JYOTI PRATIBHA
SUVA
Gen Y getting into workforce is a global phenomenon and Fiji is not isolated from it.
With new generation seeking employment, they bring with them new ideas, new attitude and different work ethics, says the Vice President of India’s one of the most renowned companies- Tata Steel Limited, Suresh Dutt Tripathi.
Mr Tripathi is in the country as keynote speaker at the CPA Congress which starts today at Sheraton Fiji Resort on Denarau Island in Nadi.
With decades of experience, Mr Tripathi’s focus during his presentation will be on how to reconcile differences that Gen Y bring into the workforce and how to best make use of them.
“The expectations of Gen Y, the new generation and what are the challenges of the management in regards to this generation is what I will be talking about,” he said.
“This is a global issue. Gen Y is getting into organisations all across and the number of Gen Y getting into workforce is a large number and they are a very different set of people.
“So, what are the differences and secondly, because of these differences, what and how the orgnisations have to change themselves.
“They are a large number, their expectations are different, their ambitions are different, aspirations are different and their persona is very different.
“They are a global set of people. They are globally connected. There isn’t a regionality about this group, they are global now- they are so well-connected. So in the process there is a need to understand them.”
Mr Tripathi said there was a need to see how the workplace can be aligned to get the best out of this generation of people.
“They can do wonders. My topic is about this,” he said.
Fiji relevance
Mr Tripathi noted that Fiji has a wide range of unexplored industries.
“How do we bring in from the best of the world to Fiji and I believe there is a lot of opportunities not explored, for example, agriculture,” he said.
“If there could be better farming methods, more scientific way, Fiji could lead the way in agriculture.”
“In terms of its location, although it’s not very easy to reach here, tourism is still the top industry here and it is visible all across as you enter.
“There is this air of extreme exhilaration, you feel very, very happy just being here. Tourism industry has been looked into well.
“However, there can be a lot of tie ups that can happen. Aggregation can be a point here meaning getting in raw materials from the world for manufacturing here.”
Although this is his first visit to Fiji, Mr Tripathi said he feels right at home.
The CPA Congress will be officially opened by the Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum today.
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