Generation Y: Your Company's Secret Weapon for Profit, Power and Progress

Several articles have been written echoing the sentiments of Babyboomers and Gen X-ers across the nation, the common thread being that Millenials have a bad reputation. But is that reputation justified? Some of the commonalities around this generalization include that Millenials are spoiled, entitled individuals craving and expecting instant gratification from little to no work. They need their hand held within the workplace and are incapable of carving their own paths. They show little respect for seniority and guidelines, and a disloyalty to the companies "gracious" enough to employ them. In reality, there are many disparities between the actual traits of Millenials and these perceptions of them.

You Say "Spoiled," We Say "Praise Culture"
To be certain, this generation has in fact grown up in a more complimentary culture, which some dub as "coddled" or the "Trophy Generation," referring to the "everyone wins" mentality. While this is true to an extent, a more accurate explanation is that these individuals grew up in a "Praise Culture," which is not necessarily such a bad thing.

In fact, many consulting companies are attempting to embrace such a praise culture in the workplace for its positive and progressive edge. So how do managers deal with this mentality? It will require managers to provide more feedback, but because of Millenials' thirst for acceptance, you will find this feedback will often times be extremely positive. In addition, since Gen Y-ers rely primarily on acceptance and approval as a benchmark for success, they tend to be less motivated by money.

As an employer, the key to leveraging your Millenials is effective communication with timely and constructive feedback. Because Millenials are used to praise, some think they are unable to accept criticism; on the contrary, they thrive on feedback and constant improvement, so throwing away the "annual review" and adapting more frequent communication schedules will help maximize the potential of Millenials for your company.

You Say "Entitlement," We Say "Rapid Results"
Along these same lines, many feel that Millenials have a sense of entitlement. In actuality, their mentality stems more from a rapid results and immediate gratification idea, where they do expect to move up quickly and see prompt results, but that does not mean they are not willing to work for it. They do expect that skill and effort will weigh more on promotional and raise decisions than seniority.

Although this model does not align with how many companies operate their businesses, it should not be considered a negative mark against Millenials; companies that use this to their advantage and make their decisions based on merit and not seniority are likely to see more productivity and resolve from all employees, not just Millenials.

You Say "Dependent," We Say "Communal"
Another common stereotype is that Gen Y-ers are not self-motivated and "need their hands held." Although it is true that Millenials thrive on praise and collaborating with others, their vehement team player attitude is actually a positive point, as this group has a heightened sense of community and relationships between peers (a vital quality for establishing the team environment staffing companies thrive on). One solution to maximize the use of your Millenials is to set up a mentorship program. A mentor can help establish career paths within the company and foster driven employees concentrated on key company initiatives. A mentorship program would help everyone in the organization communicate, collaborate, set goals and attain them.

You Say "Outspoken," We Say "Self-Expressive"
Millenials are also commonly criticized for being outspoken and abrasive in everything from their attire to their demeanor. This candid disposition can also be thought of as self-expressive; for your company, this means they are not abashed by putting their ideas out there. Insatiable brainstormers, they are adept at locating plentiful and unique solutions and bringing in fresh perspectives, which is crucial in staffing where a team might need creative ideas on how to approach a difficult requirement. Millenials have a breadth of knowledge in areas other generations may not, such as technology and social media, so we should embrace the sharing of their thoughts to advance our corporations in these key areas.

You Say "Disloyal," We Say "Noncomplacent"
Another concern managers have about Generation Y is that they are more likely to job-hop and not stay loyal to their company. More accurately described, they are not complacent. Use this to your advantage. Because of Millenials' craving for meaningful work, they are not disloyal to jobs where they are making a difference but are more inclined to leave an employer where they feel they are unproductive or not the right fit. They are systematically reducing your overhead for you when they feel unproductive and stagnant, but are giving 110 percent to employers and positions for which they feel they are making a positive impact; consider it a favor.

Conclusion
There is no denying that there are key differences to this demographic. But instead of turning all of the differences to negatives, our industry must learn to embrace these Millenial traits and use them to fuel new avenues in our business, just like society has in every other era when a new generation of employees entered the workforce.

With the increasingly rapid retirement rate of Babyboomers, our businesses will be relying on Generation Y employees to fill these vacant positions and assume vital roles in our organizations. So rather than dismissing the generation as a group of texting, whining, demanding, lazy individuals who need to learn to respect authority and pull up their pants, we must prepare our companies for what might be the most divergent yet potentially most high-performing generation to date.

Jordan Lander is a Marketing Communications Specialist at Medix Staffing Solutions .