8 Ways Gen Y Can Impact HR

Great Post Kelly!
Thanks for all of your continued support. It means the world to me. Looking forward to meeting you this year!
Shennee

Kelly,

I think this is a fantastic post. I put it out on Twitter yesterday because I think it will help leaders better understand how to leverage strengths.

Unlike Chris, I did not see this post as a set of derogatory generalizations. I don’t have many Gen Y people in my life, so I appreciate understanding more about them. If we’re going to talk about diversity and teach people how to make the most of everyone’s differences, it has to start with some generalizations – after all, we don’t have access to every Gen Y, Gen X or Baby Boomer in this nation. In fact, this is how most learning begins: we identify trends, we learn about the trends, then we take those trends and determine what is true for us, not true for us and what actions to take as a result.

I do agree with Chris that we need to be careful of stereotypes and not allow those to dominate our interactions with others. I think the problems begin when we make generalizations a stopping point in our learning instead of a great starting point for having further conversations.

Thanks for the post and keep up the good work Kelly!

PS – I would love to read something about how Latinas can impact the workplace; it would be a fantastic conversation starter.

In response to the comment left by Chris Ferdinandi:

Your suggestion: “Instead of writing about 8 ways Gen Y can impact HR, why not talk about “8 ways YOU can impact HR.” Subtle change that makes a world of difference.

I believe you may have missed the point of this post. And because I feel that it’s important for someone in your position to “get it”, let me explain…

Every individual has an impact on anything whether it be HR, Recruiting, or the amount of wine that’s left over at a dinner party. We are very powerful as individuals because we do indeed have an impact. This post was not about the YOU or the I, this post was about the older generations who have not yet adapted to the changes that have taken place in the workforce. The “Boomers” and the “Xers”, me falling into the Xer generation, often follow a different way of thinking about progression because that has been our experience. As a Gen Y professional, Kelly has shared some very positive qualities that her generation shares. Not to say that others do not possess these qualities because they do not fall in the Gen Y category. That was not expressed in this post at all. The purpose of this is to show the older generations that these qualities do exist within the new generation of professionals. And because Gen Y does in fact hold these qualities, they will in fact have a very positive and powerful impact on the HR community.

Great post Kelly!

We all have the rights to our own opinions and I definitely respect yours Chris. My opinion for you is that you’re doing yourself a great disservice by trying to disconnect yourself from your own generation. A generation that brings so many wonderful new outlooks on the way we do business. There is no argument when you’re speaking of individuality. Your point is made and it stands clear. But to say that Gen Y doesn’t actually “share” anything is just like saying that we as humans don’t actually “share” anything. It’s just incorrect.

Chris,

The whole point of doing blog posts like this one is to help other generations understand what is common in ours. What are the mentality changes and why we behave the way we do. So here the point is not to focus on differences but to focus on what makes us a whole. If tons of books are written on Gen Y don’t you think it might prove that we do have common things? I know it is no proof but it might be a way to get some.

Cheers

EDIT: Veronica, that should say “Haven’t disassociated from my generation…” oops!

Chis, I respect your opinion that everyone is different and has something unique to offer. Being a pre-babyboomer myself, I have had the luxury of a perspective that allows me to look across 4 generations. It may be subtle, but trust me when I say, there is a gap with each. I believe that perspect can only come with age and having lived through them. My Parents had slightly different values than myself having lived through the great depression. I have different values from my children (who are all different) and my grand children…well they are living in a far different world than I did at that age. These life experiences all go into shaping our value system and how we approach our environment and the ones around us. Yes we are all different, yes we all have something unique to offer, yet we are the same in many other ways for being shaped by the times we live in.

Kelly, Interesting blog and when you generate discussion it is all the better.

Interesting and long heated dialogue on this topic While there are differences and similarities between people i think we get into this war to prove a point when generational, racial, cultural, and/or socio-economic differences are brought out.

Regardless – the fact that the conversation happens is more often better than the agreement or disagreement in opinion.

Like I said on Twitter, besides the obvious difference in age of generations, the only true difference is the context of our generations i.e. We all love music, just a question of what kind! just my thought!

@benjaminmccall
LinkedIn

@Wendy, thanks for weighing in! I have a few thoughts around some of the things you’ve brought up.

The divorce example you cited – is it something that influenced you? Probably, but I’d imagine the way it influenced you is drastically different from how it influenced someone who’s parents were actually divorced. And so to draw conclusions about behavior and values of an entire generation from something like strikes me as short-sighted and missing a huge piece of the picture.

And I would certainly imagine your husbands experiences growing up in another country influenced him. But the culture that exists in his home country spanned all generations, much as the culture in the US spans many generations.

I know traditionalists were influenced by 9/11, too. Think of those who lost children and grandchildren during that event.

I wonder how many of the things associated with generations are due to the strife that always arises between young people entering the workforce for the first time and people who are already there, and how much is due to changes in society at a macro level.

Chris,
To clarify, yes, I was deeply affected by my friends whose parents divorced. As a teenager, I think it’s fairly typical to spend a lot more time talking (and crying) to one’s friends than to one’s parents. I felt her pain as if it were my own. No, I didn’t have to be personally shuttled between my own mother and father’s home but make no mistake about the extent to which I was impacted.

Stereotypes of any kind can be as damaging as they are useful, so it is important as you say to not let it be the only piece of the picture that is viewed. I simply dispute the opinion that any generational view piece should be thrown out entirely. Simply understanding history (not necessarily studying generations) can make a difference in relating to indivuals that grew up in a world that was different that one’s own.

Thanks for spurring all the dialogue!

@Kelly,

Are you dodging the question? I understand it’s of extreme interest to you, and I by no means meant to imply that you put this out as SEO bait (though in re-reading my original comment, I can see how it may have been taken that way).

It’s one thing to say you don’t agree with what I’m saying. To call me closed-minded is a statement about me personally, though. Attack the idea – not the person. I disagree with you, that bothers you, and now you’re making assessments of me and my personal character instead of my ideas.

I’ve done a lot of research on this topic, too. I attended several seminars, read numerous articles and a book… and my conclusion is that it’s unhealthy focus on generational issues in this manner.

So I’d ask you again, what that I’ve said do you disagree with, and why?

Ooookay…. As a Gen Y HR blogger, I figure I might as well toss out my two cents as well.

1) Gen Y does have unique skills and abilities to bring to the workplace. I agree completely.
2) I think the comparison of stereotypes that Chris made in his original comment were apt. Why is it okay to make blanket statements about one group and not another?
3) I am so unlike a lot of Gen Yers that it’s almost crazy. I stink at multitasking (I think of it as a way to do a lot of jobs really bad all at once).

The post is good, I like the discussion in the comments, but I don’t know that it’s something that’s actually going to help me be a better professional (and therefore doesn’t warrant the energy to debate!). Keep up the good work, Kelly.

Just thinking out loud here…

I think it’s a little safer to make blanket statements about a “group” (whether that is defined by race, gender, culture, or other) if one belongs to it. I could safely say, because I am a woman, that women tend to be more emotional than men. When I say “safely” I mean without risk of political backlash. Clearly some women might take offense at that statement. We risk offending groups when we make blanket statements about them and we are not part of that group – or obviously, if what we have to say is negative or derogatory. Is it “okay” to comment that blacks are stronger runners than other racial groups? Are all blacks great runners? No. But a sufficient number of the best runners are indeed black. Perhaps, then, it depends on why I am commenting on this trend at all. If my motivation for identifying trends is constructive, then it has a better chance of not being viewed as politically incorrect, or generate disdain from those witnessing my generalization. Perhaps it is the “generationalists” themselves that have irritated people like Chris who question their motives, or the usefulness of their generalizations. Since Kelly’s motivation in her blog is to encourage and empower people in her age group – then I say, you go girl!

Okay, one last comment on all this, then I promise, I’ll be quiet.

To use a common generational “stereotype” example, let’s consider the issue of face time in the office. Boomers (in GENERAL) have been known for putting in long hours and putting value on the amount of time they are seen physically in the office. This is certainly not true of all Boomers, but it’s true of many for reasons that are explained in generational studies material. As a “typical” Xer (or simply a non-Boomer), the concept of face time seemed utterly ridiculous to me. If I’m bright enough to get my work done in an efficient manner, why should I be penalized by having to hang around the office? If I’m driven, want to get ahead, and/or love my work I might certainly spend extra time in the office for any of those reasons and can always be relied upon to work extra when needed to complete a specific project on schedule, but I don’t believe in face time solely for the purpose of “being seen.” I should be valued based on what I produce, not how long I sit at my desk every day. So are these face time loving Boomers just stupid? Not at all! Boomers entered the workforce at a time when expectations and the competitive landscape were very different. Many of them got ahead when they used the “face time” rule. It’s what they were used to. In fact a lot of them actually liked being around these other co-workers and it didn’t matter if they weren’t heads down doing work every minute of every day. When Xers were entering the workforce and started pushing back on this time-honored tradition, a lot of Boomers didn’t know what to do about that. Some of them called us “slackers.” Ouch. But you know what? Some of those same Boomers have adjusted their values over time. Some of them have taken advantage of the so-called “work/life balance” initiative and have cut back on those hours.

How is any of this information (regardless of whether you agree with the stereotype or not) useful to me? It’s extremely valuable for me to realize that my bosses (or employers) could expect and value face time, and it’s also important for me to realize (because it’s not my value) that they really don’t have a vendetta against me personally. They are really NOT trying to ruin my life, it’s just part of who they are. It helps me to manage that situation by defining expectations clearly – it helps me when making employment decisions – simply, it helps me succeed in a workplace filled with diversity.

The point of generational studies for me (meaning in the workplace, not to sell a product)is not about lumping into broad categories merely for the sake of categorizing. The point is not to be able to state that no Xer values face time and all Boomers do. Neither absolute is true. The point is about using every tool I have to understand the “why” when a person has different expectations and behaves or reacts differently than me so that I can figure out a way to make that relationship effective for us both instead of just getting annoyed. It’s also about the fine art of motivating my own employees. Understanding what they might value (with plenty of case by case validation) will make us all more successful.

Wendy, you misquote me, and in the process, misrepresent me. I actually said that “focusing on generational issues in this way is unhealthy.” By “this way,” I mean a cute list of “8 ways [insert generation] can [improve HR/change the world/bake pie, etc.].”

Thuy’s experiences are a perfect example of why I feel this way. All 8 of those qualities may be said about any of the other generations, too.

Does generational conflict exist? Of course. But new workers ALWAYS struggle with the people already there. It’s not because of “generational values.” It’s because the people who just come in want to change the world and the people there have already had a taste of how the world really works.

I believe that much of what people attribute to “generational values” are more an effect of where in our career we are. For example, many Boomers were just as tenacious about making a difference in the world when they started their “real world” lives several decades ago as Gen Y allegedly is now.

These generalized statements are unhealthy because they lead people to do things or make assumptions about people solely because people are of a certain generation. But I don’t want a Gen X manager assuming that because I’m Gen Y I prefer to communicate by instant message and texting, as much of the literature suggests. Nor should I assume my Boomer boss always wants me to pick up the phone and call her.

The important thing to keep in mind is that everyone is different, both in terms of preferences and skills. I’d much prefer managers focus on understanding what drives their employees and what they’re good at (and where they need work), then on what their generation supposedly is like.

Conversely, I’d much rather new employees focus on what their managers need and want than what Boomers are supposedly about. It’s more productive, and ultimately a healthier way to approach all relationships.

Awww, so sorry Chris – I sincerely didn’t mean to misquote or misrepresent you. I promised to be quiet but since I had to apologize to Chris, and I’m here now, well – why not have a little fun? I also had plenty of time to think about a response. Lost in thought about all the comments, I forgot to pay attention to where I was driving during my morning commute. My car shifted over to auto-pilot and dutifully turned on to the Mass Pike – in horror I screamed “NO NO NO” as my car slid through the toll booth and groaning, resigned to my fate, I settled in behind a Heineken light semi knowing full well my commute time was now doubled. Sigh.

Soooo seriously, no one is suggesting that a person use generation-specific information to the exclusion of everything else when interacting with someone. That’s just silly. I mean, we all have some amount of common sense right? Overplaying generation stereotypes would make a pretty funny SNL skit though don’t you think? It might go something like this…

Boomer Manager hires new Gen Y employee and tries desperately to interact with this alien being using the generational information he is now armed with – Gen Y tries to do the same.

Boomer Mgr sends Gen Y a glowing Welcome email on Day 1 – prints out a “Congratulations for Showing Up” certificate and pdf’s it. Hides in office ignoring Gen Y’s frantic attempts to let Boomer see he is there. When Gen Y finally corners Boomer, he babbles about his Facespace page and Tooter account encouraging Gen Y to take Day 2 off to participate in a “Save the Fluffy Tailed Loon” march. Gen Y insists on staying late asking if Boomer wants to get a drink after work to which Boomer’s face lights up but then he backpedals, insisting “no, no, I’m plogging about my colonoscopy tonight and have to leave early to, uh, twit my iScoop.” Upon arrival Day 2, Gen Y sees he has been re-located to a new corner office with window and a lovely plaque “Congratulations on Day 1” rests on his desk. Trophies continue to pour in all week until Gen Y is buried under them…

You might be thankful you are part of Gen Y, Chris. The first time I heard about Generation X, I was horrified – none of it sounded like me. I mean the “X” itself implied they really didn’t have a clue about us. I suppose, since we’d been holed up in our rooms for the past 10 years playing asteroids, listening to Night Ranger, and watching J.R. Ewing get shot while they were off working and getting divorced – what good could we possibly be up to? We were wary, they called us slackers, and I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t think all that many of us thought we were going to change the world – we just hoped to not get corrupted by it. At that point we were just entering the workforce, but time changes everything. No one calls us slackers anymore and some of us are changing the world in our own subtle ways. And I will concede Chris’s point about “where we are in our career” explaining some of the initial banter about what a new Generation might be like. However, don’t forget stay at home moms who may never have a formal career. That doesn’t make them “without generation.” We can speak more confidently about the oldest generations because looking back is a heck of a lot easier than looking forward. Anyone that claims to know everything about Gen Y must have a pretty good crystal ball because the jury hasn’t even been selected yet. If the pundits are right, your generation “collectively” is going to kick some serious butt, and believe me, I sure hope so because the world is in need of some butt-kickers. Be sure and give us an update in 15 years Chris, and let us all know if you changed your mind about any of this – we’re all pretty sure that isn’t gonna happen today but hey, Massachusetts just elected a Republican Senator, so anything is possible!

There is no benefit of “focusing” on generational differences per se. There is only benefit to being aware of them since, in my experience, humans are complicated and it will take most of us more than a few minutes to understand what makes anyone else tick. I’m still trying to figure some people out after years of effort. Any tool to understanding is of benefit in my book. For Kelly, it is a way of organizing her blog and thoughts – I see no harm in that. As for hiring good people and good managers – I’m with you on that one!

@Chris – well, I think that’s where the common sense needs to come in right? I personally would never make ANY assumption about an employee until I had actually interacted with them on some level. To be safe, maybe Kelly could put a disclaimer on her blog All those plastic bag warnings have been so helpful…

@Chris – I think you’ve just given me the foundation for my own blog! Think of all the good I can do spewing common sense? I love it!

Kelly,

Per Mike Krupa’s @pdxmikek suggestion, I just spent the last 2 hours reading your 1 blog post.;-)

The first thing I would like to say is congratulations on creating a post that spurred on such a debate. I don’t see that very often in the blogosphere.

The second thing I want to say is to Wendy Tandon > your SNL skit idea was very funny. Considering some of the canned training videos I have seen, this is probably not that far off from being created, for real.

Third, the words Generation X, Generation Y, Boomers, Millennials, etc. are just words. They are words placed together by people with the intention of helping people to understand other people in the workplace that appear to behave differently, and use age as a way to explain the different behavior. What is of interest to me is that these words were not used for this purpose until Douglas Coupland coined the phrase Generation X.

The words Baby Boomers was used to describe a generation of people that represented a spike in the US population due to post-WWII prosperity. But Gen X was created as a tongue-in-cheek description of the disaffected slacker culture that represented the generation that followed. Coupland’s idea was picked up by training professionals who find virtue in sociological borders that explain who we are. The words Generation Y was the first term born out of this. Gen Y descriptions were created before Gen Y even got into college.

My perception is that Gen Y is the first to take the label given to them and wear it like a badge. I am not opposed to the concept of using sociological tools to assist in learning about each other. But Gen Y was not born as a Gen Y’er. They were born and they bought a label handed down to them. This is what I don’t understand about folks born in the Gen Y timeframe. Boomers and X’ers will refer to themselves this way to differentiate a time period. But it appears to me Gen Y use it as a way to describe a lifestyle.

To Kelly & Chris, or anyone else, with accepting the term Generation Y, is it really who you are or are you just buying a stereotype that was sold to you? And Chris, is my historical perception correct?

Kelly, I love this post. Generally I have held a position similar to Chris Ferdinandi, but when put in an HR context, I completely agree.