Having breakfast with a former MBA classmate at a local coffee shop, we caught up over our runny eggs and nonya laksa, he broached topic of Generation Y.
Boy, did he talk to the right person.
Not that I am the definitive authority on this topic, but that this is something close to my heart both in academic research and in practice.
Not that I am the definitive authority on this topic, but that this is something close to my heart both in academic research and in practice.
'There is no hope for this generation!', he gesticulated emphatically. Mind you, he is a soft spoken person who hardly ever loses his temper. Yet, he more than flinched as we spoke.
I consistently get this reaction from those who are aged 35 and above, and have a role in managing or hiring post-1980 babies.
Then again, we have to see the other side of the spectrum.
My students, aged between 17 to 24, often put it to me that those who are not of their generation are 'backward' and 'not keeping up with the times'. The common trait that is mentioned is 'slow'.
And thus, you, as the reader, will realise that for post-1980 babies, speed is not an option --- it is an expectation.
This seems to mirror a study commissioned by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices in Singapore. It was found that younger interviewers favoured younger candidates over mature candidates. Once the interview panel consisted of mature and young interviewers, mature candidates had a 12% higher chance of being hired (Straits Times, 4 Nov 2011).
And so, on the one hand, experienced workers perceive that younger workers easily crumble under pressure and in the words of our country's founding father, 'footloose'. They are seen to be easily demoralised yet, highly confident of themselves and their abilities. 'Spoilt' is a word that is often brought up in my conversations with experienced workers.
On the other hand, the young ones see experienced workers as dated employees who simply stick to the status quo to safeguard their rice bowl. 'Uncreative and difficult to change', the young ones see mature workers as a liability rather than an asset. If they had it their way, they would like to populate their organization with Wii-playing, Crumpler toting, Rihanna listening peers.
I consistently get this reaction from those who are aged 35 and above, and have a role in managing or hiring post-1980 babies.
Then again, we have to see the other side of the spectrum.
My students, aged between 17 to 24, often put it to me that those who are not of their generation are 'backward' and 'not keeping up with the times'. The common trait that is mentioned is 'slow'.
And thus, you, as the reader, will realise that for post-1980 babies, speed is not an option --- it is an expectation.
This seems to mirror a study commissioned by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices in Singapore. It was found that younger interviewers favoured younger candidates over mature candidates. Once the interview panel consisted of mature and young interviewers, mature candidates had a 12% higher chance of being hired (Straits Times, 4 Nov 2011).
And so, on the one hand, experienced workers perceive that younger workers easily crumble under pressure and in the words of our country's founding father, 'footloose'. They are seen to be easily demoralised yet, highly confident of themselves and their abilities. 'Spoilt' is a word that is often brought up in my conversations with experienced workers.
On the other hand, the young ones see experienced workers as dated employees who simply stick to the status quo to safeguard their rice bowl. 'Uncreative and difficult to change', the young ones see mature workers as a liability rather than an asset. If they had it their way, they would like to populate their organization with Wii-playing, Crumpler toting, Rihanna listening peers.
People do not realise that both mature and younger workers want the same things in life --- financial stability, friendship, useful life experiences and time for themselves. Now, how each generational cohort seeks to achieve these things, is very different.
higher-faster-sports.comI am against ageism --- the discrimination of those who are older in age; and reverse ageism --- the discrimination of of those who are young. It is unfortunate that in the Confucian paternalistic society that we belong to, it is the young who are at a disadvantage. However, the tide is turning and society is realising that they have to put aside their perceptions and bias to embrace their younger managers.
It will not be easy for Generation Y to become the established individuals they so want to be --- definitely not by next month. Many will suffer pain and some will crash dramatically and even take their own lives. But there will be those who will give the passage of time its place and bounce back to stand out amongst the others.
Both experienced and younger workers need to suspend their biases against each cohort. They need each other. The experiences of the Baby Boomers are valuable and can help guard against major mistakes in life. Younger workers bring lots of ideas and knowledge to the table, that can be very useful in improving the lives of Baby Boomers at work.
Concluding his argument against Generation Y, my friend declared, "I do not see any hope for this generation."
I paused for a while, and with a wink of my eye, I proposed, "I have hope for them."
