With each New Year, comes an injection of new, fresh-faced people into the labour market. It’s therefore a pretty busy time for recruitment companies in Dublin like Webrecruit Ireland, but you’ll have a lot to think about yourself – not least, how you can keep your new and existing staff members happy.

Employee satisfaction is more important than ever these days, particular for those newcomers from Generation Y. No longer are young workers happy to accept a good pay packet and little else. There’s so much else that they want from their chosen employer, such as a good work-life balance and a sense that they are making the world a better place.

What difference does a contented workplace make?

When a modern company’s employees are well-treated and made to feel valued, they will be more motivated and more likely to care about the company’s wellbeing and bottom line. It means that they will fight hard for your company and make great brand ambassadors, to customers, clients and other potential employees alike.

Of course, this has always generally been the case, but it is especially so among those of Generation Y, who are actively looking for meaning in their work beyond a decent wage. By recruiting the right people and keeping them content, therefore, you can expect especially strong growth in 2015.

Giving your staff what they want

Winning the hearts and minds of your employees depends on a good understanding of what they want. Those things, according to studies, range from an accessible boss and flexible work schedules to work-life integration and an emphasis on work collaboration over work competition.

These aren’t the baby boomers of old, who lived to work – they’re a new generation of workers who want autonomy, authority, a choice of assignment, public, written and verbal praise and time off. Money, while still important, is no longer the be-all-and-end-all.

With Generation Y set to make up 75 per cent of the global workforce by 2025, these are people whose work expectations you need to listen to.

What you can do now

Flexibility is an especially great priority for these workers – so give them it. Trailblazing firms like Netflix and Virgin have captured the headlines in recent times for their home working and/or unlimited holiday allowance policies. What’s more, studies have shown the greatly positive effect that these can have on employee satisfaction, engagement and motivation.

Make sure that any changes that you do make are a good fit to your company’s needs and culture, and you can expect your firm to really make a splash in 2015.