Gen+Y+in+the+workforce


 * Name: Alice Duffield **
 * Student Number: n8231991 **
 * Tutor: Michelle Newcombe **
 * TOPIC **

The picture selected depicts the view and values that gen Y holds on employment and the conditions that it comes with when offered. While employment was once considered something to be valued by previous generations no matter the conditions or circumstances, it appears that Gen Y has encourages employers to work harder for their new professionals. This picture portrays a job interview situation where the interviewee (a member of generation Y) refuses a job because it does not come with his desired perks and benefits such as a car space, i-phone or stocks.



The artefact represents the importance of work-life balance and the prioritising of their quality of life and state of mental health with relation to self-actualisation when it comes to choosing a career or workplace. Gen Y saw Baby Boomers and Gen X work hard and with no play for many years and has seen the damaging affects that can have on family life and emotional well-being. This analysis will discuss the effects of gen y’s work-life balance values in terms of career and health impacts. It will critically evaluate and compare current research on these values and the differences between Gen Y and previous generations and finally discuss the importance of Gen Y in the workplace.
 * LITERATURE REVIEW**

Generation Y, also known as the millennial generation (Promar, 2001), describes the next cohort following generation X. It is said that generation Y ranges in years from approximately 1978 through until the early 1990’s. Generation Y is made up of a substantial 78 million people globally making them three times the size of Gen X and competing with the Baby Boomers in quantity of population (Lim, 1999).

Generation Y is best known for their influence over the global economy (Precise Marketing, 2011), spending a large $50 billion a year on family purchases and $150 billion each year on clothing, food and technology. Precise Marketing (2011) also found in their market research that Gen Y place more importance in life experiences compared to saving money, they see technology as a status symbol, and they tend to seek products that will suit their individual needs despite the cost to save time and create less work for them.

These values carry through to the workplace and in gaining employment. While Gen Y are a hardworking generation, work is seen as a way to provide quality of life, therefore work must fit around life and not the other way around. Generation Y look for employment where a strong work-life balance is provided with many benefits and flexible working hours (Asthana, 2008).

Generations prior to Gen Y such as Baby Boomers and Gen X were in the workforce during the economic downturn in the 1980’s. Family and friends around them were losing jobs and companies were foreclosing and going bankrupt. Through the experience, these generations learnt loyalty to their employers and colleagues (Thielfoldt & Scheef, 2004). When the economy picked up, values and work ethic began to progress and change along with technology and society.

One study has discussed in depth the values held by Gen Y. Gen Y are generally the offspring of Baby Boomers and watched as their parents worked extremely hard to pay the mortgage and for education and a wealth of material possessions. Gen Y also watched as this hard work resulted in broken marriages, absentee parenting a stress-related illness’ (McCrindle, 2004). This has consequently resulted in different employment values and Gen Y tend not to place importance in owning property if it means other areas in their lives such as relationships or life experiences are negatively impacted.

McCrindle also states that “they are looking for more than just continuing the consumerism experiment. Indeed when deciding to accept a job, salary ranks sixth in order of importance after training, management style, work flexibility, staff activities, and non-financial rewards” //(2004).// Generation Y are looking for more out of life with 1 in 3 claiming to turn to religious groups for a purpose and meaningful relationships (McCrindle, 2004).

A research report by Smula and Sutton (2002), uses a questionnaire method which asks 191 questions in detail about the workers’ attitudes about their jobs, the communities, the company management, corporate involvement in community, women in the workplace etc. The participants were made up of 450 post-grad students at a US University. The reason these participants were chosen was that most of them were full-time workers representing several different professional industries. The limitations of this study were that is was begun in 1992 when very few Gen Y’s were in the workforce, however it did make strong comparisons between Gen X and Baby Boomers which really contrast with the values found in Gen Y workers. The results concluded that the younger the worker, the less patient they were to gain a promotion, and both generations held great importance in having a job stating that it should be one of the most important parts of their lives.

It seems that society today and the role that the government and health agencies are taking is increasing the awareness of stress-related illness’ and disease. Gen Y watched their parents (the Baby Boomers) push themselves in their career both mentally and physically. Baby Boomers equate work with personal fulfillment and self worth. They invented the word “workaholic” (Pekala, 2001). The Baby Boomers battled with increased heart disease, obeisity and other stress-induced illness’ without realizing that it was going to initiate the beginning of mental illness and anxiety disorders in their children, members of the Gen Y cohort (Robinson & Kelley, 1998). Children of the Baby Boomers watched their parents experience symptoms of that similar to a drug addiction says Robinson & Kelley (1998) showing ‘similar denial systems, reality distortion, need to control, and highs and lows. Careers zoom and marriages and friendships falter, as workaholics get adrenaline highs from their work binges and experience hangovers as they ultimately start to come down’. This study used the ‘Work Addiction Risk Test’ using a group of undergraduate students and discussing their perception of their parents workload as young children.

The results showed that more significantly the higher workload for father’s negatively impacted the mental health of their adult children later on in life, inflicting anxiety and depression in several cases. This could suggest that Gen Y demand more of employers such as work/life balance, added benefits because they refuse to suffer the same symptoms of a high-stress life driven by money and risk watching the break-downs of their families like they experiences as children.

Some limitations in studying these types of social demographics and generational stereotypes could include different health factors. While Baby Boomers and Gen X’s may have increased stress-levels, resulting in stress-related illness’ such as heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, Gen Y has increasing risks of Type II Diabetes, rising obesity from lack of exercise and eating foods of convenience.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">CULTURAL ANALYSIS **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Gen Y was the first generation to be born straight into privileged society. While the economy was on the rocks for a time, generally both parents were employed, infrastructure was established in the way of education facilities and they were often blessed with luxuries such as music lessons, and an array of extra-curricular activities.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Maslows Hierarchy of Needs describes the process in which one realised and strives to achieve their full potential (Maslow, A 1943). This relates to Gen Y in that Gen Y appear to have full faith in their abilities due to the constant praise that their parents gave them growing up (Aspen Edu. 2009). This parenting technique began a well-known reputation for Gen Y gaining them a lot of bad publicity as being the Nacissistic generation who feel they are entitled to anything (Aspen Edu. 2009). Again, this can be related back to one of the reasons the Baby Boomers had to work so hard. According to Aspen Education (2009) parents struggled desperately to say no to the demands of their children. As technology progressed, so too did the financial demands from their children as they tried to keep up with social culture around them. These material possessions created in them what appeared to be self-actualisation.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Gen Y ranks at the top of the generations by being the most affluent, educated and culturally diverse (Fernandez, S 2010). With that money, gen Y has got a social-conscience being more ethically aware of the conditions in with material possessions are being manufactured. Gen Y has become a major drive for social change in society contributing both time and money to causes and motivating each other in ways previous generations haven't been able to (PR Scoup, 2011). These motivations are driven by social media, fundraisers such as Haiti, protests etc. This relates back to Gen Y desiring self-actualisation and building relationships and life-experiences.

This issue is of importance to our society as Gen Y will be the leaders in our workforce in the future. It is important to grasp their requirements and make public health decisions based on these so that we can work on health prevention both physical and mental for our future workforce as their health needs will differ from generations before.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">**ANALYSIS OF ARTIFACT AND REFLECTION**

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The artifact chosen represents Gen Y’s values in the workplace and the order in which they prioritize the components of their lives. If an employer cannot offer benefits to a job then Gen Y workers will more often than not wait for an employer who can. This is a sign of the constantly changing society and technology around us.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">My research has shown that through childhood experiences and watching their parents, (Baby Boomers) gen Y have opted to take an alternative route with their career placing more value in their life experiences, friends and family than being driven by money and the typical dream of a house in the suburbs, marriage and kids. This appears to be from a combination of encouraging parents and being more "spoilt" than generations before, believing that we can have "it all" all the time for our entire lives causing Gen Y to feel they can strive for higher achievements than generations before.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In my opinion, the artefact is using over-exaggeration to make a point, however it’s not about the added i-phone, car space or stocks offered with employment, it is about flexibility of working hours and trust between an employer and employee. People have busy lives today and for the sake of our mental, emotional and physical health a work-life balance is an integral part of a growing workforce, thus a growing economy. I believe while it might not seem ideal for older generations and current employers, it is important for them to embrace Gen Y's requirements. They are the leaders of the future and are bringing new values and ethics to the workforce that could do with the change for the health of individuals and society.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Albertsen, K., Rafnsdóttir, Guobjörg Linda, PhD, Grimsmo, A., Tómasson, K., & Kauppinen, K. (2008). Workhours and worklife balance. //Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health,// (03553140), 14-14-21. Retrieved from @http://search.proquest.com/docview/201490171?accountid=13380

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Aspen Education Group. //Narcissistic and Entitled to Everything! Does Gen Y Have too Much Self-Esteem?// (2009). Retrieved from []

Asthana, A. (2008). They don’t live for work… they work to live, //The Observer.// Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Baby Boomers Factsheet. (2009). Retrieved from []

Bolton, S. (2010). //Career motivation theory: Generational differences and their impact on organizations.// Psychology). //ProQuest Dissertations and Theses,// Retrieved from @http://search.proquest.com/docview/305227344?accountid=13380

Esser, P. (2007). //Why Gen Y Matters//. Multichannel News, 28 (50), 42. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from ProQuest Telecommunications. (Document ID: 1399842731).

Fernandez, S. (2010). //Comparing generation X to generation Y on work-related beliefs.// San Jose State University). //ProQuest Dissertations and Theses,// Retrieved from @http://search.proquest.com/docview/205437342?accountid=13380

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Maslow, A. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. //Psychological Review, 50, 370-396.// Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">McCrindle, M. (2004). Understanding Gen Y. //The Australian Leadership Foundation.// 3-4. Retrieved from []

Pekala, N. (2001). Conquering the generational divide. Journal of Property Management, 66(6), 30-38 PR Scoup, Public Relations with a Conscience. //Is Gen Y More Socially Responsible?// (2011). Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Precise Marketing. (2011). //What Defines these Young Generations?// Retrieved from []

Promar International. (2001). //Generation Y: Winning Snack Strategies. Management Summary.// Retreived from []

Robinson, B. (1998). ADULT CHILDREN OF WORKAHOLICS: SELF-CONCEPT, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND LOCUS OF CONTROL. //American Journal Of Family Therapy//, //26//(3), 223-238.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Wey Smola, K. and Sutton, C. D. (2002), Generational differences: revisiting generational work values for the new millennium. //Journal of Organizational Behavior//, 23: 363–382. doi: 10.1002/job.147