September 26, 2008 - As millions of millennial generation students graduate from college and join the work force, it’s becoming quite clear that the workplace will never be the same. Employers are bracing for some of the biggest management challenges they’ve ever faced as they try to integrate the most demanding and most protected generation in history into a workplace shaped by baby-boomers. Read more
A new generation is poised to seize the reins of history. It's a generation unique in history--the Millennial generation. Born between 1978 and 2000, the Millennials currently include 95 million young people up to 30 years of age--the biggest age cohort in U.S. history.
The Millennial generation has already begun to emerge as a powerful political and social force. They are smart, well-educated, open-minded, and independent--politically, socially, and philosophically. They are also a caring generation, one that is ready to put the greater good ahead of individual rewards. (Hence our preferred name for them--"Generation We.") And they are already spearheading a period of sweeping change. Read entire article at the Huffington Post
Now how can you keep them around?
We know the myths of how employees in the youngest generations
are in the workplace.
Myth: They don’t want to put in the hours to get ahead. Myth: They have no respect for authority. READ ENTIRE POST AND SEE ARTICLE
Generation Y Connects Part II
September 25, 2008 — allanmcdougallAs promised, albeit over a month ago, this is a follow-up to my previous post about Gen Y in the workplace. In Generation Y Connects (Part I), I succinctly established who Gen Y are and how they’re perceived in the workforce; in this post I’m going to explain the strategies that my company uses to communicate with them. READ ENTIRE POST
Every 17 year old entering the workforce has been around the Internet for their entire life! Generation Yis the generation who has grown up around advanced networking technologies such as mobile phones and the Internet–also know as the iPod generation, the Echo Boomers, Generation “Why”, or the Millennials. I’ve been working on a research project for my employers to show how our clients can moreeffectively communicate with their Gen Y staff. Here’s the first part of what I’ve found: Read entire post
Here is an interesting set of misperceptions later in the post that I felt was worth adding:
Perception
Reality
They are spoiled. Baby Boomer parents coddled this generation by constantly telling them how special they were and that anything they sought was possible. They were rewarded for every little thing, receiving trophies and prizes simply for participating. They have a poor work ethic. Actually, texting, instant messaging, social networking, and Web surfing have all made Generation Y workers more competent, efficient, and productive. They have a strong work ethic — not just in a 9-5 sort of way. Generation Y wants work to be fun and flexible and follows a mantra of working smarter, not harder. They don’t respect authority. This group has been raised to think critically, they’re very independent and not afraid to ask questions and challenge the status-quo. It’s not that these folks have little respect for authority; on the contrary, they admire their employers and want the same in return. They’re self-centered and individualistic. Gen Y have been taught the value of individuality and independent thinking. They see themselves as unique and, unlike previous generations, these workers do not plan to let their jobs define who they are. They’re not committed to the company. This generation has been raised in an age of unprecedented access to knowledge and communication. Gen Y workers believe their work should have meaning. More than ever, these workers are seeking greater fulfillment and are only willing to work hard at jobs that provide it. They lack social skills. Generation Y are some of the most social of any generational cohort; it’s just that they communicate and socialize much differently from the rest of us
Here's a great post from Penelope Trunk about why generalizing generations can be a good thing.
One of the most popular posts here is What Generation are You? Take the Test. I'm sure one reason it's popular is that people like tests. We all want self-knowledge, but we want it handed to us on a silver platter, not thrown at us in clumps of dirt by our families, or served up with Kleenex at therapy.
But the other reason I think that post is so popular is because people are generally indignant that they are pinned into a generation merely because of the date they were born.
People don't like to be told they are similar to everyone else. But that's ridiculous, really. Because feeling special and different is a luxury only for those who are very mainstream. I can tell you, as a person who does not fit in that well, I work very hard to fit in. You think the eccentrics are trying to be eccentric, but they are not. It's not fun to be eccentric if you really are. It's only fun to be eccentric if you aren't. Read entire post at Brazen Careerist
At first, I thought it was more Generation Y navel gazing. But having come across a couple of articles questioning where is the passion in the lives of Millennials, I thought it was time to say something.
So many people spend their adult lives looking for that “one thing” that causes them to light up. The one thing that makes them jump out of bed in the morning. That one passion that we are all supposed to find and pursue.
This sounds great until you realize that we are human: multifaceted beings with the ability to discern among the many choices available. Trying to find that one passion in life is like looking for your soulmate: it might be out there, but while you are looking for this supposed ideal, what else are you missing? It’s perfectly acceptable to “date” other interests; why should you commit to just one? Read entire post
I found this really interesting press release about a study Harris Interactive did (Harris is a Ypulse Research sponsor) for Charles Schwab and Age Wave where they asked 4,000 Americans aged 21 to 83 what they thought of different generations. As you might expect Gen Y is getting a bad rap right now unless you consider being called and calling themselves "self indulgent" a positive characteristic. I think the youngest generation will always be dissed by older generations until they're old enough to rag on the new young generation. I thought it was funny that a few of the generations including Gen Y, my own (Gen X), and the Silent Generation all want to rebrand ourselves. As for the rest, like on "Family Feud," survey says? Read Entire Post
Welcome! My name is Dan Oltersdorf. I am a speaker, author and consultant with a background in Higher Education. This blog is a hub of information on the challenges and opportunities of managing an increasingly complex workforce composed of multiple generations. Click here for more information about this blog. Click here for information on bringing me in to speak.
