Guest Post: What Gen Y Wants from Work
by Ryan Healy
As Generation Y or the Millennials leave their dorms behind and enter the real world, we are encountering a corporate world that is, for the most part, still stuck in its outdated ways. By the time my generation is given the reins, work will barely resemble today’s office environment. It’s not because we are special or better than any other generation. It’s because we are entering the work force at the time that the web is revolutionizing work.
What does Gen Y want from work? The same things many web workers look for: the ability to work wherever they like, an identity that isn’t defined by a particular profession, and flexible ways of experimenting with entrepreneurship even while benefiting from traditional employment.
Increased trust between employer and employee. Most people I know, myself included, truly believe they are more productive and happier when working from somewhere other than the standard workplace environment. Whether it’s home, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, or the beach, as most of you know, there is something refreshing and relaxing about not being stuck in an office. Cubicle farms are a thing of the past, nobody likes them and thanks to new technologies the majority of companies don’t even need them.
These remote working arrangements will completely depend on trust between employer and employee. If I cannot be trusted to get things done without supervision, I do not deserve to have a job, and I will not have a job. Isn’t this what college is for though? We prove our ability to succeed on our own and it is reflected in our GPAs and non school activities. With the increased use of virtual offices, there is no need to be micromanaged at work any longer. Trust me!
Jobs no longer define who we are. “What do you do?” is often the first question people pose to one another during an introduction. Lately, I have had a hard time coming up with a straight answer to this question. I have my “real” career, but I spend a heck of a lot of time writing, networking and creating new plans for the future of my blog, Employee Evolution.
I now tell people I am a consultant, writer and aspiring entrepreneur. I consider myself all of these things. If I am comfortable enough to tell people this, then it must be true. Right?
Anyone can be whatever they want thanks to the power of the web. Creating a business, website or blog is so simple that we can all play multiple roles. As Gen Y continues to enter the workforce, our day jobs will no longer define who we are.
Entrepreneurship in the workplace. I don’t need a business plan and I don’t need millions or even hundreds of thousands to ditch the boring paychecks. I can even continue collecting a paycheck and make some extra money on the side. My very unscientific estimate of young people I know who plan to start a business at some point is eight out of ten. It’s no longer a risky dream. Starting a business is a reasonably cheap and attainable reality. The days of keeping top employees around with a 5% raise or a promotion to the corner office are dead.
To keep young workers around companies will have to compete with young people’s motivation and impatience. In other words, companies must feed our urge to jump ship and start a business, by giving us the opportunity to come up with an idea and have free rein over development, implementation and follow through. Logic tells us that companies should not “train” young employees to be entrepreneurs for fear of losing them. However, I can guarantee that retention rates will increase as employees no longer feel the need to leave a company that provides them with intrapreneurial opportunities. This is quite ironic when you think about it.
These are just a handful of the hundreds of differences between today’s work environment and the old days of 9 to 5 in a cube. As Gen Y continues to learn, grow and mature into executives and VPs I hope that we embrace the evolution and revolution.
Ryan Healy blogs at Employee Evolution.
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Great post! It is interesting because a lot of the big companies are realizing this vast number of potential entrepreneurs that are growing up right now. The likes of MS are targeting them with name recognition via things like xBox & zune…. see: http://joshmaher.wordpress.com/2007/07/16/more-microsoft-strategy/
You lost me at “given the reins…” You’ll have to pry them from my cold dead hands, you arrogant, entitled little bastard.
Article makes it sound like the corporate culture would be willing to cooperate with this entrepreneurial approach to day to day work.
They aren’t.
If they can’t disqualify you in the interview, they’ll find the darkest grayest cubicle to put you in. There will be no raises, no promotions and no success. It will be a joyless skull-hammering siege every single day until you get fired.
That’s the way it is. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. If you plan on a career, don’t plan on a job.
It’s a great post. As with many things in our quickly changing business environment. Some will adopt and some will outright prevent it from happening. As we’ve seen time and time again, the companies that adopt will lead the way to tomorrow. The others will only follow.
Very good blog, very rich and nice pictures and articles, congratulations !!!
So, let me get this straight. You want a posistion where you don’t have to show up for work, doesn’t have any set title, and pays you while you save your best stuff for your start up company.
That’s called free lancing. And you know what, you are more then welcome to do it. Just don’t expect a steady check, insurance, or benefits and you’ll get along just great.
Excellent post, but why do you limit yourself to the Millenial generation. The fact is that some of us out here in Gen X, graying though we may be, are also ready to see the work world change. The fact is, that when I talk to my peers in the office, most, if not all, are reasonably dissatisfied with their job, and are anxiously counting years, months,weeks, days, and hours to retirement. Assuming that such a thing will actually exist, and we don’t find ourselves working until we drop.
People are feeling trapped by the system. They are caught because they need the benefits, and are only motivated to avoid getting fired. Is it no wonder then, why our nation is self medicating with food, drugs and over priced latte’s. Intrapreneurism, and so called “getting a piece of the action” is what is needed. I believe that it is only when people feel that they have an ownership stake in what they do, that organizations can really come together for success.
As for titles, offices and such…meh. I don’t need a pat on the back and a shiny to make me feel all warm and fuzzy. I need the crispy cabbage. Pay me what I’m worth, and give me a piece of the action. As long as I get the job done right, on time and within budget, what do you care where, or when. Just so that it is done; results speak for themselves. I can do better shopping for my own insurance in the free market, than the organization will do; If I feel trapped in a job, because of benefits, than I am just that, trapped – and my motivation will only last as long as I am afraid.
As far as working on the side, as long as you don’t go after the same clients as your day job, go for it. If you make a little from this, and a little from that, soon you will have enough. You may not conquer the universe, but you might have enough to live the comfortably, which is really the goal after all.
Ah, the voice of ignorant youth – I was there once. In fact, we all were – there is nothing special about Gen Y that wasn’t there for X or your hippies grand parents. Companies are after Gen Y because you are far cheaper than someone with 10 years experience – all it takes is a free lunch room or an XBox 360. I on the other hand look at salary, how much healthcare is paid for, 401K, vacation time, employee stock plans – i.e. things that cost much more than a free lunch.
College is… college. It is not something that prepares you for work, it gives you an education. Depending on your field, that education may or may not be helpful in your job. BTW, GPA has never come up in any interview or job =)
Only one thing will define you, and that’s your track record. Have a successful track record at X and you’ll have options with X. Bomb at X and you’ll find yourself looking for a job in Y. That has little to do with working from home or in a cube – in fact all things being equal, an under preforming cube worker is more likely to “get a second chance” than an under preforming home worker. Food for thought.
Great post.
I recently left a job for the exact reason, while it was great on paper, I wasn’t given “the opportunity to come up with an idea and have free rein over development, implementation and follow through” to do my job to the best of my ability.
Thank you for articulating it in a way I couldn’t.