Baby Boomers are responsible for the attitude of Gen Yers! What should we expect from Gen Yers when it was Boomers who made them like they are – full of … self-esteem!
The Baby Boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, gave birth to the Gen Yers, born from 1978 to 1989, and now these Boomers are sharing the workplace with the Yers and it is not easy! It is something like General MacArthur meets Serena Williams at the US Open. But the Boomers only have themselves to blame for the differences in attitude, having raised the Yers to be independent thinkers with high self-esteem and rewarding them for every little thing they did, rather than raising Yers as they were raised with the spare the rod; spoil the child mentality and knowing the importance of God as the focus of each family. The Yers weren’t spanked but instead were coddled and given everything. Gone were the days of, “When I was your age I walked 5 miles to school and got an orange in my stocking for Christmas!” Replaced by, “But Daaaaad everyone in my class has one!”
Boomers are told that command-and-control in the workplace doesn’t resonate with the Yers and that Yers need to be kept engaged, challenged and paid well. Isn’t that just exacerbating the problem? I think it is time for Yers to make some adjustments and learn from their elders about how to put their noses to the grindstone and work hard – the entitlement attitude needs to go! Yers - pay your dues, work up the ladder, stop whining, and focus on solutions instead of problems. If you don’t then you will be perpetually unhappy, you will not advance quickly, and when you are older you will be plagued by a generation twice as bad.
Yers take note - as a corporate recruiter I am now starting to look for candidates over 30 just to avoid the issues that Yers bring into the workplace. If you want to get and keep the good jobs then change your attitude.
I was recently questioned by a junior staffer regarding a task that they were given to do; they told me they thought the task should have been given to an administrative person instead. I explained that the reason they got the project was because they, 1) had the time and, 2) that I knew the job would get done quickly and correctly – from my perspective the assignment was a vote of confidence but was perceived as demeaning! Are you kidding me right now? What happened to a “no job too small” attitude?
Boomers it is time to take back the workplace. You’ll be doing the Yers a favor when you give them a real world environment to work in. Yers, you need to learn to adapt to the styles and demands of others, understand the importance of effectively working as part of a team and you will actually become as valuable as you think you are. And most importantly for both – treat each other fairly, honestly, and with RESPECT!
