Talking About My Generation - Generation Y in the Workplace

About fourteen years ago the term "Generation Y" was coined to describe people of my generation. Recently my generation has started to enter the work place and I am reading a lot of articles about how hard it is for companies to manage and retain twenty-somethings like me. I would like to address what I have read in the media about my generation and work from my own experience.

A Sense of Entitlement -- This is the number one thing hiring managers complain about Gen-Ys in the workplace. Basically they say that Gen-Ys want to be paid well and do not want to work their way up. Here is how I see it. If I have the same title as 50 year olds and I perform the same job, why shouldn't I be compensated at the same rate? Why should I be paid lower if I can produce just as much quality work as people much older than me? So I don't see asking for a good compensation package as a sense of entitlement, but as a sense of fairness. Recently a hiring manager told me that I am paid very well for a 24 year old and I am asking for a lot, but my answer to that is I am worth it and age shouldn't matter in determining a salary. Additionally, it's illegal to discriminate in hiring based on age. I did get an offer on that particular job but I turned it down. Another key thing companies have to realize is that years of experience do not equate to quality work.

No Respect for Authority? -- Research states that Gen-Ys have a lot less respect for authority than previous generations. I don't think this is true at all. I have a lot of respect for my highly intelligent and sensible managers, but I am not afraid to tell a person higher up that I think they're wrong and suggest something different. I think most of my peers are the same. We have respect for those who deserve our respect, but when we encounter stupidity we will question it. The worst thing that can happen is that we get a new job. I think a lot of older managers are not used to this type of questioning from their subordinates and conflicts arise when they're stubborn and want young people like me to follow directions to the tee. Basically, if a boss wants the best out of me he/she has to be at his or her best as well. Respect has to be earned and not taken for granted and abused. So I would say it's closer to the truth that we have no fear of authority, but we do respect our supervisors if they are good coworkers.

Loyalty Has To Go Both Ways -- Another big complaint of companies is that Gen-Ys switch jobs much more often than their predecessors. The reason for that is companies aren't loyal to their employees anymore. I am young, but I am not stupid. I've seen how corporations lay off thousands of people in a blink of an eye for their own bottom line. Most hiring agreements are at-will and if companies are all about their own individual profit there is no incentive for me to stick around if there is a better opportunity. With the cutting of pension plans and benefits there is very little incentive for Gen-Ys to become "lifers" at a company.

Work Is Not the Most Important Thing in Life -- This is a paradigm that isn't practiced very much by older generations. I think a lot of people of my parents' generation realize that work shouldn't be the most important thing in life, but still work so much that they don't spend time with their families. As children of these workaholics Gen-Ys want flexible working schedules and more time off because they want time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Of course, this behavior is considered lazy and demanding by a lot of traditional workplaces. I think the growing popularity of telecommuting and flexible work hours is a change for the better and our older coworkers could benefit from it if they choose to.

Try to See Us as Equals and Forget About Age -- I think most of us want to be treated as equals by older coworkers. I can see why people would be resentful when they're being managed by those who are half their age when they feel more experienced and skillful. Heck, I have experienced a bit of this resentment when I interviewed older people. When there is a huge disparity in age in the workplace the older workers greatly underestimate the ability of the younger workers. I think everyone needs to just take age out of the equation and objectively examine the quality of work of each person. Otherwise, underestimating the ability of anyone based on their age is discrimination.

With that said, I am constantly learning from those around me regardless of age. I just think there are quite a lot of misconceptions thrown in the media about twenty-somethings. We are not lazy, and we don't have an easy and coddled life. In fact, we're facing lower pay, less social benefits, and higher costs so corporate America really can't blame us for constantly searching for a better life. I think a lot of readers of this blog are young professionals like me and would agree with my observations, but I would like to hear about what you consider as a misconception about our generation. Also to my older readers, what irks you the most about twenty-somethings in your workplace?