I'm a Gen Y'er. I've heard many versions of what my generation wants in the workforce so I thought I'd share my perspective. My perspective is in no way the answer to fulfilling Gen Y in the workforce because one of the staples of my generation is that we're very different from person to person.Here's what I want when I look at the next 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 60 years of my career:
I want to learn. Learning is at the top of the list. I always want to be in a position where I feel overwhelmed by the potential to learn. I like to surround myself with smart people.
I like flexibility. This one is probably the most relevant to workshifting. I like companies that reward results and don't micromanage the way the work is done. I'm lucky in that our corporate culture at Citrix promotes workplace flexibility. I'm comfortable with technology and like to use it to communicate at a distance. Sometimes I'll have 5 online meetings in a day and that's ok with me. I value the ability to work wherever I want as long as I produce.
I don't necessarily need to know everything, just where to find it. Claire Schooley, Analyst at Forrester Research, likes to say that "unlearning" is a skill of the new generation. I did a podcast interview with her regarding this topic that you can find on iTunes by searching "Claire Schooley." What she means is that with information changing so quickly it's actually an advantage to be able to unlearn something quickly. Growing up with technology I realize how fast things change. With this in mind it's sometimes counter-productive to become an expert in certain areas. For a corporate training department this means "Teach me high level concepts and show me where to find the details if I need them."
I use social media and networking at work. I like companies who can see the value of social media for business. I use tools like Twitter and LinkedIn at the office to develop relationships and have conversations. Sometimes the conversations are with clients or business partners and sometimes with friends. Social media at work can cause some debate between generations. But think of social media at work as the virtual water cooler talk. Some of the conversation will be about business and some will be about the plans for the weekend.
Not all of my conversations need formalities. Most of the time, I prefer twitter-like emails and voicemails. A lot of text is wasted getting to the point in communication. I often get emails where I have to scroll to find the action needed on my end. Twitter requires 140 characters or less and it's amazing how much can be squeezed in there. I like emails, voicemails and people that get to the point. Here's a great article from copyblogger.com by Jennifer Blanchard about "How Twitter Makes You a Better Writer."
We tend to be candid. We're not afraid to jump in with questions and challenge the status quo. This can cause some issues within an organization as more senior employees may feel that Gen Y oversteps their bounds. Donna Nebenzahl wrote up a case study of how L'Oreal dealt with this generational conflict in The Gazette.
I want to have constant visibility to the company vision and how I fit in. Gen Y'ers are known for being in it for more than the paycheck. This means we need to understand how our contribution impacts the company and where it's going. Keeping Gen Y workers engaged with the company direction can be as important as compensation at times.
Again, these are just my thoughts. What do you think? Does this match up with your ideas of Gen Y in the workforce?
Photo by: Randy Stewart
Great post, has so much today with the entire workplace culture. I gave a presentation to the Coporation that recently acquired our little company and summed up my thoughts by saying... "We want to "think" and you need to allow us to think and be heard"
(it sounded really good when i said it outloud, kinda looks silly when I typed it, LOL)
Excellent summary. I wish I knew what I wanted when I was 26. How about the news? What would make you watch? Nobody in GenY watches. help me keep my job!!
Mike
Love the clarity of this post! I'm chronologically way older than you and your Gen Y brothers and sisters, but I've "grown up" with technology, too, and have these same values. Do you think the possibilities of global connection that have fueled the explosion of the internet affected our BRAINS and HEARTS, too? I don't know how else to explain the difference between people who live by exploring and sharing new connections... and people who just haven't used the computer as much.
What do you think? I'd really like to know...
One thing I have heard often about Gen Y is that as passionate and motivated as they can be, they're also very good at compartmentalizing work. They don't work before 9 and they're done at 5. Off-duty time is just as, if not more important, than on-duty time. Does that fit with what you said about flexibility?
The other thing, and a slightly darker idea, is that Gen Y CAN have a different moral/ethical code than boomers or X'ers. It's not enough to know you "shouldn't" do something; Gen Y also need to know why -- not always explainable, especially as Internet/social networking culture has blurred lines between plagiarism and fair use, or between flirting and sexual harassment.
Would love to hear your thoughts -- I am hearing a lot of this from boomer and Gen X supervisors of young law enforcement officers -- and also from my husband, who taught high school for 12 years!
Wow, thanks for the thoughtful comments & questions. Let me try to answer everyone’s questions here:
For mikesugerman (famed San Francisco CBS Broadcast Journalist, also my uncle;)
TV News for Gen Y? This is a tough one. I have to be honest that I don’t actually watch TV news. Most of my news comes via social media, news sites, blogs, etc. I watch video online when it’s easily digestible in youtube-like form. I follow news stations on Twitter. I guess I would say that Gen Y watches news when it becomes more like a community where there’s room for 2-way dialogue, comments, etc. Building a social media presence for the TV news station with twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others would be a good start. As for getting Gen Y to watch TV news, I don’t have a good answer. Anyone want to chime in that’s reading this post?
For TheVMCoach
I absolutely think that global connections and the internet culture have affected our BRAINS and HEARTS. I do think all generations live by exploring and sharing new connections but it really comes down to comfort. For some, the thought of making personal thoughts publically available via sites like Twitter is a bit overwhelming. I compare this to my grandparent’s generation who hid money in their mattresses because of distrust of the market and banks. The internet and social media are extremely powerful but you do have to give up a bit of privacy to get there.
On the other hand, the internet and social media does affect our in-person relationships and interactions. I sometimes find myself texting or updating Twitter while having a conversation in-person…thankfully my friends and family will try to slap the iPhone out my hands. Too much online interaction can be a bad thing. We’re social beings and social networking does not fulfill this need on its own. Check out this blog post from Jim Ware over at the Future of Work about the adverse affect of social networking (http://thefutureofwork.net/blog/2009/03/04/how-does-social-networking-affect-your-health/)
For christammiller
In regards to your first point, the answer is yes. I like to think of Gen Y as a very “balanced” generation. Although I’m always connected to work if I want to be, I turn off frequently. On most days I work from 8 to 5 or 6. Flexibility means that I can take an hour in the morning off and give it back in the evening. It does not mean that I work at the office, take my work home and work on vacation. I definitely value balance.
I think Gen Y does ask “why” a lot…maybe we should change the name to “Gen Why.” You make a great point about plagiarism vs. fair use or flirting vs. sexual harassment. While these lines are blurred the only way they will become defined is through the curiosity of new generations. So I guess my answer is what you’d expect from a Gen Y’er…if you can’t answer “why” then why is the rule in place to begin with?;)
I’m def not an expert in law enforcement but I’d say that there may be opportunity to update the on boarding and training of new officers. Maybe this would include more detail about why procedures and rules exist for officers which could help to proactively address some of the “why” questions. Just an idea, I don’t think there’s an easy answer to these types of generational issues.
Listen, friend. If you hadn't announced your Gen-Y-hood I wouldn't have known you were different from anyone else. And you know why? You're not.
Eric, I really enjoyed your article. I have a question and I am honestly not trying to be glib. On all of your points you used the first person EXCEPT for "We tend to be candid." Just a slip - Freudian or otherwise - or were you reluctant to come out and be candid yourself? :-)
Social networks obviously didn't exist way back when I started my career but all your other points applied to me. However, maybe the time wasn't right because I ended up going out on my own by my late 30's. Two reasons - I wanted independence and balance.
Wishing you and all Gen Y the very best.
Thanks for the thoughts. That's really funny that I changed from the first person on the candid section;) I would never have noticed if you hadn't commented.
Probably for two reasons:
1) Switch it up and provide a bit of variety
2) You're right...I was speaking more for Gen Y in general as I tend to be less candid than others in my generation.
I can't get away with anything!;)
Eric, thanks for sharing what you want from the workforce. I would like to share with you how I heard what you are saying:
I want to learn - I want to take whatever I can from the smart people that I surround myself with...
I want flexibility - and I don't really care what impact my flexibility has on other people or the environment...
I don't necessarily need to know everything, just where to find it - everything I need to know is out there provided by someone else, and I can reach out and get it for free whenever I need it. I just need to know how to do it...
I use social media and networking at work - thanks to linkedin and twitter I can now get more of what I want, whenever I want it. I can use people more effectively to achieve my goals...
Not all of my conversations need formalities - I am so busy sifting through tons of information, I can only absorb 140 character texts. Any depth or subtlety is a waste of my time...
We tend to be candid (you probably intended to say "I") - you don't have time to connect deeply and powerfully with other people as this involves understanding where they are coming from. So it is easier to just be direct and say whatever you think (regardless of how the other person might feel)...
I want to have constant visibility to the company vision and how I fit in (two "I's" in this sentence) - I'm so important that I need other people to always be taking account of my feelings and needs, while I don't feel any need for reciprocating...
In a nutshell, I want to be able to take whatever I can, whenever I want it, and I don't feel any need to give anything back.
I see that the generation of "I want it my way" has now spawned an even more egotistical generation. Is this the winning strategy for survival in these changing times?
Great post and love the "Gen WHY" moniker -- a real refinement. There's a darker side that I've noticed that could lead to "Gen WHINE." It seems that lately as the economy has become more challenging (and is the first major down economy that Gen Y has experienced), that some have dropped the questioning, driving, passion for results and have taken to whining about not being involved and carelessly violating confidentiality and other business practices. I haven't seen any damage or other serious problems from this yet, but I wonder if this is a long term trend or temporary due to the current situation.
Goodness, there's a lot of hostility in the last post. As a Gen Xer myself, I'd like to respond with some questions:
1) What have you done to increase learning in your organization? If nothing, you cannot blame the need for people of all generations to seek learning -- especially given the mercenary "here today, gone tomorrow" nature of the contemporary job environment. Shoving people in a little box and inhibiting their development doesn't work anymore, sorry.
2) What's so bad about flexibility? 99% of the time, opposition to flexibility is due to an inability by people who have grasped the "old way" of doing business to evolve. You're probably living in a mindset where customers, suppliers and employees are expected to do things "your way," and their unwillingness to do so makes your life harder. Tough tamales. From now on, in this mercenary economy created by the management generation, everyone is going to insist on a diverse way of getting things done. Process won't matter as much as results.
3) Most information is free. Charging for access to the brass ring of data is both wasteful and inhibiting. If you're not making resources available for your employees to stay on top of the trends and drive them, you're ensuring that your company will be roadkill by the side of the highway in short order.
4) It's ironic to watch management sorts complain about Y'ers wanting to network to get what they want, when the management class is responsible for the "use up and throw away" culture of employment today. The mercenary economy of layoffs, paycuts, sudden closures, outsourcing, etc. was imposed by managers -- yet they expect the employees most affected by that decision to live a classic bucolic corporate life of blissful ignorance until they are cut? Ha! Gen Y is on to you guys. They're going to do what's best for themselves -- just like management has done for the past 15 years. Employee submissiveness is gone -- now they're as focused on their success as you are on yours. Tenure, "dedication" through workaholism, etc. are all gone. Only results matter.
5) Most of the so-called "subtlety" delivered by the management class is grade-A bullshit. Sure, all those AAA-rated subprime mortgage bonds had endless depths of "subtle analysis" behind them, but it was all fluff and garbage. A simple characterization of them could be made in a single Tweet: "Toxic slime packaged to unwary investors." "Work by the pound of paper" is going away. Results, not endless paperwork (or virtual paperwork) is the future. You demonstrate you understand "subtlety" through how you execute and analyze, not by pouring out hundreds of pages of bullshit (which nobody reads) to show how smart you are. Gen Y gets it, Gen X is increasingly getting it.
6) Deep connections at work and with customers? Are you serious? Contemporary work culture INVENTED the CYA, endless meetings and pointless bureaucracy. All that beating around the bush and avoiding the subject has led to disasters like the auto bankruptcies and bank collapses, because you've built a culture focused on "not hurting feelings and stepping on toes" rather than a culture of "saying it like it is." Dispense with the bullshit (or as you would call it, "subtlety") and get with the high speed economy, or you'll be as relevant as Studebaker.
7) If employees, customers and suppliers don't understand, buy into, or believe in your vision, they're only going to do the minimum and most will jump when someone does inspire them. You will, like it or not, have to extend your vision beyond your own thin walls. You'll have to engage in real dialogue, hear others' concerns, and respond to them. Pull rank in the mercenary economy, and your best employees will hit the road before you can say "let's issue a memo." Again, that's largely your doing in management culture.
8) You just described the existing management culture to a tee, and then pinned it on Gen Y. Your problem isn't with Gen Y, it's rather than Gen Y gets what they're getting into and are working hard to develop tools and strategies to level the playing field. They understand that company loyalty is a thing of the past, that the biggest question in business life is "what have you done for me lately?" and that they need to move far and fast to be competitive. They watched their "process oriented" and "subtle" and "self-effacing" parents accept dictates from above, commit to the company, and get laid off -- only to be told "they should have prepared for the future and trained themselves." So they have.
Gen Y isn't just your future knowledge base, it's your future customer base too. Just as you dissed Gen X as "lazy do nothing grungers" before they saved your retirement accounts by inventing Google, iPods and PDAs, you're dissing Gen Y as "selfish" for using the tools at their disposal to deal with the short-term every-man-for-himself mercenary economy that today's managers have created. The problem is that Gen Y has the tools and the skills to run circles around corporate bullshit... which means its days are numbered.
Nice post!