One of my biggest pet peeves in the Gen Y ‘market’ that I work in is reports and presentations that portray opinion as fact.
Specifically, I’m referring to characterizations about Generation Y where the data is gathered from Generation Y. For example, “Gen Y panels”, where Gen Y-ers are asked to share their opinions of themselves, or surveys that gather Gen Y opinions of themselves.
When talking about employment, I find these reports to be even more misleading – how can a Generation Y-er accurately predict what they’ll want in the workplace, when their experience in the workforce is limited (if they have any at all)?
A better method is to ask Gen Y to report on their actual experiences. And in the case of a Generation that is just starting out in the workplace, it may mean that the only real data we can use to understand their workplace behaviour is based on the way we were raised.
That being said, today’s article in The Mark, “How to Keep Young Talent in Canada” is a good read for any employer looking for the basics on Gen Y and their expectations in the workplace. Enjoy!