Peaceful Revolution: What Gen Y Really Wants -- And Why We Should Care

While conducting research on the work-life balance outlooks of crème de la crème Gen Y-ers (highly educated young people around the world, what we like to call Gen Y-Fi), we asked forty American college students and young professionals what kind of benefits they were looking for from potential employers. By far the most common response was simply "health insurance." When we asked a similar cohort of Gen Y Europeans the same question they came up with a whole score of desirable work-live benefits: flexible working hours, in-house child care facilities, freedom to work from home or a different country even, respect for family life...the list went on. Why were responses from America's college-educated youngsters so uniform and unimaginative, while their European counterparts could shoot off an entire wish-list?

A recent survey of graduating college seniors by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) sheds some light on the matter. The NACE survey reports that out of fifteen possible job attributes, the top three chosen by American students were: opportunity for advancement, job security, and a good insurance package. Assuming young grads would choose attributes stressing flexibility and creativity (especially since work-life balance has become a "mantra for characterizing Generation Y"), researchers were perplexed that Gen Yers were so zealous about job security. The NACE report concludes that Gen Yers are looking for a company that provides steady salary increases along with life-long benefits -- think General Motors circa 1950. Unfortunately, that kind of employer no longer exists, as the current economic recession has made abundantly clear.

What, then, is a modern employer to do? In the short run, especially in this economic climate, offering a steady paycheck is probably enough to keep most employees happy -- or at least keep them trickling into the office every morning. But let's not be so short-sighted: our information age economy doesn't need drones, it needs innovative, savvy young people in order to grow and get us out of the rut we're in. If companies want to find loyal, dedicated employees from the Gen Y-Fi crop (and, let's face it: we're the next generation of workers, so there really isn't much choice but to deal with us), it is in their best interest to insist that the government prioritize national health care and social security. Europeans are guaranteed these basic securities already -- which is why European young people are better prepared to articulate what individual employers can really offer in order to make the most out of Gen Y-Fi's talents: freedom and flexibility.

Because, though American Gen Yers say they want security most of all, our interviews have convinced us that freedom and flexibility are more important to incoming workers than such answers intimate. In fact, when we asked American students and young professionals more in-depth questions about their dream jobs and the best and worst aspects of their current positions, they gushed about their longing for balance, increased independence and meaningful work.

Martin, a talented young engineer working in New York City, said that if he were promoted to his boss' job tomorrow, he would quit: "My boss never sees his kid...I would never want that for my family." Martin told us he doesn't like staying late at the office just because his colleagues do. He takes pride in being a fast worker, insisting that there's a lot of time-wasting facetime. And though he likes the financial security being an engineer affords him, he said he would gladly take a lower salary for more vacation days.

Speaking of vacation, Jack, 22, an economic research analyst in New York City, seriously claimed to be considering quitting his job -- in order to get time off! That may seem like an unlikely card to play when jobs are being lost right and left, but the sentiment is potent none the less. Jack dreams of branching out on his own, doing something "entrepreneurial" that will allow him to exercise more creative freedom. Then there's Sally, 23, who currently works as a dance instructor in New York City and is hoping to find a future job where she can work with something she truly believes in and share "mutual goals" with her colleagues and employers. Rachel, 22, a recent college graduate from New Jersey, fiercely asserted that she doesn't know a lot of people "who are into that 9 to 5 kind of thing" and advises that "if corporations were more flexible about how people can work, where people can work, the hours that people can work, they're going to get a better pool of applicants."

As opposed to what many in the older generation might think, and what thoughts the above quotes may have inspired, Gen Yers may be entitled but they are not lazy. In the NACE survey, for example, a "casual atmosphere (non-competitive environment)" was ranked very low (10th) among desirable job attributes. In fact, we consistently heard, from Americans and Europeans alike, that hard-working, driven colleagues were sought after and that Gen Yers want work they can be passionate about. Once they're invested, Gen Yers will work, hard.

The wise employers, the ones who see possibility for change and innovation where others only see an abysmal Dow, will give the (young) people what they want -- the ability to grow, to be given difficult, meaningful tasks and to be entrusted to do them where and when they want. But in order for employees and employers to be able to think beyond the very basics, such as health care and social security, we must realize that certain protections should be provided no matter the employer. The Obama administration needs to step up and deliver New Deal 2.0, and quick.

A Peaceful Revolution is a blog about innovative ideas to strengthen America's families through public policies, business practices, and cultural change. Done in collaboration with MomsRising.org, read a new post here each week.

Comments

[truthskr]

There was a time, certainly, when GenY had a pretty legitimate reason to feel that they could and would set the tone in the employment market; a seemingly booming economy paired with a boomer population, aging towards retirement, which in combination was suppose to deliver a huge worker shortage that would leave employers subject to the whims and demands of the remaining, younger GenX/Y workforce.

But then, of course, the tech and real estate bubbles burst. The economy is in the toilet, as it probably will be for a considerable time, so very few employers are looking to add inexperienced, demanding workers fresh out of college to their employment rolls, and the boomers who were on the verge of retirement are now looking into a financial abyss every time they look at their 401(k) or IRA statements, so the vast majority of them will be sticking around for probably another 10-20 years at least.

I completely agree the US needs universal healthcare, not only because it is the right thing to do socially, but because it will ease a lot of pressure off of domestic employers. But to argue that GenY is in any position to demand anything of their employers is to ignore the clear fact that any of the leverage that GenY brought to the table has been obliterated by the current economic environment.

[curiousasheck]

Lot's of us had to starve, shovel, scrape, suffer hard knocks, be creative, and struggle until we eventually ACHIEVED a decent life and reputation.

Why the demand for everything on a silver platter? I don't get it maybe someone can explain it to me.

The struggle never ENDS.

[LitDr2B]

Because (and I'm admittedly generalizing here) a certain large swathe of Boomers were "helicopter parents" who oversaw every. single. aspect. of their child's upbringing, not giving said children the room or opportunity to develop skills for themselves. They gave these kids trophies simply for showing up. They were in the vanguard of the self esteem movement, so a lot of Y-ers were brought up to believe they were Unique Shiny Snowflakes who had a vast array of mad skilz, when in reality they raised a cohort who has no clue what their true skills and talents are.

I teach Gen Y. And yes: as some people have already commented, if they leave their self-entitlement at the door, along with their overblown sense of their capabilities, and actually engaged with the learning/working process, they could start to be the force to be reckoned with that the authors seem to think they currently are.

[curiousasheck]

Good luck finding your new Salaries "Gift Wrapped" in this economy girls.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

I don't think you can even compare yourselves to European Gen Yers.... our education system is LOUSY and they have free healthcare­..... so that they can actually creatively and consciously thing about planning a future.... with a healthy body and an open mind.

America is teaching "creationism" in some parts of the country.

[PennP]

Lordy be, are you all out of touch. We're in the middle of an economic frree-fall, and few are in a position to call shots from the labor side of the field, least of all young people with little to no work experience. In the meantime, the people who are supporting their aging parents, paying at least part of the tuition bills for their kids, and who offer those kids a place to live when jobs and life don't work out--those are the people whose welfare must matter most now, because they're the survival pivot for society. I believe they're known as "parents" to many of the GenY cohort.

[MillennialVoice]

Lordy be? And you think they're out of touch? Really though, as important as you and other Boomers still are at the moment, employers who can't think a few years in advance about how to cultivate younger talent coming up the lines definitely won't make it through this recession. I'd be careful how you talk about us, despite your low expectations, we are going to be in charge of taking care of you one day.

[EinChicago]

"Really though, as important as you and other Boomers still are at the moment, employers who can't think a few years in advance about how to cultivate younger talent coming up the lines definitely won't make it through this recession.­"

Oh grow up and join reality. Gen Y's are a lot more than "a few years" away from having anything to offer of real value to the workforce. Try a decade and a half. There are more generations out there than boomer s and Gen Y-ners.

[EinChicago]

"I'd be careful how you talk about us, despite your low expectations, we are going to be in charge of taking care of you one day."

Perhaps. But not for another 20-30 years at a minimum.

[EinChicago]

In the current economy what the vast majority of employers want from Geny Y is simple: sit down, stop whining and stop sending them resumes until you have at least an5 years of work experience.


Sorry to be harsh. But it's true. Gen Y's are liabilities for companies in this type of economy-un­derqualifi­ed, underexperienced and overly-entitled whiners.

They need to come back when they have worked for 5-10 years and figured out a way to stop being shallow pale imitations of baby boomers.

[drkazmd65]

I remember getting the same kind of "come back when you get 5 years of experience" crapola back when I had finished my first degree (Dec 1987) and started looking for entry level jobs.

Even with a science degree, 2 years lab assistant experience (part-time), and better than average grades from a good University­,... I was losing entry level jobs to people with 3-5 years of experience. I ended up putting my degree to good use,... working as a Janitor at night until I got into grad school a year later.

That old adage hasn't changed much for at least 20 years. Nobody wants to hire somebody with no experience­,... but how do you get experience if nobody hires you? Catch-22.

Most of GenX experienced it as well. I actually empathize with them - despite their sense of entitlement.

[EinChicago]

Hey, I didn;'t pretend that it isn't a common situation. I experienced teh same rejections, as did all of gen X. The difference is that on the whole, we didn't post blogs or write books about why those employers should be falling all over themselves to hire us and effectively become our parents for 5 -10 years while they made sure we recieved the required experience without crimping our social life. We went out and had to earn it. I attended law school for two separate degrees and business school for one more while my wife attended med school... and I held down full time jobs at teh same time time in order to help pay for it.

Geny Y will be an essential part of the work force in about 10 years. But until then, nobody owes them anything and they have to earn it as we did. Not since teh baby boomers have we had such a coddled, self-entitled generation. And we all know what type of damage the Boomer's have caused. It's in the best interest of the country as a whoile to pour ice water on Gen Y's even more exagerated sense of self-entitlement now before they become the cancerous boomer generation of tomorrow.

[Aaror]

Just to give a shout out to my generation :P
Generation X was not given any opportunities or any ability to change things because we were overshadowed by the whiney baby boomers (sorry, they still whine like babies even now, and I am sure at least one will whine in response to my saying this). We are small, but we are ready to go, and anytime Gen Y wants to join us we will help them change the world.

[EinChicago]

Bingo. Gen X's got sanwiched between whiney self-entitled parasitical baby boomers and even whinier, more self entitled gen y's.

Unfortunately, until teh economy gets better, Gen xs are effectively having to try and do the work for both. Gen Xrs can only carry one generation at a time. Gen Y's need to sit down and be quiet for a while and realize nobody is going to be hiring a fresh out of college kid with no experience who wants to play with their Wii all day.

[drkazmd65]

Speaking as an 'older' Gen-Xer (born 1965),... right on target there Aaror!

I've been waiting for most of 'my' generation to wake up since the mid 1980s. Seems like every year more and more of my cohort whines about how hard it has been,... but never seem to be able to mount a sustained effort against the entrenched boomers.

If the GenY-ers need a hand from somebody already settled into part of the system (after years of beating my way in),... Count me in too!

[ThePeacemakers]

Gen X - missed the boat when they didn't destroy the Young Republicans (future neo-cons) back in the 80s on the college campuses.

Gen Y - I understand the pain. But the comment about "freedom to work from another country"..­.
have you not been paying attention? Why would companies let you work from another country when they can outsource there cheaper? Why would some of the same companies give you healthcare when they can get workers in other countries and not have to worry about healthcare?

[kstuff]

Hold your horses. The baby boomers are still occupying the majority of the coveted jobs. They're the last generation to have pensions, but they're "not ready to retire." Sorry, Gen Y. You'll have to wait in line. Gen X has been waiting for years....

[LitDr2B]

Word. The outer edge of Gen X -just- hit 40 not too long ago.

[drkazmd65]

Exactly LitDr2B,..­.. we have been waiting our 'turn',... whether we wanted to or not for years.

But I'll be happy to use my position entering a sphere of authority to give you a start,... IF you figure out how you need to adapt yourself to play in our game.

Don't lose yourselves­,... but understand that the world doesn't owe you anything. And if you want to join the world as it is,... you are going to be waiting around for a couple of decades until the Gen-Xers start to retire.

[kstuff]

How about jobs for Gen X first? A generation that's been overlooked for promotions, was never given pensions and hasn't had a real vacation in a decade.

[dadw5boys]

BUT THEY WENT TO ALL THIS TROUBLE TO CRASH THE STOCK MARKET AND THE WORLD

ECONOMYS PARTLY TO FORCE THE BRITISH TO GET RID OF FREE HEALTH CARE AND PARTLY

TO BREAK UNIONS AND LOWER THE U.S. STANDARD OF LIVING TO ALLOW THE NORTH

AMERICAN UNION TO COME INTO EXISTENCE.

[TheLatticeGroup]

RoloTomassi-- Sorry if weren't clear, but we're saying exactly what you're saying (or, trying to, anyway).

The whole point of our blog was to show that since Europeans already have universal healthcare, they can focus on articulating to employers what will keep them loyal and dedicated to their jobs. Meanwhile, in the United States, where we don't have universal healthcare, our interview subjects struggled to come up with demands OTHER THAN health care. Universal health is certainly NOT an outdated expectation. It is alive and well, and must be addressed by the Obama administra­tion...now­.

historrymatters says it particularly well: "As long as people are consumed by worry over the basics, they can't devote their energies to expanding their horizons, getting creative and innovative, and making dreams into reality. "

Americans should not have to worry about health care. We should not have to worry about taking or leaving a job because of health care. We should be focusing our energies on re-invigorating the economy, not "worrying about avoiding a major medical catastroph­y."

Hope that clears some things up. Here's to more passionate debate and demands in '09!
- Yelizavetta & Astri

[RoloTomassi]

Fair enough; I stand correct.

Unsolicited advice on writing: emphasize and repeat your primary assertion; such wasn't clear to me until you explained it, and I've read the article three [3] times now--that could be because of an issue of poor reading comprehension on my part, but I don't think so.

If you have to explain it, it's not ready to publish.

[vtsf]

Jesus. Defensive much? Why not accept your mistake instead of lasing out and trying to blame your failure on someone else? And after the authors wrote you such a professional reply, too. I read the piece once, and didn't miss the point. "But in order for employees and employers to be able to think beyond the very basics, such as health care and social security, we must realize that certain protections should be provided no matter the employer." It's right there. If you didn't think so much of yourself maybe you'd take the time to consider the possibility that other people might have talent and insight, besides yourself (not to imply that you have talent or insight, because you certainly haven't demonstrated either of those here).

[JonRavGagan]

Hi guys I agree in part with your comments, however medical insurance in the US is a booming industry that have at times been accused of holding medical practitioners at a disadvantage for services. Before the advent of the HMO's the cost of insurance were not so astronomical to the point that "According to the WHO, the United States spends the equivalent of 16.5 percent of its economy on health care, about $6,100 per person, compared to an average 8.6 percent in EU countries. France spends just $3,500 per person, or about 10.7 percent of its economy.'- http://www.praguepost.com/opinion/365-learning-from-europe.html

While there are many excellent Universities in the US and I have met truly brilliant individual who graduated from these institutions -the focus seems to be on the "here and now" obtaining the next certificat­ion;rather than being able to apply concepts and knowledge in a more geometrical manner.Mos­t individuals are conditioned to follow the "playbook" rather than think independently, those that do otherwise may be penalised, which may be one reason why a US employee appear not to be as articulate in their needs as their European counterparts.

[RoloTomassi]

Wow...your tunnel vision is amazing; you hit on an incredibly important issue--hea­lthcare--a­nd then just blew it off with a pro-corporate rationalization about outdated expectations.

The unspoken and ignored truth is that the European gen Yers HAVE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE, and therefore have room to expand their wish list into other areas that most anyone would desire.

By contrast, American gen Yers see the writing on the wall, and realize that if they inherit the current healthcare system unimproved, they'll work throughout their life worrying about avoiding a major medical catastrophy.

[historymatters]

Between their numbers and their tech savvy, Gen Y has the capacity to change the United States, much as their Baby Boomer parents did. Hopefully, we'll see Gen Y pick up the revolution anew, pushing well beyond the limits reached by the Boomers and Gen X. Women and men now are generally regarded as equal in their abilities and talents (at last!), but overall treatment of workers, especially by large companies, has grown increasingly poor. The lack of security - especially when it comes to jobs, health care, and retirement - all workers face today truncates their potential and negatively affects all of us. Gen Y is further burdened by crushing student loan debt. As long as people are consumed by worry over the basics, they can't devote their energies to expanding their horizons, getting creative and innovative, and making dreams into reality. It is long past time that the U.S. followed the European model of single-payer health care and retirement security. I can't wait to see what Gen Y could accomplish, and I hope their first task will be to get their elders on board to deal with health care and social security once and for all.

[EinChicago]

"Between their numbers and their tech savvy, Gen Y has the capacity to change the United States, much as their Baby Boomer parents did. Hopefully, we'll see Gen Y pick up the revolution anew, pushing well beyond the limits reached by the Boomers and Gen X."

"Tech savvy"?

Gen Y, so far has basically proven itself adept at making superficial use of teh tech that Gen X has created and is still creating.

At the end of the day, I'd put my money on the Gen Xr who spent 16 hours per day inventing and building the Wii or the Playstation 3 or IPhone than on the gen Yr who spends 16 hours per day playing with their Wii, Playstation or iPhone (which mommy and daddy paid for).