Recruitment firm Harvey Nash’s CEO Albert Ellis claims Generation Y adults will be responsible for more employer litigation cases

Generation Y adults are independent thinkers who will increase the number of employer litigation cases, according to a senior recruitment specialist.

Generation Y adults are primarily children of the post-war ‘Baby Boomer’ generation born between 1946 and 1962, as defined by research firm Research and Markets.

It found there are an estimated 9.7 million Generation Y adults in the UK, representing 15.9% of the total population, and 19.6% of the UK adult population.

Speaking at the CBI 2007 Business Summit earlier this week, Albert Ellis, CEO of IT recruitment firm Harvey Nash, said: “Generation Y wants more respect for their rights, and if they do not get it, they will litigate. They will be responsible for more litigation cases, because they care about values and are issues based.

“They live in an age where there is no loyalty between employer and employee. Generation Y says: “If you think I am fat, I will sue you; it’s as simple as that,” Ellis added.

He said that recruiting and retaining this generation should be an important objective for companies. “In order to attract Generation Y, a company needs to have ‘cool’ values. Generation Y is associated with brands like Levi’s, Apple, Adidas and Volkswagen. Britain is also a cool brand, as Generation Y thinks Britain is a ‘cool’ place to work.”

Jackie Orme, vice-president of human resources for PepsiCo UK and Ireland was a panellist at the summit. She added: “Generation Y and the entire workforce are diversifying. The work-life balance is more important than ever before. A job is a lifestyle proposition for Generation Y who do not care about salary, but flexibility, which is key to attracting and retaining.”