Guest Post – Generation Y in the Workplace Explained

Thanks for posting this article! Spot on! This all applies to so much more than just the work place. Very well spoken.

Bookmarked and Feeded.
-Chase

Teresa, this is a great post and thank you for writing it.

I’d like to point out, all the things YOU think make you different are the very things that make you the same as generations past. I am a boomer and when I was 20 I held the same ideals and I’m sure every generation past has as well. It’s youthful optimism, along with high expectation for ourselves and the contribution we think we can make to the marketplace. We all think life will conform to us and if it doesn’t, then things will have to change. And then the reality of a brutal marketplace teaches us that there are viewpoints other than our own and maybe, just maybe, someone ahead of us knows more than we do and maybe, just maybe, we have more learning to do (yeah, it’s a harsh reality). Usually by the time we’re 30 we figure out that change comes slowly and to survive, WE conform, not the world.

Having said that, much change has occurred over the last 50 years because of the ideals each generation has embraced. Gen Y will make changes as well, it just won’t happen as fast as you make think it will. And no, you are not entitled to having your ideals embraced by anyone, you’ll have to earn that right. We all eventually learn that, it just takes time and some frustration along the way. And as we go, we grow up.

The advent of the internet, 300 channels on TV, and instantaneous news, makes the younger generations think they are different. I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s not that the people are any different, it’s the times that are different. And to be quite honest, I think this is absolutely the best time EVER to be young and just getting started. The fact that global communication is sooooo easy and creating yourself the way YOU want rather than conforming is so much easier than in times past, may just allow Gen Y to what they want rather than conforming. The ability to “do it your way” is easier than ever and I’m seeing ALL generations taking advantage of that, not just Gen Y.

And lastly, I’d like to say and maybe some others want to weigh in, I don’t think Gen Y is any louder than any generation in the past. In fact, you weren’t alive but the boomers still remain in my mind as the loudest generation in recent history (I say recent history and you probably consider it ancient history LOL).

Thanks again for the great discussion.

Reba

I’m a Cusper. I was born in the tail end of Generation X/beginning of Gen Y,depending on which sources you use. While I’ve noticed that Gen Y tends to be very savvy with networking, they’ve literally changed the workplace environment and how they interact with superiors. They are more casual, and somehow expect us to be casual as well (some seriously think flip flops count as “business casual.” Sorry, it isn’t, and I’m only 29!). Some believe that it’s perfectly fine to call superiors by their first name before understanding the culture of the company they’re working with. I just go with the flow. If my people call the CEO Catherine, then I’ll call her Catherine too. If I’m not sure, I default to Ms. Lastname. Of course, this has nothing to do with social media, but I think the younger generation must be able to understand how older people, even people who’re less than five years their senior think. It’s amazing how my younger cousins, who are only five or six years younger than me, seem like a completely different generation at times. Often, I feel that I have more in common with my boomer parents than I do with a 24 year old!

Great post! As a Gen Y’er myself, I couldn’t agree more with everything you wrote.

Reading this felt like Deja vu for me. The unconventional traits we see as “strengths” in Gen Y-ers are often looked upon as “areas of improvement” or as being “against the grain” in work environments who have not embraced these values or styles. I am hopeful that the workplaces of some established companies and non-profits will begin to shift and “lighten up” and learn that you can get a lot done and done well without having to adhere to “conventional” rules.

Teresa,

Your write-up is wonderfully worded and I can’t help but agree with it. It describes me perfectly. My only wish was that the older generations understood us better.

Especially in regards to being challenged and testing new waters. Couldn’t say better myself.

Teresa,

Thank you for this post. It outlines so well the direction our work force is headed and what can be done to foster creativity and leadership. There will definitely be growing pains while we bridge the gap between conventional management practices and a mentorship mentality. I will say though that once you do find that balance and place where you can nurture your skills, it’s a breathe of fresh air. I work more than I ever have, but I love (almost) every minute of it. Also, I posted the blog below on my Facebook profile and got a “What about Gen X?” request – would it be possible to discuss how they are shifting their management and work styles in order to remain competitive in this environment?

I’ve written a complementary blog posting that discusses marketing to the Gen Yer that you might find interesting.

Thanks and blog on!
Annie

Teresa,

Reading this post, and all of the great comments, got me thinking back wondering how I viewed the world 25 years ago (gasp!) when I was at the age Gen Y is now. The things you mention are not unique to Gen Y, they are (except for the transparency one) things that have guided much of my life, and many others as well. The big difference is that in my youth that kind of behavior was typically frowned upon and discouraged; today it is at worst tolerated and at best encouraged.

I’m very interested to hear what Gen Y is saying about “Gen whatever” 25 years from now.

Now if only we could stop the whining, their need for immediate gratification for mediocre job done and sense of ‘what’s in it for me’ then they would be a welcome cohort into my department.
(coming from someone someone born in 1975)

Hasn’t this little credit crunch bitch slapped most of these Gen Y-ner’s back to reality a little bit.

I notice that Teresa hasn’t exactly held down a job in the real world yet – What were the jobless numbers in the US for November? 500,000? while technically not the worst on record if you put things in proportion (actually about the 41st worse), but the absolute magnitude is large….and will be getting larger?

This little downturn may be the cold bucket of water that wakes these wet behind the ears neophytes up and helps them put the concepts of “We crave personal development (until layoffs start)”, “We pursue unconventional paths(while I have zero life responsibility)”, “We’re not afraid to ask (who are you asking and when are you asking them – try asking for a raise about now)”, “We embrace transparency (until you have competing interest that may force you to do something you might not be so proud of)”, and “We just want to do what we love (Blinding flash of the obvious, you are the only person who wants to do what they love. Me and everyone else prefers drudgery)” in their proper perspective?

What, does this chick think that her father always had a comb over and her mother always wore “mom jeans” At one point, everyone has dreams and aspiration, but guess what Teresa, you (and your siblings) came along and your parents had to get all responsible and stuff – I know, its totally uncool, but true, kids are the reason parents get all uptight, boring and conventional – I can say that as a risk taking 30 something with a young child.

The self righteousness of a new cohort entering the workforce is nothing new, its just that at some point your shtick starts wearing thin – and that point was about a year ago. The holier than thou attitude is boring already

I know, I know, I know, Gen Y’er work harder than anyone else, know how to use social networking “tools” and love to job hop. But can you turn a profit? Or is profit someone else’s responsibility? Maybe its the guy with the combover’s problem.

How does the mark twain quote go…….something along the lines of “When I was twelve, I could not believe how stupid my parents were. When I turned 21, I was amazed at how much they had learned in nine years.”

Guess what, when I was in my early 20′s, I was a moron too – and then you get a little older and realize how backwards and little you knew at the time

Thanks for your insights, Teresa, and the comments of your peers suggest you’ve struck a chord. I truly laud most of what you said, but as a senior healthcare manager responsible for guest relations and safety, I have found that unchecked, many of the characteristics you describe are a recipe for conflict.

Most of the problems I deal with are communications related, and it’s almost never about what words are spoken. Rather, it’s the 23 year old white therapist who can’t understand why the 65 year old African-American preacher is too embarassed to tell her he’s not comfortable with her helping him re-learn how to bathe after his stroke. Or it’s the 25 year old African-American manager who doesn’t respect her 40 year African-American old workers because they can’t create a Powerpoint presentation—though their jobs are about providing patient care!

These real conflicts aren’t about whether someone has grey hair: it’s about setting aside personal objectives and perspectives to understand what’s important to the others around us, so that we can work and live together effectively. Hundreds of years ago, John Donne wrote “No man is an island.” Until people no longer have to interact directly with others, without the anonymity of the Internet, this will always be true in the workplace and any other venue.

Weighing in on said subject again. No generation can be understood in a vacuum. Capacities that one generation has in spades come about because of capacities and weaknesses of other generations. For example, GenXers are profoundly capable of functioning inside of chaos and fragmented systems. Millennials (Gen Y) aren’t. Millennials orient toward peer-based activities and collective efforts; GenX couldn’t be farther away from that. Just as well, Millennials’ hubris will bring about, in the generation that follows them, an orientation toward nuance and sensitivity. Just as the generation behind them (the next wave of Boomer-like people), will orient toward big vision and principle-based messaging. And so on.

So, yes, Millennials are great. In the ways that they are great. But so is every other generation, in the way that they are great. Would Theresa be willing to write a piece about the profound “weaknesses” of her generation? I doubt it. But people in other generations could come up with a laundry list of “weaknesses.” Again, are they weaknesses, or just a balancing? After GenXers, a following generation that was fragmented would undermine societal strength. But the Millennials would be lost and dysfunctional without following behind GenXers who have tended to technical efficiencies, entrepreneurial knowledge and do-more-with-less than any generation in 80 years.

So, let’s be happy for the newest generation to enter into young adulthood. Equally,j let’s remember that they are but one of four generations. They gotz some good stuff to offer. As well, they will cause their own specific pain as a generation. And so the cycle continues.

Generations interestingly arent just limited by the years in which they were born, they can take on characterisitcs from other generations too. There’s much more on this on our company blog site if anyone’s interested >> http://www.nakedgenerations.com/blog

That’s exactly true… 100%

I was reading through and thinking, yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s me! There is a lot of positive potential in the individuals of my generation—the key is learning to fit with a multi-generational team and take advantages of the strengths that we all bring. One of the challenges I sometimes face is helping my teammates understand where I am coming from–thanks for the great summary!

i bookmarked this over a month ago and re-read it just now.

*sigh* it’s so frustrating to get jobs when you fit this demographic!

I love Jim Durbin

This is bloody hilarious. What a sense of entitlement!

Get some real skills and experience beyond your ADD-drenched instant gratification style of thinking and maybe you'll be rewarded. Thinking that everyone owes you the world just because you exist means you're going to get your butt handed to you by the folks who were there before who know how to play the game.

You have to earn the “opportunities and rewards we thirst for” first, Ms. Wu. Otherwise you'll find out that nobody owes you a damn thing and you're just going to have to put your money (or is that your parents' money?) where your mouth is and do it all yourself.