Lance Haun and I discuss the multigenerational workforce. What’s fact? What’s myth? And what’s actually important for HR pros to focus on? (19:40)
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Is Generation Y different than other generations in the workplace? Sure. Are they that they different? No, I don’t think so.
There’s no money in exploring what’s similar and common among generations. To me, that’s why a lot of focus has gone in that direction. Instead of focusing on similarities, focusing on differences.
It’s not a generations thing. It’s about setting expectations, communicating clearly, and then holding people accountable.
About Lance
Lance is vice president of outreach at MeritBuilder, a tech startup that specializes in culture and employee engagement software.
He has been in the human resources industry for six years in both strategic and tactical roles, giving him a solid understanding of the field in a relatively short period of time. He is a proud product of the Washington State University School of Business and enjoys recreating in the great Northwest U.S. in his spare time.
He blogs at Rehaul.com and tweets at @thelance.
Yes! Couldn’t agree more- too much time wasted in this area :)
I blogged about it a little while back because I was asked for comment in a publication http://hrclubsydney.com/demographics-or-psychographics-should-hr-be-focusing-on-what-generation-you-are-from/
Great post, Jess! Thanks for letting me know about it!
THANK YOU for saying that true differences are a myth! Very true. Why do we focus too much on Gen Y “characteristics”?
1. Gen Y’ers who are skilled at self-packaging and self-promotion are effective at drawing attention to their collective profile.
2. Anyone in who is in the first phase of a career has a difficult transition to make, one where they are forced to adapt their expectations to a new reality. If we gave any narcissist the opportunity, at this point, to force the environment to adapt to them, who would not engage with that opportunity? It’s self-serving…
3. Entitlement is entitlement, no matter the stage in a career. It looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck. It has the same demotivating effect on all non-entitled employees. It is a fatal weakness in any employee.
We owe it to all our employees to have a spine and represent everyone from all generations. That’s why it’s important to say there are no substantive differences. If you are a good manager, you do not grease the squeaky wheel. My advice for GenY is to learn not to squeak – just show us the real value you can provide, over and over and over.