The Life of Y: Engaging Millennials as Employees and Consumers

1^st prize in the DMA-NTPC Management Book Awards, 2018.

Currently, we have about 2 billion millennials in the world, aged between 17 and 37 years, who are fast becoming the world’s most important generational cohort in terms of consumer spending growth, sourcing of employees and overall economic prospects. Engaging this cohort for businesses, societies and nations is no more a matter of choice.

The 2016 millennial survey by Deloitte on millennials has alarming news for companies the world over. Majority of the millennials or Gen Y workers are likely to change their companies by 2020. While the world over similar trends are visible, India ranks third where the probability of Gen Y workers leaving their current companies is maximum. The survey also points to the fact that this lack of loyalty may be a sign of neglect that millennials might be facing in their organizations. Such poor levels of engagement of millennial workers in India and rest of the world are a huge red flag for all companies. Poor engagement will not only have cost implications but also have huge negative implications on the growth, profitability and sustainability of companies, especially when the going is not particularly easy for most of the industry sectors.

This book attempts to create a deep empathy for millennials and is a result of the author’s extensive research spanning almost a decade. The book dives deep into the life of Generation Y and seeks to create an unbiased understanding about this generation, thereby exploding the perceptual myths and stereotypes about them. Based on the research, the book suggests a new strategy to engage with the millennial generation in the workplace and marketplace in particular and the society in general. It provides a consultative guidance to engaging millennials seeking to replace the old models and designs of engagement.

Debashish Sengupta, a dual PhD, completed his PhD in management from Central University of Nicaragua (UCN) and Azteca University, Mexico. He is certified in ′Improving Business through a Culture of Health′ from Harvard Business School, ‘Social Psychology’ from Wesleyan University, US and ‘Leadership Development’ from , and Japan Management Association. He is an award-winning author. His book The Life of Y: Engaging Millennials as Employees and Consumers (SAGE Publications) recently won the first prize at the DMA-NTPC Management Book Awards― a national-level award in India. The book has not only become a bestseller, but it has also been featured in the library collections by Stanford University. Dr Sengupta is also the co-author of the Crossword Bestseller and KPMG-cited book Employee Engagement. He has authored five other acclaimed books. His research papers have been published in leading international journals. His papers have featured in leading international journals including TQR (The Qualitative Report); International Journal of Learning Management Systems; PM World Journal; Journal of Project, Program & Portfolio Management; and Journal of Business and Retail Management Research to name a few. Besides this, he has written for numerous business media publications and has over 100 publications to his credit. Recently, he was featured globally as the ‘author of the week’ by PM World Journal, USA, to honour his research contributions. He occasionally writes for reputed business media publications. He has received several research awards in his career spanning over two decades, including best paper awards and young researcher award.

Dr Sengupta is the Asia Editor of a London-based leading global business magazine The Future of Earth: Environment, Economy and Society. He is a much-sought-after speaker, trainer and business consultant to various Indian and multinational companies. His strategic and practical insights guide leaders of large and small organizations worldwide, through his teaching, writing and direct consultation to major corporations and governments.

Dr Sengupta presently teaches human resource and strategy at the Royal University for Women Bahrain. He has teaching experience spanning nearly two decades and has taught students from India, the USA, Europe and Far East.