Gen Y

Source: Recruit (January 23, 2008)

Article contributed by Guy Day, managing director, Asia, of Ambition, a specialist recruitment and contracting group covering the Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Australia markets. For information, visit www.ambition.com.hk

Gen Y represents those born between 1982-2000, immediately after Gen X (1965 to 1981).

They are the largest generation since the baby boomers (1946 to 1964).

Gen Y has its own set of values, view of authority and ideal work environment.

Known for better education and open-mindedness, they are the hottest commodities in the current job market. Employers like their energy, drive and skills.

They are young, smart, able to grasp new concepts quickly and are used to adapting to different situations.

However, these young employees are somewhat impatient, mobile and have not seen the cold wind in the job market.

Unlike baby boomers who place higher value on career and stability, Gen Y workers have different priorities.

They value things other than an office with a harbour view, impressive job titles and high salaries.

Gen Y workers have high expectations of themselves and their employers. They aim to work faster and better than others, and they want fair and direct managers who are highly engaged in their professional development.

They also seek creative challenges and view colleagues as vast and useful resources from whom to gain knowledge.

Gen Y-ers like freedom, place importance on diverse experiences and are socially driven.

If you have a hidden agenda or are not open with your communication, these young people will react negatively and distance themselves from you.

In some surveys, Gen Y workers have been labeled as demanding and poor communicators. They are more difficult to deal with and have less respect for seniority.

In their mind, the boss is not always right. Gen Y employees want their suggestions to be heard by their employers.

Gen Y workers are comfortable with constant feedback and recognition from others and feel lost if communication from their employers is irregular.

Reviews should be held quarterly to ensure that expectations are being met by both parties.

As Gen Y employees come of age under the influence of the Internet, their expectation of online communication is higher than ever.

While older generations may expect a phone call or a face-to-face meeting on important topics, the younger generation prefers e-mail communication.

The training format for Gen Y tends to be different as well as these employees are unlikely to pay attention in full-day sessions.

Training should be available in different interactive platforms and preferably in smaller groups.

Use humour and create fun learning environments.

The training modules should also be downloadable to their computers or PDAs so that Gen Y-ers can study the details later.

Author’s comments:
This is not the complete article as I got lazy to type the rest in the end. I just want to remember the description of Gen Y-ers. I remember I ever read an article which says that even though Gen Y-ers are the future, the work culture should be such that a manager should not just focus on one generation e.g. Gen Y and forget the others.. which includes the Gen X & the baby boomers. A cohesive environment between all generations is crucial for the success of the organisation.

Having said that, at least to know my working attitude will allow me to understand myself better at such time.