Understanding the A to Z of managing the X and Y generation in the workplace

Generation X and Y have entered the workforce and are here to stay. Managing them could be a challenge if you don’t understand them first.

Let’s get some answers:
An iPod:
a. important
b. non-essential
c. can’t do without
Expand the following…..
brb….
ttyl…

If you didn’t choose “c” or get “be right back” and “talk to you later” correct, and if you believe rewards come to those who deserve them, hard work pays off and the good guy wins and the bad guy losses, you most likely do not belong to generation X or Y.

They are self confident and optimistic, independent and goal-oriented. They have technology for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Young adults who think education is cool, integrity is admirable and no one is the boss. They are blunt, they are impatient, they dream, they defy the norms and nothing is impossible for them. There is a new kind of problem in the workplace, and it has nothing to do with downsizing, global competition, stress, training or even the recession. It is a problem of a generation gap that first needs to be understood, before trying to fix it.

To begin to understand and successfully manage generation gaps and how individuals in different generations behave or orient themselves at the workplace it is pertinent to first assess oneself – what generation do you belong to? There are broad categories and there are multiple claims to the timeline as it is subjective and not scientific; but the more generally acceptable ‘generation timeline’ is as follow:
1. Baby boomers – (1946-1964) – loyal, motivated by power
2. Generation X – (1965-1980) – ambitious, motivated by achievement
3. Generation Y – (1981-2000) – social, motivated by career progression

Generation X
Unlike baby boomers who expect loyalty, work ethic and respect for authority, generation X has a constant sense of urgency and lack of patience. They want everything to happen yesterday, quite natural – considering the fact that they have been brought up in a time of constant and rapid change. They probably wouldn’t stay in a job for more than three years. For them education is a very important enabler and would risk taking time off work if needed to pursue it. They would never trade in quality of life for work and money, at the same time would seek jobs that offer them both. For this generation flexibility and understanding at the workplace are a given and they have an innate lack of respect for authority, believing that respect needs to be earned as is not a function of title or position.

Generation Y
You will see that highly educated and savvy generation Y won’t do the ‘what’ until they know ‘why’. They have grown up in the internet age and social networking is a must have. They are always craving feedback, quick results and rewards that are immediate. Raised by an overload of media, video games and high paying jobs these employees don’t care too much about the future and but will make the best of today.

Challenges faced and tackling them
One of the main challenges that a baby boomer may face as a manager of an X or Y generation workforce is the absence or utter lack of respect for authority – for them it doesn’t really exist. If a boomer says to another boomer “this analysis needs to be done”, he would interpret it as an order and carry it out immediately, however if a boomer says the same to an X or Y generation individual, he would interpret it as an observation and not a command and could or could not do it immediately.

The X and Y generation are extremely motivated and results oriented. However, in spite of their extreme motivation another very critical and sometimes over looked factor is their lowered optimism. Being fairly young, it probably has a lot to do with them aiming very high, always expecting the impossible to happen and sometimes falling short – leading to their inevitable disappointment. Another contributing factor to their cynicism could be the fact that they have witnessed previous generations try and fail or not achieve their goals, making them more cautious about their own future and goals. This growing trend of lack of optimism is something managers must nip in the bud.

It is important to look at work from their point of view. It is no longer a means to a livelihood. They want to be creative and at the same time pragmatic. They want to understand how their work, affects the company they represent and how they have contributed to the success of the team. While dealing with Xers and Yers it is important to ensure clarity of deliverables. Interestingly, it is the IT-ITES environment that most suits this generation, where organizations are flat and priority given to clarity of deliverables couldn’t be higher. Although flexibility, recognition and independence rank high on their list, clarity of deliverables, role and responsibility wins by a nose.

What traditionalist or baby boomer managers need to learn, and quickly are the differences in gen X and Y employees. By understanding what drives their workplace ambitions, you can look to build a culture that suits them. It is important to look at your team as individuals, to identify what makes them successful – their talents, what they excel in, what work they like doing, who they like working with, how they prefer to be managed and other imperatives. Once you are armed with this knowledge you have food for thought - alter your management style and keep them constantly ‘engaged’ - something they truly appreciate. Learn how to tap their potential, individually and not generally and success is guaranteed.

Recess from the recession ... 7 months later

Lesson learnt! In October 2007 I got an email from the Australian immigration department that my long sought after visa was finally approved. For me it was three years too late and it couldn't have come at a worse time - work was great, my social life had really picked up and whats more - for once in my life everything seemed to be going my way. I thought to my self, did I really need this distraction. I really didn't, so I put my migration plans on hold for a while just to see how time would change things.

A couple of months down the line and I still didn't have the answer. The anxiety was getting to me and the call had now become even more pensive. I had just three more months to make the move or my visa would be canceled and I would never know. I started to reach out to some of the more sensible and practical people I had the privilege, to call my friends. Their advice was in unison, the decision was mine but it was worth the risk and I should take the plunge. They even worked out my worst case scenario - I come back to India. Bravo! I thought to my self, if only it were as simple as that.

I booked my ticket, handed the bitter pill to my manager and bade my goodbyes. In the meantime, I was so overwhelmed by the thought of being thousands of miles from home that I threw myself this elaborate farmhouse party, drowned all my sorrows and called it my last. At the airport it was a typical Indian farewell - some 50 people just to see off one person, but I would have it no other way.

I arrived in lucky-land downunder on the third of the ninth 2008. The immediate plan was to quickly settle in and start job hunting. During the first couple of weeks, I was left with the daunting task of not looking back. Yet as blue as the skies, as blond as the hair and as swanky as the wheels; when the sun went down and it was time to call it a day, I was transported back to my humble home and I wished I could be there just for a couple of minutes. I had been warned about times like these, and the idea was to stay focussed on my dollar dreams and the bigger picture, after all I had taken the path less traveled by - so I thought.

I arranged to meet a few consultants and hoped to take it from there. Melbourne is a great city and although it takes you a while to fit in, once you're in you really start to love it. It is like most great cities - a melting pot of cultures, none of which it can call it's own. For me it was like stepping into this new world which had hundreds of people like me - yes thousands of Indians migrate there each year. In fact the Indians are second only to the British in the annual immigrant statistics. I knew the process was gradual but I had quickly warmed up to the idea of calling it my home away from home.

It had only been a couple of weeks into my time in Melbourne when the global economy began it's downward decent. Initially it seemed like a passing phase, at the most a slowdown, nothing that some good policy changes and quick action by the world's powerful economies couldn't counter.

December 2008 and things started to get ugly. The US economy was calling in sick, with the rest of the world starting to feel the temperature. Governments the world over had realized the inevitable but tried plugging the hole using their trademark move - propaganda. It would have been commendable on their part if only they had come off it with their victory hats on, but alas the stench had already been raked up. People all over, recession or not, started to tighten their purse strings. Even corporates started to crumble from cost cutting to throat cutting, everything suddenly seemed fair, all in the name of recession. The irony though is that in dire straights like these taking a chunk out off their own gut never came up as obvious. Hundreds of jobs being lost, repeated failed attempts by the government to cushion Australia by pumping in free money to the people under the guise of stimulus packages really started to put a dampener on general sentiment. Although the government in these desperate circumstances meant well, it just turned people into a group of greedy little children taking smaller licks of their ice cream just so that they outlast the rest.

This did a great deal of damage to my sentiment as well, but I was as determined as LK Advani to come out on top as the prime winner. I was willing to try everything from sales positions in top notch IT companies to waiting tables in an Italian restaurant to selling credits cards for the Cobra Group. It all made perfect sense at the time and I was convinced that my grit would finally get me through this. My support system started to kick in - reminding me that the darkest hour is before the dawn, bad times are opportunities in disguise and so on. Running from pillar to post, falling then getting up and trying again, in between all this, I became a not so avid reader of novels, a wannabe champion cyclist, fitness conscious runner, amateur basketball player, 5 times roller skates crasher and an ace B2B credit card salesman.

The lateline news however had uncle Kevin on every night with an even grimmer picture of where Australia was heading. I just thought to myself, forgive them father for they know not what they are doing.

I was suddenly facing the difficult yet imminent question that seemed almost like it had the answer as well. Strange it even came up, because I was so confident, so determined, so focussed, so desperate and then I realized. My mental flip flop was not really between what was right or wrong but rather a very biased struggle to keep myself afloat in a sinking ship even when I have the option of safety and comfort in situ. I finally swallowed halfheartedly and made my way back to the pavilion, which once cheered for me hoping in anticipation that it still will.

And then they came for me

This is a must read editorial written by a very brave journalist, to
be published when he is no more.
It was written by Lasantha Wickramtunga, the assassinated editor of
Sri Lankan News Paper "The Sunday Leader"
He was assassinated by two gunmen while on his way to work on Jan 8.
The article was published by the news paper posthumously as his obituary.

Christmas and what it means to Christians like me

This Christmas in 2008 will be the first I will celebrate away from home and family. In a way it makes me appreciate this time of the year and more so my loved ones who I was always around this time of the year.

All my life until now I lived in a town called Ambernath near Mumbai in India. Ever since I can remember, Christmas was always about celebration - new clothes, gifts, decorations, the Christmas tree, carol singing and the time of the year when all was forgiven and forgotten. It was that special time of the year that I knew I needed to spend with my family. I always knew it signified the birth of Christ our saviour and we celebrated it.

I lived in a kind of joint family set up and Christmas eve was very special; everyone would put on new clothes, and it being winter the night felt extra special and the sky looked clearer. We always went for midnight mass, wished each other "Merry Christmas" and then returned home to cake, wine and chicken roast. It was our own little family tradition. I always looked forward to it. The next day we would have our joint Christmas lunch where all the family got together, cooked different meals and made the best of the Christmas spirit. It was the time of the year when you believed miracles happened.

I never questioned the little intricasies like why do we have a Christmas tree or why do we make believe in Santa Claus, or why we hide gifts under the tree.

I was at a friend's house yesterday in Melbourne, Australia and his non-Christian wife asked me the significance of the tree and Santa Claus and I paused, but I knew the answer. I told her it was a tradition that was started some centuries ago and we just keep it alive. I will miss my family this year at Christmas but I know in my heart the tradition will be kept and although I know they will miss me too, we will celebrate because it is Christmas and next year I know I will be there to take part in the tradition, exactly how we have been doing it for generations.

The start of my journey: Train to Ajmer Sharif

The start of my journey