I’m late in catching up to some articles, but I did read CareerJournal’s excellent Three Tips from Gen-Y About the New Workplace. There are some intriguing points here so let’s start with this gem:
Gen-Yers crave feedback from bosses, clients and co-workers about what they should be doing, how they should do it, and, afterward, how they can do it better next time, she says.
This approach is effective for more than just employee discussions, but also for customer interactions. We discussed some of these topics in one of our articles from earlier this year – Hiring Adjustments for Generations X and Y.
Lastly, an epiphany for a Baby Boomer after observing her daughter’s job hunt:
In 2005, feeling that she’d gone as far as she could in her job as the public-relations director for a technology company, Ms. Piercey began thinking about taking her skills in a new direction. She reconsidered her long-held belief that every new job had to be “a bigger title and more money,” she says.
“My last job was 24/7. I was interested in getting back some work-life balance,” Ms. Piercey says. Her new position, she explains, is “a lot more satisfying. You work hard, but you have a life, too.”
2 things to note: work-life balance and skill development. Those 2 items are hallmarks of Gen Y. Balance is important in their lives. They work hard, but they also value their time away from work. This approach is 180 degrees different than the Boomers. Skill development is an engaging topic for young workers. They are focused on their own personal development in a position and the skills they will develop. Hence, their desire to receive much feedback from their manager.