I hate reading articles about Generation Y (my cohorts’ generation, ranging from still in high school to around 30 years old – also known as the Millennials or Echo Boomers). I can remember being 23, new to the workforce, and excited to see that people actually thought we were influential enough to write about us. I tore through article after article. Hell, I even attended a seminar on managing Gen Y.

Then I came to a quick and somber realization: About 90% of the articles written about Millennials are complete and utter crap. Most of them focus on how my generation needs constant coddling, and then go on for pages about how to effectively “manage” us.

This article isn’t about how to manage Gen Y. It’s about what Gen Y can teach you about managing an entire workforce.

A Better Workplace

Every generation gets criticized by the ones before it for not conforming to the “traditional” way of working. I don’t think Millennials have pushed the envelope much further than most, but thanks to rapidly changing technologies and shifting social norms, the perception is that we’re radically breaking all of the rules.

You can quote me, though, as saying that the modern workplace sucks. Most organizations are scared to let go of the traditional way of working: 9 to 5, chained to a desk in your fancy clothes. My generation may actually have figured out a better way of doing things.

Embrace Innovation

Image courtesy of lumaxart

My generation is technology crazy. In fact, we may have a tendency to over-embrace it. I’m still trying to figure out what the point of Twitter is – I use it, but I don’t know why anyone would want to!

One thing Gen Y is great at, though, is asking, “How can we do this better?” In today’s marketplace, innovation is a key competitive differentiator. Finding ways to do things that you already do great even better is what separates the good companies from the great ones.

One of the best ways to achieve higher levels of innovation is through social media tools. IBM, EMC, Cox Communications and a plethora of other technology companies have embraced these Echo Boomer inventions and put them to great use. They utilize blogs to help spawn new ideas and spread them virally, wikis to manage projects among remote work groups, and social networks to maintain a sense of community among teams that are spread across time-zones and continents.

Need help getting innovative? Pair up with a Gen Yer on your next project, or pick up a copy of Think Naked by Marco Marsan.

Change the Way You Think About Work

In elementary school, virtually every second of your day was scheduled out for you. Your parents chose your outfit, and the teacher planned your day. In high school, it was more of the same, but you had a bit more freedom. You could pick out your own clothes, and even take a few courses that you were actually interested in.

When you got to college, you gained unsurpassed freedom and flexibility. You could wear whatever you wanted, work from anywhere, choose your own path of study, and use whatever tools or processes worked best for you.

Then you got to the “real world,” and it was like being in high school all over again (or at some organizations, elementary school). That doesn’t make any sense. In college, you developed habits that matched how you personally work best. For some people, that means a few hours in a quiet library or workspace. For others, it’s in front of the TV with a box of pizza at 12:30 am.

Work From Anywhere

Image courtesy of re-ality

One of the great things about the digital age is that you can literally work from anywhere in the world. At Best Buy, their innovative ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) program let’s employees answer emails while fishing or take conference calls from a tree-stand on a hunting trip. Your organization doesn’t have to be quite so extreme, but why shouldn’t your employees be able to work from home (or Starbucks, if that’s what they prefer)?

In college, Millennials learned to do everything remotely, including collaborative teamwork. There are so many ways to do this now: instant messaging, email, conference calls, wikis, blogs and web-based project management software all make it possible.

What’s in it for you? Improved morale, improved diversity (you can hire people from a variety of locations, and aren’t limited to those who can only come in to work – working mothers, for example), improved hiring (see: improved diversity), and lower real estate costs as you no longer need space to station all of your employees every day.

I’m not saying eliminate the physical workspace all-together – even the uber-remote college student meets with his team in person every now and then to hash through the details. Some companies that have tried this out will let employees work from home a few days a week and come in to the office a few days to touch-base with team members and have meetings.

Interested in trying this out yourself? There are some great free or low-cost options out there:

• Google Apps: Google Docs, gChat, gMail, gCalendar
• Basecamp & Campfire
• PBWiki
• Skype: free phone and video conferencing over the web
• Ning: Create your own social network

Work Whenever

If you can work anywhere, the logical next step is that you should also be able to work whenever you want. Why is it necessary to come in from 9 to 5? (Obviously there are some exceptions to this – retail and call-centers immediately spring to mind. My “work from anywhere” mantra also wouldn’t apply to those jobs)

As I noted a bit earlier in this article, in college, you developed work habits that centered around when you were most productive (or in some cases, when you didn’t have a party to go to). Some people just naturally work better very early in the day, or late at night.

Personally, I work best from 10 am to 3 pm. If I stop working at 3, I’m full force again at about 8 or 9 pm for at least a few hours. With a typical 9 to 5 job, my company misses out on some of my peak productivity hours. Under a “work whenever” program, I could center my work around when I perform at my best.

Wear Whatever

Image courtesy of J. Crew

Ok, I don’t really mean wear whatever. In most instances, board shorts and flip-flops wouldn’t really cut it in the workplace (unless you work at Patagonia… or in IT), and I can accept that. But if you’re not in sales or some other externally interacting position, what’s the point of forcing your employees to wear dress slacks, button-downs, and possibly (gasp!) ties?

I hate to keep jumping back to the college reference, but as an undergrad, I did some of my best work in sweat-pants and a t-shirt. I’m not advocating for sweats in the workplace, but a crisp pair of jeans, a sweater or polo, and some decent shoes looks just dapper. If it’s acceptable at a fancy restaurant, it should be good enough for the office. And it stands to reason that if I’m comfortable, I’ll be able to focus on what really matters (my work), and subsequently be more productive.

All of this begs the question: why do you make your employees dress up?

Gen Y Not?

If I had to stereotype my generation in two words, they would be, “Why not?” Why not try this a different way? Why not work from Starbucks? Why not start work at noon? Why not wear jeans to work every day?

If you’ve made it through this whole article and it hasn’t changed your view of how to manage a productive work force, I have just one question for you: Why not?