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06.09

Can Generation Y Be Your Solution to Growth During This Recession?

By Gary Perman

You might think Generation Y (GenY) professionals would be the least equipped to weather a recession, let alone be the solution to a company’s survival during a recession. This is the generation whose "helicopter parents" hovered over their every move, pampered to their every whim and taught them that they were all winners. They grew up with “time outs,” Mr. Moms and Moore's Law. GenY, the newest generation to enter the work force was born between the years of 1982 to 2002, meaning we will experience Gen Yers entering the work force for the next ten years. According to GenY expert and consultant Bret Bernhoft, “there are 70 million Gen Yers, 93 percent are connected to the internet and 97 percent own cell phones. They will have had six jobs by the age of 25.”

This is the first generation to grow up with technology and has never experienced life without computers. They surpass GenX and Boomers in technological authority. They can access worlds of information and master increasingly complex systems much faster than their elders. They are confident, diverse, communal and opinionated. They are the most technologically experienced generation of the three generations currently in the work place; they are also the most educated of the generations. Thus they bring a tremendous asset to the growth of companies, as all fields of business systems become more and more technologically advanced and dependent.

GenY is a generation of self esteem, openness and tolerance. Yet this same generation is completely different than previous generations. Thus managers, usually consisting of Boomers and Gen Xers, need to manage Generation Y differently to obtain the best performance and results these workers have to offer. GenY is motivated by challenging work and responsibility and contributing to a meaningful cause. They don’t seem so concerned about climbing the corporate career ladder to earn a new job title. Receiving more responsibilities and challenging work, and the ability to "make a difference" is all that really seems to matter to GenY.

GenY is less likely to hang out at the water cooler like their predecessors, and prefer the online social networks of Facebook, Myspace and others to socialize with people who share their same interests and passions. They blog and tweet and share their lives on the internet.

Many technology leaders underestimate Generation Y’s ability to contribute and prosper. Yet, this generation may actually be better prepared to weather a recession than Generation X and Boomers. By understanding this group, you can better utilize GenY to help you thrive in this recession. Following are few reasons why:

• GenY is the true “free agent” of today’s work force. GenX started this trend as company loyalty began to decline due to outsourcing, layoffs and attitudes of corporate executives who began to focus on pleasing stockholders rather than employees. GenX and Boomers saw employees become a replaceable commodity rather than an asset to be invested in and nurtured. Changes in leadership and outsourced manufacturing brought continued change in attitude and culture and over the years, after waves of layoffs, the decline in employee loyalty had diminished to near zero.  Boomers grew up with a culture of company loyalty, retirement and a gold watch. Gen Xers inherited a confused work place, wrestling with the values that their parents instilled in them and a growing lack of loyalty from their employers. Yet GenY has no problems with company loyalty — it's non-existent. They are the first immersed free Agents — thus independent, and self reliant. GenY saw their parents get laid off. They saw their parents' pensions disappear. They saw their parents get minute severance packages. Consequently, these older generations taught their GenY kids to put their own well-being before their employers' needs. These parents have been preaching, "Don't make the same mistakes we did. Your father put 22 years into his company only to be laid off and replaced with a 30-year-old MBA college graduate." Gen Y's parents are telling them, "Look out for yourself. If you're not feeling valued and respected in your job, get the heck out and find another one." Understanding this can help technology leaders manage this part of the work force more efficiently.

• GenY will work for less money. It’s common knowledge that some companies will cut higher-paid workers during a layoff to save some money in the short term. So Generation Y professionals may be better positioned to survive a layoff based purely on the fact that because they're younger and less experienced, they're paid less. They might even get a promotion out of it. Companies might get rid of senior executives and front line mangers who are being paid higher salaries with costly benefit packages. This will allow them to move a younger person into those positions for less compensation costs. These tech savvy Gen Y professionals can manage systems more efficiently and work more hours for less pay. Given challenges and responsibilities, they will contribute tirelessly, but not because they're loyal to the company. They rarely own houses, they don’t have kids in college, or large debt, and thus they can live on less than their co-workers of GenX and Boomers.

• Gen Yers have been multitasking since they were toddlers. Between school, soccer practice, student council meetings and drama club — all while text messaging their friends — members of Generation Y have been juggling multiple responsibilities since they could walk. Consequently, they’re well prepared to handle extra work. They're so comfortable multitasking and dealing with change as its happening that they might have an upper hand while those around them are stressed and overworked. They're comfortable taking on double duty and handling multiple tasks being thrown at them at a time when their organization is going through change. “Generation Y is a dynamic and fluid bunch, capable of molding themselves to fit any number of challenging circumstances. During hard times, it is important to have as versatile and capable a work force as possible, a group that can meet modern challenges with an understanding of how to function.” Says Bret Bernhoft, an expert on GenY and president of InsYght Consulting. Bret also suggests that GenY is both dynamic and has a fresh perspective. He believes that the Gen Yers offer the ability to be mobile and very efficient as core traits of this generation.

Just as Gen Y can contribute exponentially to your company and its success, technology leaders need to understand how to manage this group of technology professionals, as they require a different management style then their co-workers of GenX and the Boomers.

1. Motivate GenY. Educating Gen Y about the contributions their company products and services make to society, as well as how the company supports the local community, will enjoy greater success at motivating Gen Yers. Does your company donate to employees charities or encourage volunteer work? These are important to Gen Y. Offer motivations important to GenY, rather than motivators that would better resonate with GenX or Boomers.
    

2. Provide Gen Y Access to Technology. Access to technology is key to effectively managing Generation Y, especially during a recession. Bret Bernhoft says the reason is twofold: “The first reason being that to remove Generation Y from relative open access to technology is like removing a fish from water and therefore forces them to openly disobey policies in order to breathe again, thus making them less productive. The second reason why access to technology is important is that it promotes new ways of seeing things and collaboration on existing ideas. Being nimble and more efficient with your given resources during a recession is vital; Generation Y and technology can do this for your company.”
    

3. Balance Delegated Assignments with Freedom and Flexibility. Create well-defined and clear goals. They want the assurance that what they are doing will have an impact and create results. Managers must communicate the big picture, the results desired, and what roles team members will play. Micromanagement doesn’t work with Gen Y. Give them the desired results and they may very likely “step out of the box” to obtain the results you want. Set priorities of tasks and deadlines. Write it down. Each contributor should have a copy so they remain clear on their respective commitments. Allow staff to collaborate on time off and be as flexible as you can. If you can offer some remote work, maybe a day working at home, try it. If productivity remains high, continue.
    

4. Train and Mentor GenY. GenY is extremely tech savvy. They demand respect, and you will receive it in return. Guide them in planning, time management and project management. Become an aggressive listener who acknowledges what they say about how to achieve the team's goals. They have great ideas. Make yourself available as resource, but get out of their way and let them work.

Boyd Carter, webmaster of Elegant Solutions and owner of Mybabyboomers.com adds, “Boomers and GenX managers can get the most productivity from GenY's by doing the following:

• Listen with respect

• Don't be condescending

• Don't criticize, ask for other possible ways of doing something (remember, they grew up on the notion that everybody is a winner)

• Acknowledge the GenY skill set and challenge them for solutions from it

• Agree on roles (e.g., your responsibility is ABC, management's responsibility is EFG)

5. Encourage Collaboration. According to Bernhoft, “Collaboration is the art of pulling in a variety of minds and inspiring the free flow of insights and perspectives to achieve a common goal.” During a period of recession, collaboration can make or break a company. He adds, “During a recession, collaboration utilizes scarce resources more effectively and focuses the minds around a collective singularity, something of vital importance. Without collaboration, the infinitely valuable flow of ideas is ignored. Additionally, collaboration also breaks the boundaries that were reinforced during times of prosperity, making way for the changes that are needed to progress into the future.”

Teamwork matters, especially to Gen Y. They have a sense of community, but it is different than the ones that GenX and Boomers are familiar with.

Eric Jacques, IT Manager at Nuance Communications, includes some additional points to consider in managing GenY:

• Show them what's in it for them

• Lead by example, and don't let a "bad" influence become their example

• Show them the value of others' differences

• Give them some time for social interaction but don't let it become their job

• Ensure that they know and understand what's expected from them

• Give them feedback early and often

• Make sure that they see that actions have consequences, both positive and negative

• Listen — make them feel that they are part of the team, process and decisions

Although there are distinct advantages to hiring GenY, don’t ignore GenX and Boomers as vital contributors to your team. A diverse team is essential, but remember that the method of management isn’t the same for each generation. Attempting to force your multigenerational team to be managed with the same strategies will be detrimental to your organization's growth and success.

“An imbalanced team will make costly mistakes that eventually catch up with you. If you want to add value to your technology operation, hire and retain people who are willing to experiment with new technologies (regardless of their age),” says Matthew Monahan, Senior IT Manager at Triangle Web Applications. By understanding who GenY is and how they are different than other generations, managers can integrate GenY in their multigenerational work force and propel their team towards growth and prosperity during this recession and beyond.

Gary Perman is a certified recruiting professional and owner of PermanTech, which specializes in providing critical management for companies throughout North America. He also hosts a technology employment blog.

Comments on this article may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.

Opinions expressed are the author's.