Not Everyone Gets a Trophy

Generations Defined Generation: A group of generally contemporaneous individuals regarded as having common cultural or social characteristics and attitudes  The Gen Y label broadly applies to Americans born between 1978 and  Gen Xers are those born roughly between 1965 and  Some feel that a narrower definition would position Gen Y as those born between 1978 and 1989 and who now would be 19 to 30 years of age.

Who are Gen Y and how does it affect me?  They’re the fastest growing segment of the work force.  The people we’re working with  They’re the one’s buying what we’re selling  They make up a large portion of our clientle  They’re the decision makers who we will be in charge in the next 20 years

Generation Y – according to the experts  They are the generation that has been infused with the idea that they can be anything they imagine. They have accelerated this idea into a way of life.  Their determination is to live their best lives now  They're young, smart, brash. They may wear flip- flops to the office or listen to iPods at their desk.  They want to work, but they don't want work to be their life.

Diverse Origins  Generation Y is the most diverse generation in history.  Members are born to the most diverse mix of parents in history as well from teenagers to middle-aged moms who postponed childbearing to establish a career from Boomers to Xers.  One third of this generation was born to single, unwed mothers.  This generation is less white than any generation in our history

Gen X vs. Gen Y (core value differences) Generation Y  Born  75 Million  Celebrate Diversity  Optimistic/realistic  Self-Inventive/individualistic  Rewrite the rules  Killer Lifestyle  Irrelevance of institutions  Internet  Assume technology  Multitask fast  Nurtured  Friends = family Generation X  Born  51 Million  Accept diversity  Pragmatic/Practical  Self reliant/Individualistic  Reject rules  Killer life  Mistrust institutions  PC  Use technology  Multitask  Latch-key kids  Friends — not family

About Gen Y Workers  High Expectations of Self  High Expectations of Employers Fair and Direct Managers who are highly engaged in professional development  Immediate Responsibility They want to make an important impact on Day 1  Goal Oriented They want small goals with tight deadlines so they can build up ownership of tasks  Work/Life balance isn’t a buzzword They’re more interested in their careers accommodating their family and personal lives Will take lower paying jobs if ‘flexibility/tele-commuting’ is an option

More on Gen Y workers  Change A generation of multi-taskers They don’t like to stay on any one project or at any one career or company for too long.  Technology It’s assumed that your company will have everything they need They lean towards ‘virtual problem solving’.  Feedback and Recognition Gen Yers have grown up getting constant feedback and recognition from teachers, parents and coaches They’ve been receiving trophy’s and awards just for participating since birth and can resent it or feel lost if communication from bosses isn't more regular. Previous generations have become accustomed to the annual review process and this isn’t enough for Gen Y’ers

Mentoring and Managing a Gen X vs. Gen Y Gen X - Mentoring Do’s  Casual, Friendly work environment  Involvement  Flexibility and Freedom  A place to learn Gen Y - Mentoring Do’s  Structured, supportive work environment  Personalized work  Interactive relationships  Constant feedback  Flexibility  Be prepared for demands, high expectations

On Being Green  Because of their strong relationship with technology and the Internet, this generation is more aware of the world.  Much higher incidents of volunteering and of non-profits started by people under the age of 30 A Survey done by CSSM of 2300 Gen Y’ers showed that 81% had volunteered within the last year. The same survey for Gen X showed that 13% had volunteered within the last year.  A survey of over 260,000 students at 358 U.S. colleges and universities suggest that 66 percent of freshman believe it is essential to assist people in difficulty and found that feelings of civic and social responsibility were the highest that they have been in 25 years.

Characteristics  They want to change the world, and they think they can do it.  They want to tell you what they think and they expect you to listen to them.  Work means more than a paycheck. They also want to make a difference.  As the first generation to be born into the Internet Age, they are very tech savvy and like to use it while multitasking.  The environment is very important to them.  They feel their greatest contributions can be through their knowledge - not their wallets.  They are our country’s most culturally diverse generation and want to live in diverse neighborhoods  They think like entrepreneurs, but consider relationships more important than making money.

iDeaf Generation  They are the combination of Gen X and Y  The first generation mainstreamed  Residential Schools have less of an impact on the community  English’s bombardment of ASL is increased due to less native signers as language models

ADA  They are the first generation with entitlements  Interpreting as a career grows.  ITP trained interpreters flood the profession.  ITP trained interpreters change the existing interpreting culture with rules and structure often by being outsiders in the community

Technology  Phone accessibility via relay services  Video Phones  Cell phones and portable communication devices.  Social Media influences daily communication on a personal and professional level.