Gen Y Rocks the Business World

Case Study #1: Gen Y Rocks the Business World

Generation Y workers (workers born in the late 1970’s and on) are taking over the business world as baby boomers are retiring. According to the Business Dictionary, “members of Generation Y are often referred to as “echo boomers” because they are the children of parents born during the baby boom (the “baby boomers”). Because children born during this time period have had constant access to technology (computers, cell phones) in their youth, they have required many employers to update their hiring strategy in order to incorporate updated forms of technology.”2

As baby boomers are retiring, there is no choice but to hire Generation Y workers as “there are approximately 80 million 20-somethings that are currently entering the workforce.”(3)

“Money is rarely enough to keep [Generation Yers] on board and engaged.” (1) This new wave of workers are more interested in getting praise, staying educated, being in the corporate loop, working in teams, working with ipods and ipads and social media. “They have strong opinions about the ideal career path. There is a lack of interest in climbing the corporate ladder. They are also entering the careers with different expectations than baby boomers and Generation Xers.” (Ivancevich 435) Members of Generation Y are “hard driven, tech savvy, ambitious, and well aware of the social context of their life and their work.”(1)

“Although Generation Yers bring exceptional technical skills, are entrepreneurial, and have a deep social consciousness they will be surprised at what they have to learn in the “real” organizational world. There is going to be a high need for supporting the next generation, which will be the next big challenge for their managers and the HRM function.”(3)

To accommodate this change of pace, “training programs need to be adjusted to resonate with these younger employees. Specifically, training should be ongoing, interactive and digital, team oriented,...