Great teamwork or unable to work alone? Wants to be part of the management process, or overly needy? Moral and ethical or innocent to a fault? These are only some of the questions coming to a head as the latest generation begins their journey into the workplace. Welcome, Generation Y.
To understand the challenges, and benefits, this dynamic group brings to the workplace; there must first be an understanding of what makes them unique
The Gen Y History
Instead of the hands off, latch-key kid style of parenting common during the childhoods of Gen X, the July 2007 issue of Harvard Business Review article "The Next 20 Years, How Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve," by Howe and Strauss defines Gen Y as those born between 1982 to 2005 to a political age of No Child Left Behind, standardized education and involved parents.
Gen Y is coming of age in a society that once again values children and where involved, some would say overprotective, parents are more concerned with self esteem than self reliance. Structured play dates, team sports and group activities are standard fare for the Gen Y child, and as a result this is a team-oriented group who excels at group activities and projects.
Raised in a more protected environment that prevented much of the violent lifestyle of school shootings and drugs that permeated the years of Gen X, Gen Y appears alternately optimistic and hopeful, innocent and vulnerable. They have learned to cooperate and collaborate at an early age, and will bring those skills, along with their more hopeful attitude, to the workplace.
In addition, Gen Y is being reared in a world where volunteerism is increasing throughout the US according to the December 2005 Corporation for National and Community Service Research Brief. This increase, combined with the advent of senior projects often required for students to graduate from high school, teach Gen Y to be more aware of the effect their actions have on others, and Howe and Strauss predict that Gen Y will "become more mannerly, structured and civic-minded."
Gen Y at Work
With their protected, optimistic, team-oriented and technologically diverse upbringing, there may be several challenges for managers as Gen Y begins their journey into the workplace.
The biggest challenge for some managers may be the insistence that Gen Y has for electronic communication. Text messaging is a normal form of communication for this group, as is the social networking found on the Internet. Telling a Gen Y employee she cannot search the net or talk to her friends on Facebook at work may result in a stunned expression. For this generation, the Internet and texting are the phone conversations of yesteryear.
Since their youngest days, Gen Y has been on some kind of team or involved in an organized activity. As a result, the Gen Y employee will expect to be part of, and excel in, group projects for education and training in the workplace. Trainers may have to look closely at their training programs to make sure they provide a successful learning experience for this group.
Management may also have to restructure communication with Gen Y. In “Here They Come – Generation Y. Are You Ready?” in the May 2009 issue of Journal of Financial Service Professionals, Herbison and Boseman say, “Their parents are their friends, they are allowed to have "feelings," they have received nothing but positive, constructive feedback for their entire lives. Their parents intervene when situations don't work out the way the Gen Y'er thinks they should.”
As a result, Gen Y expects their managers to talk to them regularly, provide them feedback, and let them know if there are problems with their performance long before the annual review. Unlike their Gen X counterparts, who treat managers as colleagues, Gen Y may be more accepting of a more authoritarian role from their leaders, as long as it includes positive feedback.
Because of the close supervision they have had at every moment of their lives, they require specific instructions on everything from appropriate dress to how to prepare documents in the workplace. While this may be a huge challenge for the independent Gen X manager who prefers to work independently, it may make supervision easier as they can give instructions once to a group benefit from team results.
While there may be some challenges ahead, Generation Y is dynamic groups that brings a unique ability to multi-task and collaborate. With coaching and mentoring, they will be an asset to any business environment.
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