This is something that everyone is talking about be it
organizations, leaders, managers, theorist, academicians or HR professionals. I
first heard of this term in 2005 and have been intrigued ever since. I have
read, discussed and finally even attended a 2 day workshop on the subject.I am
now going to share with you what is my take on this ‘Gen Y’.
As a marketing guy who builds a brand let me also try to
articulate a few attributes so that you have an idea of who we are talking about
here:
- Born after 1982 or entered workforce post 2000
- Believe internet is their lifeline and spend on
an average 25 hours there in a week
- It’s unthinkable for them to not have a pc /
laptop / tablet
- Communicate more through text and net than any other
medium even verbally in more than a few cases
- Jobs are something that are changed as a matter
of fact
- Career is not about what you do for a living. It
is about what your passion is and that
runs parallel to the job
- Admiration and recognition is what they crave
for
- Internet is their most reliable source followed
by friends for making decisions
- Money is important for them when choosing a job but
not the only thing
Hope
this helps you build a mental image and increase your know the Gen Y quotient.
Before I proceed further I must share 3 things that happened
last week and left me surprised. My father who returned from a holiday trip to
Singapore & Malaysia was very keen that I download his photographs so that
he can share it with his friends on facebook. He is planning another trip to
Russia and his travel agent and he are communicating on his itenary and other details though message box option in
facebook.
My 7 year old elder son wanted to have a conversation on how
to be integrated on all apple products I needed to buy an iPhone so that we
could optimally use iPod and iPad that we have. He also wanted to know if I am
going to upgrade to ipad3 from my Ipad2 now that new product was available.
My 4 year old got my wife to download a new game on the iPad.
While showing me what it was one evening as I returned from office he checked
if I would need his help to learn how to play and volunteered to help me if I
tried and failed.
I asked myself who amongst my father and my kids are Gen Y
or if they both are?
A few months ago a leading weekly magazine had carried out a
youth survey. It said that 76% of the respondents both Girls and boys were ok
with premarital sex. In the same study 68% of the respondents wanted their
spouse at the time of marriage be a virgin.
What an interesting paradox! And yet what a challenge to understand this
thinking and approach.
So what exactly is this Gen Y. Every time I think I have an
answer or feel smug that I have arrived at an understanding I am surprised. Gen
Y have an aura and more than a few myths surrounding them. Let me try and share
some key ones and also my take on them.
Myth 1: Gen Y have short attention spans and limited
knowledge. FALSE
They pay attention as long as it is of interest to them and
they are learning something new. Remember they have access to internet and they
wiki for information much more than you and I do. They do not want
pontification but substance. My 7 year old does not want to hear ‘gyan’ from me
but is equally keen to understand many things that make sense to him and are
logical. He has many questions and as long as I am on track to answer he is my
biggest listener, soaking in all I have to say but the moment I digress I lose
him.
Myth 2: Gen Y want to connect with older generations. TRUE
They are looking to make meaningful connections with elders
/ seniors who they can trust and genuinely look upto. They do not just want to
connect by virtue of title or age. If they see value they will be like a guru
and a disciple but just because you are their uncle / aunt / family or have
more years they will not listen. Gen X will respect the relation, age but these
people will respect the connect, the conversation, the knowledge. I have many
young friends who also do a very good job of teaching me a few things I may
have missed when it comes to technology or approach to events
Myth 3: Gen Y do not think about the future. FALSE
They are thinking about the future all the time but for them
as of now it is something that has myriad possibilities. They are still in a
stage where they have few routes that they want to take and see where it leads
them. Given their high self confidence they are sure they will make something
out of their life and they want to clearly understand for themselves what their
purpose in life is. Ask them what they will be doing after 10 years and you are
most likely to get a stare that says “are you kidding me” but talk to them
about next 2-3 year you will have a more definitive answer which will include
discussion on things they are passionate about and that most probably will not
include work. They are clear about what they expect of life in a foreseeable
future beyond which it is about possibilities.
Myth 4: Gen Y are disloyal. FALSE
They are someone who clearly have a different understanding
of the word loyalty. For them life is like a ‘live in’ relationship concept.
With that I mean the approach is let’s be together and explore and understand
till we both see or derive value. They are not averse to long term association
but may not state it upfront. It’s like when our generation changed jobs we
would look at a stint of 3-5 years and mentally commit ourselves to the
organization. This commitment would lead us to bear the ups and down of career
and be more this will not last approach and things will improve. Today the
approach is as long as I add value to myself and grow I am good being here and
that could be 5 days, 5 weeks, 5 months or 5 years. This is also one of the reasons
personal relationships are transient for them. It’s about togetherness in real
sense where each one has expectations and understanding of how much to give in
and what to expect. It is not about sacrifice and one sided investment
Myth 5: Have no Belief in Authority. TRUE
They respect authority for their qualities of leadership,
guidance and mentoring that they get from the senior individual. They are very
open to learn and hear you for the inputs and its quality and not just because you
carry an SVP or some such senior tag will they listen to you, No. They clearly
know how to segregate riff raff from a meaningful value add conversation.
Visiting cards and titles do not impress them but quality of interaction does.
Myth 6: Gen Y are slack and lazy. FALSE
Almost all of Gen Y workforce is willing to work hard and give
it all it takes to achieve what they set out to. They are more determined than
most of their predecessors but for them getting ahead at any cost is not the
right thing. They are into work and many other things and it’s important that
they win but win by means that are right and in the manner they think is
correct. They are their own judge of right and wrong which is shaped by their
values and beliefs.
Myth 7: Gen Y want weak bosses. FALSE
Gen Y looks forward to have strong bosses not tough bosses.
For them strong boss is someone who has subject knowledge, who empowers them,
guides them. For them boss is someone who speaks their lingo, can keep up with
their pace, appreciates efforts, has no hidden agenda, is sensitive to
diversity & surrounding. They like bosses who give frequent feedback which
is actionable. What is a big NO is acting tough and appearing so just because
you are in a position of authority. They want you to be the boss but not act
like one.
Myth 8: They don’t respect family. FALSE
They respect family and care about them. They believe that
no matter what parents do they are there for them. They take for granted the
responsibilities their parents have to provide for them. They clearly want
parents who are friends. They also extend the family concept by including
friends into it. For them friends are part of the family and score over
cousins. This is because they exercise the power to choose their friends which
they do not have in case of extended family and their choice comes first. They
may have a mind of their own but acceptance of their choice be it in career,
partner or any other facet of life is very important for them. This also does
manifest in various reality shows when you see youngsters breaking down when it
comes to families or friends.
Myth 9: Gen Y have no work Ethos. FALSE
Work for them is not slogging for hours. For them work is a
means to an end not the end. Their priorities are different as they see work as
one of the part of their life and something that helps them achieve their
passion. They do not believe in staying late from optics perspective but being
there if it is needed. If there is no work then for them it’s ok to leave and
do something they want to than just hanging around in office twiddling at work.
Lot of people talk about how they dress to work. Their approach is tell me to
come in formals or the dress code and I will, if you don’t I will decide what
is appropriate and walk in.
Myth 10: They seek recognition. TRUE
They clearly believe in seeking recognition because it
differentiates them amongst their peer group. Why else do you think they would
go the most happening pub in town, post a update picture on facebook or twitter
late in the night and wait for response. Have you ever thought why Facebook
does not have a dislike button? It is about I, me and myself but in a positive
sense. ‘I know my value and I respect it’ is the attitude. No amount of
recognition or rewards is enough and more public it is the better. A reward of
dinner with family, opportunity to fulfill a passion like fly an aircraft,
hike, motorbike trip is any day better than a gift certificate or a memento. Recognition
or fame is the secret behind TV shows like Roadies / Indian idol that thrive on
fulfilling this need and are now running into many seasons , otherwise why
would someone come to an audition to be yelled , humiliated and made to feel
worthless.
Now that we have discussed the myths and I hope I have managed
to break a few, I know you are asking what is Gen Y exactly looking for. As per
me they are looking for the following:
- Freedom of expression
- Instant recognition
- Work life balance
- Coaching & Frequent
feedback
- Challenging the status quo
in their own way
So in the end what is Gen Y? If you ask me from whatever I
have gathered or understood “ IT IS A MINDSET”. This mindset or approach can
manifest in my 70 year old dad , 7 year old son , 15 year old nephew , 25 year
old coworker, 35 year old colleague or 45 year old boss.
Franklin D Roosevelt said many years ago “There is a
mysterious cycle in Human Events. To some generations much is given. Of the
others much is expected.”
Acknowledgement : Research by Strategist shared in training program was insightful and have used some of it in my blog.
