The Next Wave of Young Workers
By Heather Neely, M.A., Master trainer for RainmakerThinking, Inc.
Published in WACE Connection Magazine, reprinted with permission from WACE and Heather Neely.

How can it be possible that another generation is emerging into the workforce? Wasn't it only yesterday when we were reading about the Generation X invasion into our career centers and corporate campuses?

If you are a baby boomer born between 1943-1962 you are already familiar with generational shifts. You remember all too well the day you went to work and realized that half of the people working in your office looked like they were too young to have drivers' licenses. Who were these kids and when were they going home? Much to your chagrin, they were not going home; they, like yourself, were employees. And just when you'd made adjustments to your work in order to attract and retain these Generation X rising stars, here comes the next wave of young workers.

If you are a Generation Xer born between 1963-1977, this might be new to you. Welcome to the Twilight Zone my friends! You never thought that it would happen to you right? Now, much to your horror you catch yourself saying, "Who are these young kids and why don't they act like me?" Rest assured, the emerging of generation is nothing new; it has been going on for thousands of years. The difference is that we don' notice generational shifts until we have to adapt to the new kids. The concept of a "new generation" takes on a different reality when our generation is no longer "IT". The reality shifts when you have to learn what makes THEM tick, when you have to make adjustments to your work/management style, and when you have to admit that you don't the names of half of the signers and actors you see on TV.

It took a lot of research, reading, patience and observation to learn that Generation Xers were not the slacker monsters that the media painted them to be. Gen Xers, like any other generation, are products of their environment. The factors that helped to shape Xers'; personalities include downsizing, divorce, and rapid global change. Xers were the first tagged by the media as "disloyal slackers" back in the late 80's and early 90's when corporate downsizing and unemployment was at an all time high. In those lean times, Xers had to learn to fend for themselves and realized that they could not count on corporations to take care of their careers. Looking back now, we see that Xers were the first generation to adopt the "free agent" mentality that has since become a career necessity for all generations. Gen Xers didn't adopt this free agent mindset because they were smarter than their Boomer co-workers; they adopted this mentality because it was the only opportunity available.

Who is Generation Y?
In looking at future generations, like the emerging Generation Y, we must not forget that each generation is an expression of the social, political, and economic world in which they were raised. It is up for speculation how the tragic events of September 11^th, 2001 will impact Generation Y, but it is an undeniable fact that the ramifications will be profound. Yes, even Gen Yers are going to seem different form us and for a good reason. World events make a lasting impression on generational groups and shape us in unique ways. Don't forget-this does not automatically make other generations broken, wrong, stupid, lazy, or projects for us to fix. Instead, look at Gen Yers as perfect products-accurate portrayals of the world they have seen. Our task is to learn what makes them tick so we can maximize the talents they posses and help develop them in areas where they are under-skilled.

Who are those emerging citizens?
According to our research at RainmakerThinking Inc. and documented in our book, "Managing Generation Y: Global Citizens born in the late seventies and early eighties" (HRD Press, 2001) by Carolyn A. Martin, Ph.D. and Bruce Tulgan, we define Gen Y as an American demographic group born between 1978-1984 and has approximately 29 million members. Yers are self- confident, independent, goal oriented, hard working and look to their parent as role models.

Gen Yers have come of age in a society making a radical transition from the anti-child sentiment of the late 60s and 70s defined by legalized abortion, the advent of birth control pills, and alarming divorce rates to a society that is child focused. Signs of this child-centric trend came in the mid 80s when we first saw the placard carefully placed inside car windows alarming us that there was a "Baby-on-Board." Slowly but surely we began to notice the presence of children everywhere. from restaurants to movie theaters to formal dinner parties. The old adage, "Children should be seen and not heard" continues to be revolutionized.

Parents have had a great deal of involvement in Gen Yers lives and some psychologists report that the tether between parent and child is dangerously short.

While it is true that the world is not as safe as it used to be and parents need to be involved in their children's lives, the pendulum for some families has swung too far and some parents are overly involved in their kids' lives. Examples of this over-involvement emerged when we conducted research panels of high school seniors. Many students reported that their parents often completed homework assignments and had been known to write college entrance essays for them. While this level of parental involvement was innocent enough and done in the spirit of helping their children, what parents have overlooked is that this type of assistance can rob their children of developing vital independence and time management skills.

This is a generation raised in a society with an intense focus on achievement. Some experts say the American society has taken on a "winner takes all" mentality and Gen Yers have been caught in the crossfire and are doing everything they can to keep up. While at one time children enjoyed free time, now their free time has been replaced with a frenetic, never-ending race to fill their resumes up with super human activities. As small kids, Yers spent a good number of years being shuttled in the family mini-van to and from sports, music lessons, dance, and a variety of other after-school activities including part-time jobs. Studies show that stress levels among teens are at an all time high and there has been an increase in eating disorders, alcohol abuse and other stress related problems.

So, what can we expect to see from Gen Y in the workplace and career centers? First and foremost, don't be surprised if you find yourself interacting with the parents of your Gen Y students and employees. We've heard dozens of stories from corporations and universities all over the United States of parents showing up on job interviews and career counseling appointments. Parents don't stop at the interview process or the first counseling appointment. Parents have done it all from attempting to negotiate stock options and move packages to calling managers when their child failed to receive a favorable review.

Please note for many Gen Y employees and students, having their parents involved in their lives is normal. Normal for them may not be normal for you. Instead of flipping out or falling off your chair laughing if a parent finds his/her way to your office, work internally with your organization and define some policies for handling parental involvement of your legal-age employees. Find a way to work within the organizational structure to include Gen Yers' family members. One company in Silicon Valley with a very young employee population instituted an annual "bring your parent to work" day as a way to include family members while still being appropriate to corporate culture and comfortable and familiar to Gen Y employees.

Out of the many characteristics of Gen Y, here are a few to consider:

Independent and Collaborative
Even though Gen Yers have enjoyed a great deal of parental involvement, like Gen Xers, they too are a latchkey generation and can be fiercely independent. Many are confident beyond their years and have been in the role of teaching their elders how to make technology work. They believe in their skills and are not shy about taking risks.

Don't misunderstand you Gen Yers' confidence and assume that they don't want to be told what to do. They want the direction and support that you can provide but what they are also looking for is the freedom to get the task done at their pace utilizing their own creativity.

Gen Yers are a walking contradiction. While they can be independent, they also posses an intense desire for collaboration. Research shows that Gen Yers work well alone but work even more efficiently with others. Remember that Gen Yers have been working in close collaboration not only with their parents but also in schools on project teams. The challenge for managers and counselors is to strike a balance and build in enough time so that your Gen Yers can work independently and in collaboration with other.

Gen Y is the first generation that can claim technology as a birthright. To say that they are comfortable with computers is an understatement. For many Gen Yers, using a computer comes as naturally as breathing.

Be open to learning from your younger employees. One seasoned career counselor told us that while she recognizes she is an expert in the domain of career counseling, it occurred to her a few years ago that her students were experts on accessing online career information. Rather than getting upset at her lack of updated information, she saw it as an opportunity to work with her students to learn from them. Since she opened herself up to be taught by Gen Yers, she has since compiled hundreds of useful online resources that can be shared with future students.

Keep in mind that Gen Yers see technology as a tool and want to use it but more importantly they want to create with it. For example, 36% of college students have crated their own web sites or home pages. They are continually customizing how they gather and share information. Your new hires will be curious about your culture, mission, products, etc. but what really grabs their attention is the technology that you use to support them.

To a large extent, people from access the generations have become accustomed to technology in some form or another. Gen Yers however, have very high expectations of technology. Your younger workers will be looking to see how your company measures up against other companies with regards to technology. How is technology used within the company? Is your company willing to expand job responsibilities to capitalize on new technology?

The Gen Y career Mindset
Like many people shaped by the information revolution, the best Gen Yers are independent , techno-savvy, entrepreneurial minded, crave responsibility, demand instant feed back and relentlessly pursue work that gives them a sense of accomplishment. Our research tells us that there are three major reasons why Gen Yers select on career over another.

• They want to do meaningful work that makes a difference
• They want to work with committed co-workers
• They want to meet their personal and financial goals

The key to retaining all good employees and especially your Gen Y employees comes down to the quality of relationships they have with their managers. Managers are the ones who can help their Gen Y employees attain job factors that matter to them. The one-size-fits-all approach to management, once tolerated in workplaces, is out; customizations in. Your Gen Yers won't stick around if you don't get to know them as individuals. Be open to customizing career paths, training and projects.

The newest generation has arrived! The next time you run into a Gen Yer, stop and ask yourself what you see. Oftentimes what we see first is our own judgment. Don't pass off Gen Yers'; behavior as unimportant or annoying because it is different from your own. We need to remember that Gen Yers are showing us the future; they possess a blend of characteristics that represent our historical, social and economic conditions. The opportunity to collaborate with them will create amazing new possibilities for your organization.