- Y-Size Your Business - Jason Ryan Dorsey, with permission
In his book Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business , Jason Ryan Dorsey attempts to explain what makes Generation Y, the Millenials, so difficult to manage for older supervisors. Dorsey's generation, he explains, is the first that never seriously considered working at a single company for an entire career, and uses technology for almost all of its social interactions. Although they may leave a job with only a resignation email as notice, they are eager to learn new skills and roll up their sleeves for a company they believe in. Part explanation and part apology, Dorsey's book could be a guide to the modern workplace, where four generations work side by side.
Setting the Stage for Gen Y
Written in a casual, sometimes self-deprecating style, Y-Size Your Business begins by explaining why the Millenials (whom Dorsey identifies as being born from 1977 to 1995) have the types of values they do, placing the responsibility in the laps of their Boomer parents, who:
- didn't want their children to have to work as hard as they did
- supported their children for longer than previous generations
- got them used to instant gratification
which is why they have a different set of priorities than their forebears. Despite shifting the blame away from his peers, Dorsey shows good reasoning in his arguments. Instead of attempting to force an entire generation into an unfamiliar mold, he suggests, find ways to work with what you've got.
Management by the Book
Generation Y will become intensely loyal for the right company, which is identified more by the values of the business than by the salary and benefits package. Essentially, this generation has grown up in the shadow of management books such as The One Minute Manager and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, books which have argued that employees can be motivated by intangibles like feeling that they've done a good job. As such, they have come to assume that management practices popularized therein are the norm, and have incorporated them into their values. Millenials simply expect that good management practices are not negotiable – if they feel like a number, they quit and look for a nicer place to work.
Strengths of the Millenial Generation
One of Dorsey's clients asks him, “Why should I hire your generation?” Regardless of the author's reply, the answer to the question is, “Who else would you hire?” The youngest workers will always be needed because they can work longer hours for less money, and have fewer family obligations and health problems. Not understanding younger workers is a problem that has always existed where generations coexist. However, this particular generation brings some unique strengths:
- They will encourage their friends to apply if they really like the job
- They can be motivated cheaply – like with a card sent home to Mom
- They want to learn about a company inside and out, promising that they will be excellent managers someday
Ryan's tone is glib, but if the reader gets frustrated with it, then the book is all the more important to finish. Each new generation must be assimilated into the workforce, and he argues that facial piercings and tattoos should not distract from the eager-to-please attitude and boundless youthful energy that they conceal. Y-Size Your Business offers sound rationale for what drives this generation's perks, and good strategies for finding the best ways to motivate them.
Terence P Ward - Terence P Ward has a business writing website, but spends a bit too much time writing press releases, blog posts, and thought leadership ...
