Harnessing the Gen-Y Beast
Today’s guest post is from Eric Leist, a Public Relations major in Boston University’s class of 2010. Eric blogs over at Meghan Biro’s firm Talent Culture and on his own blog, EricLeist.com
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You’ll never figure out what’s wrong with me. Am I lazy? Arrogant? Rude? I’m an enigma. A puzzle waiting to be solved. I have wired veins; technology is my DNA. I pay for pre-ripped jeans. And yes, I do expect to wear them to work.
I’m Gen-Y. Hear me roar.
Like it or not, my generation is charging into the workforce. Yep, all 70 million of us. We’re a talented herd, too. HR directors will play Ringling Brothers trying to tame us, hire us, and retain us. Most will fail.
The Gen-Y stampede of talent cannot be stopped and refined. It must be harnessed.
So for all you HR directors out there struggling with the wild Gen-Y animals, here are five characteristics we look for in the workplace. Know them. Embrace them. Love them. You’ll need to in order to attract and retain the top talent in my generation.
1) We want to wear jeans. But it’s not about the denim. It’s about the casual atmosphere. We want coworkers we can hang out with. We like relaxed environments. We’re not afraid to log long hours. We’ll get our work done before the deadline, and the results will be stellar. So what difference does it make what we wear when we work? If you don’t let us wear pajamas, at least let us wear jeans.
2) We want flexibility. Forget these formulaic job descriptions. You won’t be able to force our skill sets into roles defined by previous generations. You’re better off creating roles around our skill sets. Give us the freedom to work from home, and we’ll prove we deserve it. Gen-Y-ers don’t mind checking in on their BlackBerry over the weekend if they have the option of working remotely.
3) We want the latest and greatest gadgets. Our generation was the first to grow up with computer classes. Cell phones and texting were everything in high school. We get frustrated when we know better, faster, sleeker technology is out there and we don’t have it. The most defining value of Gen-Y is the desire to be tech-savvy.
4) We want mentors. Our grandparents held long-standing relationships with employers. We don’t. People work for people; not brands. We want to work for people who take a genuine interest in our careers. We seek out the opinions of our peers and our superiors, and we’re equally as willing to give advice.
5) We want to contribute, and we want to be paid for it. The Internet wove incredible information access into our upbringing. We competed fiercely against our peers for college admission. We’re deeply in debt after slaving over coffee machines and data entry programs at unpaid internships. Yes, we expect to be paid handsomely, but we’re eager to earn the cash and the respect that comes with it.
If we can’t find these things, we’re not afraid to start our own businesses. We’ll sculpt our own corporate cultures to fit our needs.
Eric Leist is a senior at Boston University and currently interns with TalentCulture. He has previously interned with the New York Giants, Mills & Company and 451 Marketing. When not studying Public Relations and Business, he’s an anchor and producer at BUTV10′s InsideBoston and VP of BU’s Public Relations Student Society. Eric also coaches a competitive public speaking team in Newton, MA and spends his extra time experimenting in the kitchen.
Photo Credit: Deanwissing
[...] a brief snipet from my article “Harnessing the Gen-Y Beast”: Like it or not, my generation is charging into the workforce. Yep, all 70 million of us. We’re a [...]
Eric,
Though I actually personally agree with all of these items, here’s what I hate about articles like this:
1. Not every Gen Yer cares about wearing jeans. In fact. many couldn’t care less.
2. Not every Gen Yer cares about flexibility. They like coming in at 8 and leaving at 5. Work with boundaries isn’t always a bad thing!
3. Not every Gen Yer wants gadets. I love my iPhone. My Blackberry friends love theirs. I Know people without them. Happy as clams!
4. I don’t know if everyone wants mentors. Everyone should have them, but not everyone wants them.
5. For some people, work is just that. Work. It’s a paycheck.
Here’s the flip side. All of five of these apply to many Gen Xers and Boomers, too.
I don’t think anything you’ve listed is really a Gen Y thing. It’s an individual thing. I wish we’d start focusing more on people and not on big, stereotyped buckets.
Chris
Thanks for the comment, Chris.
I completely agree that there are people born after 1980 who will gladly dress in business attire, work 8-5, can live without the latest gadget, don’t want mentors and just want a paycheck. I can’t speak for every member of Gen-Y.
But I think if you look at the defining characteristics of my generation, the values in this article are among them.
Eric, I think you and I may have to agree to disagree. I’m not sure I really buy into this idea of “defining values”
Agree to disagree. You’re absolutely entitled to your opinion.
Chris, thanks for commenting. When I saw the topic of Eric’s guest post I figured you might stop in.
Personally, I can see both sides of this debate. I think that stereotypes and inferences can be made about any sample based on common characteristics shared by the majority (or even the minority, if they are visible enough). Eric uses the word ‘defining’, which I think is a little strong, but I do think that there are common characteristics to various generations, as well as endless examples of individuals who do not fit into the stereotype. No one is right. Everyone is right. Whatever.
I think that what’s important is that companies need to understand that to really affect talent attraction and retention of key performers, that the combination of their culture, incentive structure, and other motivators needs to satisfy a very different set of people, because if everyone truly did fit a stereotypical profile, well, compensation & incentive teams sure would have an easy job wouldn’t they!
I think I was “born” too early. I identify with all of the items mentioned in your post but my drivers license disagrees unfortunately. So like it or not I will never be a member of Gen Y. The most important aspect in my humble opinion is the awareness employers MUST have moving forward that we are no longer an army of like minded (interests) people. Your final comment in the paragraph above is spot on–things as we know it MUST change.
Here’s the deal – most people today want what you’ve listed – in one way or another (Chris notwithstanding). Boomer, X or Y – doesn’t matter. Smarts, adaptability and the drive to closure are wins.
Yes – Gen Y isn’t going to put up with the corporate lockstep. And that’s great.
Nice piece, Eric.
Traci – Thanks for your comment. In my book, you can have honorary Gen-Y status.
Marsha – “corporate lockstep” <– I love that term. It's a very accurate description.
Eric, you assume that other generations (like my own beloved X) couldn’t wait be be constrained, girdled (literally), imprisoned, devalued and given telegraph machines. You’re not breaking new ground here.
I’ve been told for most of my career that I have a problem with authority so don’t think this is coming from a worker bee, but in this crappy economy there are more experienced and amenable job seekers out there so you might need to re-evaluate your creature comforts in exchange for staying out of your parent’s basement. Conformity ain’t a bad thing until you’re proven your value and are then given leniency, a company phone and a handsome paycheck.
BTW I’ve spent my career until now working in advertising under all of your desired conditions but when the client was in the office you knew you were required to don actual clothes and bow.
Just sayin’. Good luck to you.
Thanks for the enthusiastic response, Lisa.
I would argue that the Gen-Y attitudes in this post were built on the ground broken by Gen-Xers. Gen-X had more flexibility and advocated for work-life balance freedom more than any previous generation. Gen-Y isn’t breaking ground, we’re just building on opportunities created by recent generations.
Sure, “any job” can keep a roof over your head, but isn’t it the job of the hiring managers like yourself to find the right fit for the right person in the right role at the right company? So why bother encouraging jobseekers to take “any job” that pays the bills? The quality of work will suffer in a tainted employer-employee relationship.
Furthermore, Gen-Yers have a knack for seeking opportunity in even the dankest of places–like basements. We idolize founders of companies like eBay (founded in a living room in 1995), Google (founded in a garage) and Facebook (started in a dorm room). This recession will teach Gen-Yers that just because you’re unemployed, doesn’t mean you can’t start a side business or a freelance career. We’re open to those possibilities.
At the risk of sounding like a fuddy-duddy (and my mom would roll her eyes here) I’m not sure we Xers went into the work world with a list of demands that included wardrobe. Respectfully entering the workforce, doing our jobs effectively and then turning it on its head from the inside is what enabled us to wear our NIN t-shirts and work from our decks. And I would never encourage anyone to just take any job mainly because I would never offer a job to anyone without the genuine interest and proper skills.
I know the Gen Whys evaluate potential jobs with a bit more weight to value of experience than job seekers before and are prepared to walk away if their expectations aren’t met but there is a fine line between discerning and egoism. Just be careful out there!
Good discussion. Thanks, Lisa!
Oh my God! I thought I was born into the wrong generation! What does it for me is the flexibility to work from home, wear what I like and be paid for my efforts – because my efforts are damn good! I’m on the cusp of boomer and gen-x – can I be an honorary gen-y’er?
Sylvia, you can be an honorary Gen-Y’er in my book.