Comments on: Putting the “Super” Back in Supervise

By: HRM Today - Blog Archive » How about Generation “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?”

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:31:30 +0000

[...] to all who commented on my earlier post about supervising Generation Y – it generated some insightful conversation about the generation gap, so I thought it worthwhile to [...]

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:25:54 +0000

I must say, I am very luckey to have a boss that goes out of his way to make me feel part of the team. Even though we are seperated in age by (I think) over 25 years, he has always been very good at giving me direction, and then allowing me to deliver the final product. It is nice to have that kind of leadership in the office. I believe I am more productive when I don’t have to run everything by my boss twice a day, more like once a week.

By: DD Figueroa

DD Figueroa — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:06:30 +0000

I completely agree with Michelle. I am a 35 year old(young :-)) HR manager, and I was raised by parents who taught me to work hard to achieve success in life. It’s amazing(and disheartening)for me to see the work ethic of the younger generations. I don’t understand what went wrong! There’s no committment, loyalty, or motivation when it comes to jobs/careers. Many of them expect to be pampered and hand-held. They don’t seem to understand that we are in a Global economy. Long gone are the days that you have security with a company. As easy as it was to recruit and hire them, they can be replaced, demoted, or laid off(in most cases). You have to make yourself indispensable in this market. It really pains me to think about the future and what we will be faced with as a result.

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:51:27 +0000

The problem that I have w/Gen Y folk is their sense of entitlement. Just like Andrea says – they march on you and tell you they have decided to work different days or hours – they don’t ask, they are oblivious to the concept that the company pays them to work shifts the company needs. It is all about what they want.

By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:58:41 +0000

I don’t agree, but Melissa is entitled to her opinion, and I don’t think the critique was supposed to be of her, just the article.

I think the article was good, by the way. I a 50ish, and I agree with Stephanie that most often the issues are not generational, but more work ethic or personality issues.

Most of the time when you treat people with respect, they in turn respect you, no matter what age.

By: Scott Quinn

Scott Quinn — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:52:19 +0000

Omar is exactly right, especially with respect to Melissa. I have a mental image off Angela from “The Office” and that is not good.

One point that I never see or hear mentioned in any discussion on the GenY crowd is that their entire perception of how companies treat workers is entirely different than any generation before them. Think about it. I am 40 and I know people who worked at companies for 20 years and then retired. My father-in-law worked for the same company for 47.5 years. A 22 year-old today would have been 7 years old in 1993. His memories–and hence understanding–of work are that companies hire when times are good and dump people when they no longer need them. They are cynical before they are old enough to be cynical. My read on Gen Yers is that they know how the game is played and want everything they can get from an employer before they are caught up in a layoff. I think Cathie gets it right, too, when she points out that they will stay if you’ll just listen and be willing to change.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:08:48 +0000

I speak from a unique perspective, as I am both a GenY’er and the person who hires and onboards new employees at a very large mental health company. The people I hire are my peers in age and I have great respect for their passion to please if you set up clear guidelines for them and mentor them. From some of the responses here I can see why GenY’ers get a bad rap from time to time. If they are paired with a closed minded supervisor then they do not blossom into the great employees they have the potential to become. Generation aside, supervisors need to find ways to connect with their staff and yes respect for supervisor is part of that. But, quite frankly, respect is earned! Supervisors make their employees who they are and some are too quick to say its a “generational issue” when there are any problems.

I LOVED this article, it was thought provoking in that it encourages us all to better ourselves and in turn better those that we supervise and our companies!

By: Cathie

Cathie — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:07:56 +0000

Andrea,

I agree GenYers need handholding and view a 9 to 5 schedule as a “guideline”. I’ve learned to be flexible with them (btw I’m a 50-something boomer). My experience as shown that they will stay with an employer who is flexible and understanding – they will go elsewhere if their needs aren’t meet. Because they are in high demand, they don’t hesitate to change employers.

By: Andrea Loar

Andrea Loar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:00:40 +0000

I agree with Michelle, as my experience with GenYers has been mostly negative. My biggest complaint is a lack of initiative- I actually have to write daily lists for some of my employees! Also, rather than filling what shifts need to be worked, they are quick to tell me exactly when they can work and when they can’t- no flexibility about it. Wait- am I their boss or are they mine? I’m not sure anymore.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:09:26 +0000

I think the title was misleading but, as both the HR & Admin Mngr, I’m always looking for ways to connect to the “peeps”. I didn’t get out of the article much I haven’t already heard. My experience with the younger generation has been one of a different opinion: They have tended to want their hands held, need constant praise in order to get anything completed, picky about what assignments they will do & complain about a job they accepted and are being paid for. I love the youth’s ability to bring new ideas to the table- just do it with some respect for those of us who clawed and worked our ways to the top. P.S. I’m only 37 years old but, I was raised by adults who expected more of me and how I presented myself with adults- in the workplace or otherwise. Either way, success takes great listening skills, acceptance of the whole person & sometimes just agreeing to disagree. There is a happy medium where all parties survive- and succeed. – Michelle