Tell Me Something I Don’t Know
Gen Y is confident, always up for a challenge, and has different workplace expectations.
In the 1980s world of child rearing, the catchword was "self-esteem." Unconditional love and being valued "just because you're you!" was the prevailing philosophy. In practice, it involved constantly praising children, not criticizing them under any circumstances, emphasizing feelings, and not recognizing one child's achievements as superior to another's. At the end of a season, every player "won" a trophy. Instead of just one "student of the month," schools named dozens. Teachers inflated grades from kindergarten through college: "C" became the new "F." No one ever had to repeat a grade because staying behind caused poor self-esteem.
As part of that generation, I know we sometimes lack empathy, can overreact to criticism, and now and then favor
ourselves over others.
You can call it over-parenting, hovering parents, uber-parenting, helicopter parents, and so on...you know who they are when you see them...they're the ones saran wrapping the shopping cart, preventing their kids from coming in contact with lurking germs. They're the ones at the park getting involved and trying to solve arguments on the playground. They're the parents in high school, phoning teachers if their children bring home anything other than As. They're even at college - intervening with professors, setting up their children's dorm rooms and bank accounts and keeping in near-constant contact with their kids via cell phone and instant messaging.
Since Gen Yers are treated as equals in the home, we treat our elders as equals, as well. We do not always see the boundaries or discipline behind our relationships with elders. We often question teachers, talk back to cops, and Facebook with our bosses. My generation has been raised by our parents to question everything and raise questions when we don't understand something. My generation is very independent and not afraid to challenege the status quo.
Now this is not necessarily negative.
However, many in Gen Y want a relationship with our bosses similar to the ones we have with our parents. Generations past would never think to question authority or challenge their elders' knowledge on a topic they know more about just because they were told to respect their elders.
Gen Y also has different expectations when entering the workforce than past generations. This is a hot topic these days - how companies are handling the new generation of workers and how they have to adapt to serve us. Here are the facts:
- We want to work, but we don't want work to be our life. Unlike our parents who tend to put a high priority on career, today's youngest workers are more interested in making their jobs accomodate their family and personal lives. Many of my friends are freelancing, choosing to work part time, consulting, or starting their own businesses.
- Generation Yers don't expect to stay in a job, or even a career, for too long - we've seen the scandals that imploded Enron and Arthur Andersen, and we're skeptical about investing too much in one place.
- We don't like to stay too long on any assignment. Mine is a generation of multi-taskers, and we can juggle email on our Blackberries while talking on cell phones while troling online.
- We want to be prasied for things we do well and not overly criticized for things we do wrong. Remember this is a generation that was raised by parents showering us with compliments and veering away from constructive constructive criticism.
- Paying your dues is a thing of the past. My generation expects to be promoted and praised for just doing our job. Gen Y workers need to see a progressive promotion path, or we will move on to the next employer. I have regular conversations with friends that revolve around needing a raise, not getting paid enough for the amount of work being put in, and many of my peers are on a continual hunt for the next best job.
So how does this translate into how you market your product or brand to us? Don't talk down to my generation. No matter what we really do know, we think we know it all and don't want anyone to treat us any differently than that. Make us feel good, smart, and just as important (if not more) as anyone else you are marketing to.
The "Y Award"
Each week the Premise team will be giving out our coveted (hey, we think it's pretty cool) "Y Award" to a brand that has successfully captured the attention of these youngsters. This week's award goes to:
TOMS Shoes!
TOMS Shoes inspires people to do better. In 'Change the World' I spoke about how Gen Y is the most civic-minded generation to date. We attach ourselves to cultural movements, support eco-friendly brands, and are loyal to companies who have a commitment to a cause or social initiative. TOMS has one big, simple, social mission, and they empower their audience to make a real impact.
Some cool facts:
- One for One Movement: For every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need
- April 8, 2010 was 'One Day Without Shoes' where over a quarter of a million people participated at 1,600 events around the world and went barefoot for a day, part of the day, or even a few minutes, to spread the awareness about the impact a simple pair of shoes can have on a child's life
- TOMS is authentic and stays true to what they stand for. The company makes sure you know their cause comes first and that they are not just selling shoes
- TOMS is very well connected within social networks with over 400,000 Twitter followers and almost 300,000 Facebook fans
Doesn't this just make you want to buy a pair of shoes right now? I know I did!
Links
TOMS Twitter
TOMS Facebook
TOMS One for One Advertisement (video)
Make life easy and bookmark this page - so you can follow along for all 10 weeks!
The ABC's of Y and Z
-Jocelyn Fielding, Account Coordinator/Gen Y Contributor
Lunch Today: Chicken with almonds & rice and a tangelo!
