I am usually a bit cynical regarding these types of articles.  My reasoning is this – each individual is unique in their motivations and rewards.  Attempting to place employees into set categories regarding global characterizations is a stretch.  Nonetheless, this article from Inc.com presents some excellent points and advice for employee engagement.

I do not believe you can overstate this one:

5. Employees want flexibility. In addition to deciding how they work, the experts say employees also appreciate having a say over when they work. Gunther has, of course, set up a radically flexible schedule for his employees that might not work for every office. But, he says, it has enabled him to find and retain top talent for Meddius. “We’ve had people who have taken significant pay cuts to work for us, because at their old job they were told to show up and be at the office between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” he says. “Generation Y is looking for a synergy between their personal lives and their professional lives.” Set up a flexible vacation policy or a telecommuting policy that enables employees to work from home. It involves a great deal of trust, but, as Pink says, “If you don’t trust your employees, you’ve got much bigger problems.”

This recession has lowered the drive for some employees on this topic, but it is still prevalent among the younger workers.  I love the last line as it is absolute truth.

I think the older generation has a palpable difficulty with telecommuting.  My discussions with many Boomer-aged managers have included comments basically stating that to be effective in the role, they have to be in the office every day.  My take on that commentary is that the manager is projecting their own approach into the position.  They may struggle in a remote role, but I’m not convinced that is always the case with the younger generations.

There are 9 other interesting points in the article so I recommend you read the entire thing.

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“Generation Unretired” according to this BusinessWeek.com article.  That is a new term to me.  According to the article:

The AARP says that 8 out of 10 baby boomers will work part- or full-time past retirement age. That’s 64 million unretiring Americans, the biggest demographic shift in the American workforce since WWII—and 93% of the growth in the American labor market from now until 2016, according to the Pew Research Center.

This trend is one that has been in the making for some time.  The current recession and housing bubble burst has only exacerbated the trend.  Clearly there will be new management techniques needed to handle the Gen U employees.  The article illustrates some excellent hiring suggestions, but this one stood out to me:

Define Roles. How is the former senior vice-president of a multinational going to feel about reporting to a project manager? Your Gen U staff may need to report to others with fewer years of business experience, yet more advanced or specialized skills. While you may not supervise the prospective Gen Uer, it may helpful to engage in some of the interviews so that you better understand the mindset of various Gen Uers.

(You’ll want to be sure that your less senior staff is not threatened or that the more senior member is not threatening. It works both ways.)

There in lies the tension, doesn’t it?  Later in the article comes this management point:

Remember that it’s an upside-down world for retired executives returning to the workplace: Their junior colleagues are actually “senior,” and they are reporting to managers who have far less experience than they do. As a result, Gen U hires may not be feeling entirely secure about their position. Micromanage them and many may feel particularly boxed in. Give them the benefit of the doubt—and watch what can happen. Often, strategic thinking that is the Gen Uer’s greatest asset.

The next decade will provide a unique management landscape for Gen X as we ascend into the majority of the  management ranks.

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I was at a networking group last week where I was able to talk to some jobseekers in a general format.  One of the things that consistently surfaced was the perception from older workers that they were being discriminated against due to their age.

I don’t know if these accusations were true, but they seem more than plausible.  Some of the stories were downright sad – one candidate arrived for an interview and was sent out to the lobby to fill in the dates of his previous employment going back to the beginning…in the 1970’s.  He didn’t get the job.

The massive erosion of wealth over the past year has led to most of these people continuing to search for new employment even though they are in their 60’s.  Just today, I received a PR email regarding a survey by Golden Gateway Financial:

-   Now, almost 50 percent of seniors plan to retire after age 70
-   More than 40 percent of seniors polled said the current economy has had some kind of negative affect on their ability to retire
-   More than 50 percent of respondents said they are concerned that their overall net worth may no longer be enough to sustain their retirement
-   86 percent of seniors said they had a reasonable understanding of their net worth, and 50 percent said that net worth had declined by between 10 and 30 percent

Again, not surprising.  I’m a Gen Xer so these topics were, to be blunt, of little interest to me until I had a chance to talk to people caught in this exact situation.

The repercussions from this economy are going to be with us far longer than the time it takes the economy to recover.  The secondary effect from these “older” jobseekers is going to be the job opportunities facing young people entering the workforce.  Clearly there will be a pull between hiring the experienced older worker vs. the young, inexperienced go-getter.  This tension has always existed – the difference is the future force of it.

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I’m beginning to think Gen Y is the most overanalyzed generation in…a generation.  BusinessWeek.com offers up this article – Why Certain Cities Attract Gen Ys.  The big city has a general appeal to the Millennials which is probably true for most young generations.  However, Gen Y does face a difficult career path due to tenure.  Here is a surprising graph (emphasis mine):

The appeal of big cities stems from a simple economic fact: They offer thicker labor markets with more robust job opportunities across a wide number of fields. Getting ahead in your career today means more than picking the right first job. Corporate commitment has dwindled, tenure has grown far shorter, and people switch jobs with much greater frequency. The average American changes jobs once every three years; those under the age of 30 change jobs once a year.

I’m not sure where those numbers originated, but they are noteworthy.  The days of starting a long-term career with a major corporation are fleeting. 

Jobs are clearly important. Gen Y members ranked the availability of jobs second when asked what would keep them in their current location and fourth in terms of their overall satisfaction with their community. In both cases, the highest-ranked factor was the ability to meet people and make friends. Makes perfect sense, since Gen Y intuitively understands what economic sociologists have documented: Vibrant social networks are key to landing jobs, moving forward in your career, and one’s broader personal happiness.

Second?  Surprising, maybe, but clearly networking is supreme for this generation.  I wonder if the tools at are available today are part of the drive to network.  I am astounded by the fact that Gen Y provides updates as to what they are doing at that moment (think Facebook or Twitter).  I have tried to accomplish this feat and always come up lacking…I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Yet these young people are forging networks that a sure to become immense as they mature.  The implications for selling are staggering – networks will become the top resource for prospecting.  Decision-making within companies will be information that can be attained through one’s network.  Heck, the decision-maker may be 1 step away within a network.

This sea change is happening in front of our eyes, but I’m not certain everyone is observing it.

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Hiring, that is, and it appears that it is going to be an even rougher road over the back half of 2009.  If you are in the recruiting, hiring, assessing business you are aware of this fact.  9.4% unemployment is remarkable.  From abcnews.com:

The percentage of people without jobs in this country is now at the highest point in nearly 26 years. Every month since January 2008 we have seen jobs disappear.

So far the economy has shed 6 million jobs since the recession started push (sic) employers to start handing out pink slips.

I’m still looking for the report that lists the number of jobs “saved” by the stimulus package.  I suspect I will have to wait a bit longer for that information.  But fear not, the bleeding does seem to be slowing down:

The Labor Department this morning announced that another 345,000 Americans lost their jobs last month, pushing the unemployment rate up from 8.9 percent in April. Economists had expected a loss of 550,000 jobs and the news that significantly less were lost initially shot the stock market up.

Again, more economists with an inaccurate prediction.  I dare say the economy is too dynamic, too multi-faceted for any one person to accurately predict…much like the weather.  Yet, here is a development for which I was unaware (emphasis mine):

The (EEOC) commission received an unprecedented 95,402 complaints during a 12-month period ending in October. That’s up 15 percent from the prior year. Of those, 24,582 are charges of age discrimination, a massive 29 percent increase.

I think most of us know that companies often use down markets to purge employees whether deserving or not.  A recessionary economy provides cover for companies to layoff workers from a protected class with less liability.  I’m not condoning the practice, just being brutally honest.

This uptick in complaints seems to support this unwritten business practice.  I think an aspect that the reporter did not address is the overall aging of the workforce.  If the Boomers are the majority of the workforce, there stands to reason that there will be a continued increase in age discrimination charges simply based on the numbers.  That data would have provided a needed context to the article.

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If ever there was a time to make a move into the healthcare sales market, now is it.  According to RecruitingTrends.com:

“Healthcare continued to add jobs in February, with a gain of 27,000. Job growth occurred in ambulatory healthcare (16,000) and in hospitals (7,000). Employment gains in the industry averaged 30,000 a month in 2008,” the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this and last month alongside news that the nation’s overall number of unemployed individuals increased by 5 million over the last year.

Select Metrix is located in the Twin Cities which is home to United Health Group, Medtronic and most of the other medical device players.  This market is one that continues to hire as the Baby Boomers continue to age.  The demand is only going to increase over the next decade or two.

My generation – Gen X – will not put the same demand on the healthcare system since there is far fewer of us in comparison to the Boomers.  But that layoff is many, many years away.

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The Herman Trend Alert touches on the ever-popular Gen Y/Millennial trends and traits in their most recent email (sorry, no link).  The perception of this generation still needs some improvement…drastic improvement (emphasis mine):

Recently JobFox.com conducted a poll of recruiters with predictable results—Millennials were judged to be the least effective performers of the four generations now in our workplace. A paltry 20 percent of the responders characterized them as “generally great performers”. Compare this statistic to the 63 percent who said Baby Boomers (43 to 62 years old) were great performers and 58 percent who gave high marks to Gen Xers (29 to 42).

True confession – I have a general perception of Boomers being stagnant, almost stuck in a 1980′s mode.  I apologize now, it is just a perception.  Yet, you can understand my surprise when reading survey results such as the aforementioned quote.  Instantly, I found myself thinking, “I bet they interviewed mostly Boomers for this survey.”

The email progressed to show how misguided the Millennial perception is.  The author supplies 4 major motivators for Millennials:

The most sought-after motivator is balance. The Millennials do not embrace the value of the Boomer-created nine-to-five work week. They work best when they can set their own hours.

Second, they want to be on the leading edge. Millennials understand that technology is changing rapidly. If not updated continuously, their skills promptly become obsolete. “They have seen their parents and neighbors downsized and right-sized out of jobs.” Staying marketable is justifiably very important to them. Even though in a recent JWT survey, 60 percent of Millennials agreed that “an employee owes loyalty to their employer “,companies that do not provide new learning experiences will see this generation seeking job opportunities elsewhere.

Third, they do not want to be treated “as junior anything”. Millennials want to begin contributing right away. Companies must do a better job of helping younger workers see how their work is vital and how that work relates to the bottom line of the company.”

Finally, Millennials are looking for stability—especially now. Gen Y workers can be loyal team players as long as they can balance work and life goals, gain new learning opportunities, and feel like they are supporting company goals. The employers that will be the most successful over the next two decades will be the ones that can best inspire and engage this challenging generation.

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That is the average length of a job in the U.S. according to The Career News newsletter (sorry, no link).  I find that number almost shocking, but the newsletter does not call out the criteria for their average.  I’m thinking part-time, minimum wage, seasonal and other positions could drag that number down.  At any rate, it does provide a bit of an eye opener to how our job market is changing.

Gen Y is typically not a generation to be known as “lifers.”  They begin their work career without discussions of pensions and retirement.  Those days are long gone.  Instead, they are focused on skill development, jobs that interest them on a personal level and an opportunity to affect their world.  To me, it almost seems as if they take a macro-view to their position (environmental impact, social impact, long-term skills, next growth step, etc.) as opposed to a micro-view (company hierarchy, internal promotions, retirement options, etc.).

There are some restraints on Gen Y becoming complete employment gypsies.  According to the same newsletter:

Seven in 10 Americans admit that they’d change jobs tomorrow if only they could.

I’m thinking financial restraints are impacting this decision.  Most people only change jobs if the opportunity of the new position is perceived as greater than the opportunity at the present position.  The fragile economy and the risk of downsizing is a strong deterrent to most employees looking to make a jump.

At any rate, I suspect the 3.5 year number is going to shrink in the near future once the economy rebounds and the Boomers continue to retire.

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Ok, lame play on words for a title so my regrets to the Rolling Stones.  The tattoo topic is one that seems to be ever-present.  What should companies do about employees with tattoos?  The Herman Trend Alert (sorry, no link) provides the data as to why this topic is so common:

Thus, it is no wonder that over 32 percent of young people aged 25 to 29 and 25 percent of folks aged 30 to 39 have followed suit (Harris Interactive, 2008). A 2006 Pew Research survey found 36 percent of people ages 18 to 25 had tattoos, while a full 40 percent of those 26 to 40 sported them.

As members of the Millennial Generation will readily share, acquiring a tattoo or body piercing is their way of expressing their individuality and their availability to members of the opposite sex. Tattoo parlors from Brazil to Malaysia have seen an upward trend in business over the last ten years, as the Millennials have come of age and can afford these displays of uniqueness.

Ok, before I get labeled as some crotchety old Gen Xer, there is an important aspect to this story:

Moreover, there is another important consideration for employers. Findings from a research study conducted by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center indicated a high positive correlation (>20 percent) between people with tattoos and those who test positive for the infection hepatitis C. In fact, according to Robert Haley, MD, “[Tattoos] may have been the largest single contributor to the nationwide epidemic of this form of hepatitis”.

I haven’t heard that one before but it is certainly a piece of information to include in the equation.

And no, I am not a fan of tattoos or piercing.  Now you can commence calling me crotchety.

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There is always difficulty when you try to paint an entire generation with one broad stroke.  This fact is prominently on display in two different articles from RecruitingTrends.com.  The topic is Gen Y.

Here is an excerpt from the first one (my emphasis):

The millennials share a generational personality that is highly misunderstood by preceding generations, who often misinterpret their motivation as impatience and their enthusiasm as narcissism. Employers who manage millennials need to understand their generational footprint in order to keep this tech-savvy, plugged-in group of employees engaged in their work.

Here is an excerpt from the second one (my emphasis):

So how do you supervise, lead, and approach this next generation of high potentials? In our experience, many are particularly bright and ambitious, but also have a “spoiled brat” mentality. Technology is very much in their DNA. They seek instant gratification and thrive on challenging much of what their older peers believe to be best practices.

A particularly unique characteristic of this group is their command of technology and the fundamental belief that anyone who doesn’t embrace the absolute bleeding edge of technology will simply be left behind.

I’m probably splitting hairs here, but those two takes caught my fancy when I read the articles back-to-back.  Gen Y gets categorized many ways and most of them are accurate, at least in terms of generational descriptions.  However, this enthusiasm vs. spoiled categorization appears often.  I’m not sure which one is more accurate, I simply see this topic frequently.

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