Generation Y

Hi boss – I was here on time today, so I’ll leave a bit early...

A workday for GenY11.00 Anna shows up at the office – yesterday was a late night...11.05 Walking around greeting her coworkers11.15 Turns on PC and starts chrunching e-mails12.00 Lunch – an appointment with a friend at a local diner, she brings her

iPhone and greets her swedish coworkers via Messenger and answers support questions from customers via SMS

14.00 Back at the office, updating Facebook with photos from the satuday night party. An old university buddy is also logged in and asks Anna for help on a customer project he is working on. Anna refers him to an experts she knows via LinkedIn

Workday - continued15.00 Starts working on bringing the salesbudget up to date for

Southern Jutland using Skype videoconference16.00 Meeting in the big meeting room with new customers16.30 Leaves the meeting to go to a fitnessappointment with a friend

that works for the competitor18.00 Working from home at her home PC finishing the budget23.00 End of day! Chatting via Facebook with the daugther from the

host family in USA where she spend a year at UCLA last year

Source: ”The Gen Y Survey” by e3unlimited

Very different… Generation Y have a different view on

– Timeplans, schedules and working hours

– Virtual vs. Real

– Friends and ‘enemies’

– Sharing knowledge

– Communication (where, how)

– Authorities

A typical 21 year old Have already

– Spend 10.000 hours playing computer games

– sent 250.000 e-mails and IM-messeages

– Spent 10.000 hours talking on the phone She moves naturally in social networks and virtual worlds – and she

expects that her employer is using the same kind of communication systems. And she doesn’t care for the hierachy with top-down control.

Source: Marc Prensky

604/13/23

Where do they come from? The postwar generation grows up with less constraints and more wealth BabyBoomers) – born 1946-1964, experimenting and playing around –

and even more wealth Generation X – born 1965-1978, things get a little tougher, oil crisis and

terrorism Generation Y – born 1979-1994, designer children that have everything

and has never seen anything but growth– ”Mom and dad says that we can be whatevere we want!”

Generation Z is on their way. How will they be?

Speed is essential!

804/13/23

Source: ”The Gen Y Survey” by e3unlimited

Describing Generation Y Optimistic and confident

– Terrorism is not a threat but a part of life Grouporiented and self focused(!) High ethical standard Very socialy aware (environment etc.) Looking for coaches/mentors Likes to be ‘a star’

– Big Brother, Robinson, x-faktor etc. Fun, honest and truthfull Technically fluent Want the latest

Impatient Adapting – loves changes Innovative Efficient – small input/large output Disconnected Uninvolved Sceptical Unstopable Disrespectful Direct Tolerant Dedicated

Source: Eric Chester – Employing Generation Why

New tools available Facebook MySpace Twitter Messenger Podcast YouTube

What are you using?

Unknown territory Di d you know that...

– There are more than 275 apps for Twitter?

– Google has droppes e-mail for internal memos – they podcasts!

– A large danish supermarket as reduced employee turnover and absentism by using Facebook

– HP has employed a Facebook traininer and that a large danish bank has banned the use of Facebook at work...

What discssions are you having?– Are you using social media actively, passively, not at all?

The thruth, the whole thruth... What is the companys offering? The story!

– Sell the idea/the company, not the job/the tasks…

Tell…– Good and bad

Involve!– Fair process

Important factors Ethics Values A pleasant environment WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) WHY (= Generation Y)

How they want to be rewarded..BabyBoomers

High quality of coworkers An intellectual stimulating

workplace Autonomy in regards to tasks Flexible working conditions Access to new events and

challenges Give back to society via work Attention from company and

manager

Generation Y

High quality of coworkers Flexible working conditions Possibilities for promotions Attention from company and

manager Continiues growth Access to new events and

challenges

Source: “How GenY and BabyBoomers will reshape your agenda”, HBR July-August 2009

Personal challenges for the manager Loss of control!

– ”the empty chair issue”

To the edge…– Respect must be earned - meritochraty

Generation Y + Generation X = ?– 8-16 vs. 24/7, knowledgesharing vs.

”knowledge is power”

What will YOU do? Participate and debate...

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