(Telestock) – The way we look at the job market is rapidly changing: today, young people’s aspirations and orientations reflect a significant change compared to the past. A paradigm shift in the world of work behind which lies above all the search for a more inclusive professional context and the need for a balance between private life and work life that looks at one’s overall well-being. There are many factors that contribute to shaping this new vision of the future and a fact that is transforming the labor market: today, young people are choosing the companies for which they work, based on a new scale of values founded on inclusion, and no longer the other way around.
Value D, the association that for years has been alongside companies to develop work environments capable of valorizing all talents has collected in a pledge entitled “Let’s shape the work of the future” the 9 principles of work inclusiveness that emerged from a survey carried out together with the SWG research institute that involved a sample of young people, between 18 and 35 years old, NEETs, students about to enter the world of work and workers at the beginning of their professional career.
Openness to dialogue and comparison; valorization; participation; availability of places, information, resources and technologies; support for the development of skills; fairness and transparency; development of individual and collective well-being; respect and protection of individual identities; belonging: these are the 9 principles of work inclusiveness, a pact that Valore D proposes to companies to be more attractive to the young generations who are entering the job market, and therefore more competitive and innovative.
From the investigation “Inclusive work for young generations” realized from SWG for Valore D, it emerges that only 35% of young people are fully satisfied with their jobs and that inclusion is an extremely relevant issue for the younger generations. Young workers feel they are part of a mechanism that often does not give them consideration, recognition, fair evaluation of their skills and that does not ensure a conceptual and behavioral framework made of respect, fairness, transparency and justice. 36% reveal that they have suffered or witnessed first-hand practices of poor inclusion at work, a situation that makes young people more inclined to change jobs compared to previous generations.
A share that oscillates between 30-40% instead highlights a strong delay of their company on the principles of work inclusiveness, in particular the development of well-being (42%), respect for identities (40%), hospitality (40%) and support for skills (40%).
Almost one in two young people considers the world of work to be behind in its implementation of these principles, starting from openness to dialogue (45%), respect for identities (44%), acceptance (43%) and development of individual and collective well-being (42%). Only a marginal share ranging between 13 and 17% believes that these principles are already widespread in work contexts. Finally, the survey shows that half of young people, when looking for a new job, choose companies that guarantee openness to dialogue, support for well-being and skills, fairness and respect for subjectivity. The one driving this paradigm shift in the selection criteria is above all Generation Z.
“Inclusion for the younger generations is a topic of great importance relevance and the shared feeling is that there is still a lot to do, especially in the workplace, which is considered a rough terrain, where inclusion is jeopardized by latent and culturally rooted obstacles in the system, such as paternalism, lack of fairness and meritocracy, conflict between generations”, comments Cristiana Scelza, President of Valore D. “With this pact we want to build a bridge of dialogue between young people and businesses and, at the same time, broaden the perspective of companies and institutions, starting from the awareness that speaking to the new generations means, first of all, thinking about the growth of the country”.
“This work starts from a crucial question for our companies: how to attract young talents and guarantee a stimulating organizational environment, respectful, valorizing? The actions that companies implement are many, but often do not correspond to real expectations. About 4 out of 10 young people – especially those who work in large companies – report a poor application of the principles of inclusiveness”, comments Barbara Falcomer, General Manager of Valore D. “To design the world of work that the new generations want, we have reversed the perspective by listening to those who will be protagonists in the near future. We would like company leaders, taking note of the cultural change underway, to sign this pledge and commit to a change in their organizations that puts the well-being of people at the center, the first and most important asset of every company”.
The first endorsers of the project were the Employment Agencies associated with Valore D – Gi Group, ManpowerGroup, Randstad, SGB Humangest Holding, Umana – who have found in the pact another tool to develop the culture of inclusive work in organizations.
The pact, by virtue of the shared objectives on the future of youth work, has received the patronage of Y7 – Youth7, Official Engagement Group of the G7 and by Young Ambassadors Society, the Italian non-profit association Chair of Y7 2024, in collaboration with the Italian Presidency of the G7.