New Paths at Work
Restless 20-somethings use their leverage to reshape the workplace
They are just a few years out into the workforce, and already these employees have earned themselves a reputation. Dubbing them the "entitlement" generation, employers say that these young cubicle dwellers (born in 1978 or after) have forgone paying their dues and slowly climbing the corporate ladder for wanting it all right now.
At the top of the list: the ability to work whenever and wherever they want, with job variation, continual feedback, and learning. Sounds like the folly of youth? Changing demographics may work in the favor of these latest entrants. An impending crunch in the labor supply could give 20-somethings leverage to get what they want--and soon. "Companies cannot afford to treat this generation as a noisy minority," says Robert Morgan, chief operating officer for Hudson Human Capital Solutions. "They really are setting the pace for how work is going to be in the future."
Feedback. Ditto that for their generation X predecessors (born 1965-1977), with a few more years of experience. Dan Ross, 29, graduated from Stanford Business School in 2005. Before he started working as an associate consultant at pharmaceutical company Covance, he asked his future supervisors for more feedback and communication, another hallmark of younger employees. He now provides the same for those he supervises. After a recent project, Ross had his younger charges list tasks that were well done and those that needed improvement. "Going three weeks without telling someone how they are doing is less likely to keep them in that position," he says. "You've got to give them the challenge of some things to change."
That's partly because the demands of these new workforce players have their roots in more than simple inexperience. Generational experts point to their relative affluence, dutiful preparation, and the wide range of opportunities available to them at an early age. "These are the kids who have been taught to do their PSATs before their SATs and to look at potential employers in middle school, not just in college," says Neil Howe, coauthor of Millennials Rising.
Typical of this new generation is Stella Kenyi. Long before she started her first job, she sported a polished resume. As an undergraduate at Davidson College in North Carolina, Kenyi, now 23, pursued her interest in international development by designing and carrying out a program to teach business skills to men and women in Sudan.
That experience and others shaped her career expectations. "You've done multiple things, and you've done them well," says Kenyi, who was born in Sudan and lived in Kenya before moving to the United States when she was 12. "You don't just live in a small bubble." So, looking for an entry-level position last year, she focused on organizations that would let her build on her previous work instead of just pushing paper. She picked the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which works on bringing electricity to rural areas. "Although I'm the youngest in the office, they respect me and are willing to send me into the field," she says. Last year, NRECA sent Kenyi to Yai, Sudan, to do a survey on energy use. And she returned this month to work on another project.
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