Editorial by ISM Staff Writer
My mother always taught me that it’s rude to ask a lady’s age. Nowadays, it goes beyond impoliteness: Age is a legally protected, nondiscriminatory class, just like gender or race. But laws don’t stop the spread of generational stereotypes, young or old. It’s high-past time for someone to take a stand against the (often negative) stereotypes previous generations tend to believe about my peers and me. I’ve decided—for this article, at least—for that person to be me, a bonafide Generation Y young adult in the workforce.
As we approach that time when you’ll be advertising staff open positions, I want to take a moment of your time to explain some of the more common misconceptions about Generation Y. That’s not to say you won’t find people who fit these descriptions—you will (and often!). But, a few bad apples haven’t spoiled the bunch, and it’s worth taking a second look at some of your younger candidates.
We only write in obscure acronyms and have abandoned apostrophes altogether.
Let’s start off with something a bit lighter (and easily remedied). With the advent of cellphones and instant-messaging shorthand, sometimes it feels as though you’re swimming through a world of “LOLs” or “TTYLs,” especially when you’re reading e-mail from younger employees.
There used to be another sort of shorthand used at work. My grandmother was a secretary and typist at a steel mill in Pittsburgh, and Dad says that she could write in Gregg shorthand as fast as someone could speak. We found an entire paternal family tree after she died, written entirely in Gregg shorthand. We can’t read it, though; I look at it and see nothing but chicken scratch. Today’s abbreviations are modern chicken scratch.
I make no excuses for these people who apparently decided to sleep through my favorite class (English!). I, too, wince when I see abused apostrophes or comma splices. At the same time, I don’t assume it’s only twenty-somethings making the errors. A little patience and empathy might be needed for those who are learning that messages can be longer than 140 characters.
We aren’t loyal.
Members of Generation Y have been seen as a liability, since we can’t sit still and work through the traditional hierarchy to earn a higher position. Then again, in such a tumultuous job market, can you really blame us for not trusting in job security like in the “good old days” when people spent their entire lives working for one company? Widespread eradication of perks like pensions and raises beyond cost of living adjustments lead to job hopping, which is often the best way to receive a substantial pay raise.
But forget about competitive salaries for a second. The bigger problem here isn’t that we lack drive or loyalty to remain for an extended period of time with one company. We would be willing to do so, but only for the right employer.
Mark Hudson, the managing director of Hudson’s Asian branch for hiring talent, put it perfectly when he said that Generation Y is “a highly aspirational generation and [has] many expectations of what the workplace should be. This is then perceived as a lack of loyalty, but it is actually that the company hasn’t managed to engage [its] workers and create the infrastructure and environment to contain their interests for long” (emphasis mine).
All of this adds up to terrific news for private-independent schools. We want to work for your mission; we want to see you grow and be a part of something that will make an impact on other people. We will remain dedicated to your cause.
We have the attention span of a gnat, so short that—SQUIRREL!
Oh, the classic “All young people must have ADHD!” scenario. From social media and television to video games and parties, it feels like Generation Y is moving from one "fad" to the next without ever settling in. In fact, the CNN article "Millennials need fun, flexibility at work" claims that short attention spans are one of my generation’s defining characteristics, adding that we don’t “expect necessarily to be tied to a job.”
I have a different perspective on this facet of my generation: We need to believe that what we’re doing matters (and has consequences!). Otherwise, we won’t stick around or focus on a mundane task that must be done. A paycheck is no longer the end-all and be-all of employment, so private schools should find ways to remind us often that our efforts—no matter how menial or quiet—are both appreciated and supporting the school's overall mission.
We are the “trophy generation,” constantly needing praise.
Time Magazine ran a feature story last May entitled “The Me Me Me Generation,” an article that inspired some reflection by Forbes Magazine to look at the “three paradoxes” of my generation. One of the nice things they addressed was the stereotype that everyone received an award for anything, turning mediocrity into a celebrated state, and now Generation Y feels entitled to be praised and rewarded for any little thing.
It’s not that we need trophies. Personally, I don’t need a line of certificates hanging on the wall in front of my desk to be validated as an accomplished, competent writer. For much of my freelancing work, I never even got a byline. That’s not the validation that I—and I suspect my peers—crave.
We need recognition for a job well-done and frequent conversations with our supervisors to ensure that we’re on the right track, professionally-speaking. Think of it like the speedometer on your car. It’s the biggest dial on your dashboard for a reason—it reminds you that there’s a speed limit and you need to stick to it. We speed up or slow down based on the little glowing hand and the giant numbers on road signs.
Professionally, that’s how we expect things to work in the office. We expect our blunders to be corrected quickly and kindly. One study found that over half of Generation Y respondents said that they desire a mentoring relationship to become a better employee, and that’s something I completely agree with as a young professional.
Of course, there’s no smoke without fire. There’s no denying our sense of what we can handle has been severely overinflated, illustrated by the (in)famous article declaring the median grade at Harvard an A-. But when faced with real-world challenges in the workplace, most of my peers realize their hubris much sooner than you’d expect.
For a private-independent school, this desire means that the coaching relationship we outline in Comprehensive Faculty Development should be used not only for current faculty, but also for newer staff. Predictability and support of your staff will get you far with my generation. (A huge dose of patience will help, too!)
We are self-entitled and lazy.
I can’t describe to you my horror and sheer disbelief when I read a blog post called “I Can’t Find a Good Employee From Generation Y." I strongly disagree with Ms. Peterkin, but the real travesty of this piece is the idea that “[our] parents have spoiled these kids so much over the last decade—they've taught them that everybody has a Gucci bag.”
This sweeping generalization takes my breath away. I can only speak for myself and those I know, but not every kid was raised with the kind of wealth it takes to make Gucci bags a reality. Even for those of us who were blessed with financial stability, not all parents believed in sheltering their kids or placating bad behavior with money.
When given a chance to shine, my generation seems to do quite well in spite of our “sheltered” childhood and education. (Just read about Nina, Christine, Star, Nick, and others to learn about some of the success stories of other Generation Y folks besides Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook fame.) A bit closer to home, I have friends on Fulbright scholarships abroad and prestigious internships here at home. One friend can’t tell me what she does due to national security.
We work for our educational and professional opportunities despite incredible competition, and we would do the same for you, given half a chance. We are hungry for the opportunity you could give us, and we’re not afraid to work to show what we can do when presented with a challenge. The question is, are you ready to work with us?
Additional ISM resources:
ISM Private School News Vol. 8 No. 5 Employee Recognition Awards Are Shifting From the Tangible to the Intangible
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 9 No. 9 Are You a Reluctant (or Unwilling) Mentor?
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 7 No. 6 The New Generation of Teachers and Personnel
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 8 No. 5 Part One: A New Generation of Parents
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 36 No. 14 Generational Differences: The New Management Paradigm
