Generation Y
By Charles Woodruffe (July 2009 Issue)
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In the run-up to the recession, there was a plethora of articles and conferences claiming to unlock the perplexing nature of Generation Y.
They are the pipeline of new talent available for employers but their values, needs – indeed, demands – were seen as different to those of their forebears. Employers were trying hard to understand them in order to attract and retain them. They were presented with a stereotype of very demanding, ‘want it all now’ young people who were difficult to recruit but easy to lose. Generation Whine was rather cruelly applied as an alternative epithet.
The Generation Y stereotype has a logical basis in the way in which members of that generation were parented. In talking about Generation Y, we are talking about people brought up by active parents. Although, somewhat irritatingly, every writer seems to date the generation differently, Generation Y is broadly the group of people born in the early 1980s and runs through to those still in secondary school. Their parents are broadly from the group known as the Baby Boomers – those born between the end of World War Two and the mid 1960s.
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Articles from this Issue
- Editorial
- Online Opinion
- Opinion Peter Honey
- Across The Pond
- Opinion Tricia Hartley
- Opinion Hugh Greenway
- Diary of a CEO
- Ask Izzy
- Opinion Francis Marshall
- Viewpoint
- The Business of Education
- Leadership strengths at the top of the class
- ULRs celebrate hitting training target early
- Seeing is believing
- Growing your own
- Generation Y
- Talent management: Key questions for learning and development
- Generation Y: Get them to care about great customer service
- Superstars, prima donnas and mavericks: Facing up to the company rebels
- Communicating collaboration
- Tools of the trade
- Tools of the trade at work
- Coaching for the 'New Normal'
- In the mix
- Transfer and application
- Reviews
- Technology tools
- Net check
- Learning about e-learning
- Transactional analysis
- The moment of truth
- Hints & tips
- New appointments
- L Vaughan Spencer
Added Thursday, 02 July, 2009, 11:01
Much of the corporate discussion on Gen Y seems to me to dominated by simplistic stereotypes, with a lack of decent research and substance behind it. Ashridge have or are just about to publish a report on an in-depth research project called 'Generation Y: Inside Out'. Most relevantly it specifically looks at Gen Y learning as well as working. Have been reviewing it recently and looks interesting piece of work. For more info suggest contacting Sue Honore at sue.honore@dsl.pipex.com