It is one of the most mentioned HR trends for 2016; talent management. The need for young talent in the business community is greater than ever, but organizations have the greatest difficulty recruiting and, above all, retaining these generation Y employees, also known as millennials. Can this particularly effective but at the same time 'difficult' target group actually be retained? We think so, but that requires a major change in talent management at many organizations.

Young talent more sought after than ever

The studies on talent and talent management are following each other in record time. For example, Mercer recently launched its 'Global talent trends study', and Berenschot, Reat and Monsterboard also recently launched new studies on the theme of HR and talent. The need for young talent in an aging labor market is palpable every day. Organizations have the greatest difficulty finding and retaining these so-called 'millennials'. There is sufficient supply, but the crucial staff in functions such as IT, UX and interaction design are difficult to find and retain.

According to Monsterboard, this is now 1/3^e of the vacancies are looking for people in their twenties and young thirties with less than 2 years of experience. Why? Because organizations no longer have time to train existing staff due to the rapid implementation of IT and Internet. They need people who grew up with the internet, who know IT like no other and can therefore switch quickly. Who are used to working with various devices and who have grown up with multitasking. The millennial is a very effective employee, but can also be difficult and fickle. And yet it is a myth that young people like to change jobs often. Nowadays it is no longer about the company where one works, or its reputation, but about personal development and challenge. In short, don't fall for the excuse that millennials cannot be committed. Get started!J

Want to retain your talents?

Talent is therefore willing to be committed, as long as the conditions are good. Job hopping is not a goal in itself, but personal development is. What can you do to attract and retain the right talent?

Keep challenging

Challenge is key! Doing the same job for 25 years is not something that suits the millennial. Even the most steadfast young employee wants to continue to develop and learn to master new disciplines. Since young people nowadays are used to more competency-oriented education, they know better where their interests lie.K

Freedom of choice

And that interest may not be entirely in line with his or her position. We increasingly encounter employees who are looking for their future in directions other than those for which they were trained. A trained marketer who finds his calling in user experience design is no longer unique. In addition, talent often wants to develop in more areas than just on 1 job profile. When drawing up a personal development plan, ensure that there is freedom of choice to grow in areas that may not directly add value to your employee's current job profile.

Personal attention and recognition

Being tucked away in an office on the tenth floor is not something that makes young talent happy. Personal attention and recognition is important. And that recognition doesn't even have to be financial. Millennials are not used to working in traditional organizations with hierarchical lines, especially not in the Netherlands. They know their talent and expertise and no longer see managers as people above them. Everyone has their role in the team and is equal. In short, if you want to retain young talent, ensure a relatively flat organization.

Freedom to pioneer

The millennial is passionate in several areas. Your top financial talent may have a website for board games in addition to his job. Don't be too strict about this. In fact, welcome it. Gives your talent the space to pioneer, even if it has nothing to do with your company. More and more companies are even challenging employees to turn their passion into a project, which demonstrably contributes to work ethic and limits absenteeism.

Flexible shell

Have all these things in order and are you still having trouble finding or retaining the right millennials? More and more top talents are deciding to no longer want to work for one boss and to work as a self-employed person or interim employee. Make no mistake, only the real toppers are successful in this. So, in addition to your permanent team, make sure that you also build up a pool of various types of talent, which you can use as a flexible layer.