Generation Y at Work

The baby boomers are looking forward to ending their jobs and careers. But Generation Y is taking on the world.

Generation Y are  demanding, ambitious, self-absorbed, questioning everything, optimistic, and multi-tasking. Not to mention very-well tattooed and pierced. These young people change jobs often. Gen Y makes their own rules.

Gen Yers won't sacrifice life for work

Many baby boomers prioritized career over other things such as personal and family lives. Today, the 20-something workers are putting their personal and family lives before their careers.

They are not interested in jobs that cannot accommodate the "life" aspect of the work-life balance. Gen Yers demand jobs that offer them flexibility and telecommuting options.

These workers also want jobs that allow them to do part-time work or have a temporary leave when children enter the picture.

Gen Yers are finance savvy

Gen Y generally cares about money and savings as well as benefits such as 401(k) retirement plans. In a survey conducted by Purchase, a Diversified Investment Advisors based in New York, it was found that about 37% of Gen Yers plan to save for retirement even before they reach the age of 25.

The study also revealed that 49% of the respondents see retirement benefits as a very crucial factor in their choice of jobs.

Those eligible for 401(k) plans were asked if they care about the plans - a huge majority, about 70%, contribute to the retirement plan.

According to Jennifer Hudson, 23, "I knew what a Roth IRA was at 17. I learned about it in economics class...My generation is much more realistic. We were in college when we saw the whole dot-com bust."

Gen Yers want continuous change

Gen Y is restless, always wanting to try something new. In the workplace, these people don't want to remain in a job or a career for very long.

They are very skeptical regarding concepts like employee loyalty as they have witnessed the Enron scandal and other high-profile scandals that rocked the corporate environment.

Gen Yers are multitaskers, so don't be surprised if they get impatient with staying too long on a project or assignment. In addition, they strongly believe that they are worthy and valuable that they always want to introduce change to their companies.

In this aspect, Gen Y is somewhat comparable with Gen X, characterized by its emphasis on life and family, addiction to everything that has to do with change, and independent thinking.

Gen Yers are rebels

Gen Yers and the previous generation usually clash in the workplace in terms of seemingly unimportant issues like appearance. Young workers are used to wearing casual fare such as capri pants, shorts, and flip-flops.

Many of them have also find themselves in a number of conflicts with their tattoos and body piercings.

In addition, while baby boomers solve problems through face-to-face meeting and traditional media like a phone, Gen Yers are more comfortable with virtual technology in problem solving.