HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

DATE: 2013/1/18
TO: Alex Hadley
FROM: Class 2, Group 2
SUBJECT: Culture Clash

Introduction：
Generation Ys are a fantastic, unique group of employees .By most measures about 75% of Generation Y are now in the workplace. With more and more Generation Y having graduated and seeking jobs, understanding their needs and their generational/cultural attitudes towards work/life balance and engagement can make for a better workplace for everyone.
It is essential for any forward-looking organization to take the time to understand, appreciate and nurture their needs. Meanwhile, Generation Y has to make some adjustments in life in order to be successful in their careers.

Background:
With the entry of Generation Y to the working world, the workforce for the first time contains four generations: Traditionalists (also called Veterans, Silent, or Greatest Generation; 75 million born before 1945; 10% of the workforce), Baby Boomers (80 million born 1945-1964, 45% of the workforce), Generation X (46 million born 1965-1980, 30% of the workforce), and Generation Y also called Echo Boomers.
Generation Y refers to people after 1978. While the baby-boomers are beginning to retire, generation X is starting to take over the high positions of company. Generation Y is growing up with developed technology, mobile and social networks, as well as TV and computers .and for most of their lives has changed their thought patterns and may also have actually changed how their brains developed physiologically.. But generation X, lives were not so colorful. So when these two generations comes to workplace, the clash is especially noticeable.
There are various traits of Millennials likely to lead to cultural clashes with earlier generations and superiors. The widespread notion that “Generation Y’ers” is particularly unrealistic when it comes to their professional careers is one of them. Their overinflated sense of their skills and abilities leads to unrealistically high expectations for career advancement possibly undermining their credibility and boosting envy among older generations. Moreover, many young professionals face a culture shock from the first day on when they start in offices without instant messaging technology or access to social networks. Being kept away from those daily digital interactions often results in dissatisfaction in the workplace – which is hardly comprehensible for the elder workforce. Furthermore, Generation Yers tend to judge people based on their technological acumen and might thus, lack an appropriate level of respect for workers and particularly managers who lack extensive technology skills.

Analysis:
From the chart 1, it shows that differences in methods of communication between Generation X and Y and baby-boomers. The differences involve texting (from generation Y), E-mail (from generation X) and face to face (from baby-boomers). Consequently, the approach to problem solving, is also different. Generation X is prefers to think up a list of solutions on their own, and then call a meeting to discuss those solutions. Conversely, Generation Y forms team to brainstorm solutions with using the internet and social networking for research. Baby-boomers are more similar to Generation X. They would call a meeting to discuss the issues, but they think of it as putting it into the past and how it can be replicated. Baby-boomers and the generation X both are worried about stability. Generation Y, however, did not have the same concerns. Respect for these differences should by, all means be valued. But for baby-boomers, it means having decades of work experience and input still valued, for Generation X, it means having their professionalism and knowledgeable valued; for Generation Y, it means having their ideas valued by co-workers. What we can know from this chart (see chart 1) is that if company needs to hire people who have different way of communication, thinking which is Generation Y , that means companies have to change.

The chart 2 shows a 2010 survey of respondent’s activities over the past 24 hours by generation. 78 percent of baby-boomers watched more than an hour of TV, compared to 67 percent of Generation X, 57％ for Generation Y. The percentage of people who watched more than an hour TV decreased slightly for Y compared to Baby-boomers. For sent or received e-mail, the three generations are quite the same. The percentage who read a daily newspaper decreased from 58 percent for baby-boomers to 43 percent for generation Y. The percentage of those who watched an online video and posted messages to an online profile, however, increased from 9 percent of baby-boomers to 32 percent of Generation Y. The percentage of Generation Y who played video games in the past 24 hours is 28 percent, twice as much as Generation X, compared to only 15％ for baby- boomers . According to this chart, we know that the Generation Y spends more time using social media than Generation X and Baby-boomers. (See chart 2 )

Recommendations:

 What Do Generation Y Employees Want?
Gen Y wants flexible work options, compressed workweeks, reduced workweeks, and telecommuting options. Although not a new trend, flexible working is now a necessity rather than a nice to have.
Generation Y wants daily feedback. They need constant informal reminders that as an individual and/or team they are doing a good job and they want to know how they can improve. They prefer consistent informal feedback rather than annual performance reviews. They expect leaders to take a vested interest in their own individual development and provide clear career paths.
Generation Y is technologically sophisticated and, if you allow them, they will find efficient, moneysaving ways of doing things. By empowering them to solve a problem and recognizing those solutions as valuable, you will soon have your employees treating your business like it’s their own.
Gen Y craves knowledge. Providing a yearly training and development allowance will help your employees grow with and become invested in the business, while fulfilling their desire for self-improvement.

The global survey of almost 3000 managers and graduates shows that although managers admire the intelligence and energy of young professionals, they dislike their strong focus on self and pursuit of fame and recognition, and feel they are poor team players who lack respect.
 So what can organizations do to try to close the gap and get Gen Y and their managers working together？

Managers should keep up with the technological development. We suggest that sometimes managers should try to use texting to communicate with generation Y.
To please Gen Y workers, mangers must first understand their perspective. Even if they do not hold the same values and beliefs as them you must be prepared to change. Managers need to establish the boundaries for behaviour and expectations early on in graduates' careers. Gen Y often need help with issues such as office etiquette, face-to-face behaviour, respect, teamwork and 'political' nous. They often want promotion before they are ready and fail to understand why their performance is not considered up to scratch. Ideally, this kind of 'workplace education' should take place as part of their induction, although managers also have a responsibility to deal individually with members of their teams. Managers need to look closely at their own perceptions and preferred methods of operating to make sure they are not holding on to outdated views or working in a particular way because that's what the business has always done. Both generations need to adapt to the changing world of work and taking a step back can often help managers make better use of the unique contributions and strengths of the younger generation.

Conclusions: Employers are now facing a new workforce pool of candidates to as Generation Y. The introduction of Generation Y into the workplace raises the possibility of conflict. Generation Y and Generation X working together will be a challenging task if company wants to be successful in business when it has a number of Generation Y workers, the manager has to change their way of thinking about Generation Y and adapt their attitude about life, including requirements about the work environment.