Understanding Generation Y

Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, has only recently entered the working environment. So we don’t know a lot about them yet.

What we do know, is that they mirror the GI generation. Both generations grew up in a time that was very children focused, so we can make some predictions.

Just like with the other articles on the Generation Gap, I would like to emphasize again that this is not personality types. You can’t categorize everyone from this generation into all these characteristics and behaviors. PLEASE DON’T GENERALIZE

I don’t want to overload you with too much information, so this is just a brief summary. It will help you, however, to understand generation Y better. How did they grow up? (Come to think of it. They are still growing up). What motivates them? How do they think about work and life?

If you want a summary of all the other generations, read this article on the generation gap.

How do you know you form part of Generation Y?

People from Generation Y were roughly born between the 1980’s and the 2000’s. If you’ve finished school in the new millennium, you probably form part of this generation. It will differ slightly from country to country and from culture to culture, but here is a general dipstick.

Further indications that you form part of generation Y:

• You think Michael Jackson has always been white.
• You never owned a record player.
• You have always had an answering machine.
• Don’t know there was a cold war.
• Can’t believe baby nappies were once made of cloth.
• Don’t care who shot JR. (Actually, you’ve never heard of JR)
• Don’t remember the space shuttle blowing up.
• You have never thought of Jaws while you were swimming in the sea.
• You think the Vietnam War is as ancient as World Wars I and II.
• Have only known a world with AIDS.
• You can understand the following: “c u b4 2nite”

General Attitude

“Let’s make the world a better place.”

Likes

Shopping. Labels. Family. Friends. The environment. Technology.

Dislikes

Dishonesty. Unbalanced lifestyles.

Characteristics

Tolerant. Caring. Honest. Balanced. Independent. Optimistic. Clean cut.

Heath Issues That Define Generation Y

Obesity.

Where Were They Born?

The trend to return to home births will strengthen, aided by superior technology. Water and natural births will continue.

Family Structure They Grew Up In

Mom, dad, and 1.67 kids. Or…any possible combination of mom and mom; dad and dad; or mom and sperm donor; or mom and partner who IS dad even though they’re not married. Live in a cluster home or apartment. Have a budgie and goldfish.

Attitude Towards Their Parents

“They need all the help I can give them. Fairly harmless.”

As Parents

We predict it will be relaxed and confident and not smothering.

Mealtimes

Meals are constantly interrupted by mobile phones and telephones. Pre-packed healthy foods abound.

They will return to the more family structured regime of turning mealtimes into social events.

Attitude Towards Education

“There is more to school than (boring) memorizing.”

Attitude Towards Authority and Respect

More respect for teachers, but cynical about “the system”. They like an honest, open-minded approach to education.

Dress

Brand fanatical. Board shorts. Jeans and T-shirts. Don’t mind looking like their Xer parents.

Dating and Courtship

They will have virtual dates where a couple will watch a movie at the same time on different continents. They might get intimate over the internet using video link up.

Attitude Towards Training

“Must entertain me and enable me to do meaningful things with it.”

Attitude Towards Work

“My work will help to change the world.”

Attitude Towards Changing Jobs

“I will constantly be changing my job.”

Advertising

“Entertain me. I know that they know that I know that they’re advertising”

Attitude Towards Medical Aid

Will focus on “health” care as opposed to “sick” care

Attitude Towards Finances

“Use it to change the world”

Music

Fun, lively, vibrant. “It’s irritating that our Xer parents love it too”

Fun and Leisure Time

Computer games and surfing the internet.

Working Environment

The predictions of futurists such as Charles Handy, Alvin Toffler and Tom Peters will probably have realized when this generation are in full swing in the workplace. This is an environment where careers are looking more like a portfolio of jobs and constant change is the order of the day.

Flexible working hours and telecommunications will be the norm and not the exception.

Gyms and schools in office grounds, and overnight sleeping quarters and hammocks slung up in the office gardens will become normal office environments.

Satellite offices and the use of wireless technology will further enhance employees’ ability to telecommunicate and be flexible.

Recruiting Generation Y

In the US, one third of teenagers from generation Y are already working twenty hours per week. So you need to recruit aggressively.

When they pitch up for the interview, they will probably know more about your company than you know about them. They read it all up on the internet. This still wouldn’t stop them from asking you questions. Therefore, you need to prepare for the interview.

Some companies are getting concerned about the decrease in population and they start the recruitment process early.

The competition for young, smart people from generation Y will not only come from competitor companies. You will need to convince them that working for your company is better than working for themselves.

So don’t wait to start recruiting them. They’re probably already checking you out.

Company Induction

The key will be to let them feel comfortable as quickly as possible. Let them interact with your existing employees, so they can get a sense of the company’s culture and values.

An induction programme needs to be fun and involve socialization with their colleagues.

How They Think About Career

This generation will expect you to pay them for their talent and output. Not for their position or title.

Futurists believe that generation Y will have ten different career changes in a lifetime. They also predict that millennials will change their careers at least once a decade. These changes will not necessarily be from corporation to corporation.

People from Generation Y will also have several jobs simultaneously. For instance, a lawyer will work three days at her firm and two days as a chef.

In fact, in countries like New Zealand, job sharing and multiple jobs have become fairly usual.

Attitude Towards Teamwork

This generation will have grown used to being empowered and included since they were young. They will bring this experience into teamwork at the office.

They will be more natural team players than the Xers. They need team objectives and need their role in the team clearly explained.

They would like to know why a particular output is required. They don’t function well without this understanding.

They might not be as fast from the mark as the Xers, who like to dive into a task and sort the rest out later. But their energy will convert into action later.

Don’t discount their input just because of lack of experience.

How They View Rewards

They want practical rewards that they can use. Extend rewards beyond the workplace to impact on their personal lives. Time savers like a meal in a box or a coupon to buy a ready-made meal are great rewards for this generation.

Like the Xers, they also enjoy the freedom of laptops, mobile phones and the internet.

Another reward for generation Y is working in areas that are meaningful to them, such as saving threatened communities or the dolphins.

They will also appreciate grand celebrations, because they are sociable and enjoy parties. But unlike the Baby Boomers, it doesn’t matter to them if a reward is small or relatively inexpensive. As long as the process of handing it over, is fun filled and fresh.

Feedback and Evaluation

They will want to know what you think RIGHT NOW. Generation Y had instant feedback from birth.

They say twenty-four hours are like history. “I want to know who sold what in the last few minutes.” Or, “I have just finished a sale. How did I do?”

In their book, Mind the Gap, Graeme Codrington and Sue Grant-Marshall mentions, “This is gratification before you even knew you had the need. The scratch before the itch”

Work/Life Balance

This is one of the busiest and over programmed generations ever. And the Millennials aren’t happy with it. They are beginning to fight back.

When they go to work, they will see it as just another thing that they have to balance. They won’t put work in a separate category.

Companies are starting to understand that they are hiring a system, not individuals. And this system consists of the employee and her family.

In today’s world, talents and skills are commodities. You need to attract and then ensure that you retain the talent you find. And giving your employees balance is the big way to go.

Loyalty

This generation will DEMAND a balanced life. If you can give them that, you will have their loyalty. Companies will need to see them as part of a system and not as stand-alone individuals.

Fun

Just like Generation X, fun is serious business for generation Y. Fun and enjoyment are critical components of the workplace in their view.

You need to have fun WHILE you are working. It is not something separate from work. They want to work in an environment that’s happy and pleasant.

Attitude Towards Retirement

Retirement won’t exist. It will be a thing of the past.

Leaders of Generation Y

So far, it is Prince William, Haley Joel Osment and Venus and Serena Williams.

Attributes of Generation Y Leaders

They will probably be civic minded, visionary, confident, optimistic, moralistic, principled and values driven.

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to The Energizer. It’s a monthly e-zine, where you will receive updates and articles from this site.

Return from Understanding Generation Y to The Generation Gap

Return from Understanding Generation Y to Sustainable Employee Motivation