As a young college graduate looking to find a job in an economy that is struggling with a recession, it is amazing to hear the lofty expectations from my peers about what employers should be offering for our services. Still employers are careful to commit too much into our young hands because in spite of our upside there are some glaring downsides in the Generation Y culture.
Generation Y is the technologically savvy generation having been born into a life of video games, cell phones, and social media. They utilize and adapt to these new technologies effectively and effortlessly. They routinely have used all aspects of Microsoft Office for papers, presentations, and spreadsheets. There is even the science to suggest that video games can improve visual-spatial ability which deals with the ability to perceive objects in space.
This use of technology and social media has created a very egalitarian and team oriented atmosphere. Where only a few years ago students competed to get the highest grade now students organize study groups on Facebook and create collaborative google docs for the whole class. Everyone is recognized for the ability to further the success of the class.
This tech knowledge comes with some high demands. In a recent article, college students have some rather lofty expectations concerning social media, company issued devices, and remote work. Social media was shown to be an important enough factor that 64% of graduates would ask about social media policy in a job interview, 56% said they would find a way to get around strict social media policies at work, and 33% said they would prefer to be able to use social media at work over a higher salary.
Generation Y also prefers to have companies give them company devices and those device should be allowed for both business and personal use. Graduates overwhelmingly (81%) feel that they should be able to choose the device that they are going to use. Lastly the majority feel that it is a right not a privilege to be able to work at home remotely instead of having to commute to work.
Instead of competing against the independent nature of the Generation Y, the tech, advertising, and marketing industries are adapting to gather the exceptional workers of Generation Y. By creating a culture of advancement, transparency, and flexibility, they are keeping what has been described as a non-committal generation. This can be done by implementing technology such as a hosted CRM to give them the personal feel they demand.
The debate continues on how much a company should adapt to gather successful workers or to maintain its current corporate culture but it is important to know the characteristics of Generation Y.