Brisbane News (Australia)
February 7, 2007 Wednesday
Tell me Y

BYLINE: Sonya Koremans

SECTION: BRISBANE NEWS; Pg. 14

LENGTH: 1252 words

Self-motivated and tech-savvy, or impatient and over-confident? Meet Generation Y, the newest force in the workplace that's intent on changing things, whether the boss likes it or not. Sonja Koremans reports

"Often their confidence outweighs their competence but they are well equipped to take us forward in the workforce" - Mark McCrindle

When 24-year-old Adam Johnston entered the workforce, his goal was specific - to be earning $100,000 by the time he was 26. The business graduate says he achieved this within two years.

Adam's expectations are typical of Generation Y - the 4.2 million Australians aged 13 to 27 (although demographers continue to debate these years) - who will account for 40 per cent of the Australian labour market within a decade.

The tech-savvy and highly ambitious Ys are very different from their Generation X and Baby Boomer counterparts, and far more influential. Research shows that they are about to be responsible for the biggest generational change in six decades.

Not surprisingly then, recruiting, retaining and managing Gen Y talent are among the biggest issues facing employers.

"To garner loyalty from Ys, today's managers must build a rapport with regular face-to-face communication and keep them up-to-date and in-the-know with training - Ys like to be highly informed," says leading Australian social researcher Mark McCrindle, a Generation Xer.

"Managers have to step from behind the traditional, autocratic corporate image or their Y employees will leave in droves." Gen Ys are more confident than any other generation, more formally educated and more multi-talented, according to Mark.

"They are not afraid to say what they think or ask for what they want, so it's no surprise that a quarter of them will leave a job in their first year because of conflict with management." Mark says as fickle at Gen Ys may be, they are better attuned than any other generation to the needs of the 21st century. "Often their confidence outweighs their competence, but they are well equipped to take us forward in the workforce. They are lateral thinkers, high achievers and they value speed over accuracy, which is a 21st century phenomenon." But are they too cocky for their own good? Gen Ys are a product of relaxed parenting styles, according to Mark, and having lived in one of the world's most successful economies, with low interest rates and high employment, their expectations aren't always realistic.

Adam Johnston agrees. "Gen Ys want that big bang straight away. They have huge aspirations - to be celebrities and millionaires - but many don't want to put in the hard work.

They just want to walk in and quickly walk out as a success story," he says.

"On the positive side, we are a business-minded generation; we have been educated to be entrepreneurial and have the tools to succeed." Adam's bosses at multinational company Philip Morris were so impressed with his business panache that they pulled out all stops to retain him. "They offered me great money to stay but I wanted to open my own business. I used every minute of my time there to learn as much as I could." Adam, who owns internet business SoBrisbane.com, shows entrepreneurship typical of his generation, with 10 per cent of Ys, or Dot.Coms as they are also known, owning a business, and more than 50 per cent reporting that they would seriously consider choosing self employment over a nine-to-five job.

Industrial designer David Prickett wants to be self-employed, and to get a head start, the 21 year old has spent a year inventing revolutionary trauma recovery devices, including a helmet to record firefighter stress levels, as part of a graduate diploma in industrial design at QUT.

"I've had a lot of round-table discussions with other Gen Y industrial designers and they think they are gods - it's no wonder our generation receives so much criticism," he says.

But David is also critical of other generations.

"Many Baby Boomers and Gen Xs have no idea of the level of technology that is at the world's fingertips. There is so much on the horizon and we will be the ones tapping into it first." Toy designer Emma Patterson, 22, was so overwhelmed by her generation's "complete lack of patience" that she created a doll to teach children the rewards of delayed gratification.

"We were brought up to be impatient," says Emma, a product designer for Diversionary Therapy Technologies. "That's no one's fault. People say Gen Ys are spoilt and restless but it's simply that we have had everything more available to us. We have been highly stimulated, particularly with technology, ranging from the internet to ipods, and you were the ones who gave it to us," says the QUT graduate.

Danica Hooper, an organisational psychologist with recruitment firm Drake, says teaching styles have moulded the Gen Y workforce. "At school, Ys have always been highly congratulated. It's never been first, second and third prize with them; every child gets a certificate of reward." The result, Danica says, is a generation that demands constant praise, verified by Drake's latest national survey of 3000 employees.

"Every generation in our study wanted verbal recognition, but Ys seemed to need it much more and were prepared to leave workplaces if they weren't getting it. " High salaries might not always entice them to stay, she says.

"Recognition doesn't have to be linked to external rewards - they just want verbal reassurance. But given that they change jobs more than members of any other generation, it may help to retain them with worthy incentives." This job transience is of great concern to employers, says University of Queensland Business School Professor of Management Victor Callan.

"There is never any problem keeping them (Ys) motivated and focused - they are, by nature, dynamic," says Victor, who trains executives in how to manage Gen Y staff.

"The problem arises when Ys aren't getting a high level of training and professional development. They want to keep abreast of skills and knowledge, and if they aren't getting those fundamentals, they leave." He says Gen Ys are excellent communicators and expect the same of their supervisors, which "can make them come unstuck in traditional, autocratic workplaces".

So, will Gen Y succeed in changing the workforce to suit its quirks, or will it conform to Boomer and Gen X standards, at least in the short term?

Signs point to Ys getting their own way.

"Ys are a product of a changing environment. Maybe they are showing us that we are the ones who need to move with them to achieve a better work-life balance," says Mark McCrindle.

The Y Factor

Who are they? Gen Ys are aged from 13 to turning 27 this year, and comprise one in five Australians.

Education: They are the most formally educated generation. Half of this year's Gen Y school leavers will go to university and one quarter to TAFE.

Career aspirations: Gen Ys value a lifestyle-work balance over money and power. Most want to be self-employed rather than working nine to five.

Professional traits: They like variety, challenge and change. They enjoy working in teams and thrive in relaxed, informal work environments.

Keys to retaining Gen Y staff: Gen Ys want opportunity for advancement, quickly, with 86 per cent expecting to be promoted within two years. They also want ongoing training, regular praise, face-to-face communication with their peers and supervisors, and a say in where the company or business is heading. Big money is not a must, but other incentives are.

Source: McCrindle Research; Drake International