More and more studies are being published about the unique needs and expectations of the Gen Y’ers coming into the workforce today. Generation Y, also known as Millennials or “Echo-Boomers,” are the 70+ million born between the late 1970’s and early 2000’s. But there’s something bugging me about the coverage on this emerging workforce. Every report seems to be telling organizations to make significant changes in order to accommodate Gen Y’s needs, as though the corporate world is an ecosystem of dinosaurs that needs to catch up or become extinct.
At the risk of creating my Most Unpopular Blog Post Ever, I’m going to swim against the current and try to balance things a bit. I don’t do this as the defensive reaction of a late boomer – I do this as someone who has watched too many Millennials stall their early career growth by expecting the workplace to tailor itself to their style.
Now before you throw me in with the dinosaurs, let me say two things.
First, Gen Y, we love you. Studies have shown that you’ve grown up swimming in activities and focusing on results – you’re no stranger to hard work and you’re oriented 
Second, I want to acknowledge that the modern organization is still very much a work in progress, and that the shortcomings of too many managers sometimes make work, well, suck. More than once have I walked out of a meeting resolving to move to the Bahamas to set up a margarita shack on the beach and never look back.
That said, surveys on Gen Y tell us that this growing segment of the workforce carries a perception of the workplace as an outdated, hierarchical structure, full of rigid rules and baby-boomer managers who are top-down control freaks. A generalization of Gen Y perspective, for sure; but statistically, no less valid than saying that Gen Y’ers attach meaning to work more than other generations.
What I see here is a two-fold challenge for Gen Y being successful early in their careers. First, some mistaken beliefs about management need to be cleared up. And second, Millennials may need to manage their expectations and meet the modern organization halfway to be successful.
Why management and hierarchy?
Management and the corporate org chart have been vilified in the blogosphere by Gen Y, to the degree it seems we’re forgetting why these staples of corporate life even exist, so let’s quickly revisit.
Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of management is not control, it’s specialization. Managers lead distinct teams focused on a function or purpose that serves the larger organization. This is true of both very traditional organizations and highly agile organizations that reconfigure frequently around shifting priorities. As one who has led organizational realignments and worked in both types of organizations, I can tell you that specialization works. Ten thousand workers randomly trying to design, build and market a new car or piece of software would never get anywhere without the power of specialization that structure and management provides.
Unfortunately, those new to the workforce are typically not used to working in an environment where they are a piece of a piece of something larger. Even in the most collaborative of work settings, effectively taking direction from others is not just an attitude or preference, it’s a critically important job skill. A study by Careerbuilder.com states that “over half (55 percent) of employers over the age of 35 feel Gen Y workers have a more difficult time taking direction or responding to authority than other generations of workers.”
While every other generation has faced the struggle of adapting to the workplace, the unique challenge I’ve seen with Millennials is that they perceive this struggle as a reflection of a cultural barrier and an outdated mindset of the company, instead of as a signal to grow new skills. This frame of reference puts the source of both the problem and the expected solution on the organization instead of the employee, so the employee can’t do anything about it except get frustrated.
From aspiration to expectation
This perspective of Gen Y is complicated by another factor that can make it tougher for them to adapt to the workplace – expectations. Studies also show that Gen Y’ers tend to expect many things early in their career that previous generations did not expect until later in their careers, if at all. In the same Careerbuilder.com study:
- 74 percent of employers said Gen Y workers expect to be paid more
- 61 percent said Gen Y workers expect to have flexible work schedules
- 56 percent said Gen Y workers expect to be promoted within a year
- 50 percent said Gen Y workers expect to have more vacation or personal time
When you couple together high expectations of advancement, flexibility and benefits with a difficulty in taking direction and responding to authority, Gen Y’ers can find themselves frustrated and misunderstood when they have trouble showing up well in the workplace.
Meeting in the middle
Generation Y presents a massive opportunity to employers today, and they own that opportunity as much as employers do. Expecting that the world of work will tailor itself en masse to this generation of workers quickly is unlikely, especially in areas where expectations may not match the realities of how organizations function. As a friend of mine once said, “Sometimes it’s easier to put on slippers than to get someone to carpet the world.”
New models for organizing work will continue to emerge, and I expect that Gen Y leaders will play a big role in developing them. In the meantime, my hope is that Gen Y can embrace a little hierarchy and, just as Boomers and X’ers have, develop new skills and perspectives that enable them to meet management in the middle. Their ability to adapt will define how well they can maximize their impact in early part of their careers.
And a final thought. Today’s workplace has at least three distinct “generations” on the payroll. But every person in the workforce is unique, regardless of generational labels. Each person brings their own approach and value proposition, and can position themselves early for success. My recommendation to anyone coming into the workforce at any age is to watch, learn, add value and do what works. From there, you gain influence and authority to create the kind of workplace that matches your vision.
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