Managing workers of the next decade

Professor of Human Resources John-Louis Mutte predicts that a lack of talent combined with a dramatic change in employee mindset will force companies to shift from their current paradigm to a new one, an approach which they are not necessarily prepared to adopt.

Employees who joined the labour force during the last decade were called the Y generation, simply because they were asking questions. Also known as the .com generation, most of generation Y was brought up and educated around and with computers, says Professor Mutte. While questioning the current organisational and cultural model, this generation eventually joined it, playing by the rules despite trying to a significant extent to change them, he says.

Mutte observes that the up and coming generation is of a different kind. We can refer to this generation as the Z generation, not a reference to the end of alphabetical sequence but rather because they are íborn with a remote control in their handsí, says Mutte who explains that the Z stands for zappers. Job-hopping seems second nature to this group which, as Mutte puts it, appears to move to the rhythm of, If I am not happy with you anymore I will just walk away. And I will walk away as often as I feel the need to.

Unless you have a good system to manage knowledge in place, losing these employees is, in effect, the same as letting valuable knowledge walk out of the door. Therefore HR professionals need to consider how they manage knowledge as much as employee relationship management.

Mutte estimates that part of the role of the mobility manager of the future will be to know where competency and knowledge is and to harness it as needed for the successful completion of a project.

One of the key responsibilities of the International mobility managers of the future will be to move knowledge rather than peopleómaybe that means moving people too but not necessarily, says Mutte.

So companies, be prepared, he warns, If your employees are not already in the driverís seat they soon will be, and they are certainly going to enjoy it!

Japan, according to Mutte, is an example of a country of where this generational pattern is starting to emerge. To-day, one third of the graduates, high school and college, call themselves Freeters which is simply the contraction of free Arbeiters which means free workers (Arbeiter is worker in German). It is interesting that the Japanese picked a German word as Germany is particularly known for its commitment to work, he says.

The Japanese government remains perplexed on this issue. Says Mutte, They are asking themselves how they can build or rebuild a sustainable economy with workers who are claiming freedom of employment as the rule. Unlike salary men, this new breed of worker claims they will work when they want to, for whom they want to and how they want to, and are certainly looking for a way out of Japanís packed subway cars full of tired workers returning home from the office at ten in the evening.

Professor Mutte believes that every economy, with almost no exception, will face the same situation, in one way or another.

So what is the solution for companies? According to Mutte, the answer will vary from one country to another. One approach could be to consider your employees as you would your customers. You will be familiar with Customer Relationship Management. Simply replace ícustomerí with íemployeeí and you have it, he says. But is it really as simple as that?

Of course not, says Mutte, pointing out that HR professionals would be the first to agree that this revolution will be more complex to tackle. Motivation is a subtle chemistry and you will have to be very good at mixing the ingredients, and thatís where the key part of the solution lies, he says.

The results of a recent online survey by silicon.com, as reported by global interactive content company CNET Networks, showed that, íwhile cyber-loafing was identified by 22.79 percent of respondents as the main obstacle to a productive workforce, ílow staff morale and lack of motivationí was identified by 32.39 percent of respondentsósuggesting itís the bosses and the HR departments who still have some way to go if they want to get the most out of their staff.í


When Professor Mutte recently asked his business school students why, if they are comfortable bringing home work on a Sunday, they wouldnít be as comfortable carrying out personal business, say on a Thursday afternoon. They replied, íno problem, work should be fun and there is no reason why we should feel guilty in doing soí. Probably not what your parents would have said if asked the same question, says Mutte, who sees this response as a clear illustration of the type of flexibility the new generation expects to enjoy.

All in all, thatís where some companies will make the difference, because you can ask more from your employees if they feel properly challenged by their work. Thatís what they want and no doubt they will let you know if you fail in providing them with the right mix, says Mutte. Rather like your customers... he adds.

August 2004

Jean-Louis Mutte is professor of Human Resources at the University of Lille in France and at the EDHEC. He is also a member of the advisory committee for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM Global Forum) and has more than 25 years of experience in HR

Reprinted with the permission of Expatica HR (www.expatica.com/hr), a website publishing news and information for HR professionals with a mobile workforce

Onrec comment: Jean-Louis Mutte will also be a key speaker at our European Conference ’Recruiting in Cyberspace’ on the 8th October in Brussels. For more details or to book a place, please see our website: http://www.onrec.com/content2/brussels/brussels.html