By far the worst thing Boomers did was produce "Generation Me."
The worst generation?
Youâve heard the whining, now studies back it up: Gen Y workers are the pits
By BRIAN MOORE
Last Updated: 9:53 AM, May 10, 2010
Gen Y workers get a bad rap in the workplace, with many a geezer complaining that their work ethic is less developed than their sense of entitlement. But is that really fair?
Yes, according to new research thatâs yielded actual data to back up that notion.
In a series of studies using surveys that measure psychological entitlement and narcissism, University of New Hampshire management professor Paul Harvey found that Gen Y respondents scored 25 percent higher than respondents ages 40 to 60 and a whopping 50 percent higher than those over 61.
In addition, Gen Yâs were twice as likely to rank in the top 20 percent in their level of entitlement â the âhighly entitled rangeâ â as someone between 40 and 60, and four times more likely than a golden-ager.
Harveyâs conclusion? As a group, he says, Gen Yers are characterized by a âvery inflated sense of selfâ that leads to âunrealistic expectationsâ and, ultimately, âchronic disappointment.â
And if you think the Gen Yers in your workplace are oversensitive as well as entitled, Harveyâs findings back that up, too. Todayâs 20-somethings have an âautomatic, knee-jerk reaction to criticism,â he says, and tend to dismiss it.
âEven if they fail miserably at a job, they still think theyâre great at it.â
Of course, to be fair, thereâs another stereotype about Gen Yers. They may be high-maintenance, but theyâre committed and idealistic, and determined to do work they believe in. A fair estimation?
No, according to another study, which will be published in the Journal of Management in September. Co-author Stacy Campbell, an assistant professor of management at Kennesaw State University, says the study revealed that when it comes to work, the two things Gen Yers care most about are a) high salaries, and b) lots of leisure time off the job.
âThey want everything,â says Campbell. âThey want the time off. They want the big bucks.â
To reach their conclusions, Campbell and co-author Jean Twenge â a professor of psychology at San Diego State and author of âGeneration Me,â a book examinning discontent among members of Gen Y â worked over the data from an ongoing survey of high school students conducted annually since 1975 by the University of Michigan. Among their findings was that while both Gen Y and Gen X want sizable salaries, Gen X workers show greater awareness that a hefty paycheck comes with a hefty workload.
âThe findings really support the idea that theyâre entitled,â says Campbell.
All this leads to a question: Where exactly does this tsunami of privilege come from? As Harvey puts it: âWeâre wondering, how do they end up like this?â
The answer, he thinks, can be found in a reworking of the childrenâs song âFrere Jacquesâ that he once heard elementary-school students sing. Instead of braying the original French chorus, the kids instead sang, âI am special/I am special.â
Entitlement âgets ingrained in the formative years,â says Harvey. âIt stems from the self-esteem movement, telling kids, âYouâre great, youâre special,ââ he says.
Echoing the findings in Twengeâs âGeneration Me,â Harvey says the âultimate ironyâ of jamming unwarranted notions of self-worth into youngsters like corn down a gooseâs throat is that it has the unintended effect of higher rates of depression in Gen Y.
âYou see high levels of disappointment,â he notes, adding that unwarranted self-esteem acts as a shield until the ugly truth intrudes.
Recognizing that is easier than fixing it, he says, noting that excising entitlement from the minds of Gen Yers can be a daunting task. It was thought that giving entitled Gen Yers small bits of feedback a la their beloved Twitter might do the trick, but one study found that approach actually made the problem slightly worse, says Harvey.
The quandary is one that both Gen Yers and their employers will eventually have to confront as Gen Y increases its presence in the workplace, says Campbell, adding that each will have to meet the other halfway.
If not, thereâs calamity brewing.
âThereâs a chance weâre going to have a group of disappointed and disgruntled employees,â she says. âSurely there could be a crisis if no one budges â where Gen Y says, âI want everything,â and the company says, âYouâre not getting anything.ââ
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Quote from slapshot:
Well, it is certainly easy to tell your age bracket, Boomer.
This statement completely ignores the absolute, undeniable fact that the Boomers have held political power in this country for the last 30 years, based simply on their age. The vast majority of incumbent politicians are Boomers.
Therefore, it is not hard to see that simply based on timing, their politcal machinations and policies have led us to the brink we are at now. They are the specific generation that allowed all of the current entitlements and budget problems to happen on their watch.
So, yes, it is COMPLETELY the Boomers who have mortgaged the future.
And only a selfish Boomer asshole would even try to deny it.