Log In  |  Register          Free Newsletter Subscription
Magazine Subscription
Email
Learn RSS

HR Made Simple   



Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Most Commented On

Archives

Blog

Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (6)


Managing Generation Y

May 11, 2007

The three C’s of managing the latest generational workforce.

Much has been said and written about the so called Millennials, Echo Boomers or as they are more commonly called Generation Y in the last few years. This is the generation born between 1978 and 1999. Only in the last three or four years, as the oldest of these young people have turned into the latest generational workforce have the implications for business and leadership begun to emerge. Now, with a few years of managing this generation, studies are revealing number of ways to harness and develop Gen Y talent.

Here are a few basics to remember about this pool of young people from which you will draw for entry level jobs and sales associate positions:

Confidence:

  • Upside: In general, Generation Y is more self-confident than any generation that preceded it thanks to the empowerment focused parenting styles of a large majority of Baby Boomers.
  • Downside: They often lack the behavioral skills to back up their confidence.
  • Implication for you:This generation is used to positive reinforcement, feedback in the moment and very specific and clear direction at all times. What they may seem to lack in interpersonal sophistication they can make up for in effort, if they feel comfortable that they can learn safely. They are highly trainable. Make it easy for them to learn and don’t make them feel stupid if they mess up. Just turn it into a learning experience. And yes, you will need to be patient.

Career Expectations:

  • Upside: This is the generation that’s aiming high and reaching for the stars. They’re ambitious, but not at any cost. They’ve seen their parents get burned by a lack of work-life balance and/or get laid off at some point in their careers. Subsequently Generation Y has a maturity of perspective that the rest of us have had to gain the hard way.
  • Downside: Their work ethic may not appear to match their aspirations.
  • Implication for you: Don’t whitewash a job, or the requirements of it when you hire them. Be upfront and clear about what level of commitment you will need, right down to the hours they will need to put in and what they will and will not be compensated for. Make expectations clear and outline the potential career paths from the outset so that they know what they are working towards.

Capability:

  • Upside: Gen Y have had instantaneous input into their decisions from trusted friends, parents and teachers their entire lives thanks to the plethora of technology like instant messaging, text messaging and cellphones. An opinion is never more than a few clicks or a quick dial away. This means that they are naturally pre-disposed to teamwork and collaboration.
  • Downside: They can appear to lack independence of thought and initiative. It can be hard for them to solve problems/crises in the moment and by themselves.
  • Implication for you: Set up the working environment so that teamwork is encouraged and rewarded. Set team goals. And put the more experienced members of your team in place as team leaders to help coach the newcomers in some of the trickier aspects of the job.

Generation Y are generally idealistic, confident and brighter than they might sometimes come across. They can appear to lack what many of us would call “common sense”. Well, as it turns out, it’s not so common, and it’s not always the only way that makes sense. Be sure to tap into the energy, creativity and enthusiasm of your young talent. They might just teach you a thing or two. Imagine that.


Posted by Alan Ibbotson on May 11, 2007 | Comments (6)


Industries: Human Resources
Email
Learn RSS


February 26, 2008
In response to: Managing Generation Y
C King commented:

I can see why no one has commented here. Mr. Ibbotson, I think you have assumed much about the group you term "Generation Y", but know very little about them (us). I could be wrong, so I just wish to ask what explicit assumptions are you raising to conclude the way you have about Gen-Yer's? Further, I'd like to know from whence these assumptions come? A disciplinary description should suffice, as I'm really after a couple Human Resource theoretical frameworks. The most prevelant one I see presumes a generational framework. I have major sociologically-oriented doubts about the effectiveness of grouping workers by their years without taking into context what those years have caused them to know. Feel free to e-mail with response. cmking_1@msn.com




August 15, 2008
In response to: Managing Generation Y
Toddrico commented:

My experience with Generation Y is all negative so far. I hired what I thought was a real go getter (confident, well spoken, smart, etc...), and got burned. He had a really good grasp of his job but his work ethic was terrible, he chatted with his girlfirend most of the day and when he wasn't doing that he was visiting the World of Warcraft Forums. I was lucky to get an honest hour out of him per day. In the two years I managed him he never met a single deadline and when asked about it he'd blow them off like it wasn't a big deal - (he'd use their signature term "well, whatever")... Being a overly easy going guy that didn't like to micro manage I cut him all the slack in the world - so you could imagine his surprise when he whatever'd me one day and I told him to pack his "sh!t" up and go ahead and vacate the property. That was the best decision I ever made - it's unfortunate that I lost sleep for a solid week about it before it went down. The funny thing is - he still thought he was like the best thing since peanut butter and couldn't understand why on earth it was happening... Oh well I guess - I learned some painful lessons with that guy that I can only hope will help me manage future young persons as they aren't going away...




August 26, 2008
In response to: Managing Generation Y
Alan M commented:

This is a very interesting viewpoint. A friend in LA told me of this new trend in "managing Gen Y" so I thought I'd google and see was I could find out. Seems to me that there's a lot of consultants out there with a vested interest in making managers nervous. But after reading points here and on other sites, I'm still asking why should Business shift to accomodate the 3-second attention span of over-indulged infants. Surely if they want a career they need to learn to fit in with the companies that hire them, not the other way round.

Seems to me another example of Gen X messing their kids up by vowing not to raise them the way *their* parents raised *them* in the 1960s and 1970s.

Nothing wrong with good old-fashioned parenting. Worked for my 18 year old!




October 9, 2008
In response to: Managing Generation Y
Ruby M. commented:

I am the stepmother of a 27 year old. He refused to leave home even though his student loans were paid off and he had a well paying entry level gov. job Because his dad was a typical baby boomer he would rather have got hit by a bus than ask him to leave. My stepson seeks constant advice from his father and will discuss his problems over and over with his dad. It took him 4 days to move out of his bedroom. We are not allowed to visit him if he is playing Warcraft. He has never had a girlfriend - I believe it is because his parents haven't tried hard enough to find him one. I feel in a lot of ways he is an adolescent. Will he ever outgrow this?




October 9, 2008
In response to: Managing Generation Y
Donna commented:

A 27 year old should be able to find his own girlfriends. Parents don't do their kids any favors by getting in the way of their access to maturity. All that does is create crippled little children in adult bodies who can't cope with life as it comes.

So there comes a time (way before 27) when a kid should no longer be dependent on a parent. It's unhealthy.




December 2, 2009
In response to: Managing Generation Y
Sam commented:

Gen Y - Appears to be named well, I look at them as the "Y should I" "Y don't you do it for me?"

I am on the cusp of the Gen Y and the difference in X & Y is huge. Bigger than Texas as they say.

I could not agree more with Alan's post, these guys need constant feedback and recognition, fortunately they do not chase monetary rewards, just a pat on the back and public appraisals. I guess it is because over the years big company's have been seen to have no ethics regarding long term staff which has rubbed off onto the Gen Y, my experiences with them so far is that they have no loyalty.

Gen Y is purley a combination of their parents lack of ability to guide and direct their kids during childhood.

I once had a staff member show up for his shift in white socks, nothing huge, but as the entire uniform was black, his socks were not appropriate, I gave him $5 of my own to go and buy some socks, the next day, I as his manager was in HR writing a report as his father had complained that his son had been humiliated by having to buy black socks, WTF..... HR sets the rules for uniforms, we enforce them, then get written up for giving them $5 to conform? Oh yeah, the HR manager was a Gen Y as well.

This world recession and decline in unemployed is the best thing for Gen Y, now they will feel the ffects of their (not all of them) lack of ability to perform with integrity.





POST A COMMENT
Display Name or Registered Users Login Here.
Please restrict submissions to less than 7,000 characters (including any HTML formatting).

Change Image
Before submitting this form, please type the characters displayed above.
Note the letters are NOT case sensitive.

Advertisement

Advertisements



SPONSORED LINKS


About Us   |   Advertising Info   |   Site Map   |   Contact Us   |   Free Subscriptions   |   Affiliate Links
©2010 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of this Web site is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy