Gen Y Workers Are "Spoiled But Smart"

All Generation Y workers want is special attention? Great!

If I were a corporation, I would offer "motivational sessions" after work for these young workers to talk about "career goals" and other stuff. All the meanwhile, I would be secretly recording their conversations and using this info to my own selfish advantage.

In the end, the people who work hard and don't complain would be promoted faster and receive more money. The "special needs" crowd would get more time to talk about themselves and stay stuck in mediocre jobs for less pay. What good is a nice salary when you can be "special"?

I have to agree with Yadgyu. And I'd like to work with YOU.

Can we PLEASE stop making excuses for not working, doing our jobs, and just get the heck on with it? My back is sore from carrying slackers on my back for years because I'm a "boomer", or just hey! "responsible".

One finding: Gen Y demands personal contact. "This is the texting generation, but in fact they want face time, coaching, attention, help with life-work balance, attention to ethics," says Witteveen.

Translation: these people are ill-educated,inept, self-centered, obnoxious and dishonest, having cheated their way through school. And they all want to talk at the same time.

For myself, I can't wait until these Gen Y kids have to compete directly with their counterparts in Japan, China, India, etc., and find that no one there will give them strokes.

Sadly, I think this attitude is at least one reason why the US is falling behind in math and the sciences (where there are 'correct' answers - not 'good attempts' - and the right word and spelling are crucial), as well as innovation, creativity, and productivity. You have to be capable of accepting failure and learning from it - without it damaging self-esteem.

The Gen Y crowd wants ethics, without practicing it - download any good music lately?

There are many things about America that I wouldn't mind leaving behind, but developing strength of character is not one of them.

I guess these comments show my readership skews, ahem, mature. Gen Y, defend thyself!

Mature Gen Y defend thyself? I wouldn't stop low enough to defend myself from the bitter rantings of nervous baby boomers. I'm currently one of these interns you speak of, Lisa. I'm a student at a prestigious liberal arts college and I work hard: I haven't cheated my way anywhere. I pay my way through college by working and with the help of my generous and also hard-working parents. I can't believe how these comments are calling my generation selfish and needy! Check out statistics: more of us are joining the Peace Corp, volunteering...there's even a spiritual resurgence among young people.

Children don't teach themselves: perhaps we're falling behind in public education because you, the baby boomer taxpayers and voters, aren't willing to commit more resources into education.

And if you continue to claim we have are unethical, look at who our models are! The baby boomer generation that sits in Congress now hardly demonstrates to Gen Y how we should conduct ourselves.

Wow. Boomers talking smack about being selfish. That's a new twist.

Each generation complains about the one replacing it, and conviently forgets how it shaped business and the world in its image. Can any boomer say with a straight face that what this new generation needs to do is put its collective head down (like that avatar) and do what it's told? Let's face it: the same concessions made to boomers entering the workforce should be made to Gen Y. Only this time it's not just casual Fridays, smoke-free offices, and better-tasing coffee.

Lisa's post mentions Gen Y wanting positive interaction with those who will affect their careers and that's somehow labeled selfish? These kids (I can't believe I just wrote that) want to learn and grow to benefit themselves and their employers. They want to contribute from day one, they have ideas they aren't afraid to express, and they actually think--God forbid!--that others might be interested in new ideas. They must be stopped!

Generational tags are lame, shorthand attempts to describe the behavior of millions of people. It's the sort of closed-minded, biased thinking that Lisa has written about many times in regard to sex (meaning male and female. Let's keep this clean).

My generation had two unfortunate names: Generation X and Slackers. Now that I'm nearing 40, I don't know anyone who fits the mold predicted by these lazy sterotypes. We turned out to be productive citizens despite what people said about us when we were 20. And who wants to be pigeonholed based on how he acted in his early 20s? If everyone I grew up with remained satic into their thirties there'd be a lot of managers and executives with mullets. Looking around, I don't see any.

Are some Gen Yers dishonest? Sure. Are some lazy, obnoxious, and self centered? Absolutely. But if I were writing this 30 years ago I would be saying the same thing about boomers. If it's not these crazy kids with their Beatle haircuts it these crazy kids with their YouTube. So let's have some perspective, m'kay?

Wow, that Randstan promo video was painful to watch. It feels like they're trying way too hard to show they understand young professionals. I mean YouTube video + Second Life? Why not just stick in some text messaging options too?

I enjoyed that Fortune article though. Lots of broad generalizations, but some points seem right on. The whole "they're needy, but very productive" argument rings true to me.

I completely agree with Sarah. I am also a hard working intern trying to pay my way through college. I have never cheated and I am definitely not a lazy slacker, devoting much of my time to help others in the community. I also am not needy in any way, shape or form. I prefer to have someone tell me what to do and get out of my way any let me do it with no hand holding involved. If I would want to have some face to face interaction with my superiors to do the job right, why in the world should that be considered wrong or selfish. I want to learn, and they have experience. I would show them the same respect in hand holding and walking them through using some sort of technology based gaget.

Ok, fine, some young adults are lazy, but I can name off at least twice as many older adults who slack off just as much, if not more. You are the ones who sue consantly to put the blame of your actions on others and have them pay for your mistakes. We are following your example and we were molded by you and your decisions. You cut our schools funding, and they in turn cut our youth programs that would teach us how to become more well rounded people. And the reason we are falling behind our peers in other countries is our old fashioned ideas of programs and things like the No Child Left Behind Act which narrowly focuses attention on only a few subjects, leaving others behind in the dust.

It seems some of the comments have veered to one side of the other, but to the point of the blog, I have to agree. I do a lot of coaching with new hires and in continuing education (in the financial/retirements industry). And while it's dangerous to generalize about any group of people for fear of it being labeled discrimination, here is what I have seen.

The younger crop of employees come in with several very key advantages: they're smart, they're tech-savvy, they're extremely personable. I'd kill to have to a team full of people with the technical abilities of the Gen Y crowd.

However, they also have some things that require development, such as: lack of confidence in their own abilities, general lack of willingness to take control of projects/situations and overall a lack of professional pride (which I define as the desire to the best job possible for no other reason but the fact that it is your job to do so).

Now, all that being said, I could make lists of overall strengths and weaknesses for every age or generational group out there. Say what you will about age, generation, training, race, sex, religion, etc. It still comes down to the individual. The individual is responsible for their own actions, their own results and their own life, regardless of their demographic.

Gosh...boomers have such a hard time accepting change, don't they? And I can say that, because I am one. But my daughter just graduated from college and I see that she and her friends are ready to take on the world, work hard and make a difference. Boomers, do you remember when you thought you could make an impact on this world of ours? Sounds like now, you've gotten a bit crusty and maybe these newly-arriving, full-of-optimism (in spite of all they've experienced so far) new workers will help dust you off and recognize that we have gotten so complacent in our everyday lives, that these new colleagues of ours are just so annoying because they remind us of what we have yet to accomplish. So boomers, don't whine....take a class, volunteer to help the poor, the elderly, or even those folks who are still trying to recover from the horrid treatment they got after Katrina. Gen Y's want to be as accountable for their success in life as we do....they've just still got the optimism we've lost and I say, let's learn what we can from them and like we children of the 60's used to say, 'all live together in peace and harmony.'

Go Gerry! We agree, for once!

Sarah and Laura, I am right there with you. I graduated from a top university in aerospace engineering and through my hard work gained a great job at one of the top R&D companies in the nation. In college, I worked two jobs to reduce the amount of loans I'd have to take out to cover insane tuition costs. I never jeopardized my integrity to gain a passing grade and if I failed in something, I always accepted full responsibility.

Where I work, they are on this huge diversity kick. And in response to the difference in generations, they had these mandatory meetings which attempted to explain the different generations. And to be honest, every presentation made me laugh. Sure, we are all very different. We grew up in different eras, but that does not mean every individual of some specific generation is identical and adheres to the same work ethic.

But I guess if in the end you want to call us lazy, selfish, or any other bad attribute, fine. I know one thing about most “Gen Y’s” though. We are a very competitive group of individuals who have a high understanding of technology and the industry we chose to enter. And in the workplace we really want only one thing. Not pats on the back, not special attention, not trophies, plaques, pretty desk décor, or awards. We want your job and your salary and we will work harder than you to get it.

Dear Tim: something to look forward to. Just when you've achieved the job and salary you will work so hard to get, many employers will decide that many of you are "vitality challenged" and will conveniently discover a new generation that works for a lot less than you do. My generation invented the stupidity of youth=vitality, and a new generation of "leadership" will continue to exploit that stereotype to keep themselves on top of their generational peers.

To be clear: what the Randstad CEO was saying was that despite their needyness, this is a talented, tech-savvy and driven group. He says old people should get their noses out of their Blackberries and give these kids the face time they want; they'll reward you with great work.

One criticism he made that I thought interesting: he says this is a group (and I know we're lumping here, but this is what he said) that demands immediate results. If they contribute to a research project, they want to know right away exactly what changes it produced--when everyone knows that in business, things don't always happen so quickly, if at all.

Me, I don't think that expectation--shall we say optimism?--is such a bad thing. Too many of us expect our projects to go nowhere. My own rule of thumb is the more time I spend reporting a story, the higher the likelihood it'll never see the light of day.

As a member of Generation Y and recent college grad, I've been fascinated (and discouraged) by the recent spate of articles analyzing my peers' work habits. Yes, we are spoiled - but who spoiled us? That would be our baby boomer, "helicopter" parents, who were constantly looking over our shoulder and protecting us from the big scary world. When parents don't raise their kids to be responsible, and are so eager to welcome them back home after college, is it surprising that so few of us have the confidence in ourself to succeed? Or, so used to receiving special attention from our parents and teachers, that we expect the same form our employers?

What I'd like to know is - why is that such a bad thing? Young employees should be able to work independently, of course, but what's wrong about wanting personal contact? Or seeking support and mentoring so that we know we're doing the best job we can? Or looking for meaning and fulfillment in a job, rather than just a way to make money?

I worked diligently all throughout college and managed to find a job (albeit one at my alma mater) and move into an apartment immediately after graduation, but many of my friends have not been so fortunate because of the challenges of the job market and their lack of preparation for the "real world". Rather than whining about all of Gen Y's negative qualities, our coworkers and supervisors should recognize that no, maybe we're not as independent or as selfless as we could be, but that with support we can easily become productive members of society.

Denis is correct.

The "leaders" are the real winners in the working world and the world in general. They aren't necessarily better than anyone else. But they have power, which is much more important than vitality, youth, experience, race, age, gender, religion, handicap, intelligence, integrity, work ethic, loyalty, personality, and sometimes even money.

Those with the power will continue to exploit and use those without it. Baby boomers are being used. Gen X is being used. Gen Y is being used. The next billion generations will be used also. The only thing that makes one become a winner is gaining power.

I just think there are lazy people and motivated people, regardless of the generation. And the walk that the avatar does in the youtube video is funny.

Lisa, I'd agree with you when you say that "Gen Y's" seem to want "results now" more than the other generations. Some seem to think the concept of working your way up the totem pole doesn't apply in industry. But I'd like to believe there are more us "Gen Y's" loving the fact we start at the bottom rather than despising it.

Also Denis and Yadgyu, you have good points and no doubt have first hand experience. Yes, power has always been the measure of success in the business world and in the world in general. But Gen Y's and I'd hope all generations want to see change, want to see results. So I am optimistic, I think change will come.

But like I said, I am optimistic. I blame it on my youth and innocence. Hehe.

Could this just be yet another example of baby boomers' wanton rejection of the aging process? Are they simply bitter about a changing labour market that is slowly leaving them out?

Lisa: I have gone on record (on my blog) as skeptical about the existence of this new "generation gap." I'm a boomer who well recalls when WE were the selfish, over-parented ones (anyone remember Dr. Spock?). Not to mention the idealistic, see-immediate-results and find-relevant-work ones.

I'm hoping you will have the opportunity to observe your own interns with an open mind and report on how they do and don't fit this new stereotype, which I suspect is to some extent minted by those who would like to become consultants on how to manage Gen Y.

I'm working with two members of this gen. now, and having no problems. That they may want "face time," but consider email the equivalent, is a welcome change from folks who only check email once every couple of days and then take days to respond.

It shouldn't take a divisive generation-gap focus to realize that frequent, open communications are generally an important aspect of good employee relations -- with employees of every age!

I, like many of the posters here, am part of the recent college graduate crew. I was fortunate enough to be hired almost immediately after graduation & I moved into an apartment with a friend (three hours from home).
It was frustrating trying to find a job because I'll admit, I am spoiled. I wanted to find a job that would utilize my 3.9 GPA and two previous internships - not a job that forced me to hang out by the copier all day and make coffee.
Employers need to realize that although we're willing to take entry-level jobs, we don't want data entry jobs after experience internships where we are in charge of several projects at one time. Sure, we're spoiled - but we're also experienced.
I turned down two jobs before I found a job that I wanted - a job that allows me the opportunity to learn from others & grow, but also an entry-level job into the world of media & marketing.
If we're spoiled because we're not willing to take jobs that sit us in front of a spreadsheet all day - I'll admit to that. We want to help change society - we're motivated & optimistic.
Why wouldn't you want someone at your company who's willing to work hard, be enthusiastic, and learn from others?

"Why wouldn't you want someone at your company who's willing to work hard, be enthusiastic, and learn from others?"

But you mentioned earlier in your post you don't want data entry or making coffee/copier runs. So you're only willing to work hard at a job you want, not at the only ones that may be available? Perhaps that's why some Gen Y'ers are living at home.

**Disclaimer - I'm a lazy Gen X/cusp Gen Y'er**

Good point, Sean - it's true. I'm not willing to work hard at a job that I feel isn't using my experience/passion/etc.

I found it interesting that this talented, tech-savvy group of Gen Yers made several errors in their posts. I guess being tech-savvy means spelling and grammar don't count.

Of course I am neither a boomer, nor a Yer. I am from that slacker "GenX" generation where we learned how to use word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and myriad technological gadgets.

I do applaud the message that their are different groups of people within each generation, but as long as the HR department can't or won't see that, my dedication and hard work at the jobs I don't enjoy (because I don't have the luxury of living with mommy until my dream job comes along) will go unnoticed largely due to my lack of need expressed at the water cooler.

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