Generation Envy
How petulant Generation Y haters can be worse than the “Gen Y is Better” crowd.
It is a sunny day and I am inside. While I long for the outdoors, I am reminded that the flexibility to let me go outside and play is embedded in my GDNA (that’s short for Generational DNA). Ah, the life of Generation “Why can’t I go out and play? I’ll work on my homework later.” My ultimate plea doesn’t work and I sit here, occasionally looking out my window ready to go.
Scenes like these flash through my head every nice day here in the Pacific Northwest. While it is easy to come in and work when the days are five hours long and the rain never ends, it becomes impossibly difficult to convince me I should be wearing something other than my shorts and sandals. While generations before me may have been used to waiting for the work day to come to an end, my generational based desire to be out there now and work at night is undeniable.
I have been writing on this blog for over two years and in that time I have discussed Gen Y in both positive and negative ways. I feel like my negativity about Gen Y overshadows the fact that I don’t like absolutely loath knee jerk Gen Y haters.
Yes, I do think generational issues are overstated. I think there is a lot of hype about them and I am lucky enough to have become self-aware before the hype took hold of us all. Sometimes I feel surrounded by zombies and question my own membership to the very group that I belong to (by birth, not by virtue). That being said, it is unfair to castigate the entire generation based on the (often times overstated) actions of the entitled whiners with helicopter parents that have come to represent Gen Y.
They Are Jealous, But Not For Those Reasons
There is this common perception that other generations are jealous of Gen Y. While that may be true, it isn’t because “we are so ambitious”, “we do better at our jobs”, or “we ask for things in the workplace that they had to work for”. That may make some members of Gen Y feel better about the jealousy but it doesn’t make sense. The boomers started and led employee friendly companies like Southwest and Starbucks, Gen X had huge entrepreneurial surges and workplace improvements typically benefit everyone.
In talking with other generations, it seems like the greatest amount of envy comes from the amount of opportunity many generation y’ers give up to act like complete babies about workplace issues. Looking at the numbers, it is hard to argue that our generation is the best educated and the most politically, socially and economically prosperous of any of our previous generations. We have technology at our finger tips that just blow everything from the past 20 years out of the water. I went from playing Oregon Trail on Apple IIe’s to creating web pages on the internet in the span of seven years of education. The environment for innovation has never been stronger. The small business environment is as good as it has been. With all of this going for us, we can’t even figure out how to get along while working or when interacting with other generations without coming off as complete pricks. Demanding that workplace rules secede to our needs is just a cherry on top.
The problem with that view is that many in Generation Y aren’t like that, never will be like that or don’t do it in the disgustingly offensive way many outside of our generation portray it. I think it is amazing the opportunities I have and because of that genuine appreciation, I make the best of it every day. I know many in Gen Y who do the same. And while it is understandable that Generation Y has this rose tinted view of the world (we are young and dumb), what isn’t understandable or excusable is the blanket that Gen Y haters have often thrown over our fire. Honestly, you’re older and should know better. These actions only help to further alienate people in my generation who also seek to bring generation y back to reality. Using grandfather colloquialisms like “When I was your age…” doesn’t help you either. These sorts of actions make people feel like you’re the one entitled to make people go through the same steps in life you have gone through. That isn’t any more right thansaying that Gen Y is entitled to skip past you and go straight to CEO.
The Individual, Not The Generation
When it comes down to it, we are all generations of different people. While it is easy to look at statistics about generations and say “This generation believes this, this generation believes that,” but that doesn’t mean anything when considering a person individually. I work in a place that is 5% Gen Y (I’ve run the age analysis) and I do really like (many of) my co-workers. We have a lot of shared values and a shared course for success. Knee jerk Gen Y haters are as unwelcome here as knee jerk haters of any other group. We all need each other to be successful.
That whole part about me wanting to go outside and finding a flexible work arrangement has nothing to do with my generation. It has to do with me and my utter inability to stay focused when I see sunshine (reasons why I can’t move to places with nicer weather until I can be a bigger slacker). I love being outdoors. That’s me. That’s my Dad. That’s my uncle and my Gen X cousin. And I just bought my first iPod. That flies in the face of the generational stereotype.
The message for me is clear: in almost all instances, the individual is more important than the generation. The labels are meant to elicit a certain response (that I understand, as I’ve just abused the hell out of them). But that’s all it is, a label. It is a statement of fact based on when you were born not onwho you are or what you can accomplish or where you can get hired or how you get things done.
Comments
3 Responses to “Generation Envy”
Leave a Reply
-
Advertising
-
About
Your HR Guy is a Human Resources Generalist practicing in the field. But don't let that fool you, this isn't a boring blog. I seek relevance and humor in a place we will spend much of our lives. Everything from workplace issues, job seeking and terrible bosses. Read more...
![View Lance Haun [lancehaun@gmail.com]'s profile on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/img/webpromo/btn_viewmy_160x33.gif)
Featured on:
HRM Today- Why Your HR Department Needs a BlogThe rules have changed and blogging is not just for geeks with a knack for writing anymore. Employees who want to smear you, recruiters who don’t want to hire you, PR Departments who want to snow you - are all blogging; is HR missing the train? As an HR Professional and a blogger [...]Totally Consumed
- Is Luck a Reality That Should Be Acknowledged?On his blog, Seth Godin responded to a reader who believes luck and randomness is just as critical to success as hard work and effort. Seth says: “Without a doubt, luck is involved. I don’t think anyone would tell you otherwise. The choice one needs to make, though is this: either you believe that luck is [...]Alexandra Levit
- What Happens if Brian Leaves? The Key Employee Problem.Brian is great at what he does. Brian is your controller—he manages all of the accounting for your small business. He keeps all of the company’s expenses properly documented, finds all of the tax deductions, manages payroll, pays all the bills, negotiates for better rates on the company’s health plans, and keeps a sharp eye [...]Working Smarter
- The Big Challenge of Small TalkIt’s an inevitable and sometimes uncomfortable situation. You’re in a meeting or on a conference call and not everyone has arrived, requiring you to banter with the client/boss/partner mano y mano. How do you engage in small talk and build rapport? If you get nervous and start to stammer, what do you do? Do people [...]Inflexion Point
- HR’s Easy ButtonYou’ve seen the commercials - lady in the store trying to use her Staples Easy Button to pay for her groceries. In HR, I was always looking for the Easy Button since dealing with humans is probably the most complex thing on earth. I’ve seen engineers design unbelievably complex electronic circuits, but they don’t come close to [...]rulrici
- Book: Johnny Bunko (The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need)Daniel Pink could have written a classic business book about choosing a career, but he took a risk, tried something new and wrote a manga! The ad for The Adventures Of Johnny Bunko (The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need) says that it’s “Americas first business book as manga”. It contains very nice and expressive art [...]Happy Employee
- Accountability vs. authority: the biggest non-issue in business“Help! I have all this responsibility and no authority to get it done!” OK, I’ll help: authority is designed to formalize and strengthen your ability to influence others, not to replace it. If there is something you need done and you can’t figure out how to do it by influence, then having authority won’t help. In [...]JasonSeiden
- Recruitment Spotlight: How to Check ReferencesMost people have to check references in some shape or form, whether it’s for a candidate or a babysitter. I don’t know about you, but until I wrote Success for Hire I never really knew how to do it. Here’s what I learned: While you can e-mail a reference initially, connect either in person or by [...]Alexandra Levit
- Woman’s Leadership Programs – No Boyz AllowedCompanies will often use external, university-based programs as a way to develop their high potential senior leaders. These programs typically are 1-2 weeks in duration and offer an intense (and expensive) learning experience. According to Iris Marchaj, Director of Smith Executive Education, “99% of leadership development programs offered by elite business schools are male-oriented…which is precisely [...]Dan McCarthy
- Sink or swim? Do you trust your employees/co-workers?If you are like me, you have a hard time delegating. You like having control over a process and have a hard time letting go. Luckily, I have learned to combat this initial reaction of mine and trust the people around me. At least initially. If you screw up it takes quite a bit to [...]HR Minion
- Why Your HR Department Needs a Blog
Lance your are right on. Generational differences are overblown. There is more diversity within a generation than there is similarity. Proper communication, including listening, is the key to successful interaction between people. The talk of generations differences is like saying all New Yorkers are unfriendly, all Southerners are dumb and everyone in the NW is a grunge fan.
Generational characteristics have to be considered but a guide to understanding a group of people; once you get down to the individual, anything can happen - just ask a benefits specialist.
These stereotypes are helpful to get a feel for a group, but only a feel and only of a group - my father (a member of “the Silent Generation”) and I (”Gen X”) respond in ways that hint at our generational biases, but aren’t fully consistent with them. It truly is one measure of an individual’s group membership and that’s all; my generational membership no more indicative of my behavior than my group membership as a Red Sox fan, or HR Guy….
Thoughtful work, Lance.
OK, here is the simplest way to sum all this up. Generationally the Y group is only identifiably different than any other generation at this point and time because of its size (largest group since Boomers). And are projected to make the most money than any generation (I would hope so, as inflationary factors alone would point to that obviousness, but that’s a whole different issue). So your only “categorized”, “grouped”, and listened to for economic reasons. The comments I hear when this topic is approached is no different than any other generation before (and most likely after yours). In all frankness every generation (even some right now) at the point at which you are in your life cycle wanted to go out and play and not work. We all want there to be something “more” to life. The silent generation was simply silent because it was expected and there were no real avenues to openly discuss issues. X’er, boomers (I am so bad off, I don’t even know which group I belong. It depends on who’s “segmenting” I am either a late Boomer or an early x’er.) tried to deal with this by “buying” happiness out side of work. The marketing departments pretty much caught this trend a little later than they should have so they looked for the next big population wave to exploit…. Enter Y!! I love having young people (18-35) around me they are fresh, unjaded, and often teach me much in the way of technology. Not in the introduction of technology, because anyone can learn anything if they want. But, in better usage which is “common knowledge” for them. I would say folks like me are the Y’s biggest threat as we accept and exploit the technology that’s around us, learn from the Y’s and have the mentality of a Boomer. So fight your fight, get me a 3-day workweek, a green friendly company, and what ever else your heart desires and I’ll enjoy those things too while working harder and smarter.. Then when the company lays us both off we can stand in the unemployment line together.. Want to car pool, gas is really expensive?!