Making News

(Nov. 15, 2007)

GENERATION Y IN TODAY’S CORPORATE CULTURE
By Megan Webb and Ashley Mayfield

For the first time in U.S. history, four generations make up today’s workforce. The youngest group entering the marketplace, born between the years 1980 – 1997 and about 75 million strong, is Generation Y. As fellow Gen Yers, we believe our generation will continue to alter the landscape of today’s largest and most significant businesses and organizations. Call us what you want - Gen Yers, Millenials, iGen, Echo or Neo Boomers – our names may differ, but our attitudes will not.

Gen Yers are typically defined as independent, optimistic and relentless. We’re also youthful, bright and impetuous. A corporate environment made up of three other generations with a multitude of experience that outweighs ours, may have some believing that we’re at a disadvantage in today’s employment market. But, is that really the case? We don’t think so. And that’s only part of our charm.

We view ourselves as a value to today’s workforce and are buoyant to achieve career success, yet determined to excel in both our professional and personal lives. Like Generation X, we love to work, but don’t love to have work define our lives. Work-life balance isn’t just a word to us, it’s the motto we live by. Defining life events including 9/11 have formed our generational ideal that life is short and you have to make the most of it.

We may be young, but contrary to popular belief, we are not naïve. The generation notorious for growing up with computers, Gen Y became accustomed to utilizing the Internet and new technology at a very early age. Instant messenger, email, MySpace and Facebook, along with other social networking sites, are all part of our daily routine. We are multitaskers – simultaneously emailing on our Blackberry’s, surfing the Web and chatting on the phone.

Our technological savviness and obsession with change put us at a serious advantage in today’s working environment. Incorporating new technology into our daily lives is not a daunting task, but an adventure. We ask questions, and won’t stop until we’ve found the answer, even if that means emailing the president of our company to receive it. The majority of us are also collaborative by nature, making us exemplary team players. Quickness, diligence and aptitude are only some of the vital assets we provide to the marketplace.

Gen Yers are also typically driven and determined. We seek empowerment by companies to embark on our entrepreneurial spirit. We desire the independence to be responsible for our own career and seek out jobs that satisfy our quest for personal fulfillment. We don’t want to just punch a clock and be responsible for a shift.

Moreover, our anxiousness to nurture and shape our careers enables us to seek out mentors for advice and first-hand experience. We want our careers on the fast-track; and when we want something, we go after it, regardless of our age or status. We become quickly frustrated with seasoned employees when we feel their skills are lacking, and we’re not afraid to say it. We believe employers should deem performance more important than permanence. 

Overall, Gen Yers are both high-performance and high-maintenance. Our heroic nature, multitasking capabilities and knowledge of technology are all part of our impact. Today’s corporate culture will continue to feel the shock waves of Gen Y as more and more young 20-somethings enter the workforce. Watch out…your next boss may be one of us!


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