are in some cases covered
by the company in addition to study materials and days off to study and attend exams.
Although Yer’s are highly technologically literate, personal interaction can still be a
deciding factor when deciding which company to apply to. It is a survey of a company to
understand the attitude of the Yer’s and to understand their work value.
High Fliers Research Limited (2008): The UK Graduate Careers Survey. The High Fliers
study recognized several areas that proved the characteristics of Generation Y stated earlier.
The Yer’s were seen to value doing charity effort; however, comparatively few had trailed
activities that would have tested their independence, e.g., international backpacking for
extended periods or learning abroad. Robust social interaction for Yer’s was confirmed by Generation Y
high participation levels in societies and groups. High levels of debt were common for Yer’s.
Once more companies demonstrated their assurance to engaging Yer’s, with 85 percent
offering the break to pursue professional qualifications. Yer’s also wanted to be unceasingly
challenged but did not want to work long hours or weekends which only a marginal were
willing to do confirming the importance of work–life balance. One of the most important
conclusions of the student-based survey was how long millennium expected to remain with
a company. Only a marginal 5 percent expected to leave during the first year, but this
compared to only 17 percent expecting to remain for more than five years. That means that
83 percent of respondents expect to remain with their first company for less than five years.
This confirms that retention is a true cause for concern for companies as well as for Yer’s.
They have little company loyalty and with this put a new perspective on a company’s
corporate culture and identity. This is especially worrisome for companies as it is during the
first years that companies invest and provide most of the training for qualifications enhance
skills and invest in development programs for graduates. This survey is based on the
students who are not yet exposed to the corporate world and is more perception based.
Another study by Susana Fernandez (2009) explored possible differences between Gen X
and Gen Y on their work-related beliefs. By data from 290 employees in a huge Silicon Valley
technology company, the current study inspected potential generational and gender
differences on three work-related theories, namely, work engagement, teamwork and career
development. Outcomes showed that Gen Y was extra engaged at work than Gen X. Also, men
were found to be more engaged at work and are satisfied with their career discussions than
women. Consequences of the findings are deliberated. Research shows that generational
differences can be found in all types of environments, therefore the conscious examination of
generational assumptions offers a rich and enlightening opportunity for many organizations.
Ekaterina Walter (2012) in the study on Facebook displays that Gen Yer’s are utilizing
their personal networks and profiles as an addition of their professional personality. Even
though they are using Facebook to frequently socialize with family and friends, they are
unconsciously blending the two. In total, 64 percent of millennial fails to add their employer
on their profiles; however, they add an average of 16 co-workers to their “friend” group. Not
only that, the research truly shows youngsters’ entrepreneurial essence and their mutual
attitudes toward job loyalty. “Owner” is the fifth most prevalent designation for Gen Y on
their Facebook profiles. Those who enter workforce spend an average of just over two years
at their first job. They are job-hopping manifold.
Millennial Branding (2012) study depicts that both managers and Gen Y employees are
on the same page when it comes to workplace success. However, while Gen Y workers
have a positive view of their managers, believing that their managers can offer experience
(59 percent), wisdom (41 percent) and a willingness to mentor (33 percent), managers have
an overall adverse view of their Gen Y employees. They feel that employees have unrealistic
compensation expectations (51 percent), a poor work ethic (47 percent) and are simply
distracted (46 percent).
Light Speed Research collected responses from 1,000 Gen Y employees and 1,000
managers through American companies of all sizes, in numerous industries. The study
inspected the criteria managers look for when promoting their impressions of Gen Y, how
they view intrapreneurship and lateral moves and the role of social media in the workplace.
According to Tamara Erickson (2008), author of Plugged In, Net Generation and Echo Boom
(children of the Baby Boomers) group is foreseen to dominate the workplace for the next 40 and
possibly 60 years. They have unrivaled technological competency, the result of growing up
with personal computers and the internet. Erickson believes this generation is a demographic
dream, coming at just the right time to fill a spiraling demand for knowledge workers.
BIJ Gilburg (2007) describes Gen Y to be the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most
high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with
more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and
other than prior generations. In addition, time described members of Generation Y in its July
16, 2007 issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They do
not want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.
This paper has beautifully defined the difference of Gen Y, their strength and
weaknesses and also highlighted: What makes Generation Y different, Generation Y’s
workplace strengths and weaknesses, Generation Y’s impact on the workplace, how
organizations can become employers of choice. Those organizations that can find the right
mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully
leverage the generation’s potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials
grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to
critical feedback, which will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current
reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Accepting the resources, wisdom
and support from previous generations, Generation Y can turn into a catalyst for an
enhanced future, one that paybacks us all. It is a generic study and not focused group is
considered for sample and may apply or not to all the regions. According to Aziza Lewis et
al. (2012), organizations who fail to recognize generational differences amid employees and
focus their efforts only on keeping existing employees happy are at a large disadvantage
over competitors. For managers to better attract, retain and motivate Generation Y,
organizations should ensure that the main benefit focus is set on salary and wages to attract
potential employees of Generation Y. Managers should generate a positive work
environment that is generally friendly and has state-of-the-art technology. By applying the
results found in this research study, managers will have a human capital benefit over other
participants in the workforce, and will help to retain Generation Y for longer periods of time.
Global survey by International Association of Business Communicators and Deloitte
Consulting to understand Generation Y’s requirements, discourses how essential it is for
Generation Y employees to feel connected, informed and involved in an organization. The
paper details viewpoints of these employees that highlight aspects of frequent, short and
updated communications, alongside factors like honesty with clarity in communication.
Generation Y is dynamic and eager to collaborate, they respect leaders who are honest,
forthright and open, hence their relationship to an organization is not just based on their
perception of the organization but also of the leader they are associated with. This
emotionally charged enthusiastic young workforce seeks to contribute to their organizations
through a plethora of ideas, suggestions and informed opinions, which at times challenges
the traditional mindset of organizational management. Their ideas are creative, innovative
and at times exceptional; being based on the knowledge acquired by being part of a socially
networked cum connected domain. However, this generation also believes in the concept of
instant acceptance and open feedback, these being critical factors for their enthusiasm and
satisfaction toward organizational processes. This research is more focused on comparing
the two generations. Most of these research works are focused on importance of Gen Y
study to understand their expectations though based in the US, UK or South African context
and not specific to India, therefore may not be applicable as it is but need to be judged on the
points specifically to the environment.
Noteworthy studies in the field of Indian Generation Y employees

CRISIL (2010) Report on Skilling India highlights the tremendous opportunity and
challenges for Indian business organizations. The country with a population of 1.2bn (as on
2010) has 17.6 percent employees. The report states that mobility intent index is the highest
among the 18–24 years age category of Indian employees who are quite open for change and Generation Y
evaluate organizations on the availability of learning and growth opportunities including
better engagement processes. While 78 percent Indian employees (across age groups) have a
social profile on the web, an equal percentage of them use this medium for gathering
information about prospective employee organizations, whereas 84 percent of Indian
employees use social media tools and platforms to apprehend probable employee work
culture. Describing the influence of social media and peer opinions concerning to
prospective employees, the review states that almost 75 percent employees are cautious to
join organizations which have been undesirably rated on this medium. Besides 63 percent
employees do not consider that access to social media at workplace affects their
productivity, while 79 percent essentially believe that this medium upsurge their work
output through sharing and alliance. This report highlights the overall viewpoint of the
Gen Y and provides the statistics of the Gen Y population very clearly highlighted.
Research report by Johnson Controls, Haworth and iDEA (2010) on Generation Y and
workplace gives a picture relating to Indian youngsters (Generation Y employees) through

their global survey. Indian Generation Y workforce is considered the most demanding
population with high expectations from the work environment in terms of better on-site
support facilities and norms for work–life balance. They believe in not only socially
collaborating but also engaging socially as an extension of their workplace to enhance
learning opportunities and maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives.
This generation of Indian youngsters is tech savvy, entrepreneurial, ambitious, optimistic
and ready to walk the extra mile for achieving their dreams and goals. They are strongly
influenced by social opinions and base their judgments on peer factors much like their
counterparts across the globe. They are a generation tuned to opportunities and
consumerism, which make them more open for change, demanding with higher levels of
expectations, impacting their perception toward organizations and their engagement
processes. This study beautifully defines the overall Gen Y attitude and expectation
globally including India, the USA, UK and China. This is a study which gives the clear
perspective and expectation of Gen Y from their workplace. This study was the base on
which researcher worked in designing the questionnaire on expectations of the generations.
The survey report shows: 96 percent of Gen Y workers want an environment aware
workplace, about 56 percent choose to work flexibly and choose where to work, almost
79 percent prefer to be mobile than static at work whereas 40 percent Gen Y worker prefer to
take their car for work, 20 percent by public transport, 18 percent by walking. About
41 percent prefer to have access to a team space and 32 percent prefer breakout spaces
rather than a conventional meeting room. Their choices of company are dependent on:
• opportunity for learning;
• quality of life; and
• work colleagues.
Vineet Nayar’s (2013) (Vice Chairman of HCL Technologies in Harvard Business Review)
article highlighted the experience of working in India where Gen Y represents nearly
40 percent of the population. At HCL where he is the Vice Chairman, the average age of the
87,000 employees is 28. He sees Gen Y not just as a challenge, but as a great opportunity.
According to him, in large organization as HCL, which depends so much on frontline client
experience, it is impossible to put all the consequential decisions in the hands of veteran
executives. Gen Y workers are indifferent about executing them. Give them the power to
quickly initiate and implement innovative ideas, and engagement will follow. Managers
should be present to support the energetic initiatives of young workers, aiding and coaching
reasonably than deciding and directing. They should offer greater contact to knowledge and
BIJ collaborative networks. The leaders should make it easy for employees to shape horizontal
systems that span organizational boundaries and hit diverse areas of proficiency. They
should enable employees to temporarily step out of formal lines of management and join
forces fluidly to respond to market opportunities. Actual engagement in the work comes as a
consequence of the trust you abode in employees to take the right action by means of the
resources at their disposal. This is not statistical research but a success story of an Indian
businessman who has a large number of Gen Y employed in his organization, describing his
practical experience on how he could engage them.
Work–life balance: the lifestyle desires of Generation Y

“They want to create a custom life and create the kind of career that fits around the kind of
life they want,” says Bruce Tulgan, professionals say these offspring of the Baby Boom
Generation, known as Gen Y or echo boomers, are taking to core a craving for the type of
work–life balance their elders did not have. They want to be their own boss as a way to
solve the difference. Gen Y do not avoid putting in long hours as long as they have a choice
for those hours, predominantly after a typical 9–5 workday. They hate the fixed timings at
the workplace and desire more autonomy on planning their schedule over weekend; they are
most comfortable using iPad and edit Power Point presentations at leisure time. Most of
Gen Yer’s do not like to be at work at the same time every day and look for the liberty to
chase additional undertakings during workdays. Some organizations offer this freedom.
Many IT industries and MNCs are providing opportunities to employees to work practically
anywhere at their own time, as long as they effectively complete the tasks on time. This
change improved productivity 41 percent and reduced turnover by almost 90 percent.
The industry also offers unrestricted fruits, Luna Bars and Vitamin Water, a fitness center
and playroom to keep individuals invigorated and to take pauses when desirable. Most of
the Gen Yer’s are self-directed, results-oriented and look for expansion in prospects.
As “digital natives,” they have a craving for suppleness, though they conserve a liking for
swiftness and efficacy. What has been noticed is that maximum business organizations
are not in sync with the lifestyle desires of Generation Y. Organizations need to reconsider
the way their employees want to work, adopt most important variations that will comfort
the unique work desires of Gen Y, with this, they will increase employee performance,
reduced turnover and have more contented, more fruitful Gen Y employees.
Gallup Survey. The Gallup Organization did a survey to find a method, to measure robust
workplaces that would entice and retain the most productive employees.
Gallop prepared a list of 12 questions survey, wherein employees answered “yes” shows
they were happier in their workplaces, showing higher levels of productivity, revenue,
retention and customer satisfaction, which displays that there is a link amid, how employee
feel and how they perform.
It has a comprehensive list of questions methodically designed. This set of questionnaire
has been used in this survey with few more to understand the criteria by which to judge a
workplace on the efficiency of employee engagements in the present work environment. It
gives a clear view to understand the engagement level of Gen Y and then work out the
methods to improve the environment for better results.
Reasons motivated the study

Attrition rates and costs in India
In India, a few years ago, the usual annual attrition rate in IT and ITES sector was as high
as 50 percent. Better attrition management also assisted the 2008–2009 global economic
slowdowns to reduce the figure to less than 30 percent, but this still has a noteworthy effect
on costs and quality.
It is expected that attrition will grow to 15–20 percent, especially in sectors like IT, Generation Y
ITES, and industries like pharmaceuticals, FMCG, aviation, agriculture may have
reduced attrition. Services sector saw an attrition rate of 19.3 percent, compared to
12.2 percent in manufacturing in 2016. According to KPMG survey in 2016–2017, the
attrition rate in India has gone down drastically from 16.5 to 13. 4 percent overall which is
the lowest since the 2009 financial crisis. Yet retail attrition was 19.4 and the highest
was 20.4 percent in e-commerce. Nevertheless this is not enough, as in India there
is an increasing demand and supply gap for professionals. Furthermore, attrition
rates in India’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry are about 8 percent higher
than the national average, according to a report by global consulting firm the Hay
Group. Over the past few months, India’s largest e-commerce companies Flipkart, Snap
deal, Ola and Housing.com has seen great turnover rates among senior and junior roles.
However, IT services companies like Infosys, Wipro and TCS saw high attrition rates
such as 21, 16.5 and13.3 percent, respectively. The above said companies are taking
crucial steps to curb attrition by promoting employees, offering employee stock option
plan (Esops), focusing on building a team of global professionals with diversity and
multiple skill-sets and focusing on re-skilling employees and revamping its leadership
development programs.
Often the HR managers are engaged in recruitment as a major function. In India,
some companies believe that the attrition rates and the costs associated with them
are so high that they can override the benefits of lower wage costs. For example, while
wages in Indian call centers (BPOs) are less than one-eighth of those in Northern Europe, it
has been reported that Hewlett-Packard has found the cost per “ticket” (the cost of
processing a query) was double in India “due to the inability of the staff to resolve
customer queries efficiently because of language barriers and inexperience.” The issue is
not with the quality or education of the staff and still less with the investment in
technology. It is just attrition people do not stay adequately to be trained or to acquire the
job skills. Therefore, it becomes utmost important to understand the expectations of the
employees and work out the policies according to them for making the Gen Y employees
more stable to the job.
Globally also the Gen Y employees are leading the work teams with a big share
taken by Indian Gen Y workforce, especially in IT and ITES sectors. MNCs are the
takers of this generation and are setting up their setup in A to now B grade cities
of the country to tap this cheaper available workforce and leveraging local experience
and asset, spreading to reach right skills at right costs, business continuity requirements,
but as mentioned above the attrition may increase their cost or ROI to quite a bit if
they do not understand the expectation correctly and take remedial measures. These
companies need to work out the employee engagement methods according to it,
then following what is working for the Gen Y employees of another demography’s or
generations. Ajoy Mukherjee, Executive Vice-President and Global Head of HR at
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), said his company is likely to employ more than
300,000 people by the year ending March by hiring an additional 50,000
employees, more than it had intended to because of better-than-expected quarterly
results, new orders and a good deal pipeline. The HR challenge at the software market
leader is huge as it is present in multiple locations and has people from around 180
nationalities working for it, he said. The firm, which also plans to hire 25,000 trainees from
campuses, has a current employee utilization of 83.4 percent. About more than 70 percent
of TCS’s workforce is Gen Y. He claims that they are in the right direction and the
retention levels are very high. He feels that they cannot copy any other model of engaging
their employees rather they have to always develop a new model as the workforce is
changing with a fast pace.
BIJ The India advantage
Various country comparison studies have established the attractiveness of the Indian IT
services and ITES industry. The key attributes that have enabled India to establish itself as
a preferred sourcing base include:
• Vast access to skill base: a large pool of resources for IT and ITES operations − 14m
graduates, 1m technical resources, one of the largest English-speaking manpower in
the world.
• Strong quality orientation: ISO 9001, COPC, Six Sigma are some of the established
quality initiatives. Out of the world’s 117 SEI CMM Level 5 companies, 90 are from India.
• Availability of high-quality infrastructure: concerted efforts to provide dedicated,
international quality, cost-effective real estate at software parks, special economic
zones and knowledge sector industrial estates.
• Availability of high-quality international and national dedicated telecom

infrastructure with the high level of redundancies insulating centers from Public
Switched Telephone Network quality.
• Cost advantage: the cost impact of sourcing from the Indian industry can be
significant due to the lower wages and lower cost of living.
• Enabling policy environment: the Government of India is taking proactive measures
to encourage investments in this sector.
• Mature industry eco-system: the well-layout specialized firms for functions such as
recruitment, training, property management, security, fleet management. Book-
keeping and payroll as well as industry associations have evolved over the years.
• Availability of private equity: the presence of a mature private equity industry to
support local entrepreneurs (organizations such as Warburg Pincus, General
Atlantic, CDC).
• Commitment to address security concerns: Indian companies as well as the
government have been active in adhering to international security standards such as
ISO 17799, BS7799, COBIT and ITSM (Table I).
Indian Gen Y are little different than the developed countries. one cannot generalize the
characteristics of Gen Y across the globe. Indian Gen Y is still in foundational years with
newer entry age to workforce and moving even at a younger age from their home for
technical and higher education. Most of the research available today is based on the Gen Y
(Millennials) in developed economies like the USA and Europe which can be misleading at
times as we cannot form the engagement model for developing economies like India as per
the Gen Y characteristics of the USA.
Need for multigenerational research in India

An important reason why we need to have a flawless understanding of the characteristics of
Gen Y in India is the concept of the “demographic dividend.” India is at an inflection point
Similarities Differences
Table I. Tech savvy Still in formative years

India Gen Y Work–life balance Low on emotional maturity
vs developed Ambitious Hard working and work focused
Nations Gen Y Lack practical approach Strong at technical education
with a population of 1.2bn, of which about 0.8bn is in the working age. By the year 2026, 64.8 Generation Y
percent of India’s population will be in the employed age of 15–64 years. The strength of this
large pool of employable talent will not only fortify India’s economic progress, but it will be
able to source enough human capital to the developed nations.
Therefore, irrespective of the location where this generation will be working in, their
characteristics would be common since the place of origin that helped in developing these traits
was the same. Present research on Indian Gen Y thus becomes more applicable, becoming an
important guideline through functions, units and organizations throughout the globe.
Both academia and the corporate world unanimously acknowledge the importance of
understanding this generational diversity. An article by The Wharton School at University
of Pennsylvania examined the role of generational diversity in the Indian context, and
highlighted the opinions of various professionals from the field (India’s New HR Challenge,
2014). Many of them expressed the need for HR managers in India to acknowledge, analyze,
channelize and capitalize on the generational diversity in the Indian workforce. For instance,
a senior director from a consulting and services firm cautions that ignoring this diversity
may lead to “a lower engagement rate, loss in productivity, and a higher attrition rate.” In
effect, it may mean exercising collective wisdom in the industry, academia and public
service leadership, to find ways of rightfully deploying the potential workforce in years to
come, and to use this demographic dividend as a strategic advantage for India. Identifying
this dire need to study this yet unexplored area, the present research aims to fill in the gaps
in the existing literature in the Indian context. The above discourse clearly indicates that, in
order to channelize India’s generational diversity, it is vital to have a deeper understanding
of its dynamics in the workplace. The present study was therefore designed to explore this
largely untapped area of research.
In view of the rich global literature in this field, it is difficult to dispute the importance of
studying generational differences. However, the Indian economy is on a vital point of
transition, due to which it is even more important to study generational differences from the
Indian perspective.
Very little work regarding preference, expectations, attributes and values of Gen Y of
India has been undertaken.
In the fast globalizing Indian corporate sector with the increasing presence of MNCs,
effective utilization of today’s millennial generation can provide another level of growth to
Indian businesses and economy.
This work is an effort to look at Indian Gen Y employees who encompass almost half of the
Indian working population and are rising at a swift pace with great expectations of the work
environment in relationships of well on-site support facilities and norms for work–life balance.
Expected outcome of the work

(1) Better understanding of expectations, preference and satisfactions of Gen Y.
(2) Open avenues for research on Generation Y.
(3) Enhance the productivity of the organizations by preparing employee engagement
practices accordingly.
(4) Provide a benchmark for further Studies.
Research questions
RQ1. What is the approach of Gen Y on prevalent employee engagement practices in
the organizations?
RQ2. What are the preferences of Gen Y on attributes of job satisfaction?
BIJ RQ3. What are the factors they consider for a job?
RQ4. What are the factors that may influence Gen Y to leave the job?
RQ5. What are the expectations of Gen Y for work–life balance?
RQ6. What are the preferences of Gen Y to the choice friendly workplace?
RQ7. What are the preferences of Gen Y on attributes of their dream boss?
RQ8. What are the preferences of Gen Y to the dress at work?
RQ9. What is the period Gen Y prefers to be on one job?
RQ10. What is the maximum period they prefer to stay at an entry-level position?
RQ11. What is the frequency of changing jobs?
RQ12. What is the impact of the technological development and changing lifestyle on
Gen Y and effect on their performance?
Hypothesis
H0. The expectations of Gen Y from their employer’s do not differ.
H1. There are varied expectations of Gen Y from employers.
Research methodology
Data collection
The planned questionnaire is extensive covering the above-mentioned research questions.
The survey form is to be filled up by Generation Y employees based on samples across
selected organizations. The survey will be administered both through online platforms like
social networking sites and through personal interactions. The majority of questions were
closed ended (including multiple choices with ranking scales).
Sampling design
According to Kothari (2004), random sampling is also known as chance sampling or
probability sampling “where each and every item in the population has an equal chance of
inclusion in the sample and each one of the possible samples, in case of finite universe, has
the same probability of being selected.” Therefore, the sampling chosen for this research
would be a random sampling.
The population
The sampling population targets Generation Ys who are currently employed across selected
IT, ITES, retail and hospitality organizations in the country, the research survey was
conducted through various online forums, social media and personal contacts by a
researcher, mostly in Pune city as being the convenience of proximity.
Sample size
In total, 520 employees of Gen Y currently employed across selected IT, ITES, retail and
hospitality organizations in the country.
The researcher studied the changing expectations from work values, attributes, freedom,
status social values and environmental impact of the employees of Generation Y of age
group 22–36 years with 3–13 years of experience, working on the middle-level management
in the above-mentioned sectors, in select organizations.
Data analysis Generation Y
Factor analysis and cluster analysis using SPSS 18 were conducted to find out the
predominant expectations of Gen Y and to cluster the Gen Y-based expectations.
Research questions analysis

About 520 respondents with an average age of 26 and a half years and average experience
of five years. Male 75 percent and 25 percent female employees responded to the
questionnaire. Separate bar charts and pie charts were prepared depicting research
questions showing the respondents’ expectations for clear understanding. Y-axis indicates
the number of Gen Y respondents, X-axis, blue bar, indicates the ‘Yes’, Red bar, ‘No’ and
green, indicates the number of employees who ‘are not sure’ of their response (Figure 1).
Initial 12 questions of the questionnaire (depicted in Figure 1) are taken from Gallop
Survey wherein the reply of ‘Yes’ for them gives a healthy employee engagement
environment at any workplace:
(1) Do I know what is expected of me from work? In total, 92 percent of the

entire sample says that they know what is expected of them from work and rest says
no or sometimes.
Gen Y: job satisfaction in today’s environment

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BIJ (2) Do I have the materials and equipment I need, to do my work right? In total, 71
percent say that yes they have the material and equipment needed to do the work, 17
percent say sometimes they have it and rests says no or have not responded.
(3) At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? To this
55 percent agreed and 20 percent were not having enough opportunities and rest
said sometimes.
(4) Do I receive recognition or praise for doing good work? In total, 50 percent say that
yes they receive recognition and praise needed to do the work, 10 percent say
sometimes they have it and rests says no or have not responded.
(5) Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? To this
60 percent agreed and 10 percent were not having enough support of the supervisor
and rest said sometimes.
(6) Is there someone at work who encourages my development? Almost 80 percent say
that yes, they get encouragement needed to do the work, 10 percent say sometimes
they have it and rest say no or have not responded.
(7) At work, do my opinions seem to count? In total, 55 percent say that yes their
opinions are counted at work, 25 percent say sometimes and rests say no or have
not responded.
(8) Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel important? Almost
65 percent say that yes, 20 percent say sometimes they feel it and rest say no or have
not responded.
(9) Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? In total, 55 percent say that
yes their co-workers are committed to quality work, 22 percent say sometimes they
are and rest say no or have not responded.
(10) Do I have a best friend at work? In total, 60 percent say that yes there is a best
friend at work, 10 percent say sometimes they have and 30 percent say no or have
not responded.
(11) In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress? In
total, 70 percent say yes, 20 percent say no, rest sometimes.
(12) This year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow? In total, 60 percent
say yes, 20 percent say no and rest say sometimes.
(13) Do you prefer networking with the colleagues on a social networking site? In total,
50 percent say yes and 30 percent say no and rest were not sure.
(14) Do you prefer networking with the seniors on a social networking site? Only
30 percent agreed to it. In total, 50 percent were not in favor and rest said sometimes.
(15) Are you permitted to use your mobile, internet or social networking sites during
working hours? In total, 40 percent say yes and 45 percent say no and rest were not
sure (Figure 2).
Inference of Figure 2
Considering the factors affecting their overall job satisfaction, the respondent gave
preference to subsidized training, professional mentoring program, bonuses, medical
leave and vacations, housing and relocation assistance. The factors which also took better
scoring were: insurance, profit sharing plans and subsidized snacks. Transportation
Not at all important
Generation Y
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satisfaction Some what important
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ranking (Figure 3).
According to the above given data and Figure 3 it is clear that more than 40 percent of the
respondents consider salary and opportunities to be the most important factor for having
job considerations, whereas almost 50 percent of the respondents also think that fringe
Not much important

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BIJ benefits like company leadership to be as an important factor in influencing job
considerations. However, an average weight age of between 20 and 40 percent is given to the
factors like company location, diversity of company, job title, company charitable as factors
which are somewhat important for job considerations. However, factors like in house and
higher education are given the least importance for the same (Figure 4).
Figure 4 and analysis clearly show more than 70 percent of the respondents consider higher
pay and more opportunities for advancement to be one of the most important factors
influencing shifts from one job to another followed by better perks and benefits, whereas only
2 percent of the respondents consider better perks and benefits and better work environment
as a factor influencing job shift. However, very few consider autonomy at job and flexi timings
as an important factor influencing job shift. An average rating of between 20 and 40 percent
has been given to factors like shorter commute, more prestigious job title and more interesting
work as somewhat interesting factor influencing shift from one job to another (Figure 5).
As per Figure 5 is given in the reference: the analysis of Gen Y responses to the various
aspects of work–life balance. The above given data and Figure 5 are clear indication of the
fact that more than 50 percent of the respondents are of the view that “working with a
manager one can learn from” and “having work/life balance” factors, as most important,
whereas only 4–5 percent of the respondents think that it is not at all important to have a
nice office space and working in a socially responsible company. An average rating of
between 30 and 50 percent is given to the factors like working with a state-of-the-art
technology, having a short commute, etc. (Figure 6).
The analysis of factors to maintain friendly workplace environment: from the data given and
Figure 6 it can be clearly understood that 45 percent of the respondents say that
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Corner Fancy A big hall A private Facility to Figure 6.
offices offices with ind. cabin work Preference of
Cubes from workplace
home
“corner offices” is a somewhat important factor to maintain friendly workplace environment,

whereas only 6 percent consider it to be the most important factor and only 15 percent
consider it to be not at all an important factor. Coming to fancy offices, 38 percent consider it
to be a somewhat important factor to maintain a friendly workplace environment and
6 percent consider it to be not at all an important factor. “A big hall with individual cubes” it
referred to as the most important factor by 26 percent and not at all an important factor by
10 percent of the sample to maintain a friendly workplace environment. A private cabin is
considered to be an important factor by 28 percent of the sample and not at all an important
factor by 11 percent of the sample. Overall these factors had a mixed response and not much
of preference was seen for a specific choice of the workplace (Figure 7).
The above given data and analysis clearly show that more than 60 percent of the
respondents state good management skills is one of the major attributes that a boss should
possess, whereas an average rating of between 20 and 50 percent to the factors like
BIJ 400
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150 Important
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flexibility and open mindedness and respect/values/a little higher than the average rating,
a rating of between 50 and 60 percent has been given to the attributes like understand,
caring pleasant and easy to get along with and good communication skills (Figure 8).
As given in Figure 8, the analysis of Gen Y preference for dress at work. The above data and
graph distinctly indicates that business casual is considered to be the most important dress
at work by 35 percent of the sample where only 8 percent of the sample think that business
casuals are not at all important to be worn at work. Coming to sneakers and casuals, only
27 percent consider it somewhat important, whereas only 13 percent consider it to be the
most important dress at work. Mix attire has been given a weight age of 38 percent as a
somewhat important dress code at work, whereas only 17 percent think it to be not at all
important dress at work. In total, 31 percent say theme dress is a somewhat important dress
at work and 21 percent say it to be not at all important. Again the dress had a mixed
Dress at Work
250
Not much important

150
Somewhat important
100
Important
50 Most Important
Figure 8. 0
Gen Y preference for Business Sneakers A mix Business Theme
the dress at work Casuals and attire dress
casual
response and no specific bend of mind for preference could be seen. Business casual was Generation Y
mostly preferred (Figure 9).
The data collected display a very average and equal distribution of weight age to all the
options from one to three years, but more than three years have been not the liking of many:
for their thoughts regarding how much time should professionals entering the workforce
have to spend “paying their dues” in entry-level position (Figure 10).
The respondents view on, “how long do they expect to stay at their current position”;
responses received indicate that almost preference is divided between 1 and 5 years. Hardly
anybody would stay at their current position for six years or more. About 6 percent of
respondents are not sure of their responses and the rest have not responded to the question
(Figure 11).
Figure 11 and the data give clear indication that almost 30 percent say that they have
changed only one job in their career span till now which clearly reflects their stability as for
the matter jobs is considered. The rest 17 percent say that they have changed their jobs
between three and five times. However, there is no one in the sample who has changed their
jobs for more than six times in their career span till now. About 30 percent have not
responded to the question. In this regards, this has to be kept in mind that respondents had a
career span of between zero and nine years only.
How much time do you think professionals entering

the workforce should have to spend “paying their
dues” in entry-level positions
Less than one year

140 120
One to two years
Two to three years
More than three years Figure 9.

20 110 Period preference at
80 Not sure entry-level positions
How long do you expect to stay at

your current position
Less than one year
One to two years
Three to five years
Six years or more
Not sure
Figure 10.
Period preference at
current positions
BIJ How many jobs you have changed in your
career span till now
One
One to two
Three to five
Six or more
Uncountable
Figure 11.
Frequency of job
change
The impact of the technological development on Gen Y:

Survey confirmed the technological savvy nature of Gen Y employees. Almost 100 percent
are using the latest handsets of mobile and 95 percent are spending time on social
networking sites, to an extent of 1–2 h in a day.
Lifestyle of Gen Y
When asked about the importance of physical exercise, 60 percent of them responded yes to
this and on an average spend 30–40 min on exercise whereas 20 percent said once in a while
and the rest with no physical activity. Though the mode of exercise was limited to light
exercise, like walking or driving, only 5 percent were taking dancing, yoga or gym into their
lifestyle. In the life of Gen Y, very little time on an average of 1 h in a day is devoted to their
partners and only 50 percent agreed to having a partner.
Data analysis and interpretation

Results of factor analysis (Table II)
Interpretation of Table II. More than 80 percent of data from each factor have been used for
extraction (Table III).
Interpretation of Figure 12. In total, 94.047 percent of the variance has been
explained by three factors having eigenvalues more than 1. The same can also be seen in
Figure 12 (Table IV ).
Initial Extraction
Job considerations 1.000 0.841

Job satisfaction 1.000 0.950
Work environment 1.000 0.991
Dream boss 1.000 0.970
Influence for another job 1.000 0.860
Friendly workplace 1.000 1.000
Table II. Dress for work 1.000 0.966
Communalities Note: Extraction method: principal component analysis
Component Initial eigenvalues Rotation sums of squared loadings
Generation Y
Dimensions Total % of variance Cumulative % Total % of variance Cumulative %
1 3.038 43.401 43.401 2.793 39.897 39.897

2 2.025 28.935 72.336 2.033 29.049 68.946
3 1.520 21.711 94.047 1.757 25.102 94.047
4 0.417 5.953 100.000
5 2.181E-16 3.116E-15 100.000
6 −1.459E-17 −2.085E-16 100.000 Table III.
7 −3.146E-16 −4.494E-15 100.000 Total variance
Note: Extraction method: principal component analysis explained
3.0
2.5
2.0
Eigenvalue
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Figure 12.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Scree plot
Component Number
Component
1 2 3
Work environment 0.955 −0.275 0.094

Job considerations 0.906 −0.017 −0.096
Influence for another job 0.751 0.525 0.113
Job satisfaction −0.009 −0.933 −0.299
Friendly workplace – 0.896 −0.413
Dream boss −0.091 0.053 0.982 Table IV.
Dress for work 0.678 −0.076 0.708 Rotated component
Notes: Extraction method: principal component analysis; rotation method: varimax with Kaiser normalization matrix
Interpretation of Table IV. The predominant factors contributing to expectations of Gen Y

are as follows.
The factors loading closer to 1 are:
Factor 1. work environment ¼ 0.955; and
job considerations ¼ 0.906.
BIJ Factor 2. loading
friendly workplace ¼ 0.896.
Factor 3.
dream boss ¼ 0.982 (Table V ).
Results of cluster analysis

Interpretation
The Gen Y employees can be classified into two categories:
Category 1: they change jobs due to the influence of others and absence of the attributes
of job considerations and work environment.
Category 2: they change job due to the influence of others and absence of the attributes
mentioned in their dream boss.
Findings
• Initial 12 questions of Figure 1 taken from Gallup Survey in this case had a score of
more than 50 percent which shows that the Gen Y is satisfied and they seem to be
happy, involved and committed to the work environment. The initial six questions
have healthy links to occupational outcomes (productivity, profitability, retention,
and customer satisfaction).
• Questions 13–15 of Figure 1 have a poor score showing the reserve and professional
approach of the Gen Y wherein they restrict mixing the social and professional
relations especially with their seniors.
• More than half of the respondent think that vacation, medical leave, subsidized
training programs, bonuses are the utmost significant factors moving the overall job
satisfaction. Snacks and subsidized lunch, training and mentoring program are found
to be important factors affecting the overall job satisfaction.
• Flexible work time and mentoring programs are considered by very few as somewhat
important factors affecting the overall job. Housing assistance, on-site perks, gifts,
sabbaticals, online networking, mobile phones, these factors have been given a rating
of within the range of 28–48 percent affecting the overall job satisfaction.
• The expectations of Gen Y related to various job considerations from workplace are
changing. Salary and opportunities are still considered to be the most important
factors for having job considerations, whereas many respondents also think that
benefits like company leadership to be an important factor in influencing job
Cluster
1 2
Job considerations 36.00 5.00

Job satisfaction 15.00 15.00
Work environment 28.00 7.00
Dream boss 15.00 20.00
Influence for another job 26.00 22.00
Table V. Friendly workplace 14.00 15.00
Initial cluster centers Dress for work 9.00 6.00
consideration. Gen Yrs are not much concerned with flexibility in timings and do not Generation Y
have out of the way demand for the facilities.
• Factors influencing shift from one job to another have been the incompatible salary,
lack of opportunity and unfriendly work environment. On the other hand only a few
of the respondents consider better perks and benefits, factors like shorter commute,
more prestigious job title and more interesting work as the factor for job shift.
• A big hall with individual cubes is preferred and the second option is to work at
home, overall it was a mixed response with no outstanding choice of workplace.
• Working with a manager who possess good management skills is one of the major
attributes. A manager who considers work/life balance as most important and one
can learn from as well as is also another expectation of Gen Y.
• Gen Yers share a mixed reading where dress choice is concerned and no straight view is
built up. Preference is with business casuals and occasionally the formals are preferred.
• Frequency of job change has been between 1 and 5 which is quite a bit for their age
and service.
• Gen Yers are technologically savvy using the latest handsets of mobile and spending
time on social networking sites. Very few are taking rigorous physical activities in
their regime which is a concern for their healthy life.
Conclusion and discussion

Results of factor analysis have highlighted the predominant expectations of Gen Y
indicating that expectations are varied. Gen Y can be categorized based on their variability
in expectation using cluster analysis. Hence, the alternate H1 is accepted:
(1) Understanding the preference of the Gen Y, it has been concluded that most of the
Gen Y are quite flexible in their approach for the preference of timings and dress
code and workplace.
(2) They are comfortable in a casual environment. They still feel that salary and
opportunities to be the most important factors for having job considerations.
(3) Though the expectations of Gen Y are not much out of the way, they are quite open
and fast to changing jobs and not fond of stability anymore, they take stern decision
to quit jobs for small discomforts and small gains.
(4) This realization intensifies the need for the company to emphasis and improve
company’s policies and programs on work–life balance as important issues.
(5) Altering, evolving and encouraging human resource nowadays have to be well
deliberated in the organization to meet the future vagueness.
(6) The attainment of improved work–life balance can produce dividends for managers
and motivated, productive and less stressed workforce that feels appreciated; enticing
and extensive range of employees; amplified productivity and decreased absenteeism;
achievement of the reputation of being an employer of high quality; retaining a valued
worker; achieving less costs; and take full advantage of available labor.
(7) Also, training the managers to fit into the criteria of Gen Y’s dream boss will also
provide a positive approach for retention.
The conclusion will be a confident relation developed in work–life balance and improved
employee satisfaction with a dream boss who empathize with employees needs
BIJ and satisfaction. This increased satisfaction will not only be beneficial for organizations but
also for the personal well-being of employees. Our exploratory advancement proofs that the
employers who are considering the following factors for the planning of employee engagement
drivers may have better retention and better commitment and involvement of the employees.
The focus of great managers/dream boss

Great managers appreciate that the footing of a sturdy and fruitful workplace invokes
satisfaction, commitment and motivation in an employee. Creating an environment which
provides the same must be among managers most significant tasks.
In order to achieve set reliable prospects for all employees, managers treat each
employee differently at the same time. Managers have to make each employee feel
important in a role that uses his talents, along challenging him to develop. The good
manager develops methods to create a workplace that permits them to simultaneously
handle priorities. Such organizations can have better retention and enhance productivity
as the employees are the very important assets which have to be cared for and groomed
well to get focused results.
This study provides an understanding of the different attributes of job satisfaction,
expectations and values that exist among employees. Employers must be treating
employees as individuals who may not have the same desires and principles as the other
employee; hence, they need to take it into account while probing their management or HR
practices, employee development practices, recruitment methods and rewards structure.
“Pick and mix” method, few of these will be the best approach to content everyone’s needs.
In essence, job satisfaction leads to employee commitment, motivation and devotion to the
organization; therefore, organizations essentially should find a balance in their people
management practices which permit them to delight people as individuals while still being
fair for all employees.
Limitations of the study

(1) This study is focused on Generation Y employees of selected organizations at Pune
in India, given the mobility limitations of the researcher for practical purposes.
Hence, it is difficult to generalize the results and finding in the context of Indian
Generation Y employees population.
(2) Also work values are subject to change in terms of urban and rural settings which
may impact expectations from work itself for organizations employing urban or
rural Generation Y employees, which was not dealt in this study.
(3) There exist a vast variety of parameters related to the topic and it is not possible to
cover all due to human and time constraints.
(4) Unfortunately, not as many participants completed the survey as intended, which
could create a skew in the data, as it was very selective and not completely
representative of the population.
(5) The survey was only available to the public for an extended period of time,
approximately a month and a half, which limited the number of participants that
were able to complete it.
(6) Finally, there was a self-selection bias throughout in Generation Y survey. Those
who chose to take the survey may share certain characteristics that skew the
results in one direction. Overall, the different implications and constraints of
the study can all be tied back to the time frame in which the research project was to
be completed.
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Appendix
Generations Population % of the world population
Gen Y – 15–29 years old 1,723,911,077.00 25.47

Gen X – 30–44 years old 1,442,951,791.00 21.32
Baby Boomers – 5–64 years old 1,233,836,150.00 18.56 Table AI.
Traditionalists – 65–74 years old 316,330,067.00 4.67 Generation population
Source: US Census Bureau, International Database (2011) world
Age Both sexes population Male population Female population Sex ratio
Total 7,023,324,899 3,534,797,376 3,488,527,523 101.3

0–4 634,481,069 327,679,623 306,801,446 106.8
5–9 608,928,831 315,170,283 293,758,548 107.3
10–14 596,769,288 309,008,632 287,760,656 107.4
15–19 597,027,875 308,014,052 289,013,823 106.6 Table AII.
20–24 601,939,568 308,325,050 293,614,518 105.0 World midyear
25–29 565,187,049 287,536,880 277,650,169 103.6 populations by age
Source: US Census Bureau, International Database (2011) and sex for 2012
Corresponding author
Nidhi Arora can be contacted at: nidhiailawadi@gmail.com
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Benchmarking: An International Journal

Generation Y: Perspective, engagement, expectations, preferences and

*Related content and download information correct at time of download.

Sinhgad Institute of Business Administration and Research (SIBAR), Pune, India

Y. Therefore, this research determines the perceptions and expectations of Generation Y as a

Generation Y employees (the Indian context)

Need of the generation study

Generation Y’s expectations

Noteworthy studies in the field of Indian Generation Y employees

workplace gives a picture relating to Indian youngsters (Generation Y employees) through

Work–life balance: the lifestyle desires of Generation Y

Reasons motivated the study

• Availability of high-quality international and national dedicated telecom

Need for multigenerational research in India

Table I. Tech savvy Still in formative years

Expected outcome of the work

Gen Y and effect on their performance?

Research questions analysis

(1) Do I know what is expected of me from work? In total, 92 percent of the

Gen Y: job satisfaction in today’s environment

Gen Y and their

Not at all important

Not much important

150 Some what important

Factors to Maintain Friendly Workplace Environment

200 Not at all important

“corner offices” is a somewhat important factor to maintain friendly workplace environment,

200 Not at all important

Not much important

How much time do you think professionals entering

Less than one year

Two to three years

More than three years Figure 9.

How long do you expect to stay at

Less than one year

One to two years

Three to five years

Six years or more

The impact of the technological development on Gen Y:

Data analysis and interpretation

Job considerations 1.000 0.841

1 3.038 43.401 43.401 2.793 39.897 39.897

Work environment 0.955 −0.275 0.094

Interpretation of Table IV. The predominant factors contributing to expectations of Gen Y

Results of cluster analysis

mentioned in their dream boss.

Job considerations 36.00 5.00

Conclusion and discussion

The focus of great managers/dream boss

Limitations of the study

Framingham, MA, available at: www.cio.com/article/2437791/staff-management/management-

emerginghealthleaders.ca/resources/Reynolds-GenY.pdf (accessed September 29, 2011).

Generations Population % of the world population

Gen Y – 15–29 years old 1,723,911,077.00 25.47

Total 7,023,324,899 3,534,797,376 3,488,527,523 101.3

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