The ‘Disputed' Child

Millennials are a significant cohort in the workforce, but can HR policies be tweaked to accommodate their unique needs and demands?

- Dr Debashish Sengupta

Amy Joseph (name changed) works in an MNC in a senior position and is known to be a top performer. A millennial and single by choice, she lives with her two dogs. She is very much attached to her pets and considers them as her children—she would not even go to work if they are sick. One day, the HR department received a letter from her, requesting reimbursement for her dog’s treatment cost. They immediately rejected it, stating that medical reimbursement is only for the children of employees and not for animals. Amy held that her dogs were as important to her as children were to anyone else. There were many arguments over this and jokes too started circulating in the office. When the HR quoted policy time and again, she asked, “Where in the policy is it written that it has to be a human child?”

However, Amy did not give up; she took up the matter with the CEO who, as an exception, accepted the request for reimbursement (it was not too high an amount) and the matter was put to rest. Subsequently, HR made amendments in their policy so as to avoid such circumstances in the future. No guesses for what these would have been.

What is your opinion on this? Would you side with Amy, or do you think she was exploiting the policy?

I spoke to a few HR leaders on this issue and the first reaction of many was: “Thank God. She is not in my company!” Well, that is not surprising considering how most organizations are yet to crack the millennial employee code. Millennials, who will soon make almost three-fourth of the employee population globally, are a different generational cohort with a unique set of attitudes, mindsets, behaviors, and leading a different kind of life.