Innovation. The Co-operative Enterprise by and for Millennials

This report presents the key elements of a study that explores the attraction and retention practices and policies of Millenials in cooperative enterprises, based on their employment values, criteria and expectations. This topic was selected in the context of Quebec's labor shortage and the challenge of attracting young skilled workers. In addition, a survey conducted by Léger (2017) on behalf of the Quebec Council for Cooperation and Mutuality (CQCM), has found that although some of the personal values of Millenials in Quebec coincide with those of cooperative enterprises (honesty, transparency, altruism and equity), only 24% of Millenials are familiar with cooperative enterprises. Supported primarily by qualitative research, based on an online survey and a literature search, this study focuses on the following three objectives: a) identify and confirm the values and expectations of Millennials, as well as their knowledge and perceptions of cooperative enterprises, through a survey of HEC Montréal students; b) identify best practices and policies for attracting and retaining new generation workers in a cooperative enterprise; and c) suggest ways of developing the "coop" employer brand among Millennials.