What Drives and Stops European NextGens in Their Career or How to Overcome the Problem of Staff Turnover — Survey

Young talents from Central European countries are mostly driven by work-life balance (18%), rewards (15%), flexible working, and purpose of work (11%). They also appreciate when their companies provide them with opportunities for career and personal growth (9%). What else could help to fight the staff turnover and make NextGens fit easier? The special survey conducted by Gradus Research in collaboration with LEAD Network answers these questions. Its results were presented during the “LEAD Network Diversity and Inclusion Conference: Doing not trying, leading through inclusion” that is taking place in Paris on October 13-14, 2022.

For the respondents from all the countries listed, work-life balance and rewards are among the most important values. For young talents from Germany and Italy, the team doesn’t mean as much as for others. For the Netherlands, the value and purpose of the company are said to be key. While Polish NextGens highly rank learning & development opportunities.

Respondents from Germany, Spain, France, and Italy expect the CEO to initiate decisions about the flexibility of working hours and places. Young people in the UK, the Netherlands, France, and Poland are looking to expand their current roles. The UK and France are also seeking possible training.

The most loyal NextGens are found in the UK, the Netherlands, and Italy. In these countries, more than 90% of young talents prefer growing in their career at their current workplace. What makes them stick to their companies? Opportunities to build a career (43% of the UK NextGens declare it), a flexible and positive environment (37% of the young Dutch people say so), and opportunities for personal growth (40% of Italian NextGens choose it as a key factor).

At the same time, the people surveyed in the UK and Poland mention lack of self-confidence and combining career with family obligations as the main barriers in their professional life. Women claim to suffer from a lack of self-confidence more often than men (28% vs 17%), while men are more challenged by a lack of business skills, a lack of inspiring role models, and a partner's career in priority. The first reason is the most typical one for the Netherlands and France. Family obligations are the main barrier for respondents from Germany. It’s remarkable that Spain is ranked to have the highest number of barriers.

“Our survey shows that in order to be more ‘young talent-fit’ companies should implement flexible hours. The covid crisis has dramatically changed people’s attitude toward mobility. We see that respondents from mostly all countries surveyed choose the possibility to work from everywhere and a positive environment to be the most important factors,” says Evgeniya Bliznyuk, sociologist, CEO & Founder of Gradus Research.

The survey data demonstrates that the most welcoming business culture for young talents is found in the UK and Spain. The least welcoming ones are in Poland, Germany, and Italy. The Netherlands provide an appropriate level for young talent-fit.

The survey was conducted by Gradus Research company in collaboration with LEAD Network. Method — self-administrated questionnaire in the mobile application and/or direct web link to the questionnaire. The target audience of the survey: 25-35 y.o, who are working now and live in big cities in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, France, Poland, and Italy. Number of successful interviews: n=748 (UK n=104, Germany n=101, Netherlands n=102, Spain n=107, France n=102, Poland n=127, Italy n=105). Fieldwork period: September 12-16, 2022.