The fallout from downsizing and knee-jerk reactions of corporations dumping labor costs to balance budgets will be detrimental to these companies. People in their 20's and younger have heard enough about parents and friends losing their jobs and believe they have found a better way: Entrepreneurship.
This generation has been encouraged to be self-confident and optimistic and they are now using that mindset to decide corporate America no longer fits their employment needs. Dress codes, standard hours, and high pressure demands for profitable months no longer fit a generation that wants to move at their own speed, with their own priorities and enjoy life at whatever level of lifestyle they can afford at the time.
Customization and individual expression have been available ever since theyve been alive so is it any wonder they want to do the same with their lives? With the technology available today an entrepreneur can raise venture capital, find a manufacturing facility in China and market online from the comfort of a small office suite staffed by a few friends with the skills to manage the technology.
This is a fun-loving generation. Baby Boomers also were a fun loving generation until the end of the college years, and then they felt it was time to take on responsibility and toe the line to climb that career ladder. As with every generation's desire to have something different than their parents, the Generation Y members are looking for the fun balance in life they heard their parents wishing they could have.
Could the resistance to changing the work environments to fit this lifestyle be jealousy on the part of Baby Boomers?
If large corporations want to continue operating and attract the right talent, they are going to need to rapidly mold their workforce culture to fit the needs of this generation.
Are you ready to build a work culture that encourages self-confidence, self-directed work teams, a high use of technology and individual-specific schedules? Are you ready to accept an office cubical with a TV on, music running through the computer and social networking all during work hours?
This is the work environment they prefer and can have on their own. What are you doing to make your workplace a preferable option?
Posts
