Changing Tides and Gen Y

Do a search through any online news aggregator and you will find hundreds of stories related to how Generation Y is changing the rules of the workplace. Stories about how they don't stay with the same company for long periods, how they don't want to come in at the entry level but start with responsibility, and how they question everything. I've grown up as part of this new generation. I went to school with other people of this generation and I'm finally in my third year of real work. I'd say that I may have some insights into why things are the way they are.

First, every 15 years or so when a new generation comes along there are huge obstacles that must be overcome. The difference this time around is the swiftness of the change. Gen X was just fine sitting back and waiting for their turn because they had better things to do. Gen Y wants to change the world from day 1. There is a reason that Google has no problem hiring as many smart young people as they want, they give them opportunity to change things and make a difference.

Your typical company has a structure with positions filled by people with experience and certain skills. Those people got there by one of two ways: 1) worked their way up by proving themselves internally or 2) were hired from the outside because of previous experience. Generation Y is looking to change all of that and are surprised to meet resistance. The funny thing about it is that they don't mind the resistance since they simply find another way around. We are the most entrepreneurial generation ever. If you don't want to hire us for the job we'll simply go out and do it ourselves.

There are very few ties that keep us in one place or in one job. The internet allows us the ability to be instant experts on any given topic - learn about a topic one day, spend the next researching it, teach it the third. With the right resources and determination it is a very easy process. Sure, we won't be experienced experts but we'll know what the tools are, what the problems look like and some general idea of how to mix the two. Creativity will fill in the gaps.

Top that off with the fact that Gen Y are a generation of networkers. How hard is it to transform an active group of 100 friends and acquaintances into a business network. The connections that we make in our network are easy to retrace and remember. Conversations are stored on computers or phones in multiple locations. Pictures are abundant thanks to digital cameras and free online storage. If we need an expert in obscure applications of the third law of thermodynamics they aren't that difficult to find with a quick search or two.

The problem for the generations ahead of us is that we move very quickly. Before you know there is a major issue the person involved has blown past it and either moved on or resolved it. Flexibility is the goal of the day. Let us do what we know we can do. Sure, we will stumble and sometimes fall as things get rough but we will also perform great works before we are 25. We will change the world by 30. Make no mistake, we have lofty goals and strong beliefs that we can and will achieve them. Right or wrong, the only path we know is to chase down those dreams until we succeed.

Youth and Progress

This is a topic near and dear to me because it is something that I have to deal with on a regular basis. I'm young (only 24) and I've been out of school for two years next month. My youth is often seen as a detriment to many people when I first deal with them on a new project. The same is true for when I walk into a store to buy furniture, jewelry or any other expensive item. People see the youth and think that this kid can't possible help them improve themselves.

At the age of 24 I have more experience than many engineers 5 years older than me. I've been personally responsible for construction on a ground-up 822,000 SF distribution center. There were two project managers assigned to the project and I was in the second chair. I was responsible for budget, contractor selection, architectural design, installation inspection, final punch and most of the holes that go in between. Why was I put in that position a year after school? Because I had a manager that was willing to put me in a position to add to the project team. I was able to quickly prove that I belonged.

Am I saying that all 24 year olds should be running major projects on their own? Of course not. But at the same time, some people with 24 years of experience shouldn't be running major projects. My argument is that each and every person in an organization has a value to add that is not currently being utilized. Young people in an organization have the most value to add. It's the fear of allowing them to screw up the well oiled machine that often keeps that value from getting tapped.

Most people are surprised by the fact that your average Gen Y'er will only stay with a company a year or two before moving on to the next. Why is this a surprise? We have been brought up to know our worth and been given some of the most powerful tools available to help us perform. Why stick with a company that is holding us back simply because we're young? That doesn't make good business sense. If you are part of a business relationship where you are recommending clients to another business but they never return the favor are you going to keep recommending? Odds are you are going to start talking to their competitors about a better deal for your business. It's simple good business practice.

How will you know that the person you just hired has any worth or not if you don't let them sink or swim at some point? Sure, people need to start at the bottom to some extent. Everyone needs to know the basics behind the job. I had to learn to stamp and fill out invoices before I was allowed to control a budget. I had to develop warehouse designs in collaboration with other managers before I was allowed to do it on my own. It's a matter of timing that changes the game. Why should an intelligent member of Generation Y sit stamping invoices for a year while people that they may be better than get the actual projects? Would any team in the NBA have left Michael Jordan or Lebron James on the bench for a year simply because he was a rookie? No, it wouldn't have helped the team.

When working out an employment strategy think about this. Over-training someone simply because they are young will never help your business. Teach them what they need in a reasonable amount of time and then see if they are worth what you pay them to do. Entry level jobs shouldn't exist just to put the rookie into. In the end, you will develop better, more loyal employees by adding responsibility regularly to any Generation Y'er. In a couple of years your company will thank you.


Technorati Tags: gen y, progress, hiring

Generation Y is Putting Its Foot Down

Every other week there seems to be a new story about how Generation Y is disrupting the way that business has been done over the past few generations. They won't work 60 hours, they don't want to be stuck in a cubicle with their head down, they enjoy shiny new gadgets, and they have no loyalty to their new company. Somehow most of the articles that come out make this seem like a bad thing. They make it seem like Gen Y needs to make themselves fit into the square hole that is corporate culture.

Nevermind that Google and others like them having taken the Gen Y philosophy and turned it into a successful, profitable business model. Please ignore the fact that the companies making the most headlines have no loyalty to their employees. Definitely don't notice that the top companies in the world deploy the latest technology to their advantage. These Gen Y'ers need to get with the program and do things the way we've always done them!

Lets step back for a second and reevaluate the situation. Shouldn't companies be taking advantage of the capabilities of these new employees? Just because a job description says one thing, why isn't there flexibility to change it if an applicant has the ability to exceed the words on the paper? One of the biggest problems that keeps Generation Y from forcing evolution in the workplace is the HR department and its role in corporate procedures and policies. Another is the lack of communication that occurs in the workplace between the various generations. Currently there are three generations predominately in the workforce including the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y.

Generation X had a profound influence on the workplace when they arrived. Suddenly offices were forced to loosen up the ties and refocus. There was not a drastic change in when or where work was done, but in how it was done. Now Generation Y is hitting the workforce with their desires for flexible hours, telecommuting, and thirst for technology. Not only that, but Generation Y believes they should advance right to the top of the companies? That's a debate for another day, but there is validity behind the rest of their changes. As if that wasn't enough, Gen Y is pushing for businesses to take notice of non-traditional issues such as the environment and social consciousness.

Each and every business in the world is going to have to stand up and take notice of this new workplace revolution. The question is whether they use it to their advantage or fight against it.


Technorati Tags: Gen Y, Workplace, Millenials