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Can Baby Boomers & Generation Y Coexist in the Workplace? 08-20-10

by Shawna Britt

3,226 views

It is the first time in history that there are four generations working side by side in the workplace. Generation Y are destined to replace an aging workforce. The American Society of Training and Development is predicting that 76 million Americans will retire over the next two decades. Only 46 million will be arriving to replace them. Most of those new workers will be Generation Y’ers. The Baby Boomers have been running the show for the past 20 years and they like things just the way they are. The Generation Y’ers are under the age of 30 and the most productive of all the generations, but require a lot of attention and flexibility. Some say that this mix of experience and efficiency, is causing some friction in the workplace. This presentation will introduce the Generation Y perspective (common myths and expectations), give some real life examples of what HR professionals are faced with in today’s workplace, and tips/resources to help both generations work together and be successful!

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Chas Jordan, Management Analyst III at City of Largo Wow, looks like you're getting a lot of attention for this Shawna :-) 2 years ago
Are you sure you want to

SMPS SW Regional Conference 2009: Presentation by Sally Handley (Sally Handley Inc.), entitled “Marketing: The Next Generation”
SMPS SW Regional Conference 2009: Presentation by Sally Handley (Sally Handley Inc.), entitled “Marketing: The Next Generation”
SMPS Regional Conference 2009: Presentation by Sally Handley (Sally Handley Inc.), entitled “Marketing: The Next Generation”
Understanding and Motivating Millenial StudentsIndiana UniversityPurdue University IndianapolisMarch 2008By: Terri A. Tarr, PhD, Megan M. Palmer, PhD
http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htmFDU Magazine Winter/Spring 2005: “Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees” by Greg Hammill (www.fdu.edu)
http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htmFDU Magazine Winter/Spring 2005: “Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees” by Greg Hammill (www.fdu.edu)The characteristics listed in the table are but a very few of those that have been studied and reported by various authors. Not every person in a generation will share all of the various characteristics shown in this or the next table with others in the same generation. However, these examples are indicative of general patterns in the relationships between and among family members, friends and people in the workplace. Individuals born at one end of the date range or the other may see overlapping characteristics with the preceding or succeeding generation.
From a YouTube video clip from Karen McCollough.First time in history that there are 4 generations working side by side in the workplace. 6% of workforce – Traditionalist (over the age of 65), these people probably sign your paychecks 41.5% of workforce – Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), been running the show for the past 20 years and they like things just the way they are. 29% of workforce – Generation X (born 1965-1977), referred to by the baby boomers as “the slackers.” Are they slackers or do they just want work-life balance? 24% (and increasing) of workforce – Generation Y (born 1978- ) under the age of 30, referred to as the “high maintenance generation” some say that they have “more self esteem than talent” (Hope your laughing Gen Y), because you are the most productive of all the generations and even though you are high-maintenance you can show the other generations a thing or two.
Generations in the WorkplaceIn this program, Karen will highlight the motivations of each generation and outline the operational practices that can help any organization bring employees across generational lines together to ensure success. She will provide solution based ways to motivate, attract, retain and mentor younger employees while giving practical tools to Boomers and Gen Xers to help them keep their cool. GenerationsDVD$35.00
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Generation Y and Why They MatterCharacteristics, Statistics and Fun Facts about Gen YersJan 11, 2009Kaila KrayewskiRead more at Suite101: Generation Y and Why They Matter: Characteristics, Statistics and Fun Facts about Gen Yershttp://internationalaffairs.suite101.com/article.cfm/generation_y#ixzz0xBttzHHDThe first native online population – This alone has set the tone for how they act, react, and see the world. They are vastly different from their parent's generation.Gen Y StatisticsGeneration Y is much smaller than Generation X, or those born between 1961 to 1981. There are 78 million Gen Yers in the world. They make up about 25 percent of the US population. In some countries (ex. Iran), this percentage is much higher.Ninety percent of Gen Yers in the US own a PC, while 82 percent own a mobile. And, perhaps not surprisingly, they spend more time online than they do watching TV.Fun Facts about Gen YThey are a generation of many names. Also known as "Echo Boomers" (for their being the echo of the Baby Boomers), the "Millennials", the "Net Generation" (for obvious reasons), the "Dot-com" generation, "Trophy kids", and, very appropriately, "Generation Y Not".The average Gen Y changes jobs an average of 29 times and the average time in one job is 1.1 years.
Gen Y, Gen X and the Baby Boomers: Workplace Generation WarsAs Boomer bosses relinquish the reins of leadership to Generation X, both are worrying about Generation Y. For the good of the enterprise, everyone needs to do a better job of getting along.By SteffGelston on Wed, January 30, 2008 Take a good look around your IT department. Who’s that cohabiting in the cubes outside your door? Boomers and X-ers and Y-ers. Looks peaceful out there, doesn’t it? Don’t bet on it. What many CIOs fail to see are the generational tensions simmering among their employees that threaten to lower morale, increase turnover and hobble the IT department’s ability to produce wins for the business.Relations among the generations seem to be at a low point. Gen Y (defined as people born after 1982) thinks Gen X (spawned between 1961 and 1981) is a bunch of whiners. Gen X sees Gen Y as arrogant and entitled. And everyone thinks the Baby Boomers (1943 to 1960) are self-absorbed workaholics. None of this generational trash-talking surprises Linda Gravett and Robin Throckmorton, authors of Bridging the Generation Gap, which advises managers on how to minimize conflicts and miscommunication among the different age groups in order to get everyone working together.“We had a sense that there was tension,” says Gravett, a human resources consultant. “This was confirmed in our research. We found there was a lot of generational tension around the use of technology and work ethics.”Working Hard or Hardly Working?Gravett says their research showed that 68 percent of Baby Boomers feel “younger people” do not have as strong a work ethic as they do and that makes doing their own work harder. Thirty-two percent of Gen X-ers believe the “younger generation” lacks a good work ethic and that this is a problem. And 13 percent of Gen Y-ers say the difference in work ethics across the generations causes friction. They believe they have a good work ethic for which they’re not given credit.Technology is another flashpoint. In a survey conducted for job site CareerBuilder.com last year, nearly half the respondents noted Generation Y’s preference to communicate via blogs, IMs and text messages, rather than on the phone or face to face, methods preferred by Boomers and Generation X. Technologically facilitated communication can feel abrupt and easily be misunderstood by Boomers and Gen X-ers.“I don’t need a Gen Y-er texting instead of building business relationships,” says Mark Cummuta, who has served as a divisional CIO and director of business systems and information security for Platinum Community Bank. “They run the risk of eroding what we’ve been doing to build a relationship of trust between the business and IT.”
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Gen Y and Baby Boomers are Not so DissimilarManaging the Expectations of Two Different Groups of Employees Jul 24, 2009PervinShaikhRead more at Suite101: Gen Y and Baby Boomers are Not so Dissimilar: Managing the Expectations of Two Different Groups of Employeeshttp://www.suite101.com/content/gen-y-and-baby-boomers-are-not-so-dissimilar-a134283#ixzz0xBxIa942Gen Y and Baby Boomers have a lot more in common than meets the eye and it pays for human resource professionals to be aware of these similarities The war for talent was at the forefront for many executives prior to the global economic downturn, when emphasis shifted from talent to cost cutting and managing with fewer resources. However, when the recession ends, the emphasis will re-shift back to talent to ensure companies have the “right” type of employees to remain competitive.A major human resource challenge which will need to be addressed is how to acknowledge the skills, competencies and experiences of the older working population i.e.: the Baby Boomers, as well as the ambitions of the younger group (Gen Y). This challenge is reserved for Gen X’s (who are now moving into executive positions) and other human professionals who have the responsibility of managing the expectations of both the Boomers and Gen Y’s in an ever changing globalised worldIn an article by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Laura Shebin and Karen Sumberg, entitled “How Gen Y and Boomers Will Shape Your Agenda” in July/August, edition of Harvard Business Review 2009, the authors argue that post-recession, many organisations will realise that the talent landscape has been changed forever. Organisations will need to remain competitive whilst at the same time retain talent and nurture the new generation of employees in the workplace.The authors also propose that both Gen Y and Boomers have more in common than immediately meets the eye. Both may be at different ends of the career ladder but they have many similarities in terms of expectations and career values.Understanding the similarities will enable organisational talent management teams to align business needs whilst formulating effective employment strategies and helping them to navigate in an increasingly challenging working world.Similarities Between the Boomers and Gen Y Below are the most obvious similarities highlighted by the authors’ studies:Greater flexibility in terms of working arrangements Value social connections at work and loyalty to a company Personal growth Chance to give back to society Prize other rewards of employment over monetary compensation Opportunities to work in great teams Challenging assignments A range of new experiences Greater recognition of achievements Opportunities to take sabbaticals to explore their hobbies, good works Getting a better work life balance which leads to increased productivity Seeking greater accountability and responsibilityInterestingly, their research pointed out that the Gen Y’s were likely to be the offspring of the Baby Boomers and 42% of Y’s would readily turn to the Boomers for advice and mentoring, more so than the Gen X. This may be due to the different values of Gen Y and X. Not surprisingly, Gen Y’s values are not too dissimilar to the Boomers.Values of Gen Y’sKevin Wheeler who is a futurist career trend consultant in the USA states that Gen Y hold the following values, according to the Future of Talent website:Resourceful Passionate Communicators Empowered Loyal Confident Ambition Ethical OptimisticKevin Wheeler further believes that Gen Y provides both challenges, yet equally just as many opportunities for human resource professionals, if they are able to harness the insights and ideas these young people have to offer, then they will stand to gain tremendously.Factors Which Enables Gen Y to Stand Out From the Rest Hewlett et al further identified that Gen Y’s were great at being able to connect with people from different cultural backgrounds and had no problems working in cross border and cross cultural groups. Gen Y were noted to be great at networking and able to do it with great ease which fitted it very well with their values of openness and loyalty. This incidentally has been enhanced and further facilitated by the various advances in technology and various networking forum opportunities. As well as being ambitious, Gen Y’s were more likely to readily shift their working mindset from “me” to “we” and engage in collaborative team work, whilst staying true to their personal and individual ambitions.In summary, as the recessionary cloud hanging over many parts of the world is lifted, countless organisations will be presented with additional challenges in terms of talent management in the 21st Century.Human resource professionals have the challenge of managing two generational employees. On the one hand they have the Baby Boomers, who as a generation of workers still continue to play and active and important role in today’s labour market. On the other hand, there is an ambitious group of employees (Gen Y) who want to have much more in terms of challenges and working opportunities.The organisations willing to accommodate the needs of the Boomers and Gen Y employees stand to gain in many ways than one whilst all the time increasing organisational competitiveness.
Gen Y, Gen X and the Baby Boomers: Workplace Generation WarsAs Boomer bosses relinquish the reins of leadership to Generation X, both are worrying about Generation Y. For the good of the enterprise, everyone needs to do a better job of getting along.By SteffGelston on Wed, January 30, 2008 Why the Flashpoint Is NowGenerational clashes in the workplace are nothing new. What is new is the extent to which the retirement of the Boomers will leave employers scrambling to recruit and retain the talent they need. The American Society of Training and Development is predicting that 76 million Americans will retire over the next two decades. Only 46 million will be arriving to replace them. Most of those new workers will be Generation Y-ers.No wonder that managing the generations effectively is emerging as one of the CIO’s most important challenges.
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Managing Across GenerationsMake the Most Out of a Multi-Generational Workforce Sep 15, 2009Jennifer ElderRead more at Suite101: Managing Across Generations: Make the Most Out of a Multi-Generational Workforcehttp://smallhomebusiness.suite101.com/article.cfm/managing_across_generations#ixzz0xBw3soPiTips on Communicating with, Motivating and Providing Feedback:Traditionalists: use face-to-face communication, be more formal, tell them what you want done, and use inclusive language (we, us). Demonstrate that their experience and wisdom is respected and valued. This group believes that no news is good news. They need very little feedback.Baby Boomers: be direct and open, expect questions and be prepared to answer them, present options, and set goals. Demonstrate that they are a valued member of the team. Boomers don’t need much feedback, say once a year, but they will want documentation to support the feedback received.Gen-Xers: use e-mail as primary communication tool, share information immediately and often, and ask for their feedback. Set the goal and let them do it their way and allow them to break the rules. This group wants and needs constant feedback.Millenials: use e-mail, communicate in short bursts (think text message), and explain the value of their work. To motivate provide learning opportunities. This group needs feedback, but is happiest if they can receive it electronically.Read more at Suite101: Managing Across Generations: Make the Most Out of a Multi-Generational Workforcehttp://smallhomebusiness.suite101.com/article.cfm/managing_across_generations#ixzz0xBveLTtS
SHRM Website, Generations Toolkit, article “The Ideal Workplace for Gen Y” by Rebecca R. Hastings 12/1/06What Doesnt Matter to Generation YEmployers known for generous employee benefits may find Generation Y workers indifferent to their offerings, according to Chester. Benefits are just a list of features; like what you would see on a car, he says. No single element is going to stick out enough unless the benefit is profoundly different from anyone else in the marketplace.Whats more important than the shopping list of benefits is whether they can get somewhere and be recognized as an individual, adds Chester.Chester says company policies may need to be viewed through the Generation Y lens. HR has to take a good look at this, he says, and to consider why the rules exist and whether they are still important. One Generation Ys PerspectivePeople should be able to do things in a way that works for them, says Amy Heinemeyer, a 19-year-old who has worked in restaurants and retail stores in the Washington, D.C., area. I feel like [supervisors tell me to do things a certain way] because they dont want to hear that theres another way, she says. As long as its being done properly it should be OK.A flexible work schedule tops the list of Heinemeyers priorities: Employers need to understand that people our age have things that you just have to do, she says. Things come up sometimes not in the timeframe they would like you to tell them, she adds. School, family and things come first; it helps if they dont give you a hard time.Pay that will cover her expenses ranks next in importance to Heinemeyer, followed by the ability to have some control over work tasks and projects. Least important? A retirement plan and health care benefits.In addition, Heinemeyer values the opportunity to work with friendly people, likes managers who know what they are doing and wants help to be available for her when questions need to be answered.Employers can become more conscious of the needs of this generation and will quickly see theres a lot to look forward to, says Marston. The negative perception comes mostly from those who say they should be like me.
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation YThey're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.By Deborah Gilburg on Fri, October 26, 2007 CIO — Over the next two decades, 76 million Americans will be retiring and only 46 million will be entering the workplace to replace them, according to the American Society of Training and Development. The vast majority of those 46 million workers will be from Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation. There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history because its members are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than prior generations. In addition, Time described members of Generation Y in its July 16, 2007, issue as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning. They don't want to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.Like it or not, Generation Y is your fickle new talent pool. To attract the workers from this generation that your organization needs, you need to understand what makes them tick and how to work with its members to bring out their high potential. They may require a lot of management, but they're worth the effort. Statistically, Millennials are the most pluralistic, integrated, high-tech generation in American history—traits that make them ideally suited to our increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed global workplace. They are well positioned to address the global issues of our time, inclined as they are to seeing the world as a vast resource of connection, knowledge and community. In addition, these kids are smart and driven to make a difference. They demand fast-track career positioning, greater work-life balance, positive feedback, training and cutting-edge technology. By challenging workforce conventions, Generation Y offers us a long-overdue reality check on the shortcomings and hypocrisies of the American workplace that may ultimately change it for the better. Let's delve beyond the stereotypes and get to know this generation and how older generations can work most effectively with them and restructure their workplace policies to bring out Generation Y's best. What Makes Generation Y DifferentA generation is shaped by the events and circumstances its members experience at certain phases in life, beginning with childhood, according to generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe. Common generational traits initially develop as a result of social attitudes toward children and child-rearing norms at the time. Generation Y kids were born when there was tremendous reinvestment in childhood development along with an increase in parental involvement in their children's daily activities. Millennials have been growing up with fully scheduled lives, moving from one adult-led activity to the next. The parents of Millennials continue to play major roles in the lives of their children as they enter adulthood. This trend is best exemplified by the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"—those hovering, intervening moms and dads who ensure their children receive SAT coaching, help with college acceptance essays and job applications, and maintain pressure on educators and employers to advance their children's interests. Generation Y is also the product of the self-esteem movement that infiltrated public schools in the 1990s and proclaimed all children winners. Members of Generation Y have repeatedly been told they are special. They have received high doses of acclaim for all activities in which they participate, and thus tend to rely upon external praise from authority figures (parents, teachers, bosses) to encourage their efforts and validate their accomplishments. Raised under the shadow of Baby Boomer idealism, Millennials have been taught they can make a difference. From staging mock elections and running recycling drives in the classroom to signing on as City Year and AmeriCorps volunteers and answering the call for military service, Millennials are entering the workplace with a strong sense of civic investment and social responsibility and expect the same of the organizations they work for. Generation Y's Workplace Strengths and WeaknessesThe upbeat, civic-focused, self-centric Generation Y attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the workforce. As new recruits, the members exhibit a high degree of ambition and entitlement: They expect and demand career track positioning, time to pursue volunteer interests, attentive management from supervisors, and regular, appreciative acknowledgement even when their work doesn't merit it. Because they've been overpraised and protected from feeling unsuccessful, Millennials often struggle with processing failure and criticism. This group frequently lacks the ability to internalize the lessons they need to learn while staying engaged in the work at hand. The high degree of adult oversight and praise members of Generation Y received as children has left them reliant upon external direction and regular appreciation from authority figures, such as parents, teachers or supervisors. When confronted with unclear guidelines or minimal management, Millennials tend to flounder. They're unable to determine on their own the direction they need to take. They expect others with more authority to give it to them. Left to figure things out on their own, Millennials may resort to entertaining themselves until told otherwise or sticking to lesser tasks that lie within their comfort zones. As a result, Generation Y is struggling as it enters a workplace where employees are expected to hit the ground running with little oversight and to learn on the job. Generation Y's strength is its technological sophistication. Digital communication is Generation Y's birthright. Members grew up in an on-demand world where access to information is immediate. Technology has been and remains an integral part of their daily lives, including their relationships. Thus, they possess the tools and savvy needed to work with the information systems running companies today and to address the challenges of working in virtual teams on complex problems. Raised to be team players, Millennials are well suited for collaborative work environments. Generation Y's Impact on the American WorkplaceNot all of the workplace changes Generation Y is necessitating are unwelcome, especially to world-weary Generation Xers who continue to fight an uphill battle against Baby Boomer managers for more flexible, family-friendly work arrangements. (For more information on family-friendly work, read "How to Negotiate a Flexible Work Schedule.") Employers have noted Generation Y's distaste for working late nights, long commutes and any other "face time" expectations that are not backed by a strong rationale. They want a workplace that accommodates their desire for balance between professional and personal pursuits and their need for organizational structure, adequate direction and acknowledgment. When you stop to think about it, is there anything inherently wrong with their workplace expectations and demands for meaningful jobs and socially responsible employers, for attentive supervisors who give clear direction and appreciate a job well done, and for healthy work/life balance? We could all benefit from Generation Y's expectations of the workplace. Amid the challenges this generation presents to American employers lies the possibility of a vital new workplace paradigm. We just have to respond to their needs with the proper organizational policies and structures. How organizations can become employers of choiceGiven the stark reality of employment statistics and the law of supply and demand, younger, skilled employees are going to have their choice of employers. To compete for these young workers' abilities and loyalty, employers need to align their organizational policies and structures to this generation's strengths, weaknesses, desires and expectations. Here are a few ideas for HR policies and training initiatives that will help you recruit and retain Generation Y. Organizational PoliciesKnowledge-based industries should consider organizational policies that allow for flex-time, telecommuting, volunteer service and career incentives that permit talented and competent candidates to advance quickly within the corporate ranks. Support the technology they use in their personal lives. IT departments currently struggle with the management and security risks posed by consumer technology entering the workplace. This challenge will only intensify as more Millennials enter the workforce. IT departments need to work out how to accommodate these new technologies, because Millennials gravitate toward organizations that harness the best information technology and want access to the hardware and software they use in their personal life, whether that is Google Apps, Macs or T-MobileSideKicks. Commit to socially responsible causes. Due to their civic orientation, members of Generation Y will be attracted to organizations that aren't solely focused on profits and corporate success but that have socially responsible missions. They will want to know what their employers are doing to protect the environment, promote social justice, maintain meaningfully diversified workforces and support global responsibility. They may be reluctant to work for companies doing business in countries with questionable human rights track records, like China and Sudan. They will want to see a real commitment to socially responsible causes, not just lip service.Management StructuresMentors are needed to show Millennials the ropes. Taking a cue from the popular Generation Y television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they need a "lifeline" to help them learn what is expected of them professionally, the ins and outs of the corporate culture, how to process constructive feedback instead of discounting or withering under it, and how to increase their self-motivation and problem-solving skills. Managers must explain to their Generation Y employees the big-picture purpose of the organization and how their role serves that purpose. This is common in some IT organizations that go to great lengths to communicate how everyone's role supports both the business and IT strategies. New hire orientations. As new employees, they will require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own. Frequent check-in meetings with managers. Because Millennials require so much supervision, managers would do well to schedule regular meetings with Millennial staff to make sure they're motivated and getting their work done, and to give feedback. Training InitiativesMembers of Generation Y benefit most from hands-on, team-based training as opposed to lectures or textbook theories. Experiential, team-based training gives Millennials opportunities to make and process mistakes in a safe learning environment and successfully transfer their new knowledge and skills to their workplace. Some specific areas of development that Millennials and their employers should focus on include: Greater understanding of their own personal strengths and limitations, and how to adapt their behavior to get the impact they desire. Self-development training initiatives will help Millennials learn to appropriately handle feedback, develop the flexibility to lead and be led in a changing work environment, and cultivate the internal motivation needed to succeed in whatever situation they face.Communication skills. Because Generation Y has grown up with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and chat rooms, its members tend to rely heavily on technology to communicate. This may serve them well in virtual team environments where face-to-face interactions are not as common, but they need to know professional communication expectations: when and where face-to-face, phone, text, e-mail and IM communications work best to prevent the miscommunications that often come from an overreliance on technology. Collaborative problem-solving skills. Training in this area will help them address complex issues in an environment where time, oversight and conventional solutions are at a premium. Those organizations that can find the right mix of policy, structure and training for Generation Y recruits will most successfully leverage the generation's potential and ultimately retain their loyalty. Helping Millennials grow their capacity to dissect and tackle complex problems and build their resilience to critical feedback will give this generation the tools it needs to manage the current reality of the workplace and the uncertainty of the future. Given the resources, wisdom and support by older generations, Generation Y can become a catalyst for a better future—one that benefits us all. Deborah Gilburg is a principal ofGilburg Leadership Institute, a leadership development consulting firm specializing in generational dynamics and organizational succession planning.
Generating Effective Teamwork Across the GenerationsFile Format: Microsoft Powerpoint - View as HTMLIdentify four generations in the workplace, and define them by experiences and events. Compare and contrast the values and the potential outcomes of ...www.duke.edu/web/equity/div_genera~ppt%20III.ppt - Similar
Generating Effective Teamwork Across the GenerationsFile Format: Microsoft Powerpoint - View as HTMLIdentify four generations in the workplace, and define them by experiences and events. Compare and contrast the values and the potential outcomes of ...www.duke.edu/web/equity/div_genera~ppt%20III.ppt - Similar
Gen Y and Baby Boomers are Not so DissimilarManaging the Expectations of Two Different Groups of Employees Jul 24, 2009PervinShaikhRead more at Suite101: Gen Y and Baby Boomers are Not so Dissimilar: Managing the Expectations of Two Different Groups of Employeeshttp://www.suite101.com/content/gen-y-and-baby-boomers-are-not-so-dissimilar-a134283#ixzz0xBxIa942Gen Y and Baby Boomers have a lot more in common than meets the eye and it pays for human resource professionals to be aware of these similarities The war for talent was at the forefront for many executives prior to the global economic downturn, when emphasis shifted from talent to cost cutting and managing with fewer resources. However, when the recession ends, the emphasis will re-shift back to talent to ensure companies have the “right” type of employees to remain competitive.A major human resource challenge which will need to be addressed is how to acknowledge the skills, competencies and experiences of the older working population i.e.: the Baby Boomers, as well as the ambitions of the younger group (Gen Y). This challenge is reserved for Gen X’s (who are now moving into executive positions) and other human professionals who have the responsibility of managing the expectations of both the Boomers and Gen Y’s in an ever changing globalised worldIn an article by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Laura Shebin and Karen Sumberg, entitled “How Gen Y and Boomers Will Shape Your Agenda” in July/August, edition of Harvard Business Review 2009, the authors argue that post-recession, many organisations will realise that the talent landscape has been changed forever. Organisations will need to remain competitive whilst at the same time retain talent and nurture the new generation of employees in the workplace.The authors also propose that both Gen Y and Boomers have more in common than immediately meets the eye. Both may be at different ends of the career ladder but they have many similarities in terms of expectations and career values.Understanding the similarities will enable organisational talent management teams to align business needs whilst formulating effective employment strategies and helping them to navigate in an increasingly challenging working world.Similarities Between the Boomers and Gen Y Below are the most obvious similarities highlighted by the authors’ studies:Greater flexibility in terms of working arrangements Value social connections at work and loyalty to a company Personal growth Chance to give back to society Prize other rewards of employment over monetary compensation Opportunities to work in great teams Challenging assignments A range of new experiences Greater recognition of achievements Opportunities to take sabbaticals to explore their hobbies, good works Getting a better work life balance which leads to increased productivity Seeking greater accountability and responsibilityInterestingly, their research pointed out that the Gen Y’s were likely to be the offspring of the Baby Boomers and 42% of Y’s would readily turn to the Boomers for advice and mentoring, more so than the Gen X. This may be due to the different values of Gen Y and X. Not surprisingly, Gen Y’s values are not too dissimilar to the Boomers.Values of Gen Y’sKevin Wheeler who is a futurist career trend consultant in the USA states that Gen Y hold the following values, according to the Future of Talent website:Resourceful Passionate Communicators Empowered Loyal Confident Ambition Ethical OptimisticKevin Wheeler further believes that Gen Y provides both challenges, yet equally just as many opportunities for human resource professionals, if they are able to harness the insights and ideas these young people have to offer, then they will stand to gain tremendously.Factors Which Enables Gen Y to Stand Out From the Rest Hewlett et al further identified that Gen Y’s were great at being able to connect with people from different cultural backgrounds and had no problems working in cross border and cross cultural groups. Gen Y were noted to be great at networking and able to do it with great ease which fitted it very well with their values of openness and loyalty. This incidentally has been enhanced and further facilitated by the various advances in technology and various networking forum opportunities. As well as being ambitious, Gen Y’s were more likely to readily shift their working mindset from “me” to “we” and engage in collaborative team work, whilst staying true to their personal and individual ambitions.In summary, as the recessionary cloud hanging over many parts of the world is lifted, countless organisations will be presented with additional challenges in terms of talent management in the 21st Century.Human resource professionals have the challenge of managing two generational employees. On the one hand they have the Baby Boomers, who as a generation of workers still continue to play and active and important role in today’s labour market. On the other hand, there is an ambitious group of employees (Gen Y) who want to have much more in terms of challenges and working opportunities.The organisations willing to accommodate the needs of the Boomers and Gen Y employees stand to gain in many ways than one whilst all the time increasing organisational competitiveness.
Gen Y, Gen X and the Baby Boomers: Workplace Generation WarsAs Boomer bosses relinquish the reins of leadership to Generation X, both are worrying about Generation Y. For the good of the enterprise, everyone needs to do a better job of getting along.By SteffGelston on Wed, January 30, 2008 Best Practices for Managing the GenerationsCIOs have to acknowledge the generational tensions their employees may be feeling. To get everyone working together, they need to understand the unique strengths and weaknesses of each generation and identify the points of friction among them.To jump-start that process, we’ve put together a package of stories that explore this IT generation gap. In “Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation Y,” leadership consultant Deborah Gilburg profiles what’s been called “the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation” ever and outlines best practices that can help CIOs recruit, manage and retain this technologically skilled pool of young workers.But that’s just part of the solution. In “Generation X: Stepping Up to the Leadership Plate,"Gilburg argues that to effectively manage Gen Y, CIOs need to get Boomers and X-ers to acknowledge the biases they’ve formed and how that can get in the way of managing an incoming generation that requires strong, focused leadership from them both. To that end, she offers suggestions for how CIOs can get their Boomer and X-er managers to collaborate with their increasingly Gen Y staff.Of course, it’s important to remember that generalizations about the generations are just that. Age defines a demographic, not a person. We are, after all, talking about millions of individuals here, each with his or her own unique set of work and life experiences.“You have to pay attention to individual personalities,” says Cummuta. “Knowing the individual is far more important than thinking about what generation they belong to.”

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