Gen-Y entitlement and the future of the workforce

Great article. Glad you highlighted those who ARE willing to work hard WHILE wanting to live a full life.

“Rather than resist, employers need to embrace the unique qualities of Gen-Y: we’re tech savvy, we can multitask at breakneck speeds, and we’re aware of the world.

Treat us young workers with the respect we deserve, and we’ll return it. If you find yourself with a whiny, unmotivated ass, fire him or her and lesson learned. There’s more than enough of us willing and deserving to fill big shoes.”

Amen.

Thank you Candice. This article was awesome, well spoken, and so true!

It’s such a funny thing, I was thinking about this yesterday! Everything you said is true in my opinion, and same with the studies- fine, we’re spoiled brats who expect the world. But every generation that comes into being has higher expectations than the last one. Maybe we as humans are trying to reach a state where we balance work with play (unlike previous generations who worked 16 hours a day because they had no other choice if they wanted to survive), and maybe we have high hopes for the future! We have the whole world at our feet; more people than ever before are getting to travel, volunteer, explore, have hobbies, develop themselves personally and spiritually, and make independent decisions instead of falling into the work-and-have-2.5-kids-and-a-picket-fence mentality. We have more options than anyone ever has and we’re taking advantage of it.

I’m very hopeful for our generation for the reasons above. To everyone who thinks we’re selfish and lazy I say take a good look at how many of us are activists, environmentalists or making eco-friendly lifestyle changes, volunteers, socially conscious, creative and athletes. If you watch The Hills and are judging our generation based on that then of course you’re feeling negative. But come on Matador, go to the college campuses, contact volunteer organizations and open your eyes- maybe we seem lazy because we don’t want/have to work all day every day but in my opinion we are far more well-rounded and concentrate our energy on the parts of life that lay outside the office!

An objective article. There are always two sides to a coin. Many call Gen Y the “strawberry generation”, calling us fragile. it’s really a toss up, whether it’s that Gen Y really split at the mention of hard work; or whether the work environment should change because Gen Y arrives with plenty of fresh ideas.

Funny thing is, most Gen Yers (and the tail end of Xers like myself) I know work harder and longer hours than our parents did. Sure, part of that entails using social media, but just because it’s social, doesn’t mean it’s not work. I see people disconnecting from work as a much worse problem now than it even was 10 years ago.

At the same time, people are taking an active role in carving a life that fulfills them, whether at an office or on their own, and I think forward thinking companies (usually run by more youthful people) like Google and Clif Bar, among others, not only get that, but reinforce it. Fulfill other parts of yourself outside of work, and you will bring more innovative ideas to the table at work, plain and simple.

And what the hell is wrong with thinking well about yourself and believing you deserve to be treated respectfully?

@WorldFriends: Most definitely, and I don’t mean to make any generalizations about Gen-X. I know there are many (if not most) who embrace the Gen-Y change.

@Lindi: Just finished reading a book titled “Happiness” by Will Ferguson which touches on that very topic. Pick it up!

@Christine: You’re so right! Happy employees = better productivity.

@Heather: Yep, and I’ve also seen more than a few people return to school because they couldn’t find a job in their fields and really didn’t know what else to do, especially with having to face paying off all that debt. Just doesn’t make sense.

Hear, hear! So well said. Love your writing style Candice. Way to empower! Especially for those of us trying to ignore the economy, not settle, and go after that dream job…

I think perhaps many take this study a bit too seriously. Those studies — which often end up driving marketing — are based on entire groups. It would make sense that a group who has grown up in a world where you have everything at your fingertips in a way only the internet can provide would expect things to be easier in all aspects.

Then come economic crash.

This current generation — with generations now being measured as 10 years as opposed to the 20 years a generation used to be — will not do as well monetarily as their parents generation. Thus, this generation will either moan and complain (as some do) or they will go out and find other types of measurements (as others do).

That said, there are studies on every single generation. Some negative, some positive. You either accept it or ignore it. If I believed everything about Gen-X, I’d probably long ago have locked myself in a dark room listening to Kurt Cobain and wondering why the world isn’t fair.

But the idea of blaming previous generations and people for the state of the current world is pointless and will lead to the sort of entitled navel gazing mentioned in the study.

Thank you.

I am so tired of hearing these complaints about my generation. Corporate culture is wrong. And so new workers are demanding respect for their rights as human beings, not just cubicle workers.

Non-profits are not off the hook either. For instance, it’s wrong to expect unpaid interns to do the work of employees who get full benefits and pay. It’s also illegal, but there’s extremely little goverment oversight in that area.

I say we should give ‘em hell until we get fair treatment and compensation. In the words of Lauryn Hill, “respect is just a minimum.”

Great article Candice! It inspired me to add some of my own reflections here:
http://re-be.com/blog/intergenerational-stone-throwing/

When some older people express their disdain at the selfishness of younger generations, I wonder if they are actually masking the guilt that they feel for their generation’s part in creating a more individualistic world. The louder that these people label other generations as greedy or individualistic, without questioning their own part in this process, the more likely this seems to me.

Regardless of whether we think young people are part of “Generation Me” or “Generation We”, it’s time to stop throwing stones between the generations.

I’ve felt this about myself, a Gen-Y-er, on more than one occasion. But I know where it comes from. Your parents and teachers tell you that if you get good grades and go to college, that a high-paying job will be waiting for you on the other side and you’ll never want for anything. But after you do those things, you find out that the world isn’t just giving away money to anyone with a college degree (or with a masters for that matter). You only make the big money if you chose one of a handful of lucrative careers like finance (before the recession, anyway). But if you didn’t, it’s a little hard to take. If this is called “entitlement,” then so be it, I feel entitled.