GenY sucks in the workplace. Wow...who saw that coming?

[Bob Dole]

http://tinyurl.com/2agnelf

From tattoos to temperment, younger workers are missing the mark at exhibiting professional behavior in the office, a study finds. Entry-level salaries may be attractive to the bottom line, but a sense of entitlement and a deficient work ethic are leaving a bad taste in the mouths of hiring managers and upper management.

Technology workers concerned about younger people taking their jobs should listen up: GenY may be a generation raised on the Internet, but their communication skills, work ethic and overall professionalism in the workplace need some serious attention.

Recent college graduates are not living up to expectations of what it means to be professional on the job, according to research from York College’s Center for Professional Excellence, which polled 520 hiring managers, human resources leaders and business executives.

More than 88 percent of those surveyed said professionalism is related to the person not the position they are in. Nearly 40 percent found GenY to have poor grammar skills; Almost 30 percent found GenY to have a poor attitude, with 27 percent reporting these workers are “disrespectful and inconsiderate.” In terms of GenY’s IT habits, almost 40 percent found an increase in incidents involving IT etiquette, including the accessing of unauthorized company information.

“HR pros and business leaders identified five primary characteristics of the professional they are looking to hire,” David Polk, president of the Polk-Lepson Research Group, which conducted the survey, said in a statement. “The research also found that a lot of college graduates nationally are not measuring up well in these areas.”

If you are wondering what exactly defines a “professional,” here are the characteristics executives and managers rated as lacking in GenY workers, according to the York College research:

- motivation to see a task to its completion;
- overall interaction skills, including courtesy and respect when interacting;
- listening and communication skills;
- appearance; and
- self-confidence and awareness.

More than a third of those polled found recent graduates’ professionalism to have decreased over the last five years, but more than half found no change in professionalism over the same period. Of those who cited a decrease in professionalism, 61 percent found GenY to have a strong sense of entitlement and a lack of work ethic.

“Business leaders complained that many recent college graduates have a hard time accepting personal responsibility for their decisions or acting independently,” according to the report. “Managers also said graduates seem to not have a clear sense of direction or purpose in the office.”

Let's see... You coddle an entire generation of children and adjust EVERYTHING to their "different learning style", and it's a shock that once they leave that artificial environment, they don't play well with others?

[jiveturkey]

As a recruiter I see it everyday. They're terrible interviewers, they can't stay at a job for more than 9 months, they jump from industry to industry, they're often late to interviews or fail to follow up (only to send a nasty email 2 weeks later asking why we didn't follow up with them), we've had several candidate literally throw fits because the interview was too hard....

Finding the good ones has become more and more difficult.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by jiveturkey

As a recruiter I see it everyday. They're terrible interviewers, they can't stay at a job for more than 9 months, they jump from industry to industry, they're often late to interviews or fail to follow up (only to send a nasty email 2 weeks later asking why we didn't follow up with them), we've had several candidate literally throw fits because the interview was too hard....

Finding the good ones has become more and more difficult.

How does a recruiter expect them to follow up after an interview? I can understand how they follow up with the perspective employer but the recruiter?

[headsnap]

Originally Posted by NJ STD

How does a recruiter expect them to follow up after an interview? I can understand how they follow up with the perspective employer but the recruiter?

I think he is talking about the follow up with the perspective employer...

[Otter]

Originally Posted by headsnap

I think he is talking about the follow up with the perspective employer...

That makes more sense, glad I could contribute.

[oldandslow]

Loyalty works both ways...corporations have been portraying less and less loyalty, depressing wages, etc etc for the past 20 years.

You get what you pay for.

[jiveturkey]

Originally Posted by headsnap

I think he is talking about the follow up with the perspective employer...

Correct! They don't follow up with anyone and they're being interviewed for sales positions.

[Iowanian]

Asking someone to show up to work on time, treat co-workers and clients with respect, and be reliable to complete assigned tasks should not be asking too much.

I guess it's what you get when schools and society have been training them to be democrats for a decade.

[headsnap]

Originally Posted by jiveturkey

Correct! They don't follow up with anyone and they're being interviewed for sales positions.

they hired you to hold their hands, what do you expect...

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by oldandslow

Loyalty works both ways...corporations have been portraying less and less loyalty, depressing wages, etc etc for the past 20 years.

You get what you pay for.

This is a very fair point.

If corporations would quit axing their better-paid staff in an attempt to cut costs, they wouldn't have to hire these incompetent GenYers to replace them.

Though perhaps if the government would quit stealing money from them to pay for entitlement programs, they wouldn't be forced to cut costs.

Bigger Government FTMFW!!!

[chiefsnorth]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

Asking someone to show up to work on time, treat co-workers and clients with respect, and be reliable to complete assigned tasks should not be asking too much.

I guess it's what you get when schools and society have been training them to be democrats for a decade.

Entitlement mentality is a blight on our society that we are going to pay dearly for in the coming decades.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by chiefsnorth

Entitlement mentality is a blight on our society that we are going to pay dearly for in the coming decades.

Thanks again, 'Boomers.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

I've touched on this before, and this seems like another good spot to bring it up. Remember the pride we took in our "Made in the USA" mantra? Back then, we made the best products in the world, and we were proud of our work, and our ability to do so.

Somewhere along the way though, that stopped. When was it? Does it have to do with the fact that a man back in the 1950's was able to provide for his family as long as he was willing to work 40 hours a week? The only people who were poor back in those days were people who were unwilling to go and work full time.

Now, you can't do it anymore. Hell, a lot of families struggle to make end's meet when there are 2 full time workers in the family. Companies simply do not pay living wages to their employees at the same level as they did back in "the good ol' days".

The fact of the matter is, it's hard to expect an employee to take a vested interest in his employer's business and products, when that employer doesn't take a vested interest in that employee's quality of life. The sense of entitlement, whether it goes up the ladder, or down, is a big problem we have in this country today, in my humble opinion. I'd go ahead and lay the blame at the feet of one of the most popular Presidents in this country's history, but there is no sense in stirring up that shit storm today. It is what it is, regardless of when, or why it happened.

1 final thought though. For everyone in here bitching about the work ethic of Gen Y'ers, ask yourself one question. Who raised them?

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

For everyone in here bitching about the work ethic of Gen Y'ers, ask yourself one question. Who raised them?

Public schools, friends, TV and teh Innernet.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

1 final thought though. For everyone in here bitching about the work ethic of Gen Y'ers, ask yourself one question. Who raised them?

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Thanks again, 'Boomers.

Very good points made by you and oldandslow.

In the rush to blame employees for being bad at their jobs, maybe it's time we consider the fact that employers seem to be falling back on their responsibilities as well.

"That will only make someone work hard enough not to get fired..."