All Gen Y are not created equal when it comes to work life flex

 Overlooking the Boston city waterfront high above the downtown traffic was congestion of a different    sort on a cool June evening. Hundreds of people were packed into a cocktail room at The  Intercontinental  Hotel for a Tweet-up  hosted by Marketing Profs. Chris Brogan, blogger and co-author  of the upcoming  book Trust Agents, was navigating a slew of  Twitterers looking for face time, on-line  marketing  companies were handing out fun gadgets and I was engaged in a multi-generational  discussion  about  work life flexibility and  how various constituencies valued such practices in the  workplace. 

 A fellow blogger, Leanne Chase (Founder of Career Life  Connection ) and I, found ourselves steeped in  debate with a small crowd of Tweeps. Mixed opinion radiated from this group made up of Leanne and  myself  (both Gen X) a boomer  gentleman, another “traditional” type and the real clincher voice who  through us all for a loop – Gen Y  Adam  Stewart. Stewart is a Relationship Supervisor at Crayon, a new  media  marketing consultancy. He  also blogs at Discobeta.com.

 Essentially we tossed around  the idea of lumping all the Gen Y’s together as the folowing: happy go  lucky,  wanna steer the ship of my own life, work life flex addicted, creative non-conformists who want  to  change  the world without working  9-5. We were just speaking generally and not  negatively in any way, however the  discussion  was rather  stereotypical. But Adam set us straight making an important point: All Gen  Y’s are not  created  equal. 

Adam and I engaged in a discussion which I felt should be shared with the masses. He was already on his third job, worked long hard hours, went to business meetings like the rest of us, and didn’t expect or require any special attention. The message –  he’s working his way up the career ladder and is just as responsible as say, any Gen X’er working beside him.

Here’s an insightful excerpt from an on-line interview with Adam Stewart:

JUDY: What is a typical work day like for you? Do you have flexible working conditions and what does your position entail? 

ADAM: Crayon is a virtual company, so I have the freedom to work at home.  However, I’m in constant contact with the rest of the company through phone, IM and video chat.  There is a certain level of flexibility, but ultimately we are a small company that works hard to make sure our clients are given the best strategy and execution we can give them. In terms of a typical day, there isn’t one.  And that’s a good thing.  Again, we are a small company, so we all wear a lot of hats. I manage our clients and their business with us. 

A typical day may include writing strategy documents, collaborating with clients and vendors, creating project plans, writing copy — really, it can be anything. Crayon also stresses the importance of being involved in social media. If you look at the Crayon website, it’s actually a lifestream of everyone’s activities online.  Everyone is a blogger, everyone is on twitter and everyone has a strong grasp of what is happening in new media.

JUDY: What’s your definition of a Gen Y or Millennial? Is it accurate to say that they are looking for more “me time”  or “down time” – more work life flexibility?

ADAM:  I have never fully understood the need to lump generations into groups that completely discount every other factor besides age.  To that point, I think Millennials are tough to define.  If I were to define the generation in a few words — sharp, driven, entrepreneurial, value work-life balance, opinionated.  None of those are flaws.  Applied too vociferously, however, these traits can cause some negativity in the audience. 

I think the assumption that they are looking for more downtime (or “me time”) is an accurate one.  But who isn’t looking for that?  There is an undercurrent of rebellion against the typical constraints of an office job and management hierarchy in many companies.  Companies no longer show the same degree of loyalty that their parents had, and that is both a product of economic factors and a product of employers reacting to new generation of employees that don’t want to be working at the same place for 20 years.

JUDY: Are there stereotypical attitudes or work patterns that are inaccurate in your eyes when others refer to Gen Y ?                                          

ADAM: Yes — there are.  Entitled and lazy are two words thrown around a lot.  But you know what?  Every generation has that.  The Millennial/Gen Y generation is confident and wants to control their own destiny.  They were raised by parents who instilled that confidence in them, and now there seems to be a backlash. There is nothing wrong with a confident entrepreneurial spirit.  However, this will always need to be tapered with real experience.  If Millennials don’t realize it at their first job, then they will soon that they do need actual experience to grow and achieve their goals, and the truly smart ones will adapt so they can get what they want to out of the position.

JUDY: While you are labeled a Gen Y, often defined as a new kid on the block in business you are far from it as you’ve already worked at a number of companies. Is this distinction being lost on HR talent recruiters? 

ADAM: I don’t think most recruiters are looking at age as a detriment.  A lot of companies want young talent, especially at the entry level position.  However, talent is identified through experience, and the best candidates will have demonstrated their abilities through actual experience.  Enthusiasm and confidence (even cockiness) is ok, but it doesn’t mean anything without the knowledge of how to apply it.

JUDY: Just last year  - the term “cuspers” was born to describe those who were just on the edge of the Gen X and barely into the Boomers. Do you see a new distinction emerging in the Gen Y set? 

ADAM: As I mentioned, the grouping into a generation based solely on years doesn’t necessarily create an accurate representation.  People a year older than myself had the benefit of a much more stable econony when they completed undergrad and stepped immediately into a workforce begging for their services.  A year later (in 2002), it was a much different situation.  Jobs were a lot harder to come by.  The result are two groups of people a year apart  - that have a different outlook on their jobs and careers.  I don’t see any type of distinction at this point, but it may still emerge.