Across Europe millions of new graduates will be starting their first full time office jobs in the coming weeks and months. However, the junior roles they fill usually consist of manual, repetitive tasks such as data capture and administration. Similarly, a lack of experience and company knowledge is often mistaken for a lack of insight and perspective by senior staff.
As a result, graduates only end up staying in their first job for a year or 18 months on average – just as they are starting to become deeply integrated and knowledgeable about the business.
Organisations can implement four straightforward tactics to avoid these issues and maximise the benefits that graduates can offer, while simultaneously providing a stimulating and rewarding experience for the new hire.
Here's some strategies to consider:
• Automate manual processes such as data capture, which frees up all staff (especially graduates) from these time-intensive and repetitive tasks. This liberates resources to focus on valuable tasks as well as eliminating the errors usually created by manual entry.
• Listen to potential ideas from new starters and use the data collected intelligently to help validate better processes and gain greater insights through data democratisation. By intelligently leveraging the information unlocked through automated data capture and processing, it becomes possible to glean insights and validate new ideas that can deliver a true competitive edge.
• Leverage the natural willingness of graduates to operate across the business to break down organisational silos. Information and communication is often trapped within departments or working groups. Breaking these down is critical to opening up the flow of data between departments and applications.
• Look at the processes, platforms and technologies that graduates use in their personal lives and map these to business processes. The graduate generation operate in a much more collaborative way, enhanced by growing up in an increasingly connected and social environment. Many of these concepts can be utilised by the business for use internally and to improve customer relations
Tap into the freshness of youth
There is an old joke that teenagers should start working while they still know everything. Joking aside, there is a grain of truth here.
While older staff bring invaluable experience and management skills, graduates bring fresh ideas and perspectives and are often up to speed with the latest technologies. We encourage every business to make the most of the unimpeded mindset these new starters bring by giving them the tools and information needed to answer questions and gain insight.
This can only be accomplished if the data within the businesses is gathered in a way that is accessible and democratised.
- Christina Bowe is Regional Director UK & Ireland at Perceptive Software.