So, by now, you know everything you need to know about Gen Y in the workplace. Their likes, their dislikes, how they're different from you and me, how they like hot butter on their breakfast toast…
Whoops.. Wrong generation… Seriously, you know it all about Gen Y. That means bloggers like me shouldn't do 1,500 word manifestos on how to manage them. It's been done, we really have nothing to add at a macro level. The micro level? Still plenty to explore, like ways that Gen Y can pontificate about themselves and alienate every old person (and a lot of Gen Y's as well) in the room
The quickest way for Gen Y to alienate an employer? Claim they can get it done in less time than anyone else because they're Gen Y. That's a bridge to nowhere.
That's why Jim Durbin is sick of Gen Y cheerleading by those who can't/don't want to put in a full day of work. More from the STL Recruiter (aka the Social Media Headhunter):
"Take this Cheezhead writer who just finished his third RockStar. He prattles on about being challenged and claims that Gen Y can get a full day's work done in four hours. 1) – The actual useful work they knock out is about 30 minutes, as their inability to pay attention prevents them from actually, you know, working.
And there's another problem. Children who think an 8 hour job can be done in 4 hours usually don't understand the job.
It's nonsense. Gen Y doctors and engineers and teachers and factory workers and loggers and burger flippers aren't getting work done any faster. A small subset of white, college degree urban rich kids with marketing, PR, and other service jobs are chafing that they aren't respected. Of course, those professions are also the ones where lack of experience leads to lack of results. Show me a 23 year old marketing consultant who can effectively manage an email marketing campaign for a national car dealer and I'll eat my MacBook. Those industries are under heavy spending pressure, and thankfully, this nonsense will go away as they are laid off and have to take jobs that aren't challenging but at least pay the rent.
If you don't like your job, quit and start your own business. The workload will make you too busy and tired to whine, but at least you'll find out if you really have what it takes."
Wow. Jim nailed that one. The only thing missing was a clip of Dennis Miller at the lead saying, "I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but…". Full disclosure – there are a lot of hard working, talented Gen Y people, who don't display the behavior outlined by Jim. Additionally, Gen Y, talking about how they like to be managed, how they like to work? That's all still fair game and interesting in my eyes.
But, the ones who like to talk smack that the work is easy? Jim's right about them, and the ones who like to wax poetic about how easy the work is, have always struck me as doing a huge disservice to the other 99% of Gen Ys in the workplace. Kind of like radical religious sects in certain parts of the world hijacking the faith and reputations of the other 99.9%, who are solid citizens.
The .1%? They're the ones with the videocams.. or the blogs…
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I am a young GenXer/old GenYer who feels more like a GenXer and I am SO sick and tired of GenYer’s blogging about how they are the greatest thing since sliced bread and that they can do everything better than any previous generation of people because they “know how to use computers” and “are great milti-taskers”. It seems many of them think that experience is worth nothing since they can do everthing better than everyone else without having to work hard for it.
My thoughts are, if you can do a good job, prove it, and you’ll be rewarded.
ha! i think we’ll all see that as the downturn continues – and as gen y gets through their first economic crisis – we’ll stop hearing all the self promotion that gen y supposedly does (that is, if we’re making sweeping statements about an entire generation…). true, many of us do think we’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, but we’ll be humbled in this economy.
and while it’s tough to make generalization about an entire generation, i do think there’s value in continuing to talk about how we like to be managed and how we work – because i think there are still legitimate differences there. so y’all can talk about that, and in the meantime, we’ll talk less about our greatness and let someone write it for the history books much later on.
I want to be fair to vast majority of Gen Y. The cheerleading they do for themselves is usually parroting what they’ve read in the increasingly unimportant mainstream media.
Much of the cheerleading comes from older generations looking to make themselves feel younger and hipper by reporting on being in sync with the younger generation.
So I blame media more than the Generation, and the individual next.
I perhaps wasn’t clear enough – the doctors, loggers, burger flippers, engineers and others are working their way through the system, and they will change it, and they do need to be managed differently.
Permanently gluing lips to sensitive areas of their posterior is where I draw the line. Or listening to partially employed youngsters whose job is solely based on convincing you the greatest generation has arrived.
If you’re job is easy, you’re a grunt. If you get bored and don’t fill your time building relationships and practicing politics, you’re destined to be a grunt. This isn’t a generational thing, it’s a perspective thing.
Leadership is a full time job. Management is a full time job. Cranking through your work and then complaining because nobody else is filling your time with more work… or simply not realizing that your speed is a gift that you could use to buy the time you need to practice them… confirms that you are ready for neither.
At least, not yet.
Here’s what I don’t get: If you can get your work done in four hours, then why not ask for other stuff to do?? Why not figure out new ways to create value for your employer?? Or figure out ways to export your efficiencies to other people in your department?? Whatever. Figure it out!
Three words for any up-and-comer who wants to pack it in after four hours: SHAME ON YOU.
Where’s the passion?? Where’s the intellectual curiosity?? Where’s the academic rigor?? Where’s the passion for excellence?? Where is the desire to be the best?? Where is the desire to learn a business from the ground up?? Where is the respect for the law of the farm?? Man!
Hey Gen Y readers: It’s not a generational thing. It’s a KICK ASS thing. I am not a curmudgeon. I am not a has been. I am simply a hard working, intellectually curious, academically rigorous, passionate guy with an appreciation for EXCELLENCE. And I know what it takes to kick ass.
It takes a lot of grit and focus and humility — for starters. It doesn’t take more than you have. But it takes more than you are spending.
I’ll stop lecturing now, but all I really wanna know is this: WHEN-OH-WHEN can I finally start competing with these green horns?? Please: When will my life get easier??
Bring it. Please. I’m begging you … I have five kids and a stay-at-home wife and I’m self-employed and I’m HUNGRY.
And evidently, you are not.
Harry Joiner
MarketingHeadhunter.com
Anonymous/Jessica – good points, but I’m not focused on the macro with this one. Just for the small percentage of spokespeople for Gen Y who hijack the image.
Jim – thanks for post, good stuff.
Jason – amen. great take…
What I have found is that a number of our Gen Y staff truly believe that they are more productive. What they don’t see is a legion of Boommers and Gen X’rs going behind them and “fixing” their work and then complaining about their incompetence. One of my challenges is getting these groups to stop ignoring the Gen Y’rs and start sharing their knowledge. Its one thing to sit back and complain about our Gen Y employees; however when we aren’t doing anything to teach them we’re just as much to blame.