Redefining Gen Y

A generational guide to help Gen X managers understand what's really going on with their younger employees

By Tamara J. Erickson

The point of generational analysis—indeed, of understanding any dimension of diversity—is the recognition that unique formative experiences condition us to see and act differently. Because members of any single generation have lived through the same times and shared many formative experiences, common themes tend to characterize how they behave. Not surprisingly, this shows up acutely in the workplace.

There's no right or wrong here. It's legitimate for members of Gen X and Gen Y to interpret events in the workplace differently. This often leads to misunderstandings and conflict.

Based on my research with members of three generations—Gen Y, Gen X, and Baby Boomers—here are seven impressions that many Gen X managers have formed of their Gen Y employees. Each is a legitimate observation of behavior viewed through the Xers' specific lens. Each can be interpreted differently when seen from the Ys' perspective.

1. Impatient?

Perhaps the biggest gripe against Ys by Xers is that Ys want everything now. They don't want to pay dues over time, as Xers were forced to do with a sea of Baby Boomers blocking their path forward. To Xers, Ys are demanding and overly confident about tasks they ask to take on.

A legitimate observation, for sure. Ys are not big on paying dues. Consider why.

The most significant formative experience of Generation Y's youth, the primary focus of adult conversations and concerns when they first began listening in, was terrorism. They came of consciousness in the midst of 9/11, Columbine, the London Tube bombings, and wars fought against terrorism. Terrorism is a strange phenomenon: It is essentially random. It can affect anyone, anywhere, at any time. Ys' mental model of the world reflects a keen awareness of random, uncontrollable events.

For many Ys, the logical reaction to a mental model heavily influenced by terrorism is to live life to the fullest. They care deeply about doing work and more broadly, experiencing meaningful, challenging, and important lives. I don't find that most are as focused on "promotion" per se, as we often assume; that's an Xer or Boomer interpretation of the signals that Ys put forth. What they're asking for is work that makes full use of their talents … today.

2. Helpless and hapless?

We've all heard the stories. Gen Ys bring their parents to the job interview. Parents send in resumes on behalf of their Gen Y child—or even call to discuss a poor performance review. What is it with these Ys? They must be helpless. Or how about that astonishing tendency to move home at the drop of a hat? Conclusion: hapless, too.

Not so fast. Most Ys have a very different relationship with their parents than past generations experienced with theirs. Many Xers were part of the first wave of latchkey kids, home alone while parents struggled through the rapidly changing social norms of the 1980s: skyrocketing divorce rates, women entering the workforce, widespread layoffs. Bear in mind that 40 percent of Boomer teens surveyed in the 1970s said they'd be better off with no parents.

Gen Ys like their parents. When asked to name their heroes, Ys consistently name Mom and Dad as Nos. 1 and 2. Unlike past generations—when adults did adult things with other adults and children played with each other—Ys and their parents played together. They went to movies together, skied together, and listened to the same music. They are friends.

Ys see nothing odd about having their very capable friends mail those resumes. And they certainly don't mind staying with the friends when times turn tough.

3. Needy trophy children?

Now really, who were those trophies for? There's no question that Ys accumulated a lot of them over their early years. But who was behind the idea that everyone deserved one? Who proudly put them on the mantle? And who is holding on to them, even today?

Ys were reared by Boomers—a critically important context for understanding Ys.

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