Yesterday CNNMoney.com ran an article about Generation Y employees in corporate America. Click Here To Read The Article
Its aim is to enlighten a workforce filled with baby boomers and Gen X members how to cope and deal with Gen Y professionals.
The writer of the article, Nadira A. Hira describes Gen Y workers as:
They're ambitious, they're demanding and they question everything, so if there isn't a good reason for that long commute or late night, don't expect them to do it. When it comes to loyalty, the companies they work for are last on their list - behind their families, their friends, their communities, their co-workers and, of course, themselves.”
The article is peppered with over generalized descriptions of Gen Y workers as:
“colleague with two tattoos, a piercing, no watch and a shameless propensity for chatting up the boss”.
Reading the article appalled me a bit. I am a member of the Gen Y workforce. I don’t see any of my 20 something year old colleagues showing off their tattoos nor their numerous piercing. There are no guys in my office that wear funky graphic T-Shirts underneath their blazers on a work day. Sure Gen Y members have their own sense of style, are liberated and express themselves openly. However, the article seemed to be about Gen Y members in Corporate America and in that case Nadira’s description of its members was blatantly wrong. What Gen Y members wear outside of the office is not really a concern.
Lets take a step back and examine what changed from Generation X to Generation Y employees. Generation X didn’t come from an era where their parents and society preached “the sky is the limit- you can be anything you want!” The vision most of them probably had in their minds was to get a job, get married, get a mortgage and have children. In college they didn’t have hundreds and hundreds of courses and majors to choose from. What really defines the Generation Y workforce? I don’t think we can really define it- I think we are just a work in progress.
We want more from corporate America- that's for sure. We want to be given responsibility and yes, sometimes we just aren’t patient enough to stick around for a couple years, prove ourselves to our bosses, and then get responsibility. We want things to happen at lightening speed. We want to be challenged at work. We want to participate in volunteer efforts and give back to society. We think outside the box. And yes, as Nadira mentioned in her article, we do tend to question a lot of things. But change only happens when things are questioned- so I think this is a positive thing that we bring to the table.
What Nadira’s article didn’t point out is the desire of a lot of companies to recruit these Gen Y members right out of college and the value they bring. Most organizations know that they will not have a competitive edge if they just keep hiring senior level employees. Organizations know that if Gen Y members are not challenged and happy the first year of employment they will jump ship and move onto the next job.
So what can organizations do to get a good return on their Gen Y investments?
Organizations need to be open minded. They need to understand when they start hiring Gen Y employees they will need some hand holding and be assimilated into the new organization. Also, senior leadership needs to recognize that bringing Gen Y employees and mixing them up with the Gen X workforce is going to require a marriage of two different breeds of people. I think organizations who are open to recreating their corporate culture by taking the best of Gen X and Gen Y are the most successful in keeping these young employees.
I am lucky to be a part of an organization who recognize the value that Gen Y workers bring to our company. I work at an organization where I can go into my CEOs office and tell him about this great idea I have that will improve our business. I am privileged that I am allowed to take initiative at work.
My advice to Gen Y then is to seek out organizations that are willing to take chances on young employees. Organizations that allow an entrepreneur spirit. Organizations that have open door policies and who foster creative thinking. Write down your values and all the things you want in your dream job. Don’t think so much about the salary you want to get paid. It’s easy to be swayed into taking a job because of the high salary it pays. But the salary is not worth it if the organization doesn’t have the right environment you need to succeed. When trying to find that perfect job, I suggest that Gen Y members think more so about the environment and the type of management they would work best with. I firmly believe if you find that perfect environment which fosters and challenges you- you will succeed- and success will come with financial rewards.
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