Appealing to Generation Y in the Workplace

By Broadside Assistant News Editor Sonya Hudson

Generation Y, which consists of people under 28, is causing havoc in the workforce. Michelle Marks, associate professor in management, gave a lecture titled, “The Young and the Restless: How Generation Y is Changing our Workforce.”

The lecture, which is part of the Vision Speaker Series, attracted an intergenerational audience of about 300, Monday night, Sept. 15, in Concert Hall.

Marks began with definitions of the four generations that comprise the workforce today. Traditionalists are people older than 62, the Baby Boomers are between the ages of 44 and 62. People from ages 28 to 44 form Generation X, while Generation Y, the focus of her lecture, is made up of people younger than 28.

“People within a generation have shared patterns of behavior and mindsets,” Marks said, describing generation commonalities.

Events that define a generation are those that the generation has in common and will always remember. The events that defined Generation Y include Sept. 11, school violence, as in Columbine, natural disasters, the seriousness of Global Warming and saving the environment. These events, along with the ideology of the time, define Gen Y.

The Y culture has been pro-child, where diversity and technology are common and seemingly everywhere. This generation has been overscheduled, but accustomed to getting points for trying. The Internet has shaped the communities and activities of Generation Y.

Common characteristics of Generation Y include optimistic, confident, sheltered, ambitious, technologically savvy and used to being part of the decision-making processes.
The four generations have different work ethics and approaches to working. Marks discussed the generations’ complaints of each other and their differing views on careers.

Common complaints from older generations are that young people or Generation Y have no loyalty or work ethic, spend too much time online and have no communication skills.

Complaints from Generation Y are that the older spend too much time in meetings, don’t respect the Ys or appreciate what the Ys have to offer.

In order to understand Generation Y’s work ethic, it’s imperative to understand its background. Generation Y is family-centric. Members have helicopter parents who are intensely involved in their lives. The Baby Boomers, or the parents, have a strong bond with their children.

Many of these young adults live at home or move back home at some point. Companies have begun to target parents in order to recruit their children because parents play an integral role in their children’s life decisions.

Generation Y is not only family-centric, but also individually focused. Gen Y has an individual focus in the workforce, thinking of ways to benefit them, personally.

Marks discussed the different generations’ views on their relationships with organizations and companies. Traditionalists are loyal to an organization. The Baby Boomers are loyal to the team. Generation X is loyal to the manager, while Generation Y is loyal to colleagues.

The different generations also have differing perspectives on careers. Traditionalists want to build a legacy. Baby Boomers want to build stellar careers. Generation X wants portable careers and Generation Y wants parallel careers and multiple jobs.

Generation Y doesn’t want to maintain one career for an entire life. It wants something new, challenging and interesting all the time to captivate its attention.

Marks suggested that companies offer lateral movement that will keep this generation excited with new experiences and challenges. The lateral movement allows more promotional steps because the employees are not just climbing the corporate ladder, but are gaining new and different experiences and insights with each little side step.

Generation Y wants to work on their own schedule and be assessed based on the work they did rather than the time they put in.

Marks gave some ideas to attract, motivate and retain top Generation Y talent.

To attract Ys, it’s important for companies to understand their targeted employees, to be where they are, to value their ideas, to affiliate with social causes relevant and important to Gen Y and to have a mission that resonates and outlines what Gen Ys will get out of working for that particular company.

In order to motivate Generation Y, just ask them. Encourage Baby Boomers to be their mentors, challenge Ys to figure it out on their own, harness their e-collaboration skills and provide avenues for development.

To retain Ys, companies should consider lateral movements, flexible work arrangements, frequent and timely feedback and respect across generations.

“Generation Y is very talented,” Marks said. “They can put ideas together, they have a creative way of thinking about the world, and they can change and adapt to the strong global world. Though talented, their habits can be frustrating and not well understood by older generations.”