Blog post: We interrupt your regular program... Gen Y is taking over
19 March 2010 8:44am
In her guest post on the Lifestyle Careers blog on 4 March, Verity Twydale wrote:
I'm just going to come straight out and admit it. I'm a Gen Y. Yes, I'm part of that generation. The generation with the shocking work ethic, who can't talk to a 'real' person and who will leave any job that leaves them even slightly dissatisfied.
Apparently, I don't know what it's like to stick out a job or work my way up the corporate ladder. I erroneously believe that work isn't the most important part of my life and am under the false illusion that if it is it should at least be meaningful.
I am flighty, impatient, over-educated and under-qualified. I demand too much involvement, too many benefits and too much feedback from my employer.
I thrive on instant gratification. I haven't, in all my 26 years, ever known what it feels like to do 'nothing', and were I deprived of constant stimulation I would probably take my last gasping breath while choking on my imagination.
And you know what? I'm fine with it.
That's right, you heard it here first. Gen Y and proud of it.
You see, my Gen Y friends and I, we're taking over. As all those hard-working, responsible Baby Boomers retire, us Gen Y'ers will become the dominant force in the workplace. Sure, there's some whiny Gen X's around, but with our fancy Twitter accounts, blogs, and Facebook fan pages it's Gen Y who employers really have to worry about.
Because us Gen Y'ers, we're all about innovation. We want change. We have passion and enthusiasm and we're not afraid to use it. This, I believe, is the benefit Gen Y can bring.
What employers need to realise is that Gen Y'ers do have needs. Who says we can't ask for a work life balance? Who says we have to live and breathe our jobs, even if they're totally unrewarding? Who says we have to do things the same old boring way when we can see a fresh new fun way of achieving a better result?
Give us and our new fangled technology a go and what you might see is an increase in production and – gasp – maybe even profits. Because, believe it or not, we don't want to see the company we work for fail. Not only would that do us out of the job we need to sustain our flagrant consumerism but it would also be, like, totally unrewarding.
So, world, listen up. Gen Y is giving you a breath of fresh air. We're saying that you can make work fun and fulfilling, and we're showing you how to do it. We're asking for flexibility and we're giving commitment in return. We want a louder voice, bigger challenges and a democratic workplace. For that we'll bring a fresh outlook, technological experience and creative communication solutions.
Our overstimulated, under-disciplined minds are yours for the taking. All you gotta do is have a little faith.
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