Commentary: “The ‘Trophy Kids’ Go to Work”
Monday, 17 November 2008 12:08
We all know that ‘Generation Y’ or the ‘Millennial’ generation is a popular and ever-interesting topic for major publications to dissect. A recent article published in the Wall Street Journal attempts to analyze the generation again, commenting that the group of individuals (defined by the article as being born between the years of 1980 and 2001) can be typified by feelings of superiority and a strong sense of entitlement resulting from years of being coddled and praised by their parents and teachers. The article goes on to comment that the generation seems to want everything now without any sacrifice. For instance, they want to be CEO but aren’t willing to accept time away from their families. On top of it all, employers should be careful because the generation has no sense of loyalty, even if they are given what they want. And if they don’t get it, this group of technology savvy multitaskers is apt to walk away and pursue a more entrepreneurial endeavor.
R2E thinks there is another perspective; perhaps this is simply a reversion to the mean. Today, the corporate environment simply seems so extreme. Family values and work life balance are expected to be cast aside. Technology and greed have fueled the culture for so long that now, the weekends and nights are non-existent for employees. Between the availability of technology and the growing global economy, everyone is always expected to have their Blackberries and be responding real-time….it’s always somebody’s work day even if its 1am local time or you are in the middle of a Sunday family brunch. Nothing is sacred anymore. Furthermore, the generation has witnessed a time where hard-working, loyal employees dedicate their entire careers to a single company, only to have their pensions and retirement benefits pulled out from underneath them at the eleventh hour. Anyone would be naive to think that Corporate America has any loyalty to the individuals that continuously propel it forward anymore…and how can it afford to with the ever-scrutinizing capital markets looking for any sign of slipping growth?
And as far as the entrepreneurial spirit goes…isn’t this the land of opportunity? Nobody can argue that this generation has a tremendous leg up in a landscape where technology rules. Slave your life away with a ball and chain and agree to have your life controlled by the corporate rat race or, try your hand at something innovative and fulfilling that comes with the opportunity to be fully self-sufficient. Is this really a difficult choice to anyone???
So, with this in mind, maybe the Millennial generation shouldn’t be so critiqued. Maybe it should be a welcomed change to get back to what is truly important in life; time with friends and family where monetary ideals and value creation carry less emphasis. Truly, what would happen if every corporation simply slowed down? We’d probably see a lot happier community with lower blood pressure. Just terrible isn’t it?
