In Defense of Gen Y

"The Gen Y'ers I know are all about 'me', from what I have seen, they are selfish and very self-centered, and they will do anything to get ahead of everyone else, no matter who they hurt or step on on the way there. They use enviromentalism as a way to make themselves feel better, and feel that they are actually doing something to positively contribute to society, and to make up for past transgressions. Yes there are some out there that truly believe in these special causes, but they are few and far between in this new generation. You ended it with a statement that Gen Y has 'high ethical standards', I have to say that I disagree with you on that statement, the Gen Y'ers that I know are far from ethical..." (Kristofer, Commenting on the Gen Y Shift)

First, when I speak of the "Gen Y Workforce" I am indeed referring to those in the corporate business world who are college educated and primarily middle to upper class in the United States.

Now, I completely agree with you when you call this generation selfish and self-centered. No doubt we have grown up in a world where everything is adaptable and catered to us. When we use a computer, we customize it to our needs. When we use the internet, we customize everything about our experience of it. We expect everything we touch to come with switchable features, different colors, sounds, and extensions.

When it comes to the way we work, we translate these tangible customizations into the expectation of intangible flexibilities, such as flexible working hours and environments.

"Generation Y is much more proactive in assuming they can have flexibility," said Betty Purkey, manager of work-life strategies at Texas Instruments, where 60 to 70 percent of its U.S. tech workers and managers telecommute using PDAs, laptop computers and remote access to the company's network. Companies increasingly see flexibility as a necessity if they hope to fill vacancies as baby boomers begin to retire en masse" (Sidime, May 9, 2007).

These kinds of expectations are selfish, as Gen Y assumes that they we be able to make our own hours and work from wherever we choose - even if it's in the middle of a relaxed cafe half way around the world.

We are not, however, cut throat or immoral in our approach to those we work with. In fact honesty and trust is the very essence of our culture. "...generation Y like to trust people, so if managers can build that trust they will benefit from young people than experience a lack of benefit" (Gedda, May 12, 2007). Because we don't believe in hierarchical leadership, open communication is vital for our respect. If a company, and those in management positions, don't satisfy our "need to know every detail" philosophy, then we will leave and look to organizations that will. Of course, from a management perspective needing to keep up this intense level of communication is new, and can seem incredibly time and energy consuming. So it is understandable why older managers who are used to the "just do as I say because I am your boss" work environment will think this new group of employees are very arrogant in their way of thinking. But this is a misconception. We are not arrogant, but need this transparency to foster feelings of trust and collaboration. Without this, we have no motivation to work for this particular person or company. We will just quit and move on.

When it comes to philanthropy and generosity, of course we devote ourselves to causes that make us feel good about ourselves. But everyone throughout time has run on such internal reward systems! Instead of looking at our volunteerism and contributions from an individual perspective, we have to look instead at what we are actually doing, what kinds of impacts are we actually having on society. Not only are we using our own free time to give back to our communities, but we expect the companies we work for to give back as well.

"A survey conducted by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP shows that Generation Y workers want the companies they work for to offer volunteer programs. The survey, which polled workers 18-26 years old, shows that 97 percent of respondents believe companies should offer employees opportunities to contribute their work-related talents. However, only 39 percent of respondents said their companies provide such opportunities. When asked why volunteering was important, those polled said because they wanted to have a meaningful impact on their communities" (insideindianabusinessreport.com).

97 percent is a very high number! We feel that companies have a moral obligation to be positive influences on their communities, and the more we enter the business world, the more we are demanding businesses "step up" and do more with their money and positions. We are actively seeking out employment at such companies. I think this says a lot about our high ethical standards and expectations.

Like every generation, there are many individuals who do not uphold or display the dominant traits of the larger group. Overall I strongly believe that Generation Y is selfish in our expectations regarding day-to-day activities. We want our working environment to be completely catered to our individual tastes and needs. On the other hand, we are very just in our treatment of others, demand honesty among co-workers, and feel that giving back to our communities is a responsibility rather than an option.

---

Technorati tags:
business, collaboration, ethics, generation y, management, morality, Needs, opinion, team work, volunteer