The Gen Y “Time Wasters” … not!
Sorry for the rant … but I’m sick of Gen Y’s being accused of being lazy time wasters … usually appended with “… who spend all day at work on Facebook“. Yes, I have to admit that there are some of my generation of Gen Y who are lazy, unmotivated and generally useless. There are also plenty of Gen X’s who are the same.
I’ve touched on previously about the benefits of social networks though colleagues of mine who really work in the Web/Enterprise 2.0 space have blogged in more detail about this. I’m not going to go into that again, not tonight. But if you want a really quick brief intro, then have a look at this presentation on SlideShare: The Gen Y Guide to Web 2.0 at Work.
What I do want to say the Gen X’s who are Gen Y haters … please stop assuming that simply because you came first that your way and your values are neccessarily better and that anything else is wrong. Gen Y is about innovation, creativity and creating an environment where the emphasis is less on “words typed per minute” and more on being open to collaboration and looking to the future instead of being stuck in the rut of “right now”.
I’m not going to get on my high horse and say that our way is neccessarily better either. Both sides have their pros and cons, sure. Our way is the natural progression from your generation.
You worked hard. Now we’re going to work smart.
It is the future. It is inevitable. It is happening. We already outnumber you more than 2 to 1. So please help it happen, encourage it, be a part of it. “Gen X” and “Gen Y” does not have to be about which decade you were born it but whether you will accept this change in culture … or remain in the nineties.
May 21st, 2008 at 11:59 pm
And no I’m not ignoring the arguments of Gen X … in fact I’ll even link to an anti-Gen Y article so you can see both sides of the coin.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:04 am
While the generational stereotyping that places you as Gen Y and me as Gen X tends to true across populations, it’s demonstrably not so in smaller groups. Alli has a handle on this stuff and had posted about it at length on her blog at http://www.shiftedhr.com/2008/03/11/is-there-really-a-generation-gap/
The next time someone accuses you of being a lazy Gen Yer (which I know you’re not), point them at the extensive ethnographic research that indicates that it’s situational not generational. Hell, point them at me and tell them about your Gen X mate who works (successfully and productively) like a so-called Gen Y kid.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:05 am
Yeah that’s where I was trying to go with my “doesn’t have to be about which decade you were born in” comment. I consider you a Gen Y. Thanks for the link to that article too! Only got around to adding Alli’s blog to my feed reader a week ago
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:25 am
Good post. Agreed. And Gen Y’ers are going to change the way lawyers work as well. They’ll be more productive than the older set… http://lawyerkm.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/attorney-20-generation-y-in-your-law-firm/
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:31 am
[…] Nathanael Boehm’s blog: The Gen Y “Time Wasters” … not! […]
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:27 am
I agree that this is a misconception. Currently I am surveying workers regarding what creates the most motivating work environment. There are some differences that older generations need to understand.
I would love to have your help with this survey and gathering a representative sample of GenY.
http://maketheirday.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/survey-generational-preferences-in-employee-recognition/
thanks!
May 23rd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
We out number Gen X, but they, in combination with the Boomers, out-power us. Until such time as the Gen Xs and Boomers at the pointy end start retiring and leaving the workforce, this inter-generational squabble will continue.
I look at it this way - Gen Y is only now starting to move into the workplace in big numbers. Before now, Gen Xers have had a decade or so of doing things their way or carving their own comfortable niche while working with the Boomers. That’s a long time for behaviour to become entrenched. Gen Y represents a new way of looking at things and large collections of people (like, say, a generation) have a tendency towards conservatism and fear change.
This is all natural. After all, think of how the Boomers were looked upon disdainfully by their parents because of the anti-war protests, drug use and ‘free love’. Gen X was scorned by Boomers as slackers and lay abouts who didn’t want to do any work. Gen X, supported by the Boomers, have a tendency to turn on the kids coming through the system largely because they are different and they can’t understand them.
Conservatism. Fear of change. Two very powerful concepts that have a great degree of control over the herd-like collective mindshare.
Hopefully some of that makes some sense
June 13th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
[…] started a couple of weeks beek reading Nathanael B’s post on Gen Y workers in the Gen Y workplace. I thought I better check that I was Gen X before commenting, so off to the authority of […]