Generation Y and the Workplace Annual Report 2010 - Haworth

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workplace divas…
energy…
innovation…
challenging…
intellectual challenge…
a new reality from work…
working flexibly…
full of contradictions…
conservatist…
non-conformist…
tech savvy…
value driven…
money grabbing…
Global WorkPlace Innovation
The Generation Y apparently believes they
can achieve anything. They have been called
‘workplace divas’ 1&6 , millenials, homo zappiens…
even Genys! But some say they even are ‘high
maintenance, high risk and high output’ 2&7 . They
are strongly team-focused, collaborative, and seek
meaning in work and opportunity to learn.
But also:
They are now under more financial threats
than the previous generations since the
2008 and 2009 crisis
They have grown up with green issues into
their society, but there is no evidence that it
is actually embedded in their culture
They are more urban focused, and even more
in the future with the growth of urbanisation
They quickly buy into new concepts and
ideas while new technologies become more
affordable, and invade our market at a fast pace
Here is an entire cohort secure
in the knowledge that their wellto-do
Boomer parents can bail
them out of financial difficulty.
If they don’t like their job they
can, and do, chuck it in and head
back to live with their parents.
The Impact of Digitalization – a
generation apart, KPMG International
Research Report, 2007.
The majority of the sources describe the
Generation Y as consumers, colleagues,
employees, managers, and technological
and social innovators. The sources explore
communication styles, values, motivations, and
characteristics, but not many studies focus on
the aspirations of this young generation about
their future working environment. Although they
bring energy and innovation to the workplace,
Demographics
No definitive agreement on birth
years; experts say somewhere
between 1978 and 1995; most
say 1981 to 1993
Children of Baby Boomers
Younger siblings of Gen Xers
Largest generation (75 million)
after the Boomers (80 million),
compared to the Gen Xers (40
million)
38% of millennials identify
themselves as “non-white”
Positioned in history to be the
next “Hero generation”
Figure 1: Who are the Millennials, aka Generation Y?
Source: Deloitte Consulting (2005). Who Are The Millennials, aka Generation Y?
Copyright © 2010, Johnson Controls. Confidential. All Rights Reserved.
Intellectual Property Johnson Controls, Haworth and iDEA.
Tech-savvy
Connected…24/7
Self-confident
Optimistic
Hopeful
Independent
Comfortably self-reliant
Determined
Goal oriented
Success driven
Lifestyle centered
Diverse
Inclusive
Global, civic- and
community-minded
Pulling together
Service oriented
Entrepreneurial
the Generation Y is challenging to manage. They
appreciate clear direction, demand immediate
feedback on performance, expect to be consulted
and included in management decisions, and
demand constant intellectual challenge.
The Generation Y is demanding, as a right, a new
reality from work. They insist on working flexibly,
choosing when and where to work.
Millennials at work
Work well with friends and on
teams
Collaborative, resourceful,
innovative thinkers
Love a challenge
Seek to make a difference
Want to produce something
worthwhile
Desire to be a hero
Impatient
Comfortable with speed and
change
Thrive on flexibility and space to
explore
Partner well with mentors
Value guidance
Expect respect
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