Generation+lazY??


 * Name:Jairo Fernandez**
 * Student Number:** N8282625
 * Tutor/Time:** Sophie Miller, 3-4pm thursday

The picture represents the stereotype which other generations have of what generation Y typically considers when going for a job interview. The picture consists of a slightly overweight generation Y man thinking to himself, no car spot, referring to convenience, no stocks, referring to no financial rewards in the long term, and no iphone, referring to technology. This stereotype upholds the misconception that generation y is a lazy generation caused by the introduction of new behaviors, priorities, technology and lack of health.
 * Artifact:**

Generation Y was born into a great transitional phase of everyday life, technology has become an important aspect in nearly everything we do. Generation Y is known as the tech savvy generation however with the use of technology comes negative side effects such as negative views from previous generations and a decline in this generation’s health. Generation Y is viewed as lazy, however this is not entirely true in terms of morals and in the workforce but in regards to our health while the statistics state generation Y is more active than other generations, it is still not enough to warrant healthy lifestyles. So technology does help and hinder today’s average life.
 * Public health issue:**

Generation Y has endured much change in the world, as well as the influences of all previous generations before it. Whether it is the inclination to inform on a need to know basis and being satisfied by a job well done of the traditionalist generation, the sink or swim model of the baby boomers or the individualistic intent of balancing work life and personal life of generation X.(Eisner 2005). The biggest change in this generation’s life though is the introduction of mass technology. With 72% of Australian households having home internet access and 78% of households having access to a computer. A great increase from the previous generation, in 1998 internet at home has increased from 16% to 72%.
 * Literature review:**

With the prevalence of technology in generation Y’s lives it is natural that their behaviors will be different thus leading to speculation and assumptions about these behaviors, but is generation Y truly “lazier” than previous generations? Currently in the workplace generation Y occupies 15% of the workforce, while generation x represents 30% as shown in the graph below.

Paul, 2004; Francis-Smith, 2004; Johns, 2003; Martin and Tulgan, 2004; Raines, 2002.

So it has been identified that generation Y are not involved in the work place as much as they should. The lack of generation Y in the workplace can have an impact in the future in terms of quality and quantity of workers. However 2 reasons for this shortage have been identified 1: Change in priorities for this generation. While generation Y learned from previous generations, its methods and behaviors are different. Generation Y are confidant, curious, entrapaneurial, goal orientated, tech savvy, multitaskers with a false sense of entitlement. (Johnson, B 2011). So while generation X would look for competent leadership, gaining education and skills, then eventually moving into a management role in the workplace, generation y typically looks for convenience, rewards or gains and technology to simplify tasks. Also to highlight the difference in motivations, Generation X-ers scored higher on the motive of Power, whereas millennials scored higher on the motives of Achievement and Affiliation. (Borges, Manuel, Elam, Jones 2010) 2: Different workplace situation: As shown in the graph below, work options and security can influence how many generation Y people are in the workforce. Comparing generations X and Y there is a significant difference between paid leave entitlements. In generation Y it is close to even between non paid and paid while in X there is a large drop in non paid and an increase in paid. This can be attributed to types of jobs though as generation Y generally are employed by fast food and retail businesses, while generation X are undertaking their careers.

So generation Y truly is not “lazy”, they just approach their lives differently according to what is available to them e.g. technology and convenience. Generation Y live in a 24 hour world, this generation has seen more at an earlier age than prior generations have seen. (Sujansky, 2004). However their morals and ethics aren’t so different than previous generations, generation y are shown to have a strong sense of morality, to be patriotic, willing to fight for freedom, is sociable and values home and family.(Eisner 2005). One of the biggest influence on this generation from technology is a decrease in health. However generation y is not the only generation affected. With advances in technology less effort is required to complete everyday and workplace tasks. Our dependence on technology has increased significantly in the past decade. In 1990 the youngest adult males (aged 20 to 24 years) who belonged to Generation X had a mean body mass index of 23.6, but by 2005 Generation Y 20 to 24-year-old registered a BMI of 24.5 - moving closer to 25(Australian Bureau of Statistics' National Health Survey). Various studies looked at the differences between generation y and other generations thus different methods were used to compare and contrast these generations. Research from various databases and data collected from organizations were used to conduct one report, the use of a method called the TAT was used to gather data on motives between generation y and x. the TAT had strong evidence for construct validity as it was accumulated from 40 years of research. Another study used an adapted survey derived from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X (MLQ 5X) and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI)/Job In General (JIG).

Limitations of these methodologies identified were; demographics is a limitation of one of the studies as most of the sample were business majors in the USA, while sample from the same age but different demographics may provide different data and responses, self-reporting nature of the research survey, restrictions in age range and geographic location were identified in he other study, TAT is a projective measure of assessment and projective measures are more highly criticized than objective measures of assessment and one person independently scored each TAT story. With so much change between the lives of generation Y compared to previous generations it is obvious that there will be conflict and assumptions by other generations. Whether we choose to accept it, every generation affects the generations before and after the said generation. The misconception that generation Y is lazier than previous generations comes from misunderstanding. Technology is undeniably a part of everyday life now and with time it will only become more prevalent. Just looking at how much it increased in homes by 56% in just 13 years. The lifestyle of embracing technology not only makes life and work easier but also more efficient thus giving the illusion of “lazy” Generation Y’s culture is about convenience and efficiency brought on by technology. This technological culture influences all generations. Previous generations are trying to understand and become proficient with technology, “trying to keep with the times”.
 * Social cultural health analysis:**

While technology helps with everyday life and work, it hinders us in a more indirect way, our health. Technology does make life easier, but easier is not always better. While work efficiency can improve through technology, our general health is deteriorating. In the graph below you can see that the older generations do less physical activity than younger generations e.g. baby boomers being between 65% to 55% active while generation y sits at low 70%. However even though generation Y is the most active, because of our new technological lifestyle, the amount of physical activity is not sufficient to maintain our health and keep a good energy intake to energy output ratio. As generation Y will age they will become more involved in the workforce. While at the moment they are lowly represented, as generation Y transitions from the young generation to a senior generation, job opportunities will be better as they will complete university degrees or complete training in trades. So generation Y will become an important group in the work force, and with our population currently facing the greatest number of elderly and retirees the statistics should show this in future.

Understanding of technology and its benefits by previous generations is essential in future we should focus on programs to integrate and accommodate multiple generations in our lives and workplace. Identifying the different priorities and behaviors of different generations is the key to achieving the best outcome for everyone. Learning to use technology properly without compromising health through education.

According to trends and information gathered the next generation dubbed “generation I” will be even more tech savvy than generation y, with these recommendations and the information gathered perhaps we will be able to get the best from technology, improving our workforce and also as importantly keeping healthy.

Many of the aspects discussed are represented in the artifact presented. The artifact highlights the view on the “lazy” generation by other generations because of the change in lifestyle and behaviors of generation y brought on by technology and this generation’s efficiency and ability to use technology. The overweight man can be interpreted as representing our cultural health issues in particularly overweight and obesity as they are a major epidemic in today’s society. The thoughts of the man can be interpreted as the stereotype portrayed and assumed by other generations. Generation Y being driven only by convenience, rewards and technology.
 * Analysis of artifact and reflection:**

The artifact agrees with my belief of misunderstanding. The discussion has highlighted that generation Y is not the lazy generation of stereotypes but just people in our world. I have learned from this experience that people are quick to judge based on stereotypes, however there is some truth to this topic, while it is easier to accomplish tasks because of technology, we still face the same problems of our world, namely health.

How is generation Y the lazy generation if the other generations don’t make an effort to understand and adapt to today’s society, because no matter how much we might not like it the world changes every day and that isn’t going to stop.

Bibliography: Anonymous. (2003). Generations X and Y online: The wired generations. LIMRA's MarketFacts Quarterly, 22(1), 18.

Borges, N. J., Manuel, R. S., Elam, C. L., & Jones, B. J. (2010). Differences in motives between millennial and generation X medical students. Medical Education, 44(6), 570-576. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.2010.03633.x

Buik, A. (2008). Ninja turtles and generation Y at work. Training and Development in Australia, 35(4), 9.

Chan, D. S. (2005). Relationship between generation-responsive leadership behaviors and job satisfaction of generations X and Y professionals. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses,

Eisner, Susan P. (2005). Managing generation Y. S.A.M. Advanced Management Journal, 70(4), 4.

Johnson, B. (2011). Generation Y's guide to working with older generations. AgriMarketing, (00021180), 22-22-23.

Lander, C. (2006). Generations X & Y. Canadian Consulting Engineer, 47(6), 79.

Schwarz, T. (2008). Respect differences, admit similarities, says gen Y nurse. CRITICAL CARE NURSE, 28(5), 83-85.

Sullivan, P., & Heitmeyer, J. (2008). Looking at gen Y shopping preferences and intentions: Exploring the role of experience and apparel involvement. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 32(3), 285-295. doi:10.1111/j.1470-6431.2008.00680.x

http://healthculturesociety.wikispaces.com/Generation+Why+Not%3F
 * Responses:**


 * Generation Why Not?**

Hey Firstly your artefact is a great example of the point you are presenting, I agree that generation Y is generalised to being lazy and stereotypically known as the worst generation who only drink, smoke and party. Just generally I noticed some typos. Your literature area was great using statistics to show the seriousness of drug use and its links to mental health whether you use alcohol or in this case cannabis. It highlights that there are actually more people than we thought abusing these. With your statement that alcohol is more advertised than fruit and vegetables perhaps a figure would have been good to highlight this to show how big it is in generation Y’s culture. So overall it was a good read, and I thank you for the information and hopefully others read it too.

http://healthculturesociety.wikispaces.com/Social+Networking%2C+Gen+Y+and+the+Internet


 * Social Networking, Gen Y and the Internet**

Hey I believe your artifact is good, it unfortunately does represent generation Y. just some points I noticed. It is interesting that you state that this generation has reductions with usage of illicit substances, as other pages state the opposite. So I will read that AIHW report. But it was good finding it. It s interesting to note that high internet usage leads to higher mental health issues even “people use “social media”, so you highlighted possible causes of generation Y’s increase of mental health issues. One thing which I believe would be good is maybe some recommendations on how we can overcome this problem, because I interpret that technology can be a major cause to increased mental health issues. Also do you have a prediction of the future, do you think we will get better or worse? Thank you for the information, I enjoyed reading it.