Do companies understand young talents? Here’s what they really want

The chapter focuses on understanding the desires and needs of young gifted individuals in the workplace and explores how employers can adapt work environments to attract and retain talented employees in their work organiza­tions. The transition to adulthood for gifted people also represents a period when they will have to navigate their careers and find employment, and their gifted­ness may require specific motives or needs. The research is based on structured interviews with 15 students aged 19 to 26, who were identified as gifted in elementary school. The results of the qualitative analysis showed that among the important needs of gifted people are autonomy, flexibility, meaningfulness of tasks, intellectual stimulation and positive relationships in the workplace. When choosing a job, young gifted people place great emphasis on working conditions, alignment of the work with their personal interests and field of study, salary and location of work. According to the research results, employers can adapt their work environments to talented employees by providing them with the opportu­nity to work on complex projects that challenge them and, among other things, allow them autonomy at work.