While reading The Top 7 Trends in HR, some points of view from a Generation Y gal herself, came to fruition...
The article noted above rings truth regarding the ways I work, function and feel. Looking around at my age group, I would have to agree that this mind-frame has indeed progressively altered how work is done and being handled in today’s day in age. Some interesting items that stood out from this excerpt are below quoted then expressed via my thoughts:
“In 20 years, it is predicted that there will even be two new pensioners for every person who joins the workforce.”
Noting to the above quote, it is a crazy thought to anticipate that as the years go on, the upcoming generations are going to have to take on even more additional work that before has taken a crew of men/women. Now a days it is so important for each and every employee entering the workforce to be able to “wear many hats”. Being able to switch into one direction and back to the other is important as things change hour to hour, minute to minute, and the skills of those operating several functions needs to be able to alter just as quickly. Those who falter will find themselves jobless and trying to venture back to school to try and achieve those capabilities.
“Companies are therefore called upon to increasingly adjust working conditions to the needs of employees, their stages of life, and the things that happen in their lives.”
Again referencing the above quote. Seeing the increasing flexibility first hand in the first few years I have been in my career has been interesting, as it appears more and more frequently everywhere you look. A shift in how company owners themselves have altered values on some levels has been transpiring, therefore the values of the company as a whole transforms. With a transformation of values, it welcomes flexibility, accommodations, and a sense of freedom to do what needs to be done to accomplish the task at hand. It is a hard concept to grasp coming from a structured culture environment where stepping out of bounds, taking a leap of faith, was frowned upon. This way of management is definitely opening doors and unleashing the unknown possibilities of our future, by freeing the minds to explore.
“According to the software consultancy SoftSelect, 43% of enterprises use social media in employer branding.”
Social media and branding for enterprises, is something all companies you would consider be on board with at this point, where there is a business there are consumers with the Internet and social media accounts ready to either praise your company brand or blast it. 43% is definitely a lower number than expected. Small or large it is important to maintain your brand awareness with consistency and reinforcement as paper ads and TV ads are becoming an afterthought for a large portion of civilization.
“In the coming years, offices throughout the world will become emptier, but they will also contain a more mixed bunch of people.”
Considering you can log into the World Wide Web anywhere in the World, for the most part, and daily businesses are switching their information from internal data bases into the clouds, it is no wonder desks will be empty. Who wants to sit at a desk when they can type up a report soaking up Mother Nature’s beauty in some tropical location sipping a fruity cool beverage? Business owner's win because the report is getting completed by a satisfied worker that has no plans on leaving their employer; simply because they are obviously satisfied with the flexibility and freedom to do the job they were hired to do without someone breathing down their neck. It is hard to function in that type of environment, no wonder management is shifting gears!
So has Generation Y fallen victim to technology and the ways of the ever changing world, or is their ways of functioning inspiring businesses to change for the better?
