Generation Y joins the workforce

The workforce has recently met up with the newest generation of coworker…. enter Generation-Y. They are young, talented, and very confident. They are not driven by the same enticements as their fathers or mothers were, and they have different expectations as they take their place in an increasingly multigenerational workplace.

This new generation presents itself as very high maintenance, and this is also the key to high performance payback. Generation-Y employees have grown up being pampered and entertained with multiple activities since they were toddlers, and thus are easily bored. They have learned to multi-task very well and are tech savvy. Y’ers want to be challenged and involved. They want to learn new skills, to identify problems no one else has identified, and solve problems that have eluded their predecessors. Creative challenges draw them in and they are not afraid to tackle them head on. When opportunities for contributing and learning disappear, so does their drive. This generation is indeed high maintenance but the flip side they bring to the table is high performance if properly encouraged.

The Y generation want to work but will not let work be their life. There is a much higher value placed on self fulfillment. Money does not hold the highest regard for this generation, although salary is part of the equation. In choosing a company to work for, there are higher valued benefits with more pull, such as a job with flexibility to accommodate their family and personal lives. A workplace that encourages self expression and autonomy will reap the rewards of loyalty and high performance.

This generation is a socially connected group and hold family and friends above work.

The Y generation also comes to the workplace with a different set of expectations than the previous generation. They are not as likely to respond to the command-and-control style of management that is still in practice in much of today’s workplace. The Y generation is very independent and not afraid to challenge the status quo. Y’ers have high expectations of their employer to keep track of who they are, to take note of their successes and reward them, and to take an active role in their growth. They want to get on board very fast and to own some responsibility as soon as possible. They want to be trained for the task and given the reigns. They want a mentor, not a micro-manager.

Get ready, Workplace, because this new generation of coworker is ready to take their place in the workforce. Generation Y’s technical talent and multitasking abilities make them desirable to managers in the workforce. Their youth and desire to be creative make them good candidates for “Change Management” execution. Newly graduated from college, some are put into positions to oversee employees old enough to be their parents.