Business, Communication.
Recruiting the generation "y" workforce - in case you haven' t notice there' s a new generational cohort entering the workplace and they are making their presence know. If you want to bring out the best in your Generation Y workforce you may have to begin by letting go of traditional methods in favor of a more creative approach.
Generation Y( aka iGeneration, Millennium Generation, Google Generation, and the Boomerang Generation) , have grown up in a world of diverse Internet resources. - according to experts, generation y workers were born generally from 1977 - 200their force is almost 80 million strong out numbering the boomers by approximately 1 million. The business world as we know it is changing. In a recent survey conducted among hiring managers and Human Resource professionals, the generation gap, across all industries is more pronounced in the areas of communication styles and job expectations in the workplace. As the skilled Boomers retire, companies will have to go the extra mile to replace them. An inaccurate description of this group is since they have been pampered their whole life they are lazy.
Gen Y workers will have a huge impact on the workplace. - they are not only high maintenance but high performing as well. In addition they have very high expectations of themselves. This generation of workers comes computer literate and high tech ready. Employers are scrambling to implement new policies and programs that appeal to the new workforce. There is still much to be learned about this new cohort of workers but here' s a start on some basic principles to keep in mind.
Those managers that hold steady to old belief about the workplace and how work is done in the business world - will find themselves out of jobs. - recruiting - gen y are civic minded and socially conscious and very aware of the world. Gen Y is all about choices and meaningful work and social networks. They volunteer and feel personally responsible for making a difference in the world. Don' t be put off by the tattoos or piercing, those are considered stylish and/ or spiritual. They' ll get the job completed according to the deadline but will resent being reminded to.
Motivate - They like to have choices focusing on output not method. - members of gen y are not obsessed with work. You will find social networks of friends are their preferred environment and they love to be decorated with their iPods, and laptops, BlackBerrys. Although they want to make good money, it is not what motivates them. Realizing anything is possible they are determined to live their best lives now. When creating new policies list the benefits with out assumptions as to which gender will use them( eg. maternity leave) . Retain - Gen Y is known for gender bending.
Don' t be surprised to find they need flex time to compete in some extreme sports activity or to travel. - this young workforce will job - hop when they see no other choice. Expanding their experience, and mentoring are, education important to this generation. They have a reputation for experiencing boredom and frustration with slow - paced environments, and slightly outdated, traditional hierarchies technology. They are also likely to be boomerang employees. Telecommuting programs are in great demand allowing Gen Y to work remotely. Those who leave and come back, will return knowing the company and culture and bring a new perspective and institutional knowledge which will be an asset.
Expect to get professional consultation to transform your organization and coaching for your managers. - trying to keep up with their demands could send any company into a frenzy but remember workplace diversity is not just about culture: it' s about the way people think. This generation is very different from any other generation the workplace has seen. They place a high value on self fulfillment. Unlike Boomers who lived for their careers, today' s young workers are more interested in making their jobs accommodate their families and personal life. As Bruce Tulgan, author of Managing Generation Y, says, "If you thought you saw a clash when Generation X came into the workplace, that was the fake punch. The haymaker is coming now. "
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Inside of the world of Generational Consulting there is plenty of room for everyone to stretch out and really take their fair share of the pie. There are literally no restrictions, at this point, on the influence a Gen Y consultant can have on their clients and those who they advise. But, like any unlicensed profession there is a huge disparity between the quality and usefulness found amongst those sources of information. Reminiscent of the questionable practices of medicine prior to the founding of the AMA and its Universal Standards for Medicine, Generational Consulting has a “diverse” membership.
There is a distinct difference between advice and insight when either giving or receiving consultation. Some sources of consultation provide advice, similar to that of a fortune teller or even your best friend, while others provide you a source of insight. The practical application of either type of information is simple, one is simply a collection of facts without perspective while the other is a collection of facts with an understanding of how to apply them. Today it is too easy for a Generational Consultant to provide advice and for it to be taken as either providence or truly valuable. The reason for this is simple; tradition.
The traditional model for doing business as a consultant is to have served in an industry in a position that has ultimately led to a wealth of knowledge on a specific subject. Such as person then branches off from corporate practice and offers this experience to a willing client for a free. The consultant uses their experience and expertise to develop a product for a client. Through their willingness to pay for such a service, a client places a level of trust inside the provided consultation and a constantly replicated set of results are produced using a regularly tapped structure of thought. Here in lies the problem for Generational Consultation.
When a consultant advises a client on how to market or manage Gen Y, unless they are themselves directly privy to the experience of Generation Y they are so many degrees of separation from the insight. Being the key ingredient inside of effective and productive insight, experience and insight must be present in order to truthfully and appropriately provide consultation. One of the primary rules for reaching Generation Y is to access Generation Y at their level, at our level. Without the direct experience of being a Generation Yer, a consultant cannot provide the insight, only the facts, this is damaging and ultimately misleading to a client.
As stated earlier, tradition is the greatest force working against Generational Consultants. If experience and insight are fundamental to excellence in consultation and if Generation Y only responds to messages from equals and peers, the client must therefore be privy to this level of insight as well. And yes, not only is it a mockery but a truth, it does take one to know one.
Consultants come in every shape and form, but one universal truth is that the information provided to a client must be filled with insight and experience. Unless the consultant is a Gen Yer they cannot effectively and honestly consult on Gen Y. Traditions are meant to be broken, welcome to Generation Y, we are the future.
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